Uptown Radio

Click here to listen to our full broadcast from Friday, April 27, 2012:

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Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney had breakfast with Mayor Michael Bloomberg earlier this week in Manhattan. President Obama had lunch with the mayor at the White House a few weeks ago. The obvious agenda: both the president and his challenger want Bloomberg’s endorsement. I spoke with Lois Romano, who writes for Politico, about the candidates’ courtship of the notoriously independent mayor.

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Strong storms this winter have taken their toll on East Hampton’s Georgica Beach, eroding it to roughly half its normal, summertime size.

Town officials say the remaining land is not big enough for the hundreds of beachgoers who normally flock there during the high season.

But the town is also concerned that cars and people will pour into East Hampton’s other beaches, which could make the luxurious community feel less comfortable and more crowded.

Russ Finkelstein has this report.

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Host Intro:

Georgica Beach is considered one of East Hampton’s most beautiful summer spots.

But this past year, strong storms took their toll on it, eroding the beach to roughly half it’s normal, summertime size.

Town officials say it’s currently not big enough to fit a life guard tower and the hundreds of beachgoers that normally flock there in the summer.

But the town is also concerned that cars and people will pour into East Hampton’s other beaches, which could make the luxurious community feel less comfortable and more crowded.

Russ Finkelstein has this report.

[Cue Beach Sounds]

Track:

From a sand-swept, coned off parking lot, East Hamptons Village Administrator Larry Cantwell overlooks the cracked dunes and exposed rocks at Georgica Beach.

The ocean breeze blows at his salt and pepper hair and mustache as he points out the 50 or so feet of sand sloping to the water’s edge.

Act. Larry Cantwell:

The beach today looks a lot better than it did a week ago.

Track:

But the parking lot where Cantwell is standing drops off about 5 feet to the beach like a miniature cliff, marking where the sea has eaten away at the bluff this past winter.

He says that he hasn’t seen erosion this bad at Georgica since the early 1970’s.

Act Cantwell:

The good news is, after that, the beach came back and you know, for 35 years it was one of the nicest beaches anywhere in the country. But we got hit with hurricane Irene, and we had severe erosion again.

Track:

Cantwell says the erosion of Georgica was caused by a combination of especially violent storms like Irene together with the ocean’s normal processes.

Act. Cantwell:

The dynamics of that are fairly complicated in terms of, you know, where the sandbars are, how much the wind blows, all dictates the erosion that occurs from time to time.

Track:

It’’s also natural processes that allow beaches to recover. Cantwell’s hoping Georgica will do just that before the summer gets going.

If it doesn’t, he’ll have to make the call to close the beach.

Cantwell says keeping people away won’t likely improve conditions.

But practically, Georgica is too small now to staff with a lifeguard.

You’d be able to go there, but swim at your own risk.

David Rattiner used to be a lifeguard at Georgica and is now the web editor of Dan’s Papers, a Hamptons weekly.

He says the regulars will still be here this summer, and you’ve probably heard of some of them.

David Act:

This is Steven Spielberg’s beach here, this is where he would go if he wanted to go to the beach. I’ve seen Russell Simmons do yoga right over there and you know, meditate in the morning.

Track:

But aside from celebrated film directors and hip-hop moguls, Georgica is typically frequented by families with small children.

As a lifeguard, Rattiner used to watch over them.

He feels so strongly about the beach, he wrote a musical about it.

Act: (Song from David’s musical)

Track:

This is the opening number to “Main Beach” which Rattiner says is largely autobiographical.

Welcome to summer in paradise, where the ocean air is oh so nice. It’s the beach where we want to be…

Cross fade to sound of Church belles Chiming

Track:

A couple of miles away on East Hampton’s Main Street, local businesses are preparing ahead of the summer season.

Painters are finishing the trim at the Starbucks and landscape crews tend to the shrubbery in front of the Polo Country Store, whose owner, Ralph Lauren, lives nearby.

