Now it is up.

George, a middle-aged immigrant from Jamaica, is looking down at a crumpled NY Post horse racing column. “I should have trusted myself,” he says. “I would have picked a trifecta.” Sure enough, he had circled on his newspaper which horses would come in first, second and third. But he had not followed his gut when betting.

An hour later, George found me to say he had won over $700 after correctly predicting the outcome of two other races. “You brought me good luck,” he said.

Down the street at City Hall, OTB employee Mike Murphy was searching for some good luck on Sunday too. He and 1,500 other workers are set to be laid off in June.

{Click here for photo slideshow}

A small group of union-backed protesters railed against labor and living conditions at one of the nation’s largest senior care providers’ facilities Wednesday on the Upper West Side. The company, in turn, accused protest organizers of a publicity stunt to collect more union dues.

{Click here for a photo slide show}

Standing outside Atria Senior Living on West 86th Street, between West End Avenue and Riverside Drive, eight protestors wore SEIU stickers and called for unionizing service workers at all 23 New York Atria facilities.

Rabbi Michael Feinberg, a community activist, held up an anti-union flier that Atria had distributed to their workers.

“This filer says nothing about the fact that it’s their democratic right to improve their workplace situation, to improve care for residents,” Feinberg said.

Protest organizer Daniel May added that in recent years Atria has increased rent, made medication mistakes, locked-in patients and otherwise neglected its senior population. He said Atria should “begin to sit down with workers and talk about how they can address providing adequate staffing, adequate training to make sure the residents get what they need.”

Atria provides residential service to more than 13,000 senior in 27 states, according to their web site.

A company official said Atria has battled activists all year.

“The SEIU’s press release and protest are part of an ongoing corporate attack campaign to tarnish Atria’s reputation and get more members and dues money,” said Amy Risley, the spokeswoman. “The SEIU continues to lose credibility by attacking our company with distorted claims and half-truths.”

One of the most poignant stories at the protest came from Susan MacArevey, who had traveled from Wisconsin to talk about her mother’s death at an Atria care facility in Albany.

Once her mother hit her head after suffering a heat attack and stumbled around, a family member discovered the body the next day, MacArevey said.

No one had checked on her mother that night, she said. Only one worker had been assigned to look after approximately 134 residents all night, she said.

Atria confirmed that MacArevey’s mother was a long-time resident at Atria Shaker in Albany but refused comment on her case.

Since May 2007, SEIU has continuously campaigned against Atria care facilities nationwide, including a protest at one Davis, Cali. on Jan. 28 over rising rent costs for seniors.

On March 4, SEIU will protest outside of Rockefeller Center against Lazard, Ltd., the investment firm that is affiliated with Atria’s private owners.

Linnea Covington and Daniel Macht contributed reporting

Pols mingle inside council chambers as Dave Matthews plays softly in the background. Speech is supposed to start at noon.

I can’t verify how cold it is outside because the Wi-Fi here is locked. It felt like freezing temperatures as I walked up the steps at City Hall. At least it’s warm now.

And aren’t I lucky — press is sequestered pretty close to the stage. Staff provided a power strip to power this live blog too.

The Daily News reported yesterday that Quinn, a likely mayoral contender in 2009, shelled out $12,000 to political consultant David Gerstein to pen today’s speech. Let’s see how it compares to last year’s.

12:18 | Zero Hour

Quinn has not walked up to the podium yet, but one of her press aides just passed out a copy of her remarks. One reporter close by says, “this isn’t worth $12,000.”

Hey, at least this year she injects a little humor. From the 5th graf:

“Now, as most of you know, New Yorkers have a lot to say in some cases – even more than my father. Some might consider that a pain in the tuchus. But we on the Council consider it a blessing.”

12:27 | The beginning

Standing ovation for Quinn. Ex-Mayor Ed Koch is in the audience, a bunch of DAs, and some current deputy mayors too. Where’s Bloomberg? He was here last time.

