Life: Under Construction

The Standard Pollutes The High Line's Scenery

via www.nypost.com

I've seen the recent headlines about the Standard Hotel's windows which often feature naked guests or employees of the hotel. I have not bothered to read the stories behind the headlines because I figure I knew it already: exhibitionists check in to the hotel and voyeurs stroll along NYC's new High Line for optimum viewing pleasure. I did not realize that the Standard's window displays didn't just feature people occasionally flashing their chests or their backside. Pedestrians have also looked up and seen men masturbating and couples having sex in full view. Some might see these displays as avant garde and fun but these displays mean that the public can only take advantage of the High Line if they are willing to accept these grotesque displays. The High Line is a public park, paid for by our taxes, as such it should not be a resource controlled by perverts. The Standard may be operating on the motto 'There is no such thing as bad publicity' but it seems to me if they don't change their tune, they will only be able to attract a very odd subsection of the population. If the Standard will not curb this behavior, it will be up to the city to make a change (tinted windows perhaps?!).

Bronx Rape Happens Despite The Victims Pleas For Help

via www.nypost.com

The New York Post is reporting that a 17-year-old girl was raped near her apartment building in the Bronx. The fact that her screams were heard by neighbors who did nothing to help, is reminiscent of Kitty Genovese's murder (the Queens woman who was murdered outside her apartment building while neighbors were aware of what was going on but did nothing).

I am sure that all of us would hope that a good Samaritan would step forward and help us if we were in trouble. We would probably also hope that if someone else was in trouble, we would have the courage to step forward. It doesn't seem to much to expect of people, after all, in most situations all anyone needs to do to help is to pick up the phone and call the authorities. Given that it is so easy to help, why don't we?

One reason given in the Genovese murder as to why the neighbors didn't call the cops is that they didn't want to become involved. They didn't want to have to answer questions or have anything to do with the investigation. Looking at this most recent attack, I'm not so sure that apathy is the only reason people do not become involved.

My bedroom window opens onto an air shaft that leads down to a busy street that on any evening, is full of couples strolling, families returning home, and groups of young people wandering around looking for a good time. Needless to say, I have gotten used to falling to sleep with quite a bit of noise in the background. On an average night, I will hear young women squealing and men yelling. Every once and awhile an argument will erupt on the street that features some pretty intense rage. When I hear someone's voice in anger I obviously begin asking myself whether this is sounds serious, whether I should call the cops. I have never called the cops because nothing ever sounded that violent and to my knowledge, I have never been wrong. Perhaps the neighbors in the Bronx have had similar experiences: they are used to hearing people yell and scream at each other and usually it doesn't end badly so they assumed everything was fine when they heard the victim scream.

I am not trying to excuse the neighbors or condone the sort of apathy that allowed Kitty Genovese to be murdered but it is hard to know when there is real danger present instead of people letting off some steam.

STRIPHANGER - New York Post

via www.nypost.com

Art has included nudity since the days of antiquity. Sculptors would attempt to shape the human form, but they usually did it out of the public eye. The public then has a choice over whether it goes to see a piece of art, whether it features nudity or not. The people who were stuck on a car as Jocelyn Saldana disrobed and proceeded to perform for the camera, operated by Zach Hyman, did not get to choose to witness this latest artistic exploration. Hyman has been photographically documenting the naked forays of his models all over Manhattan, always in a public place whether it's on a train, in Times Square or in the middle of the street.

Some will no doubt argue that this is just another form of expression and should be supported as such. While I have no objection to nudity itself, I do object to taking the creation of it to the streets. In some cultures nudity is something that is kept private, it may therefore be offensive to some witnesses. Equally, think of young children who may see this and have a hard time comprehending what they are seeing. Finally, what about the straphangers who are tired after a day of work and just want to sit in peace, not be bothered by a performance artist.

If Hyman sells any of his prints, will his unwitting witnesses get a cut? It seems to me they were essential both in terms of adding shock value to his art and providing publicity.

Body in the Basement

via www.nydailynews.com

Human depravity really knows no bounds. Dmitriy and Julia Yakovlev have been charged with stealing the identity of a translator who has been missing for two years. Today, NYPD went to the Yakovlev home with a search warrant that allowed them to search the house looking for the body of the missing translator. This search included digging up the basement under the hypothesis that a body could conceivably be buried there.

On the one hand I hope the police do find the missing woman's body as that would both provide a sense of closure to her family and also make it more likely that her killers can be brought to justice. On the other hand, finding a body in the basement of a suburban house seems rather gruesome. As the world gets smaller, I suppose we will have to accept that our nation will be affected by the vicious criminal-tendencies of other nations.

