Like the rest of New York, Gov. Cuomo, Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn have now become acutely aware that there is a new normal: climate change, extreme weather events and crumbling infrastructure must inform every public policy decision made about our city.

We must now revisit the mayor and Speaker Quinn’s mistaken decision to site a marine transfer station (for those who prefer less euphemistic language, it’s actually a garbage dump) in an Upper East Side residential neighborhood, right off the East River and next to one of the largest athletic facilities for children in the country.

Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn must finally see their folly—like the Mayor finally did on the scheduled marathon recently—and immediately cancel this garbage dump that will threaten New Yorkers’ health. Perhaps most poignantly, this marine transfer station will potentially hurt the area’s many poor residents and the thousands of children who could be exposed to carcinogens, hazardous air pollutants and the potential for contaminated water flooding off the East River during a future extreme weather event.

Obviously, recent events affecting the East River highlight the enormous risk in locating a garbage station on the far east end of 91st Street. The proposed site is located in a hurricane flood zone that has been classified “A” by the City’s Office of Emergency Management. The FDR Drive, which is adjacent to the East 91st Street site, has flooded more than six times in the past four years, causing temporary closures.

Flooding of the garbage station or the barges carrying garbage from the facility could contaminate the East River and nearby residential neighborhoods. During Hurricane Sandy, sewage, bacteria, gasoline and debris contaminated New York City’s waterways, threatening human health. River water containing this contamination flowed down residential streets from the FDR Drive to York Avenue. In addition, Asphalt Green’s facilities suffered water damage from the hurricane, and the defunct garbage station, which is over the East River, is likely to have suffered damage as well.

We could go on to cite many statistics and reasons to stop this stinky plan. Here’s just a few: There are 2,200 public housing residents who live nearby and will be put at risk. As will the 40,000 children who use Asphalt Green and will be exposed to the 2,000 garbage trucks and their diesel fuel emissions and pollutants 24/6.

But this plan is so wrong—especially in the wake of Hurricane Sandy—that we will not waste more paper and ink today explaining why the Mayor and Speaker Quinn must halt this plan now.

If there is not a halt to this folly, Our Town plans to keep this issue on our front page and our news pages consistently in the coming months until we get the attention from Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn and a reversal of this plan. If you agree with us on this, please send a brief letter to us at editorial@manhattanmedia.com and we will present these to the mayor’s and speaker’s offices and we will publish many of these letters in our paper and on our website in the coming weeks.

It’s one thing to acknowledge the reality of climate change and endorse a presidential candidate because of that, but it’s an even more important thing to realize that because of the new normal, the plan to site a garbage dump in the middle of Hurricane Zone A is dangerous and wrong.

Mayor Bloomberg: listen to your better angels like you did recently on the Marathon. STOP the 91st Street Marine Transfer Station.

Our kids—and our city’s health—depend on your decision.

Aaron Emanuel Salon on the Upper East Side is not only a salon where you get a high level of customer service and the latest in hair trends—you will also be intellectually stimulated.

Before coloring, cutting or styling a client’s hair, salon workers ask, “Who do you want to embody?” If you bring a photo of how you want your hair to look, they will replicate it down to the precise detail.

The salon is open seven days a week to serve patrons no matter what their schedule is. Their clientele includes visitors and newcomers to the city as well as native New Yorkers. How often people come in “varies from three times a week to once a month,” Emanuel said.

For this stylist, the art of making ordinary people look like celebrities is in his blood, and his passion for hair took flight at a young age.

“My mother is a hairdresser, and my father is a barber,” Emanuel said. His mother has styled hair for the majority of her life in their Brooklyn home.

A French stylist trained Emanuel, and he set himself apart by memorizing hair-color formulas and other techniques that most stylists do not know. Before he was a stylist, Emanuel was a high-end jeweler. He has owned his shop for almost two years and said that his styling technique as well as the people he has hired to work at the salon have helped it stand apart. Some of the stylists who work at the salon have been in the business for more than 30 years, while others are just starting out on their hair-styling journey.

