P.S. 24 principal does Tweed's dirty work

by John DeSio
Riverdale Review 08/14/2008

Though the budget rearrangement at P.S. 24 might be painful now, Principal Philip Scharper insists it is necessary to protect the fiscal health of the school later. But some school insiders insist that unwise spending by Scharper is the real cause of the school's budget woes.

Despite the City Council's having announced with much fanfare the restoration of public school budgets across the Borough, Scharper said that his school has still lost money and that he has been forced to take actions to deal with those cuts and potential future cuts.

The City Council had announced the restoration of $258,735 in funds to P.S. 24, claiming that the school had not lost one penny of its budget from last year. But Scharper noted that $80,000 cut from the school in April was never restored and that some of the money the City Council has taken credit for would have come to the school regardless.

Depending on the math, Scharper said the school has lost somewhere between $45,000 and $90,000 this year, though he admitted he was hazy on those numbers.

"There are certain ways of their figuring the cuts," said Scharper. "Actually, in real dollars, it does come out to less than we had originally."

Scharper added that he has designed this year's budget to deal not only with those cuts but also with the potential for additional mid-year cuts and the future implementation of the "fair student funding" budget program, which would allocate funds based on factors such as a school's poverty rate and would almost certainly cost P.S. 24 substantial funding.

"So you have to start planning for how you're going to work on your budget with substantially less money," said Scharper.

To that end, Scharper has reduced the number of cluster teachers at P.S. 24 from ten to eight, a cut he said was in line with the Department of Education's standard of one cluster teacher per 100 students. Scharper has also moved the cluster teacher who served as the school librarian back into the classroom. And in the third grade classes, the average number of students has risen to 29 due to the combining of five classrooms into four. The mandated class size for third grade is 28.

"The point is, thinking ahead, this seemed to be the time to put the ratio of cluster teachers to students in line," said Scharper. He added that he would implement a plan to staff the library using teachers and parent volunteers, which would preserve open access to the library. He did note that the library would not be open a full day, though he said that it did not need to be anyway.

A budget cut is one problem, but multiple sources within the school (both parents and teachers) have complained that Scharper's spending priorities are out of place in two areas: physical plant upgrade and professional development.

Scharper has put money aside in this year's budget to partially rewire the old wing of P.S. 24 so that air conditioners can be installed in 22 classrooms. Right now, only the newer wing of the school is air conditioned, and Scharper said it was imperative to correct this disparity.

"That's something that just seems like it needs attention," said Scharper. "We have to start that." Though it is a physical upgrade, Scharper noted that such a project could not be funded by the School Construction Authority, but had to be paid for by the school itself. The work would be done partially over a few years, and Scharper did not yet have an estimate for how much it would take from this year's budget.

One teacher, who asked not to be identified, was furious that school money would be spent on air conditioners rather than teachers.

"It's only hot enough for air conditioning a few days each school year," said the teacher. "For that we're losing a full-time librarian?"

Scharper is also dedicating budget funds to a professional development contract with Columbia Teachers College, which will focus on helping teachers teach reading and writing.

"I feel like professional development is our lifeline," said Scharper, noting that the contract would cost a good "chunk of money." He added, "It's not as much as a full teacher, but its getting there." The average cost of a teacher at P.S. 24 is $75,000 per year, he said.

Another teacher, who also asked not to be identified, said that Scharper needs to get his priorities fixed. "The classroom, not professional development or air conditioning, is what's important," said the teacher. "Philip Scharper needs to realize that."

Steven Exler joins Hebrew Institute as associate rabbi

by Paulette Schneider
08/07/2008, Riverdale Review

"It’s a glimpse of the future,” says Rav Steven of the construction site visible from the window of his tidy office in the Johnson Avenue private house that is now the administrative hub for the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale.

Soon to rise on the construction site is a new space for H.I.R., and Steven Exler, the congregation’s new associate rabbi, plans to zone that space as a home for spiritual growth. He’ll start the growth process by learning about his congregants. “My primary goal over the coming weeks and months is to build relationships with people,” said Exler.