Extra Education vs. Test Scores: They both have downfalls

via roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com

During Communist rule of the Soviet Bloc, the central government would set benchmarks for what factories should achieve. They set a level of wood they wanted used in one month in furniture making, they set the number of watts that they wanted produced from a light bulb factory. The result? The factories who were set these goals achieved them the easiest way that they could: the furniture factory turned out pieces of furniture that were so large and heavy they were next to impossible to move, the light bulb factory produced bulbs that had such a high wattage, they would blow any fuse that they were connected to. The problem here was incentives: you tell someone that they should be focusing on how much wood they use or how many watts there end-product has and that is what they will do, and they will ignore the other standards that might also be important to you.

The importance of incentives applies to everything, in this case, teaching. If a teacher's promotion (read: pay raise) is based on how much extra education and training they get, that is what they will focus on. While I'm sure there are plenty of teachers who do genuinely care about their performance in the classroom, the fact that that performance has nothing to do with whether they get promoted, get more money or more seniority means that there is an incentive for them to take their eyes off of teaching and instead do as many extra courses as they can.

Clearly, it is not optimal for students to have teachers spending time becoming accredited when they could be preparing lessons. The Obama administration has noticed this and so they are recommending that promotions be based on children's performance. This sounds like a move in the right direction but then you may ask yourself 'How will a class' performance be quantified?' The easy solution is with standardized tests. Tests present there own host of issues because, like with basing promotion of degrees, if this is what a teacher's advancement depends on, this is what they will focus on. In the past when tests have been used to rate teachers they have devoted a disproportionate amount of class time to getting their students prepared for the tests, this has meant that skills like writing or creativity that are not tested have been ignored. In some extreme cases, the pressure on teachers to have students that achieve high scores has caused the teachers to cheat, giving their students the answers!!

The bottom line is that it is impossible to quantify a 'good teacher' in a way that can be evaluated by the people that run the public school system. I have long been in favor of a voucher system that allows students who would otherwise be stuck in public school, to attend private institutions. This would give students and parents the ability to vote with their feet for institutions that have a good teaching staff. Schools that were filled with teachers that didn't care would close down for lack of public funds (by why of the vouchers).
It's just an idea.

MAYOR BLOOMBERG COMPARES HIMSELF TO ROBERT MOSES - New York Post

via www.nypost.com

I have a soft spot in my heart for Mayor Mike Bloomberg, mainly because he is not a politician. A real politician would have had the sense to only think of himself as as influential as Robert Moses, he wouldn't actually say it. But his lack of political savvy is one the reasons that Bloomberg was elected. Especially in New York City where the corrupt Democratic party puts forward its candidate who is beholden both to the party and entrenched special interests like the unions, it is a relief to find someone outside of this system.

While I appreciate Bloomberg, it's hard to see how he compares with Robert Moses. Whether or not you agree with the decisions Moses made over New York's roads, bridges and neighborhoods, we can all agree that he shaped the layout of New York as we know it, whether it's the Triborough Bridge or the placement of the U.N. building. What has Bloomberg done that compares with these permanent structures? He has closed some bits of Broadway for pedestrians. He created the skyline over in the meatpacking district. He tried to get Atlantic Yards under way but that hasn't happened yet. And we still have a great crater where there used to be the World Trade Center. While the things he has done are excellent and improve the quality of life for those of us living in Manhattan, they are not earth-shattering feats.

Time to eat some humble pie Mikey-boy!

Film shoot interrupted by actual shooting

via www.nydailynews.com

Whenever I see a film or a TV clip featuring New York City in the 1970s and 1980s, it seems like a completely different city. It is shown as dark and dank, graffiti everywhere, sign of vandalism abound. The overwhelming emotion is one of fear and aggression. Thankfully, during the 90s, things began to turn around. Prostitutes and drug pushers were driven out of the parks, police presence was increased both on the street and on the subway to add safety. The attitude of the city changed from one of disappointed acceptance to indignant resistance. Crime was no longer tolerated.

Every once and awhile, crimes are committed that seem reminiscent of those dark days in New York's recent history. The shooting over the weekend on 17th St. near 10th is one such reminder. A member of a film crew was busy putting up 'No Parking' signs when he heard shots and saw a man fall down in the street. This was at 6pm on a Sunday evening. It did occur near public housing projects but this is Manhattan! Is it a sign that the cutbacks that were made necessary because of the shrinking budget have meant fewer cops out on the street keeping the peace? Is it a sign that people are under stress because of the economy and so are more likely to resort to violence and crime? Or is this a fluke, something that just happened and is unlikely to ever be repeated?

