cityArts P. 9
NYPRESS.COM
•
COMMUNITY NEWS BELOW 14TH STREET • AUGUST 15, 2013
FELINE FETE P. 6
Remembering the Life of Liz Berger The downtown community lost a vibrant advocate and true friend last week By Helaina Hovitz
O
n Monday, August 5th, Elizabeth Berger, president of the Downtown Alliance, died at the age of 53. Liz, as she was called, left behind an endless list of outstanding professional and political accomplishments, but to those who knew and loved her, she was far more than just a community leader — she was a mother, a neighbor, and a loyal friend. Liz grew up and lived in New York City until her father’s job at the UJA Federation
Liz and her daughter Phoebe in Bridgehampton in 2012
Continued on page 4
ALSO INSIDE SENATOR WARNS AGAINST TICKS P.2 VEGGIE VAN DELIVERS P.5 STREET SHRINK: DRESS FOR SUCCESS P.12 CUBA GOODING JR. SHOWS HIS LOVE FOR NYC P.14
Lower Manhattan Yields Buried Treasure Workers have found artifacts from past centuries during routine excavations By Verena Dobnik
T
he city has become an archaeological site, with thousands of artifacts such as an 18th-century bone toothbrush with animal hair bristles and wine and champagne bottles corked centuries ago unearthed to prove it. A copper half-penny and a pair of children’s shoes are some of the other remnants of early New York life workers discovered in Lower Manhattan while digging to install new utilities for the growing residential and business South Street Seaport area. Last week, under a 15-foot stretch of Fulton Street, near Wall Street, more than 100 liquor bottles from the 18th century popped up, some still intact and corked, as first reported by the news website DNAinfo.com. Archaeologist Alyssa Loorya, whose
Brooklyn firm is overseeing the Financial District excavation, said, “You never know what you’ll find right underneath your feet in this city.” “Finding the bits and pieces that were actually used by the people in the past makes New York City’s history real,” Loorya said Wednesday. “George Washington lived right near here.” The ordinary objects paint an extraordinary picture of the city in the 1700s and 1800s - a community of Dutch and English settlers who hadn’t yet spread north into what is today’s Manhattan. The budding metropolis and its water-borne trade was still expanding into the East River and harbor with landfills for wharves using whatever was available, including some newly found artifacts that had become garbage. On a summer afternoon, Loorya stood on Fulton Street looking over a table of dirtcaked treasures, surrounded by towering office buildings, luxury residential skyscrapers and refurbished old merchants’ houses and stores. The buildings rise above the pit dug into the cobblestone pavement for the
Some of the bottles uncovered in a work site. Photo credit Chrysalis Archaeology/Diane George
crisscrossing electrical wires and water pipes now filling the space where the treasure trove was found near the edge of the city’s original shoreline. Last October, at the peak of Superstorm Sandy, flood waters again surged up to that spot. The most recent archaeological pay dirt was hundreds of bottle pieces, including Continued on page 6
NEIGHBORHOOD CHATTER Lawsuit Against Tribeca Photog Dismissed A lawsuit brought against a local photographer who snapped pictures of his neighbors through their open windows without their knowledge or permission has been dismissed. A state Supreme Court judge in Manhattan dismissed the case Monday. The judge ruled photographer Arne Svenson’s art was protected by the First Amendment. The New York Post says Svenson agreed to remove the photos from his website and Facebook page as part of the dismissal. Two parents whose children were snapped for Svenson’s exhibit, called “The Neighbors,” brought the lawsuit after his show became public in May. Svenson took pictures of his neighbors in a glass-walled luxury Tribeca building from his second-floor studio across the street. The photos have sold for thousands of dollars. None of his subjects are identifiable.
Makeshift 9/11 Memorial Removed A judge has ordered a makeshift 9/11 memorial in an office of a city courthouse removed because of a complaint. Courts spokesman David Bookstaver told the New York Post that “someone found
something offensive” about the bulletin board display of photos and newspaper clippings in Manhattan state Supreme Court. He said “we erred on the side of caution” and took down the memorial started by staffers in the court’s Records Room soon after the terrorist attacks. Bookstaver didn’t say which images were found offensive. The bulletin board also contained material on President Barack Obama’s inauguration and New York City sporting events.
Tick-borne Illness Prompts Renewed Focus By Daniel Fitzsimmons Lyme disease doesn’t usually cross the urban-dweller’s mind as something to be wary of, but Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) wants to change that. New York City and Long Island have the highest number of cases in the state, according to Schumer’s office, making these areas most likely to face new and growing threats from other tick-borne illnesses. Indeed, with the recent discovery of Powassan Encephalitis in New York - an often fatal virus transmitted by ticks - a renewed focus on the dangers of disease-carrying ticks has surfaced.
Schumer held a press conference outside Central Park on Sunday, August 11, to call attention to the risks of infection by certain kinds of ticks. According to a release from Schumer’s office, “The Powassan virus causes debilitating symptoms similar to Lyme disease, but it is much more dangerous: it can transmit much more quickly than Lyme disease, there is currently no treatment for Powassan virus, and it is much more lethal – killing 30 percent of those affected statewide since 2004.” Schumer is co-sponsoring the Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act, which would expand research into Lyme disease, improve education, and require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to submit a report for health professionals on the latest research and treatment for tick-borne illnesses. Schumer is also calling on the Center for Disease Control to fund research on containing and treating the Powassan virus and drug-resistant strains of Lyme disease and to work with local health departments on diagnosis and prevention methods. “Already, Lyme disease is one of the leastunderstood illnesses plaguing residents in New York and all of the Northeast,” said Schumer in a statement. “Now, with the emerging threat of new tick-borne illnesses like Powassan virus and antibiotic-resistant
strains of Lyme, the need for more research is clear and compelling. We need to bring Lyme disease and the Powassan virus out of the weeds and better educate the public about how to keep themselves and their families safe.” In 2011, the last year for which information is available, New York City had the second highest number of Lyme disease cases with 731. Suffolk County had 656 cases of Lyme disease and Nassau County had 98 cases of Lyme disease, according to Schumer’s office. The symptoms of Lyme disease are a red bull’s eye rash around the area of the bite which may not appear for days or weeks or not at all, accompanied by the flu-like symptoms of fatigue, stiff neck, aches and pains in muscles and joints, low-grade fever and chills, poor appetite and swollen glands. However, even though symptoms of other tick-borne illnesses can be similar to those of Lyme disease, they may be less severe or not evident at all. One such illness, borrelia miyamotoi, is a new tick-borne illness with symptoms similar to Lyme disease but a Lyme disease test will come back negative, making it hard to diagnose. Joan Green with the NYC Lyme Support Group has been living with Lyme disease for 20 years. She said there should be signs in Central Park warning people to be on the lookout for ticks like there are in wooded areas in upstate New York.
STOP BY OUR SOHO BRANCH AT 501 BROADWAY BY AUGUST 31 AND YOU COULD WIN UP TO $5,000. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Promotion begins 7/22/2013 and ends 8/31/2013. Open to legal residents of NY who are 18 years or older. Void where prohibited. For details, including odds of winning, ask a banker to see the Official Rules. Offered by Capital One, N.A. 1680 Capital One Drive, McLean, VA 22102. Member FDIC. ©2013. All rights reserved.
PAGE 2
OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN
www.nypress.com
THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2013
CRIME WATCH
Wallet Whoops
Boy Bandits
A woman mistakenly handed her wallet to an unknown person in a nightclub. At 1:30 a.m. on Monday, August 5, a 31-year-old woman from Seattle, WA was dancing in a club on Varick Street when someone spilled a drink on her. She instinctively handed her wallet to her friend in the dark club. She then realized the recipient was not her friend, and her wallet was gone. She searched the club and checked lost and found. She tried the Find My iPhone app, but her phone was off-line. Items stolen included an Apple iPhone 4S valued at $400, a Juicy Couture wallet worth $70, two Metro Cards valued at $31 each, her Washington state driver’s license and ID, along with credit and debit cards. The total missing amounted to $548.
Two boys attempted to steal the handbag of an elderly woman in the subway. At 4:55 a.m. on Tuesday, July 30, a 64-year-old woman was on the subway platform at Avenue of the Americas and West Broadway when two boys, aged 13 and 15, threatened her and attempted to take her handbag by force. The 13-year-old said, “I have a knife, I will kill them all!” while he tried to take the woman’s handbag. The woman told police that the boys did not actually display a knife. Police searched the station and recovered a knife on the southbound roadbed. The two boys were arrested July 30 and charged with attempted robbery.
