Layla Jean Ferrara and her friend Ilan cooled off in Seward Park Co-op's Playground this afternoon as temperatures rose and the humidity came back to remind us what "Summer in the City" feels like.
         
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Lower East Side teen Shaquana Gardner earned an invite to President Obama's keynote address before the NAACP Convention. Read her inspirational essay, part of a scholarship application for the Henry Street Settlement, in the Daily News. Congresswoman Nydia Velasquez shares her thoughts on the Sonia Sotomayor confirmation hearings. Mayor Bloomberg's school control bill remains stalled in the dysfunctional Senate. Jack White's new band, Dead Weather, will perform at a temporary record store he's opened at 131 Chrystie Street. To see the band perform you must be among the first 100 fans to
The monthly In The Flesh Erotic Reading Series at Happy Ending Lounge hosted by Erotic editor Rachel Kramer Bussel is tonight at 8pm. Tonight's theme is True Sex Confessions and features raunchy readings
The Daily News weighs in on DBGB: Donyelle Freeman loved the DBGB dog, found the burgers "overworked," enjoyed the pig's head terrine and gave good marks to the tuna crudo and skate au pistou. More good press for Sorella. "On an unlovely stretch of Allen Street, the New Yorker says, the Grub Street says The Orchard is on the market, "no doubt (having) been a victim of these dark economic times — despite doing
Two shows of interest are opening at The New Museum today. The first is a site-specific
The second is a photography exhibit by David Goldblatt entitled “Intersections Intersected”. The son of Jewish Lithuanian parents who fled to South Africa to escape
The State Senate could deadlock again today, with the mayoral control bill and several other key proposals hanging in the balance. The problem: the Dems lost their slim 32 seat majority when Senator Daniel Squadron left for his honeymoon. The dailies have more on the latest dilemma in Albany here, here and here. Newsweek looks at the impact of Sonia Sotomayor as a Latino role model. Margarita Rosa, executive director of the Grand Street Settlement, is among those quoted in the article. A new report from Transportation Alternatives finds that, while the number of traffic-related fatalities in New York City is falling, the NYPD is writing fewer tickets for speeding. The report is critical of policies it says emphasize traffic flow (moving cards swiftly through the streets) rather than on traffic safety for pedestrians. The Los Angeles clothing store, The Reformation, has opened a second location on the Lower East Side. The Downtown artist Dash Snow has died of a drug overdose.
If you walked by 139 Norfolk this past weekend, you might have done a double-take. While it's true that weddings in New York City come in sorts of shapes and sizes, this one was a bit unusual. The guys behind the design firm "Grand Opening," have staged several different "businesses" in their storefront – including a drive-in movie theater and a ping pong parlor. This summer, it's a Vegas style wedding chapel, complete with a minister ordained by the Universal Life Church. The first happy couple were Sandra and Josh. You can see more photos on Grand Opening's web site, or check out our earlier story here.
Recently we reported on the growing concerns on the Lower East Side about escalating violence among teens - and the absence of structured programs to keep them engaged in positive activities during the summer. The Chinatown YMCA has stepped up to help fill the void. Yesterday, representatives of the organization met with community organizers at the Two Bridges Community Center to launch summer programs. The Two Bridges Center, which faced closure recently due to city budget cuts, is being run on an interim basis by the YMCA. Some of the programs will take place there – others will be run out of the Houston Street Center. We'll have more details in the next few days.
As reform proposals begin to emerge in Washington, D.C., the idea of private sector health care co-operatives seems to be gaining ground. The Senate Finance Committee may be looking at proposing "co-ops" as an alternative to a government plan. The New York Times recently profiled Group Health, one of the country’s few surviving health insurance cooperatives, in Seattle, WA, which acts a lot like the type of cooperative Dr. Dave's advocating. Some left-leaning political action organizations, such as MoveOn.org have argued that "weak half-measures I think they confuse health care for all Americans (national not-for-profit health care for everyone) with Health Insurance which is some access to some health services (maybe) for a subset of Americans.. ..the ones who will pay them trillions of dollars for a small percent of their health needs…It is really a choice between health care FOR profit vs. Health care for ALL Americans (not for profit). They are not the same animal. A for profit system vs. a not for profit system. The fact is a "for profit" mission statement is incompatible with health services and care for ALL Americans. The existing for profit system (so called private insurance) excludes at least four groups of Americans. The very poor. The very sick. The very old and Veterans. Those groups are EXCLUDED and dumped onto the Medicaid system (ie: the American taxpayers). A not for profit system (like MEDEX) would cover every American cradle to grave with NO CONNECTION to their employment (or lack thereof). Just no one would make trillions in profits to keep for themselves like the last 50 years. They can make profit in other industries. Making OBSCENE profits of off sick and dying Americans is inherently evil. Madoff times a million! USA deserves and needs a single national not for profit Healthcare system like all the other countries on Earth.
