A very rainy day in Manhattan

A New York gutter. 11:00 AM. Photo: JH.

The White House State Dinner gate crasher story continues and we asked our Washington correspondent Carol Joynt to comment on the latest developments in this bizarre matter.

MEMO TO DPC:
GATECRASHERGATE STILL BREATHING!

By all measures of sanity, “gatecrashergate” should have expired sometime Monday morning as we all wound up the long holiday weekend and returned to earth. But, remarkably, it not only still had a heartbeat but by Monday evening appeared to be a saga that won’t die. At least not before Thursday. That’s when the House Committee on Homeland Security has called Michaele and Tareq Salahi to appear and testify about their notorious escapade at the White House State Dinner. The committee also asked Secret Service director Mark Sullivan to appear. For all of you “Day of the Locust” types, the hearing is at 10 a.m. Just follow the cameras.

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	The Salahis on Facebook.

The Salahi testimony could be anti-climactic because late Monday they agreed to appear this morning on the “Today” show, which makes me think they may still be under some kind of contract with Bravo and therefore parent NBC. NBC says they are not paying for the interview, which means the Salahis dropped their asking price from half a million to zero in record time.

“Bravo and NBC are milking this for all it's worth, but given every Congressional committee wanted to hear from the Salahis, and by so doing gave them credibility, I suppose I can't blame the networks for getting in first,” said an individual who is intimately connected to Bravo.

If there is to be a Capitol Hill laundering of what the Salahis did or didn’t do, a few more individuals should be included at the hearings.

First of all, Desiree Rogers, who could explain how her office failed in doing its job that night. Republicans on the committee reportedly did ask for her to be invited.

There should also be representatives from Halfyard Productions, the local producers of “Real Housewives of Washington DC,” and from Bravo, the owners of the franchise, and from NBC. What did they know and when did they know it, eh? (Maybe Comcast would like to hear the answer, too, before they complete the purchase of NBC from GE).

Charles Gibson reports.

For example, Halfyard could shed some light on their complicity or innocence in the Salahis gatecrashing caper. Since it’s out in the media that Michaele and Tareq were actively hunting for an invite to the dinner – even contacting a friend at the Pentagon (who claims to have turned them down) – I suspect that Halfyard was in the loop. The arrival of an invitation to a White House dinner is a big deal, especially in the annals of reality TV. Wouldn’t the producer shoot the Salahis opening their embossed invitation, fawning over it, waving it around the room? Yes, of course. It’s good TV. Therefore, logically, they had to be suspicious when there was no ecru envelope. These are legitimate questions.

Maybe Congress should subpoena all the Halfyard video. They could screen it in a joint hearing with the Intelligence Committee. Maybe invite their Senate counterparts over, too. Stop all meaningful work for the day.

Washington Social Diary's Carol Joynt on ABC World News last night.

I was surprised to see camera crews still hovering outside the Erwin Gomez salon, where Michaele spent hours getting her hair washed and blow dried for the dinner. By some accounts, this on-camera process took six hours. I was even more surprised to receive calls from ABC World News and the Randi Rhodes Show, asking for interviews. Sure. Why not? Most of the questions were about Desiree Rogers or whether the Salahis should be prosecuted and sent to jail.

I’m not in the go-to-jail camp. Fined, perhaps, and maybe Bravo should agree not to air the segments that have to do with the White House dinner. I was asked, too, if the Salahis would be welcomed back into polite society and the circles of Washington power. Ahem. I don’t believe they were in polite society to begin with, nor in the circles of power.

There is one White House invitation, though, that I think we can count on coming to the Michaele and Tareq. That’s an invitation to the annual White House Correspondents Association dinner. They are the quintessential guests for that annual spring media and celebrity circus. Then again, maybe they’d rather crash.

George Young and his Orchestra provided last night's music for dancing at the 30th Annual Awards Ceremony and Dinner Dance of the Carter Burden Center for the Aging.

December 1, 2009. A very rainy day in Manhattan. Although the geraniums on my terrace are still in flower and the impatiens – while the blossoms are gone (most of them) are still hearty. Odd. But beautiful.

This boy has a bad cold, contracted just at the beginning of the long weekend unfortunately, and not kind. However, I’ve been a good nurse. Took the soup, made the ginger/cayenne/lemon and honey tea several times, ate like my mother used to tell me (feed a cold /starve a fever), got some sleep and listened to my phone medic Dr. JH. So that when I awoke yesterday morning I was feeling ... better ... ish.

