DOWNTOWN EXPRESS 12-15-10

BY ALINE REYNOLDSMembers of the New York

Congressional delegation are desper-ately trying to secure the passage of the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act before the New Year, when the make-up of Congress will change and Republicans will gain control of the House. Their desperation is due to last week’s move by Republican senators who chose to enact a fi libuster until the Bush tax cuts were extended across the board.

The bill, named after New York Police Department detective James R. Zadroga, is designed to provide con-tinued annual funding to health care

centers for sick 9/11 workers, as well as those who lived and worked in the contaminated area for months after the attacks. The bill passed the House fl oor last September.

Last Friday, hordes of reporters and 9/11 workers huddled around a podium across from 7 World Trade Center to hear Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and Congressman Jerrold Nadler, co-sponsors of the House version of the bill, speak out in support of the bill’s passage. Maloney and other Democrats perceive the Republicans’ opposition to the bill as a treacherous act towards those who sacrifi ced their lives and health on 9/11.

Sixty-two-year-old Bill Ferraro was also present at the press conference. Prior to 9/11, he had a clean bill of health. On the day of the attacks, the union ironworker, who helped build the Twin Towers in the 1960s, rushed to the site of the attacks to help. He has since been diagnosed with silicosis and asbestosis, respiratory diseases caused by inhaling silica dust and asbestos fi bers.

“This is my new friend,” said Ferraro, pulling out an inhaler from his pocket.

Ferraro still works, but his limited

BY ALINE REYNOLDSCommunity Board 1

member Catherine McVay-Hughes, a stalwart advo-cate and resident of Lower Manhattan for over a decade, could soon be looking for a new place to call home.

She and other communi-ty members are distressed by the possibility that the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center could soon cease to exist. The city-state agency, which oversees all Downtown con-struction projects with a price tag of over $25,000, is

due to expire on December 31, unless Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor David Paterson both sign off on its renewal by that date.

“We’re waiting anxious-ly, but we’re still not quite there,” explained Robert Harvey, executive director of the L.M.C.C.C. at the C.B. 1 World Trade Center Redevelopment Committee meeting on Monday.

Bloomberg plans to sign the executive order, N.Y.C. Deputy Mayor Stephen Goldsmith told Harvey on Monday, but Paterson must

BY JOHN BAYLESDavid Emil was think-

ing of stepping down as President of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation last summer, but he didn’t. He did, how-ever, announce his depar-ture, at least as the presi-dent, two weeks ago.

“The reason I am leaving is because my father died in the summer,” said Emil. “I am the executor of his estate, and it requires that I devote a substantial amount of time to the work.”

Emil said he decided to stay on board over the sum-mer because he wanted to see the demolition of 130 Liberty, the former site of

the Deutsche Bank building, through to completion. And that is why he will remain, although in a part-time man-ner with part-time pay and part-time responsibilities, until the project is fi nished.

“My goal is to help the agency to do what’s nec-essary to the very end of completion of 130 Liberty,” said Emil.

The building, barring unforeseen circumstances such as inclement weath-er, is scheduled to be fully demolished by mid-January.

Emil was the owner of the Windows of the World res-taurant in the North Tower before the 9/11 attacks. And according to Emil, the sole

Construction command center’s end worries residents

Emil’s exit a signal for L.M.D.C.’s future

G.O.P. move to block 9/11 bill angers NY pols

Continued on page 12

Continued on page 12Continued on page 17

downtown express®

VOLUME 23, NUMBER 31 THE NEWSPAPER OF LOWER MANHATTAN DECEMBER 15 - 21, 2010

NOVEL CHOICES FOR HOLIDAY READING,

PG. 23

Downtown Express photo by Milo Hess

Would the real Santa please stand up?On Saturday, the city’s annual “Santacon” event began at City Hall Park, made a stop at Biddy Early’s Pub on Murray Street and fi nally ended in Central Park.

December 15 - 21, 20102 downtown express

Customers of J&R Music and Computer World and other stores along Park Row as well as tourists and locals looking for a taxi, will no longer have to loiter on the sidewalk for minutes on end attempting to waive down a cab.

That’s thanks to a new taxi relief stand located between Ann and Beekman Streets, the result of a joint effort between J&R, the New York City Department of Transportation and the Downtown Alliance.

“Introducing the second taxi relief stand in Lower Manhattan will not only give drivers a place to take a break and get a free cup of coffee, but it will also bring more cabs Downtown,” said Elizabeth Berger, president of the Downtown Alliance.

J&R customers often rely on taxi service to get home, since many of them are transporting heavy appliances they purchased in the store. They previously had trouble fi nding cabs, often having to rely on car service or public transpor-tation. “Park Row where J&R is situated is very diffi cult,” said Abe Brown, one of the managers at J&R. “[The cabs] are like, stuck in a maze.”

After years of futile requests to various city agencies, according to Brown, the Taxi and Limousine Commission agreed last spring to implement the service. The relief stand was installed on November 1.

Brown and the other store managers offer the cab drivers free coffee at the café during their breaks, along with use of the store’s facilities.

The stand will “provide a respite for our hardworking taxi drivers citywide,” according to J&R President Rachelle Friedman.

“They can’t thank us enough – they’re so happy and so excited that somebody cares for them,” Brown said.

The Park Row stand is the 43rd taxi relief stand in

Manhattan, and the second one in the Downtown area. The other stand is on South Street, between Wall Street and Gouverneur Lane.

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NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-9, 12-19

EDITORIAL PAGES . . . . . . . . . . 10-11

YOUTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

ARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21-27

CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

C.B. 1MEETINGSThe upcoming week’s schedule of Community

Board 1 committee meetings is below. Unless other-wise noted, all committee meetings are held at the board offi ce, located at 49-51 Chambers St., room 709 at 6 p.m.

ON WED., DEC 15: C.B. 1’s Seaport Committee will meet.

ON THURS.,DEC 16: C.B. 1’s full board will meet at St. John’s University, 101 Murray Street at 6 p.m.

Read the Archives www.DOWNTOWNEXPRESS.com

downtown express December 15 - 21, 2010 3

TUNNEL RENAMED AFTER FORMER GOV

The Brooklyn Battery Tunnel will be renamed the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel after former New York Governor, who held offi ce from 1975 to 1982.

Carey is credited for rescuing the state from civic and fi nancial collapse, particularly during the fi scal crisis of 1975. “Governor Carey laid the foundation for New York City’s revitalization, and for the development of Lower Manhattan and the outer boroughs that accompanied it,” according to the memo of the bill, which was passed in the State Senate on December 7. “It is fi tting that this crucial artery to the life of the city is named in his honor.”

Carey is credited for rescuing the city from insolvency in the mid-1970s, and for securing its revival thereafter. He also spearheaded several economic development proj-ects, including the South Street Seaport and Battery Park City, and improved public transportation.

The tunnel, which opened in 1950, connects Wall Street with southwestern Brooklyn, and is accessible from Lower Manhattan via the F.D.R. Drive. It is the longest continuous underwater tunnel in North America, accord-ing to the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s website. It got its claim to fame in the 1997 fi lm, “Men in Black,” as the agent’s headquarters.

N.Y. State Senator Daniel Squadron said the renaming of the tunnel is an appropriate tribute to his achievements,

and praised the former governor for his strong leadership skills. “Governor Carey rose above those things that so often divide us – Republican and Democrat, upstate and downstate — to craft a solution that kept the whole state strong, and [that] allowed the state to rise, and the city to rise, from what looked like dark days that might never end,” Squadron recently said on the Senate fl oor.

NEW LANDMARK IN TRIBECA

Tribeca inherited yet another landmark on Tuesday, at 258 Broadway (at Warren Street). For 70 years, the building housed Rogers, Peet and Company, a men’s retail clothing store. The building’s ground fl oor is now occu-pied by a bank, and its top fl oors consist of apartment units.

Erected in 1900, it is exemplary of a steel skeleton-framed skyscraper, and was built with the latest in fi re-proofi ng technologies. It is clad in stone and brick, and crowned by a deep molded and fi nely shaped copper cornice.

“It’s a handsome building… that refl ects the evolu-tion of commercial architecture in New York City and housed a well-respected business for decades,” said L.P.C. Chairman Robert Tierney. “I can testify, personally, to the quality and the longevity of Rogers, Peet Clothing, having owned one of its jackets for at least 20 years.”

Rogers, Peet & Co., founded in 1874, was one of the fi rst clothing merchants to publicize the quality and appearance of its goods, and was famous for its big inven-tory and modest prices. The Warren Street branch closed in 1976, and the remaining three closed in 1978.

DT GIANTS BLANK THE RAVENS; WIN NYC SUPER BOWL

Lower Manhattan’s Downtown Giants football team won the New York City Championship Super Bowl against the Rockaway Ravens by a score of 32-0 last week. The game’s Most Valuable Player award went to quarterback/safety Aaron Alers, who threw for two touchdown passes and also rushed for two scores.

Now, we’ll see if the N.F.L. NY Giants can follow suit.

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Gang assault A Bronx resident, 18, told police he

was waiting for his brother on the north-west corner of Greenwich and Chambers Sts. around 6 p.m. Thurs., Dec. 9 when a group of about 30 men walked by and commented on his elaborate belt. Members of the group then attacked him, punched him in the eye, hit him in the head with a construction sign and fled with the victim’s belt valued at $400, police said. The victim went to the hospital for treatment to an injured eye, police said.

Park Row arrestsA surveillance camera at J & R

Electronics, 23 Park Row, taped four sus-pects stuffi ng merchandise into shopping bags around 6:30 p.m. Sat. Dec. 4, police said. Security guards challenged the sus-pects when they were walking out of the place without paying, but the suspects fought with the guards before they were arrested. Two of the suspects were injured in the struggle, police said. Charged with grand larceny and assault were Donald Wyatt, 33; Deon Dirton, 28; Naiquon Mackey, 33, and Shawn Noel, 31. The mer-

chandise, 47 video games valued at $2,800 was recovered, police said.

Judy Yu, 29, was arrested around 5:45 p.m. Sat. Dec. 11 in J & R Music on Park Row for trying to pay for a Sony laptop computer 11 with a credit card that was not hers, police said. Yu was also charged with possession of a forged Pennsylvania driver’s license.

Stolen bagsA woman, 37, told police that she put

her bag on a counter at a fast food shop on Dey St. near Broadway while looking for a place to sit around 2 p.m. Thurs. Dec. 2 and by the time she went back for it she found it was stolen, along with her credit cards and $2,300 in cash.

A woman patron of Kana, the club at 324 Spring St., put her bag down on her table

on Sunday night Dec. 12 while she went to dance and found when she returned that her credit cards and cell phone had been stolen, police said.

A Tribeca woman put her bag on a chair in Raccoon Lodge, 59 Warren St. at 7:30 p.m. Sat. Dec. 11 when she went to the ladies’ room and returned to fi nd it was gone along with her driver’s license, sunglasses and $60 in cash.

Car burglaryA woman from Boonton, N.J., parked

her car near the northeast corner of Lispenard and Church Sts. around 7:15 p.m. Thurs., Dec. 9 and returned to it four hours later to fi nd the passenger side win-dow smashed and the Global Positioning System, BlackBerry and her laptop com-puter were stolen.

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POLICE BLOTTER

BY ALINE REYNOLDSThe anti-Muslim sentiment that reared

its ugly head over the summer in the shape of protests at community board meetings and Ground Zero took on another form last week when a Queens Imam was assaulted at a Canal Street subway station.

At around 3:30 a.m. last Wednesday morning, Rob Peterson, an Imam from Woodside was attacked on the platform after leaving a Northbound A train at the Canal Street Station. The 49-year-old male incurred a black eye and a few other minor inju-ries, but refused medical attention, accord-ing to the Deputy Public Commissioner of Public Information of the New York Police Department.

The two perpetrators, 30-year-old Albert Melendez and 28-year-old acquaintance Eddie Crespo, allegedly began mocking the Imam for wearing a kufi , a Muslim religious hat, as he exited the train at the Canal Street station.

He and Crespo kicked and punched the victim, grabbing his kufi and hurling it onto the subway tracks.

Both offenders were charged with assault in the third degree, according to a D.C.P.I. spokesperson. They’re being held on bail of $25,000 and $7,500, respectively, following a hearing last Thursday.

The incident led the City Council to declare last weekend “Love, Love, Interfaith Weekend,” which included various events across all fi ve boroughs focusing on a mes-sage of acceptance and respect for all races and religions.

In a statement, Councilmember Margaret Chin said she condemns the hate crime com-mitted against the Imam, and urges all New Yorkers to band together to denounce what she calls a “cowardly act of violence.”

“We commend the N.Y.P.D. and the Hate Crime Task Force for their speedy work to apprehend the perpetrators,” she said, “and we urge the Manhattan District Attorney to prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”

Aliya Latif, civil rights director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said that several shaken community members have contacted the organization since the hate crime against the Imam, expressing their concern about ethnic hate crimes. “Public outcry when such reprehensible crimes take place will lead to proper accountability,” she said. “We must collectively challenge when hate turns into violence.”

The safety and emotional well being of entire communities, Latif added, is at stake.

C.A.I.R. is responding to the incident by asking community members to report

bias-motivated attacks to their local police departments.

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf responded to the incident in a statement, saying, “These kinds of attacks are the result of ignorance and misunderstanding that remain at the heart of

the problem we in the Cordoba Movement are trying to solve.”

Community members of different reli-gions must work together, he added, to prevent similar violent acts from occurring in the future.

