Riverdale Review, October 18, 2012

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Volume XIX • Number 40 • October 18 - 24, 2012 •

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Are you ready for a $5 Henry Hudson toll? By TESS McRAE Local residents will need a few extra quarters in their pockets for their daily commute come 2013, now that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has announced plans to increase fare and toll prices across the board. The MTA attributes the need for increases to a rise in nondiscretionary costs such as pensions and employee health care. “Costs that the MTA does not exercise control over, namely those for debt service, pensions, energy, paratransit, and employee and retiree health care, continue to increase beyond the rate of inflation,” MTA Chairman and CEO Joseph J. Lhota said. “We are grappling with long-term measures to reduce these frustrating and difficult nondiscretionary expenses, but today, they are the drivers of the need for a fare and toll increase.” The increase for subway and bus fares has been divided into four alternative proposals, differing in the way they treat the base fare, the time-based unlimitedride MetroCards, and the MetroCard bonus discount

of 7 percent that customers receive for putting at least $10 on a pay-per-ride card. As it stands, the base fare is $2.25 or $2.10 with a bonus discount. The 30-day and 7-day cards cost $104 and $29 respectively. The MTA hopes either to raise the base fare to $2.50, keeping the 7 percent bonus discount and adding a lower break-even point with a smaller increase to unlimited-ride MetroCards, or to keep the base fare at $2.25 while reducing the bonus discount to 5 percent with a higher break-even point and larger price increase for unlimited-ride MetroCards. Completely eliminating the bonus value discount was also a considered, but that option has been dropped, according to published reports. Proposals for express buses lay out similar options, with the fare increasing to $6.00 from $5.50. Metro-North railroad ticket fares, which are based on distance traveled, will increase between 8.19 percent and 9.31 percent, affecting each of the ten zones differently. Prices for one-way peak-hour tickets to Grand Central Sta-

tion from The Riverdale, Spuyten Duyvil and Marble Hill stations, all in Zone Two, would increase from the current $7.50 to anywhere from $8.11 to $8.20. Off-peak fares would increase from $5.75 to anwhere from $6.22 to $6.28. Tolls for the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, Throgs Neck Bridge and Bronx-Whitestone Bridge will rise from $4.80 to $5.30 for E-ZPass users and from $6.50 to $7.50 for drivers paying with cash. The toll for the Henry Hudson Bridge, which will no longer accept cash beginning November 10, rises to $2.43 from the current $2.20. Drivers without an E-ZPass will be billed $5.00 by mail, the current rate being $4.00. The original toll for the Henry Hudson Bridge, with the shortest span of the MTA bridges, was one thin dime. According to the U.S Census Bureau, New York City has more residents commuting to work by public transportation than any other city in the country. Approximately 30.5 percent of New Yorkers commute to work using Continued on Page 2

Artist Daniel Hauben finds a ‘sense of place’ here in The Bronx By PAULETTE SCHNEIDER On a quiet, leafy Riverdale street, Daniel Hauben opens the door to his windowless groundfloor studio, turns on the lights, and a world of vivid canvases comes to life. The number 5 train roars by as vendors hawk their wares under the el. The distinctive Broadway Bridge and a wedge of Yankee Stadium bleachers anchor bustling streetscapes that ascend into panoramic urban vistas. The oils and pastels staged in Hauben’s studio will dazzle viewers at an exhibition opening October 23 in Bronx Community College’s Hall of Fame Gallery. The show, called “Creating a Sense of Place,” will complement the permanent installation of 22 Hauben paintings in the college’s brandnew North Hall and Library. The library art collection, named “A Sense of Place,” has two stairway murals and 20 smaller murals along a balcony frieze visible throughout the facility’s “information commons” area. All depict Bronx scenes, including some that focus on the campus. Hauben was commissioned for the project in 2008 by an interdisciplinary committee including Wave Hill art curator Jennifer McGregor, who served as his liaison. Of the four artists who submitted proposals, “Danny was the unanimous choice,” she said.

The commission was an outof-studio experience for Hauben, an opportunity to “wear another hat” and interact with some of the “15 companies working on this building.” “My choice is to not just be an artist in my studio but to try to bridge the gap into the world and try to get exposure, work with the community,” he said. As linked as he is with the local landscape, Hauben said he doesn’t want to be thought of as a Bronx-only artist. “That’s not all I do,” he said. His 800-piece inventory includes natural landscapes and surreal pieces, including some addressing the 9/11 tragedy. “My whole trajectory in terms of my life and my career is to tune into my strongest impulses of what to paint,” he said. “To me, it’s a process of discovery—I don’t want to be pigeonholed.” Those impulses—and a travelling set of pastels—have influenced his style. “Of late, I’ve been doing these pop-up paintings,” he said, pointing to an engaging pastel where potential customers mull over yard-sale merchandise piled on tables outside his in-laws’ upstate home. “My approach changed,” he said. “For ten years, I painted cityscapes without any people. When I started incorporating people in my paintContinued on Page 2

Artist Daniel Hauben in his Riverdale studio preparing for an exhibition on view at Bronx Community College’s Hall of Fame from October 23 through November 29. Call 718-289-5341 for more information.

Thursday, October 18, 2012 • The RIVERDALE REVIEW

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Get set for toll and transit fare increases Continued from Page 1 public transportation. Chicago comes in second place, with only 11.5 percent. “Costs are going up faster than salaries,” Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said.

“People are going to be upset and rightly so, but most people don’t have a choice. They have to go to work.” Dinowitz doesn’t blame the MTA for the fare increase but does say the state

Artist Hauben finds a ‘sense of place’ Continued from Page 1 ings, they were as rigid, and seemingly made out of the same material, as the buildings.” Learning to capture the fleeting gestures of people in the unplanned pop-up pieces helped him free up even the stationary elements in his more formal paintings. “By the very nature of this process, there’s a kind of a freedom and a momentum that can animate it and give it a kind of spontaneity that maybe if I had all the time in the world, I wouldn’t be able to bring to the work.” He also found he’d been using stronger colors in the spontaneous pieces. Pleased with the bolder palette, he now enlivens older works by adding primary tones. Hauben, now 56, has been doodling since childhood. He hated school and often took the day off. “To appease my father when he came home from work and said ‘Again you’re home?’ I would draw and show him all this stuff and say ‘Look what I did today!’” When he was 15, his father said, “So you want to be an artist? Let’s make some calls.” “He called the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim and the Whitney, saying ‘My son is an artist. You should look at his work.’ I wound up getting an appointment with an archivist at the Guggenheim.” Hauben showed the man a portfolio of works in magic marker and oil pastels.

“Just keep doing your thing,” the archivist said. “Don’t let anyone influence you. Come back in five years.” He did, and was told to come back again in another five years. “By now, I’m 25 years old and I have another portfolio. I’m doing Bronx scenes.” At the archivist’s suggestion, Hauben called Philip Verre, who had just been appointed curator for the Bronx Museum of the Arts. Verre gave him a tour of the museum’s under-construction new digs at the former Young Israel of the Concourse. A few years later, Hauben got a show at the museum. “It was a direct result of my father making that call,” he said. His next project is painting Bronx artists—and there are more and more of them—at work in their studios. His fantasy would be to entice culture to the borough by making the Kingsbridge armory a space for artists, a Dia of The Bronx. Hauben teaches drawing to architecture students at CCNY and to adults at the Riverdale Y. An online gallery of his awardwinning work is at danielhauben.com. The Bronx Community College exhibition will be on view from Tuesday, October 23, through Thursday, November 29. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. through 2 p.m. For more information, call the college art department at 718-289-5341.

and the city governments have not done their share. “We need to put more money into transportation,” the assemblyman said. “Having a small tax for transportation, I believe, will help. It makes more sense to have a broad base where no one pays a lot but a lot of people pay.” According the MTA press release, the toll and fare hikes are set to go into effect on or about March 1, 2013, after a public review process running now through mid-December. “The public will have significant input into our decision-making process. In the spirit of transparency, the public will assist in shaping our fare policy,” Lhota stated. “These proposals have been designed

to balance our need for revenue with public involvement. We need to hear from the public. Feedback evaluating the specific alternatives we’ve put forward is particularly useful, but we value all our customers’ input, and we’ll consider changes to our proposals based on what we hear and read.” Starting November 7, public hearings will be held in each of the five boroughs, Long Island, and Westchester and Orange counties. Hostos Community College will host the Bronx public hearing on November 13 at 5 p.m. in the Center for the Arts and Culture at 450 Grand Concourse. Members of the public are encouraged to comment by submitting written comments through the MTA website or by speaking at a public hearing. To register to speak at a hearing, call 718-521-3333.

