TOURING TROUP
Progress Theatre Comes to Abrons
by
Julie Muller Stahl
This ensemble of multi-disciplined performers produces bold, moving theatre that engages topics from African American culture to Muslim American identity, from HIV/AIDS to race and gender relations, from academia to pop-culture, exploring the social concerns of today's young adult generation...
WHITE NATURE
ER Park Report After the First Real Snow of the Season
by
Yori Yanover
Last night the East River Park became winter wonderland – it’s amazing how far this park can stretch one inch of snow… After shul I took my bike down to the track at 10th Street and was gratified to discover only a handful of nuts with parklust similar to mine...
POLICE, ANYONE?
Yes, But Was It Real Assault?
by
Pat Arnow
An Officer Nicholas is at the front desk of the police station on Delancey and Pitt. The woman describes what happened. The officer wants to know what race the kids were. Black. (She's white.) How old? About 15. Did they demand money? No. Did they touch you? No. Officer Nicholas says it doesn't sound like a report needed to be filed. "They just politely asked for money," he says...
BLACK GOLD
Maloney Pushes Bill to Ensure Accuracy of Oil Royalties Collections
by
Joe Soldevere
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (NY-14) is touting legislation she recently reintroduced (H.R. 435) that would help ensure that the federal government uses the most accurate methods to collect royalties on natural resources taken by oil and gas companies from taxpayer-owned land...
LOHO HISTORY
Isaac Ludlum House
by
Don Cruise
Built about 1829 at 281 East Broadway, as one of a group of three for Isaac Ludlam, a New York City surveyor, the house occupies a twenty-foot wide lot on the south side of the street. Two-and-a-half stories high and three bays wide, the house has characteristic features of the Federal style including Flemish bond brickwork, brownstone lintels and sills at the window openings, and a sloping roof with two pedimented dormers containing arched window openings...
DWELLING POLITICS
Velazquez's Fight to Preserve Affordable Housing
by
Melissa D. DeRosa
Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez introduced H.R. 655, "The Pathway to Preservation Act," to make it easier for local governments to purchase HUD-owned buildings that are slated for foreclosure, preserving affordable housing opportunities for low income families in the city and across the nation. ...
REMEMBER WINTER?
Extreme Cold to Hit New York City
by
Don Cruise
On Thursday, January 25, the coldest airmass of the season has gripped New York City, bringing sub-zero wind chills and temperatures in the teens. OEM reminds New Yorkers to dress warmly when they must go outside — layer clothes to capture warm air, wear mittens, scarves and hats, and keep clothes dry...
LARCE NY
Con Man: I Preyed on Priests
by
Don Cruise
A Lower East Side con man copped a plea to ripping off hundreds of thousand of dollars from more than 60 priests around the country by claiming he needed the money to get his mother out of a desperate situation. Robert Riggio 'fessed up to wire-fraud charges for giving his lucrative sob story to clergy members he cold-called after finding their numbers in a directory at the New York Public Library...
LOW-HO?
What Are They Selling?
by
Tibi Z. Singer
It used to be an Orthodox synagogue, on Allen Street near East Broadway. Now it's a temple, not sure if Buddhist. Also not sure what is it, exactly, that they're selling for 99 cents?
RUNNING IN GROUPS 1/24/07
Idiotarod 2007 This Saturday
by
Don Cruise
The Iditarod is the famous long-distance race in which yelping dogs tow a sled across Alaska. The Idiotarod is pretty much the same thing, except that instead of dogs, it's people, instead of sleds, it's shopping carts, and instead of Alaska it's New York City. The fourth annual event happens January 27, 2007. Teams of five will race for cash prizes and glory...
Waterfront Meeting Tonight
CB3 Waterfront Subcommittee will be holding a meeting at Abrons Art Center, 466 Grand Street, this evening at 6:30 to discuss the future redevelopment of the East River Waterfront. This is an important opportunity to speak out on this critical issue.
Background Info:
LOCAL STAGE 1/24/07
Absolute Clarity
by
Jonathan Slaff by Sophia Romma, directed by Yuri Joffe - a noted, Stanislavski prize-winning director from Moscow's Mayakovsky Academic Theater - will be presented by ArtVoice and Cinema Anastasia as an Off-Broadway production at the Players Theater, 115 MacDougal Street, January 31 to February 25...