(constructiony sounds, painting sounds)

Track:

Greg Turpan owns a high-end kitchen-ware store just off main street.

Act Turpan:

Anytime there’s erosion at a beach or anything that disturbs the incredible landscape that we have out here it’s of great concern.

Track:

Turpan says that’s because people come here for the ambiance.

If Georgica closes, crowds at the other beaches could make East Hampton a little less pleasant.

Act Turpan:

I mean, there’s room for everybody it’s just that, it’s been based on the number of beach passes issued, pretty luxurious, that you know even on the 4th of July weekend that you know, you can go to the beach and you’re not going to be stepping on someone else’s toes.

Track:

East Hampton Village parking passes are a big deal.

They allow residents and visitors to park at village beaches, including Georgica.

The’re free for residents but cost $325 for out-of-towners.

People who buy them are used to having ample parking and plenty of towel space, and one less beach would make a difference.

That’s why East Hamptons village administrator Larry Cantwell doesn’t take his job lightly.

Act. Cantwell:

Our full-time, seven day a week beach operation starts around the third week of June. So, we have time before we need to make that final decision.

Track:

But Cantwell has a contingency plan.

He says as a last resort the village could put a lifeguard at Wiborg Beach a few miles up the road.

But for this town, Georgica is a tradition.

So, Cantwell says East Hampton will wait to see if Georgica recovers.

Russ Finkelstein, Columbia Radio News.

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HOST INTRO: Now we go to New York City’s waterways, where untreated overflow from the sewers is a major contributor of pollution. Heavy rainfall can overload the sewage treatment plants, and the untreated excess is rerouted into rivers. But a new survey of the soil in the five boroughs has information that could help remedy the situation. My co-host Rachel Rogers filed this report.
TIME: 0:16

–

Traditionally soil surveys are used by farmers deciding where and what to plant, or developers looking to avoid building in flood areas.The USDA has conducted a survey of New York City’s soil. It will allow the city to design projects to decrease that overload. Richard Shaw is a soil scientist with the USDA.

SHAW1
The idea is that if we could reduce the amount of stormwater going to the sewer system we could at least reduce the amount of these combined sewer overflows.
TIME 0:10

Early Thursday morning the skies opened up in a dramatic demonstration of the problem.

SOUND: Rain

The rainwater ran over the sidewalk, gathering into streams along the street gutters. and creating a mini waterfall into the sewer.

SOUND: Rain and draining

Two young women had to step into about three inches of water as they crossed the street.

SOUND: “Look at how much water there is, look at all the water going into there.”
TIME: 0:04

The torrent of rain pouring into the sewer opening at Broadway and 115th Street combines with wastewater. That includes whatever you pour down the sink, or flush down the toilet. The mix flows uptown to the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant at 137th Street along the Hudson River. There it’s treated to remove pollutants before being released into the rivers.

A heavier rain than Thursday’s would overwhelm North River’s 340 million gallon capacity, and the rain and untreated sewage would be dumped into the Hudson River. Each year the city discharges 27 billion gallons of the stormwater and wastewater.

Kyle Thomas is an independent engineer specializing in green stormwater management. The green means he tries to replicate methods found in nature. That’s why the soil survey is important.

THOMAS
Since green infrastructure has to do with mimicking natural processes, it’s very essential to know the characteristics of the soils you’re working with.
TIME: 0:13

The city will use the survey for green projects, so stormwater is rerouted to areas where it can drain through soil into the aquifer, instead of running down the street. These are called stormwater recharge projects.

THOMAS
You’re putting your water into some sort of landscaped depression that’s vegetated. It will infiltrate into the underlying ground water as well as be transpired by the plants.
TIME: 0:13

For the first time the USDA has examined characteristics of soil that people have altered, called fill, which covers large areas of the city, like Central Park. This is one reason that soil scientist Richard Shaw says the survey is helpful.

SHAW
Just in determining where’s the best site to fit any of these stormwater recharge projects, which areas might have a high water table and might be problematic.
TIME: 0:11

On his computer Shaw pulled up a photo of the soil profile from Inwood Hill Park, a portion of Manhattan handled by the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant.

