Weather: Mostly sunny, with a high in the upper 80s and scattered thunderstorms. A wet Saturday makes way for a bright and pleasant Sunday.
Alternate side parking: From force until 7 September (Labor Day). Read here about the changed regulations.
That said, you have noticed more waste in your public park. You are not alone.
Due to the city’s extensive parking system, New Yorkers try to spend most of their time abroad, even when it’s spent near broken glass, charcoal heaps and too many trash cans.
The problem is twofold: More New Yorkers, robbed of their usual time in friends’ bars, reception halls and living rooms, have descended on the city’s public grass fields. But the parks and recreation department has fewer resources to keep up with trash management.
In a recent article, my colleague Sarah Maslin Nir investigated why parks receive less care at a time when they seem to be in greater demand. Here’s what she found.
Increasing park usage and budget cuts are to blame for waste storage.
Even in normal times, a parade in park use like the recent one would have made it harder for workers to keep the green spaces clean. But the city’s fiscal crisis, brought on by the pandemic, led to a $ 84 million cut to the parks department that funded this fiscal year. That’s a seventh of the department’s total budget.
As a result, the staff of the department has been cut by almost half. Maintenance times are also cut by 25,000 hours per week, allowing crews to attend up to 400 fewer pages each week.
And earlier this month, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the department would likely see more cuts this fall.
Some worry that unspoilt parkland is a sign of a shaky city.
“Parks occupy 14 percent of New York City’s entire land, so if they look rough, the city looks rough and runs the risk – the fear – of going back as it was over the years. ’70s and ’80s, ”said Adam Ganser, the director of the non-profit New Yorkers for Parks, Mrs. Nir.
“If they are not properly cared for,” he added, “then it feels like the city is not caring for its citizens.”
However, major crimes within city parks fell by about 50 percent between April and June, according to police data.
Now it’s onus on New Yorkers.
The parks department has started an awareness campaign that encourages people to clean up after themselves. City staff will also begin handing out trash cans to park parking attendants.
City leaders and neighborhood groups are also working to help parks. In the Bronx, District President Ruben Diaz Jr. and dozens of volunteers clean up morning garbage at Soundview Park. Mr. Diaz calls her “Meaningful Monday.”
Some New York pizza shop owners reconsider having the signature in their menu. [Washington Post]
The coronavirus breaks out>
Frequently Asked Questions
Updated on August 27, 2020
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What should I consider when choosing a mask?
- There are a few basic things to consider. Does it have at least two layers? I’m good. If you keep it in the light, can you see through it? Min. Can you blow out a candle through your mask? Min. Do you feel most OK to wear it for hours at a time? I’m good. The most important thing, after finding a mask that fits well without yawning, is finding a mask that you will wear. Spend some time searching for your mask, and find something that works with your personal style. You should wear it when you are in public for the foreseeable future. Read more: What is the best material for a mask?
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What are the symptoms of coronavirus?
- At first, the coronavirus seemed to be primarily a respiratory failure – many patients had fever and chills, were weak and tired, and coughed a lot, although some people did not show many symptoms at all. Those who were most ill had pneumonia as an acute respiratory distress syndrome and received additional oxygen. Today, doctors have identified many more symptoms and syndromes. In April, the CDC added to the list of early signs sore throat, fever, colds and muscle aches. Gastrointestinal obstruction, such as diarrhea and nausea, has also been observed. Another sign of infection may be a sudden, profound decrease in the sense of smell and taste. Teens and young adults have in some cases developed painful red and purple lesions on their fingers and toes – nicknamed “Covid toe” – but a few other serious symptoms.
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Why does it help to stand six feet away from others?
- The coronavirus spreads mainly through droplets from your mouth and nose, especially when you cough or sneeze. The CDC, one of the organizations using this measure, bases its six-foot recommendation on the idea that most large drops that expel people when they cough or sneeze fall to the ground within six feet. But Six Feet has never been a magic number that guarantees complete protection. Sneezes, for example, can launch drops much further than six meters, according to a recent study. It’s a rule of thumb: You should be safest to stand outside six feet apart, especially if it is windy. But always wear a mask, even if you think you are far enough apart.
