Mermaids weep for Coney Island

THE boys and girls of summer were out there in Coney Island. Some men went shirtless, their tattoos seemingly a menacing accessory.

They were there for the Mermaid Parade last Saturday, an annual do to mark the arrival of summer, soaking in the sun and the sea, a pastime that Americans love so much.

Mermaids, as it turned out, come in all colours, sizes and ages. Lots of skin, lots of flab, too. There was a senior mermaid strutting her stuff, prompting someone from the crowd to shout words of encouragement: “Come on, grandma!”

Fun was the name of the game, with catchy banners such as The Seapranos and Charlie's Angelfish. There were also Red Lobster, seahorses and Jaws. It was an ocean out there.

Elvis Presley made an appearance as well. Don't ask why.

But amidst the fun and frolic, a different future awaits Coney Island, whose trademark has been its summertime carnival mood.

Dark clouds hang over Astroland, often billed as New York City's biggest amusement park and famed for its Cyclone roller coaster. Come September, it will be shuttered. However, there is a silver lining. The Cyclone will not be shut down; it is considered a city landmark.

A US$1.5bil (RM5.17bil) project is in motion to transform the neighbourhood following the purchase of almost two-thirds (4ha) of the area by Thor Equities, a real estate developer.

On the drawing board is an entertainment complex that includes a water park, hotels and the inevitable shops, restaurants and cinemas.

There would have been posh condominiums and apartments for rent, too, but this residential plan was scrapped in view of public criticisms.

All these will translate to job opportunities and a major face-lift for Coney Island, which comes to life now only during the warmer months when Astroland opens for business.

But this is not entirely good news for everyone, especially the locals who cherish Coney Island for what it has always meant to them.

“This is very bad. I don't want to see big chains coming in. No Applebee's please (a huge American restaurant chain),” said Lisa Deboer, who works at the Brooklyn public library.

Residents like her yearn for the character of Coney Island to be maintained.

“It's bad to take away what has been a playground for New Yorkers for decades,” she said.

Coney Island, she said, had always belonged to everybody and not just the moneyed ones. As they say, it was the place that working-class people could take a break without costing an arm and a leg.

Such mega development on Coney Island would surely drive up rents and other prices, she said, adding that small businesses would be priced out as they would not be able to afford the higher cost.

“It's tragic,” her friend Nicole Martin added.

A film undergraduate who has lived in Brooklyn for six years, Martin said that, already, many quaint, specialty shops had closed down through the years.

“We want the uniqueness of Coney Island to stay,” she said.

Charles Denson, who helms the Coney Island History Project, had been quoted as saying that Coney Island was a poor man’s paradise and that there was something magical about it.

“It's not about nostalgia and longing for the past. It's reminding people of what Coney Island has meant to New York over the years,” he told a newspaper here.

Countless children had their thrills and spills from the rides offered by this amusement park besides trying to win Winnie the Pooh and other toys offered by the games stalls there.

The Mermaid Parade last week sent out a clear message with some of the participants carrying a banner declaring “R.I.P: 1962-2007” (Astroland opened in 1962).

Another mermaid called out “Help us, Splash Gordon. Save Astroland.” It was their way of mourning what might be the end of an era.

Gossip column in the spotlight

IT'S A newspaper column that even VVIPs like Donald Trump would turn to. Once, the real estate magnate reportedly asked a staff to bring him a copy of the New York Post so that he could check out Page Six that day, as it had mentioned his daughter Ivanka.

That, by the way, is the name of a gossip column which is essential reading here, at least by those who care to admit it.

Page Six appears daily in the Rupert Murdoch-owned Post, the fifth biggest newspaper in the United States with a circulation of 725,000.

Its name is a misnomer since its two-page spread no longer appears on page six itself, but in the pages further back.

But Page Six, which began in 1977, has become such a part of New York life. Among other things, it was featured in the TV serial Sex and the City where in one scene, Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), the slutty PR lady, was upset over an item published in the gossip fodder.

The column offers scoops and the low-down on celebrities, supermodels, business moguls, socialites, the movers and the shakers.

It loves to use the word “canoodling” to describe amorous artistes.

Example: “Bad boy Josh Hartnett snuck away with his new gal Penelope Cruz for a spring fling vacation. The two were spotted canoodling at the Parrot Cay private island resort in the Caribbean's Turks and Caicos.”