Attack on Imam sparks interfaith events

Mark Madoff, 46, the son of Bernie Madoff who is serving a life-long prison sentence for swindling billions of dollars from countless victims, hanged himself with a dog leash on Friday night, Dec. 10. Police found his body on Saturday morning in his apartment at 158 Mercer St. between W. Houston and Prince Sts. The victim’s two-year-old son was sleeping in a bedroom of the apartment and was not hurt. The vic-tim’s dog, a Labradoodle named Grouper, whose leash the he used to hang himself, was also unharmed in the apartment.

No note was found on his body clad in khaki pants, a blue pullover shirt and white socks. But he had sent emails to his

wife, Stephanie who was at Disney World in Orlando with her 4-year-old daughter and her mother, telling her he loved her and asking her to “send someone to take care of Nick.”

Mark and his brother Andrew were the first to tell officials about their father’s scheme and insisted they told officials about the situation as soon as they learned about it. Nevertheless, Mark and his fam-ily have remained under federal investiga-tion for more than two years and have been the target of several lawsuits. Police were seeking a subpoena for the victim’s computer and cell phone, according to a New York Post story.

Madoff’s son commits suicide

www.DOWNTOWNEXPRESS

.com


Rift between church and Port could end up in courtBY ALINE REYNOLDS

A quaint Greek Orthodox church, which hosted Sunday services and ceremonies for 85 years at 155 Cedar Street, steps away from Ground Zero, was decimated by falling debris on 9/11. Nearly a decade later, church offi cials are fi ghting to reestablish their house of worship on a piece of land they say was promised to them in an agreement made six years ago with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

In a notice of claim fi led last week, offi cials from St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America demanded their right to a par-cel of land at 130 Liberty Street, near Ground Zero, where they plan to rebuild the church. They are also requesting, per the 2004 agreement, a sum of $20 million that would go towards meeting the infrastructure requirements set out by the Port Authority, according to Father Mark Arey, the church’s spokesperson and the ecumenical offi cer for the archdiocese.

“The church has to be rebuilt, not just the parish,” said Arey. “We need to let them know that we’re not just going to let [them] basically take away the church.”

The claim serves as a 60-day notice to the Port Authority before the lawsuit is fi led.

The church offi cials are accusing the Port Authority of obstructing its resurrection at 130 Liberty, the site of the former Deutsche Bank building, and for launching a “bad

faith media campaign” against the project. The archdiocese said it planned to build the church there in exchange for property at 155 Cedar, its pre-9/11 location.

But Arey said the Port Authority didn’t live up to its end of the deal. “They wanted us to sign over property to them and give up our title to 155 Cedar,” he said, “when they wouldn’t in fact guarantee us the ability to build our church at 130 Liberty.”

Last year, the Port Authority broke ground at 155 Cedar, the church’s property, and at 130 Liberty to make way for the Vehicle Security Center, an underground parking facility for tour buses and other vehicles visiting the future W.T.C.

In doing so, Arey explained, certain struc-tural changes to the 130 Liberty site could make it impractical, or even impossible, to build the church. And according to the claim, the Port Authority acted “arrogantly” and “in bad faith” by unlawfully trespassing on the church’s property when excavating the property at 155 Cedar Street.

“Contrary to its posture of working cooperatively with the church, the [Port Authority] without permission, notice or any legal justifi cation whatsoever has sent its bulldozers onto both [properties]… and conducted extensive excavation that has rendered both [130 Liberty and 155 Cedar Sts.] unbuildable by the church,” the com-plaint says.

The Port Authority responded by stat-

ing that the church has made unreasonable demands since the 2004 agreement, such as more money and input in the construction of the V.S.C. beneath both sites.

The Port Authority said that it made its fi nal offer in 2009, which included up to $60 million in public money for the church.

“We had to make a practical decision to move on or risk further delaying the World Trade Center project,” according to Port

Authority spokesperson Steve Coleman, since the overall rebuilding of the W.T.C. hinges in part on the completion of the V.S.C.

Arey said, however, that he and his col-leagues never made such demands. “On March 16, 2009, they took the deal off the table, and said, ‘our lawyers will contact you,’” he said. “That’s when they ceased speaking to the church.”

According to Arey, the Port Authority itself made an unjust request of the deed of the 155 Cedar Street property in 2009 before handing over the parcel of land at 130 Liberty to the church.

The City Council introduced legisla-tion on November 30 calling for the Port Authority to “reenter into negotiations with the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in an effort to have the church rebuilt after being destroyed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.”

Coleman said the Port Authority hopes to sit down with representatives of the church to “develop a solution that works in their interest, but also does not further delay the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site.”

Coleman continued, “We believe all parts of this complex project will reach positive resolution including the return of the church to its original home.”

Arey, however, said that constructing the church at 155 Cedar Street is not an option. “In our minds, that site is no longer suit-able,” he said. “It’s a hole in the ground.”

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The St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church was destroyed during the 9/11 attacks and the site of its future home could be decided by a federal judge.


Community Boards seek new membersBY TERESE LOEB KREUZER

Do you wish some things in your neigh-borhood could be improved? Do you think no one with the authority to change anything cares about your opinions? If so, then think again.

New York City’s 59 Community Boards, each made up of 50 volunteers, are a grass-roots voice on issues that affect their respec-tive communities — and they do make a difference. Now is the time to apply for Community Board membership for the com-ing year.

“We’ve done a lot to be proud of over the years,” said Community Board 1 mem-ber, Michael Connolly, refl ecting on his eight years of community board service. Connolly mentioned the creation of historic districts in Tribeca, zoning concessions and the creation of schools. “I think we’ve had a signifi cant impact on the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site,” he added, “ensuring that the many competing voices were heard and that the thrust of redevelop-ment was forward-looking.”

Other members of C.B. 1 mentioned similar accomplishments plus some others.

Community board members serve two-year terms, and each year, half of the mem-bers must be reappointed or replaced. Half of the appointments are made unilaterally by the borough president — in Manhattan, that would be Scott Stringer — and half in

consultation with the City Council member for each Community Board’s district. For returning members, applications are due in the borough president’s offi ce by December 31, 2010 and for new members, by January 14, 2011. Appointments are announced by April 1.

According to the Manhattan Borough President’s website, “All Community Board members must be residents of New York City and must have a residence, business, professional or other signifi cant interest in the district. In addition, the Manhattan Borough President’s offi ce looks for appli-

cants with histories of involvement in their communities, expertise and skill sets that are helpful to community boards, attendance at community board meetings, and knowledge of issues impacting their community.”

The members of New York City’s commu-nity boards are diverse in their backgrounds and interests. They are lawyers, teachers, artists, businessmen and women, accoun-tants, writers, administrators and more.

Tricia Joyce, a photographers’ represen-tative, is among the newer members of

Assemblyman Shelly SilverIf you need assistance, please contact my office at (212) 312-1420 or email [email protected].

Fighting to make Lower Manhattan the greatest place to live, work, and raise a family.

One member’s Perspective

Ro Sheffe was appointed to Community Board 1 in April 2003 and has been chairman of the Financial District Committee since March 2007.

Why did you decide to serve on the Community Board?

I was recruited in 2000, but I begged off. I run my own business, and I just couldn’t spare the time. About a year after 9/11, my business was in a sham-bles. But eloquent community leaders persuaded me that the consequences of the attack had potential to do more harm to the community than the attack itself. That realization made it seem irrespon-sible not to serve.

Did it prove to be what you expect-ed?

No, I was staggered by the degree of involvement necessary to be an effective participant in the chaotic aftermath of 9/11, and the consequent time commit-ment. Meetings and obligations multi-plied like rabbits. Democracy is a messy business, particularly for amateurs.

What do you think are C.B.1’s most signifi cant accomplishments in the past two years?

I’d say that among the most sig-

Downtown Express photo by Terese Loeb Kreuzer

C.B. 1 members Liz Williams and Catherine McVay Hughes stood with U.S. Congressman Jerrold Nadler at a press conference last week at 7 World Trade Center after the U.S. Senate declined to hear debate on the Zadroga 9/11 Health bill.

Continued on page 18 Continued on page 18


Restaurant owners fi nd fault with inspectionBY ALINE REYNOLDS

The Battery Park City restaurant SouthWest N.Y. is fi ghting back after the City Department of Health issued a scathing report following a recent inspection.

In a letter addressed to Battery Park City friends, neighbors and guests, SouthWest co-owner Abraham Merchant called the report “unacceptable” and assured them the staff is taking immediate action to improve its conditions.

The report states that the restaurant and bar, located in the World Financial Center, is dirty and infested with rodents. Inspectors observed fl ies and roaches pres-ent in the food areas, unclean surfaces that attract vermin, and improper plumbing. The eatery, according to the evaluation, also has mice and contaminated food.

But Merchant argues the D.O.H. report contains “unsubstantiated allegations,” and the restaurant is challenging the claims in an upcoming administrative tribunal.

SouthWest is one of 26 Battery Park City restaurants and cafes that are inspect-ed annually by the D.O.H., which assigns a certain number of points — depending on the health risk — for each violation. The restaurant accumulated 70 violation points, nearly three times the number of any other eatery in B.P.C.

The higher the score, the worse the overall grade the restaurant receives. A restaurant that collects 28 or more points for sanitary violations gets a “C.”

“This most recent inspection report is an aberration and is not consistent with our history of outstanding results,” Merchant’s letter states, mentioning three previous inspections — two earlier this year and one last year — that together only amounted to 30 violation points.

Nevertheless, the restaurant staff is now cleaning more frequently and is reevaluat-

ing its extermination policy. “Together we developed and have

already implemented a comprehensive plan to eradicate all vermin,” Merchant wrote in the letter. He is confi dent that SouthWest will pass the re-inspection with fl ying colors.

“We wish to assure our guests that they can continue to rely upon us to provide them with a clean and sanitary establish-ment in which to enjoy our hospitality,” said Merchant.

And while some of Southwest’s loyal patrons don’t seem to be concerned by the report, others are alarmed.

Battery Park City resident Bill Love said that, despite the latest health review, he would continue dining there without hesitation. “I’m surprised to hear this score – it seems like an aberration,” he said. Love frequents SouthWest about twice a month.

The wide gap between the past and present inspection scores, Love added, is puzzling. “It makes me wonder about the consistency of the city D.O.H. inspections over time.”

Tom Goodkind, another frequent cus-tomer, now feels queasy about returning to SouthWest, where he just celebrated his 57th birthday party with friends and family.

“I think they should get everyone to wash their hands and get back to work,” Goodkind said.

Merchant and Southwest co-owner Richard Cohn are very welcoming, Goodkind added. But that’s no excuse for unhealthy dining conditions.

“We want them to stay there,” said Goodkind. “On the other hand, we’re more concerned about our neighbors than anyone else. If anything was contaminated, it’s a tremendous concern.”

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DECEMBER 25 Christmas Day10:00 AM Sung Eucharist

DECEMBER 26 Sunday after Christmas10:00 AM Sung Eucharist

Mayor Bloomberg and N.Y. State Education Commissioner David Steiner’s appointment of Cathie Black as the new chancellor of the City’s Department of Education is now set to go before a judge.

A group of public school parents, one from Downtown, followed through on their word last Tuesday and fi led a lawsuit against the state D.O.E. for choosing Black, who is slated to assume offi ce on January 3, 2011.

In doing so, the parents hope to overturn the state D.O.E.’s decision to hire Black, who they claim is unfi t for the job.

A court hearing is scheduled for December 23.

“I’m here today because I’m offended and disgusted that the state and city edu-cation offi cials continue to disrespect and devalue our education, the future of our

city,” said lawsuit plaintiff Shino Tanikawa, a P.S. 3 parent and founder of the Deny Waiver Coalition.

The petition argues that the D.O.E.’s appointment of Shael Polakow-Suransky as Chief Academic Offi cer and second-in-command does not make up for Black’s lack of credentials. It also contends that Black’s training and experience “is not substantially equivalent to the certifi cation requirements” set forth in the regulations.

Black’s appointment, therefore, is an “abuse of authority” and a violation of the law, according to Civil Attorney Norman Siegel who spoke at a press conference held last Thursday at 250 Broadway.

Education offi cials, Tanikawa said, must be accountable to the city’s parents, students and teachers – “after all, that’s what they keep telling us,” she said.

Steiner to State Supreme Court


Citing less need, Children’s Aid may leave Sullivan St.BY ALBERT AMATEAU

The Children’s Aid Society is considering the sale of its buildings on Sullivan St. where it has been a part of the Village for more than a century.

In a letter to families who take part in the society’s Arts and After-school Program, the New Acting Company classes and pro-ductions in the Sullivan Street complex, the center’s executives said the decision, which is under “serious consideration,” is driven by the society’s mission to serve families most in need.

If the society decides to sell the build-ings at 219 Sullivan Street and 175 Sullivan Street, it is likely that its programs as well as the early childhood center would close after June 2012.

The society’s board of directors is sched-uled to vote on the impeding sale at its Thurs., December 16 meeting.

“We are aware that this news will come as a shock to many,” said Richard Buery, the society’s president and chief executive offi -cer, in a November 28 letter to parents and adults involved in the society’s programs. “The programs are wonderful and the staff is comprised of supremely talented and caring people,” Buery said.

“While the Greenwich Village communi-ty shows a continued demand for quality and affordable early-childhood and after-school programs, the neighborhood has changed

radically in the 119 years since this center opened, and it’s clear the community no lon-ger needs us in the way that higher-poverty New York neighborhoods do,” Buery said in a subsequent news release.

