Urbanite

Fourty-year-old "slant" trains have been put to rest

Sunday June 14, 2009 1:26 PM By Heather Haddon

The last of "the slant" trains was retired Friday.

(Photo courtesy John Urbanski)

By Heather Haddon

NYC Transit has retired another quirky subway oddity in their shrinking pool of vintage cars.

On Friday, the MTA put to rest its last operating R40 train, a model better known as “the slant” for its distinctive sloping front. The peculiar 15-degree slant was intended to look like the bullet trains of the future — back in 1968. The 200 trains ran on the lettered lines such as the A and F.

The trains suffered from numerous mechanical problems, including a lack of handholds between trains putting riders at risk with falling onto the tracks (yikes!).Transit began taking the trains out of service last year as it has updated its fleet. A pair of R40s live on at the New York Transit Museum for those feeling nostalgic.

Nostalgia ride slated for Saturday

Sunday June 14, 2009 12:57 PM By Heather Haddon

Attention subway buffs — vintage trains will be rolling down the rails soon.

The New York Transit Museum is offering rides on two preserved trains during a nostalgia tour on Saturday, June 20. The $30 trip ($15 for kids) meet at Grand Central for a trip to the Bronx on “the Train of Many Colors,” a conglomerate of cars painted in different shades reflecting operation from the 1940s to the 1960s.

Travelers will disembark for a guided tour of the Bronx Zoo, then board a “Low-V” train from 1917. The trains were used on all IRT subway lines until 1964.For more information, visit www.nyct.com. About half of the 300 seats have already sold out.

(Photo courtesy New York Transit Museum/R.M. Robertson)

Expert: Election fever has erupted in Iran

Thursday June 11, 2009 8:45 PM By Emily Ngo

By Emily Ngo

Hooman Majd, author of “The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran,” spoke with amNewYork about the presidential race Friday. Incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad faces off with reformist Mir Hossein Mousavi and two other challengers.

What’s the likely scenario Friday?

There’s a good chance this will go to a second round. … The probability at this point is that it would be Ahmadinejad and Mousavi. If that were to happen, the likelihood that Mousavi would win would be even greater. Ahmadinejad’s whole campaign strategy has been not to go a second round.

You returned from Iran days ago. What was the sentiment?

The whole place just exploded in election fever. … There were crowds of people gathering in squares and boulevards and rallies everywhere. Tens of thousands of people show up, and in some way, get into this idea that, “Yes, the elections do matter. It does make a difference who’s president,” even though they understand that the supreme leader has ultimate authority in Iran. … It may even change the view of the supreme leader when he sees that the public looking for change.What is Ahmadinejad’s base?

Some of the working class. Some of the very socially conservative people. Basically, there are people in Iran who feel comfortable with Iran’s revolutionary stance. … People who feel that the revolution has brought them equality in terms of class equality and opportunity and people who are just sort of afraid of change. People afraid that if Iran moves past this revolutionary stage, that they will be left behind. That stage will gobble them up and they’ll be back to poor wage-earners and have little opportunity for advancement.

What is Mousavi’s base?

Something to remember about Iran is that there are so many university graduates that even among the rural and the rural poor where Ahmadinejad does have support, there have been families that have one or two university graduates and/or one or two kids at the university level who are clamoring for change, who are affecting their parents’ choices. Much as they were here with [presidential candidate Barack] Obama.

What role does the female vote play?

Women — who are very vocal in Iran and are 60 percent of Iran’s university graduates and are in the workforce and do all kinds of jobs — are very vocal in supporting Mousavi in particular, mainly because they feel that Ahmadinejad’s government is far more misogynistic than the previous government. And they know that Mousavi is not. His wife [Zahra Rahnavard] is actively campaigning for him — the first time that happened in Iran.

Does the supreme leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, side with one candidate or the other?

In the last couple weeks, he hasn’t. People know based on his past behavior and past speeches that he would prefer someone like Ahmadinejad. And it’s a complicated issue, because he also has problems with Ahmadinejad as well. So do some of the other conservative people in Iran. But the supreme leader’s choice doesn’t make — even if he were to come out and say, I want Ahmadinejad to be president — in some ways, that could backfire on Ahmadinejad, because some people vote against what the supreme leader wants.

Are there past examples?

It may have happened in 1997 when [Mohammad] Khatami became president. First of all, no one expected him to become president. Secondly, the supreme leader openly and actively backed his opponent. Despite all that, Khatami actually won 70 percent of the vote, and it shows that one, the supreme leader’s choice doesn’t win and second, the election is actually quite fair. If they didn’t want Khatami to be elected president, they could have slyly fudged the vote and make him lose. And he won twice in a high landslide.