Even the much more serious The New York Times acknowledges Page Six is a staple for juicy gossip.

Occasionally, it has a small section with the titillating title “Just Asking” which offers questions such as:

“Which multifaceted investment banker has been freaking friends out with his atrocious attire? The formerly fashion-forward mogul has recently been spotted by close pals wearing muumuus, kimonos and eyeliner.”

Page Six, apparently, was among the earlier gossip columns which gave endless coverage to celebutante Paris Hilton before she became famous for being famous.

(A recent request to interview one of Page Six's gossip columnists was turned down.)

“It's among the first things that I read, besides the horoscope page. I always get to the garbage section first,” quipped Ina Vistica, a freelancer who has lived in New York for 20 years.

Asked to recall some memorable stories that she read from Page Six, she replied: “You don't remember anything you read there. They are not meaningful things. It has absolutely zero meaning in people's lives.

“These are things I don't care about. It's frivolous, but it is a great diversion from the serious news. That is why it is so interesting. It takes readers away from their boring life; at least for most!”

Most newspapers here have their own gossip sites but their popularity and power does not match that of Page Six, which is an established brand name, so to speak.

“It's the original one. It was on the map first. The column has more insight on the celebrities: who's doing what, who was spotted where. These are all told in a you're-not-supposed-to-know tone. It is forbidden news, which makes the column so successful,” said Vistica.

Besides, she said, American culture is obsessed with celebrities.

Last month, Page Six became news itself when it published allegations made by Ian Spiegelman, a former reporter sacked by the Post three years ago.

Spiegelman's affidavit, among other things, stated that Post editor-in-chief Col Allan was a frequent patron of Scores, a strip club, and that a restaurateur had sent cash to Page Six editor Richard Johnson in 1997.

The statement from Spiegelman is part of a feud between Page Six and Jared Paul Stern, a former freelancer for the column who was suspended last year (but never charged) following accusations of him demanding money from a billionaire in exchange for favourable reporting.

Stern is mulling over legal action against the Post and so his lawyer obtained Spiegelman's statement.

In what was seen as a pre-emptive strike, Page Six published each and every accusation of Spiegelman's, plus the newspaper's own explanation or denial of the allegations.

Allan, for example, acknowledged that he had been to Scores, but that it was several years ago and that his conduct was beyond reproach.

“Spigelman's claims are a tissue of lies concocted by an embittered former employee I fired,” he was quoted as saying.

Johnson, on his part, did accept a US$1,000 (RM3,450) Christmas gift from the restaurateur. “After he informed me of his error in judgment, he was reprimanded, and policies were adopted that render such ethical lapses completely unacceptable,” Allan said.

Other media picked up the juice, never failing to note that Page Six had itself become gossip.

It's the stuff that tabloid heaven is made of.

Witness to wave of migration

ONCE upon a very long time ago, it was witness to the largest human migration in the history of mankind.

It became the first stop for the 12 million immigrants who arrived in the United States between 1892 and 1954 when Europe was ailing, politically and economically.

That’s Ellis Island, a mere 10-minute boat ride from Lower Manhattan and in full view of New York City’s prettiest woman – the Statue of Liberty, which is just a stone's throw away.

“This is where it all happened. Today, at least 100 million Americans can trace their roots to those who came through Ellis Island,” said park ranger Douglas Treem of the National Park Service, which has jurisdiction over the place.

These early immigrants came in search of that magic word – no, not freedom – but opportunity.

“It’s the one thing which many American boys and girls today don’t even know they have,” Treem remarked cynically.

Most of those who came were from Italy, Russia and Britain. (Today, the Mexicans are the biggest group but that’s another story.)

“The streets were not paved with gold. In fact, they were not even paved and everybody expected me to pave them,” Treem said, repeating a joke which an old Italian immigrant told his family about his American experience.

The immigration process at the station in Ellis Island then was fairly quick; most arrivals did not spend more than three hours there.

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler,” said Treem, quoting Albert Einstein, in describing the straightforward procedures that immigrants went through as they arrived in Ellis Island.

That could have been the rule of how they ran the place then, he added.

Of course, the immigration process had grown complex through the years and today an immigrant could be on the waiting list for at least seven years, Treem said.

