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Excerpts from the US Chamber of Commerce 2014 State by State Report Card on K-12 Educational Page 6 WWW.WESTCHESTERGUARDIAN.COM
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THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, OCTOBER 2, 2014
Government/EconomySection EDITORIAL
Education
This week, the Guardian presents, with thanks, excerpts from the US Chamber of Commerce 2014 study: Laggards and Leaders, A State by State report Card on K-12 Educational Effectiveness. The goal of the study is to measure the effectiveness of the educational system, state by state, in preparing
students for “the needs and the values of the business community” upon graduation. The study seeks to identify “actionable data” to assist educators and states in making the best use of their available resources to prepare students with the skills needed to succeed in internationally competitive markets and to develop new areas of enterprise. As this is a business study, there is a hawkish eye on fiscal responsibility and
return on investment from dollars spent on education. As you read, please note that the Chamber Foundation’s report is datadriven, pointing us toward benchmark goals and not wedded to political persuasion or popular teaching theories. The study also compares the standing of U.S. students to those in other countries. As a side note here, I wish to point out that we are a populist
country and as such, we strive to make education accessible and affordable to all: the straight A students, the average and the academically challenged; late bloomers, adults seeking GEDs and the developmentally disabled. Our commitment to public education exemplifies the very best in our society and it is the bedrock of democracy. In many countries around the world, access to a university education is reserved for a
privileged few, the best and the brightest who compete for limited seats. We urge parents, educators, policy makers and government officials to read the complete report, available at: uschamberfoundation.org and work together to make this academic year one of greater strides toward equipping our children with the skill sets needed to prosper in the 21st Century. We can and must do better.
INTERNATIONAL
ISIS: A Crucible of Madness “...the ultimate price we pay for war is not money, but rather human talent and ability.” By Kurt Colucci
I’ve often wondered what drives men to greatness. I’ve also wondered what drives men to madness. It seems as if there is no longer a harmonious balance to this world we live in. I can’t help but feel an ominous premonition when I turn on the news or open a newspaper and see a world seemingly gone mad. This “for-profit” news journalism casts a vicious assault on my attention span. I can’t help but think that there are
two opposing sides, two extremes - one pulling us in their direction (an angel on our right shoulder) and the other (a devil on our left shoulder) doing the same. The only problem is, I can’t tell the difference. At times they both sound like angels. Other times they both sound like devils. Either way, this is high-level philosophical torment… Most of us don’t know whom to believe. Our modern day 24-hour news organizations practice “point and look” journalism by boiling out the human element from individuals and purposefully
turning people into circus clowns in a cultural freak show. The newsmakers profit by distracting us from the real issues. Our modern-day media outlets just want something to point and look at. As a culture, we here in America have indeed fallen prey to their “siren song” that coerces us to embrace evil profiteers and makers of madness. Do reason and logic speak to the
better Angels of our nature? Or does man’s quest for survival lead him down a ruthless path of intolerance, violence and indifference? Whichever side you are on, there is only a thin veil of civility hiding a deep and underlying cruelty that cannot be concealed from the hearts of a nation thirsting for truth in news broadcasting. I like to consider myself an observer
Table of Contents
Feature Section........................................................................................................3 Politics/GOP........................................................................................................3 Government/Westchester County..................................................................4 Housing/Westchester County..........................................................................4 Community Section...............................................................................................5 Calendar...............................................................................................................5 People....................................................................................................................6 Cultural Perspectives.........................................................................................6 Houses of Worship.............................................................................................7 Music.....................................................................................................................9 Pro Life...............................................................................................................10 Technology Creative Disruption...................................................................11 Eye on Theatre...................................................................................................12 Government...........................................................................................................14 Energy/Current Commentary.......................................................................14 Government......................................................................................................15 Mayor Marvin...................................................................................................16 Mayor Swiderski...............................................................................................16 State of the City Meeting.................................................................................17 Politics/The Left................................................................................................18 Legal Notices..........................................................................................................18
of human events. And all too often I find myself experiencing a sense of cognitive dissonance where my perception of reality does not match the events that i see unfolding on a daily basis. A few weeks ago, like many others, I found myself watching a video on YouTube. This video was like none I’d ever seen before. Now, like most
Continued on page 3
Mission Statement
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Publication is every Thursday Send publicity 3 weeks in advance of your event. Ads due Tuesdays, one week prior to publication date. Letters to the Editor & Press Releases can only be submitted via Email: WestGuardEditor@aol.com westguardpressreleases@aol.com westguardadvertising@aol.com Office Hours: 11A-5P M-F 914.216.1674 Cell • 914.576.1481 Office Read us online at: www.WestchesterGuardian.com
The Westchester Guardian is a weekly newspaper devoted to the unbiased reporting of events and developments that are newsworthy and significant to readers living in, and/or employed in, Westchester County. The Guardian will strive to report fairly, and objectively, reliable information without favor or compromise. Our first duty will be to the PEOPLE’S RIGHT TO KNOW, by the exposure of truth, without fear or hesitation, no matter where the pursuit may lead, in the finest tradition of FREEDOM OF THE PRESS. The Guardian will cover news and events relevant to residents and businesses all over Westchester County. As a weekly, rather than focusing on the immediacy of delivery more associated with daily journals, we will instead seek to provide the broader, more comprehensive, chronological step-bystep accounting of events, enlightened with analysis, where appropriate. From amongst journalism’s classic key-words: who, what, when, where, why, and how, the why and how will drive our pursuit. We will use our more abundant time, and our resources, to get past the initial ‘spin’ and ‘damage control’ often characteristic of immediate news releases, to reach the very heart of the matter: the truth. We will take our readers to a point of understanding and insight which cannot be obtained elsewhere. To succeed, we must recognize from the outset that bigger is not necessarily better. And, furthermore, we will acknowledge that we cannot be all things to all readers. We must carefully balance the presentation of relevant, hard-hitting, Westchester news and commentary, with features and columns useful in daily living and employment in, and around, the county. We must stay trim and flexible if we are to succeed.