The society, dedicated in 1853 to help poor children thrive, now has 45 locations in the fi ve boroughs and Westchester. The Children’s Aid Society has been in the

Village since 1892, and was named in 2005 as the Phillip Coltoff Center in honor of the society’s retired president. The early-childhood annex was opened at 175 Sullivan Street 20 years ago, and the main center at 219 Sullivan Street was renovated in 1994.

“This is really heartbreaking,” Buery said on Dec. 1. “We constantly struggle with diffi cult decisions about which services are

most closely aligned with our mission. We will be working hard to support families and staff through this transition.”

Buery said parents were notifi ed early in the process, even before a broker was engaged and well before any closing of the programs, to allow parents to make adjust-ments.

In response to the impending sale, Save A Village Education was organized last week to ensure that the Children’s Aid Society ful-fi ll its commitment to keep the center open through June 2012 and that it sells the prop-erty to an organization that will preserve educational and community programs for children. The group, with a website at www.saveavillageeducation.com, noted that more than 1,500 children and community mem-bers are served annually at the centers and that at least 125 employees might lose their jobs. S.A.V.E. is circulating an electronic petition to the society

Buery said on Monday, December 13 that he knows about the petition and that he realizes the concern of neighbors. The early notice, he said, was to give parents a better chance to come up with a solution. Although the properties are not offi cially on the market yet, the society has already received several offers, including some from schools. While he hoped that the properties would remain an educational resource, the

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A nanny, left, talked to a receptionist at the Children’s Aid Society on Wednesday after bringing two young West Villagers over to use the society’s playroom.


From wine to beer, banking on success on Front St.BY HELAINA N. HOVITZ

Walking into Keg 229 feels like walking into three different places at once.

The candlelit tables by the windows are ideal for dates, tables for six lined with cush-ions and pillows welcome large groups, and the full bar, Table Tender beer system, and fl at screen TVs invite groups of girlfriends and fl ocks of football fans to grab a seat and stay awhile.

Calli Lerner and Sandy Tedesco, co-owners of Bin 220, have opened up a second business on Front Street, utilizing the space so effectively that several different vibes can coincide without running the risk of kitsch. Industrial, cozy, chic, and elegant are just some of the words partygoers used to describe the place last Monday night at the bar’s grand opening party.

“You need a place like this on the block, because there’s a different mood that comes with a place like this,” said Roseanne Giotta, a regular at Bin 220. “It’s very subdued.”

Bin 220 may be a wine connoisseur’s hangout, but Keg 229 is a beer lover’s bar.

“They have over 40 beers here, and if you’re not familiar with beer, they can recommend one you’ll love,” says Denise Rebino, an executive recruiter from Chelsea. “I was impressed that the waitress was able to recommend something that was right on.“

The biggest hit of the night was the Table Tender, a beer serving system that

allows customers to pour their own brew. Tedesco and Lerner came across the system in Atlanta, and are the fi rst in the entire state of New York to have it. Customers have full control over their own taps and will never have to miss a second of the game. The bartender activates the table, and, after 64oz has been dispensed, the table must be reactivated.

“Part of being good neighbors is making sure you don’t have a rowdy crowd outside at night,” Lerner said. “With this system, we can make sure nobody’s laying on the table and pouring beer into their mouth, and that nobody’s too intoxicated.”

Keg offers a menu of fun bar food like pigs in a blanket, mac and cheese poppers, and jumbo pretzels, as well as a full brunch, lunch, and dinner menu. Meal offerings include the 100 percent grass fed, spice-fi lled beef burger and lobster chowder. For kids, there’s the “big kids alphabet soup” and a sloppy Joe with cheese. While the restaurant isn’t specifi cally designed for chil-dren, little ones are more than welcome, and Keg is happy to have them.

“They gave us a booth for six on a Saturday night, and brought his food out fi rst so we could feed him,” said Stephanie Slasinger, a resident of John Street, who brought hus-band Andrew and their 17-month-old son, Noah, to the restaurant.

Tedesco said Keg is happy to welcome families in the early part of the evening and

one weekends, but people should expect to see more of a bar-like-scene later in the night.

“You feel at home in their places,” said Tom Brown, who works at the Little Airplane, which moved onto the same block when Bin 220 did. “The girls treat their cus-tomers like family.”

Brown added that the girls’ passion for what they do is an important factor in their success.

“This is the second risk they took, opening this place fi ve years later, in this economy.” he said. “The fi rst was opening up Bin 220 when there were only two other restaurants on the block. You only do that if you believe in the neighborhood.”

Lerner said while opening up a restaurant in a poor economy is always a risk, they’ve priced items accordingly to fi t a downscale economy budget, pointing out that beer is less expensive than wine. “Even with our food items, the most expensive item is 16 bucks. We want to keep it reasonable. “

Tedesco and Lerner, who live in the neighborhood, knew within a week of open-ing Bin 220 that they wanted to open a second restaurant, initially looking at neigh-borhoods like Tribeca or Wall Street. When Onda gave up the 229 Front Street space earlier this year, they jumped at the chance to stay on Front Street.

Achieving proprietary success in this neighborhood isn’t as easy as it looks, but Keg 229, which has already begun to see regulars after just two weeks, seems to be well on its way.

“They put a gastro pub on John Street a few months ago, and it closed down. It was just was the neighborhood needed it, but that was a total miss,” said Slasinger. “These guys, however, got it right.”

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Downtown Express photo by Helaina N. Hovitz

Calli Lerner and Sandy Tedesco show off some of their fare at Keg 229’s grand opening.


EDITORIALPUBLISHER & EDITOR

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LETTERS TO THE EDITORSave C.A.S. programs

The Children’s Aid Society’s recent announcement that it is considering selling its Sullivan St. buildings came as a tremendous shock to families for whom the Society and its programs are vitally important parts of their lives. The Society’s board of directors is expected to vote today on whether to move forward with the plan to sell.

The Children’s Aid Society has, in fact, been an integral part of Greenwich Village, Tribeca and much of Lower Manhattan for more than 100 years. Although the neigh-borhoods demographics and income levels have changed over the years, the Society and its programs are no less treasured today than they were 50 or 100 years ago.

But the Society says its work is more desperately need-ed in other neighborhoods where children are at greater disadvantage. All of Downtown has become affl uent and the Society’s buildings are prime assets, they say, the sale of which could fetch an estimated $20 million to $30 mil-lion to help more needy kids elsewhere.

Yes, the Village and other neighborhoods have become more upscale. But not all the 1,500 children C.A.S. serves annually at Sullivan St. come from well-off homes: That the Philip Coltoff Center gives out an annual $300,000 in fi nancial aid attests to that.

Above all, these buildings and these programs are great-ly needed here. The C.A.S. early-childhood center and nurs-ery school comprise the largest such facility in Downtown Manhattan. The Sullivan St. offerings also include a vaunted after-school arts program and a performing-arts program, as well as camps and youth athletics.

Local parents absolutely rely on the center’s program-ming — and are especially grateful for the affordable pric-es, which, in many cases, are thousands of dollars below that of comparable programs. It’s no secret that there aren’t enough pre-K seats in the Village’s public schools, so, in that regard, the Coltoff Center is also providing a critical service.

Basically, all that the center’s parents are asking is that Children’s Aid Society give them a chance to work out a way to keep these wonderful programs running. Thankfully, the society’s board has agreed to allow the programs to keep going until June 2012.

Because these properties aren’t residential, and because the Landmarks Preservation Commission, unfortunately, still hasn’t designated the entire proposed South Village Historic District, the risk is that an extremely large, non-contextual, high-rise tower could be developed on the C.A.S. property, four lots in total, north of Bleecker St. This would be a terrible legacy for the Society to leave the community that has nurtured it for more than a century, just as C.A.S. has, in turn, enriched our community and our lives.

In short, there’s ample opportunity for profi t — but if expectations are lowered a bit, it could be a win-win for both C.A.S. and the community. For example, it’s no secret that Little Red Schoolhouse is interested in the Society’s Sullivan St. buildings. Another local school is also said to be interested.

Downtown’s diversity has been eroding for years, and if C.A.S. and its programs are lost, it will only hasten the homogenization. To parents, C.A.S. on Sullivan St. is “like family.” The loss of its programs would be immeasurable.

C.A.S.’s mission is to help children and communities, which it has done superbly here on Sullivan St. for so long. If the Society decides it must leave — then at least give the families a chance to keep alive the programs that have made such a difference in their lives.

Also, Landmarks should designate the rest of the South Village Historic District now — as it said it would do last year — so that mega-development doesn’t irreparably alter and damage our historic, low-rise community.

We’re in a depression

To the editor:It’s no secret that some of our most

respected elected offi cials do not believe we are in a recession; they believe we are in a depression. If that is the case, perhaps then we are more fortunate than the popula-tion of the 1930’s, thanks to the farsighted wisdom of elected offi cials like FDR and, somewhat later, LBJ.

In the very early 1930’s, as many young people were fi nishing high school, I was one among them setting out in search of employ-ment. Because of the state of the economy, I was offered a job at a salary of $30. That meant $30 a month. Even I knew you couldn’t live on $30 a month. I said I cannot live on less than $12 a week, and I got the job. I guess I knew how to handle that situ-ation better than most.

But now, with the economy the way it is, we see SBT privatizers searching for the elu-sive “gold” in the hopes of a windfall right in their laps. It is hard for me to believe there are people looking for miracles. The priva-tizers, totally out of touch with reality, are looking for miracles. What they are hoping for just does not exist.

They talk about the American dream, but in full agreement with some of our most truthful elected offi cials, now is the time to be realistic.

Geraldine LipschutzSouthbridge Towers

Sanitizing history

To the Editor:Re: “Television appearance sheds light on

Trinity’s past” (news article Dec. 1)The history of Trinity Church that

Downtown Express narrated in the prior week’s issue has been sanitized a bit. Omitted was how Trinity acquired its real-estate empire and what it does with the gains.

Every other church and congregation in New York purchased their land with the nickels and dimes of hard-working immi-grants, but not Trinity.

One acquisition version, which Trinity supports, is that the British monarch granted them the land. However, Trinity neglects

to mention that the British got it by sailing into New York harbor with a small armada and seizing it by military force from the Dutch, who had legally purchased it from the Indians. Not a very honorable way for a house of God to get its churchyard.

Another version is that the king awarded a pirate, Robert Edwards, tracts of land in lower Manhattan for Edwards role in, well, plundering and killing lots of Spanish merchant mariners in the Caribbean, like all good pirates do. Edwards subsequently leased his land to John Cruger for 99 years, after which time it was supposed to revert to Edwards heirs. However, Cruger was a deacon at Trinity Church. Instead of the property reverting to Edwards heirs, Trinity somehow would up getting the land. As recently as 1983, Edwards’ heirs were still litigating with Trinity to get their ancestor’s property returned.

Curiously, Trinity possesses no historical deed for all that land. Whichever version is correct, the deal smells.

It doesn’t end there. At the start of the last century, Trinity, in a brutal move pre-dating Robert Moses, evicted all of its impoverished residential tenants who resided in what is now northern TriBeCa and western SoHo. After displacing these poor families, most of whom worked on the West Side docks, Trinity built the manufacturing buildings that still stand there.

With history repeating itself, Trinity, in the 1990s, in a move to increase its real-estate profi ts, forced out their well-estab-lished manufacturing tenants, resulting in the closure of dozens of small businesses, as well as forcing hundreds of workers onto the unemployment line. Trinity then brand-ed the neighborhood “Hudson Square” to attract new, upscale tenants.

So what does Trinity do with all its massive wealth it acquired by violence and chicanery? Where are all the schools, hospitals, orphanages, hospices, homeless shelters, soup kitchens or other charitable institutions to help the poor and needy that other religions provide?

Trinity, among the largest landowners in New York City, is worth an estimated $650 billion. The church pays no taxes. Into whose pockets does this ill-acquired wealth and real-estate fortune fl ow?

Christine Edson

EVAN FORSCH


TALKING POINT

BY ARTHUR Z. SCHWARTZI care about St. Vincent’s. Not because

I am running for office. Or because I need a new cause to prove that I have mojo. I care because St. Vincents has indelibly touched my life, and because I know what it means to stare death in the face. I had a daughter born at St. Vincents 20 years ago. In 2006 I pushed another daughter, 3 years old, into the emergency room at midnight, in her stroller, because her appendix was about to burst. My mom, at 83, stayed there for two weeks with a broken leg while she healed. Add to that a broken arm, lacerations, a 107-degree fever, a concussion and “Big Brother” classes. By the time it closed, I could have served as a tour guide.

When it was open, the hospital was a mess. The nurses and doctors were nice, but the place was falling apart. I wasn’t thrilled about the real estate deal St. Vincent’s wanted, with its 20-story condos, but I was convinced, first, that we would lose the hospital without a deal; and, second, that our community needed the deal because we needed a bet-ter hospital. When the hospital closed, precipitously, I was as angry as anyone at the hospital’s board, and at the State Health commissioner, who apparently scuttled a takeover being considered by Mt. Sinai. I was pissed at our local elected officials, who seemed powerless to keep St. Vincents’s open and who misfocused our attention on an effort to get funds for an urgent-care facility to replace St. Vincent’s, a facility we later learned was a fancy name for a clinic.