The immigrants, Treem said, built New York City. “The city can’t get by without them.” Even today.

Ellis Island has become a major historic site in the United States, its main building that acts as the Immigration Museum now gets almost two million visitors each year.

The museum itself has been well preserved as “almost every inch” is in its original state. “Even the benches are original,” Treem said.

Movies are shot on the site sometimes. In Hitch, Will Smith’s character took Eva Mendes for a visit to Ellis Island.

But for all its history and attractions, the 30 vacant buildings on the island are in dilapidated condition today. Broken windowpanes and wild grass are everywhere.

Many of these buildings used to be hospitals to treat sick immigrants in the old days.

Last week, a group of foreign journalists was briefed about the restoration project that involves the National Park Service and Save Ellis Island Inc.

Save Ellis Island Inc is a non-profit organisation that is working with the National Park Service towards rehabilitating the 30 buildings “to complete Ellis Island’s story as a major gateway to America.”

The first restoration project to be completed was the Ferry Building two months ago. Funds came from the federal and state governments, besides private financing.

Cynthia R. Garrett, who is superintendent of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island, has some interesting anecdotes about the place.

In 1954, she said, Ellis Island was closed and declared excess federal property.

“It was put up for sale. The asking price was US$3mil (RM10.4mil) and it remained unsold for the next 10 years,” she said.

That price was considered staggering in those days. Today, a two-bedroom apartment in Lower Manhattan could fetch almost US$1.8mil (RM6.2mil).

It was only in September 1990 that the Ellis Island Immigration Museum was opened to the public.

The president of Save Ellis Island Inc, Judith R. McAlpin, said the buildings were now in various stages of restoration.

“We would keep the exterior as they are,” she said. Plans are afoot to have a hotel or a retreat eventually.

This is because Ellis Island, despite its proximity to the oh-so-mad Manhattan, remains a serene place that offers sanctuary to visitors.

Silent partner speaks

IT WAS the sound of silence no more. The estranged wife of a gay politician has finally spoken up to tell her side of the story, almost three years after she stood by his side when he publicly emerged from the closet.

Dina Matos McGreevey has broken her silence and is now busy appearing on talk shows and at bookstores to promote her tell-all book Silent Partner: A Memoir of My Marriage in which she speaks of how she “stopped cold” when then New Jersey governor James McGreevey made the now infamous line: “My truth is that I am a gay American.”

Last week, the 40-year-old Dina was composed when she took questions from the crowd who turned up at a Manhattan bookstore to see her; the woman whose life was forever altered when she found out the truth about her high-profile husband.

“I had not wanted to write this book. I wanted to lead a quiet life. But I decided to write it when other people began to tell my story inaccurately. That’s when I decided to do it for myself and for my daughter who would one day read it,” said Dina, referring to her five-year-old Jacqueline.

She also explained why she decided to appear with him at the press conference that fateful Aug 12, 2004 when he disclosed his homosexuality and quit the governor's post.

“I don’t want my daughter to ask me one day why I wasn’t by his side. Besides, love doesn’t evaporate overnight. It is not like turning off the switch immediately when someone does something wrong.”

She described it as her “day of infamy” and that he had asked her to be at the press conference, telling her she must not cry. The brief speech he made then was like a knife piercing her heart, she said.

Now, her scorn for him is evident.

Asked if she had read The Confession, his autobiography which came out last year, Dina replied: “Yes, I read it. It was another typical Jim McGreevey performance. Fiction.”

As for news reports that he was now taking up a course to become an Episcopalian priest, Dina laughed. Sniggered, rather.

“How do I say this in a diplomatic way? To be a leader, you need a moral compass. I certainly won’t look to him for spiritual guidance.”

Dina often maintained that she was clueless about Jim’s sexual orientation prior to their marriage. “He himself acknowledged earlier that I did not know about it, but now he is changing his tune.”

She said she had often considered herself a good judge of character but “he turned out to be somebody I didn’t know.”

Still, how could she not have known?

“Sometimes, people have no clue. It was the same with me. All of a sudden, your world comes crumbling down. I married him because I loved him. I would not have married him if I had known he was gay,” she said.

As for her in-laws, she said they were just as shocked as she was.

“It was painful for them to see the unfolding events. They don’t condone what he has done, but he is their son and they love him.”