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, OCTOBER 2, 2014
Page 3
INTERNATIONAL the military industrial complex can reap ISIS: A Crucible of Madness soprofits. On the other end of the spectrum
Continued from page 2
people, YouTube videos are source of entertainment where we find and share fun filled recordings of cats and puppies and other animals doing funny, cute things that bring a smile to our faces. YouTube is a source for mind-expanding documentaries, great music videos and awe-inspiring motivational soliloquies set to a musical backdrop, which add value to many of our lives. But on this particular day, I watched in horror, terrified of the heartless behavior that was unfolding on the screen before me. The video showed ISIS fighters engaging in ruthless drive-by shootings with military grade weapons of human destruction. I watched with a dropped jaw as these ISIS fighters fired indiscriminately into cars driving on the road and mowing down unsuspecting passersby. Bodies dropped as bullets penetrated human flesh. The feeling of fear, empathy and anger consumed me. With terrifying amazement I asked myself the question “who are these people?” In a search for answers I found endless news outlets claiming that ISIS is a creation of the CIA for the purpose of going to war
I found other sources claiming that these people want to form a worldwide Islamic Caliphate and force everyone to life under Sharia law. Who do we believe? What are we to believe? Can we trust anyone or anything? Why are we teetering on the brink of confusion? The answer is simple. The mainstream media is dead. Information has always been essential to human survival. Man’s quest for survival is a common theme that can be found throughout human history. Men have always been haunted by their need to survive and equally haunted by the things that they had to do to survive.This is why the decision to go to war has always been a tricky and terrifying subject to objectively analyze. Conflict is a part of the human experience and always will be as long as differing groups of individuals compete for limited resources. In the face of this seeming threat, I hope we can find a way to avoid another long and costly war; the ultimate price we pay for war is not money, but rather human talent and ability. Human energy is an irreplaceable commodity; the driving force behind empires, it has fueled republics and
dictatorships alike. Human energy is both the driving force behind evil and it supplies the awesome power of liberation. In its raw state of existence it has reshaped the world. When constructively applied, human energy has given birth to the breathtaking, the awe-inspiring and the unimaginable: Automobiles, airplanes, radios, TVs, transistor radios Walkman’s and the Internet. Everyone knows that the US involvement in the Middle-East is only a result of the oil that sits under the ground. It’s time that we stop fighting wars to gain access to cheap oil and create our own generation’s “Manhattan Project” of energy independence. I don’t claim to have the answer, but the solution isn’t too far off. Many people have dedicated their lives to finding new technological breakthroughs in this field. It is time that our federal and local governments let these individuals unleash their potential to solve the major problem of our time. This assessment is politically neutral. This is not about politics, but rather it is about making sure humanity can advance in a positive direction and march onward from this crucible of madness.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Response to article dated 9/19/2014 Entitled “Mount Vernon’s 19% Sneak Attack Tax Hike” I am responding to the unfortunate comments recently made by Councilman Richard Thomas. Those comments were not in the best interest of the City of Mount Vernon, its residents and businesses. I am a New York State Certified Public Accountant who also holds an MBA and an undergraduate degree in Accounting (magna cum laude). I am an Adjunct Professor who teaches accounting in the evening. I have been the City Comptroller for over 20 years and have maintained the City as a viable financial entity and has always been true and upfront with the residents of our City who have blessed me by choosing me time and time again to represent their financial interest in this City. I am sure that the majority of Mount Vernon residents would agree when I say that I am the most appropriate individual to provide financial information on behalf of the City of Mount Vernon. On the other hand, Mr. Thomas has neither the accounting/financial qualifications nor the required skills and/or expertise to read and interpret basic financial documents. It is most unfortunate for our City to have a sitting Councilman who publicly exposes his lack of knowledge of
the City’s financial matters by disseminating information that is inaccurate and untrue. He also represents a serious threat to our City as a result of the blatant misrepresentations that could ultimately harm the City’s image and scare off potential investors. Mr. Thomas was removed from the Chairmanship of the Finance Committee on the City Council for 2014 because of his lack of knowledge of the City’s finances and his inability to understand the most basic financial reports generated by the City’s Finance Department. Now for the facts! What the City Council voted on was to transfer budgeted amounts from budget lines that were under drawn to budget lines that were over-drawn- a process that occurs every year in most municipalities. This has nothing to do with taxes nor the tax rate. It is simply to facilitate the closing of the books for financial year 2013. The City’s General Fund Balance is not $2.4 million as represented by Mr. Thomas but in excess of $9 million. Again Mr. Thomas demonstrates his lack of knowledge of basic financial data. The City’s tax rate for 2013 cannot be changed and residents have already paid the taxes for 2013. Again Mr. Thomas does not
understand the basic financial process associated with municipalities. Budgets and financial closing documents are filed with the State that also monitors the financial activities of cities like Mount Vernon. The $102 million that Mr. Thomas said was spent in 2013 is not made up of current operating expenses only. This total includes capital expenditures of $3 million (bonded for) and grants from the Federal Government for the Youth and Recreation Departments. The expenditures associated with these grants are reimbursed by the Federal Government. Again Mr. Thomas is exposing his profound lack of understanding of a simple financial process that occurs every year. With the passing of time and as we complete and publish the financial reports for year 2013, Mr. Thomas’s inability to understand the City’s financial activities will become obvious and the City’s taxpayers will see Mr. Thomas for what he really is. “Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something” Plato Maureen Walker, CPA, MBA, BSc (magna cum laude) Comptroller, City of Mount Vernon
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THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, OCTOBER 2, 2014
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letter to the Editor Selim Zherka, more affectionately known as “Sammy”, even more endeared by the nickname “Z” by his closest family and friends, including me. I’ve known him now for about twenty years, and the guy I know is not what the media is portraying him to be. I don’t know that guy; the guy I know lives for his children, all eight of them. The guy I’ve known over the last twenty years has grown his family, as well as his business alongside one another. In that evolution, his business grew because of his family,
Dear Editor,
My name is Maurepaz Auguste, I am a former World Champion Fighter and Two Time World Martial Arts Hall of Famer. I must say that I am a big reader of the Westchester Guardian and I’m very disappointed with our Justice system. I’m writing this letter to you, in support of Sam Zherka. A man who’ve I come to know to be a respectful, honest, caring and
motivated by providing for them I watched him over the years with this large family he comes from, ranging from his children, his brothers, cousins nieces and nephews bring them all into the fold of business through education, goal orientation, hard work and demonstrate through his work ethic, and family values, how to succeed. Throughout the years here in New Rochelle he worked closely with the City’s Administration, as well as the Police Commissioner, to do what he could to bring revenue and improve the business climate in this City. Sammy worked with Police and City administrators with any charity event that came along.
good hearted man, who is a loving husband to his wife and a very proud father. What I have been reading and seeing in the headlines and on the Internet is truly despicable: how low our justice system has stooped. When a federal prosecutor abuses their power to go after people on just “hear say,” I feel this is just a waste of tax payers dollars and a modern day witch hunt to charge a man who is a God fearing family
Anybody that knows Sammy knows he is an avid Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, and years ago when he reached a level where he could teach on his own, he did. What does he do, he opens his own school, doesn’t charge tuition, and fills the school with family members and friends because he wanted to share this with the people closest to him. And in doing so, show the younger members of the family discipline, structure and challenge through an art form that would enriched their lives. When I walked in to train with them, his son was there, very young at the time, and Sammy couldn’t have been happier, more exited and proud to teach his son and train with
man and a pillar in our community. This breaks my heart yet I feel justice (that of God) will prevail and I want to say that if there ever was anything you need of my support for, all you need to do is ask, for I will always support men like Sam Zherka. Sincerely WKO World Kickboxing Champion Maurepaz Auguste
him. And then go on to tell me how well his son was doing on the wrestling team at school. One day about five years ago, I was going into a local gym that was in the same building as Sammy’s office and we ran into each other, early afternoon. I asked him where he was going and he said home. His wife just had their quadruplets and he said he was going home to be with the new additions. He said, “The office will run itself, I’m going home to see the kids”. Then he said to me the same thing he had said for the past fifteen years before that, “you have to have kids…have a family. There is nothing better than kids”. Now I have
Letter to the Editor From Antonella Zherka
The Sammy Zherka I know… treats his sister-inlaw like a sister... makes himself available to all family members at all times...is a loving father of 8 beautiful children whom he adores; whom he sacrifices so much for... He is a homebody who refuses to go on vacation because he would rather spend
three, I don’t know if I should thank him or blame him. This is the guy I know, ”Z”, not this fictitious villain that the media is portraying as some diabolical evil or bad man, I don’t know that guy. That guy is being conjured up by the cowards in the shadows. The Sammy that we all know and love is a dedicated father and a successful entrepreneur. He is the caliber of person that, if he has it, he will work just as hard to make sure you have it too. Respectfully Submitted Police Officer Timothy Grosso (Retired)
time with his entire family at home.. a humble, hard worker, who has been working since he was a teenager... a loving, caring member of his community...a wonderful citizen of this country, who appreciates the opportunities this country has offered him and his family of immigrants -accepting him with open arms and allowing his hard work to determine his fate.