Since then we have seen two poles emerge in an effort to get a hospital reopened on the Lower West Side. One, led by the elected officials, has promoted a “needs assessment” — a scientific study about who was serviced by St. Vincent’s and what their health needs were. They have put together an impressive study showing — lo and behold — that close to a majority of people in the Central and West Village, Chelsea, and Lower Clinton used St. Vincent’s as their primary hos-pital. Much of their data simply updates data found in the Berger Commission Report published in 2006, which was supposed to have the force of law. The public officials supporting the assess-ment efforts keep repeating, “Trust us,” “We’ll get you a hospital.” Brad Hoylman, former Community Board 2 chairperson, Village Democratic district leader and the incumbent-favored candidate to replace Christine Quinn in the City Council in 2013, is the public spokesperson for this effort.

On the other side is the Coalition for a New Village Hospital, which has signed up 5,000 people on its Web page. Perennial City Council candidate Yetta Kurland, who had been criticized for run-ning without having roots in any commu-nity struggle, jumped into this one right

after the hospital’s closing, filed two meritless lawsuits, which got her a lot of publicity, and has used her considerable talents as an organizer to pull off a rally, bring people to several public meetings (often chaired by Hoylman), and build an expansive e-mail list of folks demand-ing a new hospital. Yetta’s approach as the de facto Coalition spokesperson and strategist, has been to attack every-

one else who insists on taking a care-ful measure of how to move forward. She derides the “needs assessment” as a waste of time since — “We all know that a hospital is needed.” As for the funds needed, she says that the money is available from the State Dormitory Authority. The location she favors — at the old St. Vincent’s Hospital site — is controlled by a Bankruptcy Court judge looking to pay off $1 billion in creditors, who Yetta says, doesn’t have the power to determine what gets built on the old hospital site.

Passive studies aren’t in and of them-selves going to get us a hospital; but nei-ther is “in your face” grandstanding by a candidate and a relatively small number of people she whips up. This is December 2010, ground zero to an era defined by budget deficits, House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican New York State Senate and a Governor Cuomo whose mantra is not compassion for the poor or the need for public works.

In fact, as we celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa, the governor-elect is out raising money to take on the annual effort by Local 1199 and the New York Hospital Association to protect healthcare funding in New York. A new hospital is going to cost millions of dol-lars. Although the money should be paid by the state — a point I am arguing in a little-publicized lawsuit being pursued by the Fulton Houses Tenants Association — it is as likely to be paid as the funds that the courts have ordered the state to pay to support quality education.

A private-sector hero, or amalgam of heroes, is going to have to be found, be it Long Island Jewish, or Mt. Sinai or someone else, in an era of hospital retrenchment. That hero will need to be

convinced with lots of facts and figures that a modern, state-of-the-art, medical facility of some sort will make a profit. And they are going to need government support of some sort — probably not direct grants (because the money just is not there), but some form of tax credits, government-backed loans (the right col-lateral money these days comes with low interest rates).

And to get government support, those of us who want a new hospital are going to have to activate a lot more of our neighbors than we have to date; and we are going to have to work with the affected community boards, and our state senators, Assembly members and City Council members, and our activist borough president and public advocate and city comptroller; and the healthcare unions, and the building trades unions, and the block associations, and win over our new, progressive attorney general to take up our cause.

We are going to need those updated facts and figures that hopefully will come out of the needs assessment. And

our “leaders” need to stop running a City Council campaign for an election that is nearly three years away. The needs assess-ment needs to be promoted, supported, and if anything, expanded into a tool that

helps create popular support.Next time one of my kids has an emer-

gency, or next time I do, I am going to have to travel too far to get emergency care. If squabbling, or political postur-ing, is responsible for prolonging that situation, we will have been done a dis-service. Earlier this week, a town hall meeting on the needs assessment ended with nurse Eileen Dunn, chairperson of the St. Vincent’s Chapter of the New York State Nurses Association, calling on everyone to stop the infighting and work together to broaden the effort. She talked about her love for our community and the tremendous need she saw for the work she did during her many years as a nurse at St. Vincent’s. She was right.

There is too much to do and too little known about how to move forward for anyone to declare that he or she can defin-itively differentiate “myth from reality,” as one flier declared at Monday evening’s forum. The only reality we have right now is diminished healthcare for our commu-nity, particularly those with lesser means.

Schwartz is the male State Democratic Committee member for Greenwich Village, Soho and Tribeca, and a mem-ber, Community Board 2. The views he expresses are his own.

Threading the suture: Life and death in the Village

Downtown Express photo by J.B. Nicholas

FDNY to the rescueOn Tuesday, Charles O’Connell, a retired army sergeant, was walking on Pearl Street headed to the post offi ce when a red-tailed hawk fl ew into a building and dropped to the sidewalk in front of him. He picked up the bird and carried it to Engine Co. 6 on Beekman Street. An animal rescue unit from the Battery Park City CERT team transported the bird to an animal hospital. The hawk is expected to make a full recovery.

Passive studies aren’t in and of themselves going to get us a hospital — but neither is ‘in your face’ grandstanding by a candi-date.


L.M.D.C.’s future in question

reason he took the job with the L.M.D.C. was to honor the employees and friends he lost on that tragic day.

“I felt honored to be able to do anything in memory of my friends and colleagues, both at Windows of the World and the Port Authority,” said Emil. “That is what I want to be remembered for.”

With Emil’s announcement however, comes the question of whether or not the L.M.D.C. should continue to exist.

“Its mission is coming to a conclusion at the senior level, in the sense of making choices on how [the remaining] money should be spent,” said Emil.

Another question is whether Emil should be replaced.

Julie Menin, chair of Community Board 1 and an L.M.D.C. board mem-ber agrees with Emil’s assessment of the agency’s overall mission. She has been pushing for a specific sunset date for the last year, citing the fact that there is only a relatively small chunk of money left to disburse, mainly to organizations that have applied for the last round of grants falling under the category of

cultural and community enhancement.As for Emil being replaced, Menin said, “It is not worth replacing him. The L.M.D.C. should sunset.”

A $17 million pool of money has been set aside for the cultural and community enhancement grants. According to Menin, while all of the applications have been received, a panel has yet to be established to select the grantees and dole out the money. All of this, she said, could be done without Emil being replaced and could be accom-plished before next summer.

What would be left would be the legal and compliance issues regarding the funds that have been allotted but not spent. Emil said he believes such issues would need independent oversight. But he stopped short of saying whether or not the entire agency should dissolve.

“The program staff, the planning aspects — that could all go away,” said Emil.

But to simply turn over the L.M.D.C.’s oversight duties to a city or state agency would be, in Emil’s words, “like letting the foxes watch the hen house.”

Regardless of the agency’s future, Emil would like to remembered for one thing and one thing only; he wanted to honor the friends he lost in the attacks of 9/11.

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Continued from page 1

approve it fi rst. On Tuesday, Jessica Bassett, Paterson’s

acting director of communications, con-fi rmed the governor’s commitment to renewing the L.M.C.C.C.’s executive order. “We’re working with [Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo’s] team to determine the best method of addressing this issue,” she said.

Despite Paterson’s reassurance, how-ever, L.M.C.C.C. officials are fearful of the looming expiration date, speculating that the executive order might be at the bottom of the hefty pile of paperwork on the governor’s desk. “I think it just got lost in all of the complicated issues associated with the [gubernatorial] tran-sition,” said Harvey.

Downtown community members are equally concerned of the prospect of L.M.C.C.C. vanishing. “This is very, very dis-turbing news,” said Hughes, who has lived one block from the W.T.C. for 22 years. “If L.M.C.C.C. were not to be extended through the next couple of years, the peak years [of the W.T.C. redevelopment], it’d be an abso-lute gridlock down here.”

“The fact that politicians haven’t yet signed this is absolutely outrageous,” Hughes added. “This would be one reason to move out of Lower Manhattan.”

“It would be absolutely ridiculous,” according to committee member Pat Moore. “We couldn’t exist without this agency.”

The committee voted unanimously in favor of a resolution that states its support for the continuation of the L.M.C.C.C. The board, it says, is “concerned that failure to renew the executive order could place recent progress at the W.T.C. in jeopardy, especially in light of the upcoming 10-year anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the various large projects that have just been initiated.” The resolution will be pre-sented to the Community Board 1 full board on Thursday.

Harvey mapped out the L.M.C.C.C.’s role in bringing together offi cials from both state and city entities at Monday night’s commit-tee meeting. Were the agency to sunset, its website, which consists of real-time traffi c monitoring and daily construction updates, would have to be transferred to the state or the city.

The agency, Harvey explained, is also responsible for mitigating the pollution impact of construction trucks, 14,000 of which are projected to occupy the Downtown area on a monthly basis next year.

On Tuesday, State Senator Daniel Squadron held a press conference stressing the urgency of the issue. “We simply can’t afford to see this agency vanish at midnight on December 31,” said the senator.

The L.M.C.C.C. is comprised of approxi-mately 100 employees, including 10-full time staff and 90 contract workers, whose jobs are on the line. Harvey recently informed them of the distressing news. “Everybody knows the situation, that we’re basically at this point waiting,” he said.

Concerns over L.M.C.C.C.Continued from page 1


BY JANEL BLADOWFrenzy of holiday shopping, traveling,

eating and drinking is on but while we cel-ebrate the season with all the good cheer, this year will be a little tougher for some. Reach out to your loved ones…and spread some spirit around the hood.

FALLEN HERO… The neighborhood saw the loss recently of a great man and friend, NYPD Detective Kevin Czartoryski. He was only 46 when he died Sunday, Dec. 5, from illnesses – yes, plural – linked to the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

Two days later, Veteran’s Day, Michael Daly of the Daily News wrote a column on Kevin that breaks my heart. He detailed the medical mess and insurance mayhem Kevin could not survive.

This great hulk of a cop spent days after the attack manning the temporary morgue at The Pit, as the gaping hole in downtown was commonly called. He developed a cough, which turned out to be cancer, retired on a 9/11 disability in 2009 and was put on a lung transplant waiting list. While he got one, cancer ate away at the rest of his body; doctors found seven kinds in his bones, spine and stomach.

If anyone doubts that our 9/11 workers and survivors shouldn’t be guaranteed what-ever assistance they need, just look at how our city has been robbed of so many selfl ess people like Kevin. Please, Washington, put politics aside and pass this necessary legisla-

tion now.Starting in narcotics and hate crimes,

he was promoted to the press offi ce. Kevin “Shot-of-whiskey” as some locals called him spent many a night and early morn-ing in the Seaport after his shift at Police Headquarters. It was from there he would come to unwind at The Paris, Radio Mexico and other haunts in the hood.

My husband Chris Oliver remembers the day he was getting his gold shield, Detective First Grade. “It’s a big deal,” he says. “Kevin wearing his dress blues was down in the press room, popping breath mints like kernels of popcorn, and asking if he looked okay. He was so nervous. You could see that this really meant something to him.”

Kevin loved being a cop. He loved help-ing people out. He was kind, funny, a great friend. One of the bartenders at The Paris called him a class act. “You’ll never fi nd a better man.” He’s right. I loved how his big, round mug would light up as he’d break into a hardy laugh at a good story. Kevin will be missed.

Some of the neighbors are gathering at The Paris Thursday night to hoist one for Kevin. Join us.

SANTA CAME EARLY… to the Zink household. A beautiful bundle of baby boy, Calvin James Zink was born Wednesday, Dec. 8, at NY Downtown Hospital weighing in at 7-pounds, 15-oz. Mom Amanda (Bryon-Zink) emailed SR: “Very quick delivery and all good at home so far…all my boys are great (Dad, Kolten 2, Calvin the baby, Tyras the dog and Skinney the cat).” Stop by Salty Paw and leave a message for Amanda and Rob.

STILL SHOPPING… Almost everyone I know is still picking up gifts for Christmas lists and party presents. While the streets and shops uptown are crowded with tour-ists and out-of-town shoppers, I vote to stay in the hood – shop local. Suggestions? Luxuriate: Till Christmas Eve for every $100 gift card purchased, Setai Club & Spa will add $25, www.setaiclubnewyork.com. Indulge: A box of decedent chocolates from Godiva or La Maison du Chocolat. Feast: Dinner at any of the delightful restaurants in the area. But leading up to the holidays, enjoy playtime at SUteiShi (Front and Peck Slip). Every night, 5:30 - 6:30pm, buy one, get one drinks and $5 make your own Maki rolls. Shop local, eat local.

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Varick Street’s new holiday lookPassers-by on Varick Street

might notice something new this holiday season — fresh, green trees with unique decorations. The Hudson Square Connection launched its “Varick Street goes green for the holidays” intitia-tive and has lined the street with dozens of trees and is asking the businesses along the street to handle the decorating duties.

This will be a great way for neighbors to connect with each other while spreading some holiday cheer throughout the Hudson Square neighborhood, said Ellen Baer, president of the Hudson Square Connection. By having our tenants decorate the trees in their own, unique way, we are bringing some of the life and creativity that exists inside the buildings out onto our streets.

Downtown Express photo by Joseph M. Calisi

‘Tis the tree seasonLast week the New York Stock Exchange held its annual tree lighting ceremony.Downtown Express photo by John Bayles


BY TERESE LOEB KREUZERNORTH COVE MARINA’S HOLIDAY

TRAIN GARDEN: Trains will be running again in Battery Park City’s North Cove Marina from Dec. 16 through Jan. 1 — and maybe even a little longer, “depending on demand” said the marina’s commodore, Michael Fortenbaugh. The Lionel trains, which chug their way through a landscape with such recognizable Manhattan features as the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty and even North Cove Marina itself, are on the upper deck of the “Honorable William Wall,” — a barge docked in North Cove for the winter that serves as a club-house for the Manhattan Sailing Club.