Rose Dialogue Series Presents

HANNA ROSIN in conversation with Sally Kohn

Women, Power, and Politics… The End of Men? Sunday, October 28, 2012 7:00pm–9:00pm at the Riverdale YM-YWHA HANNA ROSIN—author of the newly-released book The End of Men: And The Rise of Women, senior editor of the Atlantic Magazine and a founder and co-editor of Double X, Slate’s women’s section SALLY KOHN—a progressive Fox News Contributor and columnist for Salon

Admission: $18 / $10 for students

A reception will follow. Hanna Rosin will sign copies of her new book.

Reservations online at www.RiverdaleY.org Rose Dialogue Series 5625 Arlington Avenue | Bronx, NY 10471 (718) 548-8200 | www.RiverdaleY.org

edent that we’re going to evaluate this permit without putting a procedure in place to evaluate all permits,” one member responded. Villaverde quickly added that he saw Ginty’s amendment as unnecessary for this particular motion, stating, “It was not something we discussed (at the committee meeting). The amendment is dealing with a much larger issue.” According to SAPO, “the community board shall forward its recommendation for approval, approval with conditions or denial of a street activity permit application to SAPO for further processing.” Having the community board approve the festival would in fact be upholding New York City law, though Community Board chair Robert Fanuzzi ruled the amendment as going against the spirit of Villaverde’s original motion. Community Board vice chair Maria Ghury did not agree. “Your economic development committee is making a motion of support of an event that includes a street closure,” she said. “That is what they are going to do.” Fanuzzi’s ruling, which had been challenged by Ginty, was voted on and overturned by board members. Many proposed the idea of tabling the amendment for all those who were less familiar with SAPO regulations. That motion passed. A final vote was taken on Villaverde’s original motion, and it was voted through. With the amendment decision still on the table, the matter of board review of street permit requests will certainly be revisited at future board meetings.

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By TESS McRAE “This is one of those things that is hopefully a no-brainer,” said Sergio Villaverde, chair of the District 8 economic development committee, at the Community Board 8 public hearing on October 10. The no-brainer under debate dealt with a holiday street festival that would be held on Riverdale Avenue between West 235th and West 236th streets in December. Villaverde presented a motion to support the festival and co-sponsor if appropriate. Support for the festival was almost unanimous, yet, the issue was discussed and argued about for almost 30 minutes when Rosemary Ginty wished to amend Villaverde’s motion. In Ginty’s amendment, the board would approve the recommendation made by the economic development committee and approve the permit. Gaining a permit to hold a street fair requires approval from multiple departments. First, a street authorization permit is completed and sent to the Community Board, which recommends or declines to recommend the event to the street authorization permit office (SAPO). Depending on the event, other departments, like the police department, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the fire department, will be asked to approve or deny the permit. Once approval is given and the permit is granted, the event can be held. Despite this, a few board members felt the amendment went against typical board meeting protocol. “I think it’s sort of setting a bad prec-

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The RIVERDALE REVIEW • Thursday, October 18, 2012

New rules sought for street fairs

Thursday, October 18, 2012 • The RIVERDALE REVIEW

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Around the schools... Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy

The annual RKA College Fair is on Wednesday, October 17, at 6:30 p.m. in the school auditorium. Representatives from more than 60 colleges and universities will attend. The event is free of charge and open to the community. Parents of prospective RKA high school students are invited to an open house on Monday, November 19, or Tuesday, November 20, from 8:30 to 10 a.m. To register, contact JPrince4@schools.nyc.gov. Principal Lori O’Mara has invited community leaders to attend the school’s annual open house on Tuesday, November 13, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Students and staff will discuss programs and services and provide a tour of the facility and classrooms. For more information, contact JPrince4@schools.nyc. gov. Friday middle school tours for parents of prospective sixth-graders will continue through December 14 (except for November 23). Tours begin promptly at 8:30 a.m. and last until around 11 a.m. To register, contact parent coordinator Julie Prince at JPrince4@schools.nyc.gov. RKA is a zoned middle school. To determine whether your home address is within the RKA zone, visit the Department of Education website (schools.nyc.gov) and search under “zone finder.”

Horace Mann School

Riverdale resident and HM dance department faculty member Alison Kolinski will be walking 39.3 miles this weekend, October 20 and 21, as part of the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer fundraising event. Participants will follow a different route on each of the two days. To register, visit avonwalk.org/new-york/event-information.html.

Riverdale Country School

Rachel Lloyd has been selected for this year’s Jolli Humanitarian Award in recognition of her efforts to end human trafficking. Lloyd was instrumental in the passage of the state’s 2008 Safe Harbor Act for Sexually Exploited Youth. The Jolli award was established by the school to introduce students to a different “hero” each year—someone who has made a substantial difference in the world and inspires leadership and courage in others. Each year, tenth-graders submit nomination proposals for a “person of merit.” Winners’ names are placed on the front and side porticos of the 9/10 building, renaming the building for the year. Lloyd’s photo and a brief biography will be displayed in the building’s lobby, along with the winning nomination essay. A plaque listing all previous winners and the students responsible for nominating them is displayed there as well. Lloyd will speak to students at a special assembly on Tuesday, October 30, at 3 p.m.

Manhattan College

The college will host an open house for college-bound students on Sunday, October 28, starting at noon in the Chapel of De La Salle and His Brothers. Following opening remarks by college president Dr. Brennan O’Donnell, prospective students and their families will tour the campus.

Faculty members, administrators and current students will be available in Smith Auditorium to answer questions and provide more insight on Manhattan’s academic and campus life. A light lunch will be served. The exhibition area and campus tours will be available until 3 p.m. Prospective students are invited to attend a morning Mass at 9:30 a.m. Manhattan’s Alumni Society is sponsoring a brunch at 10:30 a.m. in Dante’s Den for alumni families with prospective students. For more information on the alumni brunch, contact the alumni relations office at alumni@manhattan.edu. To register for open house, visit manhattan.edu/ admissions/open-house-sunday-oct-28.

College of Mount Saint Vincent

The community is invited to hear Palestinian and Israeli young women discussing their peacemaking efforts on Thursday, October 18, at 11:30 a.m. in the President’s Reception Room in Founders Hall. The event is jointly sponsored by the college’s sociology department and the Office of Peace, Justice, and Integrity of Creation of the Sisters of Charity of New York. The speakers, senior leaders with the New Mexico-based nonprofit Creativity for Peace, will discuss their personal transformations since becoming involved with the organization, their ongoing struggles and their dreams for a future of peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians. Since its inception in 2003, Creativity for Peace has brought 193 girls, aged 15 to 17, of Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths, to New Mexico for a summer program of peacemaking using facilitated dialogue, field trips and social time. The girls return home and continue to meet year-round and take part in leadership and communication training offered by Creativity for Peace in the region. The speakers are Rula Abu Hussein, student of gender and film at Tel Aviv University; Adi Goldstein, an assistant to the military attaché at the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C.; and Diana Fraija, a broadcast journalist.

Local Scholars

LIM College in Manhattan has announced that Keren Sebbah was named to the Dean’s list for the spring 2012 semester. To qualify, students must earn a grade point average of at least 3.50. LIM, an independent, private college, is the nation’s only college exclusively focused on the study of business and fashion. It grants bachelor of business administration degrees in fashion merchandising, visual merchandising, marketing and management, as well as a bachelor of professional studies and associate degrees in fashion merchandising. LIM also offers an MBA program with concentrations in fashion management and entrepreneurship. In-class instruction is provided by professors who are experts in their field. Required internships in the fashion and related industries provide students with real-world skills and experience.