The Sammy Zherka I know is one of the most honorable, loving, caring human beings I have ever had the pleasure of knowing He is not the person I have been reading about in the papers and hearing about on the news. I don’t recognize that person and I know Sammy!!! Antonella Zherka
ECONOMY
Playland Attendance up 20% This Season By NANCY KING Playland Amusement Park, the 84 year old, 280 acre amusement park, owned and managed by the County of Westchester had a 20% revenue increase this season. This season, 468,000 people visited the park, last year, 390,000 people visited the art deco park. In dollars and cents, it translates to these numbers; Playland took in $8.8 million dollars from May until Labor Day. In addition, the park posted $767K in parking receipts as well. Republican County Executive and gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino, has made the future of the park an integral part of his local and statewide race stating that government should not be in the business of running an amusement park. County Executive Astorino has frequently proclaimed that Playland was a drain on county taxpayers and that “nobody went to Playland anymore”. With that, the controversial group Sustainable Playland, with no amusement park experience was chosen
to oversee the re-vitalization of the park. Flawed from the beginning, SPI breezed through the RFP process and was essentially hand-picked by the CE with a not so hidden agenda to develop the park into a venue that would be exclusionary to most. The debate swirled around an 85K square foot pay to play field house to be used for private sports teams and when it wasn’t being used for sports could be rented out for private events. It would be built in the existing parking lot and compromise sensitive marshlands. However, once the City of Rye became involved and with the help of a grassroots core of Rye residents, SPI quietly limped away. In the meantime, locals were reporting that Playland was packed to capacity nearly every day. At this week’s CBoL meeting, Legislator Peter Harckham confirmed what all had suspected; Playland did indeed turn a modest profit this year. Addressing the Labor, Parks, Planning and Housing Commission (LPPH), Harckham was cautionary to those in attendance. Central Amusements and
Standard Amusements were still tweaking their plans for the 2015 season and that the profit and attendance spike may have also been in fact to the great weather we had this summer. It wasn’t too hot and despite the rain on during the Fourth of July holiday weekend, the attendance remained steady. It remains to be seen what will ultimately become of the park. The Ice Casino will open shortly for the first time since Super Storm Sandy and it is hoped that the public will enjoy the refurbished rink. Scared by the Sound, the Halloween themed haunted event will no doubt bolster the numbers for the final quarter. We shall await those final financial tables to be examined at a later date. All of this good news indicates that Playland still remains a safe, affordable and fun destination for families not just from Westchester County but from the entire metro area. It will be expected the County Board of Legislators will continue to work to insure that this landmark amusement park will be around to be enjoyed by
generations in the future.
The Gondola Wheel at Playland
Nancy King is a freelance columnist for The Westchester Guardian and co-host of The
Adam Bradley Show: The Mayor and the Muckraker, Wednesday’s at noon on WVOX. She also a weekly guest on the John Marino Show weekdays from 6am-9am on WVOX
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, OCTOBER 2, 2014
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Technology/EducationSection TECHNOLOGY/Creative Disruption
Do You Have a Bi-Literate Brain? by John F. McMullen
Do you have a hard time finishing a novel – or reading a long article in a magazine? Do you find yourself thinking that the reading is going too slowly – or find yourself skimming to the end of the piece? Did it used to seem easier to finish novels and long articles? Studies tell us that the reason for this change could be because of the time that you spend on the Internet. It’s not, as some critics of the Internet have suggested that the Internet has made us stupider; it’s rather that the Internet is changing our brain. In the first paragraph of the first chapter of her 2007 book, “Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain,*” Tufts University professor Maryanne Wolf explains the interaction of reading and the brain, “We were never born to read. Human beings invented reading only a few thousand years ago. And with this invention, we rearranged the very organization of our brain, which in turn expanded the ways we were able to think, which altered the intellectual evolution of our species. .. Our ancestors’ invention could only come about because of the human brain’s extraordinary ability to make new connections among its existing structures, a process made possible by the brain’s ability to be shaped by experience. The plasticity at the heart of the brain’s design forms the basis for much of who we are, and who we may become.” John Naughton, in his 2012 “From Gutenberg to Zuckerberg” expounds on Wolf ’s analysis, writing “Wolf ’s perception is informed by what neuroscientists have discovered in recent decades about the astonishing plasticity of the human brain. Every time we acquire a new skill, groups of neurons in the brain create new connections and pathways among themselves. So our brains have what computer scientists might call an open architecture – one that is versatile enough to reconfigure itself in response to changing circumstances.” So, if our brain adapts to learn new skills, does it at some point lose some of the old skills if they aren’t used? Experts in the field have come to use the term “slow reading” to describe the type of reading that we do when we read a book. In an interview with Washington Post columnist Michael Rosenwald, “Serious reading takes a hit from online scanning and skimming, researchers say” (http:// www.washingtonpost.com/local/serious-reading-takes-a-hit-from-online-
scanning-and-skimming-researcherssay/2014/04/06/088028d2-b5d211e3-b899-20667de76985_story.html - ), the aforementioned Wolf, considered one of the experts in the field admitted that she found that her brain was adapted in a way that did not please her. She related that, “After a day of scrolling through the Web and hundreds of e-mails, she sat down one evening to read Hermann Hesse’s “The Glass Bead Game.” “I’m not kidding: I couldn’t do it,’” she said. “’It was torture getting through the first page. I couldn’t force myself to slow down so that I wasn’t skimming, picking out key words, organizing my eye movements to generate the most information at the highest speed. I was so disgusted with myself.’” She did, after the course of a week, by forcing herself, get through the book and felt that she had regained at least some of her “slow reading” skills. Some of us will simply plow ahead, focusing on web use – searching on Google, following links, reading parts of article before skipping on, etc. – while dismissing the need for such “slow” reading. The aforementioned Michael Rosenwald, appearing on a public radio discussion of the subject hosted by NewTech City’s Manoush Zomorodi (http://www.wnyc.org/story/ reading-screens-messing-your-brain-sotrain-it-be-bi-literate/), disagreed, saying “There are things in our lives, whether they be novels, short stories, mortgage documents, whatever, that actually need our slow reading.” Wolf, a party to the same discussion (which I recommend in its entity to readers), said “What we’re after is a discerning ‘bi-literate’ brain*: A child who knows when to allocate attention to those deep reading processes and when to play and move from one interesting thing after another” and added “I don’t worry that we will become dumb because of the internet, but I worry that we will not use our most preciously acquired deep reading processes because we are given too much stimulation.”. Wolf also was one of the authors (with Catherine Ullman-Shade and Stephanie Gottwald) of a comprehensive report on the subject, “The Emerging, Evolving Reading Brain in a Digital Culture: Implications for New Readers, Children With Reading Difficulties, and Children Without Schools” (http://www.academia.edu/5941884/ The_emerging_evolving_reading_brain_ in_a_digital_culture_Implications_for_ new_readers_children_with_reading_difficulties_and_children_without_schools)), in which the authors conclude in the Summary “Just as in ancient Greek courtyards, we, like Socrates, face an irreversible advance of C