The wiry, intense Brandeis biology major had considered a career in biomedical research. But after several years in a Jewish studies environment, he found that his yearning to be back in the bio lab was not strong enough to draw him toward the science professions. Instead he chose full-time service to the Jewish community, a direction he has chosen “in small ways” throughout childhood and college. “Jewish community service is the right thing for me,” he said.

The right thing when it came to rabbinical schools was Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (Lovers of Torah), founded in 1999 by H.I.R.’s Rabbi Avi Weiss as a place to nurture a new kind of religious leadership. “The curriculum focuses not only on the breadth and depth of Torah knowledge but also on a practical working understanding of the process of ‘halacha’—Jewish law—and its application in community and synagogue life,” Exler explained. Religious growth, according to the school’s literature, “comes not through dogmatism but through questioning and struggle.”

Accordingly, a school ideology is that “any conversation can and should be had, that the things we’re not talking about need to be talked about, whatever they are. Whatever it is that we’re afraid to share with our friends, whatever we’re afraid to talk about for fear of being judged—if we’re thinking about them, others are thinking about them,” said Exler. “If you’re troubled by something, it should be talked about.”

Before he addresses the congregation to promote growth or other values, Exler plans to establish a rapport with individuals, at the Shabbat table and in other informal venues, to learn “what their relationship with the shul is like, what their relationship with the community is like, what their own personal Jewish journeys have been like, what keeps them up at night, what their values are.” He feels he will be better “heard at the pulpit” once congregants have a sense that he truly cares about them as individuals and that he will devote himself to their concerns. “My passion is serving the community,” said Exler, “and that’s something I want to be really clear about.”

He will then encourage honest discussion of topics such as mental illness, physical disability, fertility, or whatever issues he learns that people are finding it difficult or painful to deal with. Such “healthy conversations” should ultimately lead to spiritual growth in the form of heightened sensitivity and support for those in the community who need it.

Looking toward those outside the community, spiritual growth can take the form of political advocacy. “We should be pushing through whatever venues of legislation and power we have as a community and as citizens for the ways that we see Torah values expressed in our country and in our laws,” said Exler. Toward that end he became involved in Uri L’Tzedek (Awaken to Justice), an advocacy organization that arose within the Modern Orthodox community.

“I see Uri L’Tzedek as a place that helps educate people around issues of social justice and creates conversation around them and raises awareness about them.” At monthly study sessions in Washington Heights, participants explore Jewish texts and learn about thinkers who have tackled social justice issues. Recently they became active on behalf of workers at Agriprocessors, the beleaguered Kosher meat production facility in Postville, Iowa. “Uri L’Tzedek has touched on issues from immigration to domestic workers—something that I care a lot about—to ethical production and consumption, to refugees,” said Exler. “To me that’s another thing that growth means: getting educated around issues of social justice and feeling empowered to find ways to act about them.”

Under the guidance of Rabbi Weiss, Exler shares some rabbinic duties with Sara Hurwitz, H.I.R’s “madricha ruchanit” (spiritual mentor). Hurwitz’s role has expanded to include more responsibilities in the educational, pastoral and life-cycle needs of the community. Particularly with personnel changes over the past several years, Hurwitz has provided continuity and concrete day-to-day advice. “I rely on her really, really heavily. She’s a real partner in the work that we do,” said Exler.

With this leadership team, H.I.R. will remain an institution where, as Exler describes it, “people from every background and walk of life who are drawn to a vibrant community of Jewish life can walk through these doors and feel that there is a place for them to connect and a way for them to connect."

Irving Ladimer praised for activism

by Eric Grossfeld
08/07/2008, Riverdale Review

A man who has devoted his life to serving his community was shown some real appreciation from that community last Sunday afternoon.

Irving Ladimer, 92, received much-deserved community praise during the Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale's Mighty Men's Club Brunch – held especially to recognize his commitment to Riverdale for more than a half century.

Ladimer has called CSAIR his home and its congregation his family for over twenty years. During the past two decades, he played an important role in establishing the men's club, of which he only recently retired as president, and organizing the development of the regional offshoot of the nationwide Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs. CSAIR has the only men's club from a Bronx synagogue to be affiliated with the Hudson Valley branch of the FJMC.