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The Portrait: A true Bronx Adventure ••••• “Wear a hat and put on your galoshes,” said my mother. “The radio said we might have flurries later today.” I already had on a tie and the itchy wool sports jacket, which was a handme-down from my cousin Barry, who was now fifteen. Adding a hat and the smelly old galoshes, which had snaps, was adding insult to injury. Boy, did I look like a jerk. “Here is $2.00 and two nickels. Treat

Walter to lunch, but let him pay his own fare on the trolley.” “Why can’t I pay his fare and let him pay for his own lunch, Mom?” “Just go now and do not take a shortcut through the Italian neighborhood. You remember what happened last time!” Walter, who had been Bar Mitzvahed last month, rang our bell. His mother, a very strict German refugee, was allowing Walter to go with me to my Uncle Harold’s for my Bar Mitzvah portrait pictures and a dozen wallet copies. None of my friends had “wallets” of themselves to give away. It was a neighborhood first and probably the prime motivator behind the trolley trip, the itchy jacket, a tie and the smelly galoshes. Walter and I walked down at West

260th Street from Tyndall to Broadway. The old yellow and red “C” trolley was visible as the conductor took his end of the route five-minute break near old Caryl Field at the Yonkers city line. To this very day, my dad always says, “Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth barnstormed here in 1935 three months after you were born. You were in the carriage when Gehrig hit a shot that must have gone 600 feet from Yonkers deep into The Bronx. No one hits like that today.” The trolley with the big yellow “C” on the red side of the car rolled down Broadway, and the adventure began. The predicted flurries began to fall as soon as the trolley came to West 242nd Street. By the time we climbed the big hill heading east where P.S. 122 is now (now renamed P.S. 310), the flurries were coming down fast and thick. Walter and I thought nothing of it. My biggest concern still centered around treating Walter to lunch. It had to be deli or dairy because Walter was observant. Deli was not cheap, either. The trolley turned right (south) at the old Howard Johnson on Southern Boulevard just opposite the then-main gate entrance to the Bronx Zoo. Next, past what is today P.S. 205 and then the dreaded fringe of Little Italy. Walter wore a yarmulka and I had on a galoshes and a hat. Walter always carried a book. We were not going to take the shortcut at 180th Street. By the time we exited at Tremont Avenue and headed west on foot toward the studio, the ground was covered with snow, and it was really coming down. I remember it wasn’t very cold.

Milton Fein 1935 - 2012 We walked west on Tremont, and Walter wanted to stop off to say hello to his Uncle Herman, who owned a kosher butcher shop on Tremont. We went in. Uncle Herman, a man who sounded to me like every German soldier in the World War II movies, made us each a thick tongue and corned beef sandwich. The corn bread and strong dark mustard still are vivid in my gourmet memory bank. Best of all, I could pocket the “treat Walter to lunch” money Mom had given me. Despite the ever-increasing snow, I felt great. Finally, Uncle Herman shoved us out of the door, and three blocks later on Clinton Avenue we got to the studio. Continued on Page 11

The RIVERDALE REVIEW • Thursday, October 18, 2012

By MILTON FEIN Riverdale native, Milton Fein, who died last week, was principal of P.S. 7 in Kingsbridge for 27 years. Some years ago he wrote this terrific account of his adventure in the postwar Bronx of his youth.

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Thursday, October 18, 2012 • The RIVERDALE REVIEW

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Audition seminar for performing arts high schools

Riverdale Children’s Theatre is holding its annual workshop for Bronx students who plan to audition in drama, vocal music or musical theater for New York City’s performing arts high schools-LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts, Professional Performing Arts High School, Talented Unlimited High School and Frank Sinatra School for Performing Arts. The workshops are free of charge and are open to eighth- and ninth-graders who plan to audition for any of these schools. Participants must attend both sessions-this Friday, October 19, and next Friday, October 26, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Lehman College Music Building (Room 330), 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, NY 10468. A panel of film and theater professionals will be there to coach students for the auditions. Emmy award-winning television and film actress Alison Bartlett (better known as Dr. Gina from Sesame Street) will offer tips as well. ‘I know many kids from across The Bronx will benefit from the help of these talented professionals in preparing for these difficult auditions,’ RCT executive director Derek Woods said. ‘Many Bronx kids have not had access to strong arts programs in their neighborhoods. This is an opportunity that will hopefully increase their chances of gaining entrance into these specialized schools.’ The first session will concentrate on the audition process, school requirements and song or monologue selection. Students should come prepared with a monologue or song to work on. The second session will be devoted to one-on-one coaching with our experts. Successful applicants from past years will be on hand to answer questions about the audition experience. Representatives from LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts will be there as well. Registration is through the RCT website (riverdalechildrenstheatre.org) through this Thursday, October 18. For more information, contact Derek Woods at 646-2348757 or Derek@riverdaletheatre.org. Riverdale Children’s Theatre brings together children from various religious and cultural backgrounds to learn about themselves, about each other and about the joy of performing. By participating in a full-scale theatrical production, children learn the basic elements of theater, music and dance while pushing their own creative and physical boundaries.

YIVO Jewish Culture Series resumes at Riv. Temple

Sunday, October 21 at 2pm at the Riverdale Temple, Miriam Hoffman, award winning Yiddish playwright, journalist and lecturer of Yiddish at Columbia University will give a talk on ‘Backstage with the Yiddish Theater.’ The lecture will explore the stories behind this great cultural institution from the founder of the Yiddish Theater in Rumania, Avrom Goldfadn, to the actors and productions on Second Avenue in New York City as well as in big cities across America. Learn about the actors, comedies, melodramas, musicals and classical theater productions

that inspired and entertained audiences. Riverdale Temple is at 4545 Independence Ave. (at 246th Street). The next of four lectures will be on Jews in 19th century Russia and will take place on Sunday, December 2.

St. Gabriel’s Parish sponsors trip to Lancaster

Saint Gabriel’s Parish will sponsor a trip to Lancaster, PA on November 28 and 29. The cost of $230 covers: one night accommodation at the Host Resort, one breakfast, deluxe round-trip motor coach transportation, one dinner at a local Amish restaurant, guided sightseeing tour of the Hershey area. visit to the Tanger Outlet, visit to Chocolate World, admission to ‘Jonah’ at the Sight & Sound Theatre, baggage handling, hotel taxes and meal gratuities. Double occupancy is $230; single occupancy, $290. To make reservations, call 718-548-4471.

SPARC now accepting artist applications

The Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA) is pleased to announce that after a very successful 2011-2012 season of Seniors Partnering with Artists Citywide (SPARC), the program is back for another year and is now accepting artist applications. SPARC is a community arts engagement program that places artists-in-residence at senior centers across the five boroughs of New York City. The program provides selected artists with a stipend and access to workspace in senior centers in exchange for the creation and delivery of arts programming for seniors. Participating seniors will be engaged in an art project or series of cultural programs over the course of the residency, which will also include a public program component _ exhibits, readings, performances, open houses and other cultural interactions open to the surrounding community. This initiative seeks to connect artists with seniors in senior centers and positively impact the well-being of seniors through arts-based activities. BCA is particularly seeking applications from NYC residents (of any borough) who want to work with a Bronx senior center. Artists will be selected for SPARC through a competitive application process. Artists with bilingual Spanish/English skills are encouraged to apply. For complete details, please visit the SPARC page of BCA’s website at www. bronxarts.org/sparc.asp for this year’s Guidelines and Application. Apply by October 31 and help us put a “SPARC” in the lives of Bronx seniors! Artists who are interested in a SPARC residency with a senior center in another borough are encouraged to visit the website of that borough’s local arts council for application materials and guidelines. The submission deadline is October 31, 2012. SPARC is a collaboration among the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the Department for the Aging and the City’s five local arts councils situated in each borough - Brooklyn Arts Council, Bronx Council on the Arts, Council on the Arts and Humanities of Staten Island, Lower

Manhattan Cultural Council and Queens Council on the Arts. It was developed as part of Age-Friendly NYC, a citywide effort to make the City more livable for seniors, and previously ran in 2011-2012 after a successful pilot called Space for Art in 2009. The 2012-2013 SPARC program is supported, in part, by public funds from the Department for the Aging.

