The latest stories from beta.wnyc.org

Danger to Self

Sat, 11 Sep 2010 11:49:15 -0400

This week on Snap Judgment, host Glynn Washington drops stories of people who are their own worst enemy. Push through the hallways of a psychiatric ward, obsess over a late night talk radio host and then get ready to run for your life.

Overlooked and Underpaid: Arab Youth in Today's Economy

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 11:15:53 -0400

Young Arabs today are graduating from college with a coins-toss chance of landing a job. Frustrated twenty-somethings are under-educated, under employed, and under paid. We'll hear how economic malaise in Jordan and Lebanon shrinks expectations as well as pocketbooks. And we'll crash a Moroccan wedding to ask shortchanged youth about the extended "waithood" period that now precedes marriage.

Underreported: Guinea-Bissau's Cocaine Coast

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 23:12:05 -0400

For today's second Underreported segment, James Traub, a contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine, tells us about Guinea-Bissau and the West African drug trade. His article "Africa's Drug Problem" appeared in the New York Times in April.

Underreported: Human Egg Trafficking

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 23:11:31 -0400

On today's first Underreported segment, Scott Carney, contributing editor at WIRED Magazine, tells us about the rise in human egg trafficking in Cyprus and Spain, and how loose regulations for egg donation and IVF in certain countries are resulting in a global egg trade. His article “Unpacking the Global Human Egg Trade” appears in the September issue of Fast Company.

Steve Rosenbaum on the Memorial at Ground Zero

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 23:09:43 -0400

Documentarian Steve Rosenbaum discusses his project: videotaping and photographing construction at the memorial center at Ground Zero. He’s also the director of the acclaimed documentary film "7 Days in September," which combined his own video footage with donated video footage of New Yorkers dealing with the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

Memorial Music

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 22:59:25 -0400

Guest host Elliott Forrest fills in for Leonard Lopate. On today’s show: We’ll take a peek inside the upcoming memorial at Ground Zero with documentarian Steven Rosenbaum. Then, legendary jazz drummer Roy Haynes talks about his Lincoln Center performance. Also, Grammy Award-winning singer Angelique Kidjo talks about her career and new album. Plus, our latest Underreported segments are on human egg trafficking and the cocaine trade in Guinea-Bissau.

The Early Word for Thursday, September 9, 2010

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 22:56:09 -0400

Real World Politics

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 22:25:49 -0400

Activist and Real World alum Kevin Powell wants to unseat incumbent congressman Ed Towns in Brooklyn's 10th district -- hear both candidates make their case before Tuesday's primary vote. Plus Clarence Page on the intersection of Chicago and White House politics; higher education; and more Map Your Moves visualizations.

Angelique Kidjo

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 17:50:55 -0400

Grammy Award-winning artist Angelique Kidjo talks about her career as a singer-songwriter, and her latest album, “Oyo,” which embraces rhythm & blues, soul music, jazz, and Beniese melodies. The album features interpretations of songs from artists as diverse as James Brown, Otis Redding, Miriam Makeba, and Santana, and includes guests: John Legend, Bono, Roy Hargrove and Dianne Reeves.

Roy Haynes

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 17:50:04 -0400

Jazz master and Grammy Award-winning drummer Roy Haynes talks about his career, which began with an apprenticeship with Charlie Parker and Sarah Vaughan, and he discusses his performance at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Music Is a Building

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:26:35 -0400

The late John Cage once said, “Everything you do is music, and everywhere is the best seat.” Architect and composer Christopher Janney’s latest art installation is called “Everywhere Is The Best Seat,” and he joins us to talk about sound art, sonic architecture, and Cage's legacy.

"Everywhere Is The Best Seat" is on view through Nov. 14, 2010 at Montclair State University. For more information, click here.

Sound and Spaces

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:24:47 -0400

Artist Christopher Janney is known for finding common ground between architecture and music. Today: Janney joins us to talk about his work, including a new installation in New Jersey inspired by the late composer John Cage. Later: the band Ozomatli is inspired by myriad genres from its hometown, Los Angeles. The group joins us to play live in the studio.

In Studio: Ozomatli

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:22:53 -0400

The concept behind Los Angeles-based rock group Ozomatli is to combine every sound and style one would hear when driving through the tough neighborhoods of East Los Angeles and bring it to the world. As a result, their music fuses rock and hip hop with various Latin styles. They play live for us in the studio.

Map Your Moves Data Visualization Challenge

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:28:08 -0400

Danny Sheehan and Craig Limbert talk about the thrills and challenges in making data visual.

The Freshman Class

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:14:43 -0400

As part of our ongoing series on learning, New York Times reporter Tamar Lewin discusses higher education.

Rebuilding Ground Zero

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 14:52:41 -0400

New York Times reporter David Dunlop updates the rebuilding efforts at the World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan, nine years after the attacks.

Will Rahm Run?

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 14:23:34 -0400

Clarence Page, syndicated columnist for the Chicago Tribune, Newsday and other national publications, talks about the possibility of Rahm Emanuel running for mayor of Chicago and other political news.

Meet the Candidates: New York's 10th U.S. Congressional District

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:30:27 -0400

Edolphus Towns, U.S. Congressman representing the 10th District in New York, and Kevin Powell, candidate for Congress, discuss their bid for NY's 10th Congressional District seat.

Bullhorn: Term Limits Are Part of the Solution

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

To help us launch It’s A Free Country, we reached out to politicians, academics, cultural thinkers, and activists to help us define our mission. The question we asked is simple: “What’s Broken in Politics, and How Do We Fix It?” This is Gerson Borrero's answer.

If we lend credence to recent polls, then voters in New York are set to punish one of the most dysfunctional state legislatures in the nation. September 14 is the first shot the electorate gets to settle the score with those that shamed us by turning Albany into a circus. And yet when one peruses how many in the Senate or Assembly are facing opposition from within their own parties, reality sets in.

Neither Democrat nor Republican incumbents are facing much opposition. The majority of the 62 seats in the Senate and 150 in the Assembly are safe. History is also on their side. According to the civic group Citizens Union, at least 90% of state legislative incumbents have been re-elected in the last decade.

So, the outcry for vengeance found by pollsters and reported ad nauseum by the media looks to be in vain. The screams of “Let’s throw the bums out!” will get lost into the wilderness.

