Uptown Radio

The Uncertain Future of a New York Disability Program by Uptown Radio

Before New York there was New Amsterdam. Dutch ships first arrived in the city’s port four hundred years ago in 1624. There are a number of events over the next two years commemorating this moment - most sponsored by the Dutch consulate. But as Marine Saint reports, an exhibition at the New York Historical Society, is struggling to acknowledge the ways the Dutch displaced the Lenape people.

Last Call at Staten Island's Oldest Bar by Uptown Radio

HOST: Sometimes we think about those we look up to as gods. Giulia Leo always saw her Italian grandmother as one. But what happens when your gods turn out not to be perfect?

LEO 1:

The gods of ancient Greece feasted on two heavenly victuals, ambrosia –their food, and nectar –their drink.

I was born and raised in Southern Italy, where we have our own version. Our ambrosia is panzerotti, deep-fried half-moons of dough stuffed with all kinds of fillings. Our nectar is Peroni beer, preferably one that’s sudata, or “sweaty.”

I wholeheartedly believed panzerotti had a divine quality to them. Perhaps because the person who’s always made them for me, my grandma –nonna Gianna –, was a god in my eyes.

I remember almost worshiping her skilled hands as she worked the dough. Once she had what looked like a thousand circles displayed in front of her, she would place the mozzarella and tomato sauce filling in their center with the precision of a surgeon. Then, she would wet her index finger with some water and gently press it along the edge of the dough. When she folded the dough into half moons, she inched her face toward the wooden working surface to make sure the two ends matched perfectly. She took particular pride in her sealing technique. It worked like magic, and it never, ever failed. Every time I ate panzerotti, it tasted like home.

Nonna Gianna was just as infallible as her panzerotti. Her short, dark-blonde hair was always flawlessly displayed in tight, hair-roller curls. Her house was spotless, the fancy and sparkly silverware showcased in large glass cabinets. But the most god-like thing about her was her calm and forgiving character. She didn’t scream at me if I broke one of her ceramic plates, or if I lost my monthly pocket money.

As I grew older, my life drifted further and further away from Southern Italy– first to Rome and then to New York City. Somewhere along the way, I realized my grandma isn’t as infinitely perfect as I once thought.

I would love to tell you there was one particular moment when the spell broke. But that wasn’t the case. It could have been the time I told her I found a boyfriend in the States, when her face turned pale and she asked with fear in her voice about the color of his skin. Or when I broke the news I would go to graduate school and she told me that if I was going all the way to New York, I might just as well be dead.

The thing is, ever since then, I became afraid that recognizing my nonna’s imperfections, turning her from god to human, would mean losing my special connection with her.

Lately, it’s become even harder not to see her as a mere mortal. Her health has been declining. Her vision has gotten blurry because of cataracts. She has carpal tunnel, and her hands have gotten numb and clumsy. And now, her panzerotti sealing technique, once infallible, has failed her.

When she makes panzerotti now, they don’t taste the same. Those once perfect half-moons now look more like shapeless blobs, the burned tomato sauce and mozzarella like black polka dots on their once-golden, once-spotless surface… But I’d eat them any day if I could.

I’ve realized I don’t need a god. Having the mortal love of my nonna is really all I need.

Sometimes, I still like to play pretend. I’ll sit down at the dining table and she’ll bring out a full tray of panzerotti just for me. And right then, it still feels like I’m about to take part in the feast of gods.

HOST: Giulia Leo has now mastered her grandma’s special technique.

HOST, CLAIRE DAVENPORT: Flaco, the owl who escaped from the Central Park Zoo last year, died in February. In Flaco’s 13 months of freedom, his story of survival captivated a lot of people. Since Flaco’s death, New Yorkers have come up with all sorts of ways to commemorate the bird.

HOST, PASCAL HOGUE: Some are so devoted to keeping the memory of Flaco alive they decided to get a reminder of him permanently inked on their skin. Giulia Leo attended the hottest — and arguably cutest — tattoo event of the season.

