Photo by Ernie Fritz after Sunday’s marathon.
November 7, 2016 Weather: Sunny, with a high of 54 degrees.
Notices:
Free concerts, some intriguing post-election discussions and many more local events are on our calendar.
The winner of our pumpkin contest was Naveen! Thank you to everyone who entered.
Tuesday is Election Day! Find out where to vote here. The site will also show you who is on your ballot. NY’s “Time Off to Vote” law may apply to some voters with very full work schedules who are unable to make it to the polls before or after work, NYPIRG tells us. And there’s even a way to find out about those judicial candidates. (And email us to let us know about your voting experience.)
Midtown West will be a mess for the next couple of days, apparently because both campaigns will be celebrating (or commiserating) in the neighborhood.
Beginning at 10 AM on Monday, 11/7, there will be limited access to the following streets:
– West 34th Street between the West Side Highway and 11th Avenue
– 11th Avenue between West 34th Street and West 40th StreetBeginning at 12AM on Tuesday, 11/8, there will be limited access to the following streets:
– West 53rd Street between 6th Avenue and 7th Avenue
– West 54th Street between 6th Avenue and 7th Avenue
– West 55th Street between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue
– East 56th Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue
News:
An Upper West Side Trader Joe’s employee says he was fired because he wasn’t chipper enough. “According to an unfair labor practices charge filed on Thursday with a National Labor Relations Board regional office, Thomas Nagle, a longtime employee of the Trader Joe’s store on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, was repeatedly reprimanded because managers judged his smile and demeanor to be insufficiently “genuine.” He was fired in September for what the managers described as an overly negative attitude.”
The city is pushing developers to set aside apartments for people who have recently become homeless but do not have major social service needs. Some developers are okay with it, but others aren’t.
Julie Roginsky, an Upper West Sider, talks to WNYC about being a Liberal and holding her ground on Fox News.
Enforcement of the new illegal short-term rental law has been delayed. “The new state law designed to clamp down on the kinds of illegal short-term rentals advertised on websites like Airbnb will not be enforced for at least another three weeks as city lawyers have asked a federal judge to postpone hearings on a proposed injunction.”
A report found that My Little Language School on the Upper West Side had the most violations among day care centers in the city, with 74 since October 2015.
Classifieds:
Amazing Commercial Studio Space Available to Rent to Health Care Professional. Location: West 54/55th. Type of Rental: Hourly, Weekly, Monthly or Annual Lease. For more information and to view the space, contact Jason @ 646-573-9724 or email to Info@silverstarsfit.com.
Re: “The site will also show you who is on your ballot.”
Yes, but NOT in one click.
First click brings up a fill-in “Address Locator”
Completing that does bring up one’s polling location and a list of voting districts.
TO SEE A SAMPLE BALLOT requires clicking on the words “BALLOT INFORMATION”…
but there are no instructions to do so and the term “BALLOT INFORMATION” does NOT resemble a “clickable” button, which will probably leave many less-web-savvy users frustrated.
SO TYPICAL of the political hacks running the NYC Board of Elections !!!
Not on one click??? I told you folks the election is rigged! Sad.
We put our 3year old in My Little Language school for 1 week before pulling him out. There is something very wrong with that place.
It started badly when we turned up on his first day and they had no information on him (despite us completing all their paperwork)
Their administrator was very cagey with information especially as it pertained to the qualifications of the staff. The facility was bright but everything (toys, equipment) seemed old and shabby. The toileting facilities were not first class. The staffed seemed nice but it really looked like one or two of them were trying their hardest to paper over the cracks and put a brave face on it.
They also said that they (the staff) hadn’t been paid for quite a while which was a major red flag so we pulled our little one out.
I do wish them the best – but they need to really invest in the facility and administration or close it down.
Apparently My Little Language School (MLLS)was shut down in December by the DOE and recently reopened under a new name, Montessori Language Prep but with the same owners. I’ve only heard horror stories coming from this school.
Wonder if that was the same TJ employee who, when I asked if they had any more organic grape tomatoes, just starred at me blankly and said “No”, then proceeded turn his back, ignored me, then slowly wandered away from the stack of produce boxes he was shelving that included the organic grape tomatoes I had asked for ( and no he did not go to the back to check for me). I got my tomatoes myself from the stack. Found this very uncharacteristic for a TJ employee since they (seemingly) happily always check when they don’t have an item on the shelf … figured he had a bad day, but maybe this wasn’t his only bad day…
Your comment followed “I pulled my kid out”. I missed the shift in topic. Pretty funny if your experience happened in a day care
I remember encountering this fellow at the checkout line. Unlike any other cashier we’ve had, he had no affect. I remember thinking he seemed cold and mechanical — no smiles, no stickers for the baby — and then I chided myself. Why assume that everyone in retail must be friendly? Takes an emotional toll on them to force cheer, but the seeming unfriendliness does take a toll on others, too.
Had similar experience which is very atypical for TJ. I don’t know if it was the same employee mentioned but the person was plain lazy and rude. Has nothing to do with the “quality of a smile”
Hopefully it was the guy that I asked if they had any organic Yugoslavian kumquats in stock and he walked away from me
Let me get this straight.
You can work hard, move into a new luxury apartment building, pay thousands a month in rent and then have a homeless person live next door to you and your family?
NYC liberalism at its best!
Understand worry that person with serious mental health or addiction issues might be a neighbor…
But there are also plenty of affluent people who have mental health and addiction problems, perhaps already a neighbor?
A recent example, last year, Thomas Gilbert a 30-year-old Princeton graduate killed his father who headed a hedge fund.
