Final Zaps Of the Year With Cable

By Michael T. Kaufman
Published: December 29, 1993

THERE may be some people who find the time between Christmas and New Year's delightful, but then there are no doubt some people who look forward to bunions. In the inter-revel period, people work but they don't really work; they play but they don't really play. Mostly they wait for the ball to come down. Mostly they wait for amnesty.

If you have to get the flu, this is the best time to get it. You will miss nothing. But what if you stay healthy? What's to be done?

Well, how about tuning in to your neighbors on the public access channels of cable TV? ...

... Here are some highlights from a log of one man's surfing journey through public access in Manhattan: ...

... ZAP There is something called Yawn Mower On. There is no sound or actors, just messages flashing across the screen. Some of them say: "Do you have values?" "We work hard every day" "Why?" "This is Apathy Hour." "When we feel bad we turn on the television." "This program will not change your beliefs." "Wake up." "This program is questioning your life style." "We are passively contributing to the extinction of many species." "We are selfish." After 30 minutes of reading felt very bad, naughty, and sorry for not saving planet. [more ...]

Where Childhood Never Ends

By Michael T. Kaufman
Published: October 2, 1993

THINGS were busy at the Day Care Center on the top floor of the Van Etten building of the Bronx Municipal Hospital. In the intermediate class, the one for 3-year-olds, a little boy in brown overalls who said his name was Superman took a visitor by the hand and led him to a box with plastic animals.

"This is the biggest dinosaur," he said. "Grrrrr," he said showing his own teeth. Then he picked up a zebra and had it fight the purple dinosaur, making the creatures dance and bashing their heads together. When the fight stopped he brought the animals close so that their faces touched and he made a kissing sound. ...

A Cabby Fighting City Hall

By Michael T. Kaufman
Published: March 12, 1994

Piotr Jaworski thinks of himself as a professional and the cab that he drives as his office. That is why he is fighting with the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission over the stereo system in his taxi. [more ...]

Each Hurdle Is a Chance To Soar

By Michael T. Kaufman
Published: May 17, 1995

When Deborah G. Groeber marches with her dog Duncan in Columbia University's graduation exercises today, she will, she says, be thinking of the journey she has made to attain her law degree and of those who helped her along the way. She may, however, pause to think about those who once cautioned her not to set her sights so high, since she is deaf and blind. If she smirks a little, it will be understandable.

Ever since Ms. Groeber was in third grade, there were school officials who tried to steer her out of their classes into more custodial programs, citing her deteriorating sight and hearing. ...

... By now, it is clear that the 29-year-old Ms. Groeber has triumphed over them and their timidities. She has finished law school and been hired by a Philadelphia firm. Six years ago, she earned an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. [more ...]

Photo: Deborah G. Groeber and her dog, Duncan, tested the chairs set up for today's commencement at Columbia University, where she will pass a milestone in her journey as a deaf and blind person with high goals. (Andrea Mohin/The New York Times)

A version of this article appeared in print on May 17, 1995, on page B3 of the New York edition.

Times Square Tales: Rowing and Scooping

By Michael T. Kaufman
Published: February 15, 1995

HERE are three final stories from Times Square:

BOATS. If it were not for guerrilla activity in the Kurdish regions of Turkey, Mike Davis would probably not be building 25-foot-long rowboats on the ground floor of the old McGraw-Hill Building on 42d Street. ...

ICE CREAM. Sembala Batchilly had never tasted ice cream during the first 22 years of his life, which were spent with his family of rice farmers in Gambia. ...

PORN. The Times Square Adult Shoppers Center on 42d Street near Eighth Avenue differs from its neighboring vendors of pornographic videotapes and sex paraphernalia by offering shopping carts to customers. ...

A version of this article appeared in print on February 15, 1995, on page B3 of the New York edition.

Window Washer at Work, High Above the Fast Track

By Michael T. Kaufman;
Published: September 16, 1992

IVOR HANSON, a 28-year-old admiral's son, Vassar graduate and musician, makes his living by washing windows and so knows a lot about the fear of falling. ...

A version of this article appeared in print on September 16, 1992, on page B3 of the New York edition.

Photo: Ivor Hanson, working above Seventh Avenue, gets $6 for each window he washes. He hopes eventually to make a living as a musician. (Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times)

Michael T. Kaufman is the new About New York columnist.

Once Down, Out-of-Towner Scales New Urban Heights

By Michael T. Kaufman
Published: February 3, 1993

This is about pinnacles of success and depths of despair but mostly it is about love and mountain climbing in Manhattan. ...

A version of this article appeared in print on February 3, 1993, on page B3 of the New York edition.