The Health Care Crises hits NYC

You must read this story about a young New York woman whose life was ruined just because she committed the terrible crime of getting sick.

Medical expenses is the number one reason for bankruptcy in this country. This woman is a local NYC example but she's sadly just one of millions in this country who suffer om this exquisitely evil way.

It's a national tragedy. The health care system in this country is basically a criminal enterprise. It's mind boggling to me that people don't want to make sure that everyone who lives in the richest nation on earth isn't covered.

Where are these people's humanity? They are, in my opinion, the real "death panel" in this country. Shame on them.

A Happy Anniversary

As we mark a sad anniversary today and celebrate our nation's strength, tomorrow we New Yorkers celebrate a happy anniversary: our city's discovery.

On September 12, 1609, Henry Hudson and his crew of Dutch and English sailors, employed by the Dutch East India company, sailed into what is today New York harbor. Their ship, the Half Moon, then cruised up what is now known as the Hudson River -- and the rest is American history.

They were just a bunch of men doing their job. When Hudson and his crew laid their sights on this bunch of islands, they thought they'd found a passage to the Orient.Little did they know they were making history.

So, in a nutshell, our city turns 400 years old tomorrow.

It must have been an amazing feeling for those sailors to have discovered this place. Especially since it turned out not to be a shortcut to Asia but instead a whole, wild New World. Not until men walked on the moon (another momentous event we celebrated this year) did mankind make such a reality-altering discovery.

And in homage to this great anniversary, let me quote what the great writer F. Scott Fitzgerald had to say about at the end of his masterpiece The Great Gatsby. His beautiful words perfectly express what must have been the thrill of a lifetime:

"... as the moon rose higher the inessential houses began to melt away until gradually I became aware of the old island here that flowered once for Dutch sailors’ eyes—a fresh, green breast of the new world. Its vanished trees, the trees that had made way for Gatsby’s house, had once pandered in whispers to the last and greatest of all human dreams; for a transitory enchanted moment man must have held his breath in the presence of this continent, compelled into an aesthetic contemplation he neither understood nor desired, face to face for the last time in history with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder."

Let's never lose that capacity.

September 11: A Salute to the Bravest of the Brave

One of Them Days

While America debates health care, Obama's speech, and the predictably stupid Republican hysteria over it, New York City has awoken from its summer doldrums and is heading into a busy fall.

Where to start?

Well, tonight is something called Fashion's Night Out where there'll be lots of parties being held around town featuring lots of celebrities (including the Olsen twins tending bar somewhere and Vogue matriarch Anna Wintour holding court at a mall ... in Queens!). All this sexy partying is in order to kick off Fashion Week here in NYC. I guess if you're beautiful enough and have lots of money (plus you don't have to work tomorrow) then you can go out tonight and help the fashion industry celebrate itself. For the rest of us ordinary New Yorkers, we'll stay home and sip a nightcap.

And talking about cash, look at who's going broke! Atlantic Yards is a mess, the purchase of Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town is turning into one of the biggest real estate debacles in city history, and Tavern on the Green just declared bankruptcy. You know the economy is in trouble when the New York City real estate industry and one of the highest grossing restaurants in the whole country are hurtin' for cash.

But not everyone is doing bad. One New Yorker is movin' on up. Judge Denny Chin, the guy who sent Bernie Madoff to the pokie for the next century and a half, is to be nominated to the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. This is the same court where Justice Sotomayor served until she became a US Supreme.

Here's an idea: it's rumored that Justice Stevens (who's pushing 90) is going to retire soon. And Judge Chin -- who has an amazing life story plus the added bonus of being the guy who sent Bernie Madoff to work in a laundry room and watch his tuckus in the shower room for the rest of his life -- is widely respected and only 55 years old. He'd be a great pick (Denny, not Bernie) and would be the first Asian American on the court. This could help Obama and the Democrats rally the Asian vote the same way Sotomayor helped with the Hispanic vote. Sending Judge Chin to this court now might be the White House's way of getting him onto the Supreme Court within the next year or so. Chief Justice Roberts was on an appeals court for only two years before going to the Supreme Court so there's a precedent for this kind of. It would also be another New Yorker on The Court. Hope this happens.