Rose Dialogue Series at Riverdale Y

The Riverdale Y will present at the Rose Dialogue Series, Hanna Rosin, senior editor of the Atlantic Magazine and founder and co-editor of Double X, Slate’s women’s section and Sally Kohn, a Fox News Contributor and columnist for Slate on the topic: Women, Power, and Politics... The End of Men? on Sunday, October 28 from 7:00pm-9:00pm. Admission is $18, $10 for students. Men have been the dominant sex since the dawn of mankind. And yet, as journalist Hanna Rosin discovered, this long-held truth is no longer true. At this unprecedented moment, women are no longer gaining on men: they have pulled decisively ahead by almost every measure. In this groundbreaking book, Rosin reveals how this new state of affairs is dramatically shifting dynamics in every arena and at every level of society, and profoundly affecting marriage, sex, children, work, and more. There will be a wine reception and book signing of Ms. Rosin latest book The End of Men: And The Rise of Women after the dialogue. Childcare will be available at no charge, with age-appropriate activities for children ages 2 - 10. Please reserve your childcare space when you purchase your ticket at www.RiverdaleY.org For more information, go to our website at www.RiverdaleY.org or call 718-5488200, ext. 200. The Y is located at 5625 Arlington Avenue.

Mommy-and-me music program at the Y

Rock-a-Baby, an interactive mommyand-me style music program for infants and toddlers, is coming to the Riverdale Y! following there successful appearances at the 14 Street Y and the JCC of Manhattan. The 45-minute classes include three musicians to rock your socks off - vocals, gui-

tar, and keyboard! Meet puppets friends Rhythm, Melody & Harmony. Explore weekly themes, hands-on instrument play, dancing, story time, balls, bubbles, and songs from all genres of music. Rocka-Baby is as fun for the grown-ups as it is for the kids! Come, Friday, October 26 at 10:45am11:30am in Room 5, for a free trial class. You must pre-register to participate in this class with Wendy Pollock at wpollock@riverdaley.org. The Riverdale Y will run a 6 week session beginning on Monday, November 5th and ending on Monday, December 10th with a minimum of 6 children. For more information contact Wendy Pollock, at 718-548-8200, ext. 220. The Y is located at 5625 Arlington Avenue.

BAE to present Peter and The Wolf

Join the Bronx Arts Ensemble for ‘Peter and the Wolf’, Serge Prokofiev’s popular musical fairy tale, at the International Caterers of Distinction, 3243 Ampere Ave on Sunday, October 21 at 1 and 3 pm. The Bronx Arts Ensemble winds will portray Grandfather, the Bird, the Cat, the Duck, the Hunters, the Wolf and more. The audience will be introduced to each instrument and join in the madcap adventure to help capture the Wolf! All tickets are $6 and can be purchased online. For more information and tickets, visit bronxartsensemble.org or call 718.601.7399. Ensemble The Bronx Arts Ensemble is a not-for-profit organization enriching the cultural environment of the Bronx with a year-round schedule of concerts, special programs for families and a full music and arts-in-education program for schools.

Save the Date: Howl-O-Ween on Sunday, October 28, from 12 to 2 p.m., at the Canine Court at Van Cortlandt Park (enter at Broadway and 252nd Street). A canine celebration of halloween fun and frolics, hosted by Bash Dibra. Bring your pet Pooch. Come in costume - both of you. Contests for most original, scariest, pet/owner look-alike. First prize winners receive $25 certificate from Fieldston Pets. $10 donation per dog. $5 donation for each additional dog. All proceeds go toward upkeep of Canine Court Playground. To register, visit www.pawsacrossamerica.com. Presented by Friends of Canine Court and Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy.

Two Obie winners kick off Theatre Program’s season

The Theatre Program at Lehman College presents Marisol, written by José Rivera, and directed by John Clancy. Marisol opens Wednesday, October 31 at 3:30 pm and runs through Sunday November 4 at 3pm - Thursday through Saturday performances are at 8 pm. Performances take place at the Studio Theater, located in the Speech and Theater Building on the Lehman College Campus (250 Bedford Park Boulevard Bronx, NY 10468). General admission is $10. Students and seniors are $8. All performances are free of charge for Lehman students with valid identification. For more information call 718.960.7838 or log on to www. lehmantheatredance.org. Winner of the 1993 Obie Award, Marisol is an apocalyptic urban fantasy, set in the Bronx, which urges society to ‘wake up’ and somehow find a way to recover the long-lost and much-needed compassion for our fellow man, as this is the only way to save our world. Marisol Perez, a young Latino woman is our guide through this bleak Bronx landscape of poverty and crime, leading us to the realization of how far we’ve come and how far we have yet to go. José Rivera was born in Puerto Rico and moved to New York as a young child. He is the first Puerto Rican screenwriter to be nominated for an Academy Award (The Motorcycle Diaries). Other notable works for the stage include, Cloud Tectonics, References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot and the recent Massacre (Sing to Your Children). Rivera won an OBIE for playwriting in 1993 for Marisol. John Clancy is the founding Artistic Director of Present Company and a founding Artistic Director of The New York International Fringe Festival. In 2007, his company was awarded the inaugural Edinburgh Festival

Award by the Edinburgh International Festival. He currently serves as Executive Director of The League of Independent Theater, the advocacy organization for Off-Off Broadway. Clancy won an OBIE in 2006 for ‘sustained excellence in directing’. The Theatre Program at Lehman transforms students into versatile, self-directed artists of the 21st century. Our liberal arts BA and multidisciplinary BFA programs challenge our students to develop the knowledge and skills as well as the conceptual, critical and creative perspectives necessary for a professional life in the performing arts.

in a language that bicyclists can understand. Like all bicyclists, commercial cyclists are required to obey all traffic laws. Additionally, major provisions of the new legislation would require that: • Each bicycle operator employed by a business to complete a bicycle safety course and to carry this proof while making deliveries or otherwise riding the bicycle for

operator’s three digit individual identification number address and whether he/she has completed a bicycle safety course. • Businesses provide protective headgear that meets the appropriate standards. • Businesses equip each bicycle with a sound device that can be audible from at least one hundred feet. Penalties have been increased for violations of these rules. ‘I am hopeful that this legislation will serve to make delivery people and their managers more consciousness of safety and the necessity to follow the rules of the road,’ Koppell said.

A celebration of historical women

The Bronx Chamber of Commerce and The Woodlawn Cemetery present ‘A Celebration of Historical Women’ on Monday, Oct. 22, from 12 to 2 p.m. Join in to celebrate the lives of historical women in The Woodlawn Cemetery. Guest speakers will be: U.S. Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, highlighting the life and contributions of Elizabeth Cady Stanton; NYC Deputy Mayor Carol Robles Roman, highlighting and life and contributions of Celia Cruz; Deputy Bronx Borough Presdient Aurelia Greene, highlighting the life and contributions of Madame CJ Walker; and NYS Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson, highlighting the life and contributions of Alva Belmont. The celebration will be held in the Woolworth Chapel of Woodlawn Cemetery, Webster Avenue and E. 233rd Street, Bronx, NY 10470. $25 donation; all proceeds will benefit The Bronx Chamber scholarship fund. Space is limited; call 718-828-3900 or email Gabrielle@BronxChamber. org to RSVP.

Koppell’s bill tightening cycling rules passed

At its meeting on October 11, 2012, the City Council passed legislation co-sponsored by Council Member Oliver Koppell a member of the Transportation Committee, with respect to the use of bicycles for commercial purposes. ‘There are growing concerns that the increase in the number of commercial bicycles is posing a danger to pedestrians on busy city streets and, consequently, there is a need for additional regulations and stricter enforcement of existing rules governing commercial bicyclists,’ Koppell said. According to existing laws, businesses must provide delivery cyclists with a 3-digit individual identification number, a bicycle helmet and a business identification card. Businesses are also required to equip each bicycle with a bell, with a headlight and red taillight, reflectors and brakes. Businesses are also mandated to display a poster explaining bicycle safety tips in an accessible area and

In a rush to get to the City? Hop on.