SHAW
It’s a real nice fine sandy loam, um no coarse fragments, just real good like I said physical properties, good water holding capacity and a real good soil for plant growth.
TIME: 0:12

Only 27 percent of New York City is green space, mostly parks. The rest is covered with buildings, pavement, and asphalt, and the occasional street tree.

City officials estimate that by 2030, green management projects will reduce the combined sewage overflow by 1.5 billion gallons annually. That’s not much of a dent in the 27 billion gallons currently dumped each year, but the soil survey should help make the most of each project.

Rachel Rogers, Columbia Radio News.

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HOST INTRO:

If you’re a New Yorker, and you like oysters, clams and scallops the freshest you can get come from the waters around Long Island. These shellfish pump water through their bodies to breathe and eat. And if you eat them, you also get any toxins that stay behind. That’s why shellfishing is monitored by New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation. It tests water quality–and forbids shellfishing if the water’s not clean enough. But lately, the agency’s been falling behind — enough so that the Federal Food and Drug Administration is taking notice. And people who make a living with shellfish are worried.

John Light reports.

–

JOHN LIGHT, REPORTER

Vincent Dimino has been selling fish in New York for 53 years. He’s built quite a business, buying fish from all over the country, and then prepping them for sale in his market in midtown.

SOUND: FISH BEING GUTTED ON “PREPPING,” ICE BEING SPREAD ON “MARKET”

JOHN LIGHT

He says he can tell when the Department of Environmental Conservation is going to cut off shellfish harvesting.

VINCE DIMINO

Regulations are if there is more than one inch of rain at one time, they close everything down for twenty-four hours. Two inches, forty eight hours, and so on.

JOHN LIGHT

A rainy day on Long Island means no local shellfish in New York, because rainwater runoff is one of many sources of contamination.

SOUND: DEC PHONE RECORDING OF SHELLFISHING ADVISORIES

“YOU HAVE REACHED THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION EMERGENCY SHELLFISH CLOSURE INFO MESSAGE LINE. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY MAY 4 2012…” FADE UNDER

JOHN LIGHT

The DEC updates this message every day.

FADE UP

“ARE CLOSED TO THE HARVEST OF SHELLFISH AND CARNIVOROUS GASTROPODS”…FADE UNDER AND OUT

JOHN LIGHT
Still, this past winter the Food and Drug Administration reported that New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation is dangerously short-staffed. The FDA called the department “highly dependent on borrowing staff and resources from other programs.” No one at the DEC could give an interview on tape,
but a spokeswoman provided a statement through email. In it, she wrote that one of two vacancies on Long Island had been filled in May of last year. And the agency “feels that we are adequately staffed at this time.”

FADE UP SOUND OF BEACH

A lot of people just want the DEC to do it s job.

SOUND OF MIKE TALKING

Mike Osinsky is an oyster farmer in Green Port, Long Island. He delivers oysters to restaurants all over Manhattan — about a ton a week, he says. He raises the oysters on his property, and sorts them for sale using this machine. On a recent morning, it’s misty and cold, so a wood burning stove is heating Osinsky’s bayside home.

FIRE AMBI

He’s worried about the chilly weather stunting his oyster crop. But his immediate worry is that the DEC will close his bay because of a dangerous algae that’s spreading.

MIKE OSINSKY

I’m a little concerned right now because Sag Harbor’s closed, Shinnecock Bay is closed, Mannatuck Inlet in closed.

JOHN LIGHT

Osinsky business is relatively new — he’s only been at it for nine years. Before then, he was a software programmer on Wall Street. He says last year was his biggest — that’s when he hit a ton a week.

MIKE OSINSKY

Which is for me sort of a threshold, I’m going to pour some more money into this, I’m going to build a hatchery. If I’m doing a ton and I’m turning away business like crazy, I might as well do ten tons.

