Month: September 2022

 CORONAVIRUS & MONKEYPOX

1. HERE’S THE NY SCOOP 

THE STATS:

1,182,944 vaccines bivalent vaccines 135 new hospitalizations 0 new cases 🙌 80% of New Yorkers are vaccinated!

GOOD NEWS

End of Vaccine Mandate 2021-2023 – The vaccine ultimatum which led to 96% of vaccination rate across all city employees has come to an end! The city’s health commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, said that “It’s clear these mandates saved lives and were absolutely necessary to meet the moment” Delancey’s Desperately Needed Makeover – The Department of Transportation secretary Polly Trottenberg plans to give Delancey street a $21 million dollar upgrade by decreasing the number of lanes. A much needed “road diet” given that 200 crashes have occurred in the last decade. The extra space is going to be designated bikes and pedestrians…Who’s got their bike ready!?

BAD NEWS

Don’t Be Like Vickie –  Paladino, who represents Queens, granted $10,000 in City Council discretionary funds to Bridge to Life, a Queens-based anti-abortion crisis pregnancy center.  A crisis pregnancy center like Bridge to Life  poses as a women’s health center with the intention to convince them to not abort. Did you know, that in NYC these crisis pregnancy centers outnumber actual abortion clinics.

GIVE US THE SCOOP

2. AN INTERVIEW WITH TALY MATITEYAHU – FOUNDER OF BLINK DATE  

Valentine’s Day is coming up, love is in the air, and cuffing season is still rampant. If you are single or have friends who are trapped in the vicious spiral of swiping – no swiping – dating scene that is New York City, we may have found a respite for you.   There’s the plethora of New York City dating folklore. Who could forget the unhinged stories from “West Elm Caleb” to “The Tinder Swindler” and, of course, the OG, “The Hipster Grifter”? Ask around to any of your friends, and you’d be sure to find a story of swiping for hours, awkward dates, tumultuous flings, and, of course, the perennial act of deleting and reinstalling dating apps.    Alas, it’s not to say everyone in NYC is horrible, but I think we can all agree that modern-day dating is certainly flawed. Lawyer-turned-founder Taly Matiteyahu is on a mission to fix that.    FROM LAWYER TO BLINK DATE: TALY MATITEYAHU IS GIVING YOUR THUMB A BREAK  Blink is a new swipe-free dating app that allows daters to chat with a potential partner for ten minutes before they ever see a picture of them.    Launched out of NYC, the app already has a podcast, in-person events, and a 30% match rate. Inspired by a stint at a blackout restaurant where she ate in total darkness with strangers,  Taly realized how freeing an experience it was to talk and meet without preconceived notions.   “We make judgments all the time based on everything from outfits to tattoos to height, and it’s just a shame because oftentimes people just aren’t necessarily what you think they are based on appearances.”   Today, Blink Date allows you to remove the nuisances of the modern NYC dating scene, like *ahem* ghosting and the never-ending doom texting…

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OH HEY, HELLO, ciaooo! 

3.  LIFE BEYOND LIKES

Let’s cheer 🥳 for ciaooo! reader Isa Watson who will be having her first public event of her book tour – in conversation with editor-in-chief of Rolling Stone Magazine, Noah Shachtman.   WHEN: Thurs, February 9 @ 6:30pm at the Brooklyn Heights Library.  **Registration require & spots limited    They’ll be discussing all things Life Beyond Likes, and the intentionality behind centering intentional joy in your life, away from social media and the craziness of today’s internet.

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Community-first. Women-led. ciaooo! is on a mission to empower brands and organizations that make NYC a better place. Learn more! 

 CORONAVIRUS & MONKEYPOX

1. HERE’S THE NY SCOOP 

THE STATS:

18, 255, 509 vaccines administered across NYC 325 new hospitalizations 6,467 new cases (wear your masks!!!) 3,895 Monkeypox cases in NY

GOOD NEWS

And the winner of the 5th Annual Meatball Eating Contest is….  Frank Julio! In what can only be explained as the most chaotic, entertaining and quintessentially NYC event we’ve ever witnessed at the San Gennaro Feast…tap the link to watch the recap. Lucky Lucky Lucky– Jackpot…this couple has a $500 artists loft in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. And they’re never leaving. Consider this a brief shining ray of hope that you may be so lucky one day.