What isn’t up for debate is how repugnant the majority of voters feel about incumbents. The most ardent supporters of the status quo have said little or nothing to defend the malady of incumbency that has taken over our democracy.

And I believe there is a solution. Term limits would be the first sure step towards returning a representative system back into the hands of the voters. The overhaul should include every elected office of our government.

Let’s begin in Washington, by limiting the Presidency to one six-year term. We have witnessed the best-intentioned man be sworn in after having promised to do things differently, only to get bogged down by the business-as-usual Washington chain of command. We have also seen in full form the enslavement of Presidents to the tyranny of re-election. The pursuit of dollars to finance a second term consumes the Chief Executive office.

From DC to the fifty states we would travel. Terms in the House of Representatives should be restricted to five two-year terms. Ten years are more than enough for a Member of Congress to do right by their constituents back home. Senators should be kept to two six-year terms. There are certainly exceptions of accomplished Senators, but the majority could do what is needed during the allotted two terms and be removed before they succumb to temptation.

Irrespective of where one stands on the ethics charges leveled against Representative Charles B. Rangel, the 20-term incumbent, he stands out as a leading example for limiting the terms in office of all elected officials. Rangel has been a member of the House since 1971. He chaired the powerful Ways & Means Committee since 2007, before been forced to step down this year. Intentionally or not, the arrogance of absolute and unchallenged power is partially responsible for Rangel’s embarrassing twilight years.

The poster boy for term limits on the Republican side is none other than Joseph L. Bruno. Now convicted of mail and wire fraud, the ex-Majority Leader was first elected in 1976 and was a Senator in the New York State Legislature until 2008. NYS Legislators should serve no more than six years. Period. Or would anyone want to risk having Pedro Espada, Jr. in Albany for another 10 years?

And finally, once we commit to term limits, we should make sure they stick. In 2009, we all witnessed the most egregious flipping of the bird by a legislative body against the will of those they purport to represent. The New York City Council Speaker delivered the majority of votes that the Mayor needed to overturn two resounding mandates from voters to limit him to two four-year terms their service.

Some could argue that in November of 2009 the voters approved the chanchullo (trickery) of the entrenched politicians by reelecting Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Speaker Christine Quinn and the Council. I argue that there has to be a way that, once approved, term limits should be immune to political machinations.

The current system has proven ineffective. The only way to throw the bums out is to escort them to the door. Let's Term Limit them out. Adios, bandidos!

Gerson Borrero is a columnist for El Diario La Prensa and blogs at borreroreport.com.

Bullhorn: John McWhorter on All Talk, and No Writing, in Politics

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

There is an element of ahistoricism in the idea that American politics is uniquely “broken” today. The forward-looking essence to the American spirit discourages the near-obsessive focus on past slights and failures that can hobble a culture. However, it also encourages a sense that what is striking or disturbing is also a novelty, when quite often it is not.

The period in our history in which politics was reflective, courteous and nuanced is elusive. Congressmen like Daniel C. Calhoun, enshrined as a bewhiskered orator in portraits, was nakedly on the take. The reason most of us have trouble naming the Presidents between Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln is that they were mostly compromise candidates chosen to mind the store as inoffensively as possible, not leaders or innovators.

For most of the twentieth century, bigoted Southern senators essentially ran the country from their committee posts (Mississippi’s James Vardaman: “If it is necessary every Negro in the state will be lynched”). Few up to this point thought of our government as especially gifted at getting serious things done. And when this changed amidst Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, his efforts were as lustily despised by many as Barack Obama’s, complete with deathless rumors that he was secretly Jewish.

The old days live largely as paintings and photos full of people in formal dress and writings cast in impersonal prose. We can’t hear the sneers or watch the stasis of bygone Congressional debates. We can’t watch a living, breathing blank slate like Millard Fillmore and take in the cynicism of those who elected him. And in any case, we are not ones for looking back: the musical 1776, the History Channel, Ken Burns – these are dessert for most of us, not mother’s milk.

Veteran Congress members ruefully recall when there was more cooperation across the aisle. This was, however, an unusual and brief interregnum in the wake of the sixties, when Lyndon Johnson forged such cooperation by the force of his will to pass the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts. As shortly before this as the post-war forties, a political film like State of the Nation depicts a norm familiar to us, where Democrats and Republicans treating one another as practically different species.

What animates those appalled at our current situation is the escalation of polarization. We are apparently living in echo chambers of like-minded people, hewing to publications and websites confirming our biases, and eternally angry. It is unclear that this was not true during the Nixon and Reagan Administrations either, but to the extent that the national conversation seems uniquely coarse and closed-minded now, the reason is technology.

Language exists in two forms in modern civilizations: speech and writing. Writing is produced and received more slowly and deliberately than speech. It encourages reflection, structured argument, and objectivity. It is, compared to speech, cool.

Writing once mediated between people in politics more than it does today. Even speeches were couched in writing-style prose, as most Americans were expected to engage political speeches on the page – technology didn’t allow all Americans to see politicians speaking live at the press of a button. Without amplification, public language had to be more careful and explicit – one could not stand before a crowd and “just talk.” Public language had to be like the public dress of the period: effortful. Even Millard Fillmore’s inaugural address reads like Virgil.

It is no accident that the shrillness of political conversation has increased just as broadband and YouTube have become staples of American life. The internet brings us back to the linguistic culture our species arose in – all about speech: live, emotional, unreflective, and punchy. One no longer needs to read, and because it has always been an artificial activity that a great many do not genuinely enjoy for long, a call to the oral is happily heeded by millions.

Hence the slogan trumps the argument; anger, often of hazy source but ever cathartic (“I want my country back”) takes fire – with all of this reinforced by the synergy of on line “communities” stoking up a passion and scale that snail mail circulars could never create.

The reason that in the old days no political candidate taken seriously tossed off the likes of “Don’t retreat, reload” as a prime calling card was that America was still a culture of formal rhetoric, descendant from a tradition that began with the carefully honed oratorical skills of Ancient Greeks. With broadband and YouTube, the only question is why a culture of written-style language would persist.

John McWhorter is a contributing editor at City Journal and The New Republic and is a lecturer at Columbia University. His latest book was Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: Untold Stories in the History of English.

Former Police Officer Charged with Manslaughter in Drunk Driving Crash

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:00:01 -0400

A former city police officer pleaded guilty to a charge of vehicular manslaughter, after he struck and killed a woman in Brooklyn while driving drunk. Immediately after he pleaded guilty, the former officer, Andrew Kelly approached the father of the victim, Vionique Valnord, and they shook hands.