Hyper Heist Illustration by John S. Winkleman
By Jerry Danzig
Muscle Car Mix-Up An auto body mechanic took another man’s Maserati out of a parking garage for an unauthorized spin. At 4 p.m. on Friday, August 2, a man calling himself James entered a parking garage on Desbrosses Street and told the garage manager that the owner of the
Maserati had given him permission to pick up the car for repair. The manager let him take the car, and it never returned. When the owner of the vehicle, a 52-year-old man from Maitland, FL, heard of the hand-off, it was discovered that James no longer worked for the auto body shop, but had been terminated on July 30. The Maserati was a black 2012 Gran Turismo Sport with DC plates, valued at $130,000.
Someone stole a man’s motorcycle from Rector Place sometimes after last Thursday night. At 10 p.m. on July 25, the 45-year-old man parked his motorcycle on the fashionable street in Battery Park City. When he returned from vacation at 3:30 p.m. on July 30, he discovered his motorcycle was missing. The police auto crime unit conducted a canvass of the area but were unable to locate the burgled bike. The stolen cycle was a 2013 Ducati Hypermoto with NY plates, valued at $17,000.
Charlton Break-in A woman’s purse was stolen from a car parked on Charlton Street last Sunday at 1:15 a.m. On August 4, a 23-year-old woman returned to her car on Charlton Street and discovered that the rear panel of the driver’s side window had been shattered. The purse on the floor behind the driver’s seat belonging to her 22-year-old female friend had been taken. No video was available in the area. The purse contained a credit card, and it was unknown if unauthorized charges had been made. Other items stolen included a Coach purse valued at $250, car keys worth $150, an Apple iPod Touch valued at $150, along with a wallet and checkbook. Total amount of the items stolen: $565.
Met Council is accepting applications for the waiting list of affordable housing rental apartments in our building located at 351 East 54th Street, NY These studio apartments are for one person households only. The age eligibility requirement is 62 years of age at the time of application. Current Rent Range studio: Income Range:
$938 - $1146 $39,756 - $48,100 1 person household
*Monthly rent includes heat, hot water and gas for cooking. Seniors will be required to meet income guidelines and additional selection criteria to qualify. Income guidelines are subject to change. One application per household. Applications may be downloaded from: www.metcouncil.org/housing or requested by mail from Met Council: East 54th Street Residence 120 Broadway, 7th floor New York, NY 10271. Please include a self-addressed envelope. No Broker or application fee.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2013
OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN
www.nypress.com
PAGE 3
Liz Berger Continued from page 1
relocated the family to Buffalo, New York. She arrived at Yale in 1978 and convinced the school to let her design her own major, “Studying the City.” On her first day of class, she met Frederick Kaufman, the man she would eventually marry. “We were standing in line together outside Lindsey Chittenden Hall waiting to sign up for English 129. We immediately hit it off, and wrote a song together,” Kaufman recalled. “We were friends throughout college, but did not begin going out until Valentine’s Day, 1984.” Liz also met one of her dearest friends that first day of college, a woman named Melissa Harris, who described her as “dazzling, smart, witty, and full of energy.” “We used to walk down the street together in New Haven and sing showtunes — well, we called it singing, but it was more like screaming,” Harris said. “We’d both seen a lot of musicals, and, unfortunately for those around us, we knew most of the songs. Neither of us sang well, but it didn’t stop us.” Andy Breslau, an old friend who was recently appointed communications representative for the Downtown Alliance, remembers that, twenty years ago, whenever Liz came to watch his band play, she was surrounded by people from all walks of life.
.com STRAUS MEDIA MANHATTAN
“She was always motivated by people, the kind of person who knew everybody and would introduce you to them,” Breslau said. “You could have great debates with her, and there was always pleasure in it. Those debates were dynamic.” Indeed, Liz believed strongly in her own convictions, especially where morals were concerned. Eunice Bet-Mansour, a close college friend, recalled a trip they took to the Bahamas in 1980 shortly after the Iran hostage crises had broken out. Even though she had a green card, Bet-Mansour, who hails from Iran, wasn’t allowed to board the plane. “Liz wouldn’t let them take off until she made sure I was on that plane,” she said. “She made a big fuss and told the captain he’d be in big trouble if he left without me. She managed to convince them to let me on.” Years later, Liz could be found at all of her friends’ special events. “She was very, very loyal,” said longtime friend Robin Cembalest. Liz was a patron of the arts and had a deep love of dance, music, and old movies, sitting on a variety of boards like that of the Film Forum. Her passion for all things creative manifested itself in her unique, fashion-forward appearance. “She had an artistic soul, and you saw that in her jackets and her glasses,” said Julie Menin, a friend and former fellow Community Board 1 member. “Her quirkiness showed through in the way she dressed.” In 1983, Liz and her family moved into the Financial District, where she would remain for the rest of her life. Ten years later, in 1993, she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which eventually went into remission. “Throughout her life, she was always very courageous,” said Harris. “She wasn’t a sick person. She was a healthy person with a disease, and she had this incredible empathy for other people.”
PRESIDENT Jeanne Straus ACTING EDITOR Megan Bungeroth • editor.otdt@strausnews.com CITYARTS EDITOR Armond White • editor.cityarts@strausnews.com STAFF REPORTER Joanna Fantozzi FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS Alan S. Chartock, Bette Dewing, Jeanne Martinet, Malachy McCourt, Angela Barbuti, Casey Ward PUBLISHER Gerry Gavin • advertising@strausnews.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS Seth L. Miller, Ceil Ainsworth, Kate Walsh ADVERTISING MANAGERS Marty Strongin, Matt Dinerstein CLASSIFIED ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Stephanie Patsiner DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Joe Bendik OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN is published weekly Copyright © 2013 by Straus Media - Manhattan, LLC 212-868-0190 • 333 Seventh Ave, New York, NY. Straus Media - Manhattan publishes Our Town • The West Side Spirit • Our Town Downtown Chelsea Clinton News • The Westsider
It was this empathy that perhaps served her best in her roles as president of both the Downtown Alliance and the Downtown Lower Manhattan Association. “Liz was ultimately someone who embodied the survivor spirit,” said Menin. “She did it after 9/11 and again after Hurricane Sandy, all while she was going through a tremendous personal battle herself, which she handled with grace and dignity.” Over the course of her career, Liz advocated for the reconstruction of Fiterman Hall, the creation of the Back to Business program that provided relief to local businesses after Hurricane Sandy, and pushed for the extension of post-9/11 commercial leasing incentives. Liz’s office at the Downtown Alliance was adorned with pictures of her husband, writer Frederick Kaufman, her brother Gideon, and her children, Julian and Phoebe. A devoted mother, she could always be found at her son’s Little League games, cheering him on. “I would see her on the sidelines of the old muddy soccer fields and she would buttonhole me with about five ideas for community events,” said Community Board 1 member Mark Costello. “She talked about wanting to contribute youth sports equipment to needy kids in the third world and have bulb planting parties in the spring, and was bursting with community ideas, all at about 8 a.m. in the morning on a rainy Sunday. Her motor never stopped running.” All of Liz’s friends knew her as an amazing cook, who, despite her hectic work schedule, always found time to come home, bake cookies, and make dinner for her family. According to Bet-Mansour, she could whip up an eight-course meal “effortlessly” along with lemon tarts, chocolate cake, and her grandmother’s chocolate chip cookies for dessert. “An incredible meal always seemed to magically appear,” said Harris. “I was in constant awe of her ability to make something new every single time I was there. She always had a different menu — except on Passover.” Each year, Liz and Fred welcomed nearly thirty people into their home for the Seder and fed them the best beef brisket in town. Liz also liked to feed the needy, and encouraged her daughter, Phoebe, who had an interest in helping the homeless, to serve dinner on a weekly basis at the Bowery Rescue Mission. “Those two children meant everything to her. She wanted to give them all kinds of experiences and help them be independent thinkers and adventurers,” Harris said. “She wanted Julian and Phoebe to trust the world and embrace people the same way that their mother did.” A week before her death, Liz told her friends that the past ten years had been the happiest of her life.
