Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News

August 17, 2024

Children don’t mind the gap as they explore Balanced Rocks in the Adirondacks near Lake Placid, N.Y. Nancie Battaglia

Dear Colleagues and Friends:

There’s good news this morning. Really. We’re better off and happier than we sometimes think. Kinder and nicer, too.

For centuries, humans have been complaining about the moral decline of society: Jeremiah in the Old Testament, Cicero in ancient Rome, Machiavelli in Renaissance Italy, Cotton Mather in Puritan New England. For decades, a steady two-thirds of Americans have felt the world is going to hell in a handbasket. But the percentage has not increased over many years. The rest of us, apparently, choose to differ. We see people acting selflessly, improving the world, looking out for their neighbors.

Similarly, we’re conditioned to believe everyone hates New York and can’t wait to leave. A 2023 survey from the Siena Research Institute found more than 70 percent of New Yorkers, chronically (and almost comically) dissatisfied by reputation, are actually happy to live in the Empire State. They love the leisure activities and the presence of family and friends, access to quality education and health care and the opportunities to become successful. Earlier this year, Siena found 78 percent of New Yorkers are optimistic.

Since we’re all measuring our own happiness all the time — see Happiness Planner, Happiness 360 and your own Fitbit — could obsessive happiness analysis be the cause of unhappiness?

A LIGHT TOUCH: Research from Penn State suggests parents who leaven homelife with humor raise children who are less stressed, more resilient and better creative problem solvers. Parenting styles also had a profound effect on adult relationships: Of those who reported that their parents used humor, 50.5 percent said they had a good relationship with their parents, and 44.2 percent felt their parents did a good job raising them. Among those whose parents lacked humor, only 2.9 percent reported a good relationship with their parents, and just 3.6 percent thought their parents did a good job.

TAKING THEIR TOLL: A leading political figure in New York City is sounding the alarm about “an explosive rise of vehicles with missing or unreadable plates” in the city, more than 130,000 of which triggered speed cameras in June alone. Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine estimated 5 percent of vehicles in the city have unreadable plates, an especially acute problem with motorcycles. He estimates the cheating is costing the city $200 million a year in lost revenue, almost double the loss projected by the city comptroller in January.

STARBUCKS SHAKEUP: Starbucks bounced its CEO this week after a little more than a year on the job, replacing him with the man who oversaw successful turnarounds and Taco Bell and, until now, Chipotle. Starbucks, which this quarter reported a 3 percent decline in same-store sales, will pay Brian Niccol more than $100 million in his first year as CEO, if he hits the incentives in his contract. Under his leadership, shares in Chipotle soared 773 percent in value, and the chain has bucked recent restaurant trends by seeing its traffic and sales climb.

TURNOVER AT THE TOP: Minouche Shafik resigned this week after a year as president of Columbia University, with much of her tenure marked by campus tumult unleashed by the war in Gaza. “This period has taken a considerable toll on my family, as it has for others in the community,” she wrote in her letter of resignation. “Over the summer, I have been able to reflect and have decided that my moving on at this point would best enable Columbia to traverse the challenges ahead.”

WE DREW A WINNER: We made a little news ourselves this week with the announcement that Drew FitzGerald, an authority on clean tech, clean energy and clean water initiatives, is joining our team as a strategic advisor, focusing on sustainability issues. His expertise with opportunities in housing, technology and economic development will add valuable perspective. He founded and still operates Facet Creative, a Los Angeles-based design firm serving the entertainment industry, among other business and philanthropic interests.

DRUG DEALS: List prices for drugs used by millions of people on Medicare will be reduced as much as 79%, effective in 2026, under a deal announced this this week between the White House and pharmaceutical companies. The new prices are expected to save taxpayers overall $6 billion a year, though it’s unclear how the price of prescriptions at the pharmacy will be affected. “But for the many people who are in the plans that charge coinsurance,” one health policy expert told The Associated Press, “the lower negotiated price should translate directly to lower out-of-pocket costs.”

NAKED AMBITION: If you’ve ever had a hankering to walk naked in a cave with hundreds of others, Howe Caverns in Upstate New York is offering one last chance. Launched in 2018, the final Naked in a Cave event, limited to 350 participants, will take place Saturday, September 28. The caves, a balmy 52 degrees year-round, are the largest open to the public in the Northeast and second in the state to Niagara Falls in the number of visitors they attract each year.

Lake George, N.Y., is associated with live music of all kinds, and for two weeks each summer, it is the home of world premieres, a sparkling constellation of international classical performers, student composers, and an artists’ retreat, all organized by the Lake George Music Festival. Stephanie Bartik

GOODBYE, HUDSON VALLEY: Last month, Billy Joel concluded his 150 shows at  Madison Square Garden. Now, the Orange County country home where Joel found his “New York State of Mind” is on the market. The home was built in the 1950s on the foundation of banker JP Morgan’s Gilded Age summer escape known as Cragston which had burned in 1948. When Joel moved in, he had his piano hoisted through a window into a bedroom on the second floor.

