Monday, November 4, 2024
Cloudy. High 60 degrees.
Welcome to the first Monday of November. There is again no rain forecast for the coming week.
Notices
Our calendar has lots of local events. Click on the link or the lady in the upper righthand corner to check.
Tuesday is Election Day. You can find your polling site — HERE. Polls are open in New York from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Check out our 2024 Election Guide, which includes the races and proposals that will be on the ballot — HERE.
Upper West Side News
By Gus Saltonstall
The New-York Historical Society has a new name.
The Upper West Side museum on Central Park West between 76th and 77th streets is now called the New York Historical, which became official on October 29.
The reasoning behind the name change is twofold, first to distinguish the museum from other historical societies throughout the country, and also to make it sound more welcoming, as leaders of the museum said the word “society” can come off as a “highfalutin’ vibe.”
“In recent years, we’ve all learned that sustaining a healthy democracy requires centers of peaceful, thoughtful discourse,” wrote Louise Mirrer, the CEO of the New York Historical, in a news release. “We see this new name and look as a chance to amplify how relevant the New York Historical is right now.”
The museum was founded in 1804, making it the first museum in New York City.
The name change is also connected to the new Tang Wing for American Democracy, which is under construction and slated to open in 2026, and will include additional exhibition space, conservation labs, classrooms, and more.
You can read more about the name change and new wing — HERE.
Following a period of increased crime, the Central Park Precinct has a new commanding officer.
Captain Anthony Lavino, who led the Central Park Precinct since the spring of 2023, has now taken over leadership of East Harlem’s 23rd Precinct.
“Thank you for being supportive of my efforts to improve the safety and security in Central Park,” Lavino wrote in an email to the community.
The new head officer of the Central Park Precinct?
Captain Timothy Magliente, who has been the commanding officer in Chelsea’s 10th Precinct since 2022.
Central Park saw a significant increase in crime in 2024, particularly during the summer months. Specifically, robbery has more than doubled when compared to the same point last year, and the current total within the park is the highest it has been since 1998.
“Captain Lavino performed effectively as the Commanding Officer of the Central Park Precinct,” an NYPD spokesperson told the New York Post about Lavino’s move to East Harlem. “In his new assignment, as the Commanding Officer of the 23 Precinct, he is being given the opportunity to expand his career.”
You can read more — HERE.
Upper West Sider Jerry Seinfeld is not happy that his children’s former school is offering counselors and a day off following the Election on Tuesday.
The Ethical Culture Fieldston School, which has a building on the Upper West Side, is making psychologists available for the week of the election, as first reported by the New York Times. The school is also not assigning homework on Election Day, and will excuse all absences for kids on Wednesday, according to an email to the school community.
“No matter the election outcome,” the principal of the upper school wrote in the email, the school “will create space to provide students with the support they may need.”
Seinfeld quickly voiced his displeasure about the accommodations to The New York Times.
“This is why the kids hated it,” Seinfeld told the publication. “What kind of lives have these people led that makes them think that this is the right way to handle young people. To encourage them to buckle. This is the lesson they are providing, for ungodly sums of money.”
The comedian later clarified to the Times that his kids did not hate the school.
Tuition is $65,540 a year without financial aid.
You can read more — HERE.
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They were right in changing the name of The New York Historical Society. The name brought to mind old guys sitting in plush armchairs harrumphing each other. But to name it New York Historical is also a problem. There seems to be a word missing after “historical”.
The Chicago Historical Society is not called The Chicago History Museum. They definitely need the word Museum after the phrase, because it’s just a cliffhanger in mid-air. My guess, though, is the shorter name will fit better on print materials.
That is because it is totally ungrammatical. Seems like a ridiculous solution to what was not a problem. The Film Society did the same thing (although at least proper English). Why are these institutions hung up on the word “society”? Do they really think their constituencies are ignorant simpletons? Seems insulting to me.. They also removed the hyphen in New York which had historical significance. Maybe they should have rid themselves of the word “historical” as well.
Total agreement, Emma. I belong to the New York Society Library, whose name reflects the organization that founded it in 1784. None of its staff or members considers “society” a dirty or snobbish word. The powers that be at the New York Historical Whatzis have created a solution for which there was no problem.
I agree. Why not just add ‘museum,’ to the name?
Because the Museum of the City of New York is right across the Park?
New York historical Museum.
