NYC’s Eateries

The New York Times has reported, many people are struggling with food. In New York City, where food is available everywhere, many people struggle with the nutritional guidelines on the menu’s in fast food restaurants.  With, the calories listed on the side of every meal, people find themselves struggling with what  to eat.

Readings of plays in workshop

Most lovers of staged theater productions also love staged readings. Readings are usually held in intimate environments, the audience often has seats close to the actors, and often we get to watch the director and cast interact with the playwright. Sometimes we’ll even be solicited for feedback. New York Theater Workshop on East 4th Street has a tradition of workshopping plays with staged readings and other audience accessible formats, with regularly scheduled reading venues, like Mondays @ 3 and Suspect Studio readings on Thursday evenings. These are not widely advertised, but not impossible to gain admission to, once you do know about them. Take a look at the website, and if you’re interested, try calling the box office to find out about attending.

New York Theater Workshop

Hard to Believe: Drug-Related Deaths Decline!

There were two articles published these past two weeks in GothamGazette:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/pr2010/pr009-10.shtml

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/survey/survey-2009drugod.pdf,

suggesting that unintentional drug overdose deaths have sharply declined 27%.

However, that’s not what we have recently been seeing on T.V.

Keith Ledger ? DJ AM? Britnet Murphey? Michael Jackson?

One death after another. Young celebrities fading away like flies…

What’s happening?

Studies release the facts:

*  Nearly all unintentional drug overdose deaths (98%) involve more than one substance, including alcohol.

*Opioids were the most commonly noted drug type(74%).

Types of opioids included heroin,methadone, and prescription pain relievers.

*Other drugs commonly found were: cocaine (53%),benzodiazepines (35%), antidepressants (26%),and alcohol (43%).

*New Yorkers who died from unintentional drug overdose were mostly men (74%) and ages 35 to 54 years (60%).

It’s just hard to believe that there is less people dying due to drug-related causes if we have lately seen such contradictions occurring,

Don’t you think?

Warmer Temperatures Kill Cocaine Users ?

” Accidental overdose deaths involving cocaine rise when the average weekly ambient temperature passes 75 degrees Fahrenheit,” according to a study published online in the journal Addiction.

The study’s findings predict that at least two more people per week will die of a drug overdose in the city for each two degree rise in temperature above 24 degrees Celsius, compared to weeks with average temperatures of 24 degrees and below.

“Cocaine-related overdose deaths increase as the ambient temperature rises because cocaine increases the core body temperature, impairs the cardiovascular system’s ability to cool the body, and decreases the sense of heat-related discomfort that ordinarily motivates people to avoid becoming overheated. Cocaine users who become overheated (hyperthermic) can overdose on lower amounts of cocaine because their bodies are under more stress.”

Prevention efforts could also include making air conditioning available in locations where cocaine use is common such as urban areas with a known high prevalence of cocaine use, and within those urban areas, particular neighbourhoods with elevated numbers of cocaine-related deaths or arrests.

“Cocaine users are at a high risk for a number of negative health outcomes and need public health attention, particularly when the weather is warm.”

http://resources.atcmhmr.com/poc/view_doc.php?type=news&id=126426&cn=14

State Senators Pass Drastic School Cuts

Today the New York State Senate voted in favor of Governor Paterson’s budget proposal  to cut public school funding. Although the cuts have not yet been finalized by the State Assembly,it may have a severe impact on public schools statewide.

A GothamSchools article posted by Anna Phillips describes how first-grade class room size will increase to 28 students, after-school programs will severely decrease, and summer school would become unaffordable. Even more devastating, the president of the union for principals and school administrators predicted that the cuts would lead to a “permanent achievement gap” despite NCLB’s efforts to narrow the gap. I really do not understand how politicians insist on putting children first and aiming to “do what’s best for the kids” yet time again their policies clearly show that the best interests of the future generation is the last thing on their priority list.If it’s not Bloomberg and Klein’s belief that closing a school is better than fixing it, then it’s Governor Paterson proposing an even deeper cut to one of the most vital areas of our future well-being.

M train changes its color and route

The V line which is the  youngest subway line in the city will loose its name for the benefit of the M line that will keep the name, but not its color or route, MTA said on Friday.

In a result of the service cuts announced by MTA to cover the company’s 400 million budget gap initially considered eliminating the M line and extending the V line. The changes introduced on Friday call for keeping the same route of the new combination of M and V lines, but instead of naming it the V line, MTA will create orange M line.

The orange M line will start its route on Metropolitan Avenue in Queens, it will take the route of the old brown M line until Essex Street in Manhattan and then will take the V train route back to Queens, to Forest Hills.