JOHN LIGHT

Osinsky says he would like to build an oyster hatchery. But Osinsky says the Department of Environmental Conservation has yet to approve his oyster hatchery location, and he’s been waiting for over a year.

FADE OUT AMBI

Seafood is more highly regulated than anything except medicine, says Roger Tollefson, who is head of the New York Seafood Council. The council works with fisherman and wholesalers to promote New York seafood. Tollefson also trains shellfishermen in state and federal regulations — and, specifically, about how the DEC works.

ROGER TOLLEFSON

In the past, when money has been tight, they’ve looked to cut things. And in the past it’s been threatened that they would no longer test for the harvest areas in New York State.

JOHN LIGHT

But Tollefson says an interstate trade regulation stipulates that the Department of Environmental Conservation, and no one else, test the waters.

ROGER TOLLEFSON

If the DEC were to stop testing these samples in a timely manner, it would shut down an industry.

JOHN LIGHT

Shellfishing on Long Island is fading, despite the modest success of boutique shellfish farmers like Mike Osinsky. And a shutdown would mean no local shellfish for businesses that have come to rely on it —
They include Vince Dimino’s fish market, and Camaje, a restaurant in Manhattan, near Washington Square Park.

RESTAURANT

JOHN LIGHT

It’s late afternoon, and Camaje owner and chef Abby Hitchcock is getting ready for the dinner shift.

FADE UP KITCHEN AMBI

She says shellfish dishes, like scallops, are some of her most popular.

ABBY HITCHCOCK

They seem decadent and delicious and they’re something people mess up a lot when they cook at home, or they’re afraid they’re going to. And so it seems like kind of a cool restaurant thing to order.

JOHN LIGHT

Restaurants like Camaje depend on wholesalers, like Vince Dimino. And he could always buy more shellfish from further away — like Canada or the Gulf of Mexico. But New York Seafood Council’s Roger Tollefson says that would be a shame.

ROGER TOLLEFSON

I think one of the benefits and beauties of living in this area is that we can buy local. And the consumer should really always demand local products whenever they can get them. But they shouldn’t be excluded from it because we can’t afford to test the waters.

JOHN LIGHT

Tollefson plans to continue training shellfishermen to work with the Department of Environmental Conservation. The Food and Drug Administration will reevaluate some of the DEC’s Long Island units
later this year.

John Light, Columbia Radio News.

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HOST INTRO:

The Bronx Hunts Point Terminal Market is a 113-acre wholesale hub that has been selling produce to the New York City’s bodegas, restaurants, grocery stores and schools for the last 45 years. Right now, it is in deep negotiations with the city about how to pay for much needed renovations. Environmental advocates and some city and state officials would like to see a farmers market included in the improvements. They say this will make it easier for smaller and local farms to sell wholesale there. But some established distributors at Hunts Point don’t want the extra competition.

Mackenzie Issler reports.

Fade in and out ambi from the platform

MACKENZIE ISSLER, REPORTER:

It’s about 6:30 in the morning on one of the loading docks at Hunts Point market. A steady stream of rain is falling. Trucks are backed up to the platform, idling in this sprawling industrial lot.

Sound: Boxes being stacked — fade under

MACKENZIE ISSLER:

Buyers are scouting out the produce and packing their chosen boxes of fruits and vegetable into their trucks. Distributor Michael D’Arrigo is standing behind a counter. He’s talking with one of his regular buyers, known as Lucky, about a shipment of oranges.

Sound: Lucky (customer) and Michael talking about what he wants. — fade under

MACKENZIE ISSLER:

D’Arrigo finishes up Lucky’s order and prints him a copy.

Sound of slip being printed off the machine — start to fade up at the beginning of the narration and fade out ambi

MACKENZIE ISSLER:

D’Arrigo works for his family’s business, D’Arrigo Brothers. It’s one of the 42 wholesale distributors based out of Hunts Point. The proposed farmers market would essentially become the 43rd distributor. That’s OK with Matthew D’Arrigo, Michael’s brother and the co-president of the association that runs the market.

