Columbia Spectator

http://www.columbiaspectator.com Graffiti Artist De La Vega Paints His Way to Court By Carla Zanoni Spectator Staff Writer April 20, 2004 Graffiti artist James De La Vega faced a Bronx Criminal Court judge on Friday regarding charges of criminal mischief, possessing graffiti instruments, and making graffiti. De La Vega was arrested last July at the corner of Willis Avenue and Bruckner Boulevard in the Bronx. By going to trial in June, he has chosen to defend his art rather than to plead guilty and accept a year of probation. The District Attorney previously stated that the artist would not be given the opportunity to provide restitution in any form other than jail time. De La Vega was originally threatened with 30 days of incarceration. De La Vega was told that he would have to answer two specific questions from the judge: "Are you guilty of doing graffiti with the intention of destroying and defacing private property?" and "Did you have graffiti instruments with the intention of destroying and defacing private property?" De La Vega was tempted to plead guilty to "walk away from jail time," but said that ultimately he "couldn't accept saying that to the judge." While De La Vega admits that he did not have permission to paint a wall in the Bronx, he contends he had no intention of destroying or defacing the property. "I wasn't thinking about vandalizing," said De La Vega, a native-born Spanish Harlem resident and artist. "I was trying to figure out how I could effectively communicate with people in that neighborhood when I saw a wall off the highway. I thought I could paint the mural and when people came off the highway and waited at the stoplight, they would look at the painting, maybe think about what they saw, and then drive off." De La Vega describes the image he intended to paint as a "big fish bowl with a small fish inside and a big fish about to jump into a small glass." He does not offer his own interpretation of the painting, preferring to allow others to muse about the meaning on their own. He said his art is "always about interrupting and making people think." De La Vega has a prior misdemeanor conviction from charges that he vandalized an Associated Supermarket's wall in 1999. Although De La Vega pleaded guilty, he said he did so because he thought, "It would be easier to [do] community service and take care of it." He said he didn't realize the charge would affect him so greatly in the future. De La Vega said the storeowner came to his defense, stating that De La Vega had permission to paint the wall, but after he had already pled guilty. De La Vega had painted "Become Your Dream" on the supermarket wall. "I'm not a graffiti writer, I'm an artist," De La Vega said. But when asked to define the difference between art and graffiti, he paused and said the Graffiti Task Force of New York defines the difference in one word: permission. Graffiti differentiates itself from art when permission is not given to the artist, he said. "This discussion about art and graffiti transcends me," De La Vega said. "It's important for this to be discussed." De La Vega insists that his work is important and not arbitrary vandalism. "I brought value to that place [Spanish Harlem]. People come to this neighborhood to see the murals. They like them and want to move here. Strangely enough, I've even become part of the gentrification process." After receiving his Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts from Cornell University, De La Vega taught in New York City schools for four years before leaving 11 years ago with hopes to better inspire the community by working on his murals and sidewalk chalk art. His early work focused mainly on murals in the neighborhood, but he later progressed to sidewalk chalk art, preferring the medium because it allowed him to "touch more people in different neighborhoods where they won't let [me] paint." He now works primarily out of his gallery on 104th Street and Lexington Avenue as well as at El Museo del Barrio, The Museum of the City of New York, Mount Sinai Hospital, and Hope Community, a Harlem based housing program. Hope Community's Community Relations Manager Sandra Palomino said De La Vega started working with Hope Community when "the program director caught him painting a mural on the side of one of their buildings and recognized the importance of his work immediately and offered him a way to do his work legitimately," she said. De La Vega has completed about a dozen murals for Hope Community's buildings. Palomino said her support of De La Vega's work is independent of her organization, explaining, "I support what he does as a resident of the community and think this issue needs to be addressed in our communities." The artist has garnered more than neighborhood support in the past months; he's received letters and calls from Spain, California, and various New York residents asking if they can assist his case. Friday's court date also showcased a who's who list of political and celebrity support when Bronx Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr., former Manhattan Assemblyman Nelson Dennis, United States Congressman Charles Rangel, and Broadway Celebrity Tommy Tune turned up to support the artist before his court date. De La Vega hopes that this will help his case, but is trying to remain realistic. "I can see it from both worlds," he said. "I know that if the government lets me free on this, they won't be able to stop other people who say their work is art." He is scheduled to reappear at the 161st Street Criminal Court in the Bronx on June 9. Introducing Air America Radio: Rush Limbaugh for the Left? By Carla Zanoni Spectator Staff Writer April 12, 2004 By Carla Zanoni Spectator Staff Writer The March 31 debut of Air America Radio, a new liberal talk radio station, has garnered an intense response for a relatively small-market media debut. While receiving negative reviews from its anticipated critics--conservative-minded radio executives--the station has also gotten negative and ambivalent reviews from an unexpected group: liberals themselves. "It's a lot like liberal pornography. It's like listening to Howard Stern," said Ben Posnack, a longtime Morningside Heights resident. "The main problem is that they are preaching to the converted, as is the case in any niche broadcast. Just as I'm not going to listen to Fox News, the conservatives are not going to listen to this." Some argue that Air America provides a weak market for advertisers, pointing to its limited broadcasting range. After the Federal Communications Commission narrowed restrictions on corporations owning multiple stations, many conservative-leaning corporations have managed to acquire large numbers of commercial radio stations, so it has been difficult for Air America to acquire multiple markets due to a short supply of radio stations. But New York-based Progress Media, Air America's parent company, and its partner, Inner City Broadcasting Corporation, plan to continue slowly acquiring new markets and expanding their listener base. Talk radio has long been considered the realm of the political right. According to The American Prospect, a self-described "magazine of liberal ideas," the Senate Democratic Policy Committee reports that 312 hours of conservative shows are broadcast from the top 44 highest-rated talk stations each week, compared with just five hours of liberal programming But Posnack remained skeptical about the need for a counterpart to Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter, saying National Public Radio is a forum most liberals turn to for balanced reporting. "Honestly, I prefer NPR because, even thought I know they're slanted, the format of the show is more like news and less like a talk show," he said. "I don't need another talk show." According to Air America's Web site, the station will boast "a smart voice with a sense of humor" aiming "to give voice to what millions of Americans are thinking, but can't hear on radio." But many argue the satiric and sarcastic tone of the programming is no better than that of current conservative programming, saying they yearn for intelligent and unbiased analysis of current news issues and politics. "Any dissenting opinion has potential to add to the discourse, provided it's based on a sound foundation," Posnack said. "For me it's like candy, because they're saying what I want to hear, but I think, quite honestly, the jury is still out on whether what they're saying has weight enough to really hold its own." During a recent broadcast of Morning Sedition, a take-off based on the popular National Public Radio news program Morning Edition, the hosts debated whether they should refer to themselves as "Bush Bashers and Liberal Nazi Hitlerites"--as they had been referred to in a complaint letter to the station--or radio personalities with a mission to sort through the news and provide listeners with rational analysis. Lizz Winstead, co-host of the program and co-creator of the cable television news satire The Daily Show, halted the discussion by saying the letter's author needed to "come up with something better to write next time he sent a stupid letter like that." In addition to streaming Web broadcasts and XM Satellite Radio Channel 167, Air America is now reaching WLIB-AM (1190) in New York, KBLA-AM (1580) in Los Angeles, WNTD-AM (950) in Chicago, KPOJ-AM (620) in Portland, and KCAA-AM (1050) in San Bernadino, Calif. The station plans to broadcast in San Francisco and San Jose soon and branch into television outlets as well. Critics of Housing Plan Cite Lack of Aid to Poor By Carla Zanoni Spectator Staff Writer April 08, 2004 Over 16 months have passed since the Bloomberg Administration unveiled its "Housing Plan For New York City's 21st Century Neighborhoods," slating over $3 billion in public spending for 27,000 new and 38,000 renovated houses and apartments, and aiming to provide affordable housing for New Yorkers over the span of five years. As of January 2004, 10,000 of the 65,000 units were "under development," with only approximately 1,200 units targeted for those who earn 60 to 80 percent of the city's median income. This dearth of apartments dedicated to low-income families has critics calling