Photo: Michael Halsband

Q&A: Ideology, diplomacy are key themes in Iranian elections

Thursday June 11, 2009 8:35 PM By Emily Ngo

(AP)

By Emily Ngo

Imam Amir Mukhtar Faezi, who leads a Chicago-area mosque, hosted colleague and former President Mohammad Khatami during his visit to the United States in 2006. Faezi speaks with amNewYork about the election’s implications:

What makes this election different from others in recent Iranian history?

This is a very tight, neck-to-neck race. … For 16 years [under President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and then President Mohammad Khatami], the presidents of Iran were mindful of diplomatic norms and international diplomacy. And then all of the sudden, President [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad comes and his time was different. … Iranians are very mindful of their image on the international stage. … They want to have someone who is more delicate, more diplomatic, more respectful and more understanding of the complex nature of international issues.

What key issues do Iranian voters most care about?

Mainly, the cultural and international issues have more importance than just the economic issues. … For both candidates, their bases are convinced that their candidate will bring them more jobs. Those who support [reformist candidate Mir Hossein] Mousavi, they believe there will be a more open approach to international communities, that he will bring new investments and there will be less sanctions against the economy. But followers of Ahmadinejad, they believe he is very much concerned about poor people and he will use all that is at his disposal to uplift the poor and uplift the common people.What role does supreme leader Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and leading clerics play in the elections?

Officially the supreme leaders maintain neutrality and they don’t really give a very clear signal that they are supporting any particular candidate, but people know who the supreme leader will be pleased to see as president. In Iran, people know that that man is Ahmadinejad. He always praises him and generally talks highly of him.

Do leading clerics tamper with results?

No. They don’t rig the elections. There’s no big tampering. At lower levels here and there, maybe a little bit, but there are fair elections. In Iran, the people in government play some rules and a game so that the party they don’t like gets frustrated and emotional. The do little things on the day of the election to give you a hard time … to make you run here and there and up and down. There are little blips, but they don’t tamper with the major election.

How will the elections affect relations with the West, particularly the United States?

If Mousavi is elected, it will be like the time of Khatami, it will be more dialogue, more speeches, more gracious gestures, but I don’t think there’s going to be a very big difference in results. On foreign issues and other important issues, the president doesn’t have the final word. The supreme leader has a lot of power and the final word. Then there’s parliament, which has influence when this new elected president tries to make his cabinet. … If Ahmadinejad is reelected — his time was a lot of rhetoric, fiery speeches and lots of unusual statements — he will continue doing the same thing because he thinks people have approved it. ... Because ideologues they don’t get convinced; they convince others.

Root canals have never felt so good

Thursday June 11, 2009 8:28 PM By Sean Joseph

Comfort therapist Cathy Spiegel massages Jamie Rua, of the West Village, at Dr. Paul Tanner's office on Madison Avenue. (RJ Mickelson/amNY)

By Marlene Naanes

A foot massage, feng shui, aromatherapy ... and Novacaine?

These days, the sound of a dentist’s drill is increasingly being softened by spa-like indulgences, as more city dentists offer luxe amenities to easy anxiety.

In TriBeCa alone, a handful of unique practices have opened or are being transformed into soothing spaces. The phenomenon emerged about 10 years ago and, despite the ailing economy, is seemingly on an uptick.

“I think it’s becoming more and more prevalent,” said Dr. Joe McManus, director of admissions at Columbia University’s College of Dental Medicine. “It’s a different generation, and it’s a different perspective. It’s younger practitioners trying to make it more patient friendly.”At some spa-like practices, the amenities are covered partly by the cost of expensive cosmetic procedures. Other practices will include the extras no matter what you’re in for, at little or no additional cost than traditional offices, experts said.

Dr. William Han opened his first practice, Tribeca Dental Design, in February, constructing an eco-friendly office, hanging high-end art and putting a television in each treatment room to keep people’s minds off unpleasant sounds.

“The whole concept was more of a gallery feel,” he said. “It’s not just a drill-and-fill kind of feel.”

Nearby, Dr. Nina Izhaky’s Tribeca Dental Studio offers massage chairs and spa decor with a swirling, lighted wall in the waiting room.

Dr. Mark Bronsky gave his two practices the feel of a rock ‘n’ roll photo gallery. He plays XM Radio music matching the artists, including U2 and Jimi Hendrix.

Dr. Paul Tanners’ practice on Madison Avenue is possibly one of the most posh in the city. It offers hot towels, a massage therapist, aromatherapy candles and headsets linked to flat screen television sets showing movies.

“The secret to all this is to also be doing dentistry,” said Tanners. “With all the toys you still want to be doing a good job.”

That sentiment is shared by many patients, including Andrew Steinman, who sees Izhaky.

“Architecturally [the office is] great, but what impresses me is her interest in what she does and her interest in people,” said Steinman of TriBeCa.