“It’s very modern and has a different kind of vibe than other salons,” said Ana Cibotari, assistant to Emanuel. She said that the products at the salon are top-notch, and she’s glad to be working in a friendly, learning environment.

When he’s not at the salon, Emanuel is like any other family man. He loves to spend time with his wife and kids and to take them to museums as well as doing their hair. His favorite part of owning the salon is the interaction that he gets from running into patrons.

“I see us starting another place in the near future,” Emanuel said.

For more information, visit aaronemanuel.com.

It’s peppy and preppy, it’s white and bright, it’s cute and candy-colored—it’s the brand-spanking-new C. Wonder flagship store at Columbus Circle’s Time Warner Center! Listen, anytime you walk into a shop and are greeted by a commanding life-size figure of a zebra striped with all the hues of the rainbow, you know you’re off the beaten path.

What total fun this store is. Lots of upbeat women’s wear and sparkly gewgaws (sorry, no men’s or kids’ stuff here)—plus a nicely edited selection of home goods and even a teeny section for pets. Ah, animals, my soft spot and passion—let’s begin with them, shall we?

In addition to doggy food bowls, there are fuchsia-pink-and-green-striped collars—just the thing for the preppy pooch; $16. If the color combo’s a bit too estrogenic for your Fido, consider the red-navy-and-yellow-striped versions. As with so much of the human clothing and accessories here, these come emblazoned with the fanciful C. Wonder logo.

For your human family, there is a smattering of serve ware, tabletop clocks, thermoses and other light goods along those lines. And then—out of nowhere—there are roller skates. Sized for women, the white-leather skates (emblazoned with the store’s logo in vibrant green) come equipped with blazingly bright fuchsia and green wheels; $75, please.

In more quotidian footwear, there’s the cheetah-print ballet flat with a neat little leathery bow at the vamp fastened with a tiny gold-metal “C” logo; $128. I was glad to see the often only seasonally available rubbery flip-flops here—perhaps, like me, you find them great for padding around the apartment year-round. These come in black, royal or peach, with the slender thong the same color as the sole, which is embossed on top with the store’s … you guessed it. The ’flops are $18. Since I just got raspberry and parrot-green-soled versions with matching “jelly” thongs at Jack’s 99 Cent Store for … you guessed it again, I think I’ll pass on these. Reminds me: We will finish up with the pen I recently alluded to getting at Jack’s along with a few other kibbles ’n’ bits very soon—probably next week.

Back to the present: If you love animal prints and pops of color, including jolting neons, you will love the clothing here. An excellent addition for any wardrobe, preppy or otherwise, is the leopard-print cardigan in a creamy blend of cotton and nylon with a touch of angora. This fine-gauge garment, highlighted by shiny gold-tone buttons, can be worn solo or over a light top; $88.

Skinny-jeans fans will love the stretchy cotton versions here in bright solids, including an especially juicy tangerine, plus bold patterns and more animal prints; $88. Surprisingly, while seemingly every other brand plasters its logo on jeans, the only one I can find on these is discreetly embroidered inside the waistband. Well done!

You undoubtedly use a hangar-size tote for your everyday needs, but for a dinner out or perhaps a holiday office party, you might want to opt for something that, while still roomy, is really elegant and lovely. I refer to the fuchsia suede fold-over clutch that sports a lushly fringed zipper-pull tassel. Measuring approximately 12 inches square in its unfolded state, the clutch is tagged at $128.

By the way, there’s a $10 charge to have anything that is indeed monogrammable monogrammed here. You can save a fortune, of course, if your name happens to be C. Wonder.

LATE NIGHT PEN STABBING
After a fight with a teenage stranger, a 32-year-old man walked into Metropolitan Hospital on Sunday night with puncture wounds that he believes were caused by a pen. According to the victim, the teen confronted him on Second Avenue around 1:45 a.m., asking “What you looking at?” and then attempting to punch him. The victim blocked the punch and pulled the teen to the ground, where the teen began stabbing him in the back with an unknown object. The teen then fled the scene, and the man left for the hospital for treatment.