LEO 1:

A long line of people stretches between Freeman St. and Manhattan Ave despite the rain this morning. The line begins right outside East River Tattoo, a tattoo studio located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. And everybody is here for the same reason.

CONNELL 1:

Flaco the owl.

MITCHELL 1:

Flaco.

HOLLINGSWORTH 1:

Flaco.

LEO 2:

More specifically, they want to get Flaco permanently inked on their skin.

East River tattoo offers flash tattoo days every once in a while – they’re days where customers can pick between a limited selection of pre-made designs and get them tattooed for a discounted price.

And people are making all kinds of sacrifices to get inked from East River Tattoo artist Duke Riley.

LEO 3

You got here early, skipping work…

ANONYMOUS 1

Yeah I think for me I really appreciate Duke Riley as an artist. And I think it’s a really unique opportunity to get one of his designs on my body.

LEO 4:

Tattoos like this usually cost several hundreds dollars, but today, Flaco devotees pay 150 dollars. There is an option to get a tattoo of Flaco’s name, of his face, or of his full figure. When Charlie Connell looked at the designs available, he had no doubt.

CONNELL 2:

I want the chubby guy. I’m going with the chubby one, he’s all puffed out and looks somewhat angry.

LEO 5:

His reason for getting the tattoo?

CONNELL 3:

I like howls and Flaco was cool.

LEO 6:

To others, Flaco is not just a cool bird. What many find inspirational about his story is that Flaco, who lived in captivity at the zoo for a dozen years, was able to survive on his own for a full year outside of captivity. And although he could have gone back to the zoo because owls have the ability to orient themselves through mental maps, he chose to be on his own.

HOLLINGSWORTH 2:

I think it’s a sort of cultural phenomenon because people are looking at this story and applying it to their own life, trying to find ways that they can break free from their own kind of restraints and live the kind of life they want even if it means, as it was the case for Flaco, having some degree of compromise.

LEO 7:

That’s Jonathan Hollingsworth, and he came to the tattooing event to conduct his own research about Flaco. He is not getting a tattoo today, but he is a firm believer in the power of Flaco’s story.

LEO 8:

And so Flaco is both a human symbol but also a New York symbol?

HOLLINGSWORTH 3:

I think he’s a universal symbol. We New Yorkers cling to him as one of our own but, when we lost Flaco, his death wasn’t just here in the city but it was something that was felt around the world. People have been following this story for a year.

LEO 9:

Megan Mitchell agrees. She is from Glasgow, Scotland and she heard about the Flaco-themed event on the radio. She is only visiting New York, but she is no stranger to the story of Flaco.

MITCHELL 2:

I think the sparrow of Flaco flew across the whole of the world, straight to Scotland. And he was such a fater, and even toward the end of his days. He was just really raddled with it so much, but he just kept going.

LEO 10:

And where are you getting Flaco on your body, do you know?

MITCHELL 3:

I think I’ll get him on my arm so everyone can see him in the summer.

LEO 11:

And so Flaco will get to see another summer.

Giulia Leo, Columbia Radio News

Health People's Diabetes Education Initiative in the South Bronx by Uptown Radio

For a lot of us, ChatGPT has been our first introduction to the seeming magic of artificial intelligence. For news organizations, ChatGPT is only the tip of the iceberg. Big outlets like Bloomberg, the Washington Post and Reuters all have created their own AI tools, including ones that turn massive amounts of data into information in their reporting. But as Pascal Hogue reports, journalists are grappling with the ethics of using these new tools.

The 2024 election cycle is unique in at least one sense: it will be the first in the era of mainstream AI. That means uncharted waters, especially with the emergence of audio deepfakes that seem to be getting ever more sophisticated.

Pascal Hogue reports on managing the perils of AI during a Presidential election.

Desiree Nikfardjam tells us the story about how she tried to prove herself to everyone only to discover no one cared as much as her

A recent study from The Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film shows that women are still underrepresented behind the camera. Just over 20% of box office hits had women in lead production roles. But The Justice Film Festival at FIT is aiming to change that. It’s just opened. And more than 60% of the films it’s showing have women in key roles.