BAD NEWS

Ditching the Big Apple for the Sunshine State-  Over 42,000 New Yorkers have left the state this year in search of sunnier days. Can’t wait to see the Florida Man news stories come out now. Bing Bong!

GIVE US THE SCOOP

2. DO YOU NEED ANOTHER BOOSTER SHOT?

WTF IS HAPPENING? Time passes…oh so fast. Just one year ago, Omnicron was on the rise, and two years earlier NY was just beginning to talk about getting the vaccine.    Meanwhile, last week, President Biden said COVID was over. Gov Hochul dropped the mask requirements for the subway and just about everyone is back to the level of debauchery that a 99 cent pizza shop sees in the Lower East Side sees on a Saturday night.    And yet… medical professionals, and the NY Health commissioner are telling us to hold our horses.    OH ANOTHER NEW BOOSTER? Vaccines have been working, but for many, the last booster was last year. Doctors are now recommending everyone over the age of 12 to take the new Bivalent booster if it has been more than 2 months since their last shot.    “Updated bivalent boosters can blunt the scale and impact of future waves and will keep our city healthy through the fall and winter, whatever comes our way.” – Dr. Ashwin Vasan, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Commissioner   The updated boosters will target new variants and will protect New Yorkers in the coming Fall and Winter months. While last year’s Omnicron variant was one of the most contagious we’d seen, experts believe that more resistant strains are on the way, like the newly discovered Centaurus.    AND NOW? Expect to have to get boosters every year, similar to the Flu shot. If you are interested in getting the newest Bivalent booster, use the NYC Vaccine Finder online for days and times.

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OH HEY, HELLO, ciaooo! 

3.  A CHINATOWN FAIR IS HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND

Remember Welcome to Chinatown?  It was a nonprofit organization started by 2 millennials to help fledgling businesses in Chinatown during COVID. Since 2020, the group has raised millions of dollars to give back to the community. This weekend, they are throwing a huge immersive fair:  88 East Fair – A free weekend fair to celebrate Chinatown and our big, beautiful community. Come shop, play + immerse at East Broadway Mall. Fri, Sep 30th & Sat Oct 1st at 88 East Mall

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Community-first. Women-led. ciaooo! is on a mission to empower brands and organizations that make NYC a better place. Learn more! 

 CORONAVIRUS & MONKEYPOX

1. HERE’S THE NY SCOOP 

THE STATS:

18, 249,725 vaccines administered across NYC 757new hospitalizations 7,056 new cases (wear your masks!!!) 3, 799 Monkeypox cases in NY

GOOD NEWS

Bridging the Digital Divide Over 300,000 NYC public housing residents will get free internet and cable starting in 2023.  Diversity in the…fireforce – New legislation will require the FDNY to hire more female and minority firefighters to more accurately reflect NYC. Right now, over 75% of firefighters are white men, and less than 1% are women.

BAD NEWS

MTA to install 2 cameras in each subway car –   Governor Hochul announced a $5.5 million plan to install 2 cameras in every single subway car to deter crime. While that may help, we’re curious as to exactly who will be watching? What type of privacy are we losing out on? All we can say for sure…is that the Showtime kids are about to get some great footage.