Ride the Hudson Rail Link and Metro-North to Grand Central Terminal. Depending on the time of day, you’ll save 10 to 20 minutes each way over the express bus, while relaxing in new, clean and comfortable Hudson Rail Link buses and M-7 train cars. There’s frequent and flexible service, with less than half an hour between trains during the morning rush. And Hudson Rail Link buses accept both MetroCard and a discounted bus/rail UniTicket. For more information, call 511 or visit mta.info. And link up with the Link.

©2012 Metropolitan Transportation Authority

7 The RIVERDALE REVIEW • Thursday, October 18, 2012

Howl-O-Ween at Van Cortlandt’s Canine Court

commercial purposes. • A business using a bicycle for commercial purposes to provide the bicycle with an individual identification number and to attach a sign to the back of the bicycle stating the name of the business and the bicycle’s individual identification number. • All commercial cyclists wear retro-reflective apparel to help them be more visible to pedestrians, especially at night. • Businesses using a bicycle for commercial purposes to maintain an updated roster of bicycle operators indicating the dates of employment and the

Thursday, October 18, 2012 • The RIVERDALE REVIEW

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Thursday, October 18 Kingsbridge

BABY LAPSIT 10:30 a.m. Kingsbridge Branch Library 291 West 231st Street Stories, songs, puppets, fingerplays, and flannelboard illustrations for babies birth-36 months for parents/caregivers. For more information, call 718-548-5656.

Kingsbridge

GAME ON 4 p.m. Kingsbridge Branch Library 291 West 231st Street Come have some fun playing the latest XBox 360 games with Kinect at the Kingsbridge Library! For ages 12-18. For more information, call 718-548-5656.

Riverdale

WE’RE OPEN, STEP UP 4 p.m. Riverdale Branch Library 5540 Mosholu Avenue Do you have a poem lurking inside of you? What about a song waiting to burst forth? Perhaps a bit of a dramatic persona you want to show off? The stage is all yours during this open mic session. For ages 12 to 18 years old. For more information, call 718-549-1212.

Friday, October 19 Kingsbridge

STAY WELL EXERCISE 10 a.m. Kingsbridge Branch Library 291 West 231st Street Stay Well volunteers certified by the NYC’s Department for the Aging will lead participants in a well-balanced series of exercises for seniors of all ability levels. Please wear loose comfortable clothing. Exercise equipment will be provided. Those participating in the exercises must sign an activity release form. For more information, call 718-548-5656.

Van Cortlandt

HALLOWEEN MOVIES 3 p.m. Van Cortlandt Branch Library 3874 Sedgwick Avenue This Halloween season brings your kids and spend some time with us enjoying spooky movies: On October 19th: SpongeBob Squarepants Halloween: 5 Spooky Sea Tales. For more information, call 718-543-5150.

650 West 235th Street Each participant briefly describes & shares thoughts about a book-fiction or non-fiction-recently read. Discussion & recommendations are the happy result of this sharing. For more information, call 718-796-1202.

Riverdale

KNITTING CIRCLE 2 p.m. Riverdale Branch Library 5540 Mosholu Avenue Gather with other knitters, and perhaps pick up a few tips and tricks as you work on your own creations. For more information, call 718-549-1212.

Kingsbridge

RETRO GAMES 2 p.m. Kingsbridge Branch Library 291 West 231st Street It’s back to the good old days: join your friends and roll the dice instead of clicking a mouse! Come by for some old fashioned board game fun. For more information, call 718-548-5656.

Riverdale

READING ALOUD 4 p.m. Riverdale Branch Library 5540 Mosholu Avenue A librarian will share favorite picture books, providing children with the wonder of books and the joy of reading. For ages 3 to 12 years. For more information, call 718-549-1212.

Kingsbridge

KNITTING & CROCHET 5 p.m. Kingsbridge Branch Library 291 West 231st Street Gather with other knitters and crocheters and perhaps pickup a few tips and tricks as you work on your own creations! For more information, call 718-548-5656.

Riverdale

CB8 MEETING 7:30 p.m. Riverdale Jewish Center 3700 Independence Avenue Meeting of the Housing Committee of Community Board 8. For more information, call 718-884-3959.

Tuesday, October 23 Riverdale

Riverdale

FUN FRIDAY 3:30 p.m. Riverdale Branch Library 5540 Mosholu Avenue XBOX Kinect, Wii and Board games of all types and all skill levels. For ages 5 to 12 years. For info, call 718-549-1212.

e-READER HELP 11 a.m. Riverdale Branch Library 5540 Mosholu Avenue Learn how to download free e-books from the New York Public Library. Get help on using your iPad, Kindle or other ereader. First come, first served. For info, call 718-549-1212.

Kingsbridge

Riverdale

TEEN ADVISORY GROUP 4 p.m. Kingsbridge Branch Library 291 West 231st Street Let your voice be heard in the Kingsbridge Library’s Teen Advisory Group! TAG meetings will be held on Friday afternoons from 4-5 pm. If you are a 7th -12th grade student, you are eligible to join. For more information, call 718-548-5656.

SCRABBLE 2 p.m. Riverdale Branch Library 5540 Mosholu Avenue If words work you up and crossword puzzles keep you going, come to Riverdale and share your passion with friends every Tuesday afternoon for a lively game of Scrabble. Pre-registration required. For more information, call 718-549-1212.

Saturday, October 20

Wednesday, October 24

BELLY DANCING CLASS 2 p.m. Kingsbridge Branch Library 291 West 231st Street Proper attire for class: Comfortable clothes such as leggings or tights, fitted shirt or choli shirt which exposes midriff, barefoot or soft dance shoes, hip scarf, and a positive attitude. All participants must sign an activity release form. For info, call 718-548-5656.

TAI CHI 10 a.m. Riverdale Branch Library 5540 Mosholu Avenue This tai chi (Sun Style) includes agile steps and exercises that may improve mobility, breathing and relaxation. This is an adult program. Registration is required. Due to limited space and a high demand, participants will be chosen by a lottery. Please call the branch at 718-549-1212 to add your name to the list. For more information, call 718-549-1212.

Kingsbridge

Sunday, October 21 Riverdale

LECTURE 2 p.m. Riverdale Temple 4545 Independence Avenue Miriam Hoffman will give a talk on “Backstage with the Yiddish Theater.” The lecture will explore the stories behind this great cultural institution from the founder of the Yiddish Theater in Rumania, Avrom Goldfadn, to the actors and productions on Second Avenue in New York City as well as in big cities across America.

Monday, October 22 Spuyten Duyvil

BOOK TALK 11 a.m. Spuyten Duyvil Branch Library

Riverdale

Riverdale

e-READER HELP 2 p.m. Riverdale Branch Library 5540 Mosholu Avenue Learn how to download free e-books from the New York Public Library. Get help on using your iPad, Kindle or other e-reader. For more information, call 718-549-1212.

Kingsbridge

TEEN MOVIES 4 p.m. Kingsbridge Branch Library 291 West 231st Street Come join us for this monthly program in which we’ll be showing great feature films selected by our Teen Advisory Group! For ages 13 to 18 years. For more info, call 718-548-5656.

