August, 4 2016 - WestchesterGuardian.com
Transcription
August, 4 2016 - WestchesterGuardian.com
PRESORTED STANDARD PERMIT #3036 WHITE PLAINS NY Vol. XI, No. XVI Westchester’s Most Influential Community Newspaper Historic DNC Nomination Hillary Rodham Clinton Becomes First U.S. Female Presidential Nominee Thursday, August 4, 2016 Republicans Nominate Businessman Donald J. Trump Political Novice Defeats GOP Career Politicians With Grass Roots Campaign for Presidential Bid By Mary Keon Page 3 Chase Away Your Brews and Cure What Ales You By Joseph P. Griffith Page 8 AmaWaterways Danube River Cruise By Richard Levy Page 11 W W W.W E S T C H E S T E R G U A R D I A N . C O M Nearly Purrfect By John Simon Page 12 US+U Gallery By Biagio Civale Page 15 Page 2 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN Thursday, AUGUST 4, 2016 GOVERNMENT NEW ROCHELLE The New Rochelle City Council Report By Mary Keon The City Council met briefly on Tuesday July 19th for a Regular Legislative Meeting. The minutes of the Regular Legislative Meeting of Feb 24, 2015 were approved and the Minutes for the Committee of the Whole Meeting March 10 2015 were submitted. The Consent agenda was adopted: The City Manager is authorized to enter into a contract with 38 Roslyn Associates, d/b/a The Lombardi, to operate a dog run. The City Manager is authorized to enter into a Use and Occupancy Agreement with the Coca-Cola company to provide vending machines at designated city-owned facilities. The City Budget will be amended to reflect the acceptance of a $4000 donation to the P.L.A.Y. Program in memory of Estella Dorn and Florence T. Babcock. The City budget will be amended to reflect appropriation of funds for the NYS Health Dept. Adolescent Pregnancy Protection Program initiative. The City has accepted the lowest bid for sidewalk improvements from Tony Casale, Inc.; Project No. 004-999-P115. The City has waived formal bidding for the contract with Software Consulting Associates for the MuniCity 5 Work/Order Mobile Connect/ Service Request Solution Program for the Dept. of Public Works, in an amount not to exceed $50,000, and the budget has been amended to reflect this. The College Student Housing Ordinance has been re-written and was adopted. Units rented to three or more college students must be registered with the City and will be tracked during the current academic year. Properties that are rented to three or more non-students, fall under the regular building code. City Manager Chuck Strome III has increased funding to the budget from the contingency fund to hire an outside contractor to fill numerous nuisance potholes and repair roads, allowing the City Pothole Crew to focus on the larger ones. Mayor Bramson suggested that funds to hire an outside contractor be included in the next budget. The City Manager, in consultation with the Planning Commissioner, has already planned to do this. The City of New Rochelle will cosponsor of Thanksgiving Day Parade and Mayor Bramson thanked the Valenti family, on behalf of the City, for their sponsorship of the parade over many years. Following the Public Hearing, the City adopted revisions to the tenant base rental assistance program. No action on the Leaf Disposal facility was taken. The main topic of discussion was Councilman Fertel’s request to increase the salaries for members of the City Council, pegged to the CPI (Consumer Price Index), only if the Reserve Fund balance does not fall below 5% of the Budget, in light of the current, ample Fund balance. Fertel pointed out that the job is labor-intensive and Council members have no staff or offices. The last raise was given 8 years ago. The proposed raise would amount to approximately $6000/council member. Councilman Rice observed that other communities have given their council-members raises and a fair, consistent system needs to be put in place “that reflects what we do.” Councilman Hyden agreed that he does spend a great deal of time on City business, stating that the proposal and method of calculation is reasonable. However, he observed that “a lot of people in his district are struggling with no raises in their jobs, given the economic situation across the country, and property taxes are a big issue for them.” He would feel much better about re-visiting a raise when the City is collecting revenue from development. Hyden is open to discussing a formula to implement a raise for the long term, but not in adopting it this year. He also commented that the present low stipend does not even allow him to do one mailing to his district, one of the few ways he has to reach all of his constituents. Councilman Trangucci would support the proposal if his $2000 stipend, which he uses for a Community P.L.A.Y. Program, could be doubled. The City Manager offered to include funds for the P.L.A. Y. Program in his next budget. Liz Fried and Mayor Bramson supported a cost of living raise. Councilman Tarantino agreed that the raise would not be large but feels “extremely uncomfortable taking more money the way things are going in the economy at the moment and personally would not support it,” although he might consider it if the City adopted term limits that means “none of us could turn this into a forever job and allow others to run.” A legislative proposal will be developed for further discussion and a Public Hearing would be required before this can be adopted. Councilman Trangucci also observed that no council person has an office and asked if a community Council office space can be created at City Hall where members can meet with constituents. Mayor Bramson pointed out that this this was done 12-13 years ago and was not utilized but he is open to trying this again. The Council will convene again in August to wrap up outstanding business. 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Ads due Tuesdays, one week prior to publication date. Letters to the Editor & Press Releases can only be submitted via Email. Typewritten press releases forwarded by mail are not acceptable and will not be considered for publication. Please forward press releases as Word dox to [email protected] three weeks prior to anticipated run date; space closes Thursday, 8 days prior to dateline. Please forward ad inquiries to [email protected] or call/text: 914.216.1674. Original photos submitted for publication must have a resolution of 300 DPI. [email protected] Office Hours: 11A-5P M-F Phone: 914.216.1674 Read us online at: www.WestchesterGuardian.com THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN Thursday, AUGUST 4, 2016 Page 3 co v er stor y Democrat Hillary Clinton Makes History as the First U. S. Female Presidential Candidate. She Faces Political Novice, Businessman Donald J. Trump, in the November Election VOTE SEPTEMBER 13th By Mary Keon On Thursday, July 28, 2016, Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made history as the 2016 Democratic nominee for President and the first woman to lead a major party ticket in the U. S. Presidential election. Her nomination occurs 32 years after Geraldine Ferraro, also a Democrat, became the country’s first female Vice Presidential candidate, running alongside Walter Mondale, and 96 years after ratification of the 19th Amendment (August 18, 1920), giving American women the right to vote. In securing her party’s nomination, Mrs. Clinton has shattered a glass ceiling that had seemingly been made of Plexiglass. Mrs. Clinton is also the former First Lady of the United States and of Arkansas. She and former President Clinton reside in Chappaqua. Following her move to New York, Mrs. Clinton won election to the U. S. Senate, representing New York from January 3, 2001 to January 21, 2009. Video and speeches presented at the convention highlighted Mrs. Clinton’s early career as an advocate for children and the disabled, along with her extensive experience in government. The past few months have, no doubt, been challenging for Mrs. Clinton, who was faced with running a national Presidential campaign while under investigation for the handling of classified documents on her personal email server. The government declined to press charges and she seems to have put this behind her. In July, internal Democratic National Committee emails disparaging Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and documenting how the DNC undermined his campaign became public, leading Party Chairwoman Deborah Wasserman Schultz to step down. She has been replaced by Donna Brazile. Mrs. Clinton defeated Sanders, an avowed Socialist with a populist message, who ran a spirited campaign and developed a wide following, but did not generate enough support to overtake Mrs. Clinton’s lead. Sanders’ vocal supporters let their dissatisfaction with the outcome be known at the convention and Mrs. Clinton will need to win them over during the remaining weeks of the campaign, if she is to prevail on Election Day. Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia is her running mate. In a year where all precedents are being shattered, New York real estate developer Donald J. Trump, running a grass-roots campaign, defeated a crowded field of mostly career politicians, that included former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Ohio Governor John Kasich and Florida Senator Marco Rubio to become the 2016 Republican Presidential nominee on July 21st. Many Republican Party luminaries declined to attend the convention this year, in protest. Cruz was widely criticized for failing to endorse Trump during his convention speech, angering top donors and putting his political future in jeopardy. Trump has selected Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate. Throughout his campaign, Trump has extolled his business management and negotiation skills as the answer to the many problems that face the country, promising to build our economy and repair our infrastructure. He advocates a leaner more cost-effective government, treaties and trade agreements that protect American interests and a wall to secure our border with Mexico. Those who live far from our Mexican border scoff at the idea of a wall but residents of border states live in daily terror from illegal border crossers running through their yards, some of them armed criminals. None of us would find this acceptable in our communities. Citizens in the Southwest are desperate for protection and Mr. Trump’s message finds wide support there. We have no idea who is crossing our border on a daily basis or what their plans are and this is a prescription for disaster. However, Mr. Trump’s tendency to “shoot from the lip” gives many would-be supporters pause and he will need to rein this in to be seen in a presidential light. Despite his lack of experience in government, Trump’s brash, “tell it like it is” style resonates with broad groups of Americans who are struggling in a stagnant economy and worried about the future. Trump’s candidacy drew record numbers of voters on Primary Day. He too, now presides over a divided party and must win over disaffected members during the remainder of the campaign. And yet it does not matter who wins the popular vote on Election Day. The United States does not elect presidents by popular vote, but by a majority of delegate votes in the Electoral College. Many political analysts believe that the Electoral College vote favors Secretary Clinton. Can Mr. Trump amass enough votes in the Electoral College between now and Tuesday, November 8th to win a decisive majority? This remains to be seen, but so far, he has proven to be a quick study in a game that is much tougher and a whole lot meaner than New York real estate. Page 4 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN Thursday, AUGUST 4, 2016 GOVERNMENT Lowey Announces $475,000 Grant for Burke Medical Research Institute in White Plains JULY14, 2016, WASHINGTON, DC– Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey (Westchester/Rockland), the Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Committee, announced a $475,000 National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) grant for the Burke Medical Research Institute in White Plains to help improve sight in people with traumainduced neurological injuries. “Every day, some of our nation’s most cutting-edge medical research is being performed right here in the Lower Hudson Valley,” said Congresswoman Nita Lowey. “I am proud to fight for federal resources for the Burke Medical Research Institute and other outstanding local facilities whose important work keeps New Yorkers healthy while dramatically improving health outcomes across the country. Funding for NIH has nearly tripled since I joined the House Appropriations subcommittee that funds medical research, and I will continue working to increase the $2 billion the NIH pumps into New York’s economy each year.” The $475,000 grant will be used as seed money for a device that improves sight in people with neurological injuries. This specialized equipment was developed from studies of children who have sustained traumatic brain damage as a result of car accidents or falls from a bike. Patients are shown pictures or other stimulants and asked to visually track them across a screen. Music plays when the images are tracked properly but stops if they are followed incorrectly. Because these patients’ extensive brain damage has left them unable to communicate what they see, the device helps doctors understand what is being perceived visually while also stimulating and improving the patient’s visual system. “We are thrilled,” said Dr. Rajiv R. Ratan, Executive Director of the Burke Medical Research Institute. “While much of what we are doing here promises improvements in clinical care in five or ten years, this new piece of equipment can improve care almost immediately.” NINDS is a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) whose mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease. It supports and conducts research on the normal and diseased nervous system; fosters the training of investigators in neurosciences; and seeks better understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of neurological disorders. NINDS serves as a prime source of neurological information for scientists, clinicians, and the public. Lowey fought to include a $2 billion increase in NIH funding in the December 2015 year-end omnibus government spending bill. County,” Tubiolo said. “I’m honored to accept Bernice’s endorsement and continue her legacy. I will continue to be a strong voice for the people of Yonkers and Mt. Vernon in making our community cleaner, safer, more affordable and more attractive to businesses.” Before she spent 23 years as County Legislator, Spreckman served on the Yonkers City Council as as an at-large Council member and as Councilperson for the 2nd ward. She established a national profile as an advocate for senior citizens and was nicknamed “the unsinkable” Bernice Spreckman. “David Tubiolo was more than just my senior aide these past five years,” Spreckman said. “David continues to be a friend and someone I trust to fight passionately for important issues that affect seniors. I know that we can trust David to work toward making Westchester a more affordable place to continue to live—not just for us, but for all of our families.” Retired County Legislator Bernice Spreckman Endorses David Tubiolo JULY 27, 2016YONKERS, NY –Yonkers resident David Tubiolo spent over five years as the