ANOTHER REASON TO APPRECIATE VEGETABLES
BIODIESEL FOR HOME HEATING IS BOTH COST-EFFECTIVE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND
By David Yassky
Mayor Michael Bloomberg has floated some pretty eye-catching ideas for reducing air pollution, such as wind turbines in our harbor and congestion pricing on our streets. Meanwhile, the most effective way for New York to combat global warming would be to replace some of the petroleum-based heating oil used in the city with fuel made from vegetable matter. This idea may not be so glamorous, but it does have the virtue of being completely practical and virtually costless.
This winter, New Yorkers will use some 475 million gallons of diesel oil as heating fuel. This oil is highly polluting, and it increases our dependence on Middle East suppliers.
Obviously we have to heat our buildings. But there’s a better way. Read more
RAVITCH IS RIGHT
TRANSIT COMMISSION PROPOSAL NEEDS RIDER SUPPORT
By Elliot Sander
At public hearings held across the city this month, I have heard strong objections from hundreds of MTA customers about the fare and toll increase and service cuts the MTA has been forced to propose. You may be surprised by my reaction: I agree with you. A 25 percent fare increase is too much, especially in this economic environment. And with transit ridership growing, I agree that now is the time to be adding service, not cutting it. These painful measures can be avoided, but only with your help. Read more
TALES FROM THE BEDROOM (AND ELSEWHERE)
IN DERROW’S NEW ANTHOLOGY, A WOMAN’S FRANK PERSPECTIVE ON SEX
By Lorne Jaffe
Honest, reassuring sexuality from a woman’s perspective in a literary format. That was Paula Derrow’s goal in compiling Behind the Bedroom Door: Getting It, Giving It, Loving It, Missing It (Delacorte Press, a division of Random House), a frank, often uproarious anthology released on Dec. 30. The collection features 26 of today’s most accomplished female writers, including Susan Cheever, Lauren Slater, Julie Powell and Valerie Frankel, whose unflinching accounts explore everything from the joys and risks of one-night stands to the frequently hilarious accidents that occur in the bedroom or the backseat or any other imaginable place. Read more
BEFORE THE BLACK-TIE PARTIES
A MEMORABLE TREK TO THE PLAZA, IN SEARCH OF THE TIME LADY
By Ben Krull
Most of my New Year’s Eves have been spent at parties. But my most memorable celebration involved running down Fifth Avenue, to hear what the time lady had to say.
I was a college sophomore and was home for winter break. My city friends were away for the holidays, so I was stuck celebrating New Year’s with my 13-year-old brother, Spencer. Before leaving for a party, my parents placed a champagne bottle in the refrigerator. “Only a sip for Spencer,” my mother instructed.
College had made me a champion beer drinker (back then the drinking age was 18), so I was disappointed to be spending the biggest party night of the year shackled to a minor. While jealously imagining that my friends were standing three-deep at a bar getting drunk Read more