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The RIVERDALE REVIEW • Thursday, October 18, 2012

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Thursday, October 18, 2012 • The RIVERDALE REVIEW

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Continued from Page 5 Uncle Harold asked us if we had eaten lunch. A quick glancing look to Walter and then a firm “No.” Uncle Harold sent his helper, Bernie, out to the nearby deli for four franks. I dripped mustard on the itchy jacket. The stain is still visible today in the now-ancient portrait. The portrait-taking scene was forever. Face angles, the hard chair, blazing lights, “relax,” “smile,” “fold your hands on your lap,” “let’s tighten (ugh) the tie,” were all part of the experience. Finally it was all over. As I left, I kissed my favorite uncle goodbye, and with a little courage and little shame, asked for 36 wallets so I could give one to my classmates at P.S. 7, to Mrs. Clarke, my teacher, Miss Nesi, the principal, and one for Selma Kern in the class next door. “But don’t tell Momma,” I said as we headed home. Heading home that day was the Bronx adventure of my life. Despite two years in the infantry, airborne training, being submerged in a stalled British submarine somewhere off the coast of France, integration duty as a soldier at Little Rock, 39 years in our school system, none of these was as life-threatening an event as the blizzard of 1948. The trip home, which at worst time should have been an hour, was a ninehour trek through The Bronx and Manhattan. The return to Southern Boulevard was the first shock. Cars were not moving. Many were abandoned on West Tremont and all the side streets. A big green Bronxdale oil truck was stuck right in the

middle of the trolley tracks. Seven “C” trolleys, destination Van Cortlandt Park and West 263rd Street, were stuck one behind another at Tremont Avenue. Walter began to cry. I went over to the conductor of the third trolley, who was pulling down the cable to the overhead—a horrible omen of things to come. I asked him, “What do you think the best way back to Riverdale might be, sir?” “Try walking north on Southern Boulevard to 180th Street, then head to Arthur Avenue and turn north there to Fordham Road. Maybe the trolleys are running there. It looks bad, Sonny.” The snow was now up to the lower boot clips, and the predicted flurries would soon result in the single greatest snowfall in one twelve-hour period in the history of this city from 1807 to 1996. “Walter, we have to go through the Italian area to get the nearest trolley.” He said nothing as we headed northwest. Despite the heavy snowfall, we literally ran from what is Crescent Avenue north on Arthur Avenue to Fordham Road. The snow was up to my boot tops by the time we reached the original White Castle next to J.H.S. 45. We headed due west along Fordham Road and at the Sears building, which was the Rodgers department store, we saw a trolley just sitting there. The conductor said he was waiting to get some more riders on board because this would be the last trolley to Riverdale. Thank God! We felt like we were now saved. Ten minutes later, the trolley, like “The Little Engine That Could,” chugged up the hill, then toward the armory and Jerome Avenue. We halted at the armory. An old army

truck had crashed into a milk truck, and both vehicles were stuck dead on the trolley tracks. The snow was deep on the ground and still falling like crazy. There was no end in sight. A miracle then took place, right on the corner of Jerome and Kingsbridge Road in front of the old Star Drugs. Bill Conway, our next-door neighbor, was in the Army National Guard. My father always said he was in it for the pension. I didn’t know what that meant, but I was sure happy to see Bill. He was wearing his army uniform with furry boots. He said, “Milton, Walter, what are you doing here?” We recounted our tale. It seems Bill and hundreds of others in the Guard were called for emergency service. Bill was to drive an ambulance and scout around the West Bronx for possible

hospital cases. He said he’d give us a ride to our homes. The ambulance tires had these heavy chains over them, front and back. An army snow plow moved in front of us as it plowed the snow all the way past P.S. 86, Walton, Clinton and then across the road past Van Cortlandt Lake, the mansion and then up Broadway to Riverdale. What a great ride. Bill picked up some other snow-soaked travelers as we went north. Up West 260th Street to Tyndall Avenue. Mom and my little sister were at the window. My mother was crying when I entered the apartment. Walter walked next door to his place. His mom did not speak to me for a long time. The portrait and 48 “wallets” arrived with my uncle three weeks later. Most of the snow was still on the ground.

Bash Dibra, trainer and friend to dogs By PAULETTE SCHNEIDER Bash Dibra wields “patience, persistence and praise” to coax obedience even from incorrigible dogs. He spots canine talent and turns household pets into stars of the screen and stage. He’s led Westminster contenders to victory, guided Lassies through their televised missions, coached Sandies through their scripts in “Annie” and persuaded all manner of mutts to help sell products in commercial ads. But he can also polish up the manners of you furry stay-at-home companion. Bash created Canine Court, a 14,000-square-foot enclosed dog run in Van Cortlandt Park. To support this valuable community resource, visit pawsacrossamerica.com. Dogs have always been in Dibra’s life,

but not always as pets. Guard dogs surrounded the refugee camp where he and his family lived after fleeing from communist Albania to Yugoslavia. From the time he was a baby through the age of nine, he observed the dogs closely and understood that they were naturally kind but were trained to intimidate the inmates. “Now I know, because of my background, that they were just machines,” he said. “The guards would switch them on to attack, then switch them off. They had no meanness.” He managed to befriend the dogs, and the guards eventually conceded. “They were my therapy in this horrible setting,” Dibra said. “That opened the whole world of communicating with animals.”

11 The RIVERDALE REVIEW • Thursday, October 18, 2012

Milton Fein

Thursday, October 18, 2012 • The RIVERDALE REVIEW

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White Plains

SENIOR LAW DAY 9 a.m. Westchester County Center 198 Central Park Avenue Attorneys, certified financial planners and others lead more than a dozen free workshops on elder law issues such as wills vs. trusts, making medical decisions and the nuts and bolts of financial planning. They also offer seniors free, one-on-one, 15-minute consultations. Registration starts right after Labor Day. Registration information will be available on the events calendar of the Westchester County Department of Senior Programs and Services.

White Plains

HANDCYCLING CLINIC 5 p.m. Burke Rehabilitation Hospital 785 Mamaroneck Avenue Participants should have enough upper body strength/movement to move the hand pedals, but beginners are welcome. There will be many experienced bikers and therapists on-hand to assist people with getting on and off the bikes, as well as aid in using the bikes. A complimentary casual dinner will be served at the end of the clinic. Pre-registration is required. For more information and to register for this free event, contact Alexandra Oudheusden at (914) 597-2497 or email her at aoudheusden@burke.org

White Plains

IL VOLO IN CONCERT 7 p.m. Westchester County Center 198 Central Park Avenue The Pepe Infiniti concert series at the Westchester County Center presents the three Italian tenors, Il Volo, in concert! Doors open at 7 p.m. / Show begins at 8 p.m. For info, call 914-995-4050.

Friday, October 19 Mt. Vernon

CANDLELIGHT TOUR 7 p.m. St. Paul’s Church 897 S. Columbus Avenue Tour the historic cemetery by candlelight, visiting the graves of soldiers and civilians who lived through the American Revolution; hear a performance of 18th century music by Linda Russell & Companie, in the historic Church; refreshments served -- part of the Battle of Pell’s Point Encampment. For more information, contact David Osborn, 914-667-4116.

Saturday, October 20 Croton-on-Hudson

NATURE HIKE 8 a.m. Croton Point Nature Center Croton Point Avenue On Top of the World. A hike to the top of the landfill and back to see the view and enjoy this strangely beautiful place. For more information, call 914-862-5290.

Cross River

FALL FOLIAGE HIKE 10 a.m. Trailside Nature Museum Ward Pound Ridge Reservation Visit some of the best scenic views the park has to offer and experience the grandeur of the season. Sturdy shoes and plenty of water recommended. For more info, call 914-864-7322.

Ossining

NATIVE SNAKES 10 a.m. Teatown Lake Reservation 1600 Spring Valley Road Have you ever come across a snake in your yard and wondered if it might be venomous? Or have you been out hiking and are sure you’ve seen a rattlesnake? Find out how to identify the most common snakes in the area and how they are beneficial to the environment. Free for members; $5pp for nonmembers. Programs fill quickly so registration is strongly recommended. Call 914-762-2912 x110 to reserve.

Somers

THEATER 1 p.m. Somers Library Route 139 & Reis Park Call Me William: The Life & Loves of Willa Cather - A Play. Broadway actress Prudence Wright Holmes portrays the private life of legendary authoress Willa Cather in this stunning performance. Associated Press calls Wright a ‘master storyteller.’ For more information, call 914-232- 5717.

North White Plains

FOLIAGE APPRECIATION WALK 1 p.m. Cranberry Lake Preserve

1609 Old Orchard Street Tupelos turn purple, oaks turn red and orange, and birch turn yellow: see them all and more on this hike to some of the best foliabe viewing spots in the county. For more information, call 914-428-1005.

Rye

NATURE WALK 2 p.m. Marshlands Conservancy 220 Boston Post Road Through a Hand Lens Clearly. Discover the little things that are often overlooked under leaves, logs and rocks. For more information, call 914-835-4466.

Sunday, October 21 Ossining

ANIMAL ADVENTURES 1 p.m. Teatown Lake Reservation 1600 Spring Valley Road Meet a few of Teatown’s ambassador animals in this program featuring birds of prey. Please note this program is for families with children ages 4 and over. Free for members; $5pp for nonmembers. Programs fill quickly so registration is strongly recommended. Call 914-762-2912 x110 to reserve.