If accepted the combination of two lines will take effect in June this year. The solution will hurt the present M train commuters who travel to Downtown Manhattan, because the M train will no longer stop below Essex Street station. Passengers will have to transfer for the J train that will make all M train stops in Manhattan. There will be no M or J service from Board Street in Manhattan to southern Brooklyn.

M train commuters will have direct transportation from Queens to many major stops in Manhattan: 14th street, 34th street, 42th street or 49th street.

MTA decided to keep the letter M, because this line has longer history than created in 2001 V line. The orange color specified by the rule established in 1979 is given according to the avenue in Manhattan that the train goes under. The new M train will join B,D and F lines that go under Sixth Avenue.

Secret of the West Bank Cafe

Movie stars without the movies? It’s fairly well known that most “serious” actors will take a role in a Broadway or an off-Broadway play when their schedules, ambitions and managers allow it. But if you want to go star spotting without even going to the theater (although, really, you’ll have much more fun if you do see a show), maybe your best chance is a late night visit to 42nd Street’s West Bank Cafe on the wrong side of 9th Avenue. On a recent Friday night, eating  broccoli rabe with playwright Jonathan Leaf after his show, “Sexual Healing,” I got to watch Marisa Tomei in black framed Elvis Costello glasses and a geeky, eighties off-the-shoulder sweater, as she held court at a long table of friends. If I got tired of gazing in that direction, I turned my head and watched former Girlfriends star Tracee Ellis Ross schmooze with the seating hostess by the entrance.

Drawn by a rich history of artistic patronage, stars also come to see and participate in shows downstairs. The Laurie Beechman Theatre, a little bar/performance space in the basement, has hosted and nurtured seemingly countless stars–often before they became stars. Lewis Black was the playwright-in-residence there for over a decade, Bruce Willis tended bar there until the cafe owner set him up with an agent, and Tennessee Williams just liked drinking there–or so the common-knowledge rumors have it.

I haven’t sampled the cafe food extensively, but their after-eight menu has always impressed me and their prices aren’t so daunting if you remember you’re dining in New York City. Take a look at the link for their performance schedule and their menu, and if you’re on a budget but hungry for culture and comfort food, try their truffle oil drizzled macaroni and their late-night Friday open mike. There’s no cover and there’s really no predicting just who will show up.

West Bank Cafe

Which Matters First? The Teacher or the Curriculum?

With more and more education reformists citing the best way to teach our children is to get a hold of great teachers little has been said about how flawed the “teaching teachers how to teach” solution is. For starters firing, hiring and retraining teachers takes money, political finesse and above all else time and New York City just doesn’t have those luxuries. Of course quality teachers are a push in the obvious, right direction but it cannot be our  go to answer. In a Gothamschools article published yesterday, Matthew Levey pointed out a cost-effective alternative: create a better curriculum. Without disregarding the data and research that says high-quality teachers are the answer to a good education, Levey says for the time being New York City should focus more on quickly changing the school curriculum now and allow the good teachers race to catch up in the coming years. Of course education reform must be comprehensive and class sizes, resources, good teachers, and curriculum are all part of the equation but changing the curriculum may just be thr cheapest, quickest, and do-able thing the Department of Education can do to help out for now until reform can be done and done right.

For more check out the article, The Role of Curriculum in Education.

Census Undercount Leads to Underfunding in Bushwick

The consequence of population undercounting has finally reared its head in neighborhoods like Bushwick – leaving countless immigrants without necessary care and basic services.

Feet in Two Worlds reports that after suffering an arm injury, Manuel Zuniga, a recent Ecuadorian immigrant, didn’t get much help from Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center in Bushwick. Instead, he was referred to a hospital in Manhattan – one that is better funded, even though there are two medical centers conveniently located in his neighborhood.

The low participation of Bushwick locals in the 2000 Census is one explanation for the poor funding of a highly populated neighborhood like Bushwick. According to the article, less than 40 percent of actual residents were counted during the 2000 Census, causing a shortage of funds for numerous services like medical care, public housing, schools, and even transportation. It appears that the reluctance of immigrants to partake in Census surveys is correlated with fears of being deported, but elected officials like State Assemblyman Vito Lopez believe it is essential to have a more accurate count this year, since the lives of thousands clearly depend on it. To read the full story, click here.

The dream of a lifetime

An earthquake that hit Haiti, one of the world’s poorest countries, is giving Haitians the chance to live the American Dream. The government is giving out temporary work permits to roughly 200,000 Haitians who are currently in the U.S. illegally, hoping that they can make money and help rebuild Haiti. Christanya Semplice of the Bronx, a mother of five, will get this opportunity. She’s been here illegally since she was three, more than twenty years ago. The temporary protected status is valid for 18 months. There have been critics of this golden opportunity and it should be noted that those with a criminal record could not apply. Click here to read more.