According to the Daily News, State Senator Daniel Squadron has been assured the Senate will take up his version of the mayoral control bill, possibly as early as tomorrow. Squadron is the Senate sponsor of the legislation already passed by the Assembly. Several other Senators will propose changes in the law, intended to curb the mayor's power over the city's schools. Budget cuts jeopardize after school programs for thousands of NYC kindergartners. Did the Bloomberg campaign use a private high school in Brooklyn as a backdrop for a publicity brochure titled, "Mike Bloomberg's Public School Progress Report?" A Subway Sandwich shop appears to be the new retail tenant of the "Palazzo Grey" at 334 Grand Street. The Times looks back on the life of table tennis champ Lou Pagliaro, and highlights his LES roots: "Table tennis was Pagliaro’s way of staying out of trouble on the rough
A few weeks ago, we told you about the Grand Street CSA, a weekly food cooperative that distributes farm fresh produce to its members on the Lower East Side. But there’s another option for local, fresh food: the Grand Street Greenmarket. It opened quietly over the July 4th holiday weekend, but was in full swing yesterday on the stretch between Essex and Norfolk, on the north side of Grand Street. The Sunday-only market features about five vendors, all from farms within driving distance of New York City. Yesterday, the stalls showcased squash, red leaf lettuce, carrots, garlic, red and white onions, blueberries, blackberries and cherries. There were also greenhouse tomatoes- it’ll be awhile before the delicious summer tomatoes are harvested. The largest vendor is Phillips Farms of Milford, New Jersey. Also represented are: R & G Produce (Goshen, NY), Meredith’s Bread (Kingston, NY) and Toigo Orchards (Shippensburg, PA). Market Manager Oscar Perpinan and Gabriella Blavatsky were busy sauteeing some beautiful carrots and onions for a tomato sauce yesterday. They’ll be doing cooking demonstrations most Sundays. Oscar told us they really want to get the word out this year that the market accepts food stamps. There’s a terminal available to swipe a recipient’s EBT (electronic benefit transfer) card. The LES/Grand Street market is open from 8-4 every Sunday through November 22nd. For more information on the city’s Greenmarket program, see this link.
With rents in Chelsea as high as they are, the coming venue for art
galleries in Manhattan is the Lower East Side; yes, the Lower East Side of Katz’s Delicatessen and discount lingerie. Anastasia Photo opened recently on fabled Orchard Street to specialize in documentary photography and photojournalism.
Mayor Bloomberg's "Million Trees" initiative has planted more than 40-thousand trees throughout New York City in the last couple of years. This week, Lower East Side residents will gather to learn how they can help care for the trees that have been planted in the neighborhood. The Friends of Gullick Park are sponsoring a meeting of the "Stewardship Corps" on Thursday night at 6pm at the Abrons Arts Center. The workshop will introduce participants to the stewardship program, walk them through tree care basics and introduce them to other resources that are available. They'll also be providing Parks volunteer permits and free tree-care tools. If you'd like to take part, email "stewards@milliontreesnyc.org" or call 212-360-3435. There's room for 25 people.
Three students from the Educational Alliance's Teen Center are recipients of the 2009 Allan Morrow College Scholarship Awards. Pictured from top to bottom are Augustine Gnalian, Sherice Goodwine and Karen Lee. Also pictured are Educational Alliance Trustees Thomas Brodie Rachel Bluth and President & CEO, Robin Bernstein. The award was set up to acknowledge college-bound high school seniors who have "demonstrated a commitment to promoting tolerance and positive change within their communities, and have great potential as future leaders in the fight for social justice." Augustine will be attending the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education in the fall. Sherice is going to Smith College. Karen will be attending Stony Brook. They each received a $2000 scholarship.
The New York Post reports State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has "quietly" endorsed fellow Democrat Bill Thompson for Mayor. The Post speculates Silver is keeping his support low profile to "lesson any lingering bitterness" with Mike Bloomberg. Silver and Bloomberg clashed over the West Side stadium plan and congestion pricing, but have been allies more recently, on mayoral control of the schools and the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site. Police say two men attacked a victim last Tuesday night near Broome and Columbia Streets, slamming him to the ground, "repeatedly banged his head on the asphalt," and robbed him. Officers arrested Mark Cruz, 21, and Henry Nieves, 18, a short time later. Sorella, the wine bar on Allen Street, makes New York Magazine's "Cheap Eats 2009" list: "Pâté de fegato isn’t a dish you’ll find at your standard wine bar, but Free download: Iron & Wine's performance at the Abrons Arts Center in May.
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