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technological innovations that are changing the way in which we create, share, and receive information. Within such a transition, it is imperative that we are mindful of the full range of implications for changes in cognitive capacities that these innovations will usher in. The study of the history of literacy makes these changes abundantly clear. We are literally and physiologically both what we read and how we read. Our charge is to understand and take full advantage of the potential of these digital media while understanding and ensuring that we preserve the best capacities of the expert reading brain as it has evolved until this century.” Wolf, the Director of the Center for Reading and Language Research and the John DiBiaggio Professor of Citizenship and Public Service and professor of Child development within the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development at Tufts University, also wrote a Nieman paper entitled, “Our ‘Deep Reading’ Brain: Its Digital Evolution Poses Questions” (http://niemanreports.org/articles/ our-deep-reading-brain-its-digitalevolution-poses-questions/) in which there is ambiguity in both the very beginning “Will we lose the “deep reading” brain in a digital culture? No one knows — yet” and in the ending “We need to understand the value of what we may be losing when we skim text so rapidly that we skip the precious milliseconds of deep reading processes. For it is within these moments—and these processes in our
brains—that we might reach our own important insights and breakthroughs. They might not happen if we’ve skipped on to the next text bite. Tough questions. Rigorous research. These are what are needed now of us as we ponder the kind of readers we are becoming and how the next generation of readers will be formed. Our failure to do this may leave us confronted with a situation that technology visionary Edward Tenner described in 2006: ‘It would be a shame if brilliant technology were to end up threatening the kind of intellect that produced it.’” In other words, we aren’t really sure how pervasive this loss of the slow reading function will be. Wolf is asking for on-going research to more deeply understand the human brain. It does seem, however, based on her own experience with The Glass Bead Game and that of others I know who tell me that they rarely read novels now, that there is a deterioration in slow reading skills which requires some action on our part. The action is simple – force oneself to read books, magazines and newspapers regularly as well as using the Internet every week. Maria Popova, host of the fascinating web site, “Brain Pickings” (http://www. Brainpickings.org -- archieve at http:// us2.campaign-archive2.com/home/?u=1 3eb080d8a315477042e0d5b1&id=179 ffa2629, and a reader of hundreds of books a year for her site, offers another suggestion. She feels that we should read e-books, which
she actually prefers -- “I actually prefer electronic reading in some regards” -- and printed books in exactly the same manner, taking the same notes and checking references, no matter what format one is reading. In a New Tech City interview, she was extremely positive, saying “It’s a very young medium. My hopes are that its imperfections will be addressed such that the medium is not of any difference.” I agree with her totally and try to follow her guidelines. I think that the most important takeaway from the readings and interviews is that we must be aware of the plasticity of our brains and attempt by whatever means to insure that we don’t lose some needed skills as we acquire new ones. Creative Disruption is a continuing series examining the impact of constantly accelerating technology on the world around us. These changers normally happen under our personal radar until we find that the world as we knew it is no more. Comments on this issue to johnmac13@gmail.com * Harper Collins for the 2007 hardcover; Harper Perennial for the 2008 soft cover John F. McMullen is a writer, poet, college professor and radio host. Links to other writings, Podcasts, & Radio Broadcasts at www. johnmac13.com, his books are available on Amazon, and he blogs at http://open.salon. com/blog/johnmac13. © 2013 John F. McMullen
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Page 6
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, OCTOBER 2, 2014
EDUCATION
Leaders and Laggards 2014
A State-by-State Report Card on K-12 Educational Effectiveness U.S. Chamber of Commerce Reports Excerpt from the Introduction (Pgs. 5-6):
“In our increasingly globalized world, an effective, first-class education is more and more critical. For businesses to compete globally and for the U.S. economy to continue to grow, access to high-quality talent and a skilled workforce is essential. While the numerous benefits of an educated society are welldocumented – higher earnings, reduced inequality, and improved health and well-being, to name just a few – solutions to the challenges facing business will be solved by those countries that can access the best and the brightest human capital and thereby gain a competitive advantage. Failure to compete will not only exacerbate unemployment, poverty and inequality, but it will put the nation at risk of long-term economic stagnation. As countless data have shown, better educational opportunities improve one’s quality of life and potential for economic success. Over the course of his or her lifetime, a high school graduate can expect to make almost $500,000 more than a high school dropout, and a college graduate can expect to make about $800,000 more than a college dropout. Unfortunately, numerous indicators outline America’s challenges in delivering a high-quality education for all students. Comparison of even our most privileged students to their international peers place U.S. students in the middle of the pack. The testing company ACT reports that as few as 25% of students taking the ACT reports that as few as 25% of students taking the ACT college admissions test produce collegeready scores in all four tested subjects
(English, mathematics, reading and science). Looking at our most disadvantaged students, the results are downright shocking. In some states, high school graduation rates for African-American and Hispanic students are less than 60%. No society can afford for so many of its students to be so left behind. Business leaders have a clear stake in the nation’s educational future. While America’s K-12 education system is found to be middling in international comparisons, our private sector is a world leader renowned for its innovation and productivity. While America’s stake in the nation’s education system is found to be middling in international comparisons, our private sector is a world leader renowned for its innovation and productivity. But current status is no indication of future superiority. Today’s students are tomorrow’s business leaders. For our economy to maintain its leadership position, our education system must improve. Like leaders of large and complex organizations, state policy makers need actionable data. To address this need, in 2007 the U.S. Chamber of Commerce launched an effort to dig into national statistics and available rankings of state policy environments to see who were the national leaders in educational performance- and who were the laggards. The resulting report, Leaders & Laggards: A State –by-State Report Card on Educational Effectiveness, ranked states on nine indicators. A second iteration of Leaders and Laggards was released in 2009, which focused on the states that led the way in educational innovation. These two reports produced findings that influenced subsequent discussions around K-12 education policy. • The rankings included the first
The Results for New York (pg. 77): Academic Achievement: C*
Student performance in New York is middling. The state hovers around the national average in the percentage of 4th and 8th graders at or above the proficient level on the NAEP reading and math exams.
Academic Achievement for Low Income and Minority Students: C *
New York earns a mediocre grade on academic achievement for lowincome and minority students. Only 14% of Hispanic 8th graders score at or above the proficient level on the NAEP math exam. The national average is 21%.