MATTHEW D’ARRIGO:

I personally I don’t think it would be a problem. I think the more the merrier.

MACKENZIE ISSLER:

Matthew D’Arrigo says some of the distributors aren’t happy with the idea of extra competition, but he says there is keen interest now in buying and selling local produce.

MATTHEW D’ARRIGO:

I think if we don’t incorporate it into a redeveloped market that it is going to be developed somewhere else and somewhere close to this market.

MACKENZIE ISSLER:

D’Arrigo also says it can be more cost effective to buy locally because of the high cost of fuel. That makes transporting small shipments of produce from upstate to the city expensive, because the farmers don’t have the quantity to make it worth their while.
Another supporter of the wholesale farmers market is The Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group.
The council’s attorney–Johanna Dyer–says the market would make Hunts Point more inviting.

JOHANNA DYER: 

It is kind of primarily set up for large distributor, large farms. For our small farms, they have found it daunting so far.

MACKENZIE ISSLER:

But Dyer adds that upstate farmers would have work to do. They’d have to aggregate their goods–and collaborate on packaging and processing to keep costs down.

JOHANNA DYER: 

I think the assumption and the hope that many of them would take the measure to sell some of their goods wholesale if there is an easier and more direct path for doing that.

MACKENZIE ISSLER

Around 8 a.m., business at Hunts Point is dying down…and Matthew D’Arrigo is still making the rounds.

Sound: Matthew talking with someone …. ambi of market

MACKENZIE ISSLER:

About a handful of buyers are waiting outside of D’Arrigo’s office near the loading dock.

Matthew: Sound

MACKENZIE ISSLER:

If the proposed farmers market is built here, it would be vying for some of D’Arrigo’s customers.

Fade out market ambi

MACKENZIE ISSLER:

He says the market is one year into a three year extension on its current lease. He hopes to see a decision about the redevelopment by 2014.

Mackenzie Issler, Columbia Radio news.

Adults don’t know everything – it’s a tough lesson we learn when we’re young. For commentator Paul Smith, this realization came at a perilous moment.

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A week of diplomatic turmoil has appeared to culminate in a deal to bring blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng to the U.S. as a study abroad fellow. All week long, an economic summit in China featuring U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has been overshadowed by the controversy. Today, Secretary Clinton expressed gratitude over the possibility of Chen going to New York University.

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HOST INTRO: A lawsuit increasing the availability of Plan B will go forward. A federal judge has denied the federal government’s request to dismiss the suit. Annie Russell reports the latest in a 7-year saga over limits on the controversial drug.

Annie Russell: The Center for Reproductive Rights filed suit to increase availability of the morning after pill in 2005. The lawsuit said the FDA’s restrictions on Plan B were “arbitrary and capricious.” In 2009, Judge Edward R. Korman agreed. Annie Tummino is the lead plaintiff in the suit. She said that ruling was a first step.

TUMMINO 1

The FDA was actually ordered to allow 17-year-olds and up to have access to the pill at pharmacies without a prescription

Under the ruling, women 16 and under still need a prescription to get Plan B. The plaintiffs aren’t happy with that. They wanted the drug to be sold on pharmacy shelves. And in December, it looked like they were going to get what they want. The FDA said that it planned to lift all age restrictions on Plan B.

But Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius overruled the FDA. President Barack Obama stood by Sebelius at a December press conference:

OBAMA 1

The reason Kathleen made this decision was she could not be confident that a ten-year-old or an eleven-year-old going to a drug store, should be able, along with bubble gum or batteries, to buy a medication that potentially, if not used properly, could have an adverse effect.”

The FDA disagrees with the President’s assessment. It found that there was no medical reason to limit Plan B. Annie Tummino says there are lots of medications on pharmacy shelves that could be dangerous.

TUMMINO 2

But the risk versus the gain of making it over the counter. But it’s decided that it’s better to have access. I think this is no different.