Sanford Rubenstein, attorney for the Valnord family, said they are pleased.

"The family believes the important part of this plea of guilty to a felony, is that he accepted responsibility for what he did. That was what was important to this family," Rubenstein says.

Sentencing for Kelly will be later this month, but the judge says the former cop will serve 90 days in jail, and will be on probation for five years. He'll also complete an alcohol rehabilitation program.

HUD Announces New Round of Foreclosure Relief

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:55:11 -0400

New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are among the recipients of a new round of federal funding aimed at helping with the housing foreclosure crisis.

New York will receive a total of about $20 million. New Jersey will get more than $11 million -- $2 million of that to Newark alone. And more than $9 million will go to Connecticut.

The money will be used to redevelop foreclosed properties, and put them back on the market. It also provides funding for new homeowner counseling programs, to help prevent future foreclosures.

MTA Unveils New Service Change Signs

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:20:39 -0400

Subway service change signs have a new look. The MTA is unveiling new posters that will present all service changes throughout the system on a single sheet. They will be located at turnstiles, columns, subway entrances and at the exits of the affected stations.

"We are out there on nights and weekends performing the vital work necessary to keep the New York City subway operating safely and efficiently," said NYC Transit President Thomas Prendergrast, in a statement announcing the new signs. "Performing that work, however, is no excuse for forcing our customers to hunt for service information."

The new signs will include bright symbols to indicate daily, nightly and weekend service changes. They'll also offer commuters options for alternative routes. The MTA will begin posting the new signs next Thursday.

Financial 411: The Northeast Cap-and-Trade System

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:13:43 -0400

President Barack Obama traveled to Ohio today to stump for a series of proposals planned to spur economic growth. He also used the opportunity to criticize Republicans for policies he said "led to this mess in the first place."

"Do we return to the same failed policies that ran our economy into a ditch, or do we keep moving forward with policies that are slowly pulling us out?" the president asked.

The president outlined plans to provide $50 billion for infrastructure projects, permanently extend a tax credit for research and development, and allow businesses to write off all expenses for investments in equipment and plants. He also prodded Republicans in Congress to approve a stalled package of benefits for small businesses.

During the speech, the president also argued that soon-to-expire tax cuts should only be extended for individuals making less than $200,000 a year and families earning less than $250,000.

The president made his proposals after a new survey confirmed that the economic recovery slowed and spread to more regions of the country this summer. The report from Federal Reserve found that here, in New York City, retailers reported a drop in sales. And throughout the state, factories orders were down, and housing and commercial real-estate markets were weak.

But there's perhaps a positive sign for those seeking work. The number of job openings jumped last month by six percent, to the highest level since April of this year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also found that competition for those jobs is tough. With so many unemployed, there are just under five unemployed people for each job available.

The markets were up at the end of the day. The Dow gained 46 points to close at 10,387. The Nasdaq closed at 2,229, up 20 points.

Protestors Rally Against Cap-and-Trade

Hundreds of angry protesters, many of them self-described Tea Party activists, rallied in lower Manhattan today, and it wasn't about the Islamic Center and Mosque near Ground Zero. Instead, they're taking aim at cap-and-trade, an auction-based system in ten northeast states that regulates greenhouse gas emissions.

Nancy Cagliostro, from Homdel, New Jersey, wants Gov. Chris Christie to take her state out of the Northeast cap-and-trade system. "It will cost us lots of money, to the individual American taxpayer, at a time when we're all just trying to keep our head above water," she said.

WNYC's Ilya Marritz was at the protest, and he's been covering this issue:

We've talked about cap and trade before, but let's just do a quick refresher. This is a system in ten Northeast states, including New York and New Jersey, where power companies are required to buy permits to match their total emissions of greenhouse gases. And they buy these permits at auctions.

The auctions are conducted electronically, and one of them happened today, which was the occasion for the protest. The goal is to reduce emissions ten percent in ten years. And the way that the designers of this program think it can be effective, is the bidding process for permits puts up the price of carbon emissions, that puts pressure on power plants to use less polluting fuels -- less coal, for example. The proceeds of the auctions then get plowed back into efficiency programs, conservation programs, that can make our states even more energy-efficient.

If this has been going on since 2008, why the protests now?

If you think back to last spring, when New Jersey was in a real fiscal pickle, and Gov. Christie was looking for ways to plug the budget deficit, one place that he looked was the proceeds of the auctions. And he took $65 million from that pot of money, that was supposed to go for efficiency, and he used it to help balance the budget deficit. That's the moment when this group, Americans for Prosperity, which had the protest today, learned about the cap-and-trade system. They were appalled, they didn't like these kind of big government programs anyway, and they said the fact that Trenton was raiding an environmental pot of money just for normal operations shows that what it really is, is a tax and nothing more.

And I understand Gov. David Paterson did something similar in New York, right?

Right, that happened in New York as well, and I believe it happened in Maryland as well. So a lot of states are under pressure right now, and they're looking for money any place they can get it.

Is there any likelihood New Jersey would leave the cap and trade system?

I don't think so. There are bills in the Senate and Assembly, but they don't have a lot of support right now, and Gov. Christie is on the record as a strong supporter of cap-and-trade.

If there's no action on this, could this be an issue Tea Party followers and others will latch on to?

Absolutely, if you think back to last summer when the House of Representatives was talking about a proposed cap-and-trade system, you started hearing a lot about cap-and-tax, and people were very angry. But what's interesting here is this is the first time that I've seen activists latch on to the existing northeast cap-and-trade program. This is something that exists, it's actually already showed results. Environmentalists would say the results are very good. The activists would say the results are pretty bad. I would say they have seized on the complexity of this system of auctions to get people concerned about what's really going on there, and whether this is really benefiting the citizens of New Jersey and New York.

Survey Finds Many Subway 'Panic Bars' are Misused

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:10:22 -0400

Subway riders set off alarms on emergency exits at subway stations so frequently that they are ignored or even disabled.

That's the conclusion of a survey by the New York City Transit Riders Council, a publicly-funded watchdog group. Members observed 19 different exit points around the city and found that on average, 60 people use the exit gates illegally each hour.

During one rush hour, the council counted 329 people going through the exit gates at 79th Street on the Number 1 line.