for a closer look at what they deem a flawed system. During the December 2002 New York Housing Conference/National Housing Conference 29th Annual Awards Luncheon, Mayor Bloomberg outlined the logistics of his plan, naming affordable housing as the main goal of the program. "Affordable housing is fundamental to our long-term economic prosperity, and this commitment demonstrates that in these difficult budget times, the City has found innovative new ways of funding affordable housing," he said. The Mayor's plan, outlined in "The New Housing Marketplace: Creating Housing for the New Generation," defines the program as one aimed at "creating new markets for affordable housing at all income levels" and "ensuring that there is movement within the existing housing market place to make room for new households." The document goes on to read, "Investing in our neighborhoods, both because the existing housing stock is aging, with 60 percent of the units in New York City built before 1947, [and] because the city, and in particular its low-income communities, cannot afford another calamity of housing abandonment and disinvestments that swept the South Bronx, central Brooklyn and northern Manhattan in the 1970s and 1980s leaving 321,000 units abandoned and nearly 800,000 residents displaced." The Independent Budget Office of the City of New York recently released a study stating that "about half of all of the apartments to be built or renovated under the mayor's plan will go to families that make between $88,000 and $157,000 a year. About 16 percent will be designated for families that make less than $50,000 a year and about 2 percent for housing the homeless. The IBO is "an independent city agency dedicated to enhancing understanding of New York City's budget by providing non-partisan budgetary, economic, and policy analysis for the residents of the city and their elected officials," according to their Web site. But Nellie Bailey, head of the Harlem Tenants Council, calls the disproportionate number of market rate real estate and affordable housing proof of an inconsistency between the mission of the Mayor's plan and its execution. "You do the math. It just doesn't make sense. How can the administration be serious about assisting moderate and low-income citizens if the smallest number of units strictly funded for low income recipients is the smallest percentage?" she asked. "The problem with criticizing Bloomberg's plan is that it is certainly something, but it is not enough. It does not address the housing crisis the city is facing in terms of low income housing," Bailey continued. "Why is it that agencies like the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone and HPD can't shore up and protect the people at the bottom?" Pointing to a lack of social networks for low- to moderate-income families, Bailey said that the "[the] policy makers and managerial class that carry out social policy are to blame for the dismantling of the social service structure." She said that she finds it difficult to hear politicians like United States Congressman Charles Rangel insinuate that the housing effort in areas like Harlem is actually making longtime residents wealthy, pointing to the fact that home ownership in the neighborhood has historically been less than 3 percent. "The hole in the mayor's plan is that it ignores the people most in need of truly affordable housing. We are putting up buildings named after major historic black figures--Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, feel-good names on buildings--but, unlike Sojourner, you can't live there. The people who need the most help cannot afford a $250,000 mortgage. It's still out of reach." The Mayor's press contacts, Edward Skyler and Jonathan Werbell, were unavailable for comment. Lucille McEwen, member of the Mayor's Neighborhood Investment Advisory Panel, a panel organized to "help guide the housing initiative," and President of Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, Inc., a faith-based community organization, were also unavailable to comment on the Mayor's plan or its execution. Projections for affordable housing slated for development in areas like Harlem and Morningside Heights have been elusive. According to an e-mail from Carol Abrams, assistant commissioner for the Office of Communications at the Housing Preservation Department, "Neighborhood-specific information is premature because much of the plan is market-driven. Developers will bring sites, acquire sites, etc. Any neighborhood information we have about what we have completed or what's in the development pipeline is by community board, and 714 units are under construction to be completed within the next 18 months in Manhattan Community Board 9. The number of units to be funded in the five years of Mayor Bloomberg's 'New Housing Marketplace: Creating Housing for the Next Generation' housing plan in Community Board 9 will be determined as the plan progresses." Reactions Mixed as Businesses Close Along Broadway Some Blame Rising Rent and Economic Growth, Some Mismanagement as Four Small Stores Shut Down in Manhattan Valley By Carla Zanoni Spectator Staff Writer March 25, 2004 Among the construction projects on Broadway between 103rd and 107th Streets, several small neighborhood stores quietly subsist, challenged to keep up with the changing face of the area. But within the past two years, four stores have lost the battle: 104th Street Restaurant, Jo-An, Prima Italia Pizzeria, and the newspaper shop News, Inc., have closed their doors with little warning. Although many community members look upon this change as an inevitable and positive result of economic growth, some say it will be impossible for the neighborhood's longtime resident mom-and-pop stores to continue to adapt to rising retail prices, and point to the closing of several neighborhood stores as a sign of the decline of the neighborhood. Still others in the area refute these assumptions, attributing the closings instead to poor business management. In 2002, 104th Street Restaurant closed its doors with a promise that a newly renovated restaurant would open in the near future. Instead, shortly after closing the doors, the owners held an auction to sell the restaurant equipment and vacated the premises. The space has remained empty since 2002. A sign recently appeared in the window announcing "Space for Rent," but was removed two days later with no signs of a new occupant. Similarly, Jo-An, the citywide-heralded Japanese restaurant, claimed it would be temporarily closing for renovations during the summer of 2002. The store has remained vacant since. Prima Italia Pizzeria closed its doors late one evening, stating it was relocating to a new storefront on Amsterdam Avenue. The storefront could not be located along the avenue, and the company's new location is not listed in the telephone directory. News, Inc. closed its doors late one night in January 2004. When asked why the store was closing, the owner said that the landlord had raised the rent to an exorbitant price and he could not pay. The store remained closed for several weeks but reopened as a wireless cell phone provider last week. A neighboring store owner who wished to remain unnamed says the rent was not raised at News, Inc. Instead, he claims the newspaper and cigarette store had been mismanaged and was behind on rent. As a longtime businessman in the neighborhood and renter with the same managing agent as 104th Street Restaurant and News, Inc.--David Associates--he claims many of the store closings are due to mismanagement and not rising rent prices. He said that his rent has been at a fair rate since he opened his store. David Associates declined to comment on their rental rates or the status of their vacant storefronts. Community members have voiced their discomfort with the changing face of the Manhattan Valley area, which extends north from 96th Street to 110th Street and east from Broadway to Central Park West, for many years. "In the past few years the stretch of Broadway between 96th and 110th Streets--the neighborhood's only shopping thoroughfare--has undergone a decided transformation for the worse," read a March 23 letter from co-chair of West Siders for Viable Neighborhoods' Jock Davenport to President Lee Bollinger at Columbia University. "Drugstore chains (six of them at last count) have invaded to duke it out amongst themselves in a Darwinian struggle for supremacy ... Those of us who have lived here for any length of time regard these developments--a glut of drugstores, and absence of supermarkets--as an intolerable lowering of our quality of life," The group has targeted its efforts toward the University in hopes that they will subsidize a moderately priced supermarket in the retail space at 103rd Street slated to open in 2005. But some contend that the change is the foreseeable result of a changing economy, saying community groups and boards are limited in their scope of power to change the face along Broadway. "Manhattanville has done a lot of catching up with its northern and southern neighbors along Broadway. Mom-and-pop stores were able to benefit from the economic valley for many years, but it is at the landlords' discretion to raise or lower rental rates," said Dan Cohen, neighborhood resident and activist. Although prior efforts were thwarted, Cohen suggests the implementation of a Business Improvement District dedicated to the security, cleanliness, and support of neighborhood businesses would create a cohesive union between community members and businesses. Amidst the sudden closings, positive signs of growth can be found. At A Grocery Store on the east side of Broadway between 104th and 105th, renovations are in full swing. While several workers and family members work to assemble a new refrigerator unit, a neighbor taps on the door, giving the crew a "thumbs-up" signal and saying, "things look good!" When asked about the motivation for the renovations and the changing face of Broadway, Derehm, owner of A Grocery Store for 10 years, answers, "The neighborhood has changed, but people need to see new things. The change of the neighborhood is good for business." MTA Says Bus Depot Conversion to Natural Gas Unnecessary By Carla