EARLY MORNING BREAK-IN
A 55-year-old man found a burglar in his living room on Saturday morning after he woke up to noises in his East 83rd Street apartment. The thief is suspected to have entered the apartment via the fire escape at around 8 a.m., and struck the resident with a dumbbell when he appeared, cutting his head. The thief then nabbed the resident’s wallet, which contained credit cards and $500 cash, and fled through the apartment’s front door. According to the victim, the thief was a 30-year-old white man, roughly 200 lbs. and bald with light skin.

DIRT BIKE THIEF
A 31-year-old pedestrian videotaping a group of dirt bikers with his smart phone on Sunday was surprised when one of the riders drove by and snatched the phone from his hand. The theft occurred around 5:30 p.m. the corner of Second Avenue and East 60th Street, and the robber fled across the Queensboro Bridge. The phone, a Samsung Galaxy S III, was worth $150.

BAD PLACE FOR A NAP
An East 90th Street resident ran into something unusual in his building’s elevator at 2 a.m. on Friday: someone sleeping. The 24-year-old resident shook the drowsy 28-year-old awake, and the dozer returned the favor by punching the resident in the face. Police found the resident bleeding from the nose and arrested the sleeper for assault. Reportedly, the sleeper was returning from visiting a friend in the building.

ROBBER FOR HIRE
A day laborer may have decided to forgo a paycheck last week and leave with his employer’s $5,000 Rolex watch instead. The employer, a 67-year-old man, hired the laborer to do brief construction work in his Second Avenue apartment last Wednesday morning, and left him there alone to go to the gym. When the employer returned, he found the laborer gone and his watch, a gold onyx ring, a drill set and a bunch of cash missing. Overall, the resident lost roughly $10,000. No description of the suspected robber was given, and the building had no video surveillance to record the theft.

Frankie Quinney puts the finishing touches on raising the Big Top tent for the Big Apple Circus in Lincoln Center. Tickets go on sale this week for the circus’s all-new, 34th season production, Legendarium!

LAPPIN DEMANDS RETURN OF TRASH CANS
A month ago, the MTA brought a pilot program intended to curb trash and litter in the subway to the East 57th Street F station. The program, which removed trash cans at eight stations around the city in an effort to reduce the frequency of refuse pick-ups and deter the rodent population, is supposed to last for six months, but Council Member Jessica Lappin is demanding the trash cans returned to the Upper East Side spot. Armed with the results of a constituent survey, Lappin insists that one month is enough time to tell that the program isn’t working.

“As you might expect, taking away the trash cans doesn’t mean people magically stop producing garbage,” said Lappin in a statement.

The survey, to which 218 people responded, found that 66 percent of subway riders said they’ve noticed more trash at the F station in the past month, and that 93 percent of people just don’t like the plan.

EAST SIDE TOWN HALL
Upper East Siders are invited to schmooze with their elected officials and get the chance to air their grievances and share their ideas at a town hall meeting next Tuesday. The meeting is sponsored by Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer along with U.S. Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Nydia Velázquez, state Sens. Tom Duane, Liz Krueger, Jose Serrano and Daniel Squadron, Assembly Members Richard Gottfried, Brian Kavanagh, Micah Kellner, Dan Quart and Sheldon Silver, and Council Members Margaret Chin, Dan Garodnick, Jessica Lappin and Rosie Mendez, as well as Community Boards 3, 5, 6 and 8. Representatives from government agencies will also be attending. Tuesday, Oct. 23, 6 to 8 p.m. Lighthouse International, 111 E. 59th St. RSVP by calling 212-669-4451 or email RSVP@manhattanbp.org.

OLD U.E.S. DRUGSTORE OPEN FOR NEW RETAIL
The former home of Lascoff Drugs, 1209 Lexington Ave., is on the market. The owners closed the iconic store, which has been operating since 1899, this past July, deciding to retire and sell the building. Winick Realty Group is marketing the space, which has 1,600 square feet on the main floor and 600 feet each in the mezzanine and basement. It’s available for $36,000 a month, which they note is a substantial discount when compared to rents around the corner on East 86th Street, where storefronts are going for $500 a square foot. The building boasts cathedral-style 20-foot ceilings, 20-foot arched windows, 115 feet of frontage and the ability to co-opt the giant, iconic blade sign out front for a new display. The marketing agents emphasized that the space could work for restaurants or for high-end apparel or cosmetics.