During his tenure on the club's board, Ladimer helped to organize the distribution of Shoah candles, memorials of the Holocaust, and to develop the educational Worldwide Wrap program, which "teaches children alongside their parents about tefillin [phylacteries]."

Although he is "retired" from his leadership position on the men's club, Ladimer promised that his efforts would continue. "I passed on the baton last year to very competent leaders, David La Due and Joel Chaiken," he said. "However, I'll help with everything. People always want me around," he added.

Ladimer has earned a reputation as "the Mr. Fix-It of Riverdale," the man who always extends aid to the greater Riverdale community. Since arriving here over fifty years ago, Ladimer has been involved in efforts to serve the elderly population. He also helped found the first community boards in Riverdale, in order to bring "knowledge and representation to the local level." He considered Riverdale a "small town in a big city" that needed "public services such as police, fire, education and health care centered around the community."

To date, Ladimer has provided invaluable services to the major community health care institutions, including Atria, the Hebrew Home for the Aged and Schervier. His efforts range from hand-delivering meals-on-wheels to aiding in research. Commenting on his frequent visits to nursing homes, he jokingly remarked that people "were surprised to see me actually entering Schervier horizontally, on a stretcher, after my accident."

Last May, Ladimer suffered an accident and broke both his hip and shoulder. Despite having to learn "how to sit, stand up and walk all over again," he was determined to recover, eager to "keep moving forward, helping my community."

After moving out of his native New York to study in Washington, D.C., Ladimer earned his law degree at George Washington University Law School and settled in Washington, where he held positions at the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Social Security Bureau. He remarked dryly, "Working for the federal government was not my favorite experience."

During his years away from New York, he earned his doctorate in law, specializing in the legal ethics of practicing medicine. He then taught ethics courses at New York University, Harvard University and Boston University, which granted him the Pike Award in recognition of his legacy.

Indeed, Ladimer's legacy of combining legal and medical knowledge continued in Riverdale. His proudest and most notable contribution was the health fair at his synagogue, a project he spearheaded. Using his host of medical contacts (Mr. Ladimer had also worked for Mt. Sinai Hospital and Bronx North Central Hospital), he planned the community-wide event that provided valuable outreach to thousands of local citizens. "The event was more about the community than it was about the synagogue," he recalled. "We had companies providing health services and booths set up to distribute educational materials. It was one hundred percent a great success."

So what comes next for Ladimer? For starters, he's certainly not retiring. Shaking his head, he declared, "I don't know the meaning of that word, 'retire.''' He's already planning his men's club's latest efforts: "Today it's all about environmentalism. We're talking about synagogues going green." Or maybe it's finishing a lengthy draft on the ethics of conflict of interest, which he expects to finish late August.

One thing is certain: whatever Ladimer decides to do, the Riverdale community, "his" community, will greatly benefit.

Courts halt blasting for filtration plant

by John DeSio
08/07/2008, Riverdale Review

The Department of Environmental Protection took a major hit this past week after courts ruled it must temporarily halt the start of blasting for the Croton Watershed Filtration Plant in Van Cortlandt Park.

State Supreme Court Justice Betty Stinson hit the DEP with a temporary restraining order this past week, preventing the agency from commencing blasting rock at the Jerome Park Reservoir as part of the ongoing construction of the water filtration plant.

The restraining order, which will be discussed again in court on September 3, puts a halt to proposed blasting that would have taken place just a few feet from the campus of the Bronx High School of Science. Opponents argued in court about their concern that potential debris from the blasting would affect the school as well as local residents, and they demanded that the DEP reassess its environmental impact plan for the project.

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, who was a plaintiff in the lawsuit, argued that drilling, rather than blasting, would be a more appropriate undertaking for the DEP, given the character of the neighborhood. He also offered a critique of the DEP’s handling of the construction, which he has opposed for the better part of two decades.

“This is an important victory for the community,” said Dinowitz. “The City cannot be allowed to go ahead and take a major step such as blasting across the street from the Bronx High School of Science without conducting an environmental review.”