Then there are people like my son’s high school classmate at one of NYC’s best public schools. The classmate, whose family was homeless (living in a shelter) for more than a year, was a top student and is now in college. A wonderful young person who has managed despite homelessness and other obstacles that would overwhelm many of us.
Ummm … that’s right Sherman, because ..
1. Even though they have less than you they might be better people than you.
2. How much your neighbors make or have is none of your business.
3. As long as they obey the rules of the building they should be treated with the same respect as any of your neighbors.
Obviously, Sherman, if they’re living in an apartment next door, they’re no longer homeless!
Problem solved!
wrong
your neighbor would have a home
There is no “pushing” about it; City now requires all 421a buildings current and future to accept homeless. Slots for such households are coming out of the community preference quota.
http://gothamist.com/2016/11/05/new_york_city_requires_developers_t.php
I hope people will keep their eyes open for any suspicious voting activity tomorrow.
Especially after President Obama has encouraged illegal aliens to vote, as can be seen in this video.
This statement is absurd. Undocumented individuals cannot vote and are not voting. Stop watching Fox News and come back to a fact based world.
Fear!
Mr. Thomas Nagel seems like just another transplant/hipster “millennial”, who demands the world move on his time.
http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/retail/article/At-Trader-Joe-s-good-cheer-may-hide-complaints-10594695.php
Hence going straight to the federal government to lodge a complaint. He doesn’t want to work at TJ’s but surely is seeking some sort of compensation for his “damages”.
Persons who were and or not a good fit for this or that retail environment long have been terminated. Same for front office staff such as receptionists, and or customer service/relations type positions.
Have never understood why people who don’t want to be bothered take jobs that require them to be around same. Get some loner gig that doesn’t require being around people. Things like working in a morgue, cemetery, or maybe cleaning sewers.
This is the third delay sought in that dog of an anti-AirBnB law.
The public statements from state and local government officials is that they are “working with AirBnB” to resolve issues in the interpretation of said law; this in response to Airbnb commencing legal action. The truth is far more simple; the state and city simply do not wish to risk losing in court and thus having the entire law throw out, clearly this is what they are afraid of and are attempting to appease Airbnb enough so it will agree to cease legal action.
Good luck with that.
“According to an unfair labor practices charge filed on Thursday with a National Labor Relations Board regional office”
So basically a business can’t fire someone now for being a bad worker. What a joke. If you can’t do your job well, you get fired. It’s called life.
Trader Joe’s employees earn between 40k to 60k per; meanwhile the average supermarket cashier makes about 20k. For employees that put in a minimum of 15 hours there is a dental and vision plan as well.
It is called “compensation” for a reason. For several hours per day your employer asks certain things of you; in return you get a check.
This is next level from the “everyone gets a trophy” generations. Employer is being mean to someone because it won’t *gasp* won’t change policies to suit little Mr. or Ms. Cream Puff.
You wonder why there are so many millennials out of or cannot find work, and or living at home with their parents. These kids have no concept about paying dues and or sucking it up if you want to keep that job.
Have you heard anything about whether Gracious Home at 67th and Broadway will succeed in staying in business?
I hope they stay in business!! Lowes is an odd store…my super said it’s basically for contractors …we never find anything there. Did you hear Gracious Home was closing?
Why? Did you hear they will be going out of business?
Actually as much I have always loved that store, I have noticed that they are not keeping their usual stock up to
snuff.
They had a good run grossly overcharging for home goods. Then Loews opened up next door and now people have a better choice. They have a real snobby niche but I don’t know how long that will last.
Lowes and GH aren’t in the same league or category.
That being said GH probably is running into the same issues as many other stores, competition from the Internet, especially Amazon.com.
Large amounts of what GH sells from European laundry products to bedding can be found online at the same or less money. For instance there was a time when you could really only get Miele appliances and Persil products at GH, now they are everywhere.
Some comments concerning candidates for State and City offices in today’s (Tuesday’s) election.
(Candidates who will be on the ballot, for my address, according to the Poll Site Locator linked above).
– NO info on John Toro, the Conservative candidate for State Senator (31st Senatorial District)
(Not that much on Melinda Crump, the Republican in that race, but enough to incline me to vote for her.)
– NO info on Stephen Garrin, the Republican challenger to Democrat Daniel J. O’Donnel in the 69th Assembly District.
– Justice of the Supreme Court 1st Judicial District:
Says “Vote for any 9” but there are only nine listed, all Democrats!
– Judge of the Civil Court – County New York
Same as above but two candidates instead of nine.
Is this usual, for all candidates for the NY Supreme and Civil Courts to be Democrats, running un-opposed in the general election?
Also, I could find little info on any of these judicial candidates. At most, basic facts such as where they obtained their education, any seat they currently hold, etc. Mentions in an article or blog piece or two for some of them. No campaign web sites that I could find.
Is it too much to expect someone running for public office– any office– to maintain a web site containing info informing the public of the candidate’s basic philosophy, positions on key matters and on which the candidate makes the case as to why the voters should elect him (or her)?
That’s why I did write in candidates for the judges: Ben Dover, Joe Mama, etc. The process for who becomes a candidate for justice is a joke
I intend to write-in the late, great “Antonin Scalia” for at least one.
I’m usually on the side of labor, but since the cheerful helpfulness of Trader Joe’s employees is actually part of the store’s trademark, isn’t it within TJ’s right to require its staff to live up to the store’s standards?
My Little Language School is run by some very, very nasty people. Stay away. I say this from firsthand experience.