To subscribe for 1 year, please send $75 to OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN, c/o Straus News 20 West Ave., Chester, NY 10918 PREVIOUS OWNERS HAVE INCLUDED: Tom Allon, Isis Ventures, Ed Kayatt, Russ Smith, Bob Trentlion, Jerry Finkelstein
PAGE 4
OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN
www.nypress.com
THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2013
Not Your Average Food Truck ‘Veggie Van’ brings fresh fruits and vegetables to food deserts in Lower Manhattan By Daniel Fitzsimmons
A
n initiative by Borough President Scott Stringer and Grow NYC has a mobile “Veggie Van” delivering fresh fruits and vegetables to underserved communities in Lower Manhattan. The van currently has a drop-off point in the Two Bridges neighborhood of the Lower East Side, where for $10 participants can get a large bag of fresh fruits and vegetables. The Lower East Side was devastated by Hurricane Sandy and has a high concentration of New York City Housing Authority residences. There are plans to open the van up to neighborhoods in upper Manhattan, including Washington Heights, Harlem and Inwood. When announcing the program, Stringer called these neighborhoods “food deserts” that don’t have easy access to green markets or fresh produce. Stringer secured $85,000 in funding for the program, and said it’s anticipated that this year the van will deliver 300,000 pounds of fresh produce to residents, seniors and schools. Grow NYC, an organization that works to grow and distribute produce in the city, put up $3,000 to fund the initiative and will help sustain its $48,000 annual cost. The van will eventually travel to other locations like senior centers, public housing developments, nursing homes and large residential complexes and currently accepts
WE COULD BE MORE CONVENIENT...
The Veggie Van visits the Lower East Side to sell inexpensive fresh produce.
...BUT ONLY IF WE WORKED WITH YOU.
cash, debit, credit and food stamps. The program is part of Stringer’s Go Green Initiative, which began in 2007 and was created to address environmental concerns in the underserved neighborhoods of Manhattan. It works to develop individual action plans that assess the needs of various neighborhoods like Harlem, Inwood, Washington Heights and the Lower East Side. Go Green helps plant trees, distributes eco-friendly light bulbs, promotes recycling programs, holds textile-collection events, sponsors environmental initiatives for kids, and supports green markets and other fresh produce programs in Manhattan. For more information, visit www.mbpo.org keyword Veggie Van.
Fresh, Organic California Walnuts, Shelled - $10.00 lb plus shipping Have you had your daily dose of Omega-3?
Perry Creek
Excellent medical care is just around the corner. Continuum Health Partners puts you close to a great primary care physician. With convenient locations all over the city— many with extended hours on nights and weekends—and simple doc searches online, high quality care is closer than you think.
WA L N U T S
530.503.9705 THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2013
perrycreekwalnuts@hotmail.com
perrycreekwalnuts.com OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN
Get started, stat. Go to www.PrimaryCareNYC.org or call 1.866.318.8759. www.nypress.com
PAGE 5
Meow at the Algonquin
Met Council is accepting applications for the waiting list of affordable housing rental apartments in our building located at 315 West 61st Street, NY These studio apartments are for one person households only. The age eligibility requirement is 62 years of age at the time of application. Current Rent Range studio: Income Range:
$816-$847 $814.00$847.00 $27,897$36,120 1 person household $27,956-$36,120
*Monthly rent includes heat, hot water and gas for cooking. Seniors will be required to meet income guidelines and additional selection criteria to qualify. Income guidelines are subject to change. One application per household.
Last week’s Reception and Cats in Fashion benefit at the Algonquin Hotel for Matilda and friends drew about 150 people and loads of cats in costume. All proceeds from the event went to the Bideawee animal shelter. Cat costumes were the biggest attraction. In addition, pet lifestyle expert and author Nikki Moustaki hosted the event. And let’s not forget the guest of honor, none other than Matilda the cat, who is the Algonquin Hotel’s current in-house cat. The hotel has had a house cat since the 1930s, and Matilda has been with the hotel since at least 2007.
Matilda, the cat at the Algonquin Hotel, guest of honor at the Bideawee Reception and Cats in Fashion benefit.
Applications may be downloaded from: www.metcouncil.org/housing or requested by mail from Met Council: 315 West 61st Street Residence 120 Broadway, 7th floor New York, NY 10271. Please include a self-addressed envelope. No Broker or application fee.
Met Council is accepting applications for the waiting list of affordable housing rental apartments in our building located at 89 Carlton Avenue, Brooklyn. These one bedroom apartments are for one or two person households only. The age eligibility requirement is 62 years of age for applicant and 55 years of age for co-applicant at the time of application. Malika Samuel, actress, with Ferrara, the cat and Alex Denis of channel 55 and WCBS.
Current Rent Range: $853 - $1230 Income Range: $36,425 - $48,100 1 person household; $36,425 - $55,000 2 person household
Buried Treasure Continued from page 1
*Monthly rent includes heat, hot water and gas for cooking. Seniors will be required to meet income guidelines and additional selection criteria to qualify. Income guidelines are subject to change. One application per household. Applications may be downloaded from: www.metcouncil.org/housing or requested by mail from Met Council: Carlton Avenue Residence 120 Broadway, 7th floor New York, NY 10271. Please include a self-addressed envelope. No Broker or application fee.
PAGE 6
OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN
those found last week, from pubs and taverns that had been watering holes for soldiers and sailors passing through. Some of the bottles were never opened, though they’re broken. They’ve been taken to the laboratories of Loorya’s firm, Chrysalis Archaeology, to be washed and examined for details, such as one seal marked with the year 1764. Chrysalis oversees the Department of Design and Construction’s excavation of the area while the new utilities are being installed, replacing Civil War-era pipes. Last year, workers uncovered a 6-foot-long Revolutionary Era wall, likely from a building
www.nypress.com
Aodhan the cat in costume.
belonging to one of the powerful families that owned property and kept slaves. Also unearthed were 18th-century shoe buckles, pieces of pottery and a medicine bottle. Loorya handled a Revolutionary War button worn by a soldier in a British regiment that fought in the 1776 Battle of Brooklyn, where colonizing forces defeated Washington’s ragtag army. The dig is part of a four-year, $40 million redevelopment project to be finished by December, said civil engineer Thomas Foley, the department’s assistant commissioner in charge of the project. About $200,000 is being spent on the archaeological work, he said.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2013
‘Hood Happenings
C YOUR FOOD SCRAPS at GREENMARKET
Wednesday, Aug. 14 Pitch Perfect musical rendition along Hudson River. Pier 1, West 70th St, Riverside Park. Free. riversideparkfund.org
Drop off household fruit and vegetable scraps at 35 Greenmarkets citywide, including Abingdon Square, Tribeca and Tompkins Square.
Thursday, Aug. 15 Hurricane Sandy benefit exhibit at Exchange Alley restaurant in East Village. Also Aug. 16 Bowling Green Greenmarket with fresh offerings from local farms. Broadway at Battery Place. 8 AM – 5 PM. Grownyc.org. Every Tuesday and Thursday
Visit www.GrowNYC.org/compost or call 212.788.7964 for details, locations, and hours
GrowNYC and DSNY Food Scrap Compost Program
Sunday, Aug. 18
A program partnership between the City of New York, the NYC Department of Sanitation, GrowNYC, and community partners.
The 3rd Gender, new play by Peter Zachari. 1 hr 25 min. Connelly Theater. 220 E. 4th St. 212-982-3995. Fringenyc. org
Taverns, Pirates and Prostitutes tour of 1900 New York. Repeats on weekends at 3:00 PM, Thursday at 11:00 AM. 90 minutes. $25 adult ticket. Lower Manhattan meeting spot.
Monday, Aug. 19 Friday, Aug. 16 History of Wall Street & Ground Zero Walking Tour. 9:30 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM. Offered every day except Tuesday and Thursday.
Saturday, Aug. 17 Charlie Parker Jazz Festival presents the Lee Konitz Quartet at Tompkins Square Park. 500 E 9th St. 3 – 7 PM. Cityparksfoundation.org National Can-It-Forward Day presented by Ball® Brand home canning products, featuring chef James and cookbook author Ted Allen. Union Square Park Pavilion. 10 AM – 2 PM.
Entertain HIV/AIDS residents in their rooms with Gifted Hands. 61 Rivington Ave. Every Monday from 6:30PM-8:30PM on Lower East Side. Contact Namie at giftedhands.nami@gmail.com to sign up and for more information.