The Intervention by Sebelius gave Plaintiff Annie Tummino and her lawyers an opportunity to re-open the lawsuit. They’ve added Sebelius as a defendant.

Tummino says young women face an undue burden to get to a doctor within 72 hours, or the Morning After Pill won’t work.

TUMMINO 3

That’s an extreme burden, especially at that age, but really for any woman, to get to a doctor when this medication is most effective within 24 hours after sex. And for a young woman in particular, I think it’s difficult to get to the doctor, especially if they may not want their parents to know.

It’s older teens who have the most trouble getting Plan B, even under current regulations. Boston University researchers posed as 17-year-olds and called pharmacies in five cities inquiring about Plan B. Almost 1 in 5 told the researchers they couldn’t purchase the drug no matter what, even though it’s legal. When asked what the age restrictions were, pharmacy employees answered incorrectly 43% of the time.

The study also found that pharmacies in low-income neighborhoods were twice as likely to mis-inform callers.

Supporters of the lawsuit want pharmacists to be taken out of the equation altogether. Kathryn O’Grady is a social worker who specializes in contraception issues. She says the idea of interacting with a pharmacist may deter women from asking for Plan B.

O’ GRADY 1

I think it takes a lot of guts to go up to, especially if it’s a male pharmacist or a complete stranger and say like- admit that you need Plan B

But she says she worries that if it’s too easy to get Plan B, it could be abused.

OGRADY 2

I think it’s a concern that people will use Plan B as their regular method for birth control

She says that’s a problem, because Plan B only cuts pregnancy chances in half, unlike daily birth control pills and other forms of contraception, which have a 97% effectiveness rate.
Annie Russell, Columbia Radio News.

Host Intro: The unemployment rate is still up at 8.1 percent, but the Radio City Rockettes are hiring this week. Callbacks are today, so if you haven’t made the cut, yet, there’s always next year. Acacia Squires reports from Rockefeller Center.

Hundreds of young women in leotards all colors of the rainbow line up around the Radio City Music Hall.

Sound of street at Radio City Music Hall

They’re here for a shot at becoming one of New York City’s famous Rockettes. It’s not even summer, but the dancers are hoping for a spot in the annual Christmas Spectacular.

Sound of counting off One, two, three, four, five…

These are open auditions meaning anyone, well, almost anyone, can come come try out. Many of the dancers showed up shortly after sunrise to get close to the front of the line. Ten-by-ten they make their way into the back of the building and up the service elevator. But before getting a peek at the audition studio, each dancer is measured for her height. Nineteen year old Megan Gesick doesn’t mind.

Gesick: The height requirement is five six to five ten and a half. For me it’s okay, because I am 5’9 so I am right in the middle, but I think it’s really cool that you can accept girls that short.

High kicks are an icon of the Rockettes. Upon passing the height test, the auditioners will pile into a room of 100 or so other dancers. They have fifteen minutes to learn a short, but precise, jazz routine.

Sounds of shoe squeaking and counting off and music.

Time’s up, the room is full of tension. Hopefuls are called up in groups of three, With elaborate eye makeup and perfect hair, they kick, twirl and pose. They have a single shot at nailing the 45 second routine.

Haberman: Another really important thing is being able to assimilate details quickly, so you have to really be smart, too (laughs).

Choreographer and judge, Linda Haberman.

Haberman: You have to kind of get your feet to move ahead of your brain and it’s a lot harder than it looks.

These young women are smart. Many have graduated from college with degrees in business, and other areas. Only thirty five will make it to the final call backs, and even fewer will be chosen as Rockettes. Emily Christiansen is missing a major milestone to be here.

Christiansen: I went to the University of Central Florida. Actually, my graduation ceremony is tomorrow, but I’ll be here, but that’s okay. (Laughs).

She says she thinks it’s worth it for a chance at realizing her dream. The auditions are demanding, but life as a Rockette isn’t a cakewalk, either. Dance season for the Christmas Spectacular is September through December. Meaning endless holiday music and sometimes five or more shows a day. Not to mention, come January, it’s time to find another job and then re-audition in the spring.

