Katherine Farley, just named chairwoman of Lincoln Center, is the wife of Jerry Speyer, chairman of MoMA. How much philanthropy can one couple handle even with a net worth of $1.5 billion?

The New York Subway Project chronicles all 468 subway stops in New York City. It even comes with an interactive map! [via Trainjotting]

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There is a man in the East Village who has walked the streets for years, checking the coin return slots of payphones for spare change. He used to carry a Tower Records bag. Now he carries a Duane Reade bag. Years ago, our paths crossed at the same time and place each day, early morning by Love Saves the Day. There, he would slip his finger into the payphone’s coin return, often coming up empty.

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Trades in America are largely devalued, however, as big an advocate as I am of higher education, not every one is suited for white collar jobs and someone has to do the plumbing. Clerks, drivers, and service jobs cannot all be filled with college students and immigrants, and I am not sure such a world would be desirable. And these jobs cannot be outsourced or automated.
In New York City, complaints have been made about taxi drivers for time immemorial. The problem is that this job there is no serious training for this job. The test for a taxi license is laughable - virtually anyone that can drive can get a license. In London, for example, a cabdriver candidate must complete two years of full-time study. I am fascinated by Les Compagnons, French trade guilds dating back to the Middle Ages. See a New York Times article on the Compagnons here.
Many find the level of craftsmanship in the New York deplorable - stories abound regarding the poor workmanship in jobs done. Many have horror stories of their own. The problem is that many individuals doing blue collar work are not trained or poorly trained. The workers are not professionals, as is the case with many waiters, where the work is done by those who are pursuing other life goals, careers or perhaps feel they have no better options.
None of this is the case at the French Culinary Institute, located in SoHo at 462 Broadway. This extraordinary school provides an intense training in the culinary arts on a par with schools in Europe - many of the faculty and deans are European trained, renowned chefs. The school offers a very broad spectrum of classes - see a short video overview of the school at their website here.
Employment needs are often cyclical. As need develops for a given skill set, people train for those opportunities. Often, an over supply develops with shortages in other fields. I often speculated that skill tradespeople may see their time come in a world where manual labor is looked down upon and everyone trains for white collar work. I have often joked that in a world full of web developers, plumbers may rule.
I love the scene in the film Moonstruck, where we have revenge of the tradesman. A couple, needing bathroom work done and lacking knowledge about construction, are persuaded by contractor Cosmo Castorini to buy the most expensive solution:

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Condo developers try to make the recession work: At 14 W. 14th St., “Value Is the New Luxury.” But the renderings look like the same old luxury:

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Near tragedy struck the Backside last week. An air conditioner plummeted from a top-floor tenement window, sailed towards the hotel patio, and took out the infamous clothesline with all its brown-stained underpants and double-D brassieres.

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Thompson LES owner says the angry neighbors will eventually realize the hotel is good for them. [Grub]

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Saturday was the annual Krishna festival. See my gallery of photos here. For complete information regarding the religious movement and its origins. see my 2007 article and photos here. Whether you are an adherent to Gaudiya Vaishnavism or a believer in Krishna or Vishnu, it is no matter - you can still enjoy this festival. The recruitment efforts by the members of the Krishna organization is extremely low key.
The pageantry is big here - colors, dress and chariots. There is also food and entertainment. The music and chanting reaches a fervor - members of the group becoming highly animated.
The event is part of the Festival of India North American tour - see their website here. In New York City, the chariot parade works its way down Fifth Avenue, terminating in Washington Square Park where a stage and the various booths are set up for the afternoon. It is a festival of color … Read the rest of this entry »