Tuesday, Aug. 20 Last day to see Intolerance and Computer Chess at Film Forum. 209 West Houston Street. 212-727-8110 The Father’s Heart needs volunteers to tutor adults in GED on Tuesday evenings from 6PM-7:30PM, or Saturday mornings from 10AM-11:30AM. Email Abbey at hfny.fathersheartged@gmail.com for more information.
C L O T H I N G & T E X T I L ES at GREENMARKET Recycle clothing & other textiles at more than 25 Greenmarkets citywide including Abingdon Square, Tribeca, Tompkins Square and Union Square. We accept clean and dry textiles like clothing, paired shoes, coats, linens, scarves, hats, bags and belts. Materials will be sorted for reuse or recycling.
www.GrowNYC.org/clothing 212.788.7964 GrowNYC’s Office of Recycling Outreach and Education is a NYC Department of Sanitation funded program
THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2013
OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN
www.nypress.com
PAGE 7
THE 7-DAY PLAN FRIDAY
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
BEST PICK
Last Days of Restaurant Week
.com
Visit nycgo.com/restaurantweek for all the deals and details. August 16th marks the end of NYC Restaurant Week(s), so make sure to stuff yourself with 3-course prix-fix lunches ($25) and dinners ($38) before then. When else we you be able to dine at Bar Boulud again?
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Rumsey Playfield, off the 72nd St. & 5th Ave. entrance, 7-9 a.m., free The famous rappers will be performing in a free and live concert during the taping of “Good Morning America.” Viewers interested in joining the GMA show are encouraged to arrive at 6 a.m. when the park opens to the public.
SATURDAY
Visit nypress.com for the latest updates on local events. Submissions can be sent to otdowntown@strausnews.com
Hudson River Parks: RiverFlicks for Kids
p.m. M-34.org, $15 Come celebrate opening night of the world premiere of James Rutherford and Elliot B. Quick’s dazzling play, in which literature’s most dazzling wit (Oscar Wilde) faces down its most red-blooded stoic (Ernest Hemingway). For a limited engagement only.
THURSDAY
PAGE 8
Avery Fisher Hall, 65th St. & Columbus Ave., 8 p.m., $50-85 Conductor David Afkham leads the Second Symphony, along with violinist Vadim Repin and cellist Truls Mørk to perform Brahms’s stunning Concerto. The performance is one hours and 45 minutes, with intermission.
Lecture: “The Ethics That Truly Satisfies, In Drama, Art and Life” Aesthetic Realism Foundation, 141 Greene Street, aestheticrealism.org, 8 p.m. For those who like art with a moralistic theme, poet and critic Eli Siegel will be giving a public lecture on Kaufman & Hart’s 1936 comedy “You Can’t Take It With You,” followed by a dramatic reading from the Aesthetic Realism Theatre Company.
Jazz Age Lawn Party
Last Night Before Love’s Labour’s Are Lost
Governors Island, Ferry from Battery Maritime Building btw South & Whitehall Strs. dreamlandorchestra.org, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., free Under a canopy of century-old trees and historic building, dance to Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra’s 8th annual celebration of the Jazz Age. This is the last show of the summer so don’t miss it. Alternate rain date: Sept. 14th & 15th.
The Public Theater, Shakespeareinthepark.org, 8:30 p.m., free Romance, revelry and enchanting songs give Shakespeare’s beloved comedy a charming musical update. Camp out in Central Park to secure your tickets to see Obie Award winner Michael Friedman (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson) and two-time Tony Award nominee Alex Timbers (Peter and the Starcatcher) reunite on stage. Runtime: 1 hour and 40 minutes without intermission.
MONDAY
WEDNESDAY
Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra: All Brahm
Pier 46, 353 West Houston St, riverflicks.com, 8:30 p.m., free A childhood classic about a deceased couple who haunt the new owners of their old home until they run into trouble from Beetlejuice. Rated PG. Free popcorn served.
Importance of Being Ernest Hemingway ◄ The Access Theater, 380 Broadway btw Walker & white Streets, 8
SUNDAY
TUESDAY
◄
Cinema: My Beautiful Laundrette ◄ IFC 323 West 3rd St. & Sixth Ave., ifccenter.com, 8 PM, $13.50
HBO Bryant Park Movie Mondays 40th St. & 6th Ave., bryantpark.org, 8 p.m., free The nation’s premier outdoor film festival presents a classic film that is out of this world. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) directed by Steven Spielberg, tells the story of a young boy who befriends an alien stranded on Earth. 115 Min. Lawn opens at 5 p.m. Movie begins at sunset.
Old Cats The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 2. Moma.org. 7 p.m. As part of its Film Screening exhibition, MoMA presents Sebastian Silva and Pedro Peirano’s 2010 joint collaboration, Old Cats, which director Silva himself will introduce. In Spanish with English subtitles. 89 min. Playing every day this week except Wednesday.
adult ticket Stephen Frears’ 1986 film about a young British Pakistani who opens up a laundromat with his white punk lover (a young Daniel Day-Lewis) inspired an entire generation and established the genre of Queer Art. Runtime 97 min.
Short Cuts Film Festival Semi Finals School of Visual Arts Theater, 333 E. 23rd St., nbcshortcuts.com, 7-10 p.m., free By popular demand, the semi-finals for the 8th annual Short Cuts festival - founded by actor/comedian Wil Sylvince and backed by NBCUniversal will be a two-day event this year from August 20-21. Comedians Hannibal Buress and Sherrod Small will lead the festivities which includes a panel discussion at 5 p.m. and a screening at 7 p.m., both nights. Seating is limited so RSVP to diversity@nbcuni.com
◄
Cakes + Vinyl + Authors
Apollo’s Amateur Night
Cake Shop, 152 Ludlow Street,www.cake-shop.com, 7-9 p.m. Every third Wednesday of the month, the Cake Shop holds a reading and music series, co-curated by Melissa Febos and Rebecca Keith, featuring established and emerging poets, fiction and nonfiction writers, and bands. While listening, browse the Cake Shop’s eclectic mix of hard-to-find vinyl offerings.
253 W. 125th St, Apollo Theater, 7:30 p.m., $20-32 Every Wednesday night until November 27, a line-up of contestants show off their talent for singing, dancing, rapping, spoken word and more, to compete for the ultimate prize: the title of Super Top Dog with a $10,000 cash prize. The audience also competes in cheering or jeering the loudest until their favorite performer is the only one left standing. Amateur Night at the Apollo is hosted by the comedian Capone. Each show begins with a festive pre-party featuring video and music by DJ Jess.
Parker Jazz Festival Screening ◄ Charlie The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, 55 W. 13th St.
Crazy for Lulacruza David Rubenstein Atrium. 66th St. btw Broadway & Columbus Ave. Lincolncenter.org, 7:30 p.m., free Lulacruza is an electronic folk duet made up of Alejandra Ortiz and Luis Maurette, Columbian and Argentinian influences and instruments, as well as ultramodern and tribal sounds. The result is advertised as “a cross-genre, world-esque music with mesmerizing vocals, aquatic textures and handcrafted South American rhythms.”
OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN
cityparksfoundation.org, 6:30 – 9 p.m., free The Girls in the Band (2011) tells the poignant, untold stories of female jazz and big band instrumentalists and their fascinating, groundbreaking journeys from the late 30’s to the present day. Following the screening, Director Judy Chaikin, drummer Kim Thompson, singer Sheila Jordan, and moderator Dr. Lara Pellegrinelli will join in a discussion about women in jazz.