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I have antibodies. Am I immune now?
- As of now, that seems likely, at least for several months. There have been scary accounts of people suffering what appears to be a second attack from Covid-19. But experts say these patients may have a marked course of infection, with the virus taking a slow toll weeks to months after the first exposure. People infected with the coronavirus typically produce immune molecules called antibodies, which are protective proteins made in response to an infection. These antibodies can last only two to three months in the body, which may seem worrying, but that is perfectly normal after an acute infection has disappeared, said Dr. Michael Mina, an immunologist at Harvard University. It may be possible to recover the coronavirus, but it is highly unlikely that it will be possible to recover from a first infection or make people sick a second time in a short space of time.
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I own a small business. Can I get relief?
- The stimulus tickets, adopted in March, provide assistance to the millions of American small businesses. Eligible for assistance are companies and non-profit organizations with less than 500 workers, including sole proprietorships, independent contractors and freelancers. Some larger companies in some sectors are also eligible. The assistance provided, which is managed by the Small Business Administration, includes the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Loan Program. But many people have not yet seen payments. Even those who have received help are confused: the rules are draconian, and some are stuck on money that they do not know how to use. Many small business owners get less than they expected or hear nothing at all.
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What are my rights if I worry about returning to work?
And lastly: your virtual social weekend
Melissa Guerrero of The Times writes:
Although many showrooms, museums and community centers are closed, people are finding creative ways to connect through virtual events and programs. Here are suggestions for maintaining a social life in New York this weekend while keeping a safe distance from other people.
New York Shakespeare Festival webinar
Op Friday at 1 p.m., this event will explain the festival’s origin story, share production highlights and tell the story of the Central Park’s Delacorte Theater, home of the annual summer festival – suspended due to the coronavirus crisis.
Buy a ticket ($ 10) on the event page.
Mermaid Parade Tail-a-Thon
Celebrate late summer with Coney Island’s Mermaid Parade, but in a virtual format that its organizers call a “Tail-a-Thon”. Start on Saturday at 1 p.m., musicians, dancers and more will appear in socially distant settings for a livestream lasting at least eight hours.
Access the free event through their website.
Mekong Table
In a live cooking show on Saturday at 2 p.m. with Chef Chakriya Un, learn how to make Cambodian fried fish with sauces. The demonstration is presented by Mekong NYC, a non-profit organization in the Bronx that works to empower the Southeast Asians in the city.
Find the show on Facebook or Instagram. Free, but donations are welcome.
It’s Friday – what’s boiling?
Metropolitan Diary: A good loneliness
Dear diary:
I once even went from Mount Vernon to New York to see shows, taking the downtown subway off 241st Street. The price had by that time gone up after a dime.
When I got to Times Square, I was going to walk Broadway to Lindy’s for dinner. I always had the same thing: ground loin steak. It came with a baked potato and beautiful creamy spinach.
I would also have a beer even though I was a minor. The drinking time was then 18, but at 16 I was 6 feet 6 inches tall. Close enough.
The meal cost less than $ 5 with tip. I never had the cheesecake that Lindy’s was famous for, because I needed the money for a theater ticket.
After dinner I walked up and down between the theaters to see which ticket I could get for $ 10 or less just before curtain time. I would go to $ 15 for a musical.
You could see almost anything if you gave it right. On one of my trips I saw “Boys and Babies.” Alan Alda’s father was in the cast. In the show, Lindy became Mindy’s and was praised for the cheesecake.
I was lonely, but it was a good loneliness and I felt refined outside of my years.
In 1963, I was traveling on a honeymoon in New York, and my wife and I passed what was the second Lindy’s. The cheesecake recipe was placed in the window. We wrote it down, and although my wife became a great cook, she never made the cheesecake.
I wonder how it tasted.
– Nils Peterson
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