The train display stretches from one end of the clubhouse to the other. First set up in 2005-2006, and then again in 2007-2008, the trains were put away for a few years “because of the recession,” said the commodore, “but we fi nally got the juice to do it again.” This year’s Holiday Train Garden is eight feet lon-ger than before and has two more trains.

The Holiday Train Garden is sponsored by North Cove Marina and organized by Project City Kids, a charity run by Fortenbaugh. Its other activities include taking kids and their families for free harbor excursions in the

summer aboard a vessel called “Big Toot” and providing sailing lessons for children from ages eight to 18. Admission is free so that families can come as often as they want.

The Holiday Train Garden will be open from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays to Fridays and from noon to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. “I’ll be there a lot in the evenings,” Fortenbaugh said. “I look forward to seeing the faces of the kids when they see the trains.”

The “Honorable William Wall” clubhouse debuted in 2002 and has been augmented ever since — most recently with extra insu-lation and heat. In summer the clubhouse is moored near Ellis Island and is used by members of the Manhattan Sailing Club.

Fortenbaugh named the clubhouse for one of his ancestors — the son of a ship’s captain who came to New York City from Philadelphia in 1830 and set up a rope-mak-ing business in Brooklyn. Eventually William Wall became mayor of Williamsburg and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives during the Civil War.

WREATH-MAKING WORKSHOP: Battery Park City Parks Conservancy’s wreath-making workshop on Dec. 11 attract-ed around 50 people. The Conservancy sup-

plied evergreen wreaths along with a variety of materials such as shells, buttons, ribbon, sea glass, sparkles, pipe cleaners, glue guns and more. Abby Ehrlich, director of pro-gramming for the Conservancy, gave instruc-tions for getting started. “Play with wild abandon,” she said, “ the wilder, the better.”

The wreaths that emerged were highly personal. Battery Park City resident Raina Schoen, 12, used shells and blue ribbon in her wreath, which she additionally decorated with blue sea glass and glitter. “It makes me think of when the sunlight shines on the water and the water sparkles,” she said of her wreath. She plans to give it to her grand-mother, who lives in New Hampshire.

Battery Park City residents Julie and Richard Lam worked on their wreath as a team. Married 10 years, they have two chil-dren but came without them. It was Julie’s birthday, and they had a day of celebration planned, starting with the wreath making and ending with dinner. “I’m so happy right now,” Julie said as she and Richard held up their fi nished wreath, “because we got to do something together.”

The Spencer family — parents Tracey-Ann and Nigel and children Decklan, 7, and Bronwyn, 4, also got to do something together. They moved to Battery Park City 10 months ago from Australia. “It was such a fun workshop,” Tracey-Ann said. “Having only lived here for 10 months it’s nice to keep meeting friendly New Yorkers. It is such a great community and we are enjoying being part of it.”

P.S./I.S. 276 WINTER CARNIVAL: After the wreath-making workshop wound down, the participants could, if they desired, have walked to the next block where P.S./I.S. 276 was holding its Winter Carnival. The array of food in the cafeteria was astonish-ing — most of it homemade by the school’s parents, of superb quality and represent-ing countries from all over the world. The school has a student body of around 300, with “families from every continent except Antarctica,” said principal Terri Ruyter.

The Winter Carnival was organized by the school’s PTA, which will use the money

raised to buy microscopes, art supplies, and hopefully, to fund the salary of a librarian. “We have a beautiful library, but no librar-ian,” said the PTA treasurer, Julie Wang.

On Sunday, Dec. 12, the Battery Park City Neighbors’ Association threw its annual holiday party at the Downtown Community Center, 120 Warren St. Music was provided by the Church Street School for Music and Art and food by Pan Latin Catering. Parents chatted on the periphery of the large room as kids, some of whom have known each other since babyhood, played in the center — or, as in the case of Addison Aarons, 2, sat in front of the musicians, transfi xed by their playing and trying to keep time.

The party has been going on for at least a decade, said Anthony Notaro, president of the B.P.C. Neighbors’ Association. Like many things in Battery Park City, the party took on extra meaning in the aftermath of 9/11. Many of those in the room have been through a lot together and were happy to mark another year in the company of old friends.

CHRISTMAS DINNER AT SOUTHWEST NY: SouthWest NY at 2 World Financial Center will be serving dinner from noon to 9 p.m. on Christmas day. The three-course prix fi xe menu costs $32.95 and will include a choice of appetizers (winter lettuces with toasted walnuts, Stilton and port wine vinai-grette; Maine lobster bisque; or wild mush-room risotto), entrées (stacked wild turkey enchiladas; prime rib roast au jus; or pan-seared red snapper); and desserts (warm bread pudding or crème brulée cheesecake). Any of these dishes can also be purchased a la carte.

There will be a community table for Christmas dinner, with seating at 4 p.m. that will include all of the above plus bever-ages. This will be an opportunity to share Christmas dinner with neighbors and make some new friends! For more information about the community table, e-mail [email protected] or call 212-945-0528. This is also the number to call for other reser-vations. If you want a seat at the commu-nity table, be sure to mention that when you reserve.

Downtown Express photos by Terese Loeb Kreuzer

The train set on the upper deck of the “Honorable William Wall” clubhouse includes recognizable Manhattan features like the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty.

The International Food Fair at the P.S./I.S. 276 Winter Carnival on Dec. 11 present-ed an array of homemade savory and sweet food from all over the world.


Zadroga bill in jeopardy

lung capacity hampers him considerably. He and tens of thousands of other individuals were exposed to airborne toxins in the days after the attacks.

“Health care should not be held hostage to partisan politics,” Maloney said at the press event. Blocking Zadroga’s passage, she added, is a “moral outrage.”

Nadler said Thursday’s vote was a punch in the face to all the workers that saved lives on 9/11. “They said to the heroes, ‘we don’t care about you, we don’t recognize you.’”

The politicians said that in order for Zadroga to have a chance of ever reaching President Obama’s desk, the Senate must take action immediately, before the new, Republican-dominated Congress convenes on January 5.

Senators could theoretically vote on Zadroga through January 4, the last day of the current Congress, with or without it being attached to the tax bill, according to Ilan Kayatsky, Nadler’s spokesperson. But, since the chances of Zadroga passing as a stand-alone bill are slim, the politicians are looking into a number of different legisla-tive strategies to get the bill to a fi nal vote before then.

“The only way we can pass this bill is to pass it in this Congress, and the only

vehicle that we know is guaranteed to have Republican support to pass it is the tax bill,” said Maloney. The tax cuts bill is legislation from the Bush administration that President Obama hopes to renew.

Another option the legislators are explor-ing is attaching the bill to Congress’s annual budget resolution, which Senate Republicans said they also wanted passed before consid-ering Zadroga.

“We’re tired [of fi ghting], but we’re not defeated, and we haven’t given up,” said John Feal, founder and president of the FealGood Foundation, a nonprofi t organization that has amassed over $300,000 to support some 800 September 11 fi rst responders and their families.

Passing Zadroga in conjunction with the tax cuts, Feal said, would be a bitter-sweet victory for the 9/11 survivors. “The Republican party is extorting the rest of the federal government… to help millionaires over heroes.”

The multi-part bill, Feal said, “would be dirty and tarnished, but it would save lives.”

After the speeches, N.Y.P.D. Chaplain Jim McDade led the crowd in prayer for the Zadroga bill’s passage. They then sung an acappella version of the national anthem.

The bill originally prevailed in the House of Representatives by a bipartisan vote of 268 to 160. If signed into law, the bill would reopen the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund, which would offer economic relief to sick 9/11 workers, stu-dents and area residents. It would also secure continued annual funding for medi-cal monitoring and treatment for them at N.Y. health clinics. The law, valued at $7.4 billion, would be fully subsidized through revenue offsets.

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Congresswoman Maloney and Congressman Nadler called a press conference last Friday to let the public know that the 9/11 Health Bill must be passed before the end of the year.


Community Board 1. After having been a public member for around a year, she became a full board member last year, ask-ing to serve on the Youth and Education Committee because she wanted to take her commitment and responsibility “to the next level.” She added, “I am very proud of the work we have done on youth and education, given that, with this administration, we are under mayoral control.”

She feels C.B. 1 has accomplished a great deal in the last two years and mentioned specifi cally, “working alongside elected offi cials to get the September 11 trials moved out of Lower Manhattan, sav-ing the last of the L.M.D.C. 9/11 funds originally charted for utilities so they could be allocated to Downtown arts and businesses grants instead and opening two new schools.”

Looking ahead to the challenges facing Lower Manhattan, Joyce said, “There are now more than double the amount of peo-ple living in this community district than before 9/11. With the incredible growth brings many more issues and many more points of view on those issues.”

Liz Williams is an artist who has served on C.B. 1 for two and a half years. She is a member of the Financial District and W.T.C. Redevelopment Committees. As

a relative newcomer, she noted, “It takes time to become familiar and educated about certain issues. There are members who have been working on issues for years and to come in as a new member takes effort to try to learn the history.”

When asked what she thought C.B.1’s most signifi cant accomplishments were in the past two years, Willliams mentioned the W.T.C. Committee’s “supporting and pushing for the reconciliation and agree-ment between the Port Authority and Larry Silverstein so they could move for-ward on the World Trade Center site.” She also mentioned “the Financial District Committee securing the increase in funds and more locations for the L.M.D.C. Small Firm Assistance Program. In both cases the chairs of those committees, Catherine McVay Hughes and Ro Sheffe, led the charge.”

For several months, Williams has been working with Hughes and other C.B.1 members trying to get the Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act passed. On November 30, Williams and Hughes went to Washington D.C. for the opening of the New York City Police Museum’s ‘Artist as Witness’ show, when the shields of 29 N.Y.P.D. offi cers who died due to 9/11 illness were installed in the Capitol rotunda. After the Senate refused to hear debate on the Zadroga bill, Williams and Hughes were among the C.B. 1 members who stood outside 7 World Trade Center on December 10 under cold, louring skies with U.S. Representatives Jerrold Nadler and Carolyn Maloney at a press conference decrying the Senate vote and declaring that the fi ght for passage would continue. “Catherine has been a huge inspiration for me,” Williams said. “To see her dedication to issues like this, is remarkable. If this bill gets passed I think she and other C.B.1 members deserve a lot of credit.”

Bob Townley, director of Manhattan Youth and of the Downtown Community Center at 120 Warren Street, has served on C.B. 1 for around 20 years. He became chairman of the Waterfront Committee two years ago.

Townley said he decided to serve on the Community Board because, “As direc-tor of Manhattan Youth and as a resident, community affairs are critical for me.” He noted that he had spent a lot of his graduate education at Columbia University studying community organizing and plan-ning and added, “I was always interested in local control of resources in a world where decisions are being removed from local people.”

Townley considers the Community Board’s impact on Lower Manhattan Development Corporation funding, new school openings and work with New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s offi ce to have been among the Community Board’s most signifi cant accomplishments of the past two years. In addition, he said, “Part of my personal pleasure comes from the friends I have made from being on the Community Board.”

Michael Connolly echoed that assess-ment. Despite the inevitable frustrations of community board service — the boards are simply advisory to what Connolly called “the real stakeholders — property owners, corporate interests, government authori-ties” — he said, “I have profoundly ben-efi ted from my time on the board. Among other things, I had the opportunity to meet and become friends with many people of like mind. We have not always succeeded in what we have tried to accomplish but, together, we have been able to have a posi-tive effect on our neighborhood.”

“I have made a number of lifelong friendships,” he said.

People interested in serving on C.B. 1 can get additional information from the Manhattan Borough President’s website, www.mbpo.org and download an applica-tion.


nificant are the opening of a new school and a new library in Battery Park City, and the sustained advo-cacy that resulted in funding for a new performing arts center and for increased financial aid to small local businesses.

What have been the biggest chal-lenges and frustrations of serving on the Community Board?

There have been many challenges, but surprisingly few frustrations. One of the greatest challenges, to this small branch of extremely local city govern-ment, is to influence the policies of vastly larger and more powerful agen-cies of state and federal government. Little CB1 can’t change policies of agencies like the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation or the Port Authority or Homeland Security or the Justice Department, yet some of their decisions bear directly on the local community. So we must find ways to support our constituents by influence alone, which I think we’ve accomplished to a certain extent. I’d say the only real frustration was the appalling spectacle of a small, local community center becoming the focus of a pointless and divisive national debate.

What are you personally proudest of (or most pleased about) as you think about your service on C.B.1 over the past two years?

I’m proud that the Financial District committee’s unanimous vote on May 5 [on what was then called Cordoba House and is now called Park51] was supported by the full board and by nearly all elected offi-cials to uphold the rights of citizens in our community to worship how and where they choose. I’m proud that we’ve played a significant role in expanding financial aid to dis-tressed local merchants, and in warn-ing against the adverse impact of trying accused terrorists in a local court. And I’m proud of our work to emphasize the critical needs of an exploding residential population east of Broadway that has grown 300 per-cent in 10 years, largely without the residential infrastructure that most urban neighborhoods take for granted.Mostly, I’m proud and grateful to work with 49 other people so deeply dedicated to the welfare of this com-munity. In this time and this place, I don’t think any of us could muster the strength to do what we’ve done with-out the support of our colleagues. In the past two years, as the nation divided sharply, we’ve come together as a winning team, and I’m proud to be a part of it.


Community Boards seek new members One member’s Perspective

“I have profoundly benefi ted from my time on the board.”

— Michael Connolly


C.A.S. may leave Sullivan St.

society could not assure the neighborhood about what might follow any sale.