Dinowitz added, “The fact that the DEP felt that it could just go ahead and do this blasting confirms the beliefs of many people that the DEP is a rogue agency that thinks it is above the law.”

Congressman Eliot Engel also hailed the decision and hoped that a less intrusive construction method would be utilized.

“It is outrageous for the Department of Environmental Protection to again mislead the community about their plans for the water filtration plant,” said Engel in a statement. “Their estimate of the cost of the plant was less than one-third of the estimated final cost of $3 billion. The agency was also dramatically wrong on the number of Bronx residents who would get work on the project.”

Engel specifically noted the residential and educational character of the surrounding neighborhood, which also includes Lehman College and major developments such as the Amalgamated Houses and Tracey Towers, and he called the idea of trucking the 9,000 cubic yards of waste produced by the blasting through the community “adding insult to injury.”

"By blasting in violation of its own promise, DEP will be disrupting the lives of thousands of residents and the education of thousands of students,” said Engel. The court did the absolute right thing in blocking this work. Let us hope it continues on the right path and stops the blasting completely.”

Charles Moerdler and Ari Hoffnung, who might be competing against one another for a City Council seat in 2009, also issued statements on the court’s ruling.

“The actions of the Department of Environmental Protection and its administration are the best example of why people don’t trust government,” said Moerdler, who serves as chairman of Community Board #8’s land use committee. He noted that last week the community board voted unanimously to condemn the DEP’s actions.

“They are not believable, they don’t tell the truth, they lie to the public, and then they try to capitalize on it,” said Moerdler. “What the [DEP] has done here is inexcusable.”

Hoffnung, co-president of the Riverdale Jewish Community Council, was an initial supporter of the filtration plant’s construction, largely due to the more than $200 million it brought to the Borough for parkland improvements.

“With that said, this support should not be misinterpreted as having granted the Department of Environmental Protection a carte blanche,” said Hoffnung.

Hoffnung hailed Dinowitz’s work in holding the DEP’s feet to the fire and demanded that the DEP live up to its commitments to the community. He also expressed growing concern over the rising cost of the project, stating that taxpayers deserve much better.

"New Yorkers have to live on a budget—why shouldn't the DEP?” asked Hoffnung.

"Taxpayers deserve more transparency on how our money is being spent. I'd like to see a website with information on every project that exceeded its budget, along with a detailed explanation of why the excess occurred. In the private sector, managers need to explain themselves when they go over budget. Managers in city government should be held to the same standards.”

Ground finally broken on new Kingsbridge library

by Candice M. Giove
07/31/2008, Riverdale Review

When the new Kingsbridge Library opens across the street from its current graying white brick building on West 231st Street, it'll be twice the size, with up-to-date technology and a green roof, library and elected officials said at a ceremonial groundbreaking this week.

Though shovels aren't expected to actually touch the ground for another two months, the day signified the start of a project discussed for over a decade.

"It's been a long wait. There've been many disappointments and now it's really happening," said Steve Barker, Kingsbridge Branch librarian.

Councilman G. Oliver Koppell, who secured money piecemeal for the $14 million project, was pleased to be at the groundbreaking. "When I first became a member of the City Council in 2002 this project was already on the drawing board and a large amount of money had been allocated by the City Council through the efforts of my predecessor, June Eisland, and by the office of the mayor and by the office of the borough president," he said.

"As we all know, 2001 intervened and the capital budget for the city was smashed and the mayor's office actually cut out almost all of the funding for the new Kingsbridge library, so we had to start all over again in 2002 and each year over the past five years or six years I allocated part of the discretionary capital funding that we had available to this project," he recalled. "It was my number-one priority with capital projects that we funded. Unfortunately as the years went by not only did we have to allocate more and more funding, but each year the project got more expensive. We've had round after round where the library had to come to me and ask for additional funding."

Former Councilwoman June Eisland was elated that the project finally began. She said that she and her staff worked hard to help acquire the property—and that she and former Borough President Fernando Ferrer were even able to get then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani to commit to it. She was glad that other elected officials continued their work.