Zanoni Spectator Staff Writer March 08, 2004 Six years ago, Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials promised to convert a Manhattanville diesel bus depot into a natural gas station. Now, the same officials are seeking board approval to end the bus depot's involvement in the New York City Clean Fuel Bus Plan. The officials claim that due to new technology, changing the depot is unnecessary. The potential renege of the promise may recharge the largely contentious relationship between the West Harlem community and the MTA. New York Governor George Pataki and MTA Chairman E. Virgil Conway's 1998 promise to convert Manhattanville's W. 133rd Street bus depot into a compressed natural gas compatible depot had been stalled because of the high cost of conversion. According to the MTA, the estimated cost of changing to natural gas operations would cost near $50 million. The renovation would involve installing compressors and fueling stations, adding ventilation, and making light fixtures explosion proof. Initial projections of the cost were closer to $15 and $25 million. The unanticipated higher cost left authorities scrambling to find less expensive options, such as alternative clean fuel technologies like hybrid-electric buses. Community and health advocacy groups were outraged by the delays. In 1999, the MTA put off the deadline for outfitting the depot with compressed natural gas until Sept. 2002. In July 1999, environmental groups including The American Lung Association and The Regional Plan Association wrote a letter formally warning MTA that the delay would be a lamentable mistake on the administration's part. "Unfortunately, your decision to delay this project by over two years will subject New Yorkers to another two years of unacceptably high diesel fumes and unnecessarily high health impacts," read the letter. "In our view there is no more important air-quality issue in New York City than the issue of air pollution." In 2000, when diesel engine manufacturers introduced new filters which trapped the soot that diesel buses expel into the air and release a limited amount of exhaust, transit officials regarded the new technology as an economical solution to the problem. In April 2000, the MTA began its expenditure of $250 million on new clean-fuel buses and the retrofitting of existing diesel buses. With the combination of the new generation of diesel engines built after 1994 and ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel, studies show current produced emissions are comparable to natural gas. Although advocacy groups concede the new technology is a step in the right direction, many are skeptical of the MTA's ability to maintain the filters effectively and insure low pollution levels. Peggy Shepard, executive director of West Harlem Environmental Action, also points to the fact that studies show filters are an improvement on the previous system but do not beat natural gas emissions. Today 300 of 4,500 pre-1994 engines, which release higher levels of pollution into the city air, continue to be used on buses. City officials claim those buses will be phased out by the end of 2004. But in an interview with The New York Times in February 2004, Shepard charged that the "MTA is an ongoing enemy up here because of the way they have dealt with the issues." Community members and activists say the fact that five out of six bus depots in Manhattan are located above 96th Street is tantamount to community discrimination. The MTA says that the Manhattanville bus depot's placement in upper Manhattan has nothing to do with racism, and that five depots' placement in the neighborhood came long before the agency's involvement. But community activists counter that the buildings' origins have little to do with the issue, and point to the MTA's treatment of the area in the past years, particularly its decision to close one downtown bus depot located on a non-residential stretch of Hudson and 16th Street, while reopening one on 100th Street. The West 133rd Street depot is located in close proximity to children's schools, neighborhood churches, and two public housing projects of approximately 3,000 people. "Diesel buses are the primary source of particulate air pollution--a major trigger of asthma attacks--in the Harlem community, which already has the highest asthma hospitalization rates in the city. Diesel buses are bad for our health and a diesel depot is bad medicine for this community," read an October 1999 press release from the office of Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Field. WE ACT has filed a complaint against the MTA over the distribution of diesel bus depots, citing findings that Harlem children are three times more likely to have asthma than children living in the Upper West Side. According to a Harlem Hospital, a Columbia University affiliate, and Harlem Children's Zone report released in 2003, over 14,000 children in New York City fall victim to asthma. Diesel buses are listed as a main contributing factor to the epidemic. ConEd Under Fire for Safety Violations Company Faces Charges of Up To $37.5 Million; Public Service Commission Also Under Attack By Carla Zanoni Spectator Staff Writer February 16, 2004 Correction appended Nearly one month after the Jan. 16 death of Teachers College doctoral student Jodie Lane by electrocution, Con Edison continues to face accusations of wrongdoing. On Feb. 12, the Public Service Commission stated that Con Edison will face $250,000 in penalties if it cannot prove that it legally maintained the utility box responsible for Lane's death. Furthermore, if the investigation now underway by the Department of Transportation turns up further violations, the electric company could be require to pay up to $37.5 million. Con Edison must complete its own testing of stray voltage by March 19, the commission said, and submit a plan of action for instances of stray voltage in the future. Two days before the order was issued, the utility company reported that it had completed its investigation of manhole and service-box covers, as welk as approximately half of city lamp poles. A representative for Con Edison said that out of 164,000 inspected lamp poles, 257 had errant voltage. Out of 257,000 manhole covers and service-box lids, 120 were improperly electrified. The Department of Transportation, which shares responsibility for street lighting with Con Edison, began investigating nearly 200,000 lamp poles on the same date as the utility company issued its report. The department has begun checking lamps in the areas with the most pedestrian traffic and plans to inspect highways, overpasses, and areas where foot traffic is minimal. A crowd of approximately 100 protesters, members of the newly formed Jodie Lane Project and other community groups, protested against Con Edison by walking from the East Village to Con Edison headquarters at 10 Irving Place on Feb. 12. "I feel like we got our message out there," said Gunnar Hellekson, co-founder of The Jodie Lane Project. "All the inspections Con Edison conduct serve to do is document incidents and repairs. Con Edison reported 15 incidents in the past three years. They are not reporting shocks. They are only reporting injuries. They only conduct manhole-cover inspections once every three years. The city has been relying on Con Edison to do the right thing." The group is dedicated to holding Con Edison to "regular inspections of their equipment and public disclosure of the results," Hellekson said. The Jodie Lane Project presented their case on Feb. 13 before the New York State Assembly's Committee on Energy, a group created to formally "question whether Consolidated Edison Co. has allocated adequate resources necessary to ensure the safe operation and maintenance of its transmission and distribution infrastructure within the City of New York." "It is not fate. It is not salt. It is not sloppy workmanship, antiquated infrastructure, or congestion. It is Consolidated Edison and the incredible lack of oversight from the Public Service Commission" who are at fault for the tragic event of the last month and multiple alleged infractions against the public, Hellekson said in his appeal before the committee. The indictment of the Public Service Commission stems from the City Council's contention that the commission relied mostly on data from Con Edison when overseeing the utility provider. City Council Members charged that the utility had decreased its spending on the maintenance of its equipment while increasing spending on new equipment. They bolstered their accusation by citing numbers showing that Con Edison had reduced its labor force to dangerously low numbers, had not documented field data in a timely manner, and had not properly reported findings to state regulators at the Public Service Commission. Con Edison President Kevin Burke said the legislator's indictments were incorrect, arguing that maintenance had not decreased and that numbers only seemed to be lower because the company had sold several plants. A statement released by Con Edison on Feb. 11 read, "We will continue to fully cooperate with the Public Service Commission. We are implementing short- and long-term preventative programs to further minimize the risk of a tragedy like this ever happening again." Correction Due to an editing error, "ConEd Under Fire for Safety Violations" (Feb. 16) reported that if further electrified manhole and service-box covers and lamp poles were found, Con Edison could be liable for up to $37.5 million. In fact, the fines apply only if the utility fails to fix reported violations promptly. Sharpton's Motives for Support of Powell Questioned Powell Denies Racial Motivations Behind Sharpton's Support for His Campaign; Still Waiting to Decide on Bid for Congress By Carla Zanoni Spectator Staff Writer February 13, 2004 News of Al Sharpton's backing of Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV's potential bid against United States Congressman Charles Rangel in the November 2004 congressional race has raised some questions about the politics behind Sharpton's support, leading some to believe that, after Rangel's support of General Wesley Clark instead of Sharpton in the 2004 presidential campaign, Sharpton is attempting