Keen Burger, chair of the Community Board 2 social services and education com-mittee and democratic district co-leader, said she was disturbed by the prospect of losing the society’s Sullivan Street center. “It’s never a good idea to take education away from any child, rich or poor,” she said. “Not every Village child is from a wealthy home. We desperately need more space for all children to learn. I hope the society and the community can structure a solution that will keep education uses,” she said.

Berger suggested that the society could charge higher fees for affl uent parents and provide more scholarships for families that need them.

Buery, however, said the Children’s Aid does provide scholarships as well as provide high-quality, low-cost education. “People’s anger [about the change] is entirely justifi ed. But this is not a real estate deal. Providing a resource in the service of the community is a perfectly valid idea, but it is still not at the core of our mission. In a time of shrink-ing resources in the city and the country, it’s unreasonable to expect a charity like Children’s Aid to be able to solve all those

needs. I hope people understand how seri-ously we take this. There is no joy or hap-piness in it.”

Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, noted the continuous Children’s Aid Society buildings are located within the area that G.V.S.H.P. originally proposed for the South Village Historic District.

After 14 months, the Landmarks Preservation Commission last June desig-nated one-third of the proposed district as an extension of the Greenwich Village Historic District, but the Children’s Aid Society buildings were not included.

Berman said on Tuesday that the L.P.C. in June promised that the commission would calendar a hearing soon on the rest of the proposed district. In a letter to L.P.C. chair-man Robert Tierney, Berman said, “The loss of the Children’s Aid Society would be trag-ic. If its buildings were to be sold prior to landmark designation, it would likely lead to their demolition and replacement with either a condo or dormitory high-rise.” Berman told Downtown Express, “It’s important for the Children’s Aid Society and for the buyer of the property to know about the landmark status of the property. We are urg-ing the commission to keep its long-overdue promise and move ahead with consideration of this area for landmark designation right away.”

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Pension Shortfall is Wall Street’s Doing

By Michael Mulgrew

New York’s professional hand-wringers are leading the public fight against union pensions and benefits, calling them major causes of the city’s fiscal distress. Tabloid editorialists belabor worker pension “abuse” and conservative think tanks beat the drums for reducing worker benefits.

The facts about the pension system tell a different story. First, city pension benefits are generally modest; second, the reason the city’s contributions to pension funds have risen has everything to do with the global economic crisis that cost state and city pension funds more than $100 billion in lost value.

Let’s start with the myth that city workers’ pensions are unsustainably generous. The average pension for a member of the city’s Teachers Retirement Fund in 2009 — and this includes the pensions of many principals and upper-level administrators who started out as teachers-- was $42,235 per year. Retirees from the city’s other large civilian union, District Council 37, collect average pensions of only $18,000 a year.

Like many employers, the city makes contributions to the pension funds of its employees, most of whom make required contributions from their salaries. (In addition, many employees also make voluntary contributions to 401K-style supplementary plans.) The amount the city contributes varies by year, but in the past has been as low as 4.3% of payroll for the teachers’ system. Annual contributions have climbed to 30% to make up for investment losses, but as the stock market recovers in future years, that level will diminish.

In order to help the city meet its obligations, the United Federation of Teachers stepped forward last year and negotiated a change in pensions that the city said would save it $100 million a year.

The city’s pension funds could recoup millions of dollars more if

they were permitted to sue the Wall Street firms whose trading mistakes and criminal actions caused the massive losses. The Legislature should modify the Martin Act — the law that allows the state to pursue wrongdoing on Wall Street–to let pension funds bring such suits.

Taxpayers, particularly those in higher brackets, should also be part of the solution. During America’s great expansion from 1950 to 1980, the wealthiest 1% of Americans collected about 10% of total income. As of now, the nationwide percentage is 23.5% and in New York City, the top 1% of earners take in nearly half–an astounding 46% — of all income. Yet a large piece — $4 billion annually — of the huge deficit New York State is facing is due to the planned expiration of income tax surcharges on the highest earners.

The attack on city employee pensions is just the opening salvo in a campaign to “balance” the budget by reducing the services important to the great majority of the people who live and work in this city, from schools to sanitation and health care. Working and middle class New Yorkers who make this city their home can’t afford to let this attack succeed.

Michael Mulgrew is President of the United Federation of Teachers. This article first appeared in Crain’s New York Business.



SEVEN IN ONE BLOW, OR THE BRAVE LITTLE KID Kids, ever mindful that Santa is watching, are on their best behav-ior throughout December — or at least up to bedtime on the 24th. But a lesson on the value of being true to your self, and sticking to the facts, never hurts. You’ll get that, and more, at Axis Theatre Company ‘s annual presentation of “Seven in One Blow, or The Brave Little Kid.” Adapted from the classic fairy tale by The Brothers Grimm, this interactive winter play for kids blends technology, music and live performance to tell the tale set just before the holidays on a snowy winter day. That’s when a kid who killed seven flies with a single swat lets others believe he’s a tough guy who’s felled seven people — which leads them to assume he’s up to the challenge of more diffi-cult tasks. In the end, after a surprise twist, the Kid discovers that a parent’s love and care has no limits. Running time: 50 minutes. Appropriate for ages 4 and up. Fridays at 7pm, Sat./Sun. at 2pm. Through Dec. 19. At Axis Theatre (One Sheridan Square, just off Seventh Ave.). For tickets ($12 for adults, $6 for kids), call 212-352-3101 or www.AxisCompany.org.

COME GET MARRIED AT KLEZ FOR KIDS! Every year on December 25th, the Museum at Eldridge Street presents Klez for Kids — a high-concept family concert where kids and fami-lies come together to sing, dance, learn Yiddish and re-enact a Shtetle wedding. Clarinetist Greg Wall and his band Klezmer-fest lead the audience on a musical tour of Eastern European Jewish culture. The program ends with our sweetly sentimen-

tal and incredibly adorable audience-enacted shtetl wedding, where children take on the roles of bride, groom and wedding guests. Klez for Kids is part of the “Lost & Found” music series, which highlights musical legacies that are at risk of disappear-

ing. Sun., Dec. 26, 12:30 2:00pm, at the Eldridge Street Syna-gogue (12 Eldridge St. btw. Canal and Division Sts.). For tickets (12 for adults, $8 for children, students, seniors), call 212-219-0888 or visit www.eldridgestreet.org.

TRINITY YOUTH CHORUS HOLIDAY CAROLING CONCERT The choirs of the Trinity Youth Chorus and the ISO-Trinity-Flo-rentine Youth Orchestra (PS 89, PS 315, Chinatown-Floren-tine, Peppercorn, Junior and Senior Choristers) invite you to an informal concert of holiday music — with a reception in the Parish Hall after the concert. FREE. Fri., Dec. 17, 7-8pm at Trinity Church (Broadway at Wall St.). For info, call 212-602-0800 or visit www.trinitywallstreet.org.

THE NUTCRACKER This hour-long version of the classic holiday event is made especially for the attention span of kids ages 2 through 12. Keith Michael’s “The Nutcracker” is presented by New York Theatre Ballet and promises to make its young audience feel like they’re part of the show — from the moment Uncle Drosselmeyer steps on stage and greets them to the grand finale (complete with professional baton twirler Diana Reed, who keeps everyone on the edge of their seats). This production is the first ballet in NYTB’s “Once Upon A Ballet” series — which continues in 2011 with “Cin-derella” (Feb. 12 & 13), “Exquisite Little Ballets” featuring dances by Agnes de Mille, Lotte Goslar and Antony Tudor (April 9 &10), and “Sleeping Beauty” (May 14 & 15). A sub-scription to all four performances is $112 per child, and $140 per adult. A subscription to any three ballets is $87 per child, $108 per adult. “The Nutcracker” will be performed through Dec. 19, at Florence Gould Hall (55 E. 59th St. btw. Madi-son & Park Aves.). Sat., Dec. 11, 18 and Sun., Dec. 12, 19 at 11am, 1pm and 3:30pm. Tickets are $35 for children and $40 for adults (includes a $1 per ticket facility fee) and can be purchased at www.nytb.org, through Ticketmaster (800-982-2787) or at the box office (55 East 59th St., 212-355-6160).

MANHATTAN CHILDREN’S THEATRE Imagination reigns supreme in the productions of this theater company’s ninth season — which is dedicated to classic stories and characters (with a twist!). Through Jan. 2, it’s the world premiere of Chris Alonzo’s “Lula Belle in Search of Santa.” Then, in 2011, the season continues with “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” and “The Complete Works of the Broth-ers Grimm (Abridged).” Performances are every Sat. and Sun., 12 pm and 2 pm. At Manhattan Children’s Theatre (52 White St., btw. Broadway & Church Streets; 2 blocks south of Canal

St.). For tickets ($20 general, $50 front row), call 212-352-3101 or visit www.theatermania.com. For school, group and birthday party rate info, call 212-226-4085. Visit www.mctny.org.

THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE MUSEUM The “Junior Offi-cers Discovery Zone” is an exhibit designed for ages 3-10. It’s divided into four areas: the Police Academy; the Park and Pre-cinct; the Emergency Services Unit; and a Multi-Purpose Area for programming. Each area has interactive and imaginary play experiences for children to understand the role of Police Officers in our community — by, among other things, driv-ing and taking care of a Police car. For older children, there’s a crime scene observation activity that will challenge them to remember relevant parts of city street scenes; a physical challenge similar to those at the Police Academy; and a model Emergency Services Unit vehicle where children can climb in, use the steering wheel and lights, hear radio calls with Police codes and see some of the actual equipment carried by The Emergency Services Unit. At 100 Old Slip. For info, call 212-480-3100 or visit www.nycpm.org. Hours: Mon. though Sat., 10a. to 5pm and Sun., 12pm to 5 pm. Admission: $8 ($5 for stu-dents, seniors and children. Free for children under 2.

CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF THE ART Explore painting, collage and sculpture through self-guided arts projects. Open art stations are ongoing throughout the afternoon — giving children the opportunity to experiment with materials such as paint, clay, fabric, paper and found objects. From Dec. 27-30, 10am-4pm, “Claymation with Joe Vena” gives stu-dents the opportunity to create their own short films, using stop-motion animation. Regular museum hours: Wed-Sun, 12-5pm; Thurs, 12-6pm (Pay as You Wish, from 4-6pm). Admission: $10. At the Children’s Museum of the Arts (182 Lafayette St. btw. Broome & Grand). Call 212- 274-0986 or visit www.cmany.org.

DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY CENTER Youth afterschool programs are happening NOW! For information on swim les-sons, basketball, gym class, Karate and more, call 212-766-1104. Visit www.manhattanyouth.org. The Downtown Com-munity Center is located at 120 Warren St.

POETS HOUSE The Poets House “Tiny Poets Time” pro-gram offers children ages 1-3 and their parents a chance to enter the world of rhyme — through readings, group activi-ties and interactive performances. Thursdays at 10am (at 10 River Terrace, at Murray St.). Call 212-431-7920 or visit www.poetshouse.org.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR EVENT LISTED IN THE DOWNTOWN EXPRESS? Listing requests may be sent to [email protected]. Please provide the date, time, location, price and a description of the event. Informa-tion may also be mailed to 145 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013. Requests must be received three weeks before the event is to be published. Questions? Call 646-452-2497.

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DOWNTOWN EXPRESSARTS&ENTERTAINMENT

BY STEPHEN WOLFBefore New York City became (briefl y)

the capital of these newly United States of America, patriots convicted of treason to a mad and distant King George III were brutally and publicly tortured — then executed for beliefs and actions identical to those of George Washington, Ben Franklin Thomas Jefferson and many others who resisted tyranny and created the foundation of America.

This essential revolutionary spirit is as fragile as democracy — and easily lost. But for years now, it has been nurtured in a Chelsea bookstore dedicated to nothing less than revolution (for our nation and the world).

The revolution desired is not a social one. There are no books in the store on how to plan armed revolt or make a Molotov cocktail, nor is there even a sneer of anger at any single person, country or political persuasion. Instead, this book-store is committed to a making of a more just world.

Revolution Books has been a crucial part of our city since 1979 — for a while on W. 16th, then W. 19th — and now for a year and a half just east of 7th Avenue at 146 W. 26th. It is, as its publicity card mission statement expresses, “alive with a defi ant spirit that refuses to accept that the horrors of today’s world have to be. People come into Revolution Books from all over the world to fi nd the books and the deep engagement with each other about the possibility of a radically different way the world could be. This is a bookstore at the center of building a movement for revolution.”

The storefront is beautifully designed. There’s a large picture window, well-lit and inviting, and the space resembles an old railroad apartment — long and narrow yet stylishly, tastefully renovated. The wooden fl oors are polished and smooth, with thick wooden bookshelves stocked with trea-sures (more about this later). There are a few small, simple round tables with chairs, where we can sit and read “or discuss,” reads the store’s publicity, “the burning issues of our time,” all the while listening to gentle music in the background.

Deeper in the store is a small raised platform with a podium and microphone for the constant, remarkable variety of events that regularly occur here. There are open-mic poetry readings, documen-tary fi lm showings, lectures and panel discussions — all of them relating to the bookstore’s humanitarian stand on sexism, racism, injustices of all sorts, homophobia, imperialism and the abuses of capitalism.

Here is just a quick salmagundi of all the treasures — and consequential matters — to be lifted from these shelves.

There’s Jesse Larner’s “Mount Rushmore: An Icon Reconsidered” — which provides another, deeper view of this national shrine chiseled into the Black Hills, the moun-tains most sacred to the Plains Indians who were promised them in the 1868 Treaty of Laramie provided they surrender every-thing else. The white man soon broke this treaty, too, and in time the mountain was carved into the likeness of four presidents: the great Sioux chief Crazy Horse once said that the white man made us many promises but kept only one: he promised to take all our lands, and he did.