Council President Andrew Albert says the gates allow people to enter without paying a fare, but the bigger problem is that the alarms serve no purpose and add to noise pollution. He suggests installing more floor-to-ceiling turnstiles.

A spokesman for New York City Transit says the gates allow passengers to exit quickly in the case of an emergency, and that their misuse can result in arrest and criminal prosecution.

Mirror Visions Ensemble and Chef Dan Barber

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:58:03 -0400

From Bach’s Coffee Cantata to Leonard Bernstein's song "Plum Pudding," food and classical music have long intersected. Today, the Mirror Visions Ensemble join us to preview Richard Pearson Thomas's “know thy farmer,” a new cantata based on menus from chef Dan Barber 's Blue Hill restaurant.

Barber is a proponent of the "farm-to-table" philosophy, which encourages the use of ingredients from local farms, as well as from pastures and fields near the restaurant. He joins us by phone to talk about the piece (and the menus that inspired it).

The Mirror Visions Ensemble and executive chef Dan Barber will appear at Le Poisson Rouge on Monday, Sept. 13 at 6:30 p.m. More information here.

The Gurus of How-To

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:48:54 -0400

Larry Ubell and Al Ubell, the Gurus of How-To, answer your questions about home repair. Call 212-433-9692 with your questions or leave a comment.

Sailing Solo

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:47:50 -0400

Sixteen-year-old Jessica Watson talks about being the youngest person to sail solo, unassisted, and nonstop around the world—a 210-day journey of more than 22,000 nautical miles. In True Spirit: The True Story of a 16-Year-Old Australian Who Sailed Solo, Nonstop, and Unassisted Around the World, she describes her voyage in a 33-foot boat, and how she prepared for it.

Why the World Looks Different through Other Languages

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:45:49 -0400

Acclaimed linguist Guy Deutscher looks at the thorny question of how—and if—culture and language shape each other. His new book Through the Language Glass: Why the World Looks Different through Other Languages re-examines the long discredited belief that our native tongues influence the way we see the world. He argues that the words we have and expressions we use can profoundly shape our understanding of everything: from color, to gender to morals.

Bob Dylan Through History

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:38:19 -0400

A new book about Bob Dylan tells the songwriter's story through the Beat Generation and the Popular Front political movement -- as well as the author's own life. Princeton University history professor Sean Wilentz joins us to talk about Bob Dylan in America. Later: the Mirror Visions Ensemble preview a new cantata inspired by a local restaurant's "farm-to-table" philosophy.

9/11 Health Bill Up for Second Vote

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:25:07 -0400

A bill that would provide medical treatment and compensation for sickened workers during the clean up of the World Trade Center site is expected to come up for a second vote on Capital Hill. The bill would provide $7.4 million for the sick workers.

Congressman Anthony Weiner says 900 people have died since 9/11 from diseases related to Ground Zero dust and they should also be recognized.

"They are just as much of a hero as the people that we are going to solemnly memorialize this week on September 11th events. There is no reason why we should not be treating them like the heroes that they are," Weiner says.

Congressman Peter King say this time the bill must pass. "We have to alleviate that suffering, provide them with the healthcare that they need and it's absolute moral obligations we have as members of congress to get this done," King says.

Manhattan Democratic Congress members Carolyn Maloney and Jerrold Nadler say this time, the bill will be submitted under what's called "regular order," where only a simple majority of 218 votes are needed for it to pass. The Zadroga Act, named for the late firefighter James Zadroga, failed in July after Democrats used a procedural move to get the bill to the floor while blocking potential amendments. That move required a two-thirds majority to pass the bill, which it did not achieve. Nadler and Maloney say the 255 votes the bill did get show that it has more than enough support to pass if considered under regular order.

A Cultural History of Bob Dylan

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:21:55 -0400

Princeton University history professor Sean Wilentz has tackled major topics in books like The Rise of American Democracy and The Age of Reagan. His new book, Bob Dylan in America, explores one of the most complex figures in music.

The Greenwich Village-raised author joins us to talk about a cultural history that explores Dylan's connections to Aaron Copland, the Popular Front movement and more.

The Long Shot: Why Can’t US Tennis Fans Make a Buck Off the Open?

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:11:53 -0400

In England, any Tom, Dick, or Prince Harry can walk up to a window and hand over a stack of cash to a bookie for 11/2 odds on Stanislas Wawrinka. Betting on tennis is a treasured pastime that’s been part of British culture since, “forever!” says Graeme Sharpe, Media Relations Director of William Hill, a venerable betting house in London.

Over the course of the Wimbledon fortnight each year, gamblers can bet on anything from the final outcome of the men’s singles event to the rain on Center Court. It’s a multi-million dollar industry, yet nothing of the sort exits in New York—the greatest city in the world. So how come the British are so comfortable with gambling on tennis, whereas, in the United States the issue is taboo?

“Because it’s legal,” for one thing, says hall-of-fame tennis journalist, Bud Collins. “It’s a perfectly respectable thing!”

Americans are down-right squeamish about the subject, although the pretense seems to disappear when it comes to horse racing and lottery tickets, or football and basketball betting in legal gambling zones, like Las Vegas and Indian reservations. Could it be that tennis simply doesn’t occupy the same place in the national sports zeitgeist, the way, say, college men’s basketball does every March?

Obviously, there's a major conflict of interest for the players competing in any given tournament. All the major governing bodies of pro tennis (the ATP and WTA tours, the ITF and USTA, etc.) enforce strict zero tolerance laws regarding players gambling inclinations, a policy that has the support of 16-time Grand Slam champion, Roger Federer. The Swiss former #1 says, while he knows many fans bet on players around the world, he’s happier that it’s lower-key in the U.S.

“In England, they sometimes ask us or tell us what we think about the odds and stuff,” says Federer. “I prefer it when it's not so much out there. We don't like to see it in our game, especially from the player and media side and the entourage.”

Indeed, gone are the days when American icon, and notorious gambler, Bobby Riggs (best remembered for his loss to Billie Jean King in the 1973 classic "Battle of the Sexes") could triple his earnings for the year by betting on his own results. Although Riggs, in his autobiography, swears he never bet on himself to lose, therein lies the controversial dilemma clouding the issue.

This past Wimbledon, 12 players competing in the men's singles draw were placed on a "watch list" due to previous involvement in matches where betting and match-fixing were suspected. Most of the list is composed of smaller-time players. The Independent, a well respected UK blog, ran an exclusive during Wimbledon that reported an investigation was underway into a first-round match between Spain's Oscar Hernandez and Austria's Daniel Koellerer at the Ordina Open in the Netherlands.