Paula Seibel, a patient of Tanners, won’t ever return to an “antiseptic” dental office.

“Give me my … my comfortable chairs, my music...and the foot massage,” she said. “For me, it’s like a mini vacation.”

Box:

Dental delights

Here are a few lavish services offered by some dentists with a tooth cleaning:

Botox and other cosmetic injections

Paraffin hand treatments

Reflexology

Limo service

Henican: America's funniest statehouse is in Albany

Thursday June 11, 2009 7:48 PM By Emily Ngo

“These Albany people,” I was marveling Thursday, “they come straight from Central Casting.”

Randy Credico, who’s been working for years in the capital on drug-law reform, begged to differ.

“A couple of them,” he said, “come straight from Central Booking.”

But this being Albany, there’s a third opinion on everything. Thursday, it came from New York talent agent Joe Brauner, a legendary judge of the human condition.

“More like Comedy Central,” Brauner said.

He gets the prize.

You can’t report with a straight face any more from the New York State capital. In Albany these days at lunch, they ask about the coup du jour.

One crucial state senator, indicted for slashing his girlfriend’s face, is now having trouble deciding, “Who should I stab in the back?”

The pathetic Senate Republicans?

Or the moronic Senate Democrats?It’ll take more than Tom Golisano’s billions to buy either side a brain.

A shaky new coalition — two D’s and 30 R’s — grabbed control of the Senate earlier this week.

They thought they did, anyway. But that alleged slice-and-dice man, Democrat-turned-whatever Hiram Monserrate, grew suddenly blade-shy, scampering out of the Senate chamber before drawing a drop of blood.

Suddenly, his new Republican BFFs were left without the quorum they needed to rule.

They’d finally managed to find a key to the bolted doors of the chamber, so it wasn’t a locksmith they needed now. It was a couple of extra bodies and a very patient shrink.

The Democrats were every bit as embarrassing. They have now lost all pride. Unable to hold their own Senate majority with bribery, pressure, chairmanships and threats, they went trotting with their hands out to the state Supreme Court, where Justice George Ceres promptly laughed them out the door.

With these clowns, what choice did he have?

(Are you the kind of person who likes to laugh at politics? Then, come see Friday’s “Obama Comedy Duel.” This irreverent show pits me against Republican-leaning comic Jim Mendrinos. Bleecker Street Theatre, NYC. Details at www.henican.com. Come cheer for me and Barack!)

E-mail ellis@henican.com. Follow on Twitter.com/Henican

Subway Series still gets fans revved up

Thursday June 11, 2009 7:30 PM By Ryan Chatelain

David Wright and Alex Rodriguez meet in the Subway Series this weekend. (Photos by Getty)

By Ryan Chatelain

Twelve years after the first Subway Series, Mets and Yankees fans say the fire still burns bright in their crosstown rivalry.

“At my job, people are excited,” said John Perez, 32, a Yankees fan from Manhattan. “They’re making bets all around.”

The teams will revive their oft-heated rivalry on Friday, as the Bombers host the Amazin’s for the opener of a three-game series.

Mets and Yankees faithful agreed the team’s new ballparks — Citi Field and the new Yankee Stadium — will add to the thrill of the games this season. The Yanks will get their first look at Citi Field when they visit the Mets from June 26-28.“There’s more excitement than ever,” said Mets fan Kevin Stroble, 36. “It’s a big battle between the two. Big-time rivals. With the new stadiums, they want to prove something.”

But even though the Subway Series still draws packed houses, some acknowledged the rivalry has cooled since Major League Baseball introduced interleague play in 1997.

“I think the players get a little sick of all the attention that is paid to it and how people treat this as something more than a weekend series,” said Benjamin Kabak, who writes for River Avenue Blues, a Yankees blog. “I know everybody likes to say it’s a battle for New York, but it can get a little tiring.”

Observers also pointed to the fact that there is no bad blood between any players, as was the case with Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens and Mets slugger Mike Piazza earlier this decade. (Clemens famously threw a broken bat in Piazza’s direction during the 2000 World Series. Both All-Stars are now retired.)

John Strubel, a writer for the Mets online magazine Flushing9.com, blamed the lack of intensity in today’s rivalry on George Steinbrenner stepping away from the Yankees’ front office.

“He hated the Mets,” Strubel said. “I think he pushed that on to his ballplayers. He really wanted to see them beat the Mets and stomp them out.”

Anastasia Economides contributed to this report.

Reality TV comes to the tony world of NYC brat pack

Thursday June 11, 2009 5:46 PM By Heather Haddon

By Heather Haddon

Private schools groom Gotham’s privileged youth, but can they teach the pitfalls of over-sharing?

Sleeping with a slew of partners, drinking and talk of drug use are just some of the nasty tidbits that will be revealed on “NYC Prep,” Bravo’s latest reality television experiment debuting June 23.