Earl Brown, Deputy Borough President, praised the "inspirational" design on the challenging parcel of land—a site below street level. The design of the partially glass two-story structure, which will allows natural light to saturate the inside, won a New York City Art Commission Award for Excellence.

Brown also said that a new library was great for residents in Kingsbridge and Riverdale, and for democracy.

"As you know the hallmark of any successful democracy is the ability for people to think clearly and freely, to speak freely and to be educated. And one of the things that the library does is it provides an opportunity for all members of the community, from young kids to senior citizens, to really have access to information, and that access to information and the ability to use that information appropriately is what makes our democracy so successful," he said.

Once the new building opens it will have 32 public computers and WiFi, and lots of space—even an outdoor patio for summer reading. "If you go into the current library there aren't enough seats, there aren't enough computers," said NYPL director and local resident Ann Coriston. "So it's nice to have something fresh and bright in this community."

$75G homeland security $ for SAR schools

by John DeSio
07/31/2008, Riverdale Review

Salanter Akiba of Riverdale has been awarded a $75,000 federal grant through the Department of Homeland Security.

Details of the grant became clear following a Monday press conference by Brooklyn/Queens Congressman Anthony Weiner, a likely candidate for mayor in 2009, during which he pointed to the considerable largesse received by New York institutions through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Weiner, a member of the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, noted that nonprofit organizations in New York City secured more than $4 million in Homeland Security grants, amounting to 27 percent of all grants delivered nationwide.

"It's high time DHS realized that our nonprofit institutions were at risk,” said Weiner. “Worshipers, museum goers, and hospital visitors expect and deserve a safe environment, and these grants will go a long way towards ensuring their safety."

Neither Rabbi Binyamin Krauss, principal of SAR Academy, nor Rabbi Tully Harcsztark, principal of SAR High School, could be reached for comment as of press time.

Though he was not present at the announcement, Congressman Eliot Engel was also pleased that DHS had done the right thing and moved much-needed homeland security funds to his district.

"These grants are long overdue because of the serious threat that certain religious organizations face in today’s troubled environment,” said Engel. “I have worked to bring these grant requests to the attention of the Department of Homeland Security. I have also fought to ensure that there be a risk-based funding formula which would increase homeland security funds for New York. Reasonable people have long recognized New York as the most highly targeted city, and therefore we must receive our fair share of homeland security dollars."

Weiner pointed out that this year, 59 nonprofits in New York City received funding, for a total of $4.08 million, representing roughly one and a half times the amount given to any other locality. The appropriation exceeds last years total when 40 nonprofits in New York City received a total of $3.2 million.

The grants, made available through the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, will provide significant funding for security measures at the very institutions being singled out as potential targets, specifically yeshivas and synagogues throughout the five boroughs.

In the past, the program has funded security enhancements at New York City landmarks such as the Intrepid Museum and hospitals such as the Staten Island University Hospital.

Institutions that qualified for the current grant program were eligible to receive up to $75,000, and those funds can be used to train security personnel and install security measures such as surveillance cameras, barriers and controlled entry systems.

The average award for grant winners is approximately $70,000, and the funds are expected to be delivered within the next 60 days.

SAR qualified for the highest possible grant and was the only institution in The Bronx to receive such funding. It is unclear whether the money is intended for SAR’s academy, high school, or a combination of the two.

Weiner’s office indicated it could not release a full list of grant awardees, citing security concerns put forward by the DHS.

Quinn comes to Bronx to celebrate Ed $$$

by John DeSio
Riverdale Review, 07/24/2008

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is happy to alert The Bronx that she fought back against Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s planned education cuts—and won.

Quinn discussed the budget battle Tuesday morning during a media breakfast, where she was joined by Council Members G. Oliver Koppell and Joel Rivera. Quinn noted that overall Bronx schools actually increased their funding in this budget, due to the Council’s efforts. A list provided by the speaker’s office made it clear that no school would see its budget decline next year.

“The goal of the budget was really to make sure no public school had less dollars in September than they did in June, when the schools closed,” said Quinn.