To help combat the “pandemic,” the governing bodies of pro tennis founded the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) in 2008 to monitor suspicious activity of the sort. Perhaps the biggest name in tennis under the vigilant eye of the TIU is Nikolay Davydenko of Russia, the country of origin most suspected of corruption.

In truth, gambling can become a serious affliction, an addiction that has ruined countless lives. It’s a legitimate illness, right up there with alcoholism, infidelity and other behavioral pathologies. But should a few bad apples spoil the fruits of a bet for everyone? I mean, no one's closing down the betting houses in London. And could one point to a better symbol of purity in sport than Wimbledon? Especially in this tainted era of performance-enhancing drugs? Indeed, Wimbledon remains the ultimate pillar of tennis virtue, the mecca of the game. Why, then, not let New Yorkers in on the racket?

Could betting on tennis actually benefit others?

In Kidlington, Oxfordshire, the BBC reported earlier this year that a man by the name of Nicholas Newlife left his entire estate when he died in 2009—which included a series of bets placed on Roger Federer, Andy Roddick and cricketer Ramnaresh Sarwan—to Oxfam, the leading UK charity to fight global poverty.

The first bet, placed in 2000 with bookmakers William Hill, was a £250, 66/1 long shot that Swiss Federer would win at least 14 grand slam titles before 2020. The gamble resulted in a £16,750 payday to the altruistic charity. Unfortunately for Oxfam, Newlife missed the opportunity to tack on an addition £100,000 after Federer failed to win Wimbledon this year.

Admittedly, this happy-ending story is a betting anomaly, not the norm. Even the most seasoned gamblers usually admit they mostly lose. But that doesn’t stop the Brits!

The might of the tennis gaming industry in Britain borders on shocking. In fact, it’s considered a noble trade. The revenue generated during Wimbledon totals eight figures at William Hill alone. “We are a perfectly respectable, well established and regulated business, subject to the same kind of taxes as any other business,” says Sharpe of William Hill.

Gamblers can place bets online with the bookmaker from all around the world, and in Great Britain, bets can be placed at any one of their 2300 High Street shops, so long as you’re not American.

“We will not take bets from potential clients with U.S. addresses,” says Sharpe. “Your government does not want U.S. citizens to bet with foreign online bookmakers. We abide by that decision and do not take bets from those with U.S. addresses.”

In the USTA media center at the U.S. Open, located at the base of Arthur Ashe Stadium, I attempted to visit William Hill online to see what all the fuss was about. To my surprise, my web browser was blocked from accessing the site by the USTA’s server. When I asked USTA Communications Director, Chris Widmaier why I couldn’t check out the British site, he reiterated the USTA’s zero-tolerance policy with respect to gambling on tennis, especially on the U.S. Open premises.

Needless to say, I used my computer at home to get the skinny on the odds. Frankly, I was a bit overwhelmed by the countless ways I could bet on tennis. It took a while to wrap my puritanical mind around the seemingly thriving industry. One can make all sorts of tennis wagers, including on the U.S. Open.

For example, in the match-up between Paul-Henri Mathieu vs. Roger Federer this past Saturday, a gambler could place a 10/1 bet on Mathieu, meaning the odds makers gave the Frenchman a 9.09 percent chance of upsetting Federer. So if Mathieu miraculously pulled-off the feat, those who bet against the Swiss, could stand to make some money. Bets in favor of the world no. 2 would net you very little, however. The odds of Federer winning were 1/33. That’s a 97.08 percent probability that Federer wouldn’t lose.

Compare Federer’s stakes to the highly anticipated match that preceded his Mathieu thrashing between American, upstart Beatrice Capra and Maria Sharapova. A gamer could roll the dice 16/1 on Capra (a 5.88 percent chance of winning) or 1/100 on Sharapova (99 percent certain to win). But that’s not all you can bet on!

One can dabble in set and tie break markets as well. For instance, one could have bet on possible first set, game 7 outcomes. In the Capra/Sharapova match, odds on the game totaling under 6 points were: 13/10, exactly 6 points: 15/8, over 6 points: 15/8. Odds of the first set going to a tie breaker were: 40/1 – Yes; 1/1000 – No. Translation: an ice cube’s chance in Haiti.

In addition to head-to-head wagers, one can put money on “bundled” specials. Hill’s Sunday Men’s Bet Bundle threw Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, David Ferrer, David Nalbandian and Sam Querrey all into a pot to win at 9/4 odds. That’s just over a 30 percent chance of success, and if you took it, you lost.

“I didn't even know it existed until a few years ago,” professes Federer about the prospects of tennis gambling. “I know it's naïve, but, honestly, I have no clue how much is going on.”

But regardless of its reach throughout the rest of the world, as it stands now, if you want to bet on tennis in the U.S., you’ll have to go to Vegas.

Celena Haas, Director of Public Relations for Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, says the American gaming giant accepts limited tennis wagers. “Usually just major events like [the] French Open, U.S. Open, Australia Open, Wimbledon,” says Haas.

For a state struggling to balance its budget, perhaps it might be worth New York Gov.David Paterson’s time in his waning days in office, to commission a blue-ribbon panel to look into the potential fiscal gains of passing a two week gaming holiday during the U.S. Open.

If it were legal, would William Hill ever consider opening up shop in the Big Apple?

“We would prefer to be able to take online bets from U.S. clients,” says Sharpe, “but might well consider a branch in Times Square, given the opportunity. Why should Americans be deprived of the top quality betting service readily available to Brits?”

Well put.

Below is a small sample of odds to win this year’s U.S. Open, as of Tuesday, September 7, 2010, 1:38 PM, courtesy of William Hill:

Kim Clijsters – 1/5

Francesca Schiavone – 7/4

Samantha Stosur – 10/3 (this is where the money can be made)

As for world #1 Rafael Nadal: How many sets will he need to win?

Straight Sets – 4/11

Three sets to one – 10/3

Five sets – 9/1

Death Jazz Piano Trio

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:11:35 -0400

For this New Sounds, London-based death-jazz band The Neil Cowley Trio stopped by the studio on their first US tour. Listen to their incredibly tight and thoughtful originals like "His Nibs" and "She Eats Flies" performed live on this program. It's some groove-based post-jazz with an Eastern edge that demands your attention. RIYL: the Bad Plus, Shostakovich, Madness, thrash-punk, Thelonious Monk, The Sex Pistols, Philip Glass.