I'm hoping it's the latter though that may be overly optimistic of me!

A Ponzi Grows in Brooklyn

via www.nydailynews.com

The problem with any Ponzi scheme is that at a certain point, the mastermind will no longer be able to gather enough new investments to pay all his previous investors the interest payments that they have come to expect. Whether this scarcity of new funds occurs because the economy shrinks or because the mastermind has run out of people to swindle, a Ponzi scheme is like a house of cards that because of a slightly breeze or shake collapses to the ground. The victims of the swindle are then left to try and pick up the pieces.

A group of about 40 of Philip Barry's investors sued him for stealing their money when he had told them that he was investing it. While Barry maintains his innocence and pledges that he just needs time to liquidate property that he invested in, a Brooklyn Federal court judge has ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and ordered Barry to pay hundreds of thousand dollars in damages. While this is a moral victory for his victims, it will do little to ease the financial hardships that they are now facing. Most of the people that walked into Barry's grubby storefront were retired, investing their future in Barry. That future now looks pretty grim.

This is yet another reminder to all of us to be careful. Buyer Beware! The only riskless asset out there is something like a T-bill issued from a reliable government (like the US) that promises to pay out X-amount on a specific schedule. For any asset or person that is offering you a return greater than what you would get on government issued debt, there is risk involved. If someone is telling you that they can guarantee you 10% on your investment, at the very least take it with a grain of salt. Ask yourself how they are able to guarantee something like that. Consider that most large mutual funds that are hopefully optimally diversified will not guarantee you anything. Instead they will show you what their performance has been in the past.

While the shrinking economy has exposed some of these crooks, I have no doubt that there are plenty more out there. Please, be mindful and be careful with your money...it is your future.

Store Owner Shoots 4 Men, 2 Fatally, During Robbery Attempt in Harlem - NYTimes.com

via www.nytimes.com

Local news is alive with this story of a store owner who shot the four men that attempted to come in and rob his store. Two of the assailants are dead, two are injured. The perpetrators entered the store on 125th St planning to use violence to get cash. On entering the store they tried to intimidate the two shop workers that were there. The male worker attempt to fight back and was promptly knocked on his head with a gun. Then these criminals discovered that violence begets violence. In response to the threat that he and his colleagues were under, 72 year-old Charles Augusto Jr. whipped out his Winchester 12-gauge and fired three shots.

First off, what a good shot! Under stress and in a tight situation too! People who would chose violence to take what they want should take note. In addition I hope that this isn't used as an argument for why everyone should have a gun. Had Mr. Augusto not been so quick or so accurate, this could have had a very different ending: one that featured the criminals getting a hold of the Winchester and using it against Augusto and his employees or it could have featured one of his bullets injuring one of his own employees. I grew up shooting Winchester 75's and I have always thought that that experience has given me a necessary respect for guns. I hope others share my respect.

TAXICAB DRIVER, AKIM SAIFUL ALAM, KILLS 8-YEAR-OLD WHILE DRIVING ON CELL PHONE - New York Post

via www.nypost.com

I believe it was last week that I wrote a post about the regulation that prohibits taxi drivers from talking on the phone, even if they are using a hands-free device. This was a regulation that I was previously unaware of and I think it came as news to many other New Yorkers who, like me, had come to accept having a cab driver yapping away in the front of the car as the status quo. In my post I pledged to do my part in enforcing the no cell-phone policy for cabbies as a small way to make this city safer for everyone.

I was completely set on my conviction until I got in a cab later that day and found that may driver was talking. He wasn't talking loudly, he wasn't driving erratically. Frankly, I felt awkward about making a fuss and being so demanding of someone who makes a pretty meager wage. Obviously, I should get over myself. Yesterday a cabbie talking on his phone struck and killed a boy up in Harlem. The boy was crossing the street with his mother, the light was in their favor when Akim Saiful Alam crashed into him. The cabbie was so involved with his conversation that he didn't even realized what had happened until other pedestrians signaled to him. If ever we needed a reason to crack down on cell-phone use, this is it.

Well distractions are obviously a problem among cabbies, I think it only underlines the fact that we are trusting minimum wage employees with our lives. The city should really consider, selling more medallions so that the value of them goes down. Then more of the fare could go to the driver instead of to the medallion holder and we could try and attract drivers with more experience and more care. (I don't mean to criticize all cab drivers, a lot of them are responsible and good drivers but there are also plenty who drive like bats out of hell!)