Locally, P.S. 7, P.S. 24, P.S. 81, the Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy and the Bronx High School of Science will all see a net change in their budget of $0. One local school, M.S./H.S. 368/The In-Tech Academy, saw a small budget increase of $412.

Koppell said he was also happy to see that schools not only in his district but across the Borough were spared the budget axe. He noted that he had heard from numerous parents, principals and educators who were concerned about the cuts and the immediate and long-term impact schools would face because of them.

“The principals seemed really genuinely concerned that they would have to cut back on various programs and services,” said Koppell, who added that he has been applauded by local principals since the funding was restored.

Though this year’s funding is safe, other problems do loom on the horizon for many schools, especially those in middle-class neighborhoods. For starters, the proposed “Fair Student Funding” program, which would shift school budget allocations based on poverty data, would drain funding from schools in neighborhoods like Riverdale.

Quinn said such potential problems would have to be dealt with as they happened. “I can’t tell you what’s going to happen next year until we get there,” said Quinn.

The speaker also discussed the future of mayoral control of city public schools, calling for a continuation of the current system with some modifications. Under Quinn’s plan mayoral control would be replaced with municipal control, and control of city schools would be removed from the hands of the state Legislature and given to the City Council.

Such a plan would make the Council and the mayor equal partners and would place the schools under more localized control.

“There’ll always be a legislature. That legislature should be the New York City Council,” said Quinn. “It should be the guy from Riverdale, not the guy from Pitcher Hill, deciding how money gets set up.”

In further discussion about the City’s funding formula for schools, which gives larger funding to schools based on poverty and the number of “English language learners” attending the school, Quinn said it was a difficult rope to walk because some students do need more help than others to succeed.

“Sometimes extra learning means you need extra resources to help that child,” said Quinn. That said, she did state the middle class schools should by no means be penalized in the budget for performing well and that she would join the City Council in fighting to hold those budgets harmless.

“Yes, some kids need more than others, but every child needs a fair amount of resources,” said Quinn. “Middle class schools shouldn’t be penalized for historically doing well.”

Quinn closed the meeting by noting that Bronx and city schools do face myriad challenges but that the City Council’s budget efforts will, at the very least, keep public schools “running in place.”

“We legitimately have a whole bunch of challenges,” said Quinn. “That said, this is a big deal. If the schools in The Bronx had $30 million less, things would be worse.”

No Trader Joe's for Riverdale

by Candice M. Giove
Riverdale Review, 07/24/2008

No Trader Joe's For Riverdale

By Candice M. Giove

The specialty grocery chain Trader Joe's has no plans for Riverdale, though many speculated that the unique shop would seek retail space at the site of the new Manhattan College parking facility at West 242^nd Street and Broadway.

"At this time I do not have a location in the next two years in that area," said Trader Joe's spokeswoman Alison Mochizuki.

Initially, Manhattan College planned to partner with Pathmark, but chain's financial woes collapsed the deal.

Moerdler Considering Council Run

by John DeSio
Riverdale Review, 06/09/2008

One of Riverdale’s most well respected citizens could be throwing his hat into the ring for City Council.

Charles Moerdler, who currently serves as Community Board #8’s land use chairman, is giving serious consideration to his own run for the 11th District City Council seat, which includes Riverdale and Kingsbridge.

According to multiple sources Moerdler, who is also a partner at the prestigious white shoe law firm of Stroock, Stroock & Lavan, is set to change his enrollment from Republican to Democrat in order to run in that primary, which in all likelihood would decide the winner of the contest.
Moerdler would also reportedly self-finance his campaign, a move that would more than level the playing field given his potential opponents current fundraising advantage. Sources indicate that Moerdler also feels that spending his own money on the race would allow him the ability to speak freely on a variety of topics without offending donors.

Moerdler was in Europe at press time, and could not be reached for comment.

The seat is currently held by City Councilman G. Oliver Koppell, who cannot run for reelection in 2009 due to term limit laws. Other announced or presumptive candidates for the seat include Ari Hoffnung, co-president of the Riverdale Jewish Community Council; Helen Morik, vice president for government and community affairs at the Columbia University Medical Center; Anthony Perez Cassino, former chairman of Community Board #8; and Jamin Sewell, who serves as legislative counsel to Koppell.