PROGRAM # 2949 The Neil Cowley Trio, live (First aired on Tues. 6/16/09)

ARTIST(S)	RECORDING	CUT(S)	SOURCE
The Neil Cowley Trio	Loud, Louder, Stop	Dinosaur Die, excerpt [1:30]	CAKE #78551 www.cakemusic.co.uk
The Neil Cowley Trio	Live, WNYC	His Nibs [4:00] Radio Silence [5:00] How do we catch up [6:00] She eats flies [7:30]	These performances not available. “His Nibs” appears on their commercial release “Loud, Louder, Stop” (see above.) “How do we catch up” and “She eats flies” are on “Displaced,” www.hideinsiderecords.com More info at www.neilcowleytrio.com
The Neil Cowley Trio	Loud, Louder, Stop	Dinosaur Die, excerpt [1:00]	See above.
The Necks	The Boys	The Boys I [4:27]	ReR NECKS4 www.rermegacorp.com www.thenecks.com
Medeski, Martin & Wood	Radiolarians I	Hidden Moon [6:43]	Indirecto Records 04 www.mmw.net, www.medeskimartinandwood.com
The Necks	The Boys	He Led Them Into the World, excerpt [6:30]	See above.

Chancellor Tells Students, and Media, Not to Worry About Critics

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 16:32:50 -0400

On his annual five borough tour for the opening of the city's public schools, Chancellor Joel Klein picked Queens Gateway for Health Sciences as his second stop. The secondary school serving grades 7-12 had just moved to a brand new building in Hillcrest.

While touring the school with a few well-groomed seniors, Klein stopped to watch an 8th grade social studies class. A couple of students gave a presentation on the life of President Theodore Roosevelt they had prepared during summer school. The students had a poster full of biographical information and mentioned that the phrase "Teddy Bear" came from a story about Roosevelt not shooting a bear.

When they were done, Klein dug his wallet out of his pants pocket and opened a piece of paper with a quote from Roosevelt. "I didn't do this just for today," he said, before going on to tell them, "I always carry some lines from a speech that Theodore Roosevelt gave at the Sorbonne in France. He was one of my favorite presidents."

Klein -- who worked for President Clinton's Justice Department as the lead trust-buster in the case against Microsoft -- noted that Roosevelt enforced laws against monopolies and was also a defender of the environment. Then he explained the quote.

"Theodore Roosevelt gave a speech at the Sorbonne in which he said 'It's not the critic who counts, not the man or woman who points out how the strong man stumbles or whether the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust, sweat and blood. Who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again because there is no effort without error or shortcoming. Who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions. Who spends himself or herself on a worthy cause.'

"What do you think that means?" Klein asked the students.

The reporters had some idea. Klein has come under scrutiny lately following the double digit decline in student proficiency on this year's state's math and reading tests. The decline happened everywhere in New York after the state made it harder to pass the tests as part of its push toward higher standards.

The students, of course, didn't know about the background politics. So Klein told them "It's one of the most powerful speeches and I read it whenever I do a high school or college graduation. I read it 'cause the real message is that leadership -- getting into the arena, which is tough, you have a lot of critics, really matters. The kind of society we have depends on real leadership on people willing to stand up and fight for the things they care about. And it's never going to be easy, is what Roosevelt is saying. And you'll always have lots of people who criticize you. But it's really important because in terms of the life you live and the preparation you have here, which is such a great school, we need your engagement, your leadership."

Afterwards, Klein told reporters it was a coincidence that the students had been studying Roosevelt and said he really does carry around the quote. He said he also carries one from The New York Times about whether you need to fix poverty before fixing education or the other way around.

Which brings us to Klein's other message on opening day, for students and for the rest of the city. In a year when schools have cut another four percent from their budgets, on average, he said money alone wasn't the answer to improving public education. Speaking with reporters in a press van between Queens and his next stop, at a charter school in the Bronx, the chancellor conceded he would love to have more money. But he pointed to his earlier visit at PS 172 in Sunset Park as an example of a school with high academics despite not getting much extra aid from the state. The school gets federal poverty money because of its low-income students, but it doesn't get the additonal funds awarded to low-performing schools.

When asked if the city would devote any extra resources to the 19 failing schools he had wanted to begin closing this fall before he was blocked by a lawsuit, Klein said the solution for schools like that is to replace them with better schools because they've already gotten additional funds and made no improvements. "If I can get additonal monies I'm always happy," he said. "But schools like that have gotten plenty of (state) SURR money (for schools under registration review), and other SINI money (for schools in need of improvement), stuff like that. So it's not about the money."

Later, Klein gave a similar message at the Bronx Charter School for Excellence, where 280 elementary students are squeezed into a small former police precinct. The school has an average class size of 28 students and very high scores. Speaking to a fourth grade class he said "We'd like to have smaller classes, we'd like to have more additional resources. But in the meantime when I see a school like yours get really good results it makes me so proud. I keep telling other people to learn from the things that you're doing."

Guest Picks: Jessica Watson

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:08:31 -0400

Find out some of Jessica Watson's favorite picks after she came on The Leonard Lopate Show

What are you listening to right now?

“Songs from the Pink Lady” – a compilation CD of all my fav songs from while I was out at sea

What’s the last great book you read?

Campaign Ruby by Jessica Rudd

What’s one thing you are a fan of that people might not expect?

Peanut butter and jelly, huge fan!!

If you only had one day left, how would you spend it in New York City?

Sailing the Hudson and spending time in Central Park

Great Adventure

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:14:26 -0400

Elliott Forrest fills in for Leonard Lopate. On today’s show: We'll find out how the language we speak shapes the way we think. Then, Lisa Birnbach looks at how the preppy world has changed over the past 30 years. And 17-year-old Jessica Watson talks about being the youngest person to sail solo around the world. Plus, the gurus of how-to, Al & Larry Ubell, answer your home repair questions!

Politics Behind Policy

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:36:26 -0400

Mark Alexander, former Obama advisor and Professor of Law at Seton Hall University Law School, on his blog post on WNYC's new politics blog Its A Free Country, about Obama's shift from campaigning to governing. Then Gus Faucher, economist at Moody’s, joins the conversation to discuss Obama's policy proposals this week and the politics behind them.