www.nypress.com
THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2013
cityArts
Edited by Armond White
New York’s Review of Culture . CityArtsNYC.com
Run, Forest, Run Civil Rights history gets trivialized in Lee Daniels’ The Butler By Armond White “The room should feel empty when you’re in it,” says Clarence Williams III, instructing his waiter-trainee on the etiquette of black servitude in Lee Daniels’ The Butler. It’s a funny line for this film since director Lee (Precious) Daniels always makes a big noise when he enters a room--this time releasing a film with his own name in the title same as Fellini’s 8 ½ or Tyler Perry’s Diary of Mad Black Woman no less. How Daniels asserts/inserts himself into his films is crucial to the failings of…oh, let’s just call it The Butler. While Daniels purports to make a biography of Cecil Gaines, a Black Southerner who went from picking cotton in Georgia to serving as butler in the White House for seven Presidential administrations, the film primarily displays Daniels’ opportunism. The Butler’s major malfunction is its inexact parallel to Obama’s own biography; Gaines’s suffering through the post-slavery experience is completely different from Obama’s story. Daniels feeds the marketable concept that Gaines’s very particular sojourn represents the entirety of Black America’s struggle for equality. He distorts Gaines’s private life into a national epic, making him an emblem rather than a character. Everyone in this parade of liberals, from Jane Fonda and Vanessa Redgrave to the various Presidential caricatures, look like waxworks. From the beginning, Forest Whittaker plays the title role as a thin, wizened symbol of oppression and endurance--a Morgan Freeman figure of quiet dignity and rectitude. His wife (Oprah Winfrey) and two sons (David Oyewelo and Isaac White) seem like appendages rather than family. Gaines’s estrangement from his world suggests a reverse Benjamin Button aging through decades, keeping quiet during eras of social turmoil. He—and this film--most resembles Forrest Gump, that symbolic idiot savant witness to social progress he played no part in. The Butler is unconvincingly noble--without even that streak of psychotic behavior in the ridiculous shit pie scenes of The Help. Gaines is always crotchety and proper, leaving dirtyminded resilience to Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding, Jr in scene-stealing supporting roles--they’re surrogates for Daniels the salacious auteur who’s uninterested in what propriety and self-control mean. Instead of a freaky-deaky view of the Civil Rights Movements’ behind-the-scenes hook-ups (even Taylor Branch’s
THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2013
Parting the Waves quotes Martin Luther King defending masturbation as a great release), we get an Obama-ized tale of Gaines as a dogged, enigmatic paragon. Rectitude as political caution was better dramatized in the far superior Jackie Robinson story, 42. But this film is so solemn and disingenuous it neglects its opening thesis: Daniels and screenwriter Danny Strong never confess what it feels like to make a room “feel empty” (although Whitaker’s zombie performance gives an inkling). They trade the existential torment of self-abnegation (refuted by decades of Hollywood’s servile-yet-impudent stereotypes) for the cliche of long-suffering martyrdom. (Daniels lacks the talent to show what being close to power feels like.) A more credible film would consistently portray the advice of Gaines’s father “Don’t lose your temper with the Man. Dis his world; we just livin’ in it.” The Butler will feel inauthentic to most Americans who painfully, cagily work menial jobs; it is designed to appease condescending elites—which politicians call “the Middle Class”--who like to sentimentalize about workers who are beneath their regard (symbolized by the everchanging line of Presidents, lightly satirizing the indifference of patronizing whites). The Butler may feature a largely Black cast under a Black director’s baton, but it’s really a movie for whites who seek self-congratulatory lessons rather than entertainment. Daniels’ key trope is the presumptuous montage: Lunch counter sit-ins at Woolworth’s contrasting formal White House dinner parties--pseudo-political juxtapositions that would make Eisenstein wince. Daniels uses montage for
OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN
www.nypress.com
sensationalism--not feeling or politics. The entire film exploits subtle and overt American racial violence. The first striking image poses a lynching next to the American flag. Such cheap, Spike Lee rhetoric trivializes history. The 1929 flashback to Gaines’s mother being raped and father being killed isn’t just horrible, it’s an infuriating simplification: The son’s modern attitude shows ignorance of Southern custom; pressuring his father (“Pop, what you gonna do?”) is what gets his Dad killed. When titles say “Inspired by a true story” it merely means an anachronistic fantasy of Black American history adapted from Wil Haygood’s Washington Post article (“A Butler Well Served By This Election”) celebrating Obama’s inauguration. Daniels panders to the hip-hop attitude that Black youth know more about survival than their hard-working ancestors. The scene of Gaines driving through urban chaos following MLK’s assassination is as phony as the riot scenes in Dreamgirls. Pandering to history and violence lacks the politic detail of Melvin and Mario Van Peebles’ Panther; this more resembles Tarantino’s unrealistic s&m circus Django Unchained. These discomforting prevarications are angled toward Osama’s “Tonight is your answer” election speech— turning historical pain into shallow, maudlin victory. Daniels’ tendency to falsify Black American experience and then exploit it is as offensive as Spielberg-Kushner’s factitious Lincoln. A more personally honest, openly licentious fantasy would be more interesting. Now that he’s played his Obama card, I’m sure Lee Daniels’ Satyricon will come next. Follow Armond White on Twitter at 3xchair
PAGE 9
BEST Manhattan
2013
YOU COULD WIN 2 THEATRE TICKETS
of
Making Art Socialable ArtistEngage connects artists to the world By Elena Oumano
H
Tell us where is the...
PAGE 10
CITYARTS MUSEUM
BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST
RESTAURANT? PEOPLE WATCHING? FOOD TRUCK? SPA? Go to nypress.com Click on Best of Manhattan And Vote Today
2 tickets awarded each week just for voting
OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN
ere’s an evergreen question: how does an emerging artist get his or her work out there? These days, the answer seems to lie in navigating an ever-proliferating, oftenoverwhelming array of apps and social media possibilities. Somewhere between figuring it out on your own and overly formal “how to” conference lectures is room 505 at the venerable Music Building (584 8th Ave.), a sprawling warren of 70 rehearsal spaces untouched by time since it opened in 1979, where ArtistEngage, a band of music and visual artists, including noted DJ Journey (Will Jackson), is offering a free, densely informative workshop series (Wed. 4pm-8pm) that began in July and continues throughout August. “We’re organizing a community of artists as we flesh out the dialogue on what obstacles people face or what success they are achieving through social media, self-branding, and taking their careers into their own control,” says Ruhi “Roo” Shamim, the Music Building’s Community Director and Content Producer. “In the 70’s, artist skills meant creating something physical in a raw space, like wiring and plumbing. Now artist skills are wholly digital but we are also creating a physical environment that’s always important to people’s dialogues.” The workshop’s third meeting on July 24, led by musician/marketer Dave “Ravin” Iannoa, offered a thorough explication of Key Actions for carving out one’s stake in today’s digitalscape: exploration, experimentation, amplification, partnering, and measuring, with illustrations drawn from artists’ careers, most notably visual artist Borbay, who systemically
www.nypress.com
fulfilled his vision to become a successful professional artist by canny self-marketing and tireless audience cultivation. One, he selects subjects relevant to others (ie. a painting of Jay Z). Two, he documents in detail the process of creating each piece through videos posted on Daily Motion and amply tagged blogs on Word Press. Three, he pursues key partnerships. In one instance, Borbay created paintings outside the Guggenheim for 5 days straight, documented and shared the process through social media and then partnered with the Guggenheim in blogging about each other. When Time Out New York named him one of NYC’s most creative people, he joined with the magazine to blog extensively about the story. He partnered with the Sidewalk Café by bringing in his fans to watch his process live, thereby increasing both parties’ audiences. If you missed the first workshop sessions, no problem. The series is being videoed by the CBGB team and ArtistEngage plans to go on the road. “Our goal is to create a trans-media documentary, ‘Flip the Switch,’ and take this workshop to different cities,” says Roo. “The artists engage in workshops and events we’re creating to flesh out this documentary and engage people on multiple media platforms. It’s all an experiment. As we go along we’re seeing what works and what doesn’t work.” R.S.V.P. for ArtistsEngage at: http:// artistengage.splashthat.com/
THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2013
BEST Manhattan
2013
MUSEUM CITYARTS
Ken Price’s Balls Congo, 2003, Fired and painted clay, 22 x 18 x 18 in. Photo by Fredrik Nilsen
The art of communication at the Met By Kate Prengel
T
he crowd around me breathed a sigh of relief as we walked into the last room of the Metropolitan Museum’s Ken Price retrospective. “Oh, I like these!” said one woman, hurrying closer to a case of little ceramic cups. The whole room was full of small, shiny objects just begging to be touched, just begging you to smile at them. The exhibit works in reverse chronological order – Price’s earliest works are at the end. Evidently the sculptor was more eager to please at the beginning of his career. In his works from the 1960s the textures are appealing, the objects look made to be palmed. The work is abstract but still related, however loosely, to ordinary objects: cups and staircases and familiar geometric shapes. By the end of his life, Price’s sculpture took on a chillier tone. The pieces, still bright and shiny, are too big to hold and too resolutely smooth to crack into. And so, we’re presented with a sort of red octopus (Balls Congo), or with an orderly pile of red coils (Little D) or – sometimes the names help us out – a crater with one sunken eye, titled “Phobia.” It’s like
THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2013
looking at a room full of strange mummies, or endlessly suspended aliens. They all resist quick understanding, but they do deserve to be given a long look, because after a while their very stillness, their remote strangeness, becomes inviting, something to project yourself onto. You can see yourself in these works. Of course, a whole exhibit full of nothing but yourself is a lonely prospect. Thankfully the Met kept this show on the small side. And thankfully, Price’s earlier work is more generous to those of us who like to get out of ourselves now and then. His series of “geometrics,” from the early 1980s, is a pleasure for the eyes. These look, satisfyingly, like ultra-modern buildings, or like staircases; they look like they are going somewhere. They’re also a reminder of how very still the later pieces are. Or take Price’s series of “egg” sculptures from the early 1960s, which, is a little bit disgusting but also very appealing. These are smooth, polished balls with cracks showing their innards; in some cases the innards ooze out at you. What a pleasure, really, when the artist still wants to ooze out at you – when he still believes that some kind of direct communication with his audience is possible. “Ken Price: A Retrospective” runs through September 22 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN
Eats and Drinks
Best Restauarant Overall | Best new restaurant Best Organic Restaurant | Best Restaurant Value Best Bar Best Food Truck | Best Smoothie
Entertainment Best places to hear music | Best Indie Theatre Best Comedy Place
City Services
of
Ken Price in Reverse
Go to nypress.com Click on Best of Manhattan And Tell Us
Best cleaners | Best shoe repair/leather repair Best computer/tech help | Best 24 hour place Best spa | Best place to get fit
City Living Best people watching | Best place for conversation Best place to hear readings/poetry Best 2 hour trip out of Manhattan
www.nypress.com
theatre tickets awarded weekly just for voting
PAGE 11
STREET SHRINK
ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
Say Yes to the Right Dress How one’s appearance enhances cognitive acumen and mood By Kristine Keller
I
heard the alarm. My eyes blinked open in panic. I reached for my phone and saw 9:10 glaring at me, the numbers admonishing me for over sleeping. Time can be so judgmental. I extended my arm to the back of my closet, grabbed my brand new cobalt blue dress and fled. Though my rushed morning could have resulted in a rough day, it actually had the opposite impact. I was happier, more creative, and felt sharper than ever. I quickly realized the source of my cognitive prowess — I was wearing a new dress that made me feel elevated and beautiful. It wasn’t superstition to blame for the strong association between my clothing and positive feelings, but rather a phenomenon called enclothed cognition. It turns out what you wear really does affect the way you feel and behave. Researchers at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management recently conducted a study where they had two groups of participants don a long white lab coat. One group was told that the lab coat was from a doctor, while the other group was told it belonged to an artist. The group who believed they were wearing a doctor’s lab coat demonstrated elevated levels of attentiveness, an integral trait for physicians. In contrast, subjects wearing a coat they associated with an artist showed more creativity. In the same vein, when I wore a dress
I associated with feelings of novelty and brightness, I embodied those feelings. And it’s not just the wearer of clothing who feels these affects — it’s also those we come into contact with us who perceive us differently by our appearance. Amy Cuddy, a professor and researcher at Harvard University, has investigated the ways body posture affects how others perceive us and how we judge ourselves. Before an important meeting or job interview, Dr. Cuddy recommends power posing for two minutes in the mirror — lifting your chin and elevating your chest. By adapting a dominant power stance for just those 120 seconds, participants show increases in testosterone, a hormone associated with dominance, and decreases in the stress hormone cortisol. It’s a cyclical process: by projecting a powerful stance to the world, you’re more inclined to be treated more powerfully, and as a result, continue to act more in charge and competent. In a sense, we are faking it until we make it. Dr. Cuddy says eventually, we fake it until we become it. Our sartorial choices can also elicit negative qualities. In a study conducted by psychologists Francesca Gino, Michael Norton, and Dan Ariely, two groups of participants randomly chose sunglasses out of a box. The first box contained authentic designer sunglasses, whereas the second box was labeled “counterfeit.� The subjects then completed math problems and had to report how many questions they answered correctly. The more they answered, the more money they were told they would receive. Those wearing the counterfeit sunglasses grossly inflated how many they really answered correctly. When wearing the fake sunglasses, people were more inclined to lie. Our clothing might be an outside representation of who we are, but it can also seep inside the delicate fabrics of our personality.
Preparation classes for the entrance examination for New York City’s SPECIALIZED HIGH SCHOOLS
STUYVESANT, BRONX SCIENCE, BROOKLYN TECH, AMERICAN STUDIES, MATHEMATICS AND ENGINEERING, QUEENS H.S. FOR THE SCIENCES, STATEN ISLAND TECH, AND BROOKLYN LATIN
G R F eller
osenstein eldman
Cost: $925
Our summer course begins July 29, 2013 and meets every Monday and Thursday evening until August 29. Fall courses begin either September 7th or 8th, 2013 Ten 3-hour classes A progress report is sent home to parents each week 6 complete practice exams provided Test taking techniques taught
*5) 7(67 35(3$5$7,21 &/$66(6
&DOO %DUEDUD *HOOHU ‡ %DUU\ )HOGPDQ .HQ 5RVHQVWHLQ ‡ RU H PDLO XV IRU D EURFKXUH *5)7(6735(3#DRO FRP
PAGE 12
OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN
Live By The Test, Die By The Test The Common Core is counting the wrong metrics for education By Tom Allon
N
ew York City’s education system, like the rest of America’s, has been hijacked by politicians who are eager to tout their success at making much-needed gains. Remember “No Child Left Behind?� That was the George W. Bush administration’s catchy title for revamping public education in America. That lasted about eight years, and was then replaced by “Race to the Top,� another peppy slogan invented by the Obamaland educrats. How did that work? Well, it got a number of states to commit to important reforms that got them a pot of federal money. But has it made our overall education system better? Are our children better off today in the classroom than they were four years ago? Twelve years ago? Thirty years ago? No, no and no. And now comes along another slickly named new idea: “The Common Core.� I’m not sure more than 10 people in New York can give you a comprehensive explanation of what Common Core means, but it’s now the talk of the town and has emerged as the new hot topic in the mayoral race. In a nutshell, Common Core means that we are now shifting the way we assess student progress, with a greater emphasis on critical thinking, higher reasoning and strong writing skills. These are, obviously, all worthy goals, and who could argue that this is a longoverdue reform in an ossified education system. But so many things have been botched... where do I start? Last spring, my very intelligent 13-year-old daughter came home and told me she took a very hard statewide test. “Daddy, I had to skip eight questions. We didn’t even learn that stuff. Why would they test that?� This, from a student, who tested well enough to get into New York’s most prestigious public high schools. It was one of those rare moments as a parent when words failed me and I couldn’t explain to her why she was was being tested on material she had never seen before. Why wasn’t Common Core phased in?
www.nypress.com
Tom Allon We’ve known about it since 2009, so why weren’t teachers prepared to teach it much earlier and then our kids wouldn’t be set up for a test everyone knew the majority would fail? Is making children and their parents frightened about lack of “proficiency� a political policy to shock the sytem? And what about that large segment of students who may not be well-suited for liberal arts educations or high-end professional careers - shouldn’t we be preparing curriculums or tests that play to their relative strengths? Why, in education, do we always fall for the mistaken notion that “one size fits all.� Tests are not a substitute for great teaching and real learning. They are a blunt tool that measures “progress� and “proficiency� but we now live in an age where everything must be quantified so we can hold students, parents and teachers “accountable.� I think I speak for many parents and a “silent majority� of concerned citizens when I say: Let’s slow down, focus on training great teachers and make sure that our children learn effective communications and basic computational and reasoning skills. But let’s not lurch from one panacea to another - from “No Child Left Behind� to “Race to the Top� to “Common Core Curriculum,� we are just packaging the latest fad in education reform and losing sight of the fundamentals of teaching and learning. As one pretty poor student named Albert Einstein once famously said: “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.� How true. Tom Allon, the president of City & State, NY, is a former English teacher at Stuyvesant High School and the father of three teenagers. Comments? Email tallon@cityandstateny.com.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2013
Nominate Your favorite doorman super or building cleaner! Do you know a great doorman, porter or handyman where you live? Is there an office cleaner, security officer or maintenance worker who helps make life a little easier at work? How about a school, theater, event or stadium cleaner who deserves recognition? Join Our Town, The West Side Spirit, Our Town Downtown and 32BJ SEIU, the property workers union, in honoring the people who keep our homes, offices, schools and public buildings clean and running smoothly. We’ll be selecting the people you nominate and vote for at a special awards ceremony in October, and be writing about them in New York’s leading community newspaper. So tell us, who’s gone above and beyond to make residents’, tenants’ and New Yorkers’ lives better?