More complete? Discuss better?
I fully expect there were hours-long meetings debating whether it should be renamed New York Historical Museum and Library or New York Historical Library and Museum.
Which is the priority the research Library or the Museum, the Museum or the Library? If they chose Library and Museum it could sound too much like The Morgan Library and Museum.
Now everyone is a little unhappy and NYHS has brought our community closer. ; )
How about “New York History Museum” or “Museum of New York History”. Historical is an adjective. less appropriate here than History. But then again, I love the old-timey vibe of Society.
Good Lord, this is stupid. Where’s the noun? New York Historical What?
I can see taking the hyphen out (it was New-York Historical Society, which a nod to how the city used to be spelled), but this is nuts.
Guess who’s still going to be calling it the New York Historical Society when they say it, as in “Do you want to go to the New York Historical Society?” Everyone.
Just can’t believe this. True, it’s not the most important thing in the world, but I might as well get it out of my system so I can go back to praying for the orange fascist to lose tomorrow.
Their name change consists of not really changing the name, but making the old name less grammatically correct.
Like Apple’s dumb “think different” slogan, or the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s newish “Met” logo that’s missing part of the “e”.
Good for Jerry! The left has so psychologically damaged an entire generation of children, it’s unconscionable.
Imagine a school’s administration, as well as probably 100% of its teachers, telling their young students that if the “wrong” candidate wins, things in their lives will be so bad that they’ll need time off to mourn, and see a shrink, and enter counseling. It’s abusive.
This is the most fraught and disturbing election we have ever had in this country – our very democracy is at stake as a wannabe Hitler marshalls his acolytes to prepare to do anything to disrupt this election — I think the tension is rife in families and it is not a stretch to realize that this affects the children too. Seinfeld is outa line. And so is “Ernesto.”
As the parent of a middle schooler and a college kid, I think Seinfeld is 100% correct. Kids need to learn how to deal with things! This is part of creating a generation of kids who literally can’t deal with adversary, I see it all the time and it’s very sad. The kids can process it in school with their teachers and peers.
“New York Historical?”
New York Historical WHAT?
Museum? Library? Club? Athenaeum?
I’ll be calling it the New York Hysterical.
I do believe you’ve got something there!
The Museum of the History of New York
That sounds too much like the Museum of the City of New York, which already exists. That’s the problem.
The problem is, its not just the history of New York. The organization’s scope is much broader, as are its collections. It’s really an American history museum located in New York.
Good name, but I’m sure they decided it was too close to the Museum of the City of New York.
The name change is ridiculous. The New York Historical??? Please tell me I’m dreaming. And while I’m at it, Seinfeld is absolutely right. There will be an election on Tuesday, somebody will win (maybe not on Tuesday but soon), and life goes on. And if our team loses, we work harder next time. That’s what we should be teaching our young people.
Life will not “go on” for millions of people. That’s the point. Seinfeld is super rich. He can take his kids and get on a plane and go and live in his bubble anywhere on the planet. Other people can’t do that.
Yes, life will indeed go on. Trump was already president for 4 years, and life went on during and following his administration. Biden has been president for 4 years, and life goes on. It’s fascinating how the media & DNC has whipped nearly half the country up into this unstable frenzy.
Guess what. It’s not going to be the end of the world if your candidate doesn’t win. Life will, in fact, go on.
Like any other position, the precinct CO is held to account for his and the commands actions.
In the military they state it simply….. ” the sectary of defense has lost confidence in X’s ability to command, and therefore has been detailed to be reassigned”
And on Monday night, the city will start the process of relocating a fire hydrant on 76th Street, which has been blocked by the construction crew at the HS for almost a year. Where will the new hydrant go? Who knows? If it moves further west on 76th, the southeast end of the block will be in trouble because the hydrant will be too far away in case of fire. And the HS has tied up a third of the block on the north side. Poor planning, and our councilwoman turns a blind eye to all of it. But I’m sure all the destroyed trees, unabated noise from 7 in the morning until 5 at night, now SIX days a week, will be worth the spanking new building, which when ground was broken several years ago, was supposed to be an LGBTQ museum (now relegated to the fifth floor), and in 2026 will be another monument to the city’s one percent.
It should be noted that the school was ONLY talking about Trump wining, not Kamila. They didn’t say it clearly in their public press release but that what they have communicated to parents
That is 100% untrue. What is your source for this information? I am a parent there. There was absolutely no communication to families of the sort you are describing. Also, it’s Kamala, not “Kamila.”