Zumbluskas previously challenged incumbent Assembly Member Micah Kellner in 2010 and is making another run at him this year. He has been active in politics for many years and currently works for the Department of Transportation as a wireless support specialist, according to his biography. Zumbluskas emphasizes a need for job creation, especially in upstate counties, alternative energy development and drastically reducing the state budget. Known to friends as “the Big Z,” he’s positioning himself as a much-needed newcomer who will not play by traditional Albany rules.

“For effective government, we must change the way business is conducted in Albany,” Zumbluskas said in his campaign’s mission statement. “We can no longer have a few party leaders in a back room making all the decisions.”

MALONEY AND OTHERS HAIL CORNELL DEVELOPMENT
Last week, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney joined acting U.S. Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank, Cornell University President David Skorton, Council Member Jessica Lappin and NYC Economic Development Corporation President Seth Pinsky, among others, to herald a groundbreaking announcement about the Cornell-Technion tech campus planned for Roosevelt Island.

The school announced the impending creation of a new United States Department of Commerce “Innovators’ Resource Center,” which will be located right on the future Roosevelt Island campus. The center will allow students and faculty to easily access information on existing patents and file new patent applications, a function that officials hope will be utilized often at the new innovation-focused school. It is the first partnership between the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and a university.

“This new center recognizes the fact that high-tech inventors and start-ups need a patent office for the 21st century, when ideas can move at the speed of Google,” Maloney said. “Even though U.S. exports are now at record levels, the speed of change has itself changed: If we hope to remain competitive on the world stage, we should see to it that anyone with an innovative idea can obtain the protection of a patent without being tied up in red tape.”

The center is slated to move to its permanent location in 2017, but for now will be housed at Cornell/Technion’s temporary incubation campus at the Google offices in Chelsea.

WALK IN THE PARK EVENTS
The Central Park Conservancy is teaming up with Madison Avenue footwear retailers to raise money for the park and encourage exercise—and shopping—in the neighborhood. On Saturday, Oct. 13, shoppers who make a purchase at any of the 15 participating stores on Madison Avenue will be entered to win one of 45 free pairs of shoes.

The stores, all between East 57th and 86th streets, include Bally, Barneys New York, Calvin Klein, Charlotte Olympia, CH Carolina Herrera, Devi Kroell, DKNY, Fogal, Galo Shoes, Jimmy Choo, Longchamp, Max Mara, Porsche Design, Stuart Weitzman, and Stubbs & Wootton and will be marked with a special welcome mat.

On Saturday, Oct. 20, at 11 a.m., walkers can sign up for a quarter-mile high-heeled “Walk in the Park,” leaving 67th Street and Madison Avenue, with a $25 donation to the Conservancy. For more information and to register, visit www.centralparknyc.org/walkinthepark.

Free Flu Shots
New York Doctors at 205 Lexington (corner of 32nd Street) is currently giving FREE FLU SHOTS to the community.  (While supplies last!) For more information, call 212-684-4700.

I pay a lot of money to live on the Upper East Side, and between the fruit carts, halal food stands and the peddlers of junk on 86th Street, I’m starting to think that this city is turning into something that is less chic and metropolitan and more Third World. Think about it: We already have something that resembles rickshaws on Fifth Avenue (pedicab, anyone?).

We’re more concerned with being politically correct than keeping our city as beautiful as it was during the days of the Giuliani administration. Oh well, I guess somewhere along the way, people stopped caring.

—Concerned UES Citizen

Rose Garden Strategy
Too many incumbent elected officials on the federal, state and city level follow the infamous Rose Garden strategy of ignoring their respective challengers—by refusing to participate in any public debates until the last minute. They end up agreeing to one or two, knowing full well that their election is preordained.