Of course, tomorrow is the 8th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. We will all observe it in our own way.

Also, tomorrow marks the return of Radiolab, the great, great WNYC show. Tune in tomorrow at 3 PM on 93.9 FM for one of most imaginative radio shows ever made.

Oh, and next Tuesday is Primary Day. Mr NYC's endorsements will follow soon.

Brooklyn Eats

Mr NYC's been doing some hanging in Brooklyn recently, chilling in what used to be America's 4th largest city. Specifically I've been in Bayridge and Park Slope, two of the most beautiful and picturesque neighborhoods in the whole city. I've also had the pleasure of sampling some really great food in both 'nabes.

Peppino's: this pizza restaurant in Bayridge has, hands down, the best pizza I've ever had in NYC. Not kidding. Serving classic Neapolitan fair, they make a great brick oven pie. I had a plain medium sized pie that was still pretty big and the cheese and the sauce and the crust were just perfect that it melted in my mouth. You can tell that they use really good ingredients for their pizza. Also, the prices are much more reasonable than Manhattan and the service was friendly and good. You seriously need to go to this place.

Bonnie's: if you want a burger and great fries, this popular Park Slope is a must go to. It's often referred to as being like a college diner, but to me it had the feeling of an old-fashioned greasy spoon joint -- without the grease. The burgers are char-grilled and served with your choice of cheese, lettuce and tomatoes, and onions. The fries are really good, not too salty or oily, and they come in large portions. Better yet, on the tables, in addition to ketchup and mustard, they have things like Tabasco sauce, A1, and other seasonings. They also have a special mayo sauce that everyone loves. Bonnie's is probably best known for its genuine Buffalo wings. They are good! I don't even like wings that much but I liked these. Just be warned: they are really spicy. Even the so-called medium spiced wings were really hot. Best of all, the prices are quite reasonable. We ordered a lot of food but the bill, for four people, came to less than $20 a person and we ordered drinks (even wine). So if you're in the Slope, go to Bonnie's.

"Wall Street" Redux

Today Oscar-winning movie director Oliver Stone starts shooting the sequel to his 1987 classic Wall Street. Mr NYC blogged about this flick and its cultural impact in December, 2007, twenty years after its debut. It's strange reading it now, considering the epic financial collapse of 2008 and all the resulting misery and unintentional hilarity it wrought. No wonder Stone is making a sequel now -- the story of greed and excess and destruction it causes has never been more relevant.

Mannahatta/Manhattan

If you've never been to the Museum of the City of New York, it's definitely worth checking out. It's not a huge overwhelming place like the Met but a small quiet museum dedicated to the history of our fair town. It's located at 103rd street and Fifth Avenue, on the north end of Museum Mile.

They have a few permanent exhibits including some beautifully decorated period rooms. Also, there's a short film you can watch that explains the evolution of NYC from a forest in the New World to the world's greatest metropolis.

Speaking of which, you must see the special exhibit on now called Mannahatta/Manhattan. This is a multimedia exhibit that explores the ecology and topography of Manhattan island and how it evolved and changed after Henry Hudson discovered it 400 years ago this month.

It's amazing to see how Manhattan island went from being an isolated, wooded refuge for the Lenape Indians to the headquarters of the world. You see some of the original maps that the Dutch and later the English made of the island, and you see how they built in and around the island and changed it into what we know as Manhattan today. There were lots of huge forests and fields where the Lenapes grew their corn. There were also streams and rivers and little islets within and around the main island. You also can understand where neighborhoods like Kips Bay and Turtle Bay got their names.