to strong-arm African American politicians into only voting for African American candidates. Rangel represents East and Central Harlem, the Upper West Side, and Washington Heights/Inwood in the in the U.S. House of Representatives. The New York Post reported last week that Sharpton was pushing for Powell to run against Rangel as reprisal for the congressman's support of presidential candidate General Wesley Clark. The story speculated that Sharpton, who is currently running for the Democratic nomination, is beginning to deliver on threats he made against political opponents in December 2003, when he stated that any local officials who did not support his bid for the presidency would "have to deal with the consequences." But Powell says there is no validity to that statement. He said he's supporting Sharpton because Sharpton has been there for Harlem. "Sharpton's reaction is not necessarily racially motivated," said Powell, who represents Manhattan's 68th Assembly District, including the Harlem area. "One of nine of the Democratic Presidential candidates is dedicated to this community. Eight out of nine will fly out of town after the election, forgetting the people in our neighborhood. Mr. Sharpton is here to stay." But in an article in The New York Times last December, Powell was quoted as saying that he was disappointed that some black elected officials in New York were turning their backs on Mr. Sharpton, a statement, it could be argued, that makes his stance on the racial issue murky. Sharpton's press secretary, Rachel Noerdlinger, is certain that Sharpton's support of Powell is further reaching than political retribution for Rangel's failure to support Sharpton. "It is true that Mr. Sharpton is seeking Mr. Powell to replace Mr. Rangel. The claim is legitimate. It's time for new blood, someone who is more encompassing of the new generation, someone who can help the disenfranchised. Mr. Sharpton believes Mr. Powell is the person who can do all this," Noerdlinger stated. Political races between Rangel and the Powell family are not new ventures. When Rangel was elected to the 92nd Congress in November 1970, he defeated Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Powell's father and a controversial congressman. Rangel has won each subsequent election, including a 1994 challenge by Powell IV. Powell said he couldn't confirm nor deny plans for his bid this year, claiming to be in the preliminary stage of planning for a possible run. Last week, an exploratory committee, Powell for Congress, was formed to test the feasibility of his run for Congress in 2004. The committee held its first fundraising event on January 29. "I am aiming to run," said Powell, "but might have to wait until the elections in 2006. We have no strategy in place as of yet. No campaign manager. We have $25,000 from fund raising efforts in a bank account right now and do not expect to make a decision until April." A long time supporter and friend of Sharpton, Powell said he is "grateful to have Sharpton's support," but expects his historically continuous constituent support to back him if he chooses to run for office. "Ten years ago, I ran against Rangel, without Sharpton's support. I have had interest in this position for many years," Powell said. "My father was a congressman. I have been involved in government for over 10 years. I cannot say whether or not I will run this year, but I am exploring the opportunity." Rangel's administration has been tight lipped about recent developments. Emil Milne, Rangel's press secretary, said, "Mr. Rangel is just not sure about what Mr. Powell is doing. Mr. Powell should just make up his mind about running." In light of the uncertainty, Rangel's administration has chosen to release no further comments about the proposed bid. Con Ed Accepts Blame For TC Student's Death Con Edison Takes Responsibility for Faulty Wiring in Third New York Incident Since 1997 By Carla Zanoni Spectator Staff Writer February 05, 2004 After a critique from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration in the weeks following the Jan. 16, 2004 death of Jodie Lane, a clinical psychology Ph.D. student at Teachers College, Con Edison has released two reports accepting responsibility for the faulty wiring at the service box on East 11th Street and First Avenue, the site of Lane's death. But many have found Con Edison's claim that the faulty wiring was an anomaly hard to believe. Citing a history of accidents and complaints about electrical shock on city streets as proof of the need for change in the energy company's repair system, community members are demanding an explanation for what they refer to as too little action, too late. Con Edison's recent press release documenting the findings of the inquiry into Lane's death ruled that the service box had "an insulated wire that had a partially exposed end that either touched or came in close proximity to the metal frame of the service box." The press release went on to say that "the electrical tape at the end of the wire degraded to the point that the copper end was partially exposed. The exposed end then made electrical contact with the frame, thus energizing the frame." The release also said that although the proper method for insulating the cut ends of wires involves a combination of rubber and plastic tape, their workers had used only plastic tape. Con Edison's recent statements are strikingly similar to statements released after two events in the late 1990s. In March of 1999, Judge Lorraine Miller of the New York State Supreme Court found Con Edison liable for electrical shocks that left a man with brain damage and permanent disability after he attempted to use a public telephone in Greenwich Village on Aug. 14, 1997. Con Edison was found to have been negligent in its failure to install fuses or circuit breakers in a high-voltage vault under the sidewalk where the phone stood. Justice Miller ruled that the negligence allowed the electrical charge to pass from the power cable to the pump to the drain pipe, then into surrounding metal, and finally to the vault grate and telephone above. Con Edison settled another case soon after this ruling when the company was sued by the driver and owner of a carriage horse that died after stepping on an electrically charged manhole cover on 59th Street and Park Avenue on Jan. 9, 1999. The driver also received a shock while trying to save the animal. After the accident, Con Edison spokesman Joe Petta was quoted as saying that "a short-circuit in the service box under the street created a path of electricity to the manhole cover ... when the metal shoe hit the cover, [the horse] was zapped with 110 volts." Garrett Rosso, spokesperson for Friends of First Run, an East Village group dedicated to the "beautification and maintenance of the Tompkins Square Dog Run," is outraged that it took a tragic event like Lane's death to make Con Edison look into the matter. "From the moment it occurred, Con Edison has tried to label this as a unique event, that this was just one mistake a repair crew made, but that is just not true," Rosso said. "I know of at least six hot spots in the neighborhood. Dog owners have told me about their dogs being shocked and I know they have called in reports to Con Edison." Recently, Rosso accompanied a New York Post reporter and an electrician on a tour of East Village sidewalks in order to measure voltage amounts. Although they did not find any dangerous areas that day--Rosso claims to have seen several Con Edison trucks repairing sites shortly after Lane's death--he later received news from the reporter that a hot spot on the corner of Pitt Street and Stanton had been found. The voltage reading registered at 120 volts, 63 volts higher than the voltage Lane experienced. Con Edison spokesman Chris Olert responded to the allegations. "We have 250,000 service boxes in the system, more than half of these are inspected each year," he said. "We're always working with them and we know they are safe. When we hear about a stray current we are quick to respond and fix them. But we have 126,000 miles of cables, wires, and lines to maintain. We have a reliable system that takes care of the five boroughs and the Westchester area. We have invested $650 million just in the past year." "I do not mean to downplay our responsibility," he said. "We extend our condolences to the Lane family, but while these events are truly sad and tragic, they are unusual." In a press release, Mayor Bloomberg wrote that he commends Con Edison "for their straightforward and responsible assessment of the tragic events of Jan.16th." He has also expressed a commitment to a continued partnership between the Department of Transportation and Con Edison to "provide electricity safely to all New Yorkers." Con Edison's report states it has tested "126,000 of its more than 250,000 manhole and service box covers and found that 99.91 percent of the total surveyed to date were safe," and that the company has repaired faulty wiring as necessary. Legislation Banning Car Alarms on Council's Agenda By CARLA ZANONI Spectator Staff Writer January 27, 2004 New York may be the city that never sleeps, but some New Yorkers may prefer sleep to the unwelcome sound of ubiquitous car alarms. In a move to guarantee New Yorkers the right to choose their sleep schedules, Councilmembers Eva Moskowitz of Manhattan and John Liu of Queens plan to present a revised anti-car alarm bill in an upcoming City Council hearing. The initiative is a revision of two bills initially presented separately by Moskowitz and Liu during a June 11, 2003 City Council hearing. While Liu's bill sought to prohibit the sale and installation of audible motor vehicle alarms, Moskowitz went a step further by adding a clause prohibiting car owners from owning any audible car alarms. The bills have since been merged to urge a ban on all car alarms in New York City. Moskowitz's office intended to present the bill to Council last November, but according to one source who declined to give his name, The New York Times editorial department and The New Yorker had been given conflicting scheduling dates for the hearing, resulting from what some call a bureaucratic tangle. But according to Abby Wilson, CC '02 and a press secretary for Moskowitz, this claim is unfounded. Wilson contends the hearing was postponed due to a City Council policy that states a hearing cannot be scheduled until new committees have been officially formed. Those committees were formed just last week. Aaron Friedman, the project manager at Transportation Alternatives--a non-profit agency dedicated to improving transportation and environmental conditions in New York--believes the Moskowitz proposal presented in June 2003 to be the most comprehensive in existence. Friedman, who also founded www.silentmajorityny.org, a Web site devoted to the anti-car alarm movement, said a more limited bill such as as those only restricting installation and sales of alarms, would not solve the problem. "All the existing alarms would remain on the streets, and car owners who wanted a noisy alarm would just drive to Long Island or New Jersey to buy one, hurting local businesses," Friedman said. A 1997 bill on car alarms used evidence from a Columbia University study that found 99 percent of car alarms to be false alarms. The Consumer Electronics Membership Association claimed new technology had been created to cut down the nuisance of false alarms, and the bill was defeated. Anti-noise pollution legislation first appeared in 1972, when city government officials acknowledged physiological and health-related problems attributed to excessive and persistent noise. According to the Council on the Environment of New York City, sustained exposure to noise over 85 decibels can cause permanent hearing loss. Normal talking registers near 40 decibels while subway cars approach 120. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health says that two years of regular exposure to 90 decibels will produce hearing loss. A quick Internet search displays multiple Web sites boasting superior car alarms with "ear-splitting 130-decibel sirens." In 2002, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Operation Silent Night, an expanded anti-noise pollution initiative, changed the previously ambiguous designation of "unreasonable noise" to "plainly audible" sounds. The alteration allowed for summonses to be issued to any person disturbing city residents. But the Bloomberg administration has wavered on the car alarm issue. In the mayor's initial press release for Operation Silent Night, senior adviser and 311-complaint line administrator Vincent La Padula listed car alarms as his first major source of noise pollution. "Car alarms, boom-boxes, and incomplete construction projects create unreasonable noise conditions that affect the quality of life of every New Yorker ... Today, Mayor Bloomberg continues to raise our standard of living by cracking down on noisy New Yorkers," reads the press release. But during the June 2003 City Council hearing, the Bloomberg administration opposed the Liu and Moskowitz bills, claiming that "Prohibiting the operation of car alarms could take away from car owners one of the layers of protection from theft." Friedman countered that "There is no evidence that car alarms are effective. In fact, studies have shown that car alarms actually contribute to an atmosphere of criminality. There is no real authority when car alarms go off unanswered. People get into the habit of ignoring everything." "It's odd that car owners have the right to bother everyone in a neighborhood just to protect their car," Friedman added. "People would think it was crazy if you had an alarm on a wedding ring that went off every time someone brushed past it on a subway or a blow horn on your pants saying, 'Please step away from my trousers!'" Clarett's Opus Fails to Harmonize With Neighbors By CARLA ZANONI Spectator Staff Writer January 21, 2004 Today, only support beams stand in the ground at the corner of 107th Street and Broadway. The Clarett Group, a real estate company, hopes that by this time next year the beams will support the 15-story, 64-unit Opus Condominiums. Considering the large amount of neighborhood resentment over the project, though, construction might prove to be the least of their concerns. Because the Clarett Group isn't requesting zoning changes to build Opus, no community board approval is necessary, and community members have little formal say in the building's final shape. A Clarett representative met voluntarily with Community Board 7 in September, and Clarett claims to be committed to working with the community. The condominiums did receive a modicum of support from community members at the meeting, but concerns abounded over the building's size and design. Many are concerned that the building would cast a large shadow over Straus Park, the tiny park that straddles Broadway and West End Avenue. Christopher Dunn, co-op president at 245 West 107th Street, reasoned that since the building would "capitalize on Straus Park," Clarett has a responsibility to plan how to minimize impact before construction begins. Dunn and CB7 were told by Clarett that the architect would do a study on the impact of the building on the park. Friends of Straus Park, an organization supporting the upkeep and conservation of the park, followed this statement with a formal letter to the Clarett Group about the impact a large shadow would have on the park. According to Dunn, "no news [in response to the shadow complaints] has been received yet." Roxanne Donovan, a spokeswoman for Clarett, said that she is aware of the community's concerns regarding potential problems with the park, but that the company is not ready to make specific statements regarding the issue at this time. "Opus celebrates the park and is committed to making contributions to the park. By building a quality product on the Upper West Side, we feel we are making a positive contribution to the community as a development," Donovan said. Regarding the building's height, Donovan said, "The Clarett Group had an option to build a small building with overpriced apartments, or a taller building with affordable units. If you have a family and want to live on the Upper West Side, there aren't a lot of 3 or 4 bedroom apartments. As these families want to commit to the Upper West Side, we are here to provide housing for them. We are not building a bunch of studio apartments, we are building what people want." Other community members have been more concerned with the building's contextual relationship within the Upper West Side. In response, Donovan explained that the exposed floor slabs are an integral part of the architect's creative vision, stating, "The architect has worked hard to portray the essential architectural vocabulary of the Modernist Movement. As the movement strove to express the architectural building's elements in a structure, the driving idea behind Opus Condominiums is to show the building for what it is, rather than hide the building materials. He has looked for new way[s] to articulate the variations that express the essence of modernism, carrying the spirit, while still remaining contextual to the neighborhood." Community chatter has involved not only the size or placement of the building, but also the building's function. Many want to see retail space on the building's ground floor. Clarett declined to comment on plans for any commercial space. Opus is one of a dozen residential properties to be developed by Clarett Capital, an entity formed in conjunction with Prudential Real Estate Investors in December 2002. The partnership is expected to build $500-$700 million worth of luxury housing. According to the Clarett Group Web site, "Opus is the second collaboration of GKV and the Clarett Group following the award-winning Luminaria, a 150,000-square foot residential tower bordering the Gramercy and Flatiron districts." Four-Star Turkey at B'way Presbyterian City Journal By CARLA ZANONI Columbia Daily Spectator December 01, 2003 Last Thursday the city that never sleeps seemed to be taking a nap. Broadway had slipped into its holiday hush, with few people walking the normally bustling sidewalk. One or two scurried outdoors to make last-minute purchases of cranberries and sweet potatoes at the lone open neighborhood supermarket. But on the corner of Broadway and 114th Street a crowded line formed. Beneath the sidewalk's silent concrete roared the Broadway Presbyterian Church soup kitchen. Volunteers were busy with last minute arrangements of volunteers, tables, and platters of hot food, and many New Yorkers were eagerly anticipating the opportunity to eat a hot Thanksgiving meal at the church's self-proclaimed "four-star soup kitchen." The Broadway Community, Inc., a non-profit organization, has been serving the Morningside Heights community since 1982. Hot, healthy, gourmet-style meals are offered three times a week, 52 weeks a year. Thanksgiving shines as the kitchen's annual pi�ce de r�sistance. Michael Ennes, better known as Chef, strives to make good food that is as exciting as it is healthy for the 80 to 90 people who visit each week. He pulls no punches when it comes to Thanksgiving. The menu included four different styles of turkey, a delicate mesclun salad, pat� de foie gras, a red, black, and white bean salad, cranberry sauce, string beans almandine, stuffing, and other carefully prepared entr�es and desserts. BCI Director Eleanor Donaldson began the meal with a short prayer and a greeting: "Welcome, we are so glad to have you here with us." Eager to help out and celebrate Thanksgiving, Thursday's volunteers outnumbered the patrons. The helpers included long-time soup kitchen volunteers as well as first-timers like Darren Sydorowitz, who heard about the soup kitchen while volunteering at St. Luke's Hospital. Beyond the gourmet style food, the restaurant-style service sets BCI apart from most other soup kitchens. Dinner is served three times throughout Thanksgiving Day with each table waited on by two to three volunteers. "I feel respected when I come here," said Frank, a patron who has visited this and other soup kitchens in the Manhattan area. "This is a really positive thing. They're here for the people. The volunteers and the church give off a good aura." Michael, a 43-year-old patron and lifelong New York City dweller, sang the kitchen's praises: "This place is very unusual and unique. Where