TELL US YOUR THOUGHTS

2. WELP…THERE GOES $200 MILLION

WTF IS HAPPENING? During the peak of the Pandemic, New York saw the largest drop off in tourism it had ever seen, with hotels at a 39.1% occupancy rate. As mentioned in last week’s newsletter, affordable housing has also been on tight supply due to lengthy permitting for development.   Earlier this year, Mayor Eric Adams followed up on an ambitious plan to convert hotels with low occupancy into affordable housing.    “Affordable apartments can be created for about two-thirds of the cost and in one-third of the time through conversions than through ground-up construction. Passed in 2021, the Housing Our Neighbors with Dignity Act made $100 million available to help facilitate these conversions” – NYC Press Release, May 1, 2022   ONE YEAR, $200 MILLION LATER… While the plan started spinning its wheels during under Governor Cuomo’s leadership, another $100 million was added to fund the program and not a single apartment has been created.    California on the other hand, has created 12,500 homes in a similar plan within the last two years.    Why? Well, now that tourism is back, hotels are seeing an 81.2% occupancy rate and no longer “underutilized” or selling their properties for cheap. Plus, most of the hotels within the city are unionized and backed by the Hotel Trades Council Union that curiously enough, also backed Mayor Adams’ campaign.    AND NOW? We’re at a standstill. Hotels in the city won’t sell because business is booming. Even if we are able to get a hotel to sell, the entire permitting process is lengthy, and zoning requirements make it extremely difficult for developers to convert hotels or build affordable apartments from scratch. It’s a Catch 22 that would offend even Yossarian!    While we’re not sure what’s happened to the money just yet, let’s hope it doesn’t fall into negligent hands like the NYC Ferry debacle.    Developers are incentivized to build luxury apartments that will make them significantly more money.    If the city is really going to create affordable housing, then they need to remove obstacles and increase initiative to allow this to happen. We’ll need our representatives to speak up for us. November’s coming elections will be imperative, so make sure that you are registered to vote!

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OH HEY, HELLO, ciaooo! 

3.  HEY! IT’S CLIMATE WEEK! LET’S CHANGE THE WORLD TOGETHER! 

Climate Week NYC 2022, marks its fourteenth year as the biggest global climate event of its kind. Bringing together the most influential leaders in climate action from business, government, and the climate community, in conjunction with the United Nations General Assembly and the City of New York. Climate Week NYC creates an ambitious platform for our mission to drive climate action. Fast.    Check out these two great events this week if you are interested in learning more!

• Nest Summit Campus – Meet 70+ Sustainability Experts and Entrepreneurs in this FREE summit at Jacob Javits Center. Wed, Sep 21, 2022, 7:30 AM – Thu, Sep 22, 2022, 5:30 PM EDT (FREE)
• Marketplace of the Future – Meet and view exhibitionists from the next generation of sustainable brands, spearheaded by Brooklyn based environmental futurist, Amer Jandali! Friday, September 23rd 3PM – 11PM ($35)

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Community-first. Women-led. ciaooo! is on a mission to empower brands and organizations that make NYC a better place. Learn more! 

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Other Things You Might Like to Read

 CORONAVIRUS & MONKEYPOX

1. HERE’S THE NY SCOOP 

THE STATS:

18, 233, 401 vaccines administered across NYC 283 new hospitalizations 8,288 new cases (wear your masks!!!) 3, 679 Monkeypox cases in NY

GOOD NEWS

San Gennaro Fest Starts This Week! The annual Feast of San Gennaro, the sausage and pepper filled festival starts this Thursday, Sept 15th through to Sept 25th in Little Italy! Get ready for exciting events like Cannoli and Meatball Eating Contests.

BAD NEWS

Jacking Those Ferries Up?  The NYC Ferry is now $4 per trip, up from $2.75. A financial audit released by the Comptroller found that the NYC Ferry system ran up a bill of over $66 million in “unnecessary expenditures” including overpaying for vessels by $34 million. Yeah…let’s just call the kettle black and call this corruption at its core. Ugh…Fyre Fest’s Billy McFarland is Out of Jail – And he’s living in Bed Stuy. After 5 years in prison and 6 months of house arrest, he’s on the path to release a new book and figure out his next new tech gig.

TELL US YOUR THOUGHTS

2. WHY IS THE RENT SO DAMN HIGH?

WTF IS HAPPENING? We all know NYC is expensive, but this wasn’t always this case.    Quick history lesson here…after the Great Depression, a new form of housing popped up to accommodate for all of the low income folks moving to cities looking for work. This was called the Single Room Occupancy or SRO.    SROs were single rooms where people could rent out single rooms in buildings with shared bathrooms, kitchens and living rooms (not to be confused with today’s trendy micro apartments).    BUT THERE WAS DRAMA OF COURSE At its peak during the 1950s, there were over 200,000 SROs in NYC.   They were affordable for one of today’s largest demographic of homeless people, single older males. Unfortunately, SROs started to get a bad rap as they started to fill with the recently incarcerated, poor, and those released from mental institutions. Crime began to prevail and officials began tearing them down.    Between 1976 and 1981, nearly two-thirds of all remaining SRO units were torn down and converted into…you guessed it, luxury apartments, hotels and Starbucks (just kidding about the last one). Profit became superior to the poor, and tax breaks were written to support luxury developments.    AND NOW? Today, for every 100 low-income households, there are only 47 apartments available. That means NYC is currently short of 772,000 apartments for low income houses ($28,020 to up to $60,050 for a family of three).   As rents in Manhattan now average $5,000 for a 1-bedroom apartment, the price spikes are just the tip of the iceberg. Supply will continue to be tight, since building new affordable apartments takes years to approve, on average, over two and a half years.