GO TO: WWW.BSW-AWARDS.COM TO VOTE
Nominate and Vote Today Deadline for voting is September 12, 2013 2 theatre tickets awarded weekly just for nominating For more information, contact Courtney Kniffin at 212.868.0190 accounting@strausnews.com or Teresa Candori at 212.388.3696 tcandori@seiu32bj.org
+ THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2013
OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN
PRESENTS THE
BUILDING
SERVICE WORKERS
AWARDS
www.nypress.com
PAGE 13
CELEBRITY PROFILE
Living the Good(ing) Life in NYC Cuba Gooding Jr. on his new film, talking about buying a brownstone. starring on Broadway, and loving How is living in LA different from life our city here? By Angela Barbuti
C
uba Gooding Jr. is making history in his newest film. In The Butler, out on August 16th, viewers are taken on a tumultuous journey through the civil rights movement, seen through the eyes of a White House butler, played by Forest Whitaker. Gooding, who plays a fellow butler, was surrounded by an incredible cast - see movie poster- who worked to give the poignant piece the reverence it deserved. “The biggest ego was the story,” said Gooding. The film is based on real-life butler Eugene Allen, who peaked producers’ interest when he was interviewed for The Washington Post during President Obama’s 2008 election. Director Lee Daniels, of Precious fame, got his hand on the script and the rest is, literally, history. Gooding, 45, confesses that the creativity in New York is possibly coercing him and his family to make the city their home. So if you see him around town one day, you may get the urge - like many people he encounters - to shout out his famous catchphrase, “Show me the money!”
You were born in NY and are now back here for your Broadway run. What are your favorite places in Manhattan? Well now it’s Soho. I’m in love with Soo, man! The cobblestone streets and hotels down there are so - I don’t know the word - cool. My wife and kids came and we hung out in Central Park; that was cool too. Stuff that I never knew of when I lived here, obviously. As I’ve been visiting back and forth, I’ve only seen certain snippets. Like I’d never been to Times Square, and I’ve been at the Steven Sondheim since February. It’s like Vegas there! I mean the West Village might even be better than Soho to me because there’s something about those streets and those buildings. Sant Ambroeus - go there a get a bottle of white wine on a Sunday and just chill. The whole vibe of Manhattan has been this thing that’s been pulling me back; every time I leave and am away from Manhattan more than a month or two, I gotta get back. It’s so many people connected. My wife, who I met at North Hollywood High School -she was born in North Hollywood - is dropping hints about moving here now. Of course, our son is going to college on the East Coast and she doesn’t want her first baby to be too far away. She’s
PAGE 14
You bump into people here. Whereas in LA, if two people bump into each other, they have to stop and have a conversation of apology. I was down at Sant Ambroeus one day and Julian Schnabel comes by and says, “Hey, come see my house,” and I’m going to see his paintings! That shit doesn’t happen in LA; it just doesn’t. You have to go to a premiere or a museum to be exposed to artwork. Here you see it; it’s around you.
This is your first experience on Broadway. What has it been like for you? Life changing. It reminded me of the time I used to do Shakespeare Film Festivals and had to understand the material before I tried to act it. It was in-depth research and I forgot about a lot of that stuff floating through from film to film. I’m doing eight shows now and it’s my life. It’s something I’ll always look to do between films. It’s reawakened my soul. I completed my first screenplay that I just registered at the Writers Guild. I had the opportunity to write it in my dressing room, between shows. I’m telling you girl, I am in a creative place where I haven’t been in a long time.
hockey players and these guys, when they’re not in a game, they’re working out. As an actor, you don’t get to do that unless you’re paid. You can’t go into your garage and say, “Roll camera.” It doesn’t work; you need to be on a set. What I tell my sons now is, “Stay creative. Keep your mind engaged because an idle mind is the devil’s playground.” I understand that now.
The cast of this film is incredible. What was the atmosphere on set? It was absolutely great. Forest [Whitaker], Lenny [Kravitz], and I were the three butlers that moved through with all the different presidents. So we had to keep our schedules completely open because we’d have Robin Williams, and the next day, Liev Schreiber. Since those were small parts, we had to be accessible and available to them. It was fun because you’d come to the set and wouldn’t know who you’d be working with. I’ve done movies with a lot of big names before, and there’s such a hierarchy of who gets called out of the dressing room first so you’re not waiting around - it’s just such bullshit. With this, there was none of that. Lee doesn’t put up with any of that shit. He’ll yell and scream until everyone is focused on him. I think that helps because it allows you to just blend into the background.
So you’re looking to direct?
Was it strange to see those actors portraying presidents?
Acting was always my first love, but my second was directing. I’ve always wanted to be a director and been placated by representatives for years. And now I got a piece of material that people are sparking to and I’m gonna attach myself to it right it into the director’s chair. [Laughs] One way or another, I’m getting my black ass into that director’s chair!
It was at first because they were so immersed in these looks. Alan Rickman - oh my goodness - he was so Ronald Reagan! He came out of that dressing room and you were like, “Woah!” There were caricatures though - like John Cusack’s Nixon - that was just so subtly portrayed, I just thought it was beautiful.
The director of The Butler, Lee Daniels, is a good friends of yours.
This movie is a history lesson. Did you learn anything?
We were friends long before he was even a producer, when he was just a manager. We study scripts and films together. He sent me The Butler five or six years ago. I did the lead in his directorial debut with Shadowboxer and sat in the editing room with him. He’s allowed me into that world and you absolutely get the bug when you make a suggestion and it’s used to better the piece.
I learned more about stuff that I knew vaguely - civil rights actions and situations. But just to hear it from the point of view of servants in the White House, we see that certain viewpoints of presidents weren’t what we thought they were in the press at the time. That stuff blew me away. I grew up when a lot of this stuff was happening, so I remember it from then, but a lot of kids seeing it today won’t.
It’s nice to hear you are so passionate about your work. I didn’t know why I would be slipping in these bouts of depression before, but it was because my mind wanted to be working! Most of my friends are pro boxers and pro ice
OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN
President Barack Obama and it wasn’t a fluke or one-time thing. We have a major contribution that we’ve given as minorities in this country. It isn’t just white Caucasian males, it’s a plethora of different men and women of all races and colors who have contributed so much to the health of this country.
You’ve been married for almost 26 years. What is the key to a successful Hollywood marriage? I’ve been on Broadway since February and I got to home. I just got to get home. The secret to our longevity is being honest and open and never taking what the other says to the other out of anger, too seriously. And that’s hard to do because sometimes you’re just like, “I can’t believe she did that or said that.” I have relatives who haven’t spoken to each other in years. I started to get that way and then they’ll call me because they’ll see a movie coming out, and I pick up the phone and have a conversation like it was never said. I try to say that to my relatives. You can’t take any of those things said between people who love each other, too seriously. At the end of the day, just let it go. Everybody says stuff they don’t mean sometimes.
Do people come up to you all the time saying, “Show me the money?” All the time. These two girls, we drove by them on the way here. The window was rolled down and there was a red light. These two crazy crackheads were yelling, “Show me the money!!” They kept saying it over and over again.
What do you want your kids to take away from the film? An education of what we went through and what we still go through as African American males. Just to know there’s a reason for our
www.nypress.com
Two girls? Two girls - that’s a first! Usually it’s a drunk dude at a party.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2013
CLASSIFIEDS Classified Advertising Department Information Telephone: ] Fax: Email: classifi FE !TUSBVTOFXT DPN Hours: .POEBZ 'SJEBZ BN QN ] Deadline: .POEBZ OPPO GPS TBNF XFFLT JTTVF ANIMALS & PETS
EMPLOYMENT
MASSAGE
ATT DOG OWNERS: Never run out of poop bags again. Free Shipping! www.walkingdoggies.com
Business Analyst (Princeton Information, Ltd./Jersey City, NJ): Responsible for developing & preparing comp. systems reqmnts. & developing procedures to process data. Reqmnts: Bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s deg. in Comp. Sci., Engâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;g, or a rel. ďŹ eld & 5 yrsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; progressive exp. in job offered or in any rel. occ., to include exp. w/ implementation & maintenance of Ariba Spend Management Suite; exp. w/ Six Sigma tools & templates; exp. w/ resolving testing issues & developing project documentation; & exp. training functional & support teams. Applicants must also be willing to work @ various unanticipated client locations throughout U.S. Interested individuals should apply online @ www.princetoninformation.com<http://www.princetoninformation.com> using keywords â&#x20AC;&#x153;Business Analyst.â&#x20AC;?