Sparks Fly as Democratic AG Candidates Debate

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:13:17 -0400

Welcome to Politics Bites, where every afternoon at It's A Free Country we bring you the unmissable quotes from the morning's political conversations on WNYC.

With the New York Attorney General Democtratic Primaries less than a week away, the Brian Lehrer Show hosted a debate between all five candidates. Taking the stage were Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, former federal prosecutor Sean Coffey, former state insurance superintendent Eric Dinallo, Assemblyman Richard Brodsky and State Senator Eric Schneiderman.

In one of the first questions of the morning, WNYC's political reporter Bob Hennelly made reference to an earlier debate in which District Attorney Rice said there could be an instance as Attorney General when she might not defend an existing state law if she finds it discriminatory. She used the federal Defense of Marriage Act as an example. Some of her fellow candidates took issue with this saying the Attorney General is duty bound to defend all state laws. So, how do the candidates plan to balance the personal ethical imperative with their professional obligations if elected?

Rice stood by her previous statement, saying that there are times when it is necessary to take this "courageous" step:

I don't think it's something that happens very often. But there's a difference between enforcing the law and defending the law and yes, I will enforce the law as the Attorney General, but it's very difficult to defend a law that at it's core is unconstitutional because it discriminates against one or more people.

Brodsky sees this use of conscience as a dangerous precedent.

Two attorney generals ago, we had an Attorney General who was opposed to reproductive freedom. He would have had a conscientious objection to defending laws of the state that guarantee women a right to reproductive choice. If we assert the principle that Ms. Rice, with whom I agree on the merits of her position, can decide not to defend that law because that's her political view, then when we elect, if that ever were to happen an anti-choice attorney general, that law's out the window. That is not the job of the Attorney General. We are the lawyer for the state and lawyers represent people even when they've done deed we do not approve of. It is an extraordinarily dangerous path to tread.

Other candidates offered a glimpse into how they'd do the job. Dinallo offered a critique of how Governor Paterson was investigated by current attorney general and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo:

I don't think he had to refer the investigation into David Paterson to outside counsel. The governor had already said he was not going to stand for office again. I think people should know the office's investigations are done apolitically and he should have kept it.

This is the first critique from an attorney general candidate about Cuomo's work. Cuomo referred two investigations into the Governor Paterson - who is not seeking re-election - to outside investigators. Cuomo said he did this to avoid the appearance of impropriety, since he was looking to run for Paterson's seat.

All candidates went back and forth about who would best "clean up Albany" and who was more of an outsider than the other. Another inevitable topic of discussion was the Park51, the planned mosque and cultural center in Lower Manhattan, especially around Republican Candidate Rick Lazio's call for an investigation into the center's funding .

Brodsky took a slightly different stance than the others, arguing that because the attorney general will get this data as a "matter of course," he or she should scrutinize this data as they would with any other charitable organization. Coffey chimed in on behalf of himself and his other competitors:

We're not saying we won't look at it. We're saying that the attorney general has a great deal of power, power to upset lives by commencing an investigation. And there are four of us, the balance of the candidates here take the position, and I hope I can speak for you on this, that until you see smoke youdon't look for fire. You don't start an investigation just because there's a politically charged environment.

Senator Schneiderman took it one step further saying the attorney general's office should have a religious rights unit:

Prejudice against people based on religious observations is on the rise, Richard. And I agree with you that we should all be civil but there are folks in this debate who are acting out of rank prejudice and whether it's Orthodox Jews, Sieks or Muslims, we need a religious rights bureau of people with expertise in this area in the attorney general's office so that we can acknowledge the prejudice that's out there and we can address it more effectively.

The primary election for the Democratic Attorney General candidate will be held on September 14th. The winner of these elections will face Republican Dan Donovan in November.

(Disclosure: Schneiderman’s father, Irwin Scheniderman, who has been a significant donor to his son’s campaign, is a long-time member of the WNYC Board of Trustees and has been a generous donor to the station over the years.)

True Prep

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:08:02 -0400

Lisa Birnbach, the author of the best-selling phenomenon The Official Preppy Handbook which debuted thirty years ago, is back with an update. True Prep: It’s a Whole New Old World, designed by Chip Kidd, is a contemporary look at how the old guard preppies are adapting to the new order of things.

Bob Dylan's Painterly Side

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:53:16 -0400

There are many faces of Bob Dylan, but not many know of his work as a painter. Earlier this month, a new exhibition of Dylan's visual art opened at the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen, Denmark.Carolina Miranda of WNYC’s “Gallerina” art blog joins us to talk about the collection and its critical reception.

Imam Feisal: Onward

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 11:54:19 -0400

Just in case you missed it, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf emerged from his two-month silence on Park 51 with this op-ed in the NYT:

We are proceeding with the community center, Cordoba House. More important, we are doing so with the support of the downtown community, government at all levels and leaders from across the religious spectrum, who will be our partners. I am convinced that it is the right thing to do for many reasons.

What's that, you ask -- he's calling it Cordoba House? What happened to Park 51, the tony, rebranded name for the project? Amidst all the furor, perhaps this is a minor point. But still, it confuses.

One more thing: a fellow reporter pointed out that Rauf does not explicitly say the project is proceeding at the same location. Was that a simple oversight on his part, or should we interpret that to be the beginning of a rollout, announcing a new venue?

Personally, I didn't read it that way.

To say the project is going forward, in my opinion, while actually planning to move it, would feel like he's got his fingers crossed behind his back. After all, "The Project" is all about location right now, at least in terms of the public debate and the feelings of 9/11 family members who consider this an affront.

New York Public Radio Announces Deal with Freakonomics Co-Author

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 11:14:49 -0400

Freakonomics co-author Stephen J. Dubner has signed a production deal with New York Public Radio and American Public Media to start a new media project, called Freakonomics Radio.

The project will result in radio segments every other week on Marketplace, a national business and economics show that airs on nearly 400 public radio stations in the U.S. It will also produce a regular podcast and five hour-long radio specials over the coming year.

Freakonomics, written by Dubner and Steven Levitt, an economics professor at the University of Chicago, was first published in 2005 and has sold four million copies worldwide.

Collin Campbell, who has worked as a reporter and producer at WNYC and most recently helped launch Transportation Nation, a collaboration of public radio stations to cover transportation and infrastructure, will be Freakonomics Radio's executive producer.