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OH HEY, HELLO, ciaooo! 

3.  IN MEMORY OF 9/11

Heart 911 is a team of first responders – FDNY, NYPD, PAPD and the NYC Building Trades – that bonded in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. With the experiences they learned from dealing with disasters, they leverage their unparalleled experience to support, supplement and transfer skills and knowledge to suffering communities.    You can volunteer with their team or donate today.

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Community-first. Women-led. ciaooo! is on a mission to empower brands and organizations that make NYC a better place. Learn more! 

 CORONAVIRUS & MONKEYPOX

1. HERE’S THE NY SCOOP 

THE STATS:

18, 218, 800 vaccines administered across NYC 856 new hospitalizations 2,097 new cases (wear your masks) 3, 197 Monkeypox cases in NY

GOOD NEWS

Pay What You Want for Coffee vs $7 Lattes  – A new coffee shop has opened in Gowanus that allows patrons to “pay as you wish” for your coffee. Compare that to the $67 million dollar venture backed Blank Street Coffee you’ve been seeing pop up everywhere.

BAD NEWS

Goodbye to Outdoor Dining?  New Yorkers are suing the city in an effort to get rid out of outdoor dining sheds, claiming rats, noise pollution and an overall hit to their quality of life. Over 55 sheds have been removed so far.

TELL US YOUR THOUGHTS

2. TEXAS IS BUSSING 100+ MIGRANTS TO NYC EVERY DAY

WTF IS HAPPENING? Texas is bussing over 100 asylum seekers to New York City everyday.    Four months ago, Governor Greg Abbott announced that he was going to ship migrants from near the Texas-Mexico border to Washington DC. Why? Biden’s pandemic-era policy prevented authorities from turning away migrants, and he felt the border was getting overrun.    THE BATTLE BETWEEN TEXAS AND NEW YORK CITY But then, Mayor Eric Adams made a comment saying that the shelters in NYC were overrun because Texas was sending migrants to NY. Depending on who you’re talking to, Adams’ was just trying to blame the overcrowded shelters on someone else. Abbott denied the claims, but then two days later announced the first bus in NYC.   Worse yet, there is no communication between Texas and New York in regards to the buses. The bus companies refuse to communicate with NY officials. Migrants are bused over for a 44 hour journey with few stops, belongings or food. They are merely sent over with an address for the immigration office and a shelter.    SAVED BY THE… GRANNIES? While Adams’ has proclaimed New York to be a welcome haven for asylum seekers, he’s yet to fulfill the promise. The first bus arrived to volunteer run organizations like Grannies Respond, South Bronx Mutual Aid and No ICE NYC who provided supplies. In the meantime, there is no clear plan on how to support the asylum seekers, and it seems they are the ones unfairly caught in this ego battle

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OH HEY, HELLO, ciaooo! 

3.  DONATE YOUR GOODS TO MIGRANTS 

Looking to support the asylum seekers? You can volunteer with or donate to the New York Immigration Center.  You can also donate: New Toiletries and Hygiene Items: body wash, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shaving cream, nail clippers, menstrual products(unopened). New and Packaged Clothing: underwear, socks, t-shirts, for men, women and children in all sizes Other: baby/body wipes, bath towels, face cloths, diapers   Uptown Drop-of 431 West 125th Street /  M-F 10am – 5pm Downtown Drop-Off 1 Centre Street, 19th Floor /  M-F 9am-5pm

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Community-first. Women-led. ciaooo! is on a mission to empower brands and organizations that make NYC a better place. Learn more!