The series echoes “Gossip Girl,” but with the true tales of six Manhattan teens living the high life — sometimes, a bit too high.

“If you are a little drunk or a little high, and then you see the photos [of yourself] on Facebook, you think, what was I thinking?” said one of the female teens in the preview.

Such admissions may make for drama, but experts believe shows such as “NYC Prep” could manipulate minors into swapping their future for fame.

“Minors don't have the life experience to understand how that will affect their futures,” said Robert Galinsky, founder of the New York Reality TV School.The teens’ parents signed consent forms and were closely involved in the filming, but most on the set viewed the kids as “mini adults.”

“I don’t worry. I thought it would be a great learning experience for her ... She could write about it for a college essay,” said Elise, the mother of Kelli Tomashoff, who thinks the show will help the 17-year-old’s singing career.

Diana Kirschner, a Manhattan psychologist, disagreed. “It’s scary. Teenagers are attuned to feedback from the outside world. They become troubled from this kind of exposure.”

For “NYC Prep,” producers spent several months following the 15- to 18-year-olds as they partied, shopped and dined in tony spots. Educators did not grant permission to film at the schools, and really, little of brat pack's lives seem to involve academics.

The teens are shown drinking what appears to be champagne. Executive producer Scott Stone said they only were served alcohol in countries where it is legal. Still, the show’s stars talk about their cache of fake IDs, a potential landmine for getting into a good college.

“It could be detrimental and backfire,” said Sheri Mural, a private college admissions consultant. “Top schools have many well-qualified candidates.”

During a recent sneak peek of the show, however, the students expressed no regrets.

“I think all of us could care less what people say about us,” said Taylor DiGiovanni, a Stuyvesant High School sophomore and the show’ lone public-school student.

Some young people who watched the preview recoiled at the outsized display of wealth. “It was a little ridiculous,” said Eliza Murphy, 21.

Julie Gordon contributed to this report.

Camille Hughes, 17

Junior at Nightingale-

Bamford School

Hopes to get perfect SAT scores and attend Harvard. Happy to be rich.

“I don’t want to apologize for having money. It’s good.”

Jessie Leavitt, 17,

Senior at the Dwight School

Spends her time networking at fashion parties. Has paid a personal shopper at Barney’s since age 13 and wants to attend FIT.

“I treat my clothing like my children.”

Kelli Tomashoff, 17

Junior at Birch Wathen Lenox

Lives on the Upper East Side with her brother. Spends most nights out at fancy city spots.

“We usually don’t do our homework. We have big plans at night.”

Peter “PC” Peterson, 18

Senior at the Dwight School

A wealthy Upper East Side flirt who thinks he can pull strings to get into college.

“My biggest problem this week was my tux wasn’t tight enough. That’s when you know things are good.”

Taylor DiGiovanni, 15

Sophomore

at Stuyvesant HS

Lives on the Upper West Side with her single mother, but longs to join the private school crowd.

Sebastian Oppen-heim, 16

Sophomore at Ross School

Uses his tussled hair and French skills to woo females.

“I hook up a lot. I hook up with two or three girls in a night. Maybe more, I’m not sure.”

(Heather Haddon)

Other reality TV shows that have featured minors:

-“Laguna Beach”

- “The Real Orange County”

- “Jon & Kate Plus 8”

- “My Super Sweet 16”

- “Exiled”

amNewYork letters to the editor

Thursday June 11, 2009 5:10 PM By Sara Baumberger

Services lacking around new condos

Re “Stop with the library closings, Bloomberg,” June 11: It seems that Bloomberg has been very friendly to developers. From the overcrowding of TriBeCa’s schools due to school construction not keeping up with condo development to the promised park space in Williamsburg and Greenpoint that has never been delivered, it seems that there is nothing keeping the city and developers on the hook to provide services around all of these condos.

— Crista Giuliani, Greenpoint

Thompson just another politician

Re “Thompson faces tall task,” June 11: I can define Bill Thompson: life-long political hack. Each office he has held has merely been a stepping-stone to further his political ambitions. He was a disaster as the head of the Board of Ed — God forbid mayoral control of the schools with him at the reins. He is typical of the Democratic-club system in NYC and why Dems keep losing mayoral elections to liberal-leaning, out-of-the-box-thinking, charismatic Republicans, despite the fact that the majority of NYers are Dems.

— Melissa Bell, Manhattan

Want my vote? Get rid of car alarms

If Bill Thompson wants my vote for mayor, all he has to do is say that he will outlaw car alarms. Mayor Bloomberg vetoed a bill passed by the City Council on Aug. 16, 2004, that would have ended this pointless source of noise. Thompson should mention this as part of his campaigning.

— George Jochnowitz, Manhattan