12:35

The speech is very conversational. A lot of “you knows” and “wells.” Here’s a good line.
“Crime is so low that New York Magazine even ran a story wondering if it was possible to reduce the murder rate to zero.”

12:44 | Mayor’s dogs

Quinn tries out a joke on the city’s worsening economic situation.

1:05 | Quinn’s economic priorities

The bulk of her speech is a laundry list of new programs or “innovations,” as Quinn says.

1. Make bus contracts competitive.
2. No sales tax for one week to coincide with Bush’s economic stimulus. Basically, an 8 percent discount on retail and entertainment.
3. Oppose expansion of Javits Center. But Quinn gets applause for saying she “will fight any shortsighted attempt to see those two adjacent properties” until the city officially decides to give up on expansion. Umm – what’s the reasoning?
4. Expand a Brooklyn-based health care pilot program to Manhattan. Says $4.9 million can lead to coverage for 4,500 New Yorkers.
5. Housing:
-Try to pass a renter’s tax credit.
-Announced creation of a housing task force.
-Pledged that council members will take stories of predatory lending to the Attorney General.
-Organize summit with lenders for plan to renegotiate loans.

1:07| Education

Quinn confirms new hiring incentives for middle-school teachers.

1:13 | Food Stamps

Quinn announces a new program to increase the number of people who sign up for food stamps. She said only 1.1 million signed up for food stamps when 2.5 million were eligible.

1:17 | Speechisms

Here’s another $12K snippet that earned applause:

“We came back from the brink of bankruptcy in the 70s – together. We got through 9/11 and showed the world our resilience – together. So we will no doubt weather the economic turbulence of this year together as well. It’s an all heads and hearts on deck moment and we’re already responding the way we always do.”

1:41 | A new ferry system?

Toward the end of her speech, Quinn called for a five-borough Ferry system, though, the speaker did not outline how much such a project would cost.

“Imagine getting on a ferry in Hunts Point for a daytrip to Coney Island, or traveling from Brooklyn to Queens without waiting for the G train,” Quinn said.

I asked Peter Vallone Jr., a councilman from Astoria, whether he believed that this could be achieved in the adverse economic climate that Quinn had laid out minutes earlier.

“Nothing that she mentioned will be easy to do because of the deficit,” Vallone said. “I’m hopeful some of it will be done.”

1:59 | wrap-up

At times today it seemed that Quinn was playing for a wider audience. Her diction was clear and her pacing smooth. Content-wise she injected more humor than last year, and mostly steered clear of jargon. But did she seem mayoral?

One local activist who attended the speech seemed to indicate as much. Janet Weinberg, who works on gay issues, said she could only speak for herself, not her organization.

“She has grown and grown and is getting more polished,” Weinberg said. “This is a woman who has a great future.”

It will be interesting to see how the media will report Quinn’s speech today.

Was I looking at our next mayor?

3:33 | Back to Wi-fi

Quinn did not receive anything near an icy reception after her speech. I, on the otherhand, was met with a flurry of snow upon leaving City Hall. Here is a worker spreading out salt:

The Associated Press reported that Stephen Colbert announced on his show last night he would run for president — only in South Carolina — as both a Republican and a Democrat.

From the AP:

In a guest column for Maureen Dowd in Sunday’s New York Times, Colbert wrote: “I am not ready to announce yet — even though it’s clear that the voters are desperate for a white, male, middle-aged, Jesus-trumpeting alternative.”

More here.

Meet Dondi the painting elephant. Dondi is 33, 34 or 37 years old, depending on your source. She was rescued from Thai loggers at a young age, brought to the U.S., and raised by one-time trapeze performers Phil and Francine Schacht.

The D.U.M.B.O. Under The Bridge Arts Festival program promoted Dondi for her painting skills. But the elephant seems to have a lot more tricks up her trunk.

A cursory trip through google’s tubes shows Dondi has a history of performing circus stunts.