Return on Investment: F
IN MEMORIAM
In Memoriam: John Slattery The Staff of the Westchester Guardian is sad to learn of the passing of WCBS TV news reporter and Westchester resident, John Slattery, who suffered a fatal heart attack on Thursday, Sept 25. Mr. Slattery won 4 Emmy Awards during his career, which spanned more than 30 years. The sixty-six year old
measurement of return on investment, comparing a state’s performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to the amount of money that a state spends on education. This led the Center for American Progress to create a Webbased tool that tracks the return on investment down to the district level, while the American Enterprise Institute and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute co-hosted a public research conference dedicated to “Stretching the school dollar.” 1 • Leaders and Laggards also decried the low-quality and inconsistent standards in many states around the country. This, among other contributing factors, prompted state leaders to work together to create a new set of common standards, known as Common Core State Standards, which has been adopted by more than 40 states and the District of Columbia. • In the growing age of digital learning, a new nonprofit called Digital Learning Now! answered the call in Leaders & Laggards for better indicators of technology policy by releasing its own state rankings on education technology. • The 2007 Leaders and Laggards report found that many states performed admirably on the Data Quality Campaign’s (DQC’s) rankings of 10 “essential elements” for proper longitudinal data systems. DQC has since created a new set of 10 “state actions” to keep the pressure on states. This higher bar, in the words of DQC, “reveals that states have more capacity than every to use secure education data, but they need to place a greater focus on using the right data to answer the right questions to improve
student success.” 2 A focus on higher standards, access to better data on student performance, a greater awareness of the need not just to spend more money but to spend it wisely, and the growing consensus on improving digital learning opportunities to create 21st century schools were all wins for our K-12 system and will pay dividends in augmenting the skills and competitiveness of our workforce. But we couldn’t stop there. Leaders and Laggards 2014 updates and enhances earlier iterations of the report, shining a light on both areas of improvement as well as areas that continue to fall short. We also added new metrics, including measures of parental choice, international competitiveness, technology policy and fiscal responsibility. In addition, for the first time, we show change over time in student scores between the first Leaders and Laggards report in 2007 and this edition. What makes this Leaders and Laggards unique is its orientation to the needs and values of the business community, like international competitiveness, fiscal responsibility, and a respect for markets. The indicators used in this report draw upon and reflect the business expertise of the U. S. Chamber of Commerce and its members. “
Mr. Slattery was a thoughtful, thorough reporter who covered major stories including the shooting death of former Beatle, John Lennon, the Abner Louima Case and 911. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and WCBS News colleagues.
Student achievement in New York is very low relative to state spending after controlling for cost of living
Truth in Advertising: Student Proficiency: B
New York posts above average marks on the credibility of its student proficiency scores. The grade is based on the difference between the percentage of students identified as proficient on the 2011 NAEP reading and math tests.
Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness: B
New York earns a high grade preparing its students for college and careers, with 25 students out of 100 passing an AP exam.
21st Century Teaching Force B -
New York does an above average job of creating a strong teacher workforce. It struggles to remove ineffective teachers but is good at identifying effective ones.
Parental Options: A
New York does an excellent job providing parents with strong school choice options. The Empire State has a strong charter school law that allows a number of independent organizations to authorize charter schools, as well as great flexibility for charter schools to operate.
Data Quality: B
New York earns a good grade collecting and reporting high-quality education data, having made significant progress in recent years. It has policies to support a longitudinal data system and is expanding stakeholder use.
Technology: D-
New York receives a poor grade employing technology to provide effective instruction and personalized learning. Students have limited access to high-quality digital learning options, and the state has not invested in the necessary infrastructure to support digital learning in schools.
International Competitiveness: B
New York earns an above-average grade preparing its students to compete in a global economy, with about 14 students out of 100 passing an AP STEM Exam.
Fiscal Responsibility A
New York receives very high marks on fiscal responsibility. Eighty-seven percent of the state’s pension is funded, and the state’s most recent contribution was 100%. New York’s grades for Academic Achievement and for Academic Achievement for Low-Income and Minority Students have improved from an “F” in both categories in the 2007 report. 1) 1. Ulrich Boser, Return on Educational Investment: A District-byDistrict Evaluation of U.S. Educational Productivity , Center for American Progress, 19 Jan. 2011. http://www. americanprogress.org/issues/education/ report/2011/01/19/8902/ return-on-educational-investment;
Continued on page 7
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, OCTOBER 2, 2014
Page 7
orgyour-states-progress/10-state-actions To read the complete study, visit uschamberfoundation.org Reprinted with permission from: The U. S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation
Copyright 2014 by the U. S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Center for Education and Workforce 1615 H St. NW, Washington DC, 2006
EDUCATION
Leaders and Laggards 2014 Continued from page 6
A Penny Saved: How Schools and Districts Can TightenTheir Belts While Serving Students Better, American
Enterprise Institute and Thomas B. Fordham Institute, The Mayflower Hotel, Washington, D.C., 11 Jan. 2010. http://www.aei.org/
events/2010/01/11/a-penny-savedhow-schools-and-districts-can-tightentheir-belts-whileserving-students-better 2) State Analysis by State Action, Data Quality Campaign, 2013. http://www.dataqualitycampaign.
Arts/EntertainmentSection THEATRE
The Westchester Broadway Theatre presents South Pacific Elmsford, NY—Now Through – November 30th and December 31st – January 25th, 2015, The Westchester Broadway Theatre presents SOUTH PACIFIC. Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II; Book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan. The show is directed by Charles Repole and choreographed by Michael Lichtefeld. Musical Direction is by Leo Carusone.
