Watch-Blog
Refresh: an Exciting Change of Environment
By Claudie Benjamin Almost 30 years ago, before coming from Seoul, Korea to New York, Mee Sook Jo (Michelle) was an artist. One of her framed metal works entitled “People” is hanging on a wall up front as you enter the dry-cleaning store she and her husband Hyung Nan...
Billionaire’s Cluster?
Silverstein Properties Buys, Holds, and Flips Following a competitive bidding war, and a July 2018 purchase with a 5-year sale/lease-back agreement with the Walt Disney Corporation, Silverstein Properties flips the ABC Columbus Avenue Campus for $930M without even...
Balancing UWS studio with Upstate Pig Farming
By Claudie Benjamin Celebration is the way Melanie Wesslock describes life. Her professional life as a portrait and event photographer involves her in many profoundly special celebratory moments. Take, for example, her images of a surprise proposal on Bow Bridge in...
What the World Needs Now: Laughter
Still image of Reisenweber’s at 58th and Columbus Circle ca. 1900, image courtesy New York Public Library By Claudie Benjamin That laughter has a healing quality has been well documented by patients and clinicians through the ages. Right now, more than two years into...
Feeling & Looking Good on the Open Road or Zoom
By Claudie Benjamin Go with what you like, respect and spend time with people and things that matter to you. Think about responsible actions and endurable values. That’s the takeaway message when you care about being responsible and feeling good about yourself in...
Long Gone PS 93
By Claudie Benjamin As edgy as the Upper West Side was in the 60’s, it wasn’t all “West Side Story.” Brian Gari, who grew up to make a name as songwriter of 900 songs, and as a performer and writer, 60 years ago was part of a P.S. 93 Elementary School music group....
Activists Attract
By Claudie Benjamin By the time Nina and Dan met in 2006, they both had explored activism in different ways. They met while each was working on a series of anti-war hearings. Dan was a reporter, writer and teacher. He had worked tirelessly on the battle for the...
Tip Your Hat, But Don’t Raise the Cap!
In her State of the State Address Gov. Hochul called for more housing And we support this action! There is a homelessness crisis and her plan offers several solutions which have merit--such as converting unused office and hotel space to residential use. We...
Gold, Silver, Diamonds: Buy, Sell Repair and Trade
By Claudie Benjamin “That’s one of my father’s,” says jeweler Maurice Paredes, as his wife Micaela, shows off the necklace she is wearing. The gold, Egyptian-inspired piece is dramatic. “We’re Peruvian, but Leo, my father, thought he should have been born in the...
Made for the Job
By Claudie Benjamin Hard to imagine someone more perfectly made for the work of a progressive activist in the NY Legislature than State Assembly Member Richard Gottfried. First elected in 1970, he will have held this position for 52 years when he retires at the end...