chief staffer to long-time Westchester Legislator Bernice Spreckman. Today, he received Spreckman’s endorsement to replace her on the County Board in the August 9th special election. “I spent three decades in public service. How did I get elected time and again?” Spreckman asked. “By putting people first. With all those years of experience I know a good Bernice Spreckman and David Tubiolo courtesy of David Tubiolo. public servant when I see one and that’s why I’m endorsing David Tubiolo to replace me on the County Board of Legislators.” Spreckman said that David Tubiolo would continue her legacy as a legislator who puts people before politics and will fight for a more affordable Westchester. “I’ve learned from Bernice first hand what it means to put people before politics, to make the necessary decisions for the betterment of Westchester Senator Murphy Announces $500,000 Appropriation for Croton Point Park Meadow Restoration JULY 25, 2016 ALBANY, NY: Croton-on-Hudson, NY - On what was undoubtedly one of the hottest days of the year, it seemed appropriate that Senator Terrence Murphy, an avid outdoorsman, would be outside making an important announcement about the future of Croton Point Park. To help maintain the park, Senator Murphy announced he had secured $500,000 for a critically needed meadow restoration project. The funding will be used for grasslands design and management specifications on the constructed meadow cap of the old Croton landfill. In addition to enhancing the overall aesthetics of the park, the project will eradicate invasive species and improve the ecological health of the park and the Hudson River Estuary bald eagle habitat, the largest in the lower NYS Senator Terrence Murphy and Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino at Croton Point Park. Photo courtesy of Senator Murphy’s office. Hudson flyway. “I am proud to partner and fund one of the largest conservation projects in the history of Westchester County,” Senator Murphy said. “Restoration of the area as grassland will provide a nesting place for migrating birds and other wildlife. Restoring the area’s natural habitat will create something of lasting value and beauty. I wanted to make sure the park will remain a vibrant and attractive place to visit for generations to come.” “As stewards of the environment we have a responsibility to conserve our natural resources today and for future generations and efforts like these are important down payments on our endowment for the future,” said Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino. “Thanks to Senator Murphy and all our partners for this wonderful restoration.” “The Croton Point Meadow restoration project will improve the ecological life of the landfill, protect the Hudson River Estuary from persistent and invasive species and make the park a natural, year-round habitat for bald eagles,” Carol Griffiths, Co-President of the Federated Conservationists of Westchester County added. The grassland area was established in the mid-to-late 1990s on a capped landfill that operated from the late 1920s through 1986. The grassland is now managed by the Westchester County Department of Environmental Facilities, which also monitors and manages methane emissions for the capped landfill. THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN Thursday, AUGUST 4, 2016 Page 5 GOVERNMENT A Statement by NYSAC Executive Director Acquario on the Property Tax Cap Announcement JULY 18, 2016, ALBANY, NY– Counties remain concerned about the state and regional economy and its impact on our ability to serve in our communities. Today, NYS Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli reported that local property tax revenues will be capped at .6% percent over last year, based on low inflation. This announcement comes after the State Department of Taxation and Finance presented 2nd quarter sales tax revenues, which showed 37 counties collected less in the 2nd quarter of 2016 than they did in the same quarter last year. County operations are funded through a combination of sales and property tax revenues. From those revenues, counties must first fund state mandated programs and services, the cost of which is growing faster than the revenue counties receive. Whatever is left then funds local quality of life programs like 9-1-1 emergency response, road patrols, aging and youth services, parks and recreation, and capital programs. In the past five years, counties have sold assets and depleted reserves to meet the state’s property tax cap requirements. The low sales and property tax revenues announced in the past few days will require counties to further reduce local programs and services. To learn more about NYS counties and the property tax cap visit www.nysac.org/propertytaxcap The New York State Association of Counties is a bipartisan municipal association serving the counties of New York State. Organized in 1925, NYSAC’s mission is to represent, educate and advocate for member counties. www.nysac.org Senator Murphy Helps Croton Shed the Meds Upcoming Dates and Locations for Other Communities Croton-on-Hudson, NY - Since taking office last year, Senator Terrence Murphy has been fighting to keep drugs and drug dealers from flooding our neighborhoods. Part of his plan in the war against drugs is to dispose of dan- medications in a safe and responsible manner.” “’The Shed the Meds’ program helps ensure that old and unwanted drugs do not wind up back on the street or in the hands of children,” said Crotonon-Hudson Police Chief Anthony Tramaglini. “It also helps protect our environment. Too many people think that flushing away their old medications will not do any harm. They forget that these drugs can get into our water system.” “In light of the escalating drug crisis, Officer Eric Seymour Croton-on Hudson Police it is important for us to eliminate as many Department, Senator Terrence Murphy, Laurie dangerDean, Croton Community Coalition Chairwoman potentially ous drugs as we can,” and Coordinator, Croton-on Hudson Police Chief said Laurie Dean, Anthony Tramaglini, Miki Carver and Emily Community Ruppert, Interns, Senator Murphy’s Office. Photo Croton Coalition Chairwoman courtesy of Senator Murphy’s office. and Coordinator. “The gerous prescription medications. Earlier Croton community is happy to support today, Senator Murphy partnered with Senator Murphy and the “Shed the the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, the Meds’ program.” Croton Police Department, and the Safe disposal helps protect the Croton Community Coalition to bring environment and eliminates the risk his “Shed the Meds” program to the of these drugs getting into the hands Croton area. of small children or those who might “The cost in human lives of pre- misuse them. Improper disposal of scription medications ruining our medications, such as pouring them communities is staggering,” Senator down the drain or flushing them down Murphy said. “With a drug epidemic the toilet, can potentially pollute local invading our neighborhoods and waterways. schools we have to be more vigilant for Upcoming dates and locations for the sake of our families and children. additional “Shed the Meds” summer Removing hazardous drugs is another programs: step in the right direction. ‘Shed the Brewster - Thursday, July 28 at the old Meds’ offers communities the oppor- Village Offices, 208 Main Street near tunity to dispose of their expired Peaceable Hill Road, Brewster. Peekskill - Tuesday, August 9 at Hayes Plaza, outside Field Public Library, 4 Nelson Avenue, Peekskill. Sleepy Hollow - Thursday, August 11 at the Village of Sleepy Hollow Police Department, 28 Beekman Avenue, Sleepy Hollow. Yorktown - Wednesday, August 17 at Jefferson Village (parking lot area), Hill Blvd. Somers - Friday, August 26 at the Somers Police Department, 100 Primrose Street/Route 139, Somers. From One Piece to Large Household Residential & Commercial www.affordablemoversny.com FREE 1-MONTH STORAGE WITH ANY INTERSTATE MOVE Dot T11979 US DOT 1049459 Reliable packing techniques State-of-the-art moving trucks & trailers at Affordable, we move for you. Call now for a reliable price quote 914.769.1159 No Extra Charge for Weekend & Holidays Short Notice Moves Welcome To Florida & All Points in Between LOWEST HOURLY RATES! Time and again, people everywhere choose us. 120 FULTON ST. WHITE PLAINS, NY 10606 C M Y CM CY CMY K ©2016 Hudson Valley Surgical Group | All Rights Reserved. MY Colon Surgery: The Advantages of Laparoscopic and Robotic Procedures Hudson Valley Surgical Group’s Minimally Invasive Center now provides patients another choice for colon surgery. “The doctors understood the need for me to be mobile within days.” Vincent L., colon patient New York Magazine Top Doctors Castle Connolly’s Top Doctors™ in America Hudson Valley Surgical Group MINIMALLY INVASIVE CENTER 777 N. Broadway, Suite 204, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591 914.631.3660 | HudsonValleySurgeons.com Page 6 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN Thursday, AUGUST 4, 2016 COMMENTS ON CONGRESS Where the Election Stands By Lee H. Hamilton July 21st, 2016 The next few weeks in politics are a little like the All-Star break in baseball. With the Republican and Democratic national conventions upon us, it’s a good time to step back and assess this year’s election. Which carries bad news for both parties. The Republicans face a steep electoral challenge. If Hillary Clinton carries Florida (where polling shows a very close race) plus the District of Columbia and the 19 states that have voted Democratic in each of the last six presidential elections, she wins. Yet victory for Donald Trump is hardly out of the question. He’ll have to retain the support he already has from white voters - especially working-class whites in swing states - and try to make some inroads among nonwhite voters. He’ll also need to hope that any third-party candidates take more votes away from Clinton than from him. Trump floated through the Republican primaries by tackling the anger and discontent that course through this year’s electorate. His talk about a broken system and his emphatic, brash style appeal to a lot of people. His ability to dominate news coverage without spending much on advertising has been extraordinary. And even though he’s passed through a difficult period for his campaign, the polls have grown quite close. On the other hand, the Republican Party is splintered and off its game. Its leaders are having a difficult time with a Trump candidacy. A sizable number of GOP stars are finding excuses not to attend the convention, which is remarkable. Conventions are where parties fire up the faithful and gird for the general election; to find elected officials staying away is clearly a problem. And any revolt at the convention will be messy - though fortunately for the GOP, the months from August to November are an eternity in politics. Yet the Democrats should take no comfort from this state of affairs. For starters, below the presidential level the party is struggling. Since 2008, Democrats have lost 69 seats in the U.S. House, 13 Senate seats, 12 governorships, and over 900 seats in state legislatures. Nor do they have much of a bench. The two most prominent Democrats this year, Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders, are both senior citizens: Clinton is 68, Sanders 74. Despite President Obama’s relative youth, his years in office did not usher in a new generation of national was Franklin Roosevelt, in 1940. The British vote on Brexit is a reminder that resentments and anger can fly under the radar. And Washington, where there’s money everywhere you turn, is a ripe target for “take-our-country-back” populism. The anti-establishment, anti-Washington mood captured by both Sanders and Trump should make both parties uneasy. But then, so should the course of this election, which has put a premium on sound and fury at the cost of true engagement with the issues confronting the country. On that score, we all lose. Democratic leadership. And while Clinton’s path to the presidency may be wider than Trump’s, that doesn’t mean she’s a strong candidate - at least, not for this particular year. She’s put out carefully thought-through, even impressive position papers on a wide variety of current issues that get very little attention in the press. At a moment when voters clearly want change, she appears to favor incrementalism as the way to get things done in Washington. And despite the FBI’s decision that it wouldn’t bring criminal charges on her handling of emails when she was Secretary of State, the issue is clearly dogging her. She went into this election facing a lot of voters who simply didn’t trust her, and that has only gotten worse. In politics, you cannot talk someone into trusting you - you have to earn it, inch by inch. Moreover, if Trump faces tough arithmetic in the electoral college, Clinton faces her own difficult equation: It is extremely hard for a political party to win a third consecutive term in the White House. It happened 28 years ago, when George H.W. Bush succeeded Ronald Reagan. The last candidate before that Lee Hamilton is a Senior Advisor for the Indiana University Center on Representative Government; a Distinguished Scholar, IU School of Global and International Studies; and a Professor of Practice, IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years. For information about the Center’s educational resources and programs, visit the website at www.centeroncongress.org. “Like” the Center on Facebook at “Indiana University Center on Representative Government,” and share their postings with your friends. Reprinted with written permission from The Center on Congress. BUSINESS Orange County Trust Becomes Orange County Bank and Trust On Friday, July 29th, 2016, Orange County Trust CEO Michael Gilfeather and Board Chair, Louis Heimback unveiled their new corporate image at the Bank’s headquarters in Middletown, NY. Going forward, the 124-year old bank will be known as Orange County Bank and Trust. The name change was approved by the Board of Directors on January 22, 2016 and the Bank has trademarked the new name. The decision to change the bank’s name occurred following a 2015 strategic research and branding campaign when focus groups from neighboring counties told marketers that “‘Orange County Trust Company,’ sounded Orange Bank and Trust CEO Michael Gilfeather addresses business leaders and public officials Friday, July 29 at bank headquarters, on Dolson Avenue in Middletown, during the unveiling of its new name and signage. Photo courtesy of Kevin Ferguson. more like an investment house than a full service commercial bank,” a concern that is addressed by adding Bank to the company’s new name. With assets of approximately $900 million, the bank has added branches and expanded into Westchester, Rockland and Dutchess Counties and is now affiliated with Hudson Valley Investment Advisors to provide investment advice to its customers. The bank plans to “remain independent, position itself for future growth and expand its operations regionally, with a focus on business banking,” said Gilfeather, who attributes the bank’s success to “conservative banking practices, innovation and commitment to its community. We focus on community-based relationship banking for businesses, organizations and individuals,” he added. “Although our name and logo