Bette Dewing

Not only in a dangerously hot summer

I could just cry, and indeed I did, when the hearty little plant that had sprung up this past spring in the otherwise bare tree pit outside my window was suddenly gone, yanked up by workers who were exchanging bark shavings there for some sort of soil. “Where there’s no vision…”

This column is also about crucial heat wave needs and, of course, about the death of Andy Griffith, so don’t tune out because you agree with a gardener neighbor that I shouldn’t mourn a plant that was “just a weed”—no matter that its seed chose to make its home in this otherwise arid tree pit and proceeded to add life and good cheer to the concrete streetscape. Doggone it, it was alive and thriving and deserved a long life!

“And it survived many obstacles—like nearby auto fumes,” was Robert Nicholas’ empathic response. Ellie Sankey also understood this loss; “Even a blade of grass is precious.” So did Jose Temprano, who prefers unmanicured lawns, which include weedy-type greenery.
Ah, response, it can so make or break a day, or a life, or a culture—and the tactless kind is better than no response. Wouldn’t you vote for anyone who made communications skills learning a cradle-to-grave top priority?

Nowadays, the conflict-resolution kind of communication should take center stage, and any cussin’ would be according to Sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry’s rule book. “Doggone it” is okay.

Wouldn’t you vote for anyone who wants nice guys like Andy to finish first and foremost—and again be role-modeled in media that so shape customs and views?

But this brutally hot summer is not a hot media topic, especially things like East 79th Street Neighborhood Association tree expert Christine Donavan’s urgent concern to “Water those street trees!”

And when an elected official’s aide at the July meeting offers “free air conditioners for the qualified,” this advocacy columnist could kick herself for not saying, “Very good, but some abodes lack adequate wiring, and air conditioners are costly to run. What’s needed most are able-bodied citizens looking out for—looking after—the many vulnerable ones, especially, but not only, in this dangerously hot summer !”

Andy, Aunt Bea and Opie would undoubtedly say, “And that’s what community and good neighbors are all about!”

dewingbetter@aol.com

Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

Two are dead and six were wounded in shootings in the Bronx and Queens this past Sunday. These primarily drug-related shootings follow a long streak of summer violence, including a 3-year-old being struck with a stray bullet.

The weekend following the Fourth of July saw seven deaths and 21 injuries from shootings and stabbing violence, reports Gothamist. Seventeen people were shot on the Fourth of July holiday. Between July 2 and July 8, a total of 77 were shot in the City.

Mayor Bloomberg said the Fourth of July traditionally sees a large number of shootings in the City, but this year is particularly out of control. Joe Coscarelli at New York Magazine called the recent shootings “at best a statistical anomaly and at worst a disturbing new trend.”

The Magazine reports the numbers have jumped from last year: “There have been 12 percent more shootings on the year so far, and murders are up to 21 from 18 at this point in 2011 — a jump of almost 17 percent.”

On the issue of whether there is a correlation between heat waves and shooting spikes, a police source recently told the New York Post: “Warm weather means shorter tempers, and the people know that police are doing less stop-and-frisks, so more people carry guns.”

It’s the perfect storm this steamy summer—cops do blame hotter temperatures for the rise in violence, though they also point to recent scrutiny aimed at stop-and-frisk procedures.

Until the recent heat wave, the murder rate was “on pace to be the lowest in years,” reported Business Insider.

—Alissa Fleck

Over 8,000 Con Edison workers were locked out on Sunday after talks with the Utility Workers Union of America broke down. A weekend of hard negotiations and the impending heat wave did not help both sides reach an agreement. Con Edison says it has dispatched 5,000 people, mostly managers and retired supervisors, to fill in for the locked out workers.

Con Edison says it has offered the unionized workers a two week extension on their contract, provided that they wouldn’t go on strike without giving a 7 days notice. The union came up with a proposal of its own, claiming it was ready to keep workers on the job without a contract until the end of the negotiations. Both offers were rejected by the respective parties, but Con Ed says that the deal is still on the table.

Meanwhile, Con Edison spokesman Allan Drury said that the 5,000 managers who had been asked to fill in for regular workers were “trained and experienced,” adding that Con Edison would continue to provide its regular services as the summer’s worst heat wave yet has begun to loom over the North East.

In a statement, Con Edison also said that “all company personnel has been preparing for the possibility of a union work stoppage for months.”

Many union workers, however, did no share that optimism.

“[Con Edison] has placed their customers and the public at great peril,” union spokesperson John Melia told the Daily News. Melia said the managers that have been called to replace union workers “don’t have the knowledge or the expertise” to operate the system on the long term.