CLOSINGS 1/23/07
Diocese Catches Holy Hell
by
Don Cruise
Parishioners mourning the planned closing of their Lower East Side church bitterly complained yesterday that the decision would displace what has been a close-knit religious family and community anchor...
MATURING BARS 1/23/07
Clandestino to Celebrate First Birthday
by
Laure Travers
Time flies, or stays still, or plays all kinds of tricks on us! In a week and a half, Clandestino will be 1 year, 12 months, 365 days old! And what a year it's been...
LOCAL TALENT 1/23/07
Martin Connor Candidate for State Comptroller
by
Marty Algaze
New York State Senator Martin Connor (D-25 S.D.-Manhattan/Brooklyn) submitted papers today seeking to fill the vacant state Comptroller's position. Connor, the most senior Democrat in the New York State Senate, resigned as assistant counsel to the State Comptroller when he was first elected to the Senate in 1978...
EAT AND RUN 1/22/07
Marathon Runner Suing Katz's Deli
by
Don Cruise
A marathoner is suing Katz's Deli, claiming a busboy at the famed Lower East Side eatery brought her running days to an end with an accidental pushcart to the knee. "The bottom line is the busboy was not watching where he was going," said her lawyer, Thomas Lavin...
STAGE INSECTS 1/22/07
The Butterfly Within Tonight at Makor
by
Tibi Z. Singer
The Butterfly Within is a new play by Thomas M. Kelly. It is a story about the changes that have occurred in the neighborhood and culture of Manhattan's Lower East Side, as seen through the interaction of a young Asian woman and an elderly Jewish man. Staged reading Monday, January 22 at 7 PM at Makor, 35 W. 67th Street...
WORSHIP ELSEWHERE 1/22/07
The Other Shoe Has Dropped
by
Rob Hollander
The Archdiocese announced yesterday that it will close Mary Help of Christians parish. Already facing development at Charas (P.S. 64) and St Brigid's, our neighborhood is now losing an even larger tract to the upscale, high-rise density market. And because our neighborhood is about to be rezoned, we should expect to see developers moving fast to lay their foundations under the current zoning to avoid any restrictions of a new zoning...
LOCAL ANGEL'S VOICE 1/21/07
Norah Jones, Now in Her Own Words
by
Don Cruise
Sometimes she visits Lower East Side karaoke bars and belts out songs by Shakira or Guns N’ Roses. She’s also a member of various bands — the Sloppy Joannes, the Mazelles, the Little Willies — who show up as opening acts at no-cover-charge places like the Rodeo Bar. But she’s far better known by her own name: Norah Jones. In a few days Ms. Jones, 27, would resume her main career: the one that has sold millions of albums and made her almost too popular...
LOCAL SPACE 1/21/07
The Sky's the Limit for Students Thanks to NASA Lab at LES School
by
Don Cruise
A flight simulator was just one of 13 stations in a special lab housed in a Lower East Side school designed for kids from all over the city in grades four - 12. "This is the first aerospace education laboratory in a New York City public school," said NASA educator Frank Salzo...
DIRTY FEDS 1/19/07
EPA’s Test-and-Clean Woerthless: NY
by
Jonathan Bennett
The New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health strongly opposes the EPA’s "final" plan concerning contamination resulting from the collapse of the World Trade Center, which opened its registration hotline today. Neither EPA nor any other governmental agency has eever conducted post-9/11 environmental sampling in Lower Manhattan workplaces or offered employers and workers environmental cleanups where warranted...
VOLUNTEER NOTES FROM ALL OVER 1/19/07
Renew and Rebuild at the Stanton
by
Jonathan Shore
Volunteers will assemble at our shul, 180 Stanton Street, this Sunday, Jan 21. Come meet and participate with the volunteers in fixing up our shul. Join General Contractor and longtime friend of the shul, Marty Radburd on various "renewal" projects around the shul...