are changing, we are still the same community-focused bank continuing to deliver top-notch relationship based service to our customers in Orange, Dutchess, Westchester and Rockland Counties” said Gilfeather. “Orange Bank & Trust is committed to growth by expanding geographically and by enhancing the products and services we offer. To that end, we have opened two new branches in Mamaroneck and Mount Pleasant, with more to come. In order to support this growth, we move into the future with one clear, consistent, name and message.” THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN Thursday, AUGUST 4, 2016 Page 7 me digital.” This is profound. It is an example of the dramatic change that had made the movement to cyberlife exciting, rapid, and disruptive. In the history of recorded music (up until digital), we moved what seemed to be rapidly for the times – through vinyl, first 78RPM (“revolutions per minute’), then 33 1/3, and then 45 to 8 track tapes to cassettes and finally CDs (compact disks). Along the way, we often had to buy new equipment, even, perhaps, buying the music in a new format. Some people kept the older equipment and music or upgraded to new equipment that contained a 3 speed vinyl turntable and a CREATIVE DISRUPTION Cyberspace Is A Vast … And Complex World By John F. McMullen There are many books about the Internet on every possible aspect of it – from how to use it through to books on the technology underlying it. And while children don’t have to be taught how to use the Internet, there are many books specifically aimed at senior citizens who are in need of much help. Books have been written about every possible impact that the Internet has and will make on our lives – education, social interaction, security, privacy, business, politics, employment, and the overall future. Author Virginia Heffernan photo by Francis Hill Courtesy of Simon & Schuster While this is at times overwhelming, it is to be expected. The Internet, or rather what I will refer to as “Cyberspace” for the rest of this article, is replacing so many aspects of physical life, that one must consider as many different ways to look at it, as there are to look at our physical world. One only has to consider the number of books that could be written about Manhattan Island – its geography, history, demographics, Broadway stage, Wall Street and finance, opera, music, the culture of Greenwich Village and Harlem; museums, colleges and the list could go on and on. Manhattan has also been the subject of countless works of fiction, including great mysteries, television series and movies. I use the term Cyberspace in this context because it implies a place to which we go and in which we immerse ourselves when we get there. The term Internet, for many, causes a focus on the tools that we use to get there – the computers, tables, smartphones, connections, browsers, servers, etc. I’ve recently been spending some enjoyable time with two books published this year dealing with life in cyberspace. There are some superficial similarities between “Magic and Loss: The Internet As Art” by Virginia Heffernan (a very recent guest on my weekly radio show – www.blogtalkradio.com/ johmac13/2016/07/24/weeklyjohnmac-radio-show and Thomas Rid’s “Rise Of The Machines: A Cybernetic History.” Both have black covers with praising blurbs on the back cover from Wired Magazine cofounder and author, most recently of “The Inevitable,” Kevin Kelly (another recent guest on the show -- www.blogtalkradio.com/ johmac13/2016/05/01/weekly-johnmac-radio-show). They also contain references within the works to a mutual friend, Grateful Dead lyricist and cofounder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, John Perry Barlow. Yet, despite these similarities, the books are very different – just as we could have two books about Ireland, one a travel guide and the other a history. This week, I’ll discuss Virginia Heffernan’s book – it is a delight as it looks both at what we do in Cyberspace and what it means. We often get so caught up in what we are doing that we don’t take the step back and consider how we got here, where we might go, and how it may matter. Case in point – In the section of the book entitled “Music” (there are separate sections – “Text,” “Images,” “Video,” and “Music”), Heffernan writes “To me, that was the iPod’s magic: it transformed me and made Continued on page 8 “I received such excellent care and personal attention, I would rate the total experience on a scale from 1 to 10, a 12.” – Crestina A., anterior hip replacement patient NEW WESTCHESTER ORTHOPEDIC CENTER IN DOBBS FERRY ■ Hospital Based-Complete Orthopedic Care ■ Westchester’s Leading Orthopedic Surgeons ■ MAKOplasty® Precision Robotic Technology ■ Private Reserved Rooms ■ Pre-Op Education for Patient & their Coach ■ Shorter Hospital Stays 99% of Patients Recommend Westchester Orthopedic Center* ■ Nicolas Bavaro, MD Charles Edelson, MD David Lent, MD Howard Luks, MD 866.732.9650 WestchesterOrthoCenter.com Evan Gains, MD James Joseph, MD Robert Myerson, MD Eric Spencer, MD Nicolas Bavaro, MD, David Lent, MD Howard Luks, MD, James Joseph, MD *Source: Based on WOC follow-up survey © 2016 St. John’s Riverside Hospital | All Rights Reserved Page 8 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN Thursday, AUGUST 4, 2016 CREATIVE DISRUPTION Cyberspace Is A Vast … And Complex World Continued from page 7 cassette and / or CD player so they could use old and new formats. The traditional “record stores” sold both the old and new equipment and music in multiple formats. Then mp3s hit! The iPod wasn’t the first mp3 player but it was the best and the most elegant and millions sold immediately. It further made shoplifters of many as “piracy,” formerly only the activity of computer gamers, became a way of life for young and old. Apple’s “iTunes Store,” with its low-cost downloads of mp3s, brought music lovers back to legality but effectively killed all of the music retail stores, formerly two or three to a mall. This was disruption never seen before in the industry. The mp3 technology could be seen, in one way, as a logical progression from the earlier formats, yet it was different. It was a movement away from the physical (vinyl, CDs, etc.) to digital, something that we can’t touch. Additionally, it did not add a new type of player or format of music to a retailer’s shelves; rather, it put him out of business! This type of disruption was, of course, not limited to music. One only has to look at the advent of digital photography, a technology that put the small film processing stores out of business and drove the developer of digital photography, Kodak, into bankruptcy. The development of the digital music and photography technologies did not stop with the replacement of the previous technologies. Once we had music and photos in digital format, entrepreneurs and companies appeared on the scene to offer software and services that expanded the power of these technologies in ways not dreamed of before. “PhotoShop” put previously very expensive darkroom tools in the hands of the home computer user, “Flickr” gave us a way to store and share our pictures all over the world, and “Instagram” combined them both. On the music side, “Pandora” and “Spotify” are apps that allow you to listen to music that you don’t own and “Shazam” will identify music that you hear but can’t quite place. In “Video,” Heffernan takes us through the rise of “YouTube,” its sale to Google and its continued impact on the Video world. She writes about the disruption of the on-air and cable worlds by the new Netflix, Amazon, and Yahoo original television series, and then takes us into the world of 3D Virtual Reality with Oculus. Once again, we see the tearing down (or at least chipping away) of traditional distribution methods and the provision of more choices to the consumer. In her conversation with me on the radio, Heffernan stated that this movement from the “physical-to-theabstract” is always a benefit, even if the “magic” does bring a “loss” (job loss, loss of physical control of items, elimination of previously valuable skills, etc.). She used money as an example. – We began with barter and we had to have our goods at the same place as the goods which we wished to obtain – and then moved to money, allowing us more freedom to obtain goods when we did not have goods to trade with the owner of the goods we wished (while creating gold and silver mining jobs). –This evolved to paper money, (eliminating the need to haul heavy metals around) – then to checks, allowing payment to be safely mailed. The evolution of internet technology enabled us to do our banking online with automatic, digital transfer of funds. Paychecks can be directly deposited into our accounts and we can then have bill payments automatically be sent from our accounts. This automatic transfer of funds opened the door for Amazon to rule the online retail world– and now “Internet money” such as “Bitcoin” that will apparently ease even further our commercial activities (“apparently” as it has neither at this time large scale acceptance nor understanding). In this limited space, it is difficult to portray well the depth of “Magic and Loss.” Heffernan uses her background in philosophy, (undergraduate – she also has a PhD in English Literature), to explore the meaning of these transitions –she causes us to focus in ways Heffernan concludes with a chapter, “Even If You Don’t Believe In It,” in which she takes us through her intellectual and religious development. As she said on the show, she was apprehensive about doing this –there have been many memoires detailing a person’s sexual experiences or difficulties with drugs or alcohol but what she does here is unusual – it opens up her intellectual path to us in a very frank manner. The book is deep without being difficult and I recommend it thoroughly. It is available in hardcover and in Kindle, Nook, and “epub” formats. (Aside – and it relates to embracing the new while still having motor and physical memory of the old. Seeing my reference in the preceding paragraph to Kindle made me think of an occurrence this evening. I have literally hundreds of books on a Kindle since I ordered one on the day Jeff Bezos introduced it. Earlier this evening, I was reading a mystery, the tenth in the Catherine Coulter “An FBI Thriller Series” that I’ve read in the last two weeks (I binge read through series), while I was waiting for Fala The Wonder Dog to finish her dinner so that I could take her out. When she finished and I was closing the Kindle, I reached for a piece of paper to mark my place! A piece of paper to mark your place on a Kindle?? That’s the first time I’ve ever done anything like that. I caught myself but it bewildered me. Perhaps it was the influence of my conversation with Heffernan and/or reading her book.) Back in 2 weeks with “Rise of the Machines”! I welcome comments on this piece to [email protected]. Beer garden at Heartland Gladys coffee from Coffee Labs in Tarrytown, and Howling Fantods Imperial Stout, with an 11-percent alcohol content. The Brewery offers takeout and a more extensive food menu than most breweries, but be advised: The beer here is expensive, some premium cases going for $96 to $120. The Green Growler (thegreengrowler.com) in Croton-on-Hudson is a tap room, bottle shop and home brew shop that serves beer on tap to Clemson Bros. Brewery Creative Disruption is a continuing series examining the impact of constantly accelerating technology on the world around us. These changes normally happen under our personal radar until we find that the world as we knew it is no more. John F. McMullen is a writer, poet, college professor and radio host. Links to other writings, Podcasts, & Radio Broadcasts at www.johnmac13. com, and his books are available on Amazon. © 2016 John F. McMullen LOCAL BUSINESS Chase Away Your Brews and Cure What Ales You By Joseph P. Griffith The great Nat King Cole sang about “those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, those days of soda and pretzels and beer.” Well, today some people want to tax your soda, and others keep telling you that the salt in the pretzels is bad for you. That leaves only the beer. Here is a short list of breweries and bars in and around Westchester so you can douse the inferno of summer. Frankie & Fanucci’s Wood Oven Pizzeria (fandfpizza.com), which has been in Mamaroneck since 2010, recently opened a tap room with a unique concept. Patrons can play bartender, using a chip card to activate more than 30 beer and wine taps and serve themselves. The system calculates the tab by the ounce and allows you to try small amounts of each beverage. “We were looking for something to really differentiate, and what you see is a lot of trends in the market now of customers serving themselves, being part of the actual experience,” said co-owner Brad Nagy. “So when we started doing research and wanted to bring in a better craft beer and wine experience, we looked at the self-pour technology, and it was perfect. We pushed it out on social media that it’s coming soon. I expected it to be wellreceived but I was really surprised at how much interest there was in it.” Captain Lawrence Brewing Co. (captainlawrencebrewing.com) is the oldest brewery in the county and one of its best. Scott Vaccaro, who had previously worked at the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., opened it 10 years ago in Pleasantville and moved to larger quarters in Elmsford in 2012. The move allowed the company to greatly expand its capacity and distribute bottles and cases throughout the metropolitan area. Captain Lawrence brews up a large variety of beers, conducts tours and has a tasting room and beer garden with entertainment and games. It also offers a limited food menu along with regular concerts and events. The Peekskill Brewery (peekskillbrewery.com) creates unusual beers with exotic hops. These include Wake Up Call Pale Ale, brewed with more than four pounds per barrel of Ahtanum hops and Columbian Villa drink and take home, wine by the glass, beer and cider in bottles, home brew supplies and live music. Besides the many draft and craft beers it offers, Sleepy Hollow’s Bridge View Tavern (bridgeviewtavern.com) has a beer garden, TVs showing numerous sports events and, true to its name, views of the Tappan Zee Bridge, old and new. One of the best bargains around is Continued on page 9 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN Thursday, AUGUST 4, 2016 Page 9 LOCAL BUSINESS Chase Away Your Brews and Cure What Ales You Continued from page 8 the Bronx BBQ Pit (bronxbbqpit. com), a gastropub at West 233rd Street and Broadway in Kingsbridge. This friendly place has an indoor beer garden with communal tables, more than 30 craft tap, canned and bottled beers and 20 selections of bourbon. A $5 happy hour Monday-Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. offers cheap drinks and good pub food. The Bronx Brewery The Bronx Brewery (thebronxbrewery.com), at 856 E. 136th St. in Port Morris, is located in one of those sections that gentrifiers are always touting as “the next big up-and-coming area.” Translation: Not a great neighborhood. The industrial street is virtually deserted on the weekend and may be an adventurous trip for some, but they do have a beer garden with live music and a small tasting room. They brew pale ales, stouts, saisons and IPAs. Best