In the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, both Democratic and Republican primary candidates participated in numerous television and newspaper editorial board debates. Voters could look beyond the 30- or 60-second TV commercial sound bites to learn about real views and issues among the candidates.

Those candidates who refused to participate in these debates would be subject to critical newspaper editorials. They ended up losing any chance of newspaper endorsements and usually went down to defeat in either the primary or general election.

In the 1980s, a new Rose Garden strategy emerged. Incumbents or officially designated incumbent candidates of both parties refused to debate lesser-known, under-funded opponents in either the primary or general election.

Let us hope that enlightened newspapers such as Our Town call for an end of incumbents and officially designated organization candidates’ use of the Rose Garden strategy in future elections. Intelligent voters deserve frequent debates prior to both the primary and general election as opposed to canned TV commercials.

Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has been following the Rose Garden strategy of ignoring her conservative challenger Wendy Long. Candidates who refuse to participate in debates should be subject to critical newspaper editorials. They should forfeit any chance of endorsements by media outlets.

—Larry Penner

Mirror, Mirror
The Avenue Antiques, Art & Design Show at the Armory brought out the smiles this past weekend. The event featured over 60 exhibitors offering a world-class selection of antiques, art and jewelry.

PILOT PROGRAM TO IMPROVE BUS SPEED ON EAST SIDE
The MTA announced this week that the agency is planning a pilot program of a Traffic Signal Priority (TSP) system on the M15 Select Bus Service route, which runs northbound up First Avenue and southbound down Second Avenue. The system will hold traffic signals green for the express bus, hopefully shaving time off riders’ commutes and making the bus run closer to its schedule during rush hours.

“Traffic Signal Prioritization is a vital piece in making bus travel more attractive,” said NYC Transit President Thomas Prendergast in a statement. “It is no great secret that the faster and more dependable we can make our buses, the more attractive the service will be to our riders.”

Pending approval from its board, the MTA will be contracting with Global Traffic Technologies to install TSP equipment on up to 60 buses serving the M15 route. The contract is valued at over $480,000. Once the initial installations are online by November, there will be an expansion option to bring the system to 200 additional buses.

COMMUNITY DISTRICT  WELCOMES NEW CABARET LICENSE
Earlier this year, many Upper East Siders celebrated the final closure of the Vudu Lounge, a bar and nightclub on First Avenue between East 77th and 78th streets. The club was the only place in the area with a cabaret license, which was continually in jeopardy thanks to State Liquor Authority violations and neighborhood complaints that the place attracted a rowdy and dangerous crowd that spilled over into the streets late at night. When the club’s owners finally closed up shop and took their business downtown, many community members rejoiced, asserting that a dance club doesn’t belong in a residential neighborhood.

But the community is willing to take a chance on that proclamation. At last week’s Community Board 8 meeting, the full board voted to approve the application for a new cabaret license for a bar called Saloon, on York Avenue between 83rd and 84th streets. The board had approved their liquor license last November, and since then they’ve proven good enough neighbors to warrant a cabaret license approval, which will allow the bar to host dancing. Nico Minerva, a co-chair of the street life committee, told his fellow board members, a few of whom were skeptical, that a neighbor had even written to the committee in favor of approving the license. It passed the board 38-3-0, which means it’s likely to pass the State Liquor Authority as well. Here’s hoping that the neighborhood can withstand another cabaret.

SERIAL BURGLAR SLAPPED WITH LONG SENTENCE
Residents throughout Manhattan can rest a little easier knowing that Shawn McAleese has been sentenced to at least 28 years in state prison. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance announced that the serial burglar would be serving 28 to 56 years for his crimes.

McAleese pleaded guilty Aug. 27 to eight counts of burglary in the third degree, for tunneling through the walls of residential apartments to steal money, computers and food from neighboring businesses.

Between May 3 and June 30 of this year, McAleese broke into eight residential buildings located throughout Manhattan, including the Upper East Side, the Flatiron District, Hell’s Kitchen, Murray Hill and central Harlem. He entered apartments to gain access to nearby businesses, digging through walls and entering through alleys not easily seen from the street. He repeatedly stole money from registers, and took food and liquor when cash wasn’t available.