else can you get string bean almandine?" "Most of the people who eat at the soup kitchen are single, homeless men," according to Selena Snipes, volunteer assistant coordinator and graduate of BCI's Mother's Cooperative, a "vocational and parenting skills training program for mothers looking to make a positive change." But the diversity of the patrons filling the dining area points to a greater need in the community, as groups of men sit at tables alongside women and families. Balvina, a single Argentine sexagenarian living in Morningside Heights, was visiting the kitchen for the first time after hearing about its Thanksgiving service. "I came because I am alone in New York. I am not going to cook a whole turkey for myself. I just can't afford it," she said. A father with his 13- and 14-year-old children sat near Balvina. Although this was the children's first visit, their father has stopped by before "for a quick lunch" during the regular weekday service hours. Serving people with a wide variety of backgrounds requires versatility. BCI assists in referrals for a multitude of services throughout the year. The organization helps with such social services as food stamps, health insurance, Medicare, and legal assistance. There is also a mail service, a food pantry, and a 12-bed women's shelter. In addition, each Monday, Dr. Nicole Neretin meets with patrons who are in need of medical attention. "We are willing to see anyone who needs a family doctor, with or without medical insurance," Neretin said. Columbia Hot Bagels May Not Return The shop, along with West Side Market, will vacate its building for at least a year. By CARLA ZANONI Columbia Daily Spectator October 28, 2003 Staffs and owners at West Side Market and Columbia Hot Bagels face an uncertain future in light of proposed renovations slated to begin during the spring of 2004. Since property owners of Surtsey Realty Company, LLC announced plans for renovations of their retail space at 110th Street and Broadway, long-time tenants have been scrambling to find an alternate location for the businesses and placements for their staff of approximately 100. Although the realtor has assured its tenants of a welcomed return after the completed construction, owners are unsure of the reality of returning to the space. "If the property renovations kept the space operable and the rent fair, we'd be able to return," said store manager John Anton on behalf of the West Side Market owner, who is currently in Europe. "We can't bank on the proposed renovations staying the same. Once building starts, you can't be sure it will go the same way as planned." Columbia Hot Bagels owner and 19-year tenant Jeff Baynon was less sure about the shop's future, saying that rebuilding his store will take a "Herculean effort" and that he is unsure of his ability to take on the project. Baynon said that although he understands the landlord's need to expand the space, creating the store anew after the renovation might take more energy than he wishes to expend. Baynon is dedicated to helping his 10 or 12 workers find alternate employments for as long as the shop is closed. "Without them there is no me," he says. Columbia Bagels has long been committed to helping people with significant employment barriers. Baynon explained that most of his workers spoke and wrote little English and had no work experience when they began at the store. They now speak and write English and have marketable skills that were developed during on-the-job training at the shop. He is working with his business contacts to find them alternate placements. West Side Market is also attempting to accommodate the location's current staff of 85. But Anton said that it would be nearly impossible to find interim work for his entire staff, regardless of an additional location open on Broadway between 76th and 77th Streets and plans to open another location in November or December of this year. "Before this started we got into building a space at 14th Street and Seventh Avenue. We hope to be able to get some people relocated there," Anton said. "But there is no way we can absorb everyone." Although Columbia University is not involved with the proposed construction at 110th Street, the renovation coincides with recent community pressure regarding the future faculty and post-graduate residency slated to open on 103rd Street in 2005. Community members have called for the University to allow a supermarket access to the retail space planned for the basement and ground floor, and some believe West Side may be the perfect fit for the space, benefiting from its familiarity with the neighborhood and its client base. Carol Shuchman, the director of commercial leasing and development for Columbia's Office of Institutional Real Estate, said she is accepting proposals from vendors interested in the future retail space but cautioned that any moves would not occur for at least two years. "We'd like to put a food vendor in the space, especially because of the community's interest in that type of retail," Shuchman said. "We are still actively looking for interested businesses, but this is all two years down the road. 103rd Street is just a hole in the ground right now." Shuchman indicated that her department has received a proposal from West Side Market but has not heard anything from Columbia Bagels. But according to Anton, the market has no intentions of relocating to the 103rd Street space and may not stay in the area. "We have looked at spaces and didn't like what we saw," he said. Anton said that the future site at 103rd Street might not be a good fit for the market. He expressed management's concern about moving further from the Morningside campus, intimating that the additional seven blocks might be too far for Columbia University students to travel. Columbia Bagels has not submitted a proposal to the University and Baynon is unsure of whether they will relocate. In the meantime, his main objective is ensuring that his workers have a "soft landing somewhere else." Reporter's Notebook: Looking for the Perfect Cut in the Heights Jude and Me provides the style of a downtown hair salon with an uptown address. By CARLA ZANONI Columbia Daily Spectator October 23, 2003 With midterms behind us and finals looming ahead, this reporter has been spending more time at the library than any healthy person should. My long brown hair has found its way into a perpetual ponytail and the details of my last haircut have receded along with memories of the beach and summer sun. My library partners, too, have shaggy heads adorned by pencils, rubber bands, and binder clips. The boys on campus are starting to resemble The Beatles, and not in a good way. We need help--now. With a personal mandate to keep split ends from staging a coup d'�tat, I decided to go on a quest to find the best wielders of sharp scissors in the neighborhood. Although most people would first think to venture downtown for a sleek and stylish haircut, I was certain that Morningside Heights must have at least one salon that can compare. I was armed with strict criteria for a top-quality hairdresser. The hair artist must be able to study my face, clothing, and personality within moments and create a unique hair style to match. The salon must be nicely decorated, but not take itself too seriously. Modern decor is nice, but the chair must be comfortable. I am not willing to suffer through my haircut at the expense of sitting in a cold metal chair. In the same vein, sleek hair stylists and staff are fun to watch, but accompanying attitudes are not fun to endure. With these criteria in mind, I set out to discover new salons to shape up our limp library heads. Jude and Me After hearing rumors of a sleek salon hiding on 112th between Broadway and Riverside, I decided to check it out. Jude and Me opened in February of 2003, after Frank De Crescendo fully renovated Maggie's Westsider Salon, a long-time neighborhood favorite, making it his third upper-Manhattan hair salon. Maggie now books clients monthly as a visiting hair artist. De Crescendo said he aimed to create a "downtown, down-to-earth, and artistic space where people can get quality service at a reasonable price." With its modern decor--wood floors, metal tiled walls, and several serene statues adorning its corners and entrance--this Morningside Heights salon seems to accomplish all of these goals. Slightly reducing his rates from his other salons, De Crescendo is interested in serving the student community as well as the people "who work and live nearby." The salon charges $35 for men and $43 and up (depending on length and thickness) for women. After being greeted by the warm receptionist, I was introduced to Jorge, a handsome and muscular Argentine dressed in quintessential New York black. He thoughtfully assessed my shapeless hair and assured me he could transform it into a stylish coif. After his scissors danced wildly yet securely around the crown of my head, Jorge tamed my savage hair, creating soft, full locks to frame my face. Of all the salons I have visited, Jude and Me met all of my criteria. Jorge had a magic way with his scissors and the salon's decor was modern but cozy. Brite Lite Venturing east along 117th Street, I found Brite Lite Barbershop, on Lenox Avenue. Brite Lite is an old-fashioned barber. The ground floor shop is simple, equipped with four chairs, a sink for washing hair, and a bench beside a stocked magazine caddy--everything from Playboy to National Geographic--for patrons. Having serviced neighborhood hair for years, this shop is small in size but big in character. Haircuts are $10 for men and women, $12 for a cut and facial hair shaping and trimming. Mustafa, one of two barbers on duty, said that they are a unisex shop but service "mostly men." Charles, a Mississippi native and 25-year New York resident, has been coming to Brite Lite for the past three years. He described the shop as a "close knit, family place." Brite Lite feels like a relic of the past, a time when men could sit on a stoop and chat while their buddies got a relaxing shave and cut from a man who cared about their latest triumphs and conquests. It would be a great spot for a Columbia guy looking for a break from the serious business of