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s award-winning South Pacific is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener. Set on an island paradise during World War II, the play tells two parallel love stories against the dangers of prejudice and war and the importance of valuing diversity. Its portrayal of Americans stationed in an alien culture in wartime is as relevant
today as when it first thrilled audiences in 1949. The original play won 10 Tony Awards in 1949 and set the stage for a highly successful movie version in 1958 starring Rossano Brazzi, and Mitzi Gaynor. The piece won the Pulitzer
Prize for Drama in 1950. The score contains many of the most recognizable songs in Broadway history, including “Some Enchanted Evening,” “Younger Than Springtime,” “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out-a My Hair,” “I’m In Love With a Wonderful Guy” and
“There Is Nothing Like a Dame.” The Cast features Haley Swindal as Nellie Forbush, George Dvorsky as Emile de Becque, Zach Trimmer as Lt. Joseph Cable, Bill E. Dietrich as Luther Billis, Joanne Javien as Bloody Continued on page 8
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THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, OCTOBER 2, 2014
THEATRE
The Westchester Broadway Theatre presents South Pacific Continued from page 7 Mary, Alison T. Chi as Liat, Brian Michael Henry as Stewpot, David Cantor as Commander Harbison, William Richardson as Professor and James Van Treuren as Brackett. The deBecque children will feature local children; Kyle Arzaga and Daniel Ward will alternate in the role of Jerome and Kaeleigh Picco and Isabella D’Erasmo will alternate in the role of Ngana. The ensemble includes, Felipe Bombonato, Ryan Cavanaugh, Stephanie Cowan, Michael Dinneen, Sarah Ellis, Joey Elrose, Paul Jordan Jansen, Pedro
Kaawaloa, Ashley Lanyon, Maria Logan, and Laura Yen Solito. The production is Directed by Charles Repole, who has been at the helm for many WBT productions including; My Fair Lady, Sugar and I Love You,You’re Perfect, Now Change! The Choreographer is Michael Lichtefeld. The Musical Director is Leo Carusone. Set Design is by Steven Loftus, Lighting Design is by Andrew Gmoser, Sound Design is by Jonathan Hatton, Costume Design is by Derek Lockwood and Roberto Silva.. The Production Stage Manager is Victor
Lukas, Properties are by Grumpy Props. As with all our productions, Lisa Tiso is the Associate Producer. Ticket Prices Dinner & Show range between $54.00 and $80.00 PLUS TAX depending on the performances chosen. Beverage Service & Gratuities are not included in the ticket price. Discounts are available for children, students, and senior citizens at selected performances. Also check the website for on-going Special Offers! More news at: www.BroadwayTheatre. com Bill E. Dietrich as Luther Billis, Joanne Javien as Bloody Mary in South Pacific
EYE ON THEATRE
Delights and Dregs By JOHN SIMON A Walk in the Woods Lee Blessing is a highly intelligent, thinking playwright. And a politically thinking one, which is a rarity. “A Walk in the Woods,” a 1988 work now aptly revived by the Keen Company, is a highly intelligent
play; I would like to think that that doesn’t doom it. Although it was a modest success even on Broadway in its premier production, it is hard to attract large audiences with only two characters sitting on or standing around a bench in the woods on the outskirts of Geneva, and with no real action at that. As for the political
Paul Niebanck and Kathleen Chalfant in A Walk in the Woods Photo by Carol Rosegg
ideas and problems, some of them are already dated (some were so even in 1988), but some are still totally relevant even without a Cold War, what with the ex NKVD agent Putin in charge, keeping the old, bad Soviet mentality
alive with a vengeance.. Originally written for two disarmament negotiators, the American John Honeyman, and the Russian Andrey Botvinnik, the latter is now a female politician, Irina Botvinnik, albeit with
relatively few, minor changes. It is in those Swiss woods, while an official U.N. session was in progress, that two individual delegates staged their own forest meeting and discussion (this is
Paul Niebanck and Kathleen Chalfant in A Walk in the Woods Photo by Carol Rosegg
Continued on page 9
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, OCTOBER 2, 2014
Page 9
EYE ON THEATRE
Delights and Dregs Continued from page 8
based on an allegedly true event) in the hope that they may reach an agreement negotiable into an official treaty involving nuclear disarmament. Well, hope on the part of one of them. The American, though naïve, stuffy, and overconfident, hopes for accord on a proposal presumably leading to prolonged peace. The Russian, older and more sophisticated, is charming but cynical, a playful pessimist. An experienced and unhopeful negotiator, significantly bearing the last name of a Russian chess champion, she is in it for the game. It is a job that amuses her, and she makes a sustained effort to keep it frivolous, with discussions of Willie Nelson, Babe Ruth and Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Even though it is about politics, about naive idealism versus hard-earned skepticism, and the danger of potential nuclear war, it is essentially a serious comedy, an exchange often diverted, at the Russian’s insistence, into trivia, lightheartedness and jocularity, while the American abides by formality, pompous gravity, and almost touchingly boyish faith in a possible positive outcome. Wonderful is that Blessing keeps abstract, ideological material on a delightfully conversational, accessible, often witty footing, and manages to stretch the underlying debate, along with many droll digressions, alive and kicking for nearly two hours. He can be
provocatively aphoristic as in “Formality is simply anger with its hair combed” and “History is geography over time.” Or sparklingly chatty. “BOTVINNIK: A computer will declare war on another computer—because the computer got nervous. HONEYMAN: And you and I will die in mid-sentence? BOTVINNIK: Right between the words ‘arms’ and ‘control.’” He can make a bold, sober statement sound funny, as in this, about the U.S. and Russia, world powers deprived of nuclear weapons: “We will be nothing more than a rich, powerful Canada and an enormous Poland.” The current revival, effectively directed by Jonathan Silverstein on a toweringly woodsy set by Scott Bradley, gets the two solid performances it demands. Paul Niebanck makes the American sympathetic despite his overeager optimism; as Irina, we have Kathleen Chalfant, one of our finest character actresses, who suffuses the Russian with subtle details and easeful charisma. Enjoy it, but do not expect a feel good ending, or, for that matter, a melodramatic finale. Without betraying anything much, I can say that the two negotiators end up side by side on that bench, mutely staring into the sylvan wonder around them, with a single word uttered that sums it all up. For what that word is, catch this worthy production of a wryly wise play. A Walk In The Woods Photos Courtesy of Carol Rosegg. CLURMAN THEATRE.... Theatre
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Scenes from a Marriage
The Belgian director Ivo van Hove has a wonderful eye for major plays to ruin. He has directed theater and opera in the Low Countries and elsewhere, including often the New York Drama Workshop. There he has succeeded in sabotaging such plays as Moliere’s “Misanthrope,” Ibsen’s “Hedda Gabler,” and O’Neill’s “More Stately Mansions” among others. I recall with particular revulsion his “Streetcar Named Desire,” in which Blanche DuBois frolicked nude in a bathtub. He has now dug his destructive claws into “Scenes from a Marriage,” based on Ingmar Bergman’s masterly TV miniseries and its powerful abridgment into a feature film starring Liv Ullman and Erland Josephson. As usual, Van Hove has turned it into a catastrophe, and as usual, some critics have hailed it as a masterpiece. (See, for instance, the New York Times of September 23.) It is the story of the fraught marriage of Johan and Marianne, with its ups and downs, ravelings and unravelings, with Bergman’s unique gift for investing the seemingly ordinary with the finest details and deepest insights. Concept and direction here are by Van Hove, with English version by the equally disastrous Emily Mann.
Director Ivo van Hove The stage has been divided into three slices, shaped like portions of a cake, around a small, partially visible middle common room. The three sections, identified by different colors, contain each a third of the audience. They feature the principal characters as different ages, with the couple played by wholly unalike actors of mostly no distinction, the middle Marianne even a black actress. There is also a Filipino mother. The dialogue seems to have only a passing acquaintance with Bergman’s original, and is, to stick to my previous metaphor, as flat as a pancake. Now add (or subtract) that the
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actors, some of them of the wrong age, are unable to rise above their shoddy material, with Arliss Howard especially uncouth as the oldest Johan. Further deliberate annoyance is the sound of one section bleeding, indistinctly but jarringly, into the dialogue of a neighboring section. I must confess that—extremely rare for me—I was so disgusted by the long first act of this very long two-act show that I fled before the second, in which, I gather, all three couples shared the no longer divided stage, doubtless attaining even greater chaos. Even some reviewers less flattering than the Times man, nevertheless tried hard to find merit in this garbage. If you need proof of the sorry state of our dramatic criticism, look no further. Scenes From A Marriage: New York Theatre Workshop, 79 East 4th Street, (877) 986-7261 John Simon has written for over 50 years on theatre, film, literature, music and fine arts for the Hudson Review, New Leader, New Criterion, National Review, New York Magazine, Opera News, Weekly Standard, Broadway.com and Bloomberg News. He reviews books for the New York Times Book Review and Washington Post. To learn more, visit the www.JohnSimonUncensored.com website.
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THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, OCTOBER 2, 2014
ART ATTACK
Yonkers has been Vandalized!