The Real Bob Dylan

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 11:12:13 -0400

Gotta give Sean Wilentz credit – Bob Dylan In America avoids the black hole of Dylanologists, namely, straightforward biography. This is a guy who said he was raised in Gallup, New Mexico (people hung up on “facts” will say it was Hibbing, Minnesota) and learned songs by playing carnivals in the southwest - not by playing in bands in his high school, as the people who were there have repeatedly claimed.

Needless to say, Bob Dylan’s official website has no “Bio” link to click on.

I get the sense that whenever Dylan has talked, or written, about himself, he has treated his life as an old folk ballad – twisting the narrative to suit his needs, adding new verses and deleting some others, with no two tellings of the tale ever exactly the same. (That, after all, isn’t how folk music works.) But Wilentz’s book takes an interesting tack: approach the guy in the wider context of American popular music – that, after all, is where Dylan has always lived. And when he talks or writes about music, he means exactly what he says.

So by situating Dylan not in a series of clearly defined places and times (though some of them are clearly defined), but in the wider web of American musical culture, Wilentz comes close to giving us a glimpse at the “real Bob Dylan,” whatever that may be.

Is Bob Dylan a figure of musical history or musical legend? And does it matter? Leave a comment.

Bloomberg Defends Rights of Koran Burners

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:47:54 -0400

As Mayor Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein greeted students arriving at PS 172 in Sunset Park this morning, the mayor was asked about comments he made to the Daily News on Tuesday regarding the rights of members of a Florida church to burn copies of the Koran on September 11.

The mayor said their decision to burn the Koran is a disturbing one. But he defended his earlier comments, saying church members still have the right to do it. "The government can't stop you from burning a book. I said I thought it was distasteful, disrespectful and outrageous. I thought it jeopardizes this country and troops, but the Constitution protects it, and you either believe in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights or you don't. It's very simple."

When asked today about Imam Feisel Abdul Rauf's op-ed piece in the New York Times yesterday calling for support of the community center, Bloomberg said the decision to build or not to build is "not the government's business."

AG Democrats Debate

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:41:01 -0400

Five Democrats are vying for their party’s nomination for NYS Attorney General in the primary later this month. All the candidates – Richard Brodsky, Sean Coffey, Eric Dinallo, Kathleen Rice and Eric Schneiderman – debate live, in WNYC’s Greene Space. Plus: three more designers on their Map Your Moves submissions and how they each made all that information beautiful.

Live: Attorney General Candidate Debate

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:38:34 -0400

Live from WNYC's Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, a debate among the five candidates hoping to be the Democratic nominee for attorney general. The participants are: Westchester Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, former federal prosecutor Sean Coffey, former state insurance superintendent Eric Dinallo, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice and Manhattan State Senator Eric Schneiderman.

Suggest a question for the AG debate in the comments section below.

Map Your Moves: Tim Owens, Alexandra Muresan, and Scott Leta

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:08:41 -0400

The Brian Lehrer Show asked you to participate in the Map Your Moves project by telling us where you moved from and to and why in the past 10 years. Over 1600 listeners participated. Then, we asked you designer-types to try to make that information beautiful in whatever visual way you wanted. We got really impressive submissions, so we have invited each of the designers on the show to talk about their work. The first two to join us are Tim Owens, Alexandra Muresan and Scott Leta. They'll discuss how they made the Map Your Moves information beautiful and what they learned in the process.

Organizing at the Car Wash

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:45:38 -0400

Steven Greenhouse, New York Times labor and workplace correspondent and author of The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker, discusses his recent article on the unionization of carwash workers in Los Angeles.

School Opens in New York

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:21:20 -0400

It was an unusual start to the school year as classes began Wednesday in New York. They won't resume until next Monday, with students and teachers taking the rest of the week off for the Jewish New Year.

"I think it's exciting, we get to meet the kids and then we get a break to get into it," said math coach Angela Ventura as she stood outside watching children trickle into the building escorted by parents.

Some parents complained about the odd schedule and said they could have waited until Monday. But others said it was no big deal. "It's fine, it's ok. She's in kindergarten so she's only here for three hours," said Yacselin Lopez who was dropping off her five-year old daughter.

But one third grader said he didn't think he'd get much done today. "I like school, but I like vacation," said eight year old Dylan Canales, when asked if he would have preferred to wait until Monday.

Mayor Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein greeted students arriving for breakfast at P.S. 172 in Sunset Park at around 7:30 Wednesday. Chancellor Klein said he chose to make P.S. 172 the first stop on his annual five-borough tour for the first day of school because he wanted to "shine the spotlight on great work."

Ninety-five percent or more of the school's students were proficient on this year's state exams, even though scores fell throughout the city when the state made it harder to pass the tests. About 80 percent of the students at P.S. 172 get free or reduced lunch, and a third of the mostly Hispanic pupils are English Language Learners.

But Principal Spatola acknowledged the challenges ahead with four percent budget cuts on average this year. Spatola said he had to let go of two teachers and that class sizes would go up on average from 24 to 25 students, and more in some grades.

Math coach Ventura said there would be 26 students in the third grade classes, which had been about 20 students for years. But after years of additional money for city schools before the cuts of the past two years, Spatola said "we're still further ahead than ever before." And he pledged to continue the school's heavy focus on individualized instruction.

The budget isn't the only challenge this year. The city schools got a wake-up call when test scores fell dramatically on this year's state exams, because the state required students to get more questions right. New York is among many states moving toward tougher national standards. But in questions with reporters, Mayor Bloomberg adamantly defended the city's progress in education under his watch. He said graduation rates are up, adding they could still be higher, but "that's a challenge, not any reason to feel ashamed."

He said his main concern is "to stay the course." He added a dig at the media, saying "it's always easy to take shots and criticize." He noted that the city's schools have won praise from U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

The mayor was joined by a handful of Brooklyn politicians and Ernest Logan, president of the principals' union. He was not joined by United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew, who instead visited one of the 19 low-performing schools the city wanted to begin phasing out this fall before it was blocked by a lawsuit brought by the teachers union.

"We can't do everything together," Bloomberg said, when asked about Mulgrew's absence. Bloomberg also defended the city's attempt to close the 19 schools, which he said adding the only reason to keep them open would be "I guess if you wanted to hurt kids."

The city opened just under 1,700 schools today, including 126 charters. A total of 57 new schools opened today.