Union President Harry Farrell shared similar concerns: “They’re asking retired supervisors to climb poles and work in manholes and stuff – I just don’t see it happening.”

“As temperatures rise and the threat of power outages grows, I urge Con-Ed to end the lockout it has imposed and for all parties to resume good faith negotiations,” said Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. “Con-Ed employees deserve respect and a fair contract, and residents of the New York City region deserve assurances their power will continue without interruption as the heat wave continues. Both goals can be achieved if we work together and settle this dispute amicably–and as soon as possible.”

Con Edison sure won’t be having it easy, as a series of storms last Friday have caused massive power outages all over the East Coast, leaving over two million people without power. All this in the midst of a record-breaking heat wave that has seen temperatures hover in the high 90’s this weekend.

Scattered power outages were also recorded in Queens and the Bronx on Sunday. Con Ed spokeswoman Sara Banda however claims that those small-scales blackouts are typical of this time of year, and that the 650 power outages recorded in Queens on Sunday were in fact below average.

With both sides blaming each other for the breakdown in talks, it is hard to tell whether the Union is taking advantage of the heat wave to make unreasonable demands, or whether Con Edison is being unnecessarily stubborn in conducting the negotiations. Either way, both sides seem far from reaching a compromise.

“Consolidated Edison and the utility workers union must go back to the bargaining table and start talks again,” urged New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. “Resolving this impasse and lockout is in everyone’s best interest. With temperatures high, customers need assurance that service will not interrupted.”

Meanwhile, the heat wave is showing no sign of slowing down. It may be time to buy an inflatable pool, or for us less-fortunate city dwellers, to start sacrificing some goats to the almighty Spirit of Air Conditioning.

By Ben Krull

I turned the knob and nothing happened. Don’t panic, I told myself, as sun poured through the blinds.

It was a 90-degree Sunday earlier this summer and the window air-conditioner in my studio apartment was dead. First came denial: the four-year-old machine just needed to ease into the June heat. All it needed was some rest.

Then came anger: I cleaned my filter every six weeks, just like the operator’s manual instructed. It was too young to die—I’ll sue!

Finally came acceptance: It was a lemon and nothing could be done to change that. I would get a new one and move on.

I headed to PC Richard’s on East 86th Street, where my salesperson matched me with an 8,000 BTU air-conditioner. But the earliest it could be delivered was Friday, five days away.

Checking the long-range forecast I broke into a cold sweat, on top of the hot sweat already dripping from my pores. I bought two desk fans and braced myself.

To get some ideas on how to cope with the heat, I researched ancient cooling techniques. I learned that people once avoided the heat by living in underground caves. My experience with subway platforms dissuaded me from pursuing that cooling option.

Our modern predecessors would sleep on fire escapes on hot evenings. Although my building has a fire escape, I never seriously considered that option.

Apparently the summer streets in old New York weren’t populated by drunken twentysomethings partying into the night, or by cars honking their way through traffic. Besides, the sight of someone curled up on a fire escape at 3 a. m. would likely draw 911 calls from my neighbors.

That left the desk fan as the only defense against my apartment’s tropical conditions. With the fans pointed at my bed, I was able to sleep comfortably through the night. The problem was when I was up and moving around.

My morning coffee made me schvitz like I was in a sauna, while walking out of range of my fans put me in danger of heat stroke.

Even a cold shower couldn’t help. By the time I toweled myself off, I produced enough perspiration to undo the ameliorative effects of soap and deodorant.

The afternoon my new air-conditioner was delivered I was in my apartment, happily clearing space in a closet to store my soon-to-be unneeded fans.

“This unit will never cool your apartment,” the AC installer said. “You need 12,000 BTUs and this is only 8,000.”

I had given the salesperson the wrong measurements for my apartment. I ordered a new machine but it would be two weeks before I could arrange to be present for the delivery.

The heat wave continued, making me feel like I was in a reality television show: Which contestant can hold out the longest? Text “105 In The Shade” to vote!

Clearly God was testing me. I made it through the next two weeks by repeating the mantra “this too shall pass.”

On what was supposed to be the last day of my ordeal the delivery crew was four hours late. Would this endurance test ever end?

This time the installation of my new air-conditioner went as planned. But the old machine developed separation anxiety.

While removing the lemon from my studio, the workmen broke my building’s elevator with the unit inside. They left with the elevator and AC still stuck between floors.

Despite the crew’s tardy entrance and sloppy exit, I was so grateful to have a cool apartment that I gave them a really fat tip.

_
Ben Krull is a lawyer and essayist who lives on the Upper East Side.