From a Circus Flora bio when Dondi was a featured performer last May:

…Dondi has appeared on the “Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson, with Bill Cosby on the “Merv Griffin Show” and with Betty White on “Circus of the Stars.” She is playful and can show behaviors that no other elephant in the world has ever learned, such as imitating a chicken, roars like a lion, gives raspberries, plays baseball and interacts positively with her human family.

Mr. Schacht told The Daily News that Dondi has been painting for a dozen years. Schacht reiterated to me after Dondi’s performance he considers the animal part of his family. “I have three boys and I treat her like a daughter,” Schacht said.

Check out his daughter’s work:

On Sunday, Schacht would dip a brush into a cans of paint and then help Dondi grasp its handle in her trunk. With a few rapid but breezy motions, Dondi lashed at the canvas Schacht held outward for the animal.

Meanwhile, local artist Nadia Fadeeva mimiced Dondi’s brush strokes on another canvas nearby. Zannah Mass from Two Trees, the development company which sponsored the festival, said at times both the elephant and the artist also collaborated on paintings.

(Nadia Fadeeva replicates Dondi’s technique)

Not everyone saw the value of Dondi’s art. Meet Brooklyn residents Shira Golding and Ari Moore :

(apologies for my horrible camera work. This was my first on-the-fly interview using an Olympus Stylus 710)

Golding and Moore had come out for the art but were disturbed by what they considered animal exploitation on display at the intersection of Main Street and Water Street. So they found some posters at a Bodega, wrote up some slogans — and made news.

(Ari Moore and Shira Golding)

“If an animal in a natural environment decided to pick up a twig and dip it in mud that would be an amazing thing,” Golding said. “That would be something to talk about and celebrate. This kind of thing is a construction.”

The protesters said they received a lot of support from people walking by. When I asked why there weren’t more people joining their protest, Moore said people “maybe don’t see the elephant as part of the community that needs our support — and they should.”

While not exactly defending Dondi’s artistic integrity, Breda Kennedy, executive director of the Dumbo Arts Center, said “I would get more upset about Guantanamo Bay.”

Kennedy said her group organized the festival to promote unknown artists. Two Trees, the development company which owns property in Dumbo and provides the arts center with free rent, asked if they could include the elephant. Kennedy said her group approved the request.

She added the combination of good weather, a media partnership with the Metropolitan Transportation Administration, and, yes, Dondi the painting elephant all drove up attendance compared to last year. “We promote totally unknown names and you only get them out through exposure,” Kennedy said.

Still, Jessica Levine, a project coordinator at the center said while organizers were happy with the larger crowd, not all members of Dumbo Arts Center were comfortable with the elephant’s presence at the festival. “My opinion is that it is exploitative,” Levine said.

Zannah Mass with Two Trees said Dondi’s performance was inspired by the work of artist Vitaly Komar, who planned to attend last weekend’s festival but suffered a family emergency. Mass said Komar founded elephant art academies in Thailand to rescue domesticated elephants that might ordinarily be put to sleep. “A brush is not that far off from a stick,” Mass said. “This isn’t abuse, this is collaboration.”

Mass said in Dondi’s case, there are other precautions the Schacht family takes to minimize the stress of traveling. For one, Dondi rides with mini-horses for company.

Phil Schacht, Dondi’s owner and handler said when on the road, the family stops every four hours for water and exercise.

This sign was visible to onlookers on Sunday too:

One of those onlookers was Kerry Cooke of Manhattan. Cooke said he brought his 4-year old son and 6-year old daughter to Dumbo because neither had ever seen an elephant up so close. “We’re elephant fans,” Cooke said. “He can just stand around. Doesn’t have to do anything.”

Last month, I was lucky to score a ticket at the last minute to Williamsburg: The Musical. This NYC Fringe Festival production follows the trials and tribulations of a trust fund kid who moves to Brooklyn and falls in love with a Hasidic Jew. At the same time, an evil real estate agent is buying up many WBurg apartments and hypnotizing hipsters into zombies to help further gentrify the neighborhood.