Moerdler served as buildings commissioner under Mayor John Lindsay in the 1960’s. He currently serves as the governor’s representative to the New York City Housing Development Corporation, and has been appointed to that post by three Democratic governors and one Republican.

He is also a prominent labor attorney, and has helped to guide the career paths of many notable New Yorkers, including Governor David Paterson and United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten.

In addition that work Moerdler is a member of the New York City Board of Collective Bargaining. Since 1999, he also served as the vice chairman of the Committee on Character and Fitness of Applicants to the Bar of the State of New York, and has been a member of that board since 1977.

Other highlights in his illustrious public service background include a stint as New York City's Commissioner of Buildings from 1966 to 1967, member of New York City's Air Pollution Control Board from 1966 to 1967, and consultant to the Mayor of the City of New York on Housing, Urban Development and Real Estate from 1967 to 1973.

Moerdler has also served as the panel chairman of the Disciplinary Committee for Appellate Division, First Department from, 1998 to 2004; served as a member of the Mayor's Committee on Judiciary from 1994 to 2001; and also served as the Chairman of the New York State Insurance Fund from 1955 to 1997 and as its commissioner and vice chairman from 1978 to 1995.

Moerdler is also a trustee at St. Barnabas Hospital, a position that he's held since 1986. He's also worked on the Board of Overseers for the Jewish Seminary of America, as a trustee for Long Island University, as an advisory board member for Columbia University's School of International Affairs, and as an American Jewish Congress lecturer.

He has also been included in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Law, Who's Who in Finance and Industry and Who's Who in The World.

Lest Ye Be Bullied...

"How To...Protect Your Child Against Cyberbullying," June 3, Positive Thinking Magazine.

This Week In Clips

Via the Village Voice:

"Bob Barr: Libertarian Presidential Hopeful on Barack, Borat, and Spoiling For McCain," May 9.

...and The Real Deal:

"Columbia Buying Failed Riverdale Development," May 16.

"Thrift store opening its first NYC shop in Kingsbridge," May 14.

Sounds Like a Hell of a Story...

"I am an established freelance journalist who freelances for myself as a hobby occasionally, and magazines and independent newspapers, from time to time. I am currently in the beginning stages of writing and researching an article about the subject of dating a sex offender (otherwise known as a pedophile). I am seeking to interview people knowledgeable about all aspects of this phenomenon."

Here's the full ad.

Freeganism, Or How I (Well, Not Me) Learned to Stop Worrying and Eat the Trash

Janet Kalish preaches the "freegan' gospel at last week's Anarchist Book Fair in NYC.

The old cliché that argues “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” is perfectly applicable to New York City’s small but burgeoning “freegan” movement. Though their practice of searching through the garbage of grocery stores for their next meal is off-putting, if not flat out gross, to most, local freegan leader Janet Kalish is sure that the tide of public opinion is starting to turn ever so slightly. Dumpster diving, once a survival activity exclusively for the homeless and downtrodden, is now a statement against the waste of America’s consumption driven society.

Last week Kalish preached the gospel of freeganism from a table at the annual Anarchist Book Fair at the Judson Memorial Church, across the street from Washington Square Park. In that den of anti-establishment and anti-corporate feelings she did not have a hard time convincing people to buy into her movement. A few passersby asked to sample some bread she rescued from the trash of a nearby bakery. Several attendees sipped found juice from one of her impromptu cups, which formerly housed a serving of yogurt. At Kalish’s table everything is recycled, from the food right down to her sign-up sheet, which once served as part of a high school testing booklet.

So many good things are wasted, said Kalish, who showed me a container of Odwalla pure orange juice that she pulled from the garbage on April 11. We spoke on April 12, the listed expiration date on the juice container. The container is still factory sealed, and she even froze the juice overnight so it would stay cold during the fair.

