Almost every day for the past 28 years, Arthur Wood has hoisted himself to the upper stories of his Clinton Hill home to hammer, paint, and weld an unfinished dream he calls Broken Angel. Although he wears his own hard hat, he has never labored at a construction site or adhered to blueprints.
 TV REPORT: Former St. John’s standout Sharif Fordham’s hopes for an NBA career died after an injury and a brush with the law that put him behind bars. Khadijah Cole reports on how Fordham pieced his life back together – and is living another kind of hoops dream by helping teens at a youth center. |
First generation immigrants tend to cling to their culture by speaking the language, preparing special dishes and maintaining other traditions.
But how do second and third generations hang on to their heritage?
Many Americans are researching their lineage through a raft of genealogical services on the Internet.
But for Puerto Ricans in the United States, tracing the family tree presents unique challenges.
As descendants of African, Spanish, and Taino Indian cultures they must sift through family folklore and legions of documents to understand their identity.
On a recent Sunday afternoon East Harlem, about 30 people attended a workshop sponsored by the Hispanic Genealogical Society of New York to help Puerto Ricans and other Latinos trace their ancestry.
After serving 24 years in Congress, newly retired Rep. Major Owens is determined to keep making news. Owen plans to launch his own newspaper, called Dollar News, within the next few weeks. The paper, which in keeping with its name will cost $1, will tackle financial and social issues, the 70-year-old former Brooklyn lawmaker said. More »
WEDDED MISS: The departure of Brooklyn wedding dress emporium Kleinfeld has hurt other bridal businesses on Fifth Ave.
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The Atlantic Yards development will cast shadows over a longtime community garden, a state report has found, confirming fears of local residents concerned their oasis will lose sunlight. “It will change forever how we are able to garden here,” said Jon Crow, coordinator of the Brooklyn Bears Pacific Street Community Garden since 1985, and an opponent to the development. Read more
Almond croissants, black and white pudding, huevos rancheros, halwah poori and sweet bean curd.Welcome to breakfast along the No. 7 train line. More »
 AUDIO REPORT: Tango, the Argentinean dance, has found an unlikely home in a Ukrainian restaurant in the East Village, attracting a multi-cultural, multi-generational crowd. Ana Toro reports on this only-in-New-York scene.
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On Friday nights, tango moves out of its Argentinean confines and into a comfy little Ukrainian restaurant in the East Village, aptly named The East Village Ukrainian Restaurant.
There, a group gathers off to the side of the restaurant to dance and listen to the music. These milongas, as the tango parties are called, attract a variety of folks.
One cold February night, there was a former New York Knicks dancer, Rebecca, with her Wall Street-type boyfriend, Steve; couples from France who could speak very little English but were eager to talk about their love for tango; another couple, Ivan and Sara, who met dancing tango, as well as first-timers from the former Yugoslavia and long-time tango lovers from Argentina and Ecuador.
They all have their own reasons for gathering at the milonga. Some want to make new friends and do something out of the ordinary; others just want to dance the night away.
Listen to the sounds of tango and the voices of the dancers as they tell the story of how they ended up in an East Village Ukrainian restaurant dancing to Argentinean music surrounded by people from all over the world.