“[McAleese] not only violated the sanctity of private homes by breaking into residences, but also used those apartments as launch pads to steal from nearby businesses,” said Vance in a statement. “Theft from a business doesn’t end at emptying the cash register—it jeopardizes the job security of those who work there because it affects the bottom line.”

HISTORIC DISTRICT WALKING TOUR
Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts is hosting a walking tour this Wednesday, Oct. 3, at 5:30 p.m. of the Hardenbergh/Rhinelander section of the neighborhood. The small historic district covers only seven row houses, designed by Henry Hardenbergh, the architect of the Plaza Hotel and the Dakota apartments, and constructed in 1889 for real estate developer William C. Rhinelander. The Rhinelander family emigrated from Germany in the late 17th century, eventually establishing an architectural legacy with buildings throughout the city.

The chair of the Friends preservation committee, Franny Eberhart, will lead the tour with education director Sarah O’Keefe, examining the architecture and exploring the surrounding neighborhood’s German roots, including “The Kaiser” and “The Rhine” as well as the site of Jacob Ruppert’s famous brewery. Tickets are $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Advance payment required; call 212-535-2526. Tour will meet at the northwest corner of Lexington Avenue and East 89th Street.

NYPD PUSHES PUBLIC TO I.D. ELECTRONICS
The NYPD offers a free program, called “Operation ID,” to engrave unique serial numbers onto portable electronics and register the owner’s information with the Police Department. The service is intended to deter thefts of items like laptops, MP3 players, tablets and smartphones by making the identification clear to would-be thieves. Items with these police-issued numbers can be more difficult to sell in illegal markets, making them less desirable targets. It could also potentially reunite a victim with stolen property if it’s ever recovered. If you’d like to participate in the program, call the 19th precinct’s crime prevention officer or contact the NYPD Community Affairs Bureau directly at 646-610-5323.

Rabbi Ain

Sutton Place Synagogue was founded more than 100 years ago, in 1902, as Congregation Orach Chayim, but its roots extend back even before the dawn of the 20th century. That’s when a small Jewish population in the eastern portion of Manhattan’s Midtown area – a neighborhood populated mainly by people of German and Irish ancestry – banded together as a community in order to perpetuate the Jewish life they had left behind in coming to America.

While no one has been able to substantiate the rumor that the first quarters of the new synagogue were located in a loft above a pool hall, suffice it to say that Sutton Place Synagogue has evolved from truly humble origins!

As Sutton Place Synagogue celebrates its 110th anniversary this year, it has evolved a bit further when it selected Rabbi Rachel Ain to serve as its new spiritual leader. Since joining in July, Rabbi Ain — the only Conservative Female rabbi currently leading a conservative congregation in Manhattan — has hit the ground running!  The life of a 21^st century Rabbi requires the ability to connect with congregants and minister to them through traditional Jewish rituals and customs like bar and bat mitzvah’s, weddings and funerals, but it also requires a modern spiritual touch in this age of social media and on the go lifestyles.

Rabbi Ain arrives at her new congregation well prepared. She and her family (who her avid New York Jets fans!) are excited to be back in New York City again where she attended Barnard College and then the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) receiving two Bachelor’s degrees followed by an MA in Jewish Education and Rabbinic Ordination at JTS.  Rabbi Ain was commissioned as a Navy Chaplain during rabbinical school, serving one summer at the Merchant Marine Academy. Before joining Sutton Place Synagogue, she was also the first woman rabbi to lead a synagogue in Syracuse, New York.

A peek behind the scenes of a day in the busy work life of Rabbi Ain demonstrates the importance she has placed on making herself accessible to her congregants wherever they happen to be – whether face-to-face, via social media (Rabbi Ain has a Twitter feed and Facebook page), hosting lunch and learns at a Law Firm, sSchmoozing about current events at the new Whole Foods cage that opened in the neighborhood or leading Jewish Parenting classes for parents with children who are of nursery and school age.