Acacia Squires, Columbia Radio News.

The unemployment rate is still up at 8.1 percent, but the Radio City Rockettes are hiring this week. Callbacks are today, so if you haven’t made the cut, yet, there’s always next year. Acacia Squires reports from Rockefeller Center.

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(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

The New York Knicks haven’t won a post-season game since 2001 and they are not doing any better this year. They are losing the series 3-0 against the Miami Heat. Ben Osborne is the editor in chief of the basketball monthly, SLAM Magazine. He told me the Knicks don’t stand a chance. And forward center Amare Stoudemire is not the solution.

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On Sunday, 32,000 cyclists will pedal through New York City in the annual TD Five-Boro Bike Tour. The 40-mile ride is the largest urban bike tour in the country. The Staten Island-bound lanes of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge will be closed until 6pm and parts of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and the Belt Parkway will also shut down for most of the day. This year — the event’s producers created a three-day bike expo as a prelude to the tour. Ben Bradford is there now, down at Pier 36 on the Lower East Side.

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You can take the boy off the farm, but you can’t take the farm out of the boy. Commentator Andrew Parsons grew up on one and wonders if it was ever in him to begin with.

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HOST INTRO: You can take the boy off the farm, but you can’t take the farm out of the boy. Commentator Andrew Parsons grew up on one and wonders if it was ever in him to begin with.

***

I had been living in New York City for two years when someone offered me a rescue chicken. For me, it was a no-brainer. She was docile, curled up on my lap like an awesome feathered cat and had a great backstory.

Lady Albert had been found running down the streets of Brooklyn missing all her neck feathers followed by an old man yelling “chicken soup, chicken soup.” My friend Kate and some friends took picked her up and offered her to me. I accepted because she reinforced an identity that I had spent my years in New York flaunting. I was a country boy, a hillbilly.

I grew up in the woods of Pennsylvania, my parents had chickens and ducks. We grew acres of vegetables. So I brought my love of the outdoors to Brooklyn. I walked around my first job barefoot, grew a beard and climbed trees at every chance. Everyone said oh that’s just Andrew – yeah, he’s from a farm. And he owns a chicken.

Lady Albert lived in my backyard and was invited into my apartment for parties. A few years later, a raccoon broke into her cage and killed her. I was devastated, a grieving farmboy.

But shortly after Lady Albert died, my Uncle Jim died. He’s my father’s little brother and we shared a middle name. My dad is a university professor fluent in three languages. He’s from a small town in West Virginia, the only one of his 5 siblings who went to college. And the only man in his family who hasn’t worked in a coal mine. My Uncle Jim never even went to high school.

I hadn’t spent time with my Dad’s side of the family for years but I did my best to update them on my life. It was hard to explain what I did when I said I produced radio documentaries. I hoped to impress them by talking about Lady Albert – but in Peyton City, West Virginia a lot of people own chickens. So I meandered through the family gatherings listening, more than talking.

After everyone had gone to sleep, my father poured shots of tequila for the two of us. He said it meant a lot to him that I had come to Uncle Jim’s funeral. He recognized that it wasn’t exactly my comfort zone.

“You’re not hillbilly,” he said. “After a few days here, I can blend in but I know it’s not easy for you.” And he was right. He had been the one to leave the country and become a fish out of water. Yeah, my parents owned chickens and some farmland but I never did much farm work. I spent most of my childhood going to private schools, not milking cows at sunrise.

So when I came back to the city, I didn’t exactly change who I am. I still love chickens, flannel shirts and my ample beard. But my father worked hard to ensure that I my life wasn’t his. I recognize that I’m a sum of my parts – and I’m one part city-person too.

BACK ANNOUNCE: Andrew Parsons knows that in the end he’s probably just another Brooklyn hipster.

Nat Herz brings us the news at 4:00.

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Annie Russell brings us the news at 4:30.

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