writing term papers. Aris Salon An Amsterdam Avenue landmark, this large full-service salon is a throwback to the 1950s era. Clients are made comfortable at old-fashioned hair-drying stations and barber chairs. One glance at the yellowing photograph adorning the wall and it is clear that little has changed in the Aris Salon aesthetic. Committed to a high standard of quality in every haircut, Aris Salon is not interested in packing in clients. With its matching low old-fashioned prices, customers can expect value for their dollar. The relaxed salon has a personal touch that cannot be replicated in a chain salon. Students can expect to pay approximately $13.50 and up, depending on hair length and thickness. Non-student prices are $15.50 for men and $18 and up for women. The salon also offers permanent waves and color service. Aristides Demetriou, known reverentially to all as Mr. Aris, originally came from Cyprus to the United States in 1930. The 70-year-old business has been situated on Amsterdam Avenue since 1930, beginning on 67th Street before moving to two other locations farther north and ultimately settling at the current location between 121st and 120th. Boasting of his impending 93rd birthday in November, Demetriou has no plan to close his doors any time soon. Hoshi Coupe III Another sleek stop in the neighborhood is the Japanese hair salon Hoshi Coupe III. One of four such salons in Manhattan, the 108th Street corner shop is as sleek in style as its sister stores. The airy room is sparsely decorated with a lone fern plant, complimenting its gray-silver floor and simple black chairs. Hoshi Coupe hairdressers seem bound to a hair-styling maxim that good haircuts can only be achieved through a slow and methodical process of cutting and drying. Staring into their reflection, the robed clients seem in a deep meditative state. Even with the whirring blow dryers, Hoshi maintains its serene atmosphere. Scott J. Salon Above Starbucks, my home away from the library, Scott J. Salon quietly hovers over the busy Broadway sidewalk. A walk up the building's rickety staircase reveals a similarly busy salon. The space is made up of a long narrow room divided into three distinct areas. The front acts as a make-up application and Aveda product sales space, the middle is for hair styling, and the private back room is reserved for body treatments. The salon was conceived as a more affordable alternative to its Columbus Avenue partner, with prices approximately $10 to $20 less according to service requested. Haircuts run from $35 to $45 depending on length, and an additional 10 percent discount is offered to Columbia students. Unlike its neighbors, Scott J. Salon offers the possibility of having multiple treatments done in the same space. The staff's hands-on approach to helping clients ensures a quick trip right back to the library, refreshed and ready for another weekend of studying. Low Gets a Cake, But We'll Eat It, Too A 13-foot red velvet cake is the centerpiece of today's South Lawn birthday bash. By CARLA ZANONI Columbia Daily Spectator October 17, 2003 After sitting in Butler Library all week studying for midterms, many Columbia students might need to do a double take at the strange vision before their eyes at the 250th Birthday Bash: a "three dimensional" 13' by 13' frosted cake in the shape of Low Library. The red velvet cake will be the focus of this afternoon's revelers as Columbia kicks off a year-long celebration of its 250th anniversary. The "to-scale" version of Low Library will be large enough to feed a minimum of 5,000 people. Harlem native Raven Patrick De'Sean Dennis III, more commonly known as "Cake Man," has spent months planning the gargantuan treat. The red velvet cake is a traditional Southern recipe, passed on by Cake Man's South Carolinian family. The unique red coloring of the cake is created after a chemical reaction takes place during its baking process. Decorated with cream cheese icing, the cake will accurately represent every facet of the library's architecture, featuring a solid cake dome, ten ionic columns, and the Low Steps leading to the building. "But the crowning glory of the cake will be the new stained window that's been hidden under that tarp for so long," Cake Man said. "The new window will have the number 250, in honor of the anniversary." Several months ago, Cake Man arrived on Columbia's campus with a preliminary draft of his cake plans. He showed the detailed architectural blueprints to event organizers after developing them under an architect's supervision. The plans were based on multiple photographs of the library, including aerial and rooftop views, in order to create a realistic replica of the historic building. Cake Man's main concern revolved around proper support for the cake, as it must be held up by an intricate network of aluminum and wood beams. "We're hoping that this will be the world's largest cake structure in the world," Cake Man said. According to Cake Man, the technical aspects involved astounded the Columbia officials. But he was not surprised, explaining that he sees baking as a science and each recipe as a mathematical equation. Cake Man said that a 13' by 13' cake must be created through the same kind of precise planning and calculations necessary in architecture. Beyond the actual baking and construction, serious consideration went into the method necessary to transport the cake from the bakery, Cake Man Raven Confectionary in Fort Greene, to Morningside Heights. Assembly of the frame began early this week until 3 a.m. yesterday, when a flatbed truck carried the structure across the Brooklyn Bridge, up through Manhattan into Harlem. Settling at Triple Candy, a new art studio in the area, Cake Man set to work. Surrounded by volunteers, professional advisers, friends, and relatives, the cake began its final trip at 3 a.m. today. The cake was delivered early this morning onto the Morningside campus, awaited by news crews and press, eager to catch a glimpse of the much-heralded cake. Cake Man will spend the remainder of the day applying finishing touches to the cake. This is not the first colossal cake Cake Man has built. He was also commissioned to create replicas for anniversary celebrations for the Brooklyn Bridge, Riverside Church, and the Empire State Building. Many of these jobs are a direct result of Cake Man's involvement in area community life. He situated his bakery in Fort Greene after he was unable to find a suitable affordable space in Harlem, and has since become an integral part of the neighborhood. "I wanted to be somewhere where I could help out the community," Cake Man said. "The man selling the building wanted something different on the block, not another deli or drug store. It was a perfect match." Within the past three years, Cake Man has deeply rooted his business in the community, sponsoring a youth talent show, spearheading a tree-planting initiative in Fort Greene, and using free space in the store for swing dancing lessons and community events. "I got into this working field for the people to see what can be done, not only to serve celebrities," Cake Man said. Law School Cuts Ribbon At 121st Street Residence After only six months of construction, the new residence facility opened to law students in late August. By CARLA ZANONI Columbia Daily Spectator October 03, 2003 An inaugural ceremony yesterday attended by top University brass marked the official completion of Lenfest Hall, Columbia University's new law school residence at 121st Street between Amsterdam Avenue and Morningside Drive. The celebration's crowd included a mixture of alumni, current law students, administrators, and family members, a group that numbered between 100 and 120. Featured speakers included University President Lee Bollinger and Law School Dean David Leebron. Also in attendance were major benefactors G.H. "Gerry" Lenfest, Law '58, and Marguerite Lenfest, who donated $15 million to the $39 million project, as well as former University President George Rupp. According to Dean Leebron, the Lenfests were most excited "to have the location uptown, to move Columbia forward, providing housing, but also to have a positive interaction with our community and our neighborhood." When construction began in February 2003, community members voiced strong concerns about noise and pollution, as well as potential inconsistency between the historical architecture of the area and the new residence facility. The University worked closely during the spring and summer months with Community Board 9, attempting to reconcile problems as the construction progressed. On the surface, it appears that little friction lingers between Columbia and its neighbors slightly uptown. The University hosted a meeting on Wednesday night, which was particularly designed to encourage community member input on Lenfest and the new School of Social Work building. The meeting was advertised on Columbia's "Information for Our Neighbors" web site. The new, 16-story building stands adjacent to another Columbia real estate venture--the School of Social Work construction site. Project Coordinator Claudia Huerta, CC '03, said that one source of contention between Columbia and the surrounding community was that the two schools' residence halls were under construction right next to each other, at the same time. Simultaneous site work resulted in double the dust and inconvenience for nearby residents. But several new stores and restaurants have recently opened near the new residence hall, which Leebron claims are a result of the buildings' development and will revitalize the neighborhood. After a six-month construction period, Lenfest officially opened its doors to law students in early August. The building features 209 fully furnished student residences, including studios and one-bedroom apartments, a recreation room, a private bamboo garden, as well as two two-bedroom suites designed for visiting faculty. The facility is one that could fit in seamlessly on the Upper East Side of Manhattan--in that regard, it might not be the most fiscally responsible choice for cash-strapped Columbia law students. Alternative, more affordable housing options are available through University Apartment Housing. Still, Leebron