FEELGOOD STORY OF THE WEEKEND 1/18/07
Oy! Seinfeld Shells Out $100K for Violating Sabbath
by
Don Cruise
A Manhattan judge ruled today that the comedian owes $100,000 to a New York real estate broker, Tamara Cohen, who helped him find a nearly $4 million townhouse on the Upper West Side...
LA MANGE 1/18/07
Le Vrai Francais? Close Enough
by
Jules
I've visited Casanis a few times, most recently on a Saturday night around 7:30 p.m. My friend the acupuncturist and I wanted a low-key place. We both commented appreciatively on the music selection, the sort of lounge-y soundtrack you hear on Buddha Bar compilations. The waiter was familiar from a previous visit -- a young, shy Frenchman who smiled when I ordered in his native language...
READERS OF THE LOST ART 1/17/07
An evening with Stefan Kanfer
by
Tibi Z. Singer
New York Book Club and Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy invite you to an evening with Stefan Kanfer, author of Stardust Lost: The Triumph, Tragedy, and Mishugas of the Yiddish Theater in America. Thursday, January 18th at 6 PM...
SURRENDER 1/17/07
Lawyer Who Had Sex With Prostitutes He Employed Surrenders at 7th Precinct
by
Don Cruise
A New Jersey lawyer indicted on charges of running a former client's brothel, had sex with women he employed and also brought friends in law enforcement from the Garden State to the brothel for freebies, surrendered at the 7th Precinct on the Lower East Side around 9 AM Tuesday...
CEREMONY 1/17/07
Rep. Maloney Sworn In to 8th Term in Congress
by
Don Cruise
Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-Manhattan, Queens) was ceremonially sworn in to her eighth term in Congress at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria. During the ceremony, Maloney placed her hand on a bible held by her husband, Clif, while Queens Borough President Helen Marshall administered the oath of office...
FESTIVAL 1/16/07
The Fall Collection Artist Development Forum at the Edgie Jan 27
by
Tibi Z. Singer
A free two-hour session with the producers & curators of The Fall Collection providing information to film, music and theater artists on how to get involved in this November's biggest multi-media festival. The Fall Collection Festival will be held this October 27th thru November 17th at the Abrons Art Center in a beautiful 350 seat theater...
WINTER SHOWS 1/16/07
Abrons' Winter 2007 Calendar of Events
by
Don Cruise
The Abrons Arts Center heats up the Lower East Side this winter with an unparalleled season of spectacular, prize-winning performances...
SOY DOUGHNUTS? 1/16/07
Next stop in trans-fat war: Doughnut shops
by
Don Cruise
When he first started frying up all-natural doughnuts a dozen years ago, Mark Isreal had a tough time getting consumers to bite. After all, who counts calories before grabbing a jelly-filled with their morning cup of joe? These days, Isreal's Doughnut Plant on Grand Street supplies everyone from upscale grocery stores to "dive coffee shops" around the city. He's also got a licensing deal for nine Doughnut Plant stores in Tokyo, where he sells to Starbucks...
COMEDY 1/15/07
The Dark Life
by
Jonathan Slaff
There are places that really bring out the movie in you, and one is the Blue Heron, a tropical-style lounge on the top floor of the tallest building in a small mid-American city. It's the setting for La Vie Noir, the latest comedy by Jim Neu, in which a group of star-crossed strangers become trapped in a Noir world of lonely streetlights, smart talk, killer shadows and wet footsteps...
BREAKFAST SUPERIOR 1/15/07
A Knack for Stacks
by
Don Cruise
At the Clinton Street Baking Company, the lower East Side eatery known for fluffy pancakes, bodacious biscuits and other excellent comfort food, the kitchen trick, according to chef Neil Kleinberg, is whipping the egg whites separately and folding them in at the end...
RESTORATIONS 1/14/07
A Peek Inside the Old Eldridge
by
Yori Yanover
Took the tour at the Eldridge Street Synagogue this morning. For $5 we got an incredible view of a hundred and twenty years of history of a congregation begun 1n 1886. The architects, Herter Brothers, used a combination (Okay, mish-mash) of Gothic, Romanesque, and Moorish styles, complete with bizarre minaret towers. The sum total is, nevertheless, graceful...
YOUTH 1/14/07
Stringer Creates Youth Sports League for Manhattan Kids
by
Maibe Gonzalez-Fuentes
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer in conjunction with the New York Police Athletic League (PAL) announced the creation of the Borough President's Youth Sports League (YSL), a new borough-wide initiative that will serve more than 1,000 children in neighborhoods across Manhattan...
BOOKS 1/12/07
Reading in Lower East Sideistan
by
Pat Arnow
On Wednesday evening novelists Gary Shteyngart and Sigrid Nunez read from their books and answered questions in the visitors' center and shop with the standing-room-only crowd piled in around the counters and shelves...
NEW SCARE 1/11/07
Parents Decry After-School Violence at Police Meeting
by
Nancy J. Kramer
More than a dozen parents from the neighborhood’s Bard High School and the Nest+m school came to the 7th Precinct Community Council meeting Wednesday, to complain about the lack of police response assaults and attempted robberies against their children...
GALLERY 1/11/07
24 Muslim Artists at Abrons Arts Center
by
Julie Muller Stahl
24 Muslim artists will uncover their personal insights, beliefs, politics, and methods of defining their individual’s cultural and religious stance within a secular environment at the Abrons Arts Center from January 16 through March 16...
NEW-MOON YOGA 1/10/07
Rosh Chodesh Drasha Internalized Through Yoga Inspired Movement
by
Chava Gottlieb
We will discuss the month of Shevat, its basic as well as mystical meaning, and experience its essence through connecting with our own bodies, awakening
them out of winter hibernation through intentional movement.
Suggested Improvements for Dept. of Transportation Process to Design for New Bike Lanes
Are you angry over the useless gestures by the DOT on Grand Street, combining the concrete "Death Trap" median with the useless bike lanes to nowhere? Come tonight, 6:30, to the meeting of Community Board 3 Public Safety & Sanitation / Transportation Committies meeting, at University Settlement Houston Street Center, 273 Bowery, Room 1. This is your chance to speak up!
WEEKLONG MUSIC & DANCING 1/10/07
Vision Dance Music Series, Jan. 16-21
by
Don Cruise
A six day festival featuring the finest avant-garde dancers collaborating with stars of the New York avantJazz scene, including Kioka Qxi, Loren Dempster, Sally Silvers, Lewis Barnes, Cooper Moore, Baraka de Soleil, Kazuko Miyamoto, Patricia Nicholson, Ned Rothenburg, Julia Wilkins. Each evening concludes with a musical set featuring great Visionary musicians and this week particularly features Joe McPhee in various settings. Tue Jan 16 - Sun Jan 21, La Tea at the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center, 107 Suffolk Street, 2nd Floor. $20 per night, $10 students and seniors, 3 nights for $40, Tel. 212.696.6681
HOT JAZZ 1/09/07
Han Bennink and Friends at Tonic, 1/9 & 1/10
by
Don Cruise
Drummer and multi-instrumentalist Han Bennink is one of the unfortunately rare musicians whose abilities and interests span the music's entire spectrum, from Dixieland to Free. His straight-ahead playing is absolutely convincing — his time is solid, his sense of swing strong, and his technique flawless. Tue 1.9 & Wed 1.10, 8 PM, Tonic, 107 Norfolk St, 212.358.7501, $15 / $12 advance...
SPORTS 1/09/07
Pillow Fight League
by
Don Cruise
Founded in Canada in 2004, the PFL numbers 22 female fighters, all hell-bent on fluffy pugilism. The rules are UFC-like in their brutal simplicity: most anything goes, as long as the pillow is used at the point of contact. Fri Jan 19 at Galapagos Art Space/Bar, 70 N 6th St, between Kent and Wythe, Williamsburg. $15 at SmartTix.com
GLOBAL WHAT? 1/09/07
Springtime on the Lower East Side
by
Pat Arnow
The rainy front passes through, leaving a confusion and profusion of colorful clouds over the bridges on the East River. Meanwhile, the daffodils and crocus bulbs aren't waiting for April...
LAST RITES 1/08/07
Funeral for Marcia Lemmon
by
Rob Hollander
Marcia Lemmon, dedicated Lower East Side community activist, resource on legislation, fountain of information, a strong voice and unafraid who stood up for us and spoke truth to power...