No doubt. This is incredibly negligent and inappropriate because these school administrators and teachers are authority figures, and most of the kids at this school are probably under the age of 12! What if one of these kids’ parents was a (gasp!) conservative? These school administrators are telling these little children that their parents are basically very bad people, and that by extension, the kids themselves are bad as well, all because the candidate that the administration preferred lost? Are you kidding me?
It’s a high school. Not a single student is under 12yo. This is completely fake news.
Good lord, that’s even worse.
It is amusing to watch Seinfeld turn into a cranky old man.
It’s great !!
I agree with Jerry Seinfeld. Talk about coddling. Being traumatized by an election?? How about living through the assassination of a President, his brother, MLK, Viet Nam and watching a space launch fail killing all on board. Among other things. What are we raising today. I shudder to think
living through those events didn’t leave a lasting impression on you? how is offering support offensive to others? no one is forced to attend counseling. maybe by offering children the tools to process how to better live in this world where the adults have lost all sense of civility, they will later help shape an all welcoming world where everyone doesn’t overly react to things like this.
So true, Steevie. Why didn’t they name it New York Historical Museum if it was the first museum. It sounds grammatically incorrect or like you don’t know what it is. It’s very difficult to believe a group of people came up with this solution.
No doubt it came from some branding agency the museum wasted big bucks on.
What kind of lives have these people led? I guess Mr. Seindfeld has led such a perfect and problem-less life that he has time and mind to kvetch about 1 day of school. I only wish this was the biggest problem anybody should face.
I’m not sure anyone is suggesting that this is the biggest problem out there. Do you get a day off after the election of your candidate loses?
Do regular working people get a day off? Or does everyone go about their lives because that’s what we do. We pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and get back to work.
Maybe The New York Historical Society used same ad agency that was responsible for changing name of Dunkin’ Donuts to Dunkin’? Ridiculous.
The New York Historical? How about calling it “The New York Adjective in Search of a Noun”?
The New York Historical…what? We’re missing a noun.
Stupid move. Anyone “intimidated” by the word Society was never going to come to a museum anyway. Plus dropping the, um, historical hyphen in New-York was also a bad move.
Sometimes I think people make changes to things that did not need changing just to justify their own employment.
New York Historical?
Seems like a solution in search of a problem.
Also it’s an adjective in search of a noun.
Exactly what some other folks said. New York Historical what? It makes no sense and needs a following word. Why not New-York Historical Museum? Or is that too ‘uninviting’ as well. I guess we’re going to have to change the other museum’s name to simply ‘The Metropolitan’.
Kids just call it The Met or that place where The Met Gala happens. lol
Like so many brands before it that later regretted the decision, looks like The New York Historical went all in on a rebrand using a name (likely suggested by its biggest donor) without bothering to focus group it first.
Maybe the Museum next door will copy its neighbor and rename itself, “The American Museum of Natural”.
This should be comment of the week 🙂
I think the name change was not needed. The rationale (i.e. excuse) that the word “society” is “intimidating” is ridiculous and shows that the museum’s leadership team has way too much time on its hands if this is what they think about. I suspect that a major donor thought otherwise and leadership buckled under.
IMHO, the name “the New York Historical” is not an improvement and, for a well-established, well-respected, academically acknowledged institution, is, in fact, a step in the wrong direction. That missing noun is a real bummer. Along the same lines: When did the New York Philharmonic become the New York “Phil”? I hear ads on the radio for the New York “Phil,” and I think: Seriously?
Are they dropping the hyphen in “New-York” though?? That was always the most distinctive part of their name!
Yes, NYC’s most famous hyphen is also gone.
It’s never been the name of the museum that’s been the problem – it’s the staff & leadership. Ageist, sexist, and completely full of themselves. They blamed the buildings exterior, the name, the history of nearly going bankrupt — everything except themselves. They are elitist from the core within. Words don’t mean a thing when you witness how badly they treat others.
Oh there goes Jerry whining again. No day off, school is excusing absences. Jerry needs a hobby or to volunteer somewhere.
It’s fun to watch people post in a comments section and suggest that others who share their opinions must have too much time on their hands.
I guess irony is dead.
Why didn’t Seinfeld just send his kids to Dalton or public school then?