Rye

CREATE A SHELTER 2 p.m. Marshlands Conservancy 220 Boston Post Road Help develop team-building skills as you create a shelter, focusing on ideal locations and techniques. For more information, call 914-835-4466.

Monday, October 22 Somers

MEMORIES OF THE OLD PUT 6 p.m. Somers Library Route 139 & Reis Park Joe Shiavone, author of several books on “The Old Put” discusses his fondest memories of the Old Put. Joe will show over 80 color slides of this historic train as it traveled through our area - all of which have will have their very first showing ever...at Somers Library! Register online at www.somerslibrary. org or call 914-232-5717.

Tuesday, October 23 White Plains

COMMUNITY LECTURE 7 p.m. New York-Presbyterian Hospital 21 Bloomingdale Road “Is it Autism? The Road to Achieving the Right Diagnosis and Treatment for Your Child” is the subject of a community education program presented by Catherine Lord, PhD, Director of NYP’s Center for Autism and the Developing Brain. A question and answer session will follow. No Registration, No fee, free parking, and refreshments provided. For more information, call 914-997-5779.

Wednesday, October 24 Mt. Vernon

MEDICARE BASICS 10 a.m. Westchester County Office Building 9 S. First Ave., 8th floor Case workers from the Westchester County Department of Senior Programs and Services will provide information about Medicare parts A, B, C and D and how to use Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) for even greater savings. To sign up, call DSPS’ Medicare Information Line at (914) 813-6100,

Mt. Vernon

SAX AND KEYBOARD 1 p.m. St. Paul’s Church 897 S. Columbus Avenue Performance of music for Saxophone, accompanied by keyboard, from Sarah Lawrence College. For more information, contact David Osborn, 914-667-4116.

Yonkers

LECTURE 7 p.m. Lenoir Preserve Dudley Street “On the Border, By the Sea: Wildlife of the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas.” Join Michael Bochnik, president of Hudson River Audubon Society, for a visual tour of the colorful and unusual species that are found in Mexico, but cross the border into the United States. For more information, call 914-968-5851.

The RIVERDALE REVIEW • Thursday, October 18, 2012

Thursday, October 18

Thursday, October 18, 2012 • The RIVERDALE REVIEW

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The RIVERDALE REVIEW • Thursday, October 18, 2012

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The Riverdale Neighborhood House (RNH) will host the Riverdale Youth Market every Thursday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. through November 15, 2012. This is a youth-run farm stand offering fresh fruits and vegetables from regional farms. RNH is located at 5521 Mosholu Avenue, across from the Riverdale Library., Since its founding in 1872, RNH has partnered with the residents of the Northwest Bronx to build and sustain a healthy and productive community. RNH delivers first-rate educational and social services to the entire community: children, teens, seniors and families. RNH programs strengthen the social fabric of our community and enhance the quality of life for our neighbors.

Koppell sponsors community shred event

Council Member Oliver Koppell is sponsoring a Community Shred Event, in conjunction with Riverdale Senior Services (RSS) and the Institutes of Applied Human Dynamics, on Sunday, October 28, 2012 from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m.

at Riverdale Senior Services, 2600 Netherland Avenue. You may bring all of your personal documents for secure shredding on the spot free of charge. (A $5 donation is suggested.) A free coupon for coffee or soda will be provided ‘This is an opportunity to protect yourself against identity theft by shredding all of your personal documents on the spot,’ Koppell said. Julia Schwartz-Leeper, Executive Director of Riverdale Senior Services, said that the Shredding Event is taking place in conjunction with the organization’s annual bazaar where food, perfume, jewelry and more will be available at bargain prices. For more information, call RSS at (718) 884-5900.

Guitarist Sharon Isbin to open BAE’s season

Sharon Isbin, the multiple grammyaward winning guitarist, will headline Bronx Arts Ensemble’s opening 2012-13 chamber music concert on Sunday, October 28 at 3 pm at 4650 Delafield Avenue. Program will include Debussy’s String Quartet in G minor, Isaac Albeniz’ Asturias; Andrew York’s

Andecy; Howard Shore’s Billy’s Theme (from the film ‘The Departed’ by Martin Scorsese) and Beethoven’s Septet in E-flat Major, Op. 20. All tickets are $25 and include an intermission reception. For information and tickets: bronxartsensemble.org or 718.601.7399. Take #1 line to 231st St and Broadway, take BX7 (towards 263rd Street) to Henry Hudson Parkway and W. 246 St. and walk east on 246th street to Delafield Ave. Acclaimed for her extraordinary lyricism, technique and versatility, multiple Grammy Award winner Sharon Isbin has been hailed as ‘the pre-eminent guitarist of our time’. She is also the winner of Guitar Player magazine’s ‘Best Classical Guitarist’ award, the Madrid Queen Sofia and Toronto Competitions, and was the first guitarist ever to win the Munich Competition. She has given sold-out performances throughout the world in the greatest halls including New York’s Carnegie and Avery Fisher Halls, Boston’s Symphony Hall, Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center, London’s Barbican and Wigmore Halls, Amsterdam’s Concert, Paris’ Châtelet, Vienna’s Musikverein, Munich’s Herkulessaal, Madrid’s Teatro Real, and many others. She has served

as Artistic Director/Soloist of festivals she created for Carnegie Hall and the Ordway Music Theatre (St. Paul), her own series at New York’s 92nd Street Y, and the acclaimed national radio series Guitarjam. She is a frequent guest on national radio programs including All Things Considered and Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion. She has been profiled on television throughout the world, including CBS Sunday Morning and the A&E Network, and was a featured guest on Showtime Television’s international hit series The L Word. On September 11, 2002, Ms. Isbin performed at Ground Zero for the internationally televised memorial. In November 2009, she performed a concert at the White House by invitation of the President and First Lady. She performed as featured soloist in the soundtrack for Martin Scorsese’s Academy Award winning film, The Departed. She has been profiled in periodicals from People to Elle, The Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times, as well as on the cover of 45 magazines. A documentary on Sharon Isbin produced by Susan Dangel will be completed in 2012.

The RIVERDALE REVIEW • Thursday, October 18, 2012

Riverdale Youth Market at RNH

Thursday, October 18, 2012 • The RIVERDALE REVIEW

18

The Crisis at P.S. 24

Despite what a small politically-motivated clique among parents at P.S. 24 will tell you, the problems at P.S. 24 have absolutely nothing to do with this newspaper, its publisher or any anti-child agenda. It has to do with P.S. 24 and its principal whose decisions and philosophy have caused this controversy, as evidenced by this summer’s effort to gut the school’s beloved music program. The agenda of this newspaper is simple: our aim is to tell the truth about our schools. Often the news is bad. There are things in our schools that must be fixed, and the first step to fix them always begins with acknowledging the problem. So when you read that the letter grades assigned to P.S. 24 by the city’s Department of Education have fallen from a “B” to a “C”, it is easy to blame the messenger, your local newspaper. But if we didn’t report this, would anything change? We can debate the usefulness of the grade, but we cannot question that the metrics used to arrive at it show a downward trend. That measure, for better or worse, is used by parents to evaluate our schools before they even move here. P.S. 24 is much beloved and rightly so. We have been publishing this newspaper through the administrations of five principals: David Rothstein, Irene Berkowitz, Mark Levine, Philip Scharper and now Donna Connelly. The one common thread through all of this time has been the great faculty. P.S. 24 has among the most dedicated and skillful educators you will find anywhere, and it has been that way for decades. So when a clear majority of the faculty make the statement that they do not trust principal Donna Connelly at her word, a big reason why the school received an “F” in the school environment section of the report card, parents and others in the community should take note. This “F” grade puts P.S. 24 in the lowest 5% of all schools in the city. In an article in Riverdale’s other newspaper, parent “leader” Joseph Zizzo claims that this grade is the result of an organized effort by a group of teachers he calls an “unruly cadre,” a “dirty dozen” to undermine principal Connelly. This verbage, in the print edition of the Riverdale Press was somehow censored out of the online version presumably to protect Mr. Zizzo from his own words. Why, we ask, is the Press “cleaning up” the stupid remarks he has made? If this was an organized effort to undermine Dr. Connelly, it was certainly well organized on both ends. While Mr. Zizzo implies that this discontent is atypical, according to the Department of Education, 100% of the teachers in the school participated in the survey, 56% of which opined that they do not trust Dr. Connelly at her word. Hardly a small “unruly cadre.” And what Mr. Zizzo really thinks of teachers despite the storied reputation of the school is well documented. In 2010 he wrote, “… when a leader steps into a chaotic situation and imposes discipline that was missing before, there will be some grumbling. But ultimately it is the teachers’ job to live up to the standards of their new principal, it is not the principal’s job to please the teachers.” We disagree. The teachers of P.S. 24 have been the constant force for excellence through all the years we have been publishing here. A new principal has the job of not trying to fix something that isn’t broken, but rather supporting it and making it better. This clearly hasn’t happened at P.S. 24. There is turmoil under the surface and it had better be recognized and addressed. We are told that Dr. Connelly is likely to retire this year, now that she has served three years at a principal’s salary and is now eligible to retire at a principal’s salary rather than at a teacher’s pay. This could add as much as $25,000 a year to her pension. If this is true, then it may explain the mania to bend the rules to install her close friend, Emmanuele Verdi as an assistant principal. After a year-and-a-half of investigations, Mr. Verdi is still under a cloud, and has yet to be officially confirmed as an assistant principal (he remains “interim-acting”). We didn’t cause his problems, nor did the teaching staff that is rightly alarmed by these events. Nor did we cause the low grades that the school has posted under the Bloomberg administration formulas. What we have done is Continued on Page 19