for millennial urban pioneers. The Bronx Beer Hall (thebronxbeerhall.com) isn’t much more than a small bar inside the Arthur Avenue Retail Market, but it’s a good oasis at which to refresh from all the shopping that neighborhood has to offer. They have tap and bottled beer and growler refills from breweries around the region. Manhattan’s Dyckman Beer Co. (dyckmanbeerco.com) does not have a venue where you can try its products, but its beer is available in numerous locations in the upper Bronx and Manhattan. These include the Bronx Ale House (bronxalehouse. com) at 216 W. 238th St., which serves a variety of local and New York state beers. Dyckman’s is also available at Growler’s Beer Bistro in Tuckahoe (growlersbeerbistro.com), whose tap beers come from all over the country. Nearby in Tuckahoe, Broken Bow Brewery (brokenbowbrewery.com) has an unusual assortment of lagers, ales and stouts, including Lucy’s Sour Strawberry Wheat and a Hazelnut Praline Coffee Stout. (Sounds like something Starbucks would brew if it turned to beer.) It has occasional live music and food delivered by the nearby Italian restaurant Polpettina. The Craftsman Ale House in Harrison (craftsmanalehouse.com) regularly stages beer events including nights devoted to a single brewer. The Heartland Black + Gold Bar and Eatery (heartlandbandg.com), adjacent to the Port Chester train station, is in a historic 1890 building and features an extensive menu. Fireplaces will keep its beer garden going into cooler weather (if you can ignore the Metro-North and Amtrak trains roaring by). The Bohemian Citizens’ Benevolent Society of Astoria, formed in 1892, operates the 106-year-old Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden Brad Nagy, left, and Angelo Viscoso, right, owners of Frankie & Fanucci’s Frankie & Fanucci’s beer and wine on tap, accessible via chip card (bohemianhall.com) at 29-19 24th Ave. in Astoria. Besides Czech and Slovak tap and craft beers, it serves ethnic barbecue and presents live music in its large walled garden. Farther afield, Clemson Bros. Brewery in Middletown (clemsonbrewing.com) began as an industrial mechanics company and metal smith in 1890, eventually branching out into beermaking. The brewery is located in an old brick building at 22 Cottage St., another of those areas that has seen better days but is undergoing a revival. There is an extensive menu of pub food, a beer garden and an outdoor concert series. The New York State Brewers Association has an online map of breweries with extremely limited information, but with a little ingenuity you can use it to lead you to the brew. http://beermap.thinknydrinkny. com/nysbrewers. Hudson Valley Craft Beer Week (hvcbw.org) is designed to promote the offerings of craft brewers in the region. It is scheduled for Sept. 9-18. This summer will soon be a memory, and as Nat King Cole sang, you’ll wish that summer could always be here. But as you quaff that golden brew, and look forward to Oktoberfest, you can pretend for a minute that it always will be. Photos by Joseph P. Griffith. Page 10 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN Thursday, AUGUST 4, 2016 DAY TRIP Asbury Park’s Fortunes Have Risen With the Tide By Joseph P. Griffith The seaside city of Asbury Park, in Monmouth County, N.J., was developed in 1871 as a residential resort by James Bradley, a New York manufacturer. A number of tourist attractions were installed over the years, including a boardwalk, an orchestra pavilion, a pier and several hotels. Homes with Victorian architecture sprang up around town, and in 1973, a young musician named Bruce Springsteen called his first album “Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.,” adding to its fame. Since then, the city’s fortunes have gone up and down. Over the years it experienced cycles of urban blight and subsequent renewal. Today, the city of a little more than 16,000 people is in its latest, fortunately latter stage, as vibrant and popular as it has ever been. There are buildings that remain dilapidated, such as the Casino and the hulking shell that once housed the famed carousel, but the rest of the boardwalk and the city have experienced a renaissance. The nearby downtown bustles with restaurants, shops and hipsters. To walk on the boardwalk is to experience something of the Mermaid mural, Asbury Park Boardwalk quintessence of the “Jersey Shore” lifestyle. The boardwalk is a bit tawdry, as such places usually are, which is what makes them fun. It is equal parts Atlantic City (minus the gambling casinos), family entertainment and party town. Some streets off the boardwalk still look rundown and vacant, but there are many new condominium developments and attractive hotels. Even the buildings that have seen better days have been spruced up with murals created by local artists. At one end of the boardwalk stand the former Casino and carousel, which now serves as a kind of art installation. The Casino, which is something of an aging eyesore by contrast with the rest of the refurbished boardwalk, is a gateway out of the city and into neighboring Ocean Grove. At the other end, the Asbury Park Convention Hall has been subdivided into smaller commercial spaces, now home to the Asbury Oyster Bar, the Beach Bar, the Anchor’s Bend restaurant and the Paramount Theater. One of the major draws, a block off the boardwalk, is the Stone Pony nightclub, where Springsteen and Bon Jovi got their start. During the day, when no concerts are taking place, you can peek inside and see where history was made, if that’s your idea of history. In recent years an outdoor Summer Stage has been erected next to the club, a large and very loud venue whose acts can be heard without buying a ticket. The Wonder Bar is instantly recognizable for its trademark logo, the “fun face” of Tillie. The vintage Asbury Lanes bowling alley has a bar with live performances. On a quiet, sweltering day last month, with the temperature approaching 100 degrees, police officers stood by at several places or rode motorized carts along the boardwalk, apparently with nothing to do. It was the type of day that was too hot for anyone to become rowdy, the atmosphere about as low-key and mellow as it gets. Beachgoers lay on the sand, soaking up the sun, rising only to cool off in the water. Even the waves seemed too hot to be bothered. But on weekend nights or concert days, the atmosphere is altogether different. Crowds stream up and down, patrons file in and out of clubs and restaurants and the night is filled with anticipation. There are shops, galleries, clothing stores, bars, restaurants and cafes, and more than enough visitors to qualify as a prime people-watching destination. Dare we compare it to Venice Beach? North of the Convention Hall, away from the shops and bustle, the beaches are a little quieter. The restaurants along the boardwalk are heavily influenced by Latin cuisine, particularly Cuban. There are many small shops and stands serving fast food, and one Korean stand was doing bustling business. Victorian home, Ocean Grove Like most Jersey Shore beaches, Asbury Park charges for access. Beach badges cost $5 on weekdays and $7 on weekends. Seasonal passes are also available. Asbury Splash Park on the boardwalk is a small water park where admission is $9 for children, $5 for adults and $20 per family. There is ample street parking for $1 to $2 an hour, and lots charging $10 to $20. The downtown area centered around Cookman Avenue is home to numerous restaurants, boutiques, antiques shops and arcades. Among the restaurants downtown is the Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten at 527 Lake Ave. This cavernous space and rooftop beer garden is about as close to approximating the Munich Oktoberfest as you are likely to find. Among the special events scheduled for Asbury Park in the coming weeks are: • Erotic Film Festival, Aug. 5-7 • The Historical Society’s Art on the Boardwalk, Aug. 21 • Mermaid Promenade, Aug. 27 • Oysterfest, Sept. 10-11 • Zombie Walk, Oct. 1 • Octoberfest, Oct. 7-11 • Columbus Day Re-enactment, Oct. 9 • Polar Bear Plunge, Dec. 27 Immediately south of Asbury Park is the unincorporated community of Ocean Grove, located within Neptune Township. Ocean Grove has only about 3,300 residents, but a fine collection of architecture and history. Founded in 1869 as a religious camp, it became known as “the Queen of Religious Resorts” and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its many Victorian homes are reminiscent of the “painted ladies” of Cape May, colorful dwellings with American flags and bunting. Residents take pride in displaying Ocean Grove pier Window of the former carousel the dates they were built; many of the homes are part of the original founding. It is the kind of place where people give their houses names, like Seabiscuit and What the Heck House (on Heck Avenue). Parts of the community are like a miniature version of Newport, R.I., and the Main Avenue commercial strip is like a hippie town or Martha’s Vineyard. Aside from the beach, the most prominent feature of Ocean Grove is the Great Auditorium, a wooden building designed for religious camp meetings. Originally, it could seat 10,000 people, though its current capacity is 6,250. The personalities who have appeared there have included Billy Graham, Norman Vincent Peale, Billy Sunday, William Jennings Bryan, Booker T. Washington, John Philip Sousa, Enrico Caruso, Tony Bennett, Mel Tormé, Kenny Rogers, Ray Charles, Johnny Mathis and the Beach Boys. Tents that function as summer bungalows adjoin the auditorium and are highly colorful in themselves. A day trip to these two communities is a good chance to grab what’s left of summer. ASBURY PARK and OCEAN GROVE cityofasburypark.com oceangrovenj.com visitnj.org Photos by Joseph P. Griffith THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN Thursday, AUGUST 4, 2016 Page 11 GOVERNMENT TRAVEL Cruising Along the Blue Danube on AmaWaterways By Richard Levy Although I have traveled the world throughout my life, when I sat down to plan my summer vacation I suddenly realized that I have never taken a River Cruise and resolved to address this oversight. After carefully considering my options, I selected an Ama Waterways cruise, an easy choice, since the firm won 6 Travvy Awards in 2016. However, deciding which of their many interesting cruises to take was a real challenge! Given my Hungarian ancestry and love for music, I settled on “Melodies of the Danube.” This route starts in Budapest, the birthplace of my mother, where I could plan to arrive early to spend a few days exploring my heritage. An AmaWaterway’s River Boat makes its way up the Danube. Our 7-day itinerary stopped in Bratislava, Slovokia, Vienna, the Wachau Valley, Durnstein, Melk, and Linz, in Austria; Passau and Vilshofen in Germany; and included six UNESCO World Heritage sites, ending in Vilshofen, a two-hour bus ride from Munich. My girlfriend and I thoroughly enjoyed our excursions to the idyllic villages and cities along the Danube. The food was exquisite, like dining on a floating Guide Michelin restaurant. As we sank into our comfy bed each night, it was hard to believe we were not in a 5-Star luxury hotel or on a private yacht. The boat offers massage services, a hair salon, a fitness room and a heated pool on deck, among other amenities. The lounges double as performance space and feature floor-to-ceiling windows so you don’t miss out on the spectacular views. With only 150 guests on board, we were able to relax and get to know our fellow passengers – a sophisticated, worldly and engaging group. AmaWaterways offers state-of-theart, sleekly designed riverboats, –the most highly -rated ships in Europe. Their luxurious staterooms feature lovely balconies where you can enjoy the passing scene Lightning Protection! ASSOCIATED LIGHTNING Rod Company, Inc. www.alrci.com The AmaWaterway’s River Boat, AmaSerena. from the privacy of your room: gnarled fortresses, ancient castles, Baroque churches, Rococo palaces, vast vineyards, soaring mountains, rolling green hills and picturesque medieval villages. All from a perspective that only a River Cruise can offer. The inspiration for countless artists and musicians throughout the centuries, the Danube was immortalized by Johann Strauss in the Blue Danube Waltz – the dance that captivated Europe in 1867. So mesmerizing was my seven-day vacation. that I braved separation anxiety and turned off my cell phone for the duration of the trip. Nick, our Cruise Director, orchestrated every day of our tour like a maestro, while the crew and ancillary staff made us feel like family in every possible way. Local performers came aboard when we docked, to entertain us at night. We enjoyed a classical quartet, Austrian folk dancers and Gypsy musicians. Our ship even had a world-class pianist onboard who performed daily, throughout our stay. AmaWaterways was founded in 2002 by river cruising pioneer Rudi Scheier, travel professional Kristin Karst and the late Brendan Tours entrepreneur, Jimmy Murphy who was also the co-founder of the U. S. Tour Operators Association. The cruise line won six gold awards during the 2016 Travvy Awards annual awards gala: Best River Cruise Line • Best Cruise Ships, River Cruise: AmaSerena, AmaBella • Best River Cruise Line, Asia • Best River Cruise Line, Europe. They are the only river cruise ever to be inducted into the Confrérie De La Chaîne Rôtisseurs, one of the world’s most prestigious culinary organizations.And if that was not enough, they were recently inducted as a member of La Connétablie de Guyenne – the third oldest vinous brotherhood in Bordeaux. Our award-winning Chef procured regional, seasonal fresh vegetables, fish and meat from local suppliers along the Danube at every stop. Each guest was invited to a Chef’s tasting dinner on one evening, for a meal that included three appetizers, two main courses, and assorted desserts- all paired with 3 astute wine selections. There were many entrees to choose from at every meal and one night, when I just couldn’t decide, the wait staff graciously brought me both! The menu also included glutenfree selections. Some of the regional featured dishes were Bavarian Roast Sucking Pig, Beef Stroganoff, Viennese Weiner Schnitzel, Fisherman’s Pot of Poached Fish and Herb-Encrusted Lamb Medallions. Day 1- 2: Budapest –We boarded our lovely ship, the AmaSerena, in Budapest harbor. After a welcoming dinner, we took a “Budapest Illumination Cruise to see the magnificent Parliament building, castles, cathedrals, palaces, fortresses and bridges lighting up the night as their reflections made the Danube come alive. On deck, the “Blue Danube Waltz” beautifully underscored this amazing light show. The next day we took a walking tour of Budapest and I bought a few small sacks of fresh paprika or “Hungarian Gold,” in the Great Market Hall. (My mom sprinkled it on everything she cooked.) I took an enlightening half-day walking tour of this beautiful, historic city. Upon our return to the ship we enjoyed a festive performance of Hungarian Gypsy music and dancers. That night, we silently cruised down the shimmering Danube under a full moon. If you listened carefully you could almost hear “The Blue Danube Waltz” echoing in the breeze as our long, sleek ship glided past the shores of the Danube, the second Continued on page 12 (518) 789-4603 (845) 373-8309 (860) 364-1498 Free Estimates Free