Perkins Fights For Environment
To the Editor:
In the current New York State Senate, there are few lawmakers truly fighting for a better environmental future for New Yorkers. Bill Perkins is one such legislator. He has a proven record of fighting for New Yorkers and getting results.
As State Senator for the 30th District, Bill Perkins has fought for cleaner air in a district where nearly one in four children suffer from asthma. He has worked with local organizations to fix problems at the North River Sewage Treatment Plant and has fought against the siting of additional bus depots in Northern Manhattan, a huge source of air pollution. And while he was serving in the City Council, Bill led efforts to pass The Childhood Lead Paint Poisoning Act of 2004. This crucial legislation led to a sharp decrease in lead poisoning cases, particularly among people of color and in low-income neighborhoods.
It is for these reasons that my organization has endorsed Senator Bill Perkins in the upcoming September 14 Democratic Primary. Senator Perkins’ demonstrated commitment to the environmental health of New Yorkers makes him the right choice for voters of the 30th District. For the environmental health of New York, we urge Democratic voters in Washington Heights, Harlem and on the Upper East Side to support Senator Bill Perkins this September 14.
Marcia Bystryn
President, New York League of Conservation Voters
SOS Etiquette
What happens when you become trapped in your New York apartment?
When the doorknob came off in my hand, I couldn’t understand what had happened. It was as if I had been shaking a friend’s hand and had somehow pulled it completely out of its socket, like a scene from a horror film. After the initial shock, I felt incredibly stupid. I had known that the knob was loose; it had been loose for months, but I had put off doing anything about it. Read more
A September Potpourri
Hurting businesses on Second Avenue; Sept. 11; and Rosh Hashanah
By Bette Dewing
Yup, a New York Times review’s claim that no one’s sensibilities would be offended by Eat Pray Love actually got me out to the movies. Except for a few offending words, I left the theater with a glow which made East 86th Street’s maddening crowds seem almost friendly. Do you ever miss the going-to-the-movie experience where your sensibilities weren’t offended and earplugs and deep pockets weren’t needed? Read more
Three Muggings and a $100 Profit
Learning from having your adrenaline switch tested
By Susan Braudy
Thank goodness muggings are pretty much a thing of my past. Some things are getting better—a lot better—in our town. My first mugging took place at dusk on the University of Pennsylvania campus. A man pushed a wad of dollar bills into my coat pocket after showing me the top $100 bill, then invited me back to his hotel room. When I refused, he pushed me down and kicked me toward an open car door. Read more
Colorful History
To The Editor:
Can we ever have (“Uncovering Forgotten New York,” July 21) too many historians? Never! Especially when they so eloquently bring our fascinating local history back to life. Coney Island’s “Dreamland,” the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire—almost everyone knows a little about these, but it’s the efforts of people like Kevin Baker filling in the details and revealing the backstory that makes it play like a newsreel. Thanks for introducing us to him.
Chris A. Randolph
New York City
Traffic Tragedy
To the Editor:
Words fail to describe a criminal lawyer’s reaction to this tragedy (“Harsher Penalties in Traffic Crimes,” Aug. 18), along with the “situation that prevails” on the streets of NYC.
To put it succinctly, we have laws that are not enforced; so many drivers have “carte blanche” to do as they wish. Need I tell you who is supposed to enforce the traffic laws? Sad to say, of all the accounts, complaints and suggestions regarding the problem, rarely is there mention of the NYPD’s responsibility in the matter. Until this reality is confronted, people will continue to die on our streets, and the rule of law will suffer another affront.
Nicholas Arena
Upper West Side
Mosque Debate: Tempest in a Teapot
Many facts overlooked by those opposed to Islamic Cultural Center
By Ian Alterman
Alan Chartock’s piece should be must-reading with respect to the proposed Islamic center near Ground Zero (“First Amendment at Stake,” Aug.19). I would like to add some facts to the debate:
Most people opposed to the project say that it is “too close to Ground Zero.” Yet before and since 9/11, there has been an active mosque only four blocks from Ground Zero, and no one ever expressed any opposition to it. As well, the congregation of the imam behind the project outgrew its storefront mosque near Canal Street some time ago, and has been using a portion of the Park Place building ever since. Yet no one expressed any opposition to that either. Read more
The Cuomo Conundrum
Lazio, a surer bet to beat than junkyard dog Paladino
If you were Andrew Cuomo, who would you rather run against: Rick Lazio, the Republican middle-of-the-roader who is as American as apple pie and Howdy Doody, or his conservative, tea-partyish opponent, Carl Paladino? Cuomo is beating the stuffing out of both of them in the polls. You can be sure that this question is being discussed a lot in the Cuomo organization and between Papa and Junior Cuomo. Read more
Quest For The Perfect Parking Place
Finding a space for their cars drives Manhattanites to insane lengths
One reason I’ve loved living in Manhattan for the past 27 years is that I don’t need a car. Whenever I do, I rent.
I’ve always believed that I had the whole “car thing” down, so I’d shake my head in disbelief as my car-owning friends engaged in the insanity of alternate-side- of-the-street parking, monthly garage fees the price of studio apartments and having conversations with a guy whose name is embroidered on his shirt along the lines of, “It’s making a noise like, CACHUNGA. Think you can fix it?” Read more
Even more “Culture Schlock”
To The Editor:
I couldn’t agree more with your dismay at today’s Hollywood fare (“Culture Schlock,” July 22). Imagine what awaits us in the future if 3-D with IMAX sound becomes the standard format in moviemaking, and screenwriters and directors feel even more compelled to focus on eye-popping special effects rather than mind-expanding themes, ear-splitting sound rather than sparkling dialogue. One can only hope that Hollywood regains the ability to once again make movies that are “absorbing, serious, or truly witty,” the kind we used to enjoy and that a new generation of filmgoers has been deprived of.
Sy Oshinsky
Upper West Side