Background conducive to academic achievement To The Editor: These comments offer another viewpoint on specialized high schools in New York City and were motivated by Robert Drake’s letter to the Editor published under the title Don’t Destroy Specialized High Schools. I attended Brooklyn Technical High School from 1944 to 1948, and the student body consisted of those born during the depression and who came from families of limited income. At graduation, eight of us who could not afford to go on to college applied for entrance to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY and we were all accepted, an accomplishment that spoke well for “Tech.” The primary immigrant group to America in the 20’ and 30’s were German, Italian, and in the New York area Jewish refugees from Europe. When works of special achievement were posted in the hallways they were accompanied by names such as Schmidt, Signoretti, and Epstein, reflecting

the ethnic and religious mix of the immigrant class that the students came from. By the time I attend my 25th homecoming the primary immigrant group immigrant in America came from Japan, India, and Korea. The works posted in the hallways had names accompanying them such as Ogino, Patel, and Kim, reflecting the immigrant mix of their parents. Necessity and family environment are primary motivators to childhood academic performance. Referring to the NAACP’s claim that the testing arrangement for admission to these schools constituted racism, they are focusing on the wrong issue. Black people except for recent immigrants from Africa, have

Ending co-op dictatorship

To The Editor: This is about the article by Dervedia Thomas (October 4, 2012), referring to the recent

ANDREW WOLF, Editor and Publisher

Note our new address: 5752 Fieldston Road Bronx, New York 10471 (718) 543-5200 FAX: (718) 543-4206

JOEL PAL Production Manager ROBERT NILVA Marketing Director

been in America a long time and cannot be compared to the success of immigrants; however, those who are of lower incomes can be considered to be a group whose family structure was destroyed by the Great Society legislation, who live in defacto matriarchal ghetto’s, whose every aspect of living is administered by institutions, who have been robbed of the family structure necessary for proper human development. It’s time that the real issue affecting not only Blacks in education but all of Western society, is addressed—the breakdown of the family. When the family is rebuilt academic performance will improve for all. Elder George

CECILIA McNALLY Office Manager MIAWLING LAM Associate Editor

STAFF: Robert Lebowitz, Richard Reay, Paulette Schneider, Lloyd Ultan, Daniel R. Wolf

ruling on Fletcher v. Dakota, which makes the Co-op board’s member accountable to their actions and personally liable for the injuries they cause. Thank God for this glorious ruling that curtails the absolute despotism of the Co-op Boards, and give a ray of hope to us down-trodden shareholders who have been their victims, and who live in fear and trepidation under their predatory dictatorship. Thank God for Alphonse Fletcher, a Black man who had Continued on Page 19

To The Editor: The New York Times recently ran a story titled “Anticipated Fallout From Lobbyist’s Legal Cooperation” (Sept. 26) that had to do with the anxiety many New York politicians have about several of their members possibly being publicly exposed as crooks. To quote Councilwoman Letitia James, “A lot of people are bracing themselves for what tomorrow holds. I just hope it’s not any of my colleagues.” The lobbyist referred to, who had been convicted of bribing former Brooklyn Democratic state Sen. Carl Kruger, has been secretly cooperating with federal authorities in hopes of getting a reduced sentence and evidently has plenty of information regarding crooked elected officials to trade with. As your readers well know, corruption

and criminality in city and state government have reached almost epidemic proportions. Seabrook, Espada, Gonzalez… The names of those convicted in the last decade (mostly Democrats) are too numerous to mention, and currently under investigation are not only state Sen. Shirley Huntley of Queens, and Assembly members Naomi Rivera of the Bronx and Vito Lopez of Brooklyn, but the biggest catch of all, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (all Democrats). Yet each time a Bronx Democrat is indicted or convicted, the explanation and excuse given by local Democratic hack politician and apologist for corruption, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, is that there’s a rotten apple in every barrel. His latest such statement regarding Naomi Rivera, was that the scandal does not help

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recent unsuccessful bid for re-election. Mr. Dinowitz’s statement was published just before the Vito Lopez, Sheldon Silver, Comptroller Thomas Di Napoli and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s alleged cover up, which is currently under investigation, hit the front pages. I wonder what the usually loquacious Mr. Dinowitz has to say now? Do politicians like Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and his crooked cronies in Albany deserve raises? Hell no! Alvin Gordon

Ending co-op dictatorship Continued from Page 18 the courage to take on his Co-op board, and persevered at great cost, and won one more battle for all of us besieged Co-op owners, who live without dignity and without rights, suffering daily the humiliation of being totally at the mercy of a malignant totalitarian power. Thank God for Judge Eileen Rakower, who ruled against the Board and made them liable for their abusive and criminal behavior: it’s about time somebody declared the end of their absolute unaccountability. And thank God for Judge Rolando Acosta, of NY State Appellate Court, 1rst division, who upheld the ruling of Judge Rakower, thus opening a sliver of light to come down to us, alleviating our despair and constant fear of loosing our homes. Judge Acosta is a Dominican born lawman, who spent all his life early life right here in the Bronx, and in Inwood, and initiated his law career in Harlem, a lifetime dedicated to pressing the civil and human rights of the downtrodden. It took a Latino heart to rule for us, miserable victims of a system that grants us no rights and no recourse under the law: Only a Latino

could have the compassionate heart to feel our pain, and grant us relief, and give us back our humanity. Long live Fletcher, Rakower and Acosta and the Fletcher v. Dakota case! Carmen Bejarano

The crisis at P.S. 24

Continued from Page 18 simply reported the truth, facts that have never been disproved. We are proud to have stood with the best teaching staff one could hope to find in any school against these attacks by this politically-motivated group. That Mr. Verdi and Dr. Connelly are so tied into this toxic political movement should disturb every community resident. Somehow Mr. Zizzo thinks that by silencing our voice it will help elect City Council candidate Clifford Stanton (Zizzo is a major financial contributor to the Stanton campaign). Parents should understand what their children’s teachers already know: politics and the schools simply don’t mix.

19 The RIVERDALE REVIEW • Thursday, October 18, 2012

Democratic politicians enable corruption

Albany’s image. “It’s embarrassing for the legislature and the vast majority of people who work hard and do the right thing,” he said. Unfortunately, the vast majority of legislators do not do the right thing. Most are either corrupt themselves or for the good of the party they, like Mr. Dinowitz, look the other way and enable the corruption that pervades politics. Incidentally, the Bronx Democratic Machine of which Mr. Dinowitz is an integral part, supported Naomi Rivera’s

Thursday, October 18, 2012 • The RIVERDALE REVIEW

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