British Graffiti Artist Nick Walker Tags The Downtown Business District With 8 Paintings By Mary Keon British Graffiti Artist Nick Walker has tagged Yonkers with a series of 8 public paintings throughout the downtown district. “Nick’ spectacular street gallery kicked
off a mural program in partnership with the City, Groundwork Hudson Valley and Community Engagement Through the Arts,” stated Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano. “The Arts outreach initiative is directed towards the city’s under-served youth and will sponsor a series of
Street Art 101 workshops, with the goal of developing a Street Art Youth Core who will receive stipends and training for the maintenance of the public murals in the downtown district, ” he added.
“Yonkers is quickly gaining attention as a destination City for artists to live, work and exhibit. Nick Walker joins the ranks of the emerging arts community in Yonkers, from Daniel Wolf and Maya Lin, to David Hammons and
Robert Zakanitch. We’re excited to showcase the continued revitalization of the Yonkers’ Downtown Waterfront with original works of art and hope to inspire others to share the momentum.”
At deadline, an on-line map noting the location of the eight paintings is under construction and should be available this week for visitors who wish to view Walker’s work: www.cityofyonkers.com Vandal, Walker’s signature
character, depicts a well-dressed gent in a bowler hat, whom Walkers has described in the past, as his “alter ego”*; Vandal has appeared in public spaces in Paris, London, the Lower East Side, Bushwick and Williamsburg and also in a Black eyed Peas video*.
Film director Stanley Kubrick called upon Walker to create Graffiti covered walls for the 1999 film, Eyes Wide Shut*. Walker’s technique combines spray paint with stencils to create witty public art installations that are completed within several days. Walker creates his paintings on the ground level, so that people can interact with them in a positive way. Walker, a member of the Walls 1990’s Walls on Fire spray painting group, got his start spray –painting in his home town, Bristol, England, along with fellow Graffiti artist, Banksky, although “they do not speak often,” he said, during a Bloomberg April 19, 2014 interview. Walker’s paintings and prints are collectible and fans reportedly stood in line for 24 hours, to be Continued on page 11
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, OCTOBER 2, 2014
Page 11
ART ATTACK
Yonkers has been Vandalized! Continued from page 10
among the first to acquire prints from his 2008 shows in London and LA*. A starving artist, no longer, Art from Walker’s recent
London show reportedly generated sales of $1.5 million (US Dollars), with prices ranging from $2,000-$3,000 pounds sterling; (Bloomberg, April 19, 2014). *
Source: Wikipedia. On Tuesday, as word about the paintings spread throughout the neighborhood, a trickle of visitors stop by to view his work. Bill Kennedy, a Yonkers Public Library employee, described the iPark Continued on page 12
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THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, OCTOBER 2, 2014
ART ATTACK
Nick Walker Artist’s Statement
“In 1992 I began to combine stencils with my freehand work, which allowed me to juxtapose almost photographic imagery with the rawness which evolved from conventional graffiti styles. Stencils introduce an impact element to my work. The appeal of stencils is that they allow me to take an image from anywhere – dissect any part of life – and recreate it on any surface.” I try to add an element of humour or irony to some paintings to add a little light relief to the walls. Painting is a form of escapism for me and if my work allows the spectator to do the same thing, then I’ve achieved more than I set out to do.”
Yonkers has been Vandalized! Continued from page 11
Vandal at Kawasaki, as “Awesome.” Our cover photo depicts this painting, which is located on the gate just next to the iPark Security booth, one block north of the Library (9 Bashford St.). Ralph Spadaccini, a Property Manager for Hudson View Associates, owners of iPark, “appreciates the positive attention it brings to the building and to downtown, in general. On Friday, Christopher St. Lawrence, Director of Waterfront Development City of Yonkers Department of Planning and Development spotted several teenagers who stopping by to view Vandal and to figure out where the remaining paintings are located.
Seven paintings were planned for the installation: 1) Vandal, located at 9 Bashford St. (iPark) at the boiler room entrance to Kawasaki (Iconic Bowler Hat) 2) Vandal II located at 9 Bashford St. (iPark) Vandal leaning on an umbrella; (ask the guard to direct you).
3) Les Enfants Terrible 52 Main St. – Child sitting on Shoulders (Yonkers has the first street painting of this image)
4) The Flasher at 35 Hudson St. (Light beams shooting from the heart) 5) Love Vandal at 47 North Broadway
6) Pandemic Vandal, Left arm extended pouring red paint from the hat. (the former Procter Theater at Prospect and Riverdale Ave. )
7) Love Vandal II at Mill St. Courtyard (silver shaped heart) An eighth painting is located on Mill St., - currently a dirt road alley off Main St. between the vacant MetroPCS and the Real Deals building where construction to daylight the Saw Mill River continues. Here, the artist has left his “signature” as a calling card and as a thank you to Yonkers for hosting his work. The painting is on the LH wall, (the back of 2 Mill St), if the viewer is facing the river. Seating space will be available once the day lighting project is complete. (See the artist’s illustration). Love Vandal 2 is on the right, on the
back wall of 19 North Broadway a/k/a the Wheeler Block. You can see both at once when facing the Mill St. entrance from Main St. The Walker Art installation is a public acknowledgement of the growing community of artists who call Yonkers home. Yonkers has many of the ingredients that contributed to the establishment of Tribeca as an art-driven community: lots of vacant loft and industrial space along with comparatively low rents, for artists being priced out of gentrified Manhattan neighborhoods. Downtown Yonkers also offers easy access to Manhattan via the MetroNorth Hudson line train and Amtrak stops here as well. Visit YOHOARTISTS.com to view the work of other artists who now call Yonkers home. Photo Credits for Walker Pics , Christopher St. Lawrence , Director of Waterfront Development, City of Yonkers
Yonkers Waterfront
After more than a decade of planning, construction, litigation and much angst, the downtown waterfront is now a thriving community, offering Manhattan style high-rise apartments, restaurants and coffee shops. As I walked down lower Main St. on Tuesday, I had the distinct feeling of being in a charming city neighborhood; one that somehow felt like it had been there forever – a world apart from Continued on page 13
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, OCTOBER 2, 2014
Page 13
ART ATTACK
Yonkers Waterfront
Continued from page 12 the boarded up abandoned buildings on this same street, a decade ago. More retail shops downtown
are needed to meet consumer needs, and as with Tribeca, that will come in time. The city has successfully capitalized upon a unique and valuable asset: the Hudson River waterfront.
