Value Content Over Style
Heed those who see the big picture
By Bette Dewing
Hey, journalists Jeff Greenfield and Mark Barabak, don’t call yourself “old fogies” because you think that televised debate audiences shouldn’t react verbally, and chuck that ageist label. It implies that decorous behavior in an era of loud mouths is somehow regressive. Read more
Dousing the Flame on Apartment Fires
Fire prevention must become a top national concern
By Bette Dewing
“We often need as much to be reminded as to be informed” are among the wisest words ever spoken. Thank you, Dr. Samuel Johnson.
And we must remember Martin Luther King’s dream of a nation where content of character matters, not skin color. Surely that means not valuing “physical attractiveness” over character. Recent research shows that so-called attractive members of Congress are the ones who get the most TV coverage (“Looks Matter as TV Covers Congress,” New York Times, Jan. 6). Once, the women’s movement denounced this general attractiveness bias, and I’m seeking others concerned that the now decades of related research stored in one of my file cabinets do not go to waste. Read more
2012 Resolutions to Keep
Using Facebook and Twitter to better society
By Bette Dewing
Protecting life and health always tops this column’s mission.
The tragic Christmas morning Stamford, Conn., fire that killed three young sisters and their maternal grandparents prompts an overdue focus on fire-related danger. While unsafe disposal of fireplace embers was the fire’s reported cause, had smoke detectors been installed in the mansion that was under renovation, it might not have been deadly. Read more
Rx For an Ailing Society
To change the tone, we must first change the discourse
By Bette Dewing
“Help!” was the final word of my last column, “Overcoming Heedlessness,” and will be the last word of this column. But how to help and change things? Well, many years ago during the city’s acute water shortage, then-Mayor Ed Koch urged everyone “to talk about it” and act. Experience has taught me to copy media with the letters and calls that I make to elected officials, city agencies and 311. Read more
A September Potpourri
Hurting businesses on Second Avenue; Sept. 11; and Rosh Hashanah
By Bette Dewing
Yup, a New York Times review’s claim that no one’s sensibilities would be offended by Eat Pray Love actually got me out to the movies. Except for a few offending words, I left the theater with a glow which made East 86th Street’s maddening crowds seem almost friendly. Do you ever miss the going-to-the-movie experience where your sensibilities weren’t offended and earplugs and deep pockets weren’t needed? Read more
Recalling the Greatest Generation
A book and some flags to bring us together
By Bette Dewing
Happy birthday America?
“Well, I didn’t see one flag displayed this Memorial Day on the Upper East Side,” said East End Avenue doorman Bob McNicol, frowning. “In Queens, Far Rockaway and other much more diverse places, flags are everywhere! After all, there’s a war on!” Read more
Dewing Responds To McCourt Column
To the Editor:
Whatever media can do to “unmask alcoholism,” as Malachy McCourt does in his “Alcoholism Unmasked” column (March 4) is most welcome. But, hey, don’t be anonymous in accusing “certain columnists in this paper” of saying it’s a matter of willpower, a character defect, [something that shows the need for] responsible drinking lessons, and of being “pious” about it. Read more
Cigarette Addiction Deserves Attention
To the Editor:
While Bette Dewing’s Feb. 4 column (“A Dream for Dr. King,” Dewing Things Better) finds alcohol dependence even more harmful than smoking because it can so dangerously affect behavior, your readers should know that in the past, she has always been one of the most ardent supporters of the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout Day events during the years I was the director. Read more
No. 1 Pedestrian Threat
To the Editor:
Cycling group Transportation Alternatives claims the plan for new “class 1” bike lanes for First and Second avenues, which Community Board 8 approved, “would virtually eliminate sidewalk cycling, which is the recurring pedestrian complaint,” (“Support for Bike Lanes,” Oct. 29).
As a longtime activist for pedestrian safety (the traffic law-abiding kind), my experience finds the most dangerous and ubiquitous bicycle violations are red light-running, wrong-way riding and exceeding the speed limit. After dark, one rarely sees a bike with the headlights and taillights required by state law. Read more
Brearley Expansion Plans
To the Editor:
In her July 8 column, Bette Dewing reminds us of how priceless “everyday places” are to a neighborhood—especially the places we call home. Dewing mentions the possible expansion of the Brearley school on East End Avenue, which may endanger the homes of some longtime residents of rent-stabilized apartments. Her point is important: a community is made up of the people who live there, and we should do what we can to ensure that lifelong residents Read more