Inspections Looking for a “Sunny Escape?” How about “The Islands Club” Seven Mile Beach Grand Cayman 866.533.0934 theislandsclub.com.ky Venite a Celebrare L’Anno Della Cultura Italiana Negli States! Want to become bicultural and bilingual in Italian? Need to Express your thoughts and ideas in Italian? Fascinated with Italy, her Language and Culture? Here’s your golden opportunity to learn Italian in the Bronx! Interested?...Contact: Cav. Maestro Signor Jackson, PhD. 718.597.7545 [email protected] Page 12 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN Thursday, AUGUST 4, 2016 tra v el Cruising Along the Blue Danube on AMA Waterways Continued from page 11 longest river in Europe. (The longest is the Volga in Russia which has no song and it’s not blue.) Day 3: Bratislova –We took a lovely walking tour of Bratislova, the historic and beautiful capital of Slovokia. Once back on board, we headed for Vienna. After dinner, we went ashore to a local old tavern for an authentic traditional Viennese wine and music evening. Day 4: Vienna –We spent the morning walking through Vienna, the city of Classical music and incredible architecture, accompanied by our guide. In the afternoon, we explored on our own and took a time-out at the famous Belle Époque Sperl Kaffeehaus. American Johannes Diodato opened Vienna’s first kaffeehaus, in 1685, following the Turkish siege of Vienna in 1683, when Turks had to leave quickly, without their treasured coffee beans. The Johannes Diodato Park is dedicated to his memory. * After dinner, we attended a private “Mozart & Strauss Concert” at a small palace in Vienna. It was beyond wonderful. Day 5: Durnstein & Wacchau Valley – Dürnstein is one of the most famous attractions in the area, wandering through the fairy tale Medieval village of Dürnstein in Austria is like traveling back in time. The ancient Dürnstein Castle Fortress, where Richard the LionHeart was imprisoned, towers over the town. On his way home from the Third Crusade, unlucky Richard was captured just before Christmas, 1192, trying to sneak through Austria in disguise. He spent most of his captivity at Dürnstein, until he was ransomed in February, 1194. The Old Town is paved with cobble stones and shaded by thousands of apricot trees. We visited an apricot shop and devoured a few apricots that had been preserved n Apricot brandy. Yum! Upon our return to the ship, we relaxed on deck with a glass of Austrian wine and took in the views as we glided past one of the most famous landscapes in Austria, the beautiful rolling green hills and picturesque villages of the Wacchau Valley wine country. Day 6: Linz & Salzberg –On day 6, there was so much to do and see in Linz and Salzberg that we had a choice between three excursions. I decided to spend the day in the Baroque city of Salzberg, Mozart’s birthplace and the city where THE SOUND OF MUSIC was filmed. The other two options were also compelling: a tour of the Austrian Lake Districts or a tour of Cesky Krumlov. Austria’s Lake District has 76 crystalclear mountain lakes nestled among storybook villages. Cesky Krumlov is a town that also dates back to the Middle Ages, located just across the border in the Czech Republic and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Salzberg. It is difficult to overstate the charm of this city, filled with numerous Baroque mansions, churches and fountains. We toured the home where Mozart was born in 1656, visited Residenz Place, where he performed some of his first concerts as a child and took the funicular up to the Hohensalzburg Fortress, one of the largest in Europe. However, I was sorry to miss the alternate excursions and look forward to exploring these areas when I return. Day 7: Passau & Vilhofen –Passau, the Baroque “City of Three Rivers,” and one of Germany’s most beautiful, is located in lower Bavaria. The majestic fortress of Veste Oberhaus sits high on the mountain above, overlooking the city. Fifty-two churches serve a population estimated at 50,000. St. Stephen’s Cathedral is the most imposing and is home to the world’s largest pipe organ. Napoleon described Passau as “the most Italian city north of the Alps.” In the afternoon, we sailed to our last destination, the charming German town of Vishofen, also in Bavaria where, after dinner, we enjoyed an authentic Bavarian Folk and thankfully, there was no shortage of the amazing Bavarian beer. Throughout our tours, we found our local guides to be engaging and spontaneous. Small, digital lightweight personal audio headsets made it easy for all of us to follow our guides as they spoke and our shore excursions were free, which is not the case with many other river cruises. Recognizing that passengers have varying levels of endurance, tours are tailored for gentle walkers, brisker walks and tougher hikes. For the more adventurous traveler, the ship carries 25 bikes that guests may use, at no additional cost, to explore on their own or as part of a guided bike tour. On May 4, 2016 AmaWaterways announced that its ships have taken the top ten spots in the second annual edition of the Berlitz: River Cruising In Europe travel guide. “AmaWaterways has helped to redefine European river cruising. The company fully owns, operates and markets its own river ships, all of which are new-builds,” wrote Douglas Ward in his review. “…AmaWaterways spends considerably more on high-quality food ingredients and wine and on hotel crew service training than any other river cruise company.” Ama Waterways has also been recognized for excellence by numerous other Travel publications, including: TravelAge West’s WAVE -- Editor’s Pick Award for “Best Overall Cruise Line for River Cruising”. “Best Onboard Dining,” “Best New Ship – AmaSerena,” Conde Nast Traveler’s counts AmaWaterways among the “Top 20 River Cruise Ships.” Travel+Leisure includes AmaWaterways among their “top five” rankings in their annual “World’s Best Awards.” Luxury Travel Advisor gives them their Award of Excellence for “Best River Cruise Company.” Travel Weekly give AmaWaterways their “Gold Magellan Award for its ships” and “Overall River Cruising.” After seven magical days, Vishofen was our final destination. We took the bus to Munich and caught a flight to Berlin where we spent a few days sightseeing, before heading home. And though were sad for our spectacular vacation to end, we are already looking forward to our next AmaWaterways cruise. *http://europeofdiasporas.eu/ points-of-interest/johannes-diodato Photos courtesy of AmaWaterways ARTS & CULTURE The Arts at Mount Vernon Presents Encore Performance of Dreamgirls August 5, 2016, 7 PM at the Mount Vernon High School JULY 26, 2016 MOUNT VERNON, NY — The Arts at Mount Vernon will present an encore performance of the stage musical Dreamgirls on August 5 and 6 at 7:00 p.m. and August 7 at 3:00 p.m. in Mount Vernon High School’s auditorium. The production was produced and directed by Evelyn Collins, the district’s Director of Arts & Gifted and Talented Education, and features 30 students from Mount Vernon, Thornton, and Mandela/Zollicoffer High Schools as cast and stage crew. “The spring performance was so well received that we decided to offer the public one more opportunity to catch this outstanding show,” said Director of Arts & Gifted and Talented Education Evelyn Collins. “The students worked very hard and I know they will once again deliver for their audiences.” Tickets are available at the box office one hour before performances. For more information, email [email protected]. EYE ON THEATRE Nearly Purrfect By John Simon If you love cats, as millions of Americans do, but probably even if you don’t, you will embrace the revival of the musical “Cats,’ which in 1982 and beyond, ran for 7,485 performances. A hit in 1981 London, its text is based on T. S. Eliot’s collection of poems, “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats,” humorous verses theoretically aimed at children, although a bit more apt for adults. To showbiz-musicalize the Practical Cats was quite a challenge to Andrew Lloyd Webber and his coproducer Cameron Mackintosh, but judging from all those performances and the mostly mixed but mainly positive reviews, it was a case of the cats getting more than our tongues: a good deal of our hearts and something too, for our minds. There were two big problems for the creators. One, how to translate four-footedness into only half that supply of feet, and two, how to make a musical where there couldn’t be much plot. But both problems were solved. The second by endlessly polymorphous, irresistible choreography from Gillian Lynne (now somewhat refurbished by Andy Blankenbuehler) and a largely captivating score by Lloyd Webber and, mostly, T. S. Eliot. The Company of CATS on Broadway - Photo by Matthew Murphy Continued on page 13 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN Thursday, AUGUST 4, 2016 Page 13 EYE ON THEATRE Nearly Purrfect Continued from page 12 As for the problem of near-plotlessness—so, instead of a traditional musical comedy, we get a musical revue, a perfectly legitimate, respectable form of spectacle even if a nowadays rather neglected genre. One can compensate for a lack of story, as here, where superior feet, arms, body and voices are accorded accomplished Georgina Pazcoguin as Victoria in CATS on Broadway Photo by Matthew Murphy music and lyrics, able to go—or dance—the distance on their own. The acrobatic bounds and boundless élan of the choreography are supported by the wonderfully encompassing set and costume design by John Napier. The stage and auditorium evoke a stylized junkyard and a suitable locus for moonlit feline bacchanalia; the cat cosumes with infinite variety in tawny and brindled, black and white fairytale-worthy cattiness. The terrific Natasha Katz (how well named!) has provided unsurpassable lighting that features all sorts of unique, newly--minted wonders, including one dancer’s chest where brilliant, rainbow-colored mini-light bulbs constantly change colors. There are, further, Brad Peterson’s kaleidoscopic projections and Mick Potter’s surrounding sound design adding support as we get (as I wrote back in 1982) “from every part of the theater, high and low, cats, cats, cats, scampering, scurrying, scrabbling and slithering across the stage, sometimes even spilling into the auditorium, as the whole world becomes an allencompassing catwalk. (How could I forgo additional participles, such as crawling and slinking?) The Lloyd Webber music stretches from the proto-operatic and quasisymphonic to the eminently catchy, irresistibly hummable Broadwayish. The consistently clever director, Trevor Nunn, replicating his canny staging, again charms us, having, with Richard Stilgoe’s help, expanded and reiterated or tweaked some of Eliot’s lyrics into arrestingly danceable numbers. Nunn also conceived the appealing lyric for “Memory,” the hit number not based on Old Possum, but chiefly on that lovely lyrical Eliot poem “Rhapsody on a Windy Night,” sung by Grizzabella, the aging Glamour Cat, recalling her irretrievable former happiness. That is the one shaky point of the current revival. This is etiolated Grizzabella’s melancholy farewell song as she heads up toward the Heavyside Layer, i.e. Heaven, accompanied by the oft-reborn Old Deuteronomy. It brought tears to our eyes as sung by Elaine Page (London and TV) and Betty Buckley (Broadway), but with the incumbent, Leona Lewis, not so much. She is a British Pop Star who can sing plenty loud, but fails at both modulating and acting. Nor is she helped by the current staging, which, dispensing with a suitable stairway, flubs her ascension with a bit of flying. In other ways, though, especially the dancing, the production is the cat’s meow. I can’t begin to name the other 29 cast members, mostly little-known but hugely talented. Check it all out for yourselves. Small Mouth Sounds The problem with a play about an Esalen-style retreat is that it is hard to tell whether it is meant as reportage or satire. Are we to laugh at the weird and ridiculous, or empathize with the troubled and touching? That is the difficulty with Bess Wohl’s “Small Mouth Sounds,” in what was well-received last season as a limited-run Ars Nova production, but is now back open-ended at the Pershing Square Signature Center. The cast—half old, half new—is again adroitly directed by Rachel Chavkin, and well acted by its six members. At one end, raised, are six lined-up chairs, often occupied by the patients; the rest is a long, empty rectangle with a couple of rows for audience at its sides. At the other end, also raised but only heard, is the invisible, highly peculiar guru-styled Teacher. He partly instructs, partly voices his own problems for the supposedly silent six, though they do get to make some small mouth sounds. They are diverse specimens. The oldest patient is the amiable, confused whole 100-minute piece is mostly pantomime, especially when sleeping mats have to be uncomfortably shared. This allows the cast some seemingly improvised gesturing, and leaves the audience challenged to draw conclusions. Some of this is undeniably amusing, but leaves Brad Heberlee, Zoë Winters, Max Baker, Babak the spectators befogged. The characters fluctuate Tafti, Quincy Tyler Bernstine, and Marcia DeBonis in a scene from Bess Wohl’s “Small between the stymied and the Mouth Sounds” directed by Rachel Chavkin at hysterical, as those mats are the Pershing Square Signature Center (photo by steadily shared or contested by one or another patient. Ben Arons). But what are we to make Jan. The youngest, the most yoga-ish of the text’s “Everyone in the play is in and sometimes naked Rodney, will some kind of agony. In this way, they have a fling with the sexy Alicia, who are not unlike the rest of us.” Or of: is largely on the cell phone with her “Joan turns and leaves, Judy sits on faithless lover. Poor Ned, in a skullcap, her mat. Numb. Stunned. Alone. She underwent multiple head fractures in a opens her mouth and makes a small mountaineering accident, only to learn that while he was hospitalized, his wife sound, just testing the wall. Another one. Another. It sounds was sleeping with his brother. Middlesort of like ‘Ahhh. Ahhh. Ahhh.’ She aged lovers, Judy and Joan, have stays there, continuing to make sounds problems with their relationship, partly as the time passes and day becomes because Judy has developed cancer. As the director states in the night.” And what about the unseen program, the cast must “create full, Teacher, who sounds as if he was well-rounded characters via mute “sipping tea”? Do we know whether gestures, muzzled interplay, basic it isn’t coffee, and what, in any case, body language, and the occasional does it matter? And what about whispered word.” Above the audi“All nudity must be in the spirit of ence’s heads, windows register the respect”? This said, the actors are all changeable weather, for no apparent good: Max Baker, Babak Tafti, Brad reason. Heberlee, Marcia DeBonis, Quincy There are shared traits, such as not knowing whether to keep footwear Tyler Bernstine, Jojo Gonzalez and on or off, as well as quirky ones such Zoe Winters. In the end, their week is as reaching in one’s bag for a book over and all leave, So might we have, of questionable guidance. But the without major loss, much earlier. regional theatre Review by Mary Keon: Million Dollar Quartet On Tuesday, December 4, 1956, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis turned up at Sun Studios in Memphis, TN for an impromptu jam session. The recording, produced by Sam Phillips, was dubbed the Million Dollar Quartet, by reporter Bob Johnson, writing the next day for the Memphis Press Scimitar. MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, now on stage at the Westchester Broadway Theatre in Elmsford, recreates that day, based upon the official Sun Records story. The book for the show was written by Collin Escott and Floyd Mutrux; with original concept and direction by Floyd Mutrux, “Rockabilly” transformed American music and all four musicians soon became nationally famous. “By December, 1956, Presley had topped the music charts five times and the album charts twice, over the preceding 12 months. His Sept. 9, 1956 appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show reportedly pulled 83% of the national audience that night – an estimated 55 million viewers,” according to the show’s production notes. Presely had already moved on to RCA records and though he was a phenomenal success, was not happy there. Accompanied by then girlfriend, Marilyn Evans, he stopped by Sun Studios to talk to Phillips. In his autobiography, Cash asserted that he was the first to arrive that day, as he had something he needed to discuss with Phillips. A recording session was already Continued on page 14 Sky Seals (Johnny Cash), Dominique Scott (Jerry Lee Lewis), Ari McKay Wilford (Elvis Presley) and John Michael Presney (Carl Perkins) in the Westchester Breadway Theatre production of MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET. Photo by John Vecchiolla. Page 14 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN Thursday, AUGUST 4, 2016 regional theatre Review by Mary Keon: Million Dollar Quartet Continued from page 13 in progress for Carl,Jay and Clayton Perkins, accompanied by drummer W.S. Holland and pianist Jerry Lee Lewis, who were re-working Matchbox. At the urging of the cagey Phillips, Cash and Presley jumped in to the recording session while Phillips shrewdly left the tapes running, “for posterity.” If you love Rock and Roll and the musicians who started it all, you must see this show. John Michael Presney plays Carl Perkins, who wrote Blue Suede Shoes, famously also recorded by Presley, among others. Presney delivers Matchbox and Who Do You Love well, but blows the roof off with See You Later, Alligator. Sam Weber is cast as Carl’s brother Jay, who plays the bass like an electric guitar –and delivers an amazing performance. I have always felt that Johnny Cash embodied the soul of traditional American music. Sky Seals evokes Johnny Cash effortlessly, with jet black hair, high cheekbones and a voice that is very close to Johnny’s. The show includes Folsom Prison Blues, Sixteen Tons, I Walk the Line and Riders in the Sky. He is wonderful performer and you will want to hear him singing all of your favorite Johnny Cash hits. Ari McKay Wilford is Elvis Presley with the swivel hips and slicked back The Cast of MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET: Sam Weber as Brother Jay Perkins and Bligh Voth as Dyanne pompadour singing: Memories are Made of This, That’s All Right, Long Tall Sally, and Hound Dog. Wilford’s voice is very close in pitch to Presley’s and he is persuasive as this iconic figure, knocking it out of the park with “You Ain’t Nothin But A Hound Dog.” The irrepressible Jerry Lee Lewis is perhaps the most challenging musician to emulate and Dominique Scott delivers a tour-de-force performance, singing, dancing and playing the piano with reckless aplomb throughout the show. The show features early hits Real Wild Child and Great Balls of Fire. These actors-musicians have a phenomenal skill set and work together well as an ensemble singing: Blue Suede Shoes, Down By the Riverside, and a Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On. Bligh Voth is engaging as Presley’s girlfriend, the fictitious, Dyanne, who sings Fever, joining the quartet to sing Peace in the Valley and Party. Jason Loughlin is excellent as Sam Phillips who also narrates the show. Phillips lauched Sun records in 1952 and produced 226 singles over 16 years in addition to 71 singles on the sister label, Phillips International.* He will be forever remembered as an amazing talent spotter and the man who made Rock and Roll a world-wide phenomenon. Technical Director Steve Loftus recreates Sun Studios effectively and director Hunter Foster does a good job staging the show for this very alented cast. Onstage now through September 11: this is a Smoking Hot ticket! Don’t miss it! RockHall.com* Music in the Park: Manhattan & Westchester’s Summer Venues By Scott Silberberg We all feel it: it’s that summer heat coming down on us once again. What better way to beat the heat than with some ice cold tunes? New York’s Summerstage is a great outdoor music festival that features a host of free and ticketed performances across multiple venues throughout the city. An easy and inexpensive way to listen to big-name bands as well as up-and-coming artists, Summerstage incorporates various genres of music for anyone and everyone to enjoy. In Westchester, too, there are plenty of music venues and seasonal festivals going on throughout the county. Many of the cities and towns in Westchester put on weekly shows in public parks and waterfronts that are open for all ages to enjoy. Below is a list of concerts and performances that are happening in New York and Westchester. The best part of all? It’s all free! Mbongwana Star, Batida, Young Paris – Rumsey Playfield, Central Park. 8/14, Doors open at 5 p. m. The show runs from 6 -10 p.m. – Mbongwana Star hails from Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mbongwana Star is an electronic funk band, but their sound also incorporates traditional Congolese rhythms played on recycled instruments that are miked and distorted in clever ways. Angolan/ Portuguese DJ Pedro Coquenão, aka Batida, remixes classic 1970s Angolan tracks with contemporary electronic dance music to generate a sound that is uniquely modern and energetic. A native of NYC, Young Paris bridges Congolese rhythms and drumbeats with electronic dance music, all of it being driven by his dense rap vocals mostly sung in English. Jungle Brothers – Clove Lakes Park, Staten Island. 8/4, from 7– 9 p.m. A pioneering hip hop group from New York, the Jungle Brothers were one of the first groups to fuse jazz with hip hop (and later with house music) through their unique production techniques and careful sampling of materials. Dropping their first album in the late 1980s, the Jungle Brothers showcased their Afrocentric and, in contrast to other more gangsta rap groups, open-minded lyricism to the world. Because the Jungle Brothers are a mixture of jazz-inspired beats and abstract yet calming lyrics, they are a core member of the Native Tongues – a collective that represents like-minded hip hop artists whose Afrocentricism and distinct sampling techniques distinguish them from other groups of their time. This is a show not to miss! The New York Jazz Exchange - Waterfront Park, Dobbs Ferry. 8/10, The JT Project ; photo courtesy of Yonkers BID from 6:30 – 8 p.m. The 17th Annual Dobbs Ferry Summer Music Series presents the New York Jazz Exchange on August 10th. Musicians Sean Nowell (tenor sax), Fredrik Olsson (guitar), Leo Lindberg (piano), Lars Ekman (bass) and Joe Abba (drums) play in the styles of hard bop, ballads and modern jazz. A collection of American and Swedish players, the New York Jazz Exchange offers audiences modern covers of jazz standards as well as the group’s original work. Rejoice! – Hudson Park Bandshell, New Rochelle. 8/5, 7:30 – 9:30pm. The New Rochelle Council on the Arts (NRCA) presents its Friday Night Live performing act Rejoice! as part of its ongoing Summer Concert Series @Hudson Park. Rejoice! is a night full of gospel music and dance performed by the Kay Boyd Ensemble, the Voices of Praise and the Praise Dancers. The performance offers strong, powerful choir vocals and gospel dance that will make you want to jump out of your seat and join the fun. Gaida – Hudson River Museum Amphitheatre, Yonkers. 8/5, 8-9:30 p.m. Syrian singer Gaida is a hidden gem in the New York music scene. Her delicate yet powerful vocals – oftentimes accompanied by piano, bass, trumpet and percussion – soothe and captivate audiences. Yonkers warmly welcomes Gaida to the stage for an unforgettable night of Syrian folk music as well as Western tunes covered in Arabic. Audrey Silver Quintet – Pierson Park, Tarrytown. 8/12, 6:30 – 8 p.m. Widely praised as one of New York’s most refreshing and creative singers, Audrey Silver brings to Tarrytown her quintet of skilled musicians as well as her love of jazz in an amazing waterfront venue. With years of study in jazz piano and an insatiable passion for singing ever since she was a child, Audrey Silver has a large repertoire consisting of original versions of jazz standards and classic French songs. La Vie En Rose will take the stage, on August 5th performing French chanson and hits from the golden age of swing at the Friday Night Jazz, Blues & More on the Waterfront Series – Yonkers Waterfront Amphitheatre. As the name suggests, the City of Yonkers in partnership with Domino La Vie en Rose; photo courtesy of Yonkers BID Sugar and the Yonkers Downtown Business Improvement District, Inc. is putting on a three-month long free concert series in one of the nicest venues in the city. Rain or shine, bands and performing artists will play every Friday night, 6:30 – 8 p.m. In homage of the late great (and Yonkers native) Ella Fitzgerald, Jazzmeia Horn will Jazzmeia Horn; photo courtesy of Yonkers BID perform numbers from Fitzgerald’s songbook on August 12th.Finalist on NBC’s The Voice, Nicholas David and the Soul Synergy Orchestra will perform soul, RnB and funk tunes on August 19th.Lastly, on August 26th, The JT Project will perform modern jazz fusion and soul original compositions. THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN Thursday, AUGUST 4, 2016 Page 15 A rts No Boundaries at US+U in Yonkers By Biagio Civale In Cleveland, Ohio, 2,472 Republican delegates chanted “USA,” indifferent to the heat of July, while in Yonkers, NewYork, 247 visitors crowded the opening of the Summer Show at US+U, the Urban Studio+ Unbound Contemporary Art Gallery. Yonkers is now home to five art galleries: the Hudson River Museum, Blue Door, Riverfront Public Library, YOHO Open Studios and most recently, US +U, which opened in October, 2015. They are complemented by three local framing shops. US+U is incorporated as a non-profit and was launched with the assistance of a Community Development Block Grant, which partially funded the gallery. It is member supported and artist run, with a structure similar to that of a co-op. Why is US+U important? Because it is positioned in one of the hottest and fastest growing art scenes in the tri-state area Current President, Richard Pitts is a New Jersey born contemporary sculptor, printmaker and painter who has exhibited since 1974 in several states: Connecticut, Louisiana, Ohio, New York, North Carolina and Virginia as well as in Washington D. C. and internationally. Roddy Wildeman, also born in New Jersey, is a multimedia artist and the current Director of US+U. He also owns Torche’ Galerie in Belmar and is widely known for “Composite Memory Artwork.” Wildeman re-purposes and re-cycles salvaged wood and other debris to the utmost for his creations. Melissa Starke, the current curator and co-director, works at FIT as a Department Coordinator and a pre-college instructor. She has exhibited her paintings and sculptures at various Manhattan venues. Starke has also facilitated public art installations and exhibitions during Art Basel Miami over the past ten years. To me she will always be the curator who put together the best, absolutely best, contemporary art show in Yonkers for the inaugural Yonkers Arts Weekend Exhibition and it is etched in my memory. The high caliber of artists whose work is presented at US +U leads to exhibitions that are on par with the quality of shows you would see in Chelsea, today. The gallery is positioned to be an important part of the development of the community as Yonkers continues to move forward with revitalization. The Summer Show offers a selection of seventy gallery signage has three planes, the letters, the foreground and the background. Of note, is the word “gallery” that sticks out, projecting its shadow on the background. Wlodarcyk’s artwork in the gallery is a mixed media canvas, partially covered by a thin wood screen placed in front of it. Another artist on exhibit is Szprengiel who provides a unique Lee Romero, In the Gardens, Acrylic George Gutierrez, Guitar and Flag series, Mixed Media on Canvas artworks by thirty-eight artists, from NY, NJ, CT and even New Zealand. US+U is a clear example of the Art of Our Time; Picasso opened the door for many developments in the plastic arts, such as assemblage and “found” art. Robert Rauschenberg was one of the first to drift away from pure Abstract Expressionism. He combined pure, fluid brushwork in pigments with foreign materials like old mattresses, wireless sets, photographic images and stuffed animals attached to the canvas. At this point, and philosophically Shakespeare would ask: “with this rage shall beauty hold a plea?” I believe that in this group of artists there is a secretly febrile enchantment allowing an individualist subjectivity and providing a piecemeal introspection of the infinite possibilities. It is a visual life, after all, that attracts us to visit Art Galleries. The diverse array of voices, while empirical and intuitive, gives us a palpable sense of what was distilled by the artists. The new attraction is the brand new gallery signage, designed by Marcin Wlodarczyk as a 3-layer aluminum relief, executed with the help of sculptor David Boyajian. The perspective on beauty, deriving from the decaying architecture and life of Communist Eastern Europe. His five small pieces are basically etched on burned wood. Alexandra Momin combines various mediums: painting, film and photography, to create suggestive images of environments that point to a new reality. She offers a photo composite using Ultra-Violet ink on aluminum. George Gutierrez, whose studio is located at YOHO, in the Carpet Mills Arts District, paints canvases interspersed with newspaper articles and sheets of music: quite a metamorphosis from a Pulitzer price-winning photo journalist. Omer Abramson uses a mixture of mediums, incorporating acrylics, watercolors, pencils and photography. David Boyajian, the sculptor/ welder who helped to execute the new gallery signage, has done a great job really, in my estimation. His Torso with Seeds in the center of the gallery suggest a guitar with fruits emerging or even the feminine torso shape inviting one to play. Beverly Karnell from Abington, PA, is also a fashion stylist: a couture clothing designer who, as an artist painter develops an opportunity for the viewer to have a dialogue with a piece. When we met, I discovered that we have both studied and worked at Il Bisonte and also at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence. We are both represented by Saatchi Art. Patricia Myers carries a message of peace and beauty in her works. Regina Ruff makes use of various antics: illusion, hard edge shapes, and she also reveals the process by defacing the painting. In other words, the viewer is never fully allowed to relax into contemplation. Britta Siddell from Auckland, New Zealand, provides a conscious focus on formal elements. Her traditional craftsmanship techniquesare to be respected and appreciated. Personal narrative subjects can be contemporary–even today. Donald Silverman, with a studio at YOHO, had career in TV before becoming a painter. His work offers a great mixture of fiction art, poetry and memoir–like an on line magazine. Night hipsters and Hospice Care Diner depict a cross-section of America. Again, this is also contemporary. Chris St. Lawrence is a creative thinker and a constant innovator. He has a unique perspective with a desire to manipulate the environment via time and space, as well as technique. His photographic styles are in a constant flux due to his frequent experimentations. Arle’ Sklar Weinstein is a fiber artist from Hastings-on-Hudson. In this show, her work is undecided whether to climb to the ceiling or come down to earth. Kate Winn from Maine offers landscapes that are as detailed as Alexandra Momin, Invisible City, Photo Composite/UV Ink on Aluminum portraits. A new photographic work to note here is by Paco Vazquez with the live color of weeds against a golden sky before night fall. Lee Romero, now a full time painter working in his YOHO studio, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News as a staff member oft the New York Times for the series on “Race in America.” Romero’s studio is certainly one of the most interesting artist’s studio to visit in the Yonkers area. His work, rich in color, is as varied as the history of art and certainly can be enjoyed and appreciated even by those not-educated in fine arts. Michael Cuomo, also with a studio at YOHO, is an interdisciplinary artist who concentrates on assemblage. He uses found objects to create sculpture assemblages. Cuomo’s work may remind us of Adolf Wolfli’s art, but in essence is Outsider Art; –Brut Art presenting a raw vision that is Naive, Intuitive and certainly Visionary. US+U asks the participating artists to sit one day a month in the gallery during the exhibition time, allowing for a unique experience when visiting, to have opportunity to meet the artist and dialogue with him/her. So, like Radio City also US+U has a Summer Show and it is scheduled to remain open until September 10, 2016. US+U is contemporary and modern, which means that it is in sync with the current pulse and pace of Art; though definitely operating outside traditional boundaries. Now I am repeating myself; I thought I said already “no boundaries at Urban Studio + Unbound”. Photos by Biagio Civale Page 16 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN Thursday, AUGUST 4, 2016 LOCAL LORE Brickmaking V: The Annals of Hudson River Brickmaking: Burning the Kiln By Robert Scott Although the basic methods of American brick kiln building had been brought from the Old World, firing techniques were uniquely American. Thanks to the abundance of wood, American kilns could burn larger amounts of fuel, resulting in shorter firing times. In Holland, bricks were burned with slow-burning peat, and firing lasted three or four weeks--sometimes as long as six weeks. Around London, where bricks with were burned with “breeze” (a mixture of unburned coal and ashes) and brush, firing also lasted from three to six weeks. By comparison, Philadelphia brickmakers burned their bricks in a scant six days using from 50 to 60 cords of wood to yield only 140,000 bricks. The Hudson Valley’s strong clays were not easy to burn, and burning times were longer than in Philadelphia but less than in Holland or England. Although the actual firing time here is uncertain, early in the 19th century it was probably around two weeks. Burning a kiln of bricks was an around-the-clock operation. When firing began, small fires were started at the mouth of each arch. These were increased gradually, but were not raised to a higher level until all the water had been driven from the green bricks. For the first three days of burning, a steamy white smoke, called “water smoke,” came from the top of the kiln. After about three days, the color of the smoke would change from white to black, and the platting at the top of the kiln would become hot. When small tongues of flame could be seen at the top of the kiln at night, the bricks making up the platting were turned face down, the roof boards were removed, and the intensity of the fire was gradually increased. Now all the skill of the kiln burner came into play. If the fires were too hot, the bricks in the arch would become fused and the entire arch could be in danger of collapsing. The kiln burner judged the intensity of heat by the color of the bricks in the arch. Kiln temperature was maintained somewhere above red-hot but below white-hot. The goal was to keep the arch bricks just below their melting point. For Hudson Valley clays, this was about 1800 degrees Fahrenheit. The kiln burner also had to achieve a uniform distribution of heat, judging his success by studying the top of the kiln. Once the top platting bricks began to glow, cooler areas of the kiln could be identified because they emitted a darker shade of red or no color at all. For these, the temperature could be raised. If an area of the kiln became too hot, the fire was damped by restricting the air supply to the appropriate arch. When the temperature of the bricks came close to the point of fusion, they began to shrink, causing the kiln to settle. With kilns of bricks made from Hudson Valley clays, settlement was usually about nine inches. As reference points, the kiln burner would have suspended several previously burned bricks from the kiln shed by wires. After the desired amount of settling was reached, burning was complete. The arches were then closed, causing the fires to go out. The kiln was allowed to cool down slowly for about a week. Once the bricks were removed, virtually no trace of the kiln remained. Scove kilns were far from perfect. Their major problem was their failure to distribute heat evenly through the mass of bricks. For Hudson Valley clays, the critical range of temperature was rather narrow. Moreover, the kiln’s large size made it difficult to heat all parts uniformly to the proper temperature. As a result, a scove kiln tended to produce a larger proportion of improperly fired bricks. Scove kilns produced three grades of bricks. Like Goldilocks’ porridge, some were heated too much; some were heated too little, but most were heated properly. In general, bricks in and around the arch were overburned. Twisted, crushed and blackened, they were called “eye brick” or “arch brick” and can be seen at low tide at many former brickmaking locations along the river. In contrast, bricks occupying the upper layers and sides of the kilns tended to be underburned. Much softer than properly burned bricks, they failed to develop the characteristic red color and were called “pale brick” or “salmon brick.” So-called “pales” could still be used in building, but not where they would be subjected to heavy loads or to water, which could erode them. Bricks in the center of the kiln usually were properly burned. These gave a ringing sound when knocked together, and were called “hards” in the trade. Because hard bricks brought the highest price, brick burners tried to increase their numbers in each kiln. The percentage of pale and eye bricks produced by the brick burners of the early 19th century is difficult to estimate. Professor Heinrich Ries of Cornell University cited losses between 10 and 15 percent at the close of that century. Brickyard workers were allowed to help themselves to unsalable bricks. Certain homes in Croton and other communities are said to have been built from such bricks. The hard bricks were left under the kiln sheds until they were shipped to the New York market. During the early decades of the 19th century, this was done by the famous Hudson River sloops. The 1820 Census of Manufactures reveals that ten sloops of ninety tons each were required by the upper Hudson River village of Athens to transport its bricks to New York. If each brick weighed about five pounds, then each sloop could transport around 36,000 bricks per voyage. In the early 19th-century, brickmaking in the Hudson Valley was still a craft process, but signs of change were already becoming obvious. The highly concentrated New York City market was beginning to grow. Between 1790 and 1800 the city’s population nearly doubled. It more than tripled between 1800 and 1830. Disastrous fires in 1835 and 1845 wiped out much of the city, leading to a call for brick construction. The combination of a ready market linked by cheap transportation to apparently unlimited supplies of wood, clay and sand encouraged the rapid evolution of the Hudson Valley brick industry. Soon brickmaking would become highly mechanized to meet the voracious appetite of the city for bricks. The larger yards would eventually employ hundreds of workers and produce millions of bricks each year. Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce. Enjoy a summer’s day at the festival and the bounties and benefits of our region: Music-ArtsFood-Craft Beer-Wine and more. Peekskill is known for its emerging restaurant scene, and many of the local restaurants will be on hand with food offerings representative of their cuisine. Stroll the Arts and Artisan Market for arts and crafts made in the Hudson Valley. Visit the Community Tent to find community groups and organizations who work daily to make the region a better place to live. Head over on Saturday and Sunday, August 6 & 7 to Muscoot Farm in Somers to see artworks by artist Hillary Hostetler on view in the Main House Gallery. We all know how I like to relax whenever possible…so there’s a good chance I will be going over to the Somers Library on September 7th joining Reiki Practitioner Andrea Deierlein for a conversation about the relaxing power of Reiki, which helps restore the body, clear the mind, and refresh the spirit. Reiki is a natural healing practice that originated in Japan. People use Reiki for relaxation, stress reduction, and symptom relief to improve overall health and well-being, for example when coping with anxiety, chronic pain, recovery from surgery and other health conditions, for more information call 914-232-5717. The next Hasting-on-Hudson Flea Market is set for Sunday, August 14th from 10am to 4pm. The market brings CALENDAR News & Notes From Northern Westchester By Mark Jeffers My sense of direction is really not a sense at all, I always choose the wrong lane in a traffic jam and as NOTICE Notice is hereby given that an order entered by the Honorable Sam D. Walker, J. S. C., Supreme Court of New York State, Westchester County, on the 13th day of July, 2016, bearing Index No. 218316, a copy of which may be examined at the Office of the Clerk, located at 110 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., White Plains, NY, 10601, grants me the right to assume the name DAMATO. My present address is 111 Hoover Road, Yonkers, NY 10710; the date of my birth is May 31, 1969. My present name is TRAUB. Upon full compliance with the provisions of this order, petitioner shall be known by the name KIM M. DAMATO which he/she is authorized to assume and by no other name. my family often points out, I get lost backing out of our driveway. So, if & when I find my way home I will finish up this week’s “Wrong Way” edition of “News & Notes.” You’re never too young to experience the joy of helping others. Summer is the perfect time for high schoolers and college students to give back to the community by volunteering at the Community Center of Northern Westchester in Katonah. If you or someone you know is interested, contact Executive Director Clare Murray at 914-232-6572. I am not sure why my wife pointed this event out to me, but our friends at Hilltop Hanover Farm in Yorktown Heights are offering a program I think she wants me to look into. For those folks who might have trouble focusing or concentrating or have general brain fog Hilltop Hanover wants you to join in the discussion on August 13th from 10:00am to 12:00pm on foods and herbs that will help enhance your brain power. The cost is $10.00 which includes the lecture and materials for an herbal remedy to help with focus. Of course, always check with your physician first, to be sure herbal remedies will not interact with any medications you are taking. The Hudson Valley Exposition is back this summer at Peekskill’s Riverfront Green Park, with a full day festival on Saturday, August 6th from 1 to 10pm presented by the Continued on page 17 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN Thursday, AUGUST 4, 2016 Page 17 has been awarded nearly $2.6 million in federal grant money to provide scholarships for economically disadvantaged students pursuing careers in nursing or other healthcare fields over the next four years. With all the heat & humidity, I just have two words to leave you with, “Central Air,” see you soon… CALENDAR News & Notes From Northern Westchester Continued from page 16 together local vendors, live entertainment, food and community. Westchester County is once again teaming up with The Sharing Shelf, a program of Family Services of Westchester (FSW), to collect and distribute school supplies so that children in need can start the school year ready to learn. This year people can donate online at www.fsw.org/backpacks. The Field Library in Peekskill invites families to “Juggling Funny Stories,” on Thursday August 11th, a free performance starring humorist Chris Fascione. Nationally-known, award-winning performer Chris Fascione acts out the best of children’s literature and folk tales in a high-spirited and innovative performance. Full of energy, humor and imagination, Chris creates colorful characters through his unique combination of acting, storytelling, comedy and juggling. Chris will offer a workshop before the show (workshop is at 4:30 pm) for kids in second grade and up. Children must sign up beforehand to participate in the workshop. On Saturday, August 6th the Marshlands Conservancy in Rye will hold a “Volunteer Work Project, bring work gloves to control and learn about problematic plants, hand tools provided. The College of New Rochelle THE ROMA BUILDING COMMERICAL SPACE FOR RENT INTERNATIONAL FILM Tuk Tuk: Get Ready For Rush Hour With the Kid Drivers of Cairo By Sherif Awad Aw a r d - w i n n i n g documentary films don’t get enough exposure on our satellite channels or in our local cinemas. Though these films are educational and informative, movie theater operators throughout the world are focused on movies that offer entertainment and generate ticket sales. Egypt is no exception. Back in the 1970s and ‘80s, cinemas in Downtown Cairo and Alexandria used to routinely show a short documentary, produced by the Egyptian State Information Office, before the main feature, a custom that faded away when multiplexes replaced smaller independent theaters. As a result, filmmakers, who spend months and years shooting their documentaries and then promoting them around the world, can only present their work to the small segment of the moviegoing audience that participates in the film festival circuit. One of these filmmakers is Egyptian director Romany Saad, whose