Daylighting of Saw Mill River Street
Architectural Rendering of Mill St. Daylightng
The New
Once finished, the day lighting of the Saw Mill River project, which is nearly complete, will create a bridge to the streets off Getty Square. Gentrification occurs in stages: the bold and the brave, intrepid homesteaders with a vision, who carve out a place to live in a residential wilderness; followed by those who are able to spot a trend and jump in while the getting is good. Last, are the gentry who want to live in the newest, hottest neighborhood: as long as Whole Foods and Trader Joes are nearby and will deliver. Downtown Yonkers is on the cusp of trendy and gentry. The waterfront is now a well-established residential community, but not everyone wants to live in a hi-rise; some prefer to rehab and Yonkers has an abundance of neglected downtown buildings. Neglect is in this case, a good thing: many buildings have not had their façade destroyed through the years and are more appealing to buyers who value architectural preservation. Loft buildings that were abandoned as Yonkers lost its manufacturing base are being Continued on page 14
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THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, OCTOBER 2, 2014
ART ATTACK
Yonkers Waterfront Continued from page 13
re-purposed. The former Otis Elevator Building, an outstanding example of adaptive reuse, is now home to The Yonkers Public Library and the Board of Education. The formerTrolley Building has been converted to live-work lofts, now called 92 Main St. Lofts. “Building for Sale” signs from larger real estate agencies are scattered throughout the Getty Square area and Gentrification is on the march; building by building, and block by block as the oldcity gives way to the new. By Mary Keon Copyright Sept 27, 2014 All photos of Nick Walker and his art Courtesy of Christopher St. Lawrence Office of Economic Development City of Yonkers 87 Nepperhan Ave. Suite 307 Yonkers, NY 10701
CETTA Creates Public Art Community Engaged through the Arts: Where Community, Culture and Arts Intersect (CETTA) is an initiative of Groundwork Hudson Valley and is dedicated to building community through the creation of public art to restore and revitalize the physical environment of the downtown and surrounding areas. CETTA operates on the principal that art is an important social outreach tool for engaging and empowering community and that public art offers an unexpectedly rich lightning rod to engage the broader community and that it can visually transform public space and act as a catalyst for community discourse. After working in the arts with underserved communities in Yonkers for over 23 years, Haifa Bint-Kadi who holds an M.F.A. and has been designing and fabricating public art since 1993 founded CETTA on these core beliefs: Art is for everyone regardless of their status in society.
Distinctions between high and low art, fine art and folk art are false. Innovation is important and should be celebrated. Art should not dwell only in rarefied halls but in the places where people live and work. That the process, not only the product, is the measure of the value of an art work. That all community members could be participants in the making of art and that collaborations work. Arts can have significant transformative impact on the most significant social problems of our time Our goal is to integrate and infuse the arts in all aspects of community development in the City of Yonkers, with a dedication to community-based arts education programs and in the delivery of public art projects. Our process involves local residents throughout and with positive impacts on participating youth. Our current project,
Street Art Youth Corp, seeks to recruit local youth teaching them how to positively engage in public art and mural-making, and providing an in-depth education on the negative culture of graffiti and tagging. Our Street Art Youth Corp will work with major artists and will be trained to fabricate murals for local community centers, places along the Rails and Trails Path and buildings
in downtown Yonkers. Our Street Corp will also be trained to provide programs to other youth in local High- and Middle schools. Haifa Bint-Kadi, Director. Haifa@groundworkhv.org CETTA is located at 22 Main Street, Yonkers, NY 10701 • 914-375-2151 http://www.groundworkhudsonvalley. org www.cetta.org
“invade” northern Westchester during the October “Area 51” Halloween festivities, including a themed train show and costume party, at Lasdon Park, Arboretum and Veterans Memorial in Somers. Throughout the season the Lasdon main house will be decorated with an eerie alien/space theme of “Area 51,” which is the Nevada desert Air Force complex famous in pop culture as home to secret extraterrestrials, UFOs, strange otherworldly experiments, and conspiracy theories that surrounded them.
Gina Bodelsen and Kjersti Lovece will do a joint art exhibit at the Somers Library during the month of October. Gina Bodelsen will exhibit works in
CALENDAR
News & Notes from Northern Westchester By Mark Jeffers Warning, leaves have started to leave the trees. I calmly sent my wife out rake in hand and our backyard is safe so far, but more are on the way, with all this action I still managed to write this week’s “leaf free” edition of “News & Notes.”
Guiding Eyes for the Blind will host their fifth annual wine tasting benefit, “Wine, Music & Puppies,” from 3-6pm on Sunday, October 5th at the nonprofit’s headquarters and training center in Yorktown Heights. Westchester County Parks is seeking vendors for the new Main Street Market, to be held on select Sundays from November through March, at the Westchester County
Center in White Plains. The dates are Sundays, November 16, December 14, January 18, February 8 and March 22. Seems like yesterday… Believe it or not, Bike Sundays recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of riding bikes on the Bronx River Parkway. Aliens, flying saucers, mutants and other extraterrestrial surprises (a normal night at our house) will
Continued on page 15 Editor’s Note: We offer belated good wishes to our Jewish readers, who celebrated Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year last week. Friday, Oct. 3, marks their solemn observance of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Last week’s paper was assembled so quickly that I did not have time to even look at a calendar and I do apologize for this omission.
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, OCTOBER 2, 2014
CALENDAR
News & Notes from Northern Westchester Continued from page 14
oils and acrylics, showcasing still life, floral, and landscaping scenes. Kjersti Lovece will exhibit landscapes in colored pencil. Grab your family, friends and form a team to play in Yorkville Sports Association’s second annual “Wifftoberfest” wiffle ball tournament on Saturday, October 18th that benefits Yorktown’s Alliance for Safe Kids (ASK). ASK is collaboration within the Yorktown community aimed at providing youth with the information and skills needed to make healthy decisions, and emphasizing the need for families to protect and nurture children by getting informed and getting involved. Congratulations to Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco for being named as a Platinum-Level Fit-Friendly Worksite by the American Heart Association for helping employees eat better and move more…maybe I should work there!
The gang over at Hilltop Hanover Farm in Yorktown Heights are having an Oktoberfest event on Saturday, October 18th…join expert canner Zina Tabor for a new and exciting class and learn how to take your favorite fall fruits coupled with your favorite beer and make wonderful preserves, a fruity beer, now that sounds like fun. I love art, but can’t draw a straight line…so glad to mention that the Westchester Italian Cultural Center in Tuckahoe is presenting on October 15th “Contemporary Italian American Artists in Westchester County,” artists of Italian descent have enriched American aesthetic culture, embracing new styles and techniques. Without limitation, they opened up to a variety of new styles with fresh ideas and imagination. Featured artists include world-renowned pop artist Charles Fazzino, as well as Westchester residents Rosemarie Cherundolo, Hank Rondina, Eleanora Grace, and sculptor
B.A. D’Alessandro. The Westchester Community Foundation celebrated 40 years of connecting philanthropists and local nonprofits recently. Guests at the celebration at The Science Barge in Yonkers learned about the organization’s history and how it has helped fund many of Westchester’s non-profits. The foundation, based in Hartsdale, was founded to build a permanent source for philanthropy in Westchester County. Call to all Goblins, Ghouls, Ghosts & Ghastly Creatures…the Somers Lions Club is having their annual “Trail of Terror” at Upper Reis Park on Friday October 17th and Saturday October 18th from 6-9:30pm, bring a flashlight & get your “scare on!” The large deer population in our area often gets a bit crazy this time of year, so please be careful when driving, especially at dusk…see you next week. Mark Jeffers resides in Bedford Hills, New York, with his wife Sarah, and three daughters, Kate, Amanda, and Claire.
Page 15
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Page 16
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, OCTOBER 2, 2014
Artist Nick Walker Stands in Front of “The Flasher” at 35 Hudson Street WWW.WESTCHESTERGUARDIAN.COM