There is the illuminating “A People’s History of the United States” by scholar and civil rights activist Howard Zinn — a bom-bardier in World War II who returned home to New York after his discharge and placed his medals in an envelope on which he wrote, “Never Again.” Although, as Churchill

declared, “History is written by the victors,” Zinn tells the story of this nation from the point of view of those not in power.

Books on New York’s crucial events and infl uential ideas (my favorite section after poetry) has its own section as well. There are books on the great waves of immigration a century ago, the Harlem Renaissance, the rise of hip-hop, and Jane Jacob’s important “The Death and Life of Great American Cities” — which denounced the destruction of neighborhoods replaced with the ugly, crime-infested projects that removed our citizens — mostly African-American — from the life and fl ow of the streets.

Yet however signifi cant and consequential the store’s primary purpose is, it also has a sense of play and humor. There’s a table of souvenirs, gifts and amusements: fi nger-puppets of Einstein, Pavlov’s dog, and one of Dorothy Parker (who loved the Hotel Chelsea

— where she “could lay her hat and a few friends”). There’s a T-shirt like those worn to play baseball, only this team is the “Atheists.” There’s also a wonderful shelf of donated fi rst editions, both cloth and paperbacks (some signed by the authors themselves, and all for sale). Carefully, I held the fi rst edition Signet paperback of J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye” — the same type of copy of the banned book I hid in my room and which I slipped inside the larger biology book so

I could keep reading in class, where I was busted for laughing aloud when I read how “Edgar Marshalla laid this terrifi c fart.”

Revolution Books is a “key repository of radical and revolutionary thought,” said Andy Zee — a tall, trim, white-haired man with a youthful face and lively, penetrating eyes behind eyeglasses and who, along with Travis Morales, manage this not-for-profi t store and, like all the store’s helpers, take no money for their efforts and dedication. There is nothing pretentious, preachy or pressured about him or the bookstore despite how lofty is the dream: “At the core of Revolution Books,” he said with a passionate calm, “is a center for building revolution in this country and emancipation the world over.”

But Revolution Books is not a store that looks at the world through a single window. Everybody and everything any literature-loving reader wants is there. The Greeks, Shakespeare, shelves of the best poets and anthologies, English novels, the American masters, African-American fi ction, Native American, Jewish-American and shelf after

Revolution Books: Conscience and CommitmentSeeing Red, Yes — But Not Angry

Photo courtesy of Revolution Books

Revolution Books: Taking the “Christ” out of “Christmas.”

We need to nurture this spirit of fair play, righteous anger and peaceful dissent — and Revolution Books needs us. All bookstores, especially the best of them, struggle to survive at a time where the number of us who love reading and owning and giving books is diminishing.



BY SCOTT STIFFLER It’s 1993 — and there’s nothing pretty, or

particularly hopeful, about the newly paved downscale streets of Lowell, Massachusetts.

That’s where we fi rst set eyes on mus-cular, sweaty, soft-spoken Micky Ward — a road crew worker pushing a broom while big brother Dicky Ecklund eggs him on with a series of playful punches that come fl ying from off-camera and skillfully whizz past his ear.

Natural born spotlight hog Dicky (the onetime “Pride of Lowell”) is showboating for an HBO crew making what he thinks is a comeback story — but is actually a

documentary on the downward spiral of a former boxer whose only unbeatable oppo-nent these days is a smoky homemade crack pipe. Literally running on fumes, Dicky’s life has become a sad cycle of ditching drug houses by way of second-story windows, arriving late for training sessions with his little bro, and constantly invoking the “fact” that although he lost to Sugar Ray Leonard, he did manage to knock the guy off his feet (though some say Leonard slipped).

Sober in every sense of the word, Micky is a heavy puncher who’s got the goods to be champ. He just might get there, too — if he doesn’t fold under the pressure of emerg-ing from Dicky’s shadow, pleasing a distant mother/manager, doing right by his daughter after a messy divorce and keeping seven gos-sipy but proactive sisters from wailing on his new love interest.

As broadly drawn characters go, these half-brothers and their holy mess of an extended family sure know how to come out swinging. Mark Wahlberg underplays Ward as an eager-to-please middleman who’s forever disengaging from confl ict with doe-eyed sideways glances that bloom into distant stares. Far more fun to watch is Dicky Ecklund — fully inhabited by the raspy-voiced, raccoon-eyed, Oscar-baiting Christian Bale. Melissa Leo as the boozy, opportunistic matriarch and Amy Adams as Ward’s formidable girlfriend Charlene give more than just able support to this tale of sibling rivalry. Their scenes of verbal spar-ring are more brutal and compelling than the largely bloodless fi ght scenes (which lack punch because they depict Ward’s style of taking a beating until his opponent is

exhausted).With all this backstage drama going on,

how does a man who’s the meal ticket for so many others do what it takes to win — and can he, once he fi nally decides he wants it as badly as those in his crowded corner?

From the fi rst frame of “The Fighter,” you see the answer coming at you like a lighting-fast left hook you’re powerless to avoid. But like any decent underdog tale, knowing how it turns out doesn’t necessarily ruin the experience. It just means that by the time the fi nal bell rings, you feel like you’ve gone all ten rounds only to lose on a split decision.

Before the ref stops this review for invok-ing another hackneyed boxing metaphor, let’s just hand it over to the experts. At least they’ve earned the right.

“I’m not tryin’ to cut the movie up or put a punch in the face to Mark Wahlberg — but here’s a man who’s been around been train-ing with Freddie Roach, been in his gym…I would think he’d be a little more astute in his boxing, especially since he’s been training for years just for this role…his balance was terrible. But he did get the patented hook to the body correct, because that’s what Micky Ward was known for throwing.”

That’s the assessment of Wahlberg as Ward, as observed by Shawn Raysor — a former sports writer and current trainer to Tor Hamer (whom Raysor describes as “America’s hopeful for a heavyweight world title”). That rosy prediction is no mere boast. New York City native Raysor’s got an impressive track record as both a partici-pant and an observer. His amateur record is

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Hamer & Trainer Weigh in on “The Fighter” Feel Good Film Has Merit, but Can’t Go the Distance

Photo by Lucas Noonan

Please Hamer, hurt him: Tor’s long jab makes short order of his opponent.

THE FIGHTERRated R

Run time: 115 minutes

Directed by David O. Russell

Written by Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson

Visit www.torhamer.com, www.dbe1.com and www.thefi ghtermovie.com

FILM



Local Booksellers on Novel Choices for Holiday Reading Local Authors, NYC-Centric Tomes Worth Your TimeCOMPILED BY SCOTT STIFFLER

Whether it’s a time-killing mind-expander on that long plane, train or automobile ride en route to see loved ones — or an excuse to remove yourself from unwanted conversa-tion with distant relatives you only see once a year — there’s nothing quite like a book (the printed page kind) to make the holidays bright. Chelsea Now recently spoke with represen-tatives from a few local bookstores to get their recommenda-tions for worthy gifts and compelling works written by local authors or set in our area.

192 BOOKSPatrick Knifl ey, manager of 192 Books, points to two

titles, which open windows of a different kind into the NYC art scene. That subject matter, he says, is especially near and dear to the hearts of 192 Book’s regulars: “Steve Martin’s new book, ‘An Object of Beauty,’ is a fascinating view of the art market and the contemporary art world. It resonates with our customers because we’re right in the middle of the Gallery District, and a lot of our customers are interested in that whole world.”

Also of likely interest to the store’s art-centric clientele is “Michael Cunningham’s new book “By Nightfall.” Knifl ey says it’s the author’s best effort since winning the Pulitzer Prize for “The Hours.” But unlike Martin’s character study of a fast-rising newbie, Knifl ey points out that Cunningham’s novel “is about people who are already established…It’s a little more about the world.”

As for works that are far from local but still compelling, Knifl ey strongly recommends the work of another Pulitzer Prize-winner — Stacy Schiff. She snagged that honor for her book on Benjamin Franklin (“Franklin in Paris”). Her non-fi ction book on Cleopatra (“Cleopatra: A Life”) is described by Knifl ey as “an historical biography that reads like a novel.”

If you don’t mind one more dose of contentious debate during the holiday season, Knifl ey says “The Slap” (by Christos Tsiolkas) is sure to inspire strong opinions. “It’s a contemporary Australian novel which looks at this very small incident among this group of people in suburban Melbourne. There’s a backyard barbeque. A child is misbe-having and someone, who’s not the parent, slaps the child. That one little incident tears apart the fabric of the whole community.”

192 Books (192 Tenth Ave, btw. 21st and 22nd Sts.). Call 212-255-4022 or visit www.192books.com.

POSMAN BOOKSRobert Fader, the buyer for Posman Book’s Chelsea

Market store, says that despite options such as Amazon.com and the Kindle, this particular bookstore is doing well — in no small part because they were invited. The building they’re in “has over one1 million square feet of offi ce space above what we think of as Chelsea Market. The tenants above expressed a need, a desire for a bookstore.”

Apart from its captive audience clientele, Posman offers two specialty items that appeal to a nearby tourist destina-tion and the dearth of foodstuff stores in the Market. Fader says, “We have a relationship with the High Line, and carry ‘Designing the High Line.’ It’s a book that Friends of the High Line publishes — fascinating in every sense. It has lots of architectural drawings and rendering. It’s great for anybody interested in the whole process of reclaiming the High Line.”

Posman Books also has, says Fader, “one of the best cook-book selections in the city.” Anyone who’s ever drooled over the high-quality sugar-centric creations at Chelsea Market’s

Sarabeth’s Bakery will be drawn into a hypnotic trance by “Sarabeth’s Bakery: From My Hands to Yours.” Fader praises the “beautifully photographed” confections, noting that it’s also well stocked with photos of baking techniques as opposed to just showing the end product.

Posman Books at Chelsea Market is located at 75 Ninth Ave. Call 212-627-0304 or visit www.posmanbooks.com.

BOOKS OF WONDERPeter Glassman, owner & founder of Books of Wonder,

says they settled into their current 18th Street store after four previous locations (in, among other places, the space now occupied by legendary Village lesbian bar Henrietta Hudson). These days, Books of Wonders selection of chil-dren’s literature goes very well indeed with the building s subtenant Cupcake Café (where the promise of a sugar rush has, we suspect, lured and then hooked more than one reluctant reader).

“Our job is to promote a love of reading in young people, so they will grow up with the tools to discover anything their hearts desire,” says Glassman — who asserts adds, “Our second goal is to develop the imagination.” As with any good literary trilogy, there’s a third goal that brings a satisfy-ing sense of closure to their mission statement. That goal, Glassman notes, is the preservation of children’s literature and the art that goes into children’s literature (the back of the store houses antique books, posters, prints, graphics and original artwork from the 19th and 20th centuries.

As for current offerings, Glassman enthusiastically recom-mends (for ages 3-7), “Children Make Terrible Pets” by Peter Brown. He describes it as “A hilarious book about a little girl bear who fi nds a little boy and decides he’d make a great pet.” There’s also “The Odious Ogre,” by Jules Feiffer, illustrated

Image courtesy of Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins

“My Mommy Hung the Moon: A Love Story” (by Jamie Lee Curtis), Illustrated by Laura Cornell) stands tall in a crowded fi eld of celeb-penned children’s books.

Image courtesy of Rizzoli New York

It’s not just for Chelsea Market anymore: “Sarabeth’s Bakery: From My Hands to Yours” lets you make your own sweet stuff, Sarabeth style.

Image courtesy of Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Michael Cunningham’s new novel “By Nightfall”

Image courtesy of Friends of the High Line (www.thehighline.org)

“Designing the High Line: Gansevoort Street to 30th Street”



Give a Hoot…Read a Book!

53-7 — and as a primary trainer, he guided featherweight Angel “Gee-Roc” Torres to a 14-2 record with 10 straight wins. Later, he was with Super Middleweight Scott “The Sandman” Pemberton when he won the North American Boxing Federation Fighter of the Year title. Raysor says he’s working with Hamer because of the hungry fi ghter’s star-making charisma, exceptional work ethic and ability to swiftly execute in the ring what he learns in training.

Hamer, currently promoted by DiBella Entertainment, says of the fi lm, “Look, without getting too technical, because it is a movie and he is an actor, Wahlberg’s not trying to be a fi ghter. To his credit, he’s portraying a guy who was not very skillful, more of a brawler. But his punches, they just were not believable.” That disclaimer aside, Hamer’s eye for truth and detail won’t let him give the fi lmmakers a free pass — especially when it comes to the scenes in the ring, which he says lack the intensity and precision of fi lms like “Raging Bull” and “Million Dollar Baby.”

“Two hours and there’s not one jab,” says Hamer, shocked at the lack of that essential boxing maneuver meant to distract. “If you can make kung fu movies that have guys fl ying, dancing off of trees, breaking down walls, you mean to tell me you can’t put four punches together that look interesting, with decent camera work? It’s ridiculous. That’s something that really bothered me. But the acting was good. Christian Bale killed it.”

One aspect of the fi lm’s narrative that kills every bit as much as Bale’s much-hyped performance, is the conten-tious relationship Ward has with his family — everybody, it seems, has their own take on the best advice for his

personal life and career. Micky’s often a befuddled victim of these competing agendas, but does manage to draw the line eventually when he realizes that too many hangers-on will drag him down and cause him to lose that shot at the big time (though, ironically, it’s self-serving big bro Dicky whose advice from behind prison walls secures a crucial victory for Ward).