spoke specifically about the edge the new residence hall gives to the law school--especially given recent tight competition between law schools for schools during an economic recession. "It is about ... being able to compete for the very best students by assuring quality housing in the world's most difficult housing market," he said. Leebron especially recognized former University President George Rupp, who was a major contributor in the search for space for the residence hall. "Rupp and his administration deserve all the credit [for the project]," Bollinger said. Walking Tours Shed Light on Surveillance Camera Use By CARLA ZANONI Columbia Daily Spectator September 29, 2003 The heavy rain Sunday afternoon was not enough to deter a group of resilient Manhattanites from attending a free walking tour of Harlem conducted by the New York Surveillance Camera Players (SCP), a group that protests the use of surveillance cameras in public places. The group soldiered on for over an hour and a half, even after being shown that they were under the watch of ominous Orwellian eyes--the surveillance cameras the tour was attempting to identify. The widely anticipated tour of the Harlem area was organized to make New Yorkers aware of the use of surveillance cameras by the private and public sectors. Such constant surveillance, the group believes, "violates our constitutionally protected rights of privacy." While the SCP has been holding its Surveillance Camera Outdoor Walking Tours since 2001, this was the first in the Harlem area. The goal of the tours is to expose the proliferation of security cameras in different Manhattan neighborhoods. Bill Brown, a native New Yorker, former American literature professor at the Rhode Island School of Design, and co-founder and Director of the SCP, started the group in Nov. 1996 as an "art school prank." He quickly became aware of the seriousness of the matter and reformed the players into a political, rather than performance art, group. As well as conducting the walking tours, the group organizes performances at the sites of different surveillance cameras in order to draw attention to them. Five years after the group's premiere performance, Brown has assembled a thorough website providing details of the SCP's multiple venues, surveillance camera maps, position papers on the subject, and information on other affected cities. The site also outlines the debate regarding government surveillance camera use and the SCP's work. The SCP's website proclaims it as "completely distrustful of all government." Brown said he was struck by how oblivious most New Yorkers are to the pervasiveness of surveillance cameras, but understood that they are easily overlooked. Having grown up in a house where his family routinely told him, "If someone is telling you to look up at the sky, they have their hand in your pocket," Brown said that most New Yorkers do not look up at buildings, where the majority of surveillance cameras are situated. He said that New Yorkers, unlike tourists, only "look at the ground in front of them to see what or who they are about to step on." At the group's first performance in Dec. 1996, the players gathered around a surveillance camera and enacted a special adaptation of Alfred Jarry's play Ubu Roi. The next day, one of the players was informed by his brother, a tank commander in the U.S. Army, that his division had been briefed on the existence of a group who "did magic spells around cameras" and were told to treat the group with no hostility if confronted. This event confirmed Brown's suspicion that what he calls "surveillance camera movement"--the attempt by the government to expand surveillance camera use--in New York City was much larger than he had anticipated. Brown said the reason he has had little political retribution for the SCP's theatrical protests is that they have never "smashed one of the cameras." "This surveillance camera effort needs secrecy," Brown said. "Secrecy needs oxygen. By talking about it, we pollute their oxygen." The walking tours are given in a variety of Manhattan neighborhoods, but the Harlem tour was unique due to the findings of the SCP concerning surveillance camera use in the area. Brown conducted thorough studies of the Harlem area because "it was still pocked by large numbers of abandoned buildings and empty lots ... and could be used as a starting point for documenting the connections between public surveillance and capitalist reclamation [or gentrification]." Brown found that the New York Civil Liberty Union's initial estimation of 36 surveillance cameras in Spanish Harlem had doubled to 67 by the year 2000 and doubled again to 120 in 2003. When asked about the significance of this growth, Brown pointed to the correlation between the gentrification movements of the previous years and surveillance camera use. He said that as gentrification has grown, the number of cameras has increased. "Although the crime rate has dropped, the cameras have nothing to do with it," Brown said. Despite this "breakneck speed" of increase, Harlem is still one of the least monitored neighborhoods in Manhattan, the SCP's website says. The number of surveillance cameras in Harlem is very close to the number in the Lower East Side. Citing NYCLU member Norman Siegel's findings, Brown said that the highest concentration of cameras are to be found in wealthier neighborhoods. "Crime prevention plays little or no role [in surveillance camera use]; high concentrations of cameras are even present in rich neighborhoods that have low crime rates," the SCP's website reads. "The only thing surveillance cameras do is create a safe place to do business." Raw Hollow Carla Zanoni The author is a student in the School of General Studies. October 17, 2001 Last night I dreamed it again. I am in class, consumed in thought, when I catch the last six words of my professor's comment, "...with the exception of today's attack." I jump up and scream, "What happened today?" The entire class turns and stares. My professor throws me a reproachful look and asks why I have disrupted class. I feel ashamed for feeling frightened. I then, gratefully, wake up. It has been more than one month since the "Attack on America," but I am still struggling to regroup. I hear Giuliani's words, urging the city to return to normalcy, but I wonder what his definition of normalcy is for a 27-year-old whose only understanding of war is framed around a romanticized childhood notion of a faraway jungle, hippie protesters in Woodstock, N.Y., and draft dodgers fleeing to Canada. The recent televised war, which projects luminescent pyrotechnics brighter than the Fourth of July's, is once again framed in a far-off, almost movie-like land. My feet will never touch their soil. I cannot imagine that world. I have had a hard time evaluating my emotions and gauging whether they are appropriate or out of proportion with the recent events. While recently speaking to a friend, we discussed the media's coinage of this time as our "loss of innocence." Although I feel that our lives have been drastically changed, I question myself for perceiving this time in that very fashion. Why is it that the civil wars in Africa, rapes in Kosovo, and terrorist action by an American citizen here in Oklahoma City did not deeply affect me in this way? Why is it that only now, as foreign terrorists strike on the soil of my city, do I feel a loss of my innocence? I come back to the revised adage time and time again: Out of sight, out of mind. Although I understood and felt sympathy for the loss and turmoil of those many lives in the past, none struck me so closely that I felt I was mourning a family member's death. I suppose it is because it is my city now--seven years of my life have been spent here--but the question still remains: Why is this time different from any other time? I worked in the World Trade Center when I was 19. I frequently shopped in the concourse, routinely cursing the hordes of tourists blocking my way to the cash register. I took New Age seminars in the adjoining hotel, trying to attain a higher level of consciousness, a deeper sense of spirituality. This place has now been labeled "Ground Zero." I cringe at the stale, soulless labeling of this land as I turn off my television set for the twelfth time today. Looking at the aerial photographs and film footage of the wreckage, I am reminded of the weeks following the removal of my four wisdom teeth. I came home from the oral surgeon, doped up from the anesthesia, cotton-mouthed and bloodied. It took all of my self-will to keep my tongue away from the catacombs of raw gum in every corner of mouth; I was morbidly curious to know what it felt like, what the emptiness tasted like, but still the pain of the swollen flesh kept me from delving in. In time, the red, raw pain gave way to a gnawing sense of emptiness, and I ran my tongue over the potholed, hollow surface, struggling to remember what the teeth had felt like in my mouth. During the past days I have found myself, again, endeavoring to remember the outline of the buildings in that once familiar skyline, attempting to understand and accept what has happened, trying to become accustomed the new feeling, the loss, and the nagging realization that everything has changed. There is no going back. The landscape of my mind has been forever altered. A friend recently asked a grief bereavement counselor when the pain would end. He replied, "Three months," in a matter-of-fact tone. This time frame at first sounded ludicrous, but I think it may be accurate. The subway passengers, who three weeks ago were overly courteous and oddly patient, have now resumed their glazed, catatonic stares and faceless shoving. I find some comfort in that rudeness, and although I know that things will never be the same for me, I love that this city can find its way through the darkest of times. I have always been a believer in the serendipitous nature of life, the idea that one event can change the outcome of the future. I know in my heart that this event was not in vain. I have faith that something profound and honorable will grow from this pain. Perhaps I will not see it in my time, but for now this assertion is what carries me through the days.