Here is behind the scenes look at how Rabbi Ain spent a recent Friday in early September tending to the needs of a large and growing spiritual community:

8 AM: Attending morning minyan (refers to the quorum of ten Jewish adults required for certain religious obligations) and connecting with congregants participating in the daily morning service. This is an important part of Rabbi Ain’s calling, because it affords people the opportunity to say kaddish (a prayer for those in mourning) for their loved ones that have passed away.

9 AM: Greeting nursery school children who attend Kaplan Nursery School which is housed within the synagogue and later watching the children play on the rooftop playground.

10 AM: Meeting with the leadership of the congregation to discuss the direction of the synagogue.Visiting congregants at Cornell-Weill Medical Center

11 AM: Meeting with the Synagogue staff professionals and leadership of the congregation to discuss and the direction of the synagogue.

plan upcoming programming.

Noon: A working lunch writing sermons and prepping lessons for upcoming adult education courses.

1 PM: Meeting with a synagogue member looking to get more engaged spiritually.

1:30 PM: Puts the finishing touches on a Jewish Woman International (JWI) Clergy Task Force report on Domestic Abuse in the Jewish Community. JWI is a group of prominent clergy committed to promoting Jewish responses and resources that end violence against women.

2 PM: Updatinge Twitter Feed and Facebook page

2:30 PM: Meeting with Jewish professionals at New York based organizations such as UJA Federation or the Jewish Outreach Institute to discuss how Sutton Place Synagogue can partner with exciting initiatives throughout the community

3 PM: Speaking to a young professional in the community about how the congregation can be a spiritual address for those in their 20s and 30s

3:30 PM: Visiting and getting to know students and their families attending the Jackson Religious School

4 PM: Helping her own family (her husband who is also a rabbi and two children) get ready to host a shabbat dinner with members of the congregation

5 PM: Preparing for Shabbat Services

6 PM: Officiating at Shabbat Services

Rabbi Ain will officially be installed at Sutton Place Synagogue on November 4, 2012. You can follow Rabbi Ain on Twitter at @RabbiRachelAin or visit the Sutton Place Synagogue web site at http://spsnyc.org

The Upper East Side just became a little crunchier.

Fernanda Capobianco recently opened Vegan Divas Bakery at 1437 First Ave. and 75th Street featuring items that are baked with love. “Our goal is to satisfy your taste buds by using healthy and fresh ingredients,” she said.

Capobianco said that the time is right for more health-conscious choices in the neighborhood since most of the vegan restaurants and bakeries are below 14th Street.

From an early age, Capobianco said she didn’t like the normal carnivorous Brazilian diet in her native country. After her father died from diabetes, she decided to become vegan. Capobianco, who is married to renowned pastry chef François Payard, said vegan cooking is all about using ingredients that are made without harming animals.

“Giving individuals the option to choose products that do not harm animals and do not cause harm to their own bodies is what we aim for here,” she said.

Before launching her bakery, Capobianco was a journalist as well as manager and owner of the Payard restaurant and pastry shop in Rio de Janeiro. Felipe Saint-Martin, Capobianco’s Brazilian cousin, manages the shop on the Upper East Side. Saint-Martin has a background as a chef, working as head cook at Gramercy Tavern as well as head chef in the pasta department at Eataly.

She said that the initial reaction from Upper East Siders to vegan cooking was one of suspicion and presumption that they wouldn’t like it. “They wouldn’t even take samples,” Capobianco said. But after inducing the locals to try the tasty treats, they’ve developed a regular clientele.

Dishes range from simple to eclectic; sweet treats such as chocolate chip cookies, doughnuts and muffins, and cakes of all varieties as well as various mousses have become best sellers. Chocolate cake is the most popular dish. Capobianco’s favorite is the tofu-based ginger-vanilla ice cream.

“Baking is a science—everything has to be precise. You mess up one thing, no matter how minuscule it is, and the whole recipe can get messed up,” she said.

For more information, visit VeganDivasNYC.com.