The Manhattan Times

December 5 – December 10

Okay folks, let’s show the rest of New York City that Uptown cares by taking your new and gently used adult and children’s coats to Brazen Lingerie (253 Dyckman Street) through December 31st. Kudos to Brazen for taking part in the annual NY Cares Coat Drive. You know the motto by now, “spread love it’s the Uptown way.”

Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez - Executive Vice President for Multicultural Markets and Engagement, AARP

by Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez

Executive Vice President for Multicultural Markets and Engagement

As Congress considers ways to reduce the deficit, some are calling for cuts to Social Security and Medicare.  These proposals reflect a lack of understanding of the daily lives of millions of older Americans.  Social Security and Medicare are critically important for the financial security and well-being of individuals and families.

El Seguro Social es el ingreso familiar principal para casi la mitad de los estadounidenses mayores de 65 años y es la fuente de ingresos primaria para las personas mayores de origen minoritario.

Por Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez

Vicepresidenta Ejecutiva de Mercados Multiculturales

Mientras el Congreso considera maneras para reducir el déficit, otros piden recortes en el Seguro Social y Medicare. Estas propuestas reflejan un desconocimiento de la vida cotidiana de millones de personas mayores. El Seguro Social y Medicare son muy importantes para la seguridad financiera y el bienestar de los individuos y las familias.

November 28 – December 3

We began the week with a new column entitled Uptown Poetry, which pairs a piece of verse with a photograph. For the inaugural installment we featured a moving poem about love and longing by Stacey Sosa entitled I Swear I’m Not A Love Poet with a photograph from the one and only Paul Lomax that captured the sentiment of the poem perfectly. It was at the WHIN Arts Showcase that took place on November 26th at Word Up Books, that I saw the young and talented Stacey Sosa perform that piece. Check out the site for pictures of that event courtesy of Art By Dj Boy.

Photo: Courtesy of http://billyjoel.com

Of all the folks who should have shown up to play an impromptu gig down at Zuccotti Park, it should have been Billy Joel.

De todos los artistas que pudieron haber tenido un pequeño concierto improvisado en el parque Zuccotti, Billy Joel hubiese sido el ideal.

“El hombre del piano” pudiera haberse juntado con otro grupo de la música de Nueva York, Make Music New York.  Por muchos años, ellos le han proveído a los parques de la ciudad numerosos pianos que viajan.

November 21 – November 26

Things are a changing Uptown. Businesses, service providers and institutions are springing up that one would never think you would find here. Though the vestiges of the past remind us that there is progress to be made, a certain unrestrained optimism in the future is downright palpable in our neck of the woods. For the most part, we no longer have to trek elsewhere to find a great place to eat, drink or to be entertained. Arts, culture and fine dining are at our fingertips. Uptowners are no longer waiting for others to bring change to us; we are doing the heavy lifting ourselves. That can-do spirit was evident at the TEDx Washington Heights conference that took place at the Hispanic Society of America on Monday, October 24th. Check out the site for our recap of this next generation event.

November 14 – November 19

The Occupy Wall Street movement continues to expand across the world and our neighborhood is right in the thick of things. Our very own Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez was roughed up and arrested in the wee hours of the morning on November 15th during the raid on Zuccotti Park. Ydanis was finally released after an 18 hour ordeal. Check out our site for videos, pictures and more from this historic moment in American history.

PHOTO CREDIT: supercapes.com

I'd like super powers. In a time when more is demanded of us all, when our phones' IQ seems to outpace our own, and we measure minutes like drags of oxygen, who wouldn't want to level the playing field with a secret ability to read minds, or run awfully fast?

PHOTO CREDIT: thesoutherninstitute.com

Me gustan los super poderes. En un tiempo cuando se demanda más de todos nosotros, cuando el IQ de nuestros teléfonos parece superar el nuestro, y medimos los minutos como una bocanada de oxígeno, ¿a quién no le gustaría nivelar el campo de juego con una secreta habilidad de leer mentes, o correr bien rápido? Pero son los poderes que recaen sobre mi los que no deseo.