Also, down around what is now Foley Square, there was a huge lake called the Collect Pond where the Lenapes got their fresh drinking water. This pond/lake actually existed until around 1809 when it became too polluted and was filled in with concrete. (One of the prices of progress I guess.)

This exhibit has a huge model of the original, unspoiled island where various graphics pop up on it and you see where all the forests were, where the Lenapes had camps, what kinds of soils and animals existed here back then, and on and on. They have also some computer monitors where you can sit down, type in your address (not just those in Manhattan but anywhere in New York City) and see what your place of residence looked like in 1609 (both of the places I've lived in NYC were in the middle of thick forests. Cool.).

This exhibit runs through early October so I urge you to go now. You'll literally see the world's greatest city in a whole new way.

P.S. As some of you may know, "Manhattan" means "Island of Manhattan Hills" in the language of the Lenapes. And boy, did Manhattan have lots of hills back then! Also, it sheds some light on the myth that the Dutch bought this island for $24 or 600 Guilders. Some money was exchanged but also some goods were exchanged too. While this still remains a hell of a good real estate deal, it wasn't quite as cheap as history has made it out to be.

Wayne Barret Rules

As Mike Blooomberg runs (more like advertises) for a cynically and expensively acquired third term, most of the New York City press is accepting his victory as a fait accompli and doing absolutely no investigative reporting either into the man or his record

Some of this is due to the dying newspaper business. Some of this is due to the cynicism and ennui that has enveloped modern political culture. But most of this due to the fact that Mike Bloomberg is so rich and powerful that reporters in this town dare not cross him for fear of being "frozen out" or "blackballed" by his rich and powerful allies.

Except for Wayne Barret. He is fearless. This legendary reporter is the only honest voice in New York City politics today, who dares to do what reporters use to do: afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. Dig deep and find the facts. Speak truth to power.

He explodes the myth that Mike Bloomberg is just an honest and selfless public servant, using his millions to deliver nobless oblige to the masses.

Do you know that someone who worked for disgraced ex-Illinois Governor Rob Blagojevich works for him?
Do you know how he's weakened the teacher's unions?
Do you know how he's handled (or not) Ground Zero and how it lead to deaths in the Deutsche Bank building fire?
Do you know about his alliance with (and financing of) the creepy Independence Party?
Do you know how his money has infected and warped New York City politics?

Check out Wayne Barret's Village Voice archives and find all of the stories he's done about Bloomberg and other powerful New Yorkers that most of the media in this town completely ignores.

Must Read!

This week, The New York Times has a great article called Reading Underground where a reporter interviewed people on the subway about what they like to read during their daily commutes.

Some are students, studying for exams or doing homework. Some are people trying to learn a new language. Some are professionals catching up on work. Some are taking the time to read the Bible, the Talmud, the Koran or other spiritual texts. Some are actors or actresses, preparing for auditions and performances. Some are reading newspapers and magazines, fighting the good fight to keep print publications alive. And, of course, some are just reading to be entertained or edified, reading the latest bestsellers or old favorites.

Increasingly, many more people are reading all of these things on Kindles.

Personally, I enjoy reading the free newspapers every morning or one of my magazines or a good book. I read most of The Power Broker on the subways (how appropriate!) plus some of my favorites like Huckleberry Finn, The Great Gatsby, Brideshead Revisited, as well as some of the recent Bob Woodward books (Plan of Attack, State of Denial) and Tom Friedman's The World is Flat and Hot, Flat, and Crowded.

We New Yorkers still love to read. in this, the most sophisticated and modern city in the world, old-fashioned reading remains vital.

And in yet another example of why public transportation is a great thing, it gives people the time -- time! that most precious of commodities -- to educate and improve their minds instead of wasting it worrying about driving their cars and negotiating traffic. Books on Tape, well, they just ain't the same.

Apologies

Since my return from vacation, life events (good ones!) have prevented me from blogging regularly. However, rest assured Mr NYC fans, I am here and can't wait to get back to sharing my insights and knowledge about this city!