“Are you afraid of it?” Kalish asks me. “Nobody is.” It may be the case that a sealed container of orange juice does not invoke the queasiness that one might feel when discussing the freegan movement, but what about the pile of pre-sliced bread that sits on her table, a product that lacks Odwalla’s factory seal? She understands the difference, and the squeamishness one might feel when it comes to eating the bread. From below the table she produced the bag that once held the bread, as if to assure me she did not just pull each slice from a stinking garbage heap. It was never sold, said Kalish, and there is nothing wrong with it. And though it might have been manhandled by the bakery staff that threw it away, just how clean is our store-bought food to begin with?

“Even if you go to a bagel store, there’s somebody’s hand that touched that bagel before your hands did,” said Kalish. “There has to be a little bit of trust in your own immune system.”

While we spoke a young anarchist, going by the name “Cabbage,” stopped by Kalish’s table. “Do you guys really eat garbage? That’s disgusting!” he joked before sampling her spread. A similar, serious reaction is fairly common, said Kalish, who became an active freegan about three and a half years ago. But her own health should be enough to persuade dissenters of the freegan lifestyle. “I think I lend a little credibility to it. I haven’t been getting sick from doing this,” she said. A vegan, Kalish noted that eating meat procured from the trash could be more problematic, and that those with weaker immune systems would probably have to be more careful freegans.

A pile of "freegan" bread.

New York’s freegan community meets about once a week to go “shopping” in the dumpsters of the City’s supermarkets. Nicer neighborhoods with better supermarkets produce better trash, said Kalish, who added that her own grocery bill has shrunk to just about $25 a week, most of which she attributed to soy milk and products for her cat. Even those minimal purchases upset Kalish, who felt she should be scavenging for all her food.

“Honestly, it’s sort of a luxury. I feel a little guilty about shopping. I buy food with guilt because I know I don’t have to,” said Kalish of her soy milk purchases. She feels the karmic effects of her purchases later on. “I get punished. The next trash tour, the next dumpster dive I go on, I’ll find what I just bought.”

Though Kalish is an articulate defender of the freegan lifestyle, most people are just not going to eat trash no matter how good an argument she puts forward. Leaving her table I felt a palpable sense of relief that Kalish did not ask me to try any of the bread, as I would have been put in the awkward position of being nice to a source and eating garbage. But freeganism to Kalish is about more than the trash hunt. Why can’t communities share one car or one washing machine?, she asks one man stopped at her table. Kalish is outraged by any waste, be it food, energy or otherwise. Hitting a dumpster for her meals is just the first step.

“I always felt uncomfortable to be shopping and buying new things. I already have enough shirts, why do I have to get another shirt?” she asked. “It never made sense to me to accumulate all this stuff.”

Other Notable Clips

I've been busy away from the Village Voice. Have a look...

At Candidato USA:

"What Can Latinos Expect From The New Governor Of New York?" March 17, 2008.

"What Might Congestion Pricing Cost Latino Neighborhoods?" March 24, 2008.


At Positive Thinking Magazine:

"Five Things I Learned: Chris Bliss," March 2007.

"Five Things I Learned: Bill Nye," March 2007.


And how about two oldies but goodies...

"A Psychic Detective of Another Sort," Wall Street Journal, November 24, 2007.

"The Rundown on Scientology's Purification Rundown," New York Press, May 31, 2007.

Village Voice

I have been doing a ton of work for the Village Voice. It's the major reason I haven't been able to keep things up to date here. Have a look at a few of the more interesting pieces...

"The Revolt of the Superdelegates?" February 7, 2008.

"Penn Jillette on Libertarians, Hillary, Obama, McCain and Bloomberg," February 22, 2008.

"John Edwards Backs the 'Iraq/Recession' Campaign," February 25, 2008.

"Ralph Nader: Why I'm Running Again," March 3, 2008.

"Anonymous vs. Scientology: 'Our Nonsense Is Free,'" March 17, 2008.

"Scenes From Anonymous' 'Scientology Reconnect' Picnic," April 14, 2008.

"'Coffin It Up' Seeks to Transform Bad Things Into Music," April 17, 2008.

Coming later this week I'll have an interview with Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr and an examination of the "freegan" movement. Stay tuned.