REVERED & REVILED BIRD 1/08/07
The Book on Pigeons
by
Pat Arnow
I hate pigeons. Except for one. It was a homing pigeon who got lost and landed on my balcony. Out on the street, I want to scream at the little old people who throw seed and bread for the pigeons to stop feeding the little poop factories. Into such a swirl of inchoate love, interest, and irritation, a friend dropped a copy of a new book, Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird by Andrew Blechman...
SAFETY (AND SANITY) RESTORED 1/08/07
Silver to DOT: Take Down the Median
by
Yori Yanover, Editor
Dear Commissioner Weinshall: As per our recent discussion, it is with great urgency that I contact you regarding the concrete median recently built in the intersection of Grand Street and the FDR Drive. This median poses a great danger for both pedestrians and vehicles and I strongly recommend that it be removed immediately...
LOCAL DRINKS 1/08/07
Death & Co.
by
Don Cruise
Having a friendly, laid-back spot for classic cocktailing is every American's right -- but just like your right to gamble while heavily medicated, this one's often trampled on by ineptitude and greed. Here to secure your libational liberties: just-opened Death & Co. 433 E 6th St, between 1st and A Reservations: 212.388.0882...
FAT TUESDAY 1/08/07
Henry Street Settlement Mardi Gras Masquerade
by
Don Cruise
Cocktails & Hors d'oeuvres, Casino, Dancing & Fabulous Prizes, Midnight parade by the Krewe d'Henri, Saturday, March 10, Prince George Ballroom, 15 E. 27th Street...
OLD ART 1/07/07
Recent Acquisitions: American and European Prints
by
Don Cruise
Rounding out the American section are several lithographs from the 1920s and 30s, including a somewhat humorous depiction of a drawing class by Mabel Dwight, a rolling Midwest landscape by Grant Wood, and two radically different views of the lower East Side by Glenn O. Coleman and Raphael Soyer...
SCHOOL SEX 1/07/07
Mom Sues over School Sex Molest
by
Don Cruise
A 12-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by a middle-school classmate and later forced to re-enact the event in front of her classmates, a bombshell lawsuit alleges. The girl was then forced to transfer to another school - even as her alleged assailant was allowed to return to the Technology, Arts and Sciences Studio MS on the Lower East Side...
NEW BOSS LADIES 1/05/07
Velazquez Legislative Package to Improve Quality of Life
by
Kate Davis
As Congresswoman Nydia M. Velazquez (D-NY) was officially sworn in to the 110th Congress today, she introduced a legislative package to address a number of the ongoing concerns that New York City families and small businesses have been faced with over the past several years...
NAUGHTY 1/05/07
LES Slips New Bar by the SLA
by
Don Cruise
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a Lower Eastpacking District bar opening with full liquor license! Naked Earth coffee-shop owner Shuki Kazaz has teamed up with first-timer Stephen Schuler to open a “classy dive” with a fifties pinup-theme in the diminutive space that once housed Lulu’s Gourmet Coffee. Nurse Bettie, 106 Norfolk St., nr. Delancey St.; 917-434-9072. Opens fully January 18...
ELDRIDGE POLES 1/05/07
'70s Polish Socialist Conceptualism
by
Aukasz Ronduda
Polish Socialist Conceptualism of the 70s presents a selection of films and documentations of actions, performances and conceptual gestures, most of them unknown, forgotten or excluded from art historical discourse in Poland...
BOWERY BALLROOM 1/05/07
Man Man, Mixel Pixel and Plastic Little
by
Bowery Ballroom
Man Man's recorded output may challenge those without a clear appreciation for Waits and Beefheart, but the Philly quintet's live show is instantly enjoyable — a raucous, theatrical outburst that's equal parts bravado and dementia. Fri 1.5, 10 PM, Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey St, 212.533.2111...
TOLERANCE, ETC. 1/12/07
January 15 Guided Tours in Honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
by
The New York Tolerance Center
The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s New York Tolerance Center will open its doors to the public in honor of Martin Luther King Day with guided tours featuring a special program on Monday, January 15th, 2007 for tours beginning at 9:30 AM, 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM on a reservation-only basis...
REGISTER NOW! 1/04/07
Abrons Classes Begin January 28
by
Henry Street Settlement
The Abrons Arts Center offers superb artistic training programs for all ages. Some of the most significant artists have taught or trained at Henry Street, including Martha Graham, Aaron Copland, Jackson Pollock, Dizzy Gillespie, Alwin Nikolai and John Cage...
DOWNTOWNERS UP IN ALBANY 1/04/07
State of the State of the State
by
Yori Yanover
Governor Spitzer spoke for about half an hour - a huge improvement over his predecessor, Pataki, who took hours to say nothing. Spitzer managed to say nothing in much less time. Basically he promised to improve a lot of stuff without raising taxes. OK...
DOWNTOWNER IN DC (II) 1/04/07
Velazquez Official Swearing In to 110th Congress
by
Kate Davis
The start of the 110th Congress will kick-off for Congresswoman Nydia M. Velazquez (D - NY), by being officially sworn in on Thursday January 4 to begin her 8th term of serving the residents of New York's 12th congressional district...
DOWNTOWNER IN DC 1/04/07
Nadler to Gonzales: Talk!
by
Ari Goldberg
I have a question about the practice of extraordinary rendition, particularly rendition to repressive countries we know practice torture. A Canadian
citizen, Mr. Arar, was detained in 2002 at JFK Airport in New York as a suspected terrorist. He was on his way home to Canada...
SYNAGOGUE ART 1/03/07
Janina Project: Celestial Structures
by
Nikia Redhead
Invited by Museum Director Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos, Judy Moonelis’s work brings a contemporary perspective to Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue and Museum, public attention to its needs and the importance of its continued existence in the community...
AFTERSCHOOL 1/03/07
Bloomberg Welcomes 350 Kids to The Pond
by
Daniel Symon
Mayor Bloomberg welcomed more than 350 participants in New York City’s Out-of-School Time (OST) initiative to The Pond at Bryant Park for Skate Day...
TO DO TO DAY 1/02/07
Stripped Stories
by
Don Cruise
There's no finer art than the telling of a ribald sex story -- and nothing worse than a lout who thinks he's mastered that art by merely sharing that, one time, he enjoyed The Ultimate (penis-in-vagina). To hear naked tales told right, hit "Stripped Stories", a monthly showcase starting up tomorrow night at Mo Pitkin's...
DARK NOSTALGIA 1/02/07
Stripped Stories
by
Don Cruise
Every now and again I'd make the trip down to the Lower East Side to visit my aunt and uncle, who had raised me after my parents died when I was 15. Though I took the subway there, by the time I left it was dark and my aunt insisted that I take the bus across the street rather than walk to the subway. They'd watch anxiously from the window to make sure I was okay...
MOO 1/01/07
Memories of Food Past
by
Don Cruise
Long Island surf food (Ditch Plains) struggled to ride the wave of Manhattan; the much ballyhooed E.U. European Union survived endless problems; and two little cheese shops that could (Formaggio Essex and Saxelby Cheese) made a profound impact on dairy consumption on the Lower East Side...
IMPORTED HATE 1/01/07
What Turned Sayyid Qutb Against America?
by
Don Cruise
Fully a fourth of the 8 million New Yorkers were Jewish, many of whom had fled the latest European catastrophe. Hebrew letters covered the signs for the shops and factories on the Lower East Side, and Yiddish was commonly heard on the streets. That would have been a challenge for the middle-aged Egyptian who hated the Jews but, until he left his country, had never met one...
LOCAL GREEKS 1/01/07
Seamus Heaney's New Translation of Sophocles' Antigone
by
Jonathan Slaff
The new translation of Sophocles' Antigone by Nobel Prize winning Irish Poet Seamus Heaney, written in 2004, was celebrated when released but is still unfamiliar to most American audiences. It will be directed at La MaMa by American director Alexander Harrington, founder of The Eleventh Hour Theater Company and son of the late Michael Harrington...
Waterfront Meeting Tonight
Suggested Improvements for Dept. of Transportation Process to Design for New Bike Lanes