Nice premise, eh?

Anyway, of the musical’s two best songs, one of them glorified craigslist hook-ups. The other was an ode to cramped quarters and leering glances at guys in tight pants and coeds with their existential tracts. In short: a ride on the L Train.

The chorus went, “WE TAKE THE L TRAIN. LA LA LA. LA LA LA!”

Speaking of the L train…

The NY Times City Room blog reported subway riders recently gave it a “C” for Cervice. Even though the line was treated to $17.6 million for information signs and audio, to strap hangers the improvements didn’t make the grade.

From MTA’s press release:

L riders gave ‘Sense of security in stations’ and ‘Sense of security on trains’ a C+ but gave ‘Adequate room on board during rush hour” a D+. ‘Signs in subway cars that help riders find their way’ received a B- as did ‘Lack of graffiti in subway cars’ and ‘Comfortable temperature in subway cars.’ But riders gave the L a C- for ‘Minimal delays during trips’ and ‘Cleanliness of Stations.’ ‘Reasonable wait times for trains scored a C.’

Word.

After moving to Williamsburg and switching to the L train from the G line this month, I gotta say I’ve yet to be complimented on my deodorant choice. What’s the deal? You’d think one of these mornings someone would comment on the fact that one’s face was lodged in my armpit. Oh, well.

At least the L train is still a magical place.

Last night, I found my way to the 1st Avenue Station after seeing Devendra Banhart at the Manhattan Center’s Grand Ballroom earlier that evening. As I waited for approximately 12 minutes (thanks for the info display MTA, you get an A for that in my book), I overheard this conversation:

Man says to woman changing her shoes: You’re a good looking girl.

Woman says to man: You like my bunyon? Do you think it’s hot?

Man says: Even with your bunyon, you’re beautiful.

Touching.

The F train’s swelter, upon entering at the Bryant Park 42nd St. stop, was worse than the usual stuffy sweatscapes one encounters in many subway stations. Steel grip poles felt like car seat warmers left on way past one’s comfort level.

Passengers’ bodies, many wrapped in work clothes, collapsed into glossy orange plastic seats after boarding. The time was a quarter after 5 p.m.; luckily the commute to Eastern Queens wasn’t a madhouse so everyone found a spot. The trade off for legroom, in this case, was crushing heat.

The train whizzed off. While someone had cracked a few windows earlier, the newfound motion didn’t provide one with much relief.

Some closed their eyes and sat with lowered heads, as if replacing the train’s yellowish fluorescent light with darkness would somehow reduce the temperature. One woman waved a Chinese fan. Still, many others on the train took a more stoic attitude. They simply stared straight ahead, but with eyes like clenched fists, riding it out.

__________________________________________________________________________ Monday, September 24, on my way to the Community Board 13 meeting

The rule of thirds means that my photos should be framed according to plots on a grid:

In the first picture some kids in Bushwick, Brooklyn are playing outside on a hot day.

The second picture shows a boss at a rug company in Times Square supervising his employees.

In these next series of photos I tried to let my surroundings frame the shot:

Both of these photos are from Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The statue sits in the front yard of someone’s home.

The man on the left was giving away free pickles on Sunday, 9.16.07, in the Lower East Side in honor of International Pickle Day. That same day a man (the picture on the right) sold sausage at a street fair for Little Italy’s Feast of San Gennaro.

I also recently took some extreme close-up photos and shots that emphasized contrast:

The close-ups are more pictures from the pickle festival; pickles and cheese.

In the photo below, I was struck by the richness of the red dress on this Williamsburg clothesline.

Finally, a microphone is silhouetted against a kaleidoscope of colors projected on a screen at the Bowery, in advance of Mashup performer Girl Talk’s performance on 9/15.

P.S. I loved this shot from a church in the West Village on 9/6

.

-Dan