Amazing Bodywork Great hands, friendly, daily specials . Steve, UES location 646-504-5602 bodyworknownyc@aol.com
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
Home Health Aid Business For Sale Excellent well established group franchise, able to do business in all 5 boroughs. The Senior population is expected to double in the next 5 yrs and this business is exploding. Company has invaluable growth and margins. 98% of clients are private pay. The company takes Medicaid patients too. $1,000,000. Preapproved for SBA Loan! Can be had for less than $200,000 down, if credit approved. Contact: Estraus@tworld.com Mail Center for Sale Fantastic mail and parcel center on busy Avenue in the heart of Manhattan. Great business grossing almost $1,000,000. Owner retiring. For more information, contact: Estraus@tworld.com Recruitment Agency for Sale Started in 1995, the full service Help Wanted Recruitment Agency specializes in Temp and Temp-to-Perm for companies throughout the NY Metro area. A boutique agency, this company prides itself on ďŹ nding the right temp worker for each assignment and has a great track record of client retention. Seller is retiring. $1MM Revenues. Asking: $300,000. Seller ďŹ nancing available. Contact: Estraus@tworld.com COUNSELING
College Learning Disability LD students CAN be successful. Counseling,Prep, Search,Tutors 646 490 88660 www.NYLDC.com
SERVICES OFFERED
Ada Alborz , CertiďŹ ed Executive and Life Coach. Gain focus and achieve positive change in your life. Work on goal setting, personal presentation, social graces, conďŹ&#x201A;ict mediation, and more. Free 30-minute consultation! Call now: 1(877)922-7711
Interested in Publishing a Book? Book Consultant/Book Coach Writing, Marketing, taking your idea to Hollywood Literary Agent Matchmaking START HERE: www.yourbookisyourhook.com
HELP WANTED
Drivers Wanted Looking to earn some extra money? We need reliable individuals to help deliver this newspaper each Wednesday. You can determine what time Wednesday--day or evening. We pay $.85 per stop. You must have a valid license, registration and insurance. Call: (212) 868-0190 and ask for Helen INSTRUCTION
EDUCATION Ethical Youth Bring out the BEST in your CHILDREN. Creative and fun lessons in Integrity; Honesty; Social Responsibility; Diversity & Community - taught through Stories, Art, Music, Song and Games. Every Sunday at 11am - Sessions from Sept-June. Open to Children 4-12. Teen Leadership Program also. New York Society for Ethical Culture - 2 W64th ST, NYC 212.874.5210 x 118, www.nysec.org
SENSUAL BODYWORK young, handsome, smooth, athletic Asian. InCall/OutCall. Phillip. 212-787-9116
REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE
POLICY NOTICE: We make every effort to avoid mistakes in your classified ads. Check your ad the first week it runs. We will only accept responsibility for the first incorrect insertion. Manhattan Media Classifieds assumes no financial responsibility for errors or omissions. We reserve the right to edit, reject, or re-classify any ad. Contact your sales rep directly for copy changes. All classified ads are pre-paid.
15 1 4 7
re-use
ways to your old newspaper
Use it as wrapping paper, or fold & glue pages into reusable gift bags.
2
Add shredded newspaper to your compost pile when you need a carbon addition or to keep ďŹ&#x201A;ies at bay.
5
Use newspaper strips, water, and a bit of glue for newspaper mâchÊ.
8
10
Crumple newspaper to use as packaging material the next time you need to ship something fragile.
13
Tightly roll up sheets of newspaper and tie with string to use as ďŹ re logs.
After your garden plants sprout, place newspaper sheets around them, then water & cover with grass clippings and leaves. This newspaper will keep weeds from growing.
Make origami creatures
Use shredded newspaper as animal bedding in lieu of sawdust or hay.
11
Make your own cat litter by shredding newspaper, soaking it in dish detergent & baking soda, and letting it dry.
14
Wrap pieces of fruit in newspaper to speed up the ripening process.
Home Services
Remember to:
Remember to:
Recycle and Reuse
Recycle and Reuse
THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2013
Organize 4 You
New Beginnings 4 You ORGANIZATIONAL SERVICES INCLUDE: RESIDENTIAL & HOME OFFICE ORGANIZATION DOWNSIZING & FLOOR PLANNING MINIMIZE & PREPARE HOMES FOR RELOCATION
The Painting, plastering and papering specialists in New York
Organize4YouNY.com
(646) 919-1932 info@paintinthecity.com
www.organize4youny.com www.newbeginnings4youny.com
OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN
9
Make newspaper airplanes and have a contest in the backyard.
12 15
Stuff newspapers in boots or handbags to help the items keep their shape. Dry out wet shoes by loosening laces & sticking balled newspaper pages inside.
To advertise call (212)-868-0190 Classified2@strausnews.com
PAINTER
SWEDISH/SHIATSU CHINESE GUY Expert masseur. Swedish & Shiatsu. Therapeutic & relaxing. Private. 52nd St & 3rd Ave. Stephen: 646-996-9030
6
Roll a twice-folded newspaper sheet around a jar, remove the jar, & you have a biodegradable seed-starting pot that can be planted directly into the soil.
a public service announcement brought to you by dirt magazine.
MASSAGE
REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE
3
Cut out letters & words to write anonymous letters to friends and family to let them know they are loved.
LICENSED & BONDED
www.nypress.com
:H DUH D SURXG PHPEHU RI WKH $VVRFLDWHG 3UHVV DQG WKH 1DWLRQDO 1HZVSDSHU $VVRFLDWLRQ
347.338.8198 Serving Manattan
PAGE 15
A Lot of Luxury 2011
Mercedes Benz C300 *
$
249
per/mo. 72 mos
4 MATIC, AWD, AT, Climate, Traction, P/h/seats, MR, a/b, abs, pm, cc, ps, pb, pw. pdl, lthr, alloys, cd, tilt #68924. 13k miles. 1.99% APR, $2995 down.
2008 BMW
$ buy for
2011 INFINITI
$ buy for
528Xi
185
per mo. 72 mos
FX35
315
2010 INFINITI
AWD, Auto, traction, leather alloys, p/d/l, ac, p/s. Stk #64068. 33k miles. 1.99% APR, $2995 down.
$ buy for
2010 MERCEDES
AWD, Auto, traction, leather alloys, p/d/l, ac, p/s. Stk #75345. 39k miles. 1.99% APR, $4995 down.
per mo./ 72 mos
$ buy for
424 per mo./ 72 mos
GL450 Auto, trac, P/H/Seats, Moonroof, cruise, p/s, leather, Alloys, Tilt, 56k, #75041. 1.99% APR, $4995 down.
G37
235
Auto, trac, P/H/Seats, Moonroof, cruise, p/s, leather, Alloys, Tilt, 28k, #70898. 1.99% APR, $2995 down.
per mo. 72 mos
2009 MERCEDES
S 550
$ buy for
445 per mo./ 72 mos
Auto, trac, h/seats, cruise, p/s, p/dl, ABS, pm, Alloys, CD, 43K, #76449 1.99% APR, $4995 down.
If You Can’t Make It To Us, We’ll Pick You Up. Call 877-356-5030 For Complimentary Pick Up.
MajorWorld.com Tired of your old car? We’ll buy it from you!**
1-888-396-2567 43-40 Northern Blvd., Long Island City, Queens TAKE THE R M SUBWAY TO 46TH ST STOP IN QUEENS
Prices include all costs to be paid by the consumer except for license, registration & taxes. Used vehicles have normal wear, tear & mileage, some may have have scratches & dents. **Vehicle must be in safe operating condition, dealer not responsible for excess wear and tear. *Slight h2o damage. NYC DCA#0851824, DMV#7046226.
PAGE 16
OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN
www.nypress.com
THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2013