Last night, however, cold and no longer raining but still, cold, I got myself outta the house and went down to Guastavino’s at 409 East 59th Street (under/really a part of the 59th Street Queensboro Bridge) to check out the cocktail part of the 30th Annual Awards Ceremony and Dinner Dance of the Carter Burden Center for the Aging. They were honoring “our Heroes for Hard times with the Carter Burden Center for the Aging” with Humanitarian Awards.

Senior volunteer Art LeMoine, student volunteer Chesley Carter, and Ruben Martinez.

I’ve known about the Carter Burden Center since the man started it back in the days when he was a Councilman for what used to be called the Silk Stocking district of Manhattan. It was a bright idea that turned out to be ahead of its time. Way ahead. Now its time has come. And now that we Baby Boomers are three shakes of a lamb’s tail from Being There, the clock is ticking. Like a time bomb incidentally. So get ready.

I became reacquainted with the Burden Center this past summer when JH and I paid a visit to their daily luncheon held in the basement of the Jan Hus Church on 351 East 74th Street between First and Second Avenues.

Marlena Vaccaro, Director of the Carter Burden Senior Program, Ruben Martinez, and Megan Huston, Assistant Director of the Carter Burden Senior Program.

This is a story about goodness. And need. And caring. And loving one’s neighbor (even if one’s neighbor doesn’t love you). Just like the Good Book says. It’s an interesting one, from a historical perspective, coming as Carter Burden did, from an inherited Gilded Age wealth and society (Vanderbilts, Burdens, etc.) which could have cared even less than our latter day Masters of the Universe whose genius is currently sticking it to us. But it’s not an accident. For Mr. Burden, in his development as a politician, seeing his constituency and how life was/could be for some or many of them, had an idea to do something about it.

When he was Councilman, his district (which is still my neighborhood – coincidentally I worked in his first councilmanic campaign) was still very much a neighborhood of working class families (the Silk Stocking parts were mainly on the avenues of Fifth, Madison, Park, Lexington, East End – and to a lesser degree Lexington and Third).

The East 80s were still called Yorkville and Germantown, and above 86th Street it was tenements and occasionally fairly new housing projects (nice ones, to be sure). There were many elderly who lived alone and on meager pensions and Social Security. The Carter Burden Center sought them out.

A lively lunch at the old Jan Hus Church at The Carter Burden Center for the Aging.

Carter died suddenly of a heart ailment thirteen years ago at the still tender (for some) age of 54, but his work has been advanced by his widow Susan who is also a family therapist and has a wide range of understanding of the Burden Center’s demographic. It was she who invited us to come to see what their daily luncheons were like. And they are wonderful, from beginning to end. It’s neighbors mainly, usually over 60 in age, but not always. The meals are cooked on premises by chefs and assistants. Good, delicious, full, hot meals. The atmosphere is friendly, even familial because people get to know each other and get to enjoy each other’s company, and they are served by a group of volunteers many of whom are students. All communities should and one day will need this sort of neighborhood entity.

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	Susan Burden and Belle Burden Davis (Carter's daughter)

We did a piece on one of the students – Ruben Martinez who was then graduating from Regis High School (on East 84th Street). We were so impressed by the way he handled his job that this past summer Ruben worked as an intern for NYSD and since he’s gone off to college he’s still working part time for us over the internet. Regis High School is another amazing story of people making life better for each other through generosity and human kindness – but that’s for another day.

With miles to go on this particular diary’s edit, I’m going to cut to the chase. Down at Guastavino’s Susan Burden took me around to meet the honorees for Heroes last night (and I took their pictures as I am wont to do). They are David V. Pomeranz, Associate Executive Director of the Hebrew Home for the Aged at Riverdale, receiving the Carter Burden Center Humanitarian Award for Collaboration; Roger Altman, founder of Evercore Partners (erstwhile Deputy Secretary of the Treasury in the Clinton Administration) receiving the award Philanthropy; Lilliam Barrios-Paoli, Commissioner of the New York City Department for the Aging; Regis High School (Principal Dr. Gary Tocchet accepting along with Student Government President Timothy Leddy ’10) receiving the Award for Volunteerism for fostering volunteerism (required part of their curriculum); Sally Bott, Burden Center Board member, a generous volunteer, and William J. Dionne, Executive Director of the Center for the past 19 years.

Last night was a fund-raiser. They’re not breaking any records this year. In fact they’re way down compared to recent years. This kind of irony is expected by us humans I know.

Honoree Lilliam Barrios-Paoli and Gordon Campbell

Duane Hampton and Kathy Steinberg

But it is wise for all of us, especially the able bodied Boomers among us to realize that the time has come for us to HELP others as we will be hoping and praying and longing for them to help us. Hard Times, as the night’s program calls it, ARE upon us no matter what we’re reading in mainstream media, and they are not likely to go away any time soon.

Furthermore, and here’s the catch which I learned from that visit last summer at the luncheon at the Jan Hus – there’s joy in helping. Big time. Bigger than so many of the disappointed-in-life among us (and we know there are a lot of us in this category). It’s amazing, and it comes from the giving and the give-back.

It’s re-energizing, restorative, and joyful; all in one simple package – a few hours of your time or a few dollars of your money. It’s something to see because it’s so palpable you can almost touch it. I’ll be back on this Bandwagon because like the movie of the same name, it’s full of the songs of life and good for what ails all of us. To learn more about the Carter Burden Center for the Aging: http://www.burdencenter.org/ [3]

Andrew and Catherine Sidamon-Eristoff and CBC Direct Bill Dionne

CBC Board member Patrick Murphy

Susan Burden

Jurate Kazickas and Roger Altman (Mr. and Mrs.)

Melissa, David, and Lisa Pomeranz

Dr. Gary Tocchet and Timothy Leddy

Last night at Ten on the Park, in the Time Warner Center on Columbus Circle, Fedcap Rehabilitation was celebrating its 75th year of service anniversary, having been founded in 1935 as a nonprofit group which facilitates the integration of individuals with a range of physical and mental disabilities into mainstream work and society. Last night they honored three individuals for their contributions to the organization’s mission.

The honorees, whose speeches were at once touching, humorous, and inspirational, included Tina Ballard, Executive Director of the Federal AbilityOne Program — the largest employer of people with severe disabilities in the country, Colonel Elspeth Ritchie, a psychiatrist, Veteran-Affairs Proponent, and Colonel in the United States Army, Dick Traum, founder of Achilles International and (in 1976) the first person without a leg to run a marathon, and Estrean Gayle, Home Health Aide Worker.

A Bergdorf window.

Snowflake above 5th Avenue.

The stories of the many veterans and civilians who were able to (after having been connected in some way or another to FEDCAP) work, hold down jobs, and integrate themselves into mainstream society, were touching to everyone gathered.

Ballard chanted the phrase "Promise and Possibility" in describing the work of disabled individuals and veterans who can ultimately help save lives in combat (some FEDCAP participants help make lights which soldiers use as distress signals), and restore national monuments like the Statue of Liberty.

Bustling Columbus Circle.

Colonel Ritchie's speech about dealing with the mental health of war veterans and their reintegration into society, was especially pressing for the crowd as President Obama's plans concerning Afghanistan were brought up in conversation throughout the evening.

"Veterans do not want to feel like victims..." the Colonel said, "what [veterans] need is a job!" Dick Traum, who inspired the "first amputee to return to active duty" to run the New York Marathon, humbly and humorously spoke of the independence and tenacity required to tackle challenges.

Also involved in the ceremony were Mark O'Donoghue (Chairman of the Board of Directors), Michael Brenner (former Chairman of the Board whose daughter with disabilities, Amy Kaufman, said that he encouraged her "to have expectations" and "to have hope."), Christine McMahon (President and CEO).

The bar.

The tablescape.

There were performances by the FEDCAP Choir and Tshidi Manye (who played Rafiki in “The Lion King on Broadway”), the latter of whom warmed the guests with song ("The Circle of Life") while outside our windows the frigid rain fell on Columbus Circle below.

Also in attendance were Nicholas Garaufis, Lillie Shelding, Commissioner Matthew Sapolin, Eleanor McGee, Robin Cerrati, Chris Portera, and (a man whose elegant, winter-themed centerpieces the guests loved so much they took them home) Kier McElroy. — TS for NYSD