new 75-minute documentary, Tuk-Tuk, was screened at the official competitions of four leading film festivals in 2015: Hot Docs, Warsaw, Montpellier and EBS Korea. Tuk-Tuk depicts the daily lives of three children who became Tuk-Tuk drivers across the busy streets of Cairo. The drivers are underage kids who, having lost their childhood innocence: speak like adults, smoke cigarettes and speed across the streets dodging taxis, buses and police officers, without a driver’s license. These children risk their lives and the lives of others, all for a few pounds to support siblings and parents who cannot work due to illness or laziness. A graduate of the Faculty of Applied Arts in 1998, Romany Saad worked in advertising for ten years before enrolling in film direction studies at the French University in Egypt. Saad completed his graduation project two years later. Titled, Gowa Abdallah Twelve Year Old driver of Tuk Tuk Sharon, Abdallah’s brother Romany Saad al-Bahr (In the Sea), his debut was a short narrative film about a young woman called Reda, who looks after her elder sister, the mentally challenged Ne’na’a. The film was selected for screening in the 2010 Cairo, Alexandria and Jordan film festivals: an auspicious beginning for Saad’s filmmaking career. The January 2011 revolution inspired Saad’s the second documentary: Bard Yanayer (Cold January). The film co-starred a pre-fame Mohamed Ramadan with actress Emy. The story was about a poor, uneducated mother (Emy), who was trying to raise some money by selling Egyptian flags in Tahrir Square during the revolution, to buy a door for her unfurnished room and protect her children from the cold January winter. The project was awarded Best Film, depicting the revolution from Alexandria Film Festival in 2011, the only film festival that was not cancelled that year. Bard Yanayer was then screened in many festivals, going on to win twelve international awards, including Best Short Narrative at the Busan Film Festival in South Korea. Following the success of his first two films, Saad decided to leave his day job and focus on filmmaking. Continued on page 18 Shehab Prime Yorktown Location Great Visibility • Centrally Located O STORE B 950 Sq. Ft. Rent: $3250 /Month OFFICE SPACE: 470 Sq. Ft. Rent $850/Month • 1160 Sq. Ft. Rent $1650/ Month 914.632.1230 2022 SAW MILL RIVER RD., YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, NY E Page 18 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN Thursday, AUGUST 4, 2016 INTERNATIONAL FILM Tuk Tuk Continued from page 17 Open 7 Days A Week NYC’s #1 TOPlESS SPORTS BAR • Gentlemen’s Club • sushi RestauRant • Fine DininG NYC’s oNlY BoDY SUSHI 252 West 43rd St. 212-819-9300 (Between 7th & 8th Ave.) www.mycheetahsnyc.com FREE ADMISSION WITH THIS PASS The New Don’t Don’t Waste Waste Your Your Time Time Anywhere Anywhere Else Else Club Club New York NEW YORK’S NEW YORK’S PREMIER PREMIER GENTLEMEN’S GENTLEMEN’S CABARET New York CABARET Escape Reality… Escape The VIP Club! Escape toReality… First Class Adult Entertainment, Sushi Bar and Lounge. HAPPY HOUR THE VIP! First Class Adult@ Entertainment, 2-For-1BarDrinks Sushi and Lounge. Mon – Sat Before 9PM Escape to The VIP Club! HAPPY HOUR @ THE VIP! COMPLIMENTARY ADMISSION 2-For-1 FOR TWODrinks WITH THIS PASS Mon – Sat Before 9PM 20 W. 20th ST. (btwn 5th & 6th) COMPLIMENTARY ADMISSION 212-633-1199 FOR TWO WITH THIS PASSs thevipclubnyc.com 20 W. 20th ST. (btwn 5th & 6th) 212-633-1199 s thevipclubnyc.com He started receiving commissions from several NGOs to direct short documentaries about their activities as his reputation grew. The inspiration for his third film, a documentary about Tuk-Tuks, was simply born because Romany Saad lives in the neighborhood of Shubra whose streets are populated by these three-wheeled motorized rickshaws. “I take a Tuk-Tuk every day to bring my son to his school along the tight backstreets of Shubra,” said Saad, who noticed that their Tuk-Tuk driver is a cigarette-smoking young child, every time. Saad met many kids who drive Tuk-Tuks across Shubra, before he began shooting. “I wanted to follow them to shoot their daily routine across the streets and their lives with their families whom they support,” explained Saad, who did not want to interfere by giving the kids any direction to alter their daily realities. Tuk-Tuk has three main protagonists. The first interviewee is a twelve years-old boy called Abdallah who looks like a child actor with his green eyes and blond hair. He has been driving the family’s Tuk-Tuk to support his brothers and parents who are not working. Abdallah was taught how to drive by his elder brother Sharon who first showed him how to drive microbuses then motorcycles. Every day, Abdallah, who does not go to school, wakes up to work from seven in the morning until two in the afternoon when he goes home to split the money he gets with his family, keeping some pocket money for himself to buy cigarettes. His friend and neighbor Shehab, nicknamed Bika among other kiddie drivers, learned how to manage a Tuk-Tuk only by watching another child doing it. Bika then convinced his mum to invest in getting a Tuk-Tuk on the installment plan to support his whole family. He also keeps some money for himself: five pounds or so to play videogames with his friends at cybercafés. Also appearing in the film, is Abdallah’s brother, nicknamed Sharon by the neighbors, because he likes to play with fireworks on national holidays. Romany Saad shot the film with long lenses and wireless microphones across the streets of Shubra in order to capture their daily routines without his interference. “The only difficulties I faced during the shooting was with trying to make the interviewees not digress and speak about former President Mursi and The Muslim Brotherhood,” explained Saad, who was shooting few weeks before the second revolution Tuk Tuk in June 30, 2013. “I think I have six veteran documentary filmmaker, hours of video footage with them Hashem al-Nahas, for its pacing and insulting Mursi and the Brotherhood,” realism. Flash-forward to Ismailia laughed Romany. Film Festival last April: Tuk-Tuk Tuk-Tuk was the first Egyptian was selected at the long documentary film ever to be selected in the official competition where it received Best competition of HotDocs, the leading Egyptian Film Award. documentary festival in Toronto, Romany Saad has so far managed Canada. The film was acknowledged to finance all of his three films with his by the festival’s programmers because own money instead of relying on interit did not judge the lives of these kids national funds to support his work. “I and their families and so the viewers am not that enthusiastic about interwill not decide to love or hate them. national funds because, one way or Back in Cairo, Egyptian viewers the other, these entities try to alter the were shocked after watching the concept of the films whether during lives of these kiddie drivers although development, shooting or editing Tuk-Tuks frequent our streets every phases,” he explained. “Some filmday. When the film was screened at makers wait to get various supports the Cairo International Film Festival different funds, Arab or international, (CIFF) last year in the Critics’ Week just to make one film every five years. Section, it was praised by Egyptian And I don’t want to be like them.” MARY AT THE MOVIES Movie Review: Star Trek Beyond By Mary Keon Star Trek fans are an insatiable lot: the franchise boasts 2 TV series that enjoyed re-runs for years and 13 films. STAR TREK BEYOND, produced by J.J. Abrams, covers an alternative time line –portraying the years prior to the original series, as did STAR TREK, INTO DARKNESS. We meet Captain Kirk of the Enterprise three years into a 5-year deep space exploration while he is docked at The Yorktown, an interstellar star base. Kirk is offered a promotion to Vice-Admiral and giving it serious thought. The handsome, earnest Chris Pine reminds one very much of the young William Shatner –though not quite as cocky as Shatner and with no hint of his lady-killer charm. Spock (Zachary Quinto) has just broken up with Lt. Uhuru (Zoe Saldana) (who knew!!!). Carl Urban is a good choice for Dr. McCoy; John Cho plays Commander Sulu and Simon Pegg is Scotty. Sofia Boutella plays Jayalla, an alien the Enterprise crew meets on their mission. The film is dedicated to Leonard Nimoy, who died last year, and to the late Anton Yelchin, (Chekov) who, tragically, died on June 19th. When an escape pod lands on The Yorktown, an alien named Kalara begs the command to rescue her crew, stranded on a planet inside an unexplored nebula, and the Enterprise is dispatched to the site where things don’t go exactly as anticipated. The movie has incredible special effects. The Enterprise is battered and badly damaged during an alien attack, while the Yorktown is an amazing piece of set design. The actors represent their characters well and though the story doesn’t exactly break new ground, it is classic Star Trek: encountering strange beings on alien planets, as the crew explores Space, the final frontier. I enjoyed the film very much, as did my fellow audience members at the 9:30 p.m. showing on Saturday, July 23 in White Plains, who applauded as the credits rolled. With an opening weekend gross that reportedly stands at $59,600,000 against a production budget of $185,000,000*, STAR TREK BEYOND is well on the way to being a summer blockbuster. “Live Long and Prosper!” .*BoxOfficeMojo.com Continued on page 19 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN Thursday, AUGUST 4, 2016 Page 19 MARY AT THE MOVIES Left to right: Zoe Saldana plays Lieutenant Uhura and John Cho plays Sulu in Star Trek Beyond from Paramount Pictures, Skydance, Bad Robot, Sneaky Shark and Perfect Storm Entertainment. Photo Credit: Kimberly French. © 2015 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved. STAR TREK and all related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios, Inc. Movie Reviews Continued from page 18 THE INFILTRATOR In 1986, accountant turned DEA Agent Bob Mazur, “THE INFILTRATOR,” gained access to the highest level of the Medellín Cartel’s organization, to combat the flood of South American drugs into the U. S. Mazur’s life was in constant jeopardy during his time undercover and though the war on drugs is never-ending, his efforts saved countless lives. The evidence Mazur collected took down a staggering 85 cartel members and the top leadership of BCCI (Bank of Credit and Commerce International): drug launderers extraordinaire, which led to the bank’s implosion. The screenplay, by Ellen Brown Furman, is based upon Mazur’s book, “The Infiltrator: My Secret Life Inside the Dirty Banks Behind Pablo Escobar’s Medellín Cartel. Bryan Cranston is excellent as the quick-witted, charismatic Mazur, who struggled to retain his values in a world vastly different from his own. John Leguizamo is Emir Abreu, Mazur’s wild cowboy partner and entrée into the cartel. Ben Bratt plays drug lord Roberto Alcaino, a lieutenant in Pablo Escobar’s organization, whom Mazur befriends and then betrays. Though a drug lord is never a sympathetic figure, Bratt does manage to humanize him. When Mazur tells a cartel member he was engaged to be married, his supervisor had to find a fiancé fast and selected Agent Kathy Ertz (Diane Kruger), who managed to gain the trust of Alciano and his wife. Though committed to their mission, both agents had difficulties with the moral dilemma of befriending someone, only to betray them. Juliet Aubrey plays Mazur’s loving and loyal wife, Evelyn, very effectively and through her, we can see the sacrifices family members are forced to make when their loved ones are on dangerous assignments. We can only marvel at the strength it must take to live through days and weeks of not knowing whether or not their loved one will come home safely. Olympia Dukakis is hilarious as Mazur’s outrageous Aunt Vicky, a (L-R) Benjamin Bratt stars as drug trafficker Roberto Alcaino and Bryan Cranston as undercover U. S. Customs Agent Robert Mazur in THE INFILTRATOR, a Broad Green Pictures release. Photo: David Lee / Broad Green Pictures Simón Andreu stars as Gonzalo Mora Sr., Rubén Ochandiano as Gonzalo Mora Jr., Joseph Gilgun as Dominic, Bryan Cranston as undercover U.S. Customs agent Robert Mazur, John Leguizamo as his partner Emir Abreu, Yul Vazquez as Javier Ospina and Xarah Xavier as Lau in THE INFILTRATOR, a Broad Green Pictures release. Diane Kruger stars as undercover U.S. Customs agent Kathy Ertz and Bryan Cranston as her partner, undercover U. S. Customs Agent Bob Mazur in THE INFILTRATOR, a Broad Green Pictures release. Photo: Liam Daniel / Broad Green Pictures. spunky grey panther who pulled off a star-turn as a real estate maven to help her nephew with his undercover assignment. Yul Vasquez disappears into the role of Javier Ospina, a key player in the cartel who saw through Mazur’s deception. One of many films this year, inspired by real events, THE Continued on page 20 Open 10AM - 8PM Mon-Sat. Juice Bar • Smoothies • Salads Paninis • Rice Bowls Dine In -Take-Out • Dobbs Ferry Delivery 914.479.5555 MIXONMAINNY.com 63 MAIN ST., DOBBS FERRY, NY Page 20 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN Thursday, AUGUST 4, 2016 MARY AT THE MOVIES Movie Reviews Continued from page 19 INFILTRATOR underscores the bravery of the many men and women in law enforcement who serve our country, at great personal risk. Rated R for strong violence, language throughout, some sexual content and drug material. When the girls learn that their father has died, they decide to attend his funeral where they meet their 14-year-old half-sister, Suzu Asano (Suzu Hirose). Upon learning that Suzu, who nursed her father through his illness, has no-where to live, they invite her to live with them, despite the reservations of their great-aunt. This is a charming story about sisters who mostly get along really well, borrow each other’s clothes (not always with permission!) and know how to decode each other’s behavior. Things go well until their unpredictable mother returns to town for a brief visit and the sisters are apprehensive as to how she will treat Suzu. OUR LITTLE SISTER is beautifully filmed by Mikiya Takimoto and directed by Hirokazu Koreeda, Masami Nagasawa, Suzu Hirose, Haruka Ayase and Kaho in Our Little Sister. Produced by Fuji Television, Shogakukan, Toho and Gaga Corporation. Haruka Ayase, Suzu Hirose, Kaho and Masami Nagasawa in Our Little Sister. Produced by Fuji Television, Shogakukan, Toho and Gaga Corporation Our Little Sister OUR LITTLE SISTER is a Japanese film about three sisters whose father abandoned the family when they were little. Their mother, unable to cope, also left the home, moving to another city. The girls were raised in their grandmother’s house, in Kamakura, which they inherited, following her death. The movie is based upon the best-selling manga series Umimachi (Seaside Town) Diary by Akimi Yoshida. 29-year-old Sachi Kouda (Haruka Ayase) works as a nurse. Yoshino Kouda (Masami Nagasawa) works at a bank and 19-year-old Chika Kouda (Kaho), works in a sports store where her boyfriend, a former mountaineer, is the manager. W W W.W E S T C H E S T E R G U A R D I A N . C O M who also wrote the screenplay. In Japanese, with sub-titles. This is the ultimate Chic Flick: see it with your sister and then take her out for a glass of plum wine.