However, she conceded that Jim was a good father. “She (Jacqueline) loves him. My goal is to ensure she has a good relationship with her father.”

According to Dina, she was trying to keep a civilised relationship with him, but it was very difficult. The couple are now in the midst of divorce, their bickering becoming public again as both parties clash over their personal lives and their daughter’s upbringing.

Dina recounted in her book that even Hillary Clinton called her at one time to provide words of comfort.

“She was very compassionate. She asked how I was doing and warned me not to let Jim’s advisers make decisions for me, because they would have Jim’s best interests in mind rather than mine,” Dina wrote.

“I thanked Hillary for her counsel and her time. Her story was similar to mine in how publicly her husband had humiliated her with his adultery. But our circumstances were also different. Her marriage had not been based on a lie, as mine was.”

Asked about her views on men, she said it was going to be a long road.

“As for love, I’m not there yet either. In the last two and a half years, I’ve had a few dates, but nothing serious or sustained,” she wrote.

“I want to be able to forgive, but I’m just not there yet.”

Latino neighbourhood facing uncertain times

AT 12, Carmen Vasquez said goodbye to her beloved Puerto Rico and a reluctant hello to America.

Not speaking a word of English, she arrived on the mainland (the term Puerto Ricans used to refer to the United States) where her mother and three sisters had immigrated to earlier.

It was a story familiar to most Puerto Ricans; her mother had come first in 1938 and gradually brought the children over.

“What I faced was a complete culture shock; here I was, from a small island to a metropolis. I could not understand why people lived above one another,” she said, referring to the apartments.

Central Park, with its large space and fresh air, kept her sanity.

“That was where I went to gather my Spanish thoughts,” she said, reminiscing of those days 50 years ago. “By the time I was in eighth grade, I was okay.”

A promising career in sales awaited her. At one time, she became vice-president of a huge textile company, handling millions in sales.

But three years ago, Vasquez decided to give that all up and focus instead on helping Puerto Ricans. Now, she is the community affairs director of Hope Community Inc that works towards improving Spanish Harlem, a New York City neighbourhood seen as the cradle of Puerto Rican life since the 1930s.

Latinos formed about half of its 118,000 population; Puerto Ricans the majority at 32% according to the 2000 census.

It is here in Spanish Harlem, the only place in New York City where Puerto Ricans can find food just like those available in their homeland, especially dishes for the holidays, said Vasquez, whose US-born son speaks Spanglish.

But Spanish Harlem (or El Barrio) in the early days was not a pretty picture.

Taxi drivers refused to ply this working class neighbourhood as it was deemed fraught with crime, according to Vasquez.

“In those days, the newspapers would blatantly accused Puerto Ricans for any crime committed by a Spanish-speaking person because we were the majority among immigrants,” she said.

Today, many Puerto Ricans have made good, thanks to access to education, some even becoming influential politicians. “They are absolutely better off than the new immigrants from Mexico.”

But many others at the Spanish Harlem are facing displacement, thus missing out on the American Dream.

“Other communities are flowing in because the rent is comparatively lower. This has led to landlords raising their rates. The newer immigrants who can’t afford to pay the new charges are gradually being pushed out,” she said.

A number of them are opting to leave for the suburbs.

That is where Hope Community plays its role. For the past 38 years, this community-housing organisation has acted as a landlord where it now owns 70 buildings that are let out to 13,000 households at affordable rates. There is also a building for senior citizens aged 65 and above.

“We also provide programmes to engage the tenants. There are educational and literacy projects besides health and economic training workshops.”

Since the community was often viewed as poor, she said, Spanish Harlem did not get the best supply of food.

“We get lower quality of vegetables and fruits here as the sellers do not think we can afford better ones,” she said.

As the biggest Latino group in New York City, Vasquez noted that her community had the most opportunity to make changes to public policies.

“For instance, young Spanish-speaking immigrants who attend American schools here will be taught in their mother tongue in their first year until they can adapt to English,” she said, explaining that this was a change brought upon by the Puerto Ricans.

The huge presence of Latinos has led to many job openings clearly stating the “bilingual preferred” criterion.

“We are very proud of our heritage,” she said, adding that most Latinos do not wish to be known just as Hispanics.

But with the threat of displacement getting real, will Spanish Harlem lose its flavour?

“We are trying hard not to let that happen,” she said.