Hamer says the fi lm nails this aspect by venturing into rarely-seen territory. “I think they captured the relationships of Micky Ward’s life, which usually isn’t done in fi lm. Most boxers have these tug and pull relationships — how to bal-ance your work and social life.” Like the fi rst “Rocky” fi lm, Ward is a prisoner of his environment. “He had to live in Lowell. That’s where his kid and his family were. His crazy ex-wife, he had to deal with her because there was no other option. And that created a certain kind of individual.”

But if a boxer is tethered to the personal and familiar obligations of those in his corner, he’s also afforded a type of freedom that’s rare in the world of professional sports. “There’s a distinct contrast between team athletes and fi ghters,” says Hamer. “We’re allowed to be individuals. We’re encouraged to have eccentricities, to be colorful and speak out in interviews — because we don’t have a franchise. Whatever we do is good for business as long as we’re winning fi ghts.”

Sure, winning is good for business. But is “The Fighter” good for boxing? Both men note that while they’ve got their share of technical quibbles, those who aren’t hard-core boxing enthusiasts won’t be disappointed.

Raysor says that while it glossed over or completely ignored some crucial details of the Micky Ward story (such as his dynamic fi ghts with Arturo Gatti), the fi lm delivers everything we’ve come to expect in terms of the biopic’s dramatic arc. “It did the job. It portrayed a guy who was behind, then turned it around in the later rounds, then got a dramatic victory. It satisfi ed that goal.” For Hamer, “It’s an uplifting, underdog story…a feel-good holiday movie. You’re going to walk out of that fi lm happy. You’re going to want to go, you know, hit somebody.” Only in the ring, of course, and only in three-minute intervals.

Boxing Biopic Delivers Feel-Good Vibe

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Mark Wahlberg (left) as “Irish” Micky Ward and Christian Bale (right) as Dicky Ecklund.


by Norton Juster. “They’re the team who created ‘The Phantom Toolbooth’ 49 years ago,” notes Glassman, “and this is their fi rst collaboration since then. It’s an original fairy tale about a mean, rotten ogre who terrifi es everyone and then runs into a maiden who’s polite and friendly. It totally drives the ogre crazy that she isn’t afraid of him.”

“My Mommy Hung the Moon: A Love Story” is that increasingly rare bird — a children’s book written by a celebrity who can actually write. With words by Jamie Lee Curtis and illustrations by Laura Cornell, Glassman says this story about a little boy talking about his mother and all the amaz-ing things she does stands on its own merits as literature. “Jamie Lee Curtis is a very good writer,” praises Glassman. “She’s someone who takes her writing seriously and approaches it as a craft.”

For ages 8-12, “Archvillian” by Barry Lyga is especially strong. “It’s about Kyle, a sixth grader who is the smartest, most popular kid in school,” says Glassman. Then, one day, “He gets exposed to some space plasma and fi nds he has all kinds of special powers, including super genius. He’s determined to keep his powers a secret, but the same night he got his powers, a strange boy appeared in the plasma. He’s convinced the boy is a threat. Kyle is determined to expose him and everything he

does goes wrong. So who is the archvillian? That’s up to the reader to decide.”

Teenagers (12, 13 and up) will like “Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares” by New Yorkers Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (they’re the authors of “Nick and Nora’s Infi nite Playlist”). In this tale, says Glassman, “Dash and Lily are both teenagers who hang out in the same bookstore. Lily hopes to meet the right guy by creating a notebook where she leaves clues and hints. The two of them start going back and forth in the notebook, not knowing who the other is.”

Richard Peck’s “Three Quarters Dead” seems like a solid entry in the supernatural genre. The Newbery Medal winner’s latest work has a unique plot that speaks to the eternal quest for fi tting in — and involves a girl who speaks to the dead. Glassman explains, “It’s about a young girl, a high school sophomore, who feels friendless and invisible — until the three most popular girls in school choose to bring her into their circle. The three girls get killed in a terrible car accident. At fi rst, she doesn’t know how to cope with this. Then she gets a text mes-sage from the leader of the girls, and it turns out they’re back — and they need Kerry to make it possible for them to return to the world of the living.”

Books of Wonder is located at 18 West 18th St. (btw. Fifth & Sixth Aves.). Call 212-989-3270 or visit www.booksofwonder.com.



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A SWINGING BIRDLAND CHRISTMASOur one complaint about the raucous

Monday night Birdland jazz club destina-tion event that is “Jim Caruso’s Cast Party” — a little too much cast, and not enough Caruso. As emcee of the cabaret-themed open mic happening, Caruso shamelessly plugs the work of others while mugging between acts — but this event at least features a mere three others on the bill. And as “others” go, Caruso’s trio of pals are no slouches (Hilary Kole, Billy Stritch and Aaron Weinstein). In the tradition of beloved seasonal specials, these four jazzy showstoppers will perform swinging arrangements of “Christmas Waltz,” “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” Kay Thompson’s “Holiday Seaso” and “Sleigh Ride” (among other favorites). With Paul Gill on bass and Tony Tedesco on drums. If you’ve not had your stocking’s fi ll of Caruso, would it kill you to visit www.jim-caruso.com? By the way, the CD “Jim Caruso: Live and In Person” features Billy Stritch on piano and makes a nice alternative to that plate of cookies you think Santa is so fond of. As for “A Swinging Birdland Christmas,” it’s Dec. 20 through 25, 6pm at Birdland (315 W. 44th St.). Cover: $40 or5 $45, with $10 food/drink minimum. Call 212-581-3080 or visit www.BirdlandJazz.com.

RABBIT À LA BERLIN AND LOSSIf there’s such a thing as a ‘humorous

metaphor for the East German Experience,” it’s to be found at Film Forum. That’s where “Rabbit à la Berlin” is currently screening (one of two fi lms on a bill exploring the post-war German experience).

“Rabbit” is a 50-minute documentary short which recalls a very different take on the unexpected consequences of The Berlin Wall. Built in 1961, the “wall” was actually two walls with a “death zone” in between. A handful of rabbits were trapped in this geographical, and political, wilderness. For the next three decades, they multiplied like, well, rabbits. Told in the style of a nature documentary, the fi lm shows us life from a rabbit’s point of view — which becomes an amusing but potent metaphor for the lives of

postwar East Germans.The companion fi lm — “Loss” — is a

much more sober examination of German angst. It uses Sigmund Freud’s defi nition of mourning (which says loss of fatherland and freedom is just as traumatic as the loss of a loved one) to explore how 20th century

German history (and the loss of Germany’s Jewish population) has infl uenced its citi-zens’ speech and thought patterns.

Through Dec. 21, at Film Forum (209 W. Houston St., west of Sixth Ave.). For screening times, call the box offi ce at 212-727-8110 or visit www.fi lmforum.org.

HOLIDAY SEASON AT THE WORLD FINANCIAL CENTER

You’ll never be bored this December — if it’s holiday activities you’re in the market, and mood, for. The World Financial Center has all the Yuletide bases covered with a variety of events. Dec. 15, 17 & 22 from 12:30pm to 1:30pm — and Dec. 18 & 19 from 12-2pm — The Big Apple Chorus per-forms a cappella versions of holiday tunes. On Thurs., Dec. 16 at 12:30pm, the Niall O’Leary Irish Dance Troupe performs “Celtic Christmas.” Holly and mistletoe get the thistle-and-shamrock interpretation, when O’Leary and his dancers blend Irish and American infl uences to create a unique take on holiday songs and tunes. Tues. Dec. 21 at 7pm, the postclassical string quartet “Ethel” is joined by vocal legend Ron Kunene and his South African choral group (“Themba”). Celebrate Kwanzaa with a performance illus-trating The Seven Principles — presented by Forces of Nature Dance Theatre. It takes place Wed., Dec. 29, at 12:30pm. All events are free and can be found at the World Financial Center Winter Garden (200 Vesey St.). For info, call 212-417-7000 or visit www.worldfi nancialcenter.com.

SEVEN IN ONE BLOW, OR THE BRAVE LITTLE KID

It’s not exactly a state secret: Kids, ever mindful that Santa is watching, are on their best behavior throughout December — or at least up to bedtime on the 24th. But a lesson on the value of being true to your self, and sticking to the facts, never hurts. You’ll get that, and more, at Axis Theatre Company ‘s annual presentation of “Seven in One Blow, or The Brave Little Kid.” Adapted from the classic fairy tale by The Brothers Grimm, this interactive winter play for kids blends technology, music and live performance to tell the tale set just before the holidays on a snowy winter day. That’s when a kid who killed seven fl ies with a single swat lets oth-ers believe he’s a tough guy who’s felled seven people — which leads them to assume he’s up to the challenge of more diffi cult tasks. In the end, after a surprise twist, the Kid discovers that a parent’s love and care

Just Do Art!

Deck the (high) halls: At World Financial Center Winter Garden, it’s lights on.



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has no limits. Running time: 50 minutes. Appropriate for ages 4 and up. Fridays at 7pm, Sat./Sun. at 2pm. Through Dec. 19. At Axis Theatre (One Sheridan Square, just off Seventh Ave.). For tickets ($12 for adults, $6 for kids), call 212-352-3101 or www.AxisCompany.org.

THE NUTCRACKER, AT PERIDANCE CAPEZIO CENTER

Is Peridance Capezio Center up to the challenge of delivering an original take on that much-produced seasonal favorite? It’s a good sign that their “Nutcracker” is choreo-graphed by Igal Perry. Peridance promises this is the start of a new annual tradition — so get in on the ground fl oor this fi rst time around and you’ll have December brag-ging rights for years to come. Sat., Dec. 18, 8:30pm, and Sunday, Dec. 19 at 2:30pm & 7:30pm. At Peridance Capezio Center (126 E. 13th St.). For tickets ($40 to $20) and info, call 212-505-0886.

LOOKING AT CHRISTMASSteven Banks, head writer of SpongeBob

SquarePants, is the creator of this holi-day-themed tale — but leave the kids at home, because its self-proclaimed “offbeat” (Dirty? Dark? Sexy?) nature makes this one suitable only for those ages 15 and over. Set on Christmas Eve, “Looking at Christmas” fi nds an unemployed writer and a struggling actress meeting while looking at the famous holiday windows along Fifth Avenue. What they don’t realize is that the

windows are looking back. This produc-tion features The Bats (The Flea’s resident company of actors). Through Dec. 30 at The Flea Theater (41 White St. btw. Church & Broadway, three blocks south of Canal). Tues.–Sun. at 7pm, Sat/Sun at 3pm, Fri. at 10pm (added show Dec. 27, 7pm; No performances Dec. 23-26). For tickets, call

212-352-3101 or visit www.thefl ea.org. All Tues. performances are Pay-What-You-Can, subject to availability at the door (1 ticket per person).

A CHILD’S CHRISTMAS IN WALES AT THE IRISH REP

The Irish Repertory Theatre contin-ues its 23rd season with Dylan Thomas’s holiday classic. Adapted and directed by Charlotte Moore, this re-invention of Dylan Thomas’s iconic tale features both Irish Repertory favorites and Broadway veter-ans, and both traditional and contemporary Christmas music interwoven within the clas-sic story of that famous snowy day. Kerry Conte and Ashley Robinson star along with Broadway favorites Victoria Mallory, Martin Vidnovic and Simon Jones. Musical direction is by John Bell. Through Jan. 2 at The Irish Repertory Theatre (132 W. 22nd St. btw. Sixth & Seventh Aves.)Wed.-Sat., at 8pm; 3pm matinees on Wed., Sat. & Sun. (excep-

tions: added 8pm performances on Tues., Dec. 21 and 28; 3pm matinee on Fri., Dec. 24; no 8pm on Christmas Eve; no December 25; no 3pm on Sat., Jan. 1). For tickets ($55 and $65), call 212-727-2737 or online at www.irishrep.org.

THE NUTCRACKER, AT PERIDANCE CAPEZIO CENTER

Is Peridance Capezio Center up to the challenge of delivering an original take on that much-produced seasonal favorite? It’s a good sign that their “Nutcracker” is choreographed by Igal Perry. Peridance promises this is the start of a new annual tradition — so get in on the ground floor this first time around and you’ll have December bragging rights for years to come. Sat., Dec. 18, 8:30pm, and Sunday, Dec. 19 at 2:30pm & 7:30pm. At Peridance Capezio Center (126 E. 13th St.). For tickets ($40 to $20) and info, call 212-505-0886.

shelf of Latino literature, much of it in Spanish. There are plays, children’s classics, religious studies, textbooks for classes held in the neighborhood, and you can buy them at Revolution Books every day from noon to 6.

“At Revolution Books,” the store prom-ises, “you can meet the movement that is changing our world.”

We need to nurture this spirit of fair play, righteous anger and peaceful dis-sent — and Revolution Books needs us.

All bookstores, especially the best of them, struggle to survive at a time when the number of us who love reading and owning and giving books is diminishing. “Eighty percent of American families don’t buy books,” Andy said with genuine con-cern, creases appearing between his eyes, for he fears that too many of us have “lost the experience of reading.” So this holiday season, give books or a gift card from this marvelous store — to spread the love of books, to help the neighborhood’s small business and to keep alive our country’s founding spirit of revolution.

Revolution BooksContinued from page 21

Photo courtesy of Icarus Films

A rabbit negotiates the Berlin Wall’s death zone. See “Rabbit à la Berlin.”

Photo by Bill Westmoreland

“A Swinging Birdland Christmas” (see page 25)


DOWNTOWN EXPRESS 12-15-10

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