BIG MEDIA MOVES: It felt like an era passed in an instant this week with news of major changes involving New York media titans. WCBS, the all-news radio powerhouse that produced such legends as Charles Osgood, Charles Kuralt and Ed Bradley, is in its final days, soon to become WHSQ, the home of ESPN New York sports talk. It was WCBS traffic reporter Tom Kaminski, aloft as always in Chopper 88, who saw the planes hit the World Trade Center and broke the awful news to a disbelieving city. And The New York Times announced it no longer would seek to exert direct influence over political races in New York State, foregoing endorsements for governor, mayor and other local and state positions. Some progressives were not happy about it.

STATE OF SHIP IS PRECARIOUS: It set the speed record for crossing the Atlantic in 1952 – and still holds it, with propellers so large they were a Cold War secret. It is bigger than the Titanic and so luxurious that it was the first choice of presidents and royalty. A ship so trusted that it once carried the Mona Lisa. But now the U.S.S. United States is old and in disrepair and in need of a home. It’s being evicted from Philadelphia and is searching for a final berth.

ANIMAL LOVERS: New York is a great place to be a domestic animal. It’s among the top 10 states for pet friendliness, according to a new study that cites walkability, mild weather, good adoption outcomes, and access to veterinary services.

PINT-SIZED PICASSO: Laurent Schwarz, the abstract painter whose work has triggered international bidding wars, has a deal with paint manufacturer Relius and with a wallpaper company to feature his big, bold, colorful designs. He’s 2.

COURT JESTER: A teenager on a field trip fell asleep in a Michigan courtroom and ended up in handcuffs and wearing a jumpsuit, with the judge telling her he didn’t like her attitude and she needed to be respectful in court. He has been taken off the bench to undergo “necessary training,” the court’s chief judge said.

MICKEY MOUSE TACTIC: The Walt Disney Company is dealing with a PR fiasco of its own making now that word is out that it tried to strongarm a grieving widower out of court. Jeffrey Piccolo was suing the company after his wife suffered a fatal reaction to food she was served at a Disney restaurant.  Disney says the wrongful death suit cannot be adjudicated in court and that it must be subject to arbitration because of a mandatory arbitration clause buried in the fine print of a Disney+ trial he signed up for years earlier.

MELODY BURNS for years used her voice and her platforms to advocate for issues she was passionate about, including support for veterans and the police and opposition to gun restrictions. She was director of operations at the Veterans Miracle Center, which provides items to veterans and military personnel at no cost. “Our veterans deserve the best, because they put their lives on the line for us,” she told the Albany, N.Y., Times Union in 2019. She organized and spoke at large rallies in support of the Second Amendment and against the state’s 2013 SAFE Act, and had a regular afternoon radio talk show in Albany for three years. Her obituary noted, “She met many great patriots through her activities.” She died of cancer at 65.

RICHARD ARNOFF was the third generation of Arnoffs to run a company that started in the 1920s, when a father and son from northwest Connecticut began moving furniture and equipment for friends. Soon, they made contacts with wealthy families from New York City who needed places to store the fruits of shopping trips overseas, and Arnoff Moving and Storage was born. Together with his wife, Phyllis, Richard Arnoff grew the company from a two-truck operation to the multi-faceted business it is today, now in its fifth generation and 100^th year. Based in Malta since 2016, Arnoff’s fleet includes hundreds of trucks and trailers and employs more than 200 people. He died on his 91^st birthday, with his family nearby.

WALLY AMOS was pushing 40 when he opened a small bakery on Sunset Boulevard in 1975, armed with a family recipe for chocolate chip cookies. It wasn’t long before the neighborhood celebrities were raving about them, and Famous Amos was on its way to a loyal nationwide following, boosted by its colorful and energetic founder, one bite-sized morsel at a time. “Our dad inspired a generation of entrepreneurs,” his children said in a statement announcing his death, following a bout with dementia. “With his Panama hat, kazoo, and boundless optimism, Famous Amos was a great American success story, and a source of Black pride. It's also part of our family story for which we will forever be grateful and proud.” He was 88.

GENA ROWLANDS collaborated with her late husband, director John Cassavetes, on 10 films, two of which — 1974’s A Woman Under the Influence and 1980’s Gloria — resulted in Best Actress Oscar nominations for Rowlands. She later starred in The Notebook, playing an older version of Rachel McAdams’ character, Allie. She won an Emmy in 1987 for her portrayal of former First Lady Betty Ford in the TV film The Betty Ford Story. Two more would follow — for Face of a Stranger in 1992 and the HBO film Hysterical Blindness in 2003.She was awarded an honorary Oscar in 2015. She was 94.

JAMES CONROY was a true believer in the Capital Region of New York. He served on the Schenectady City Council, on the staff of the Center for Economic Growth, as deputy county executive in Schenectady, and as deputy mayor of his hometown Troy. He held the distinction of having run (unsuccessfully) for mayor in both Schenectady and Troy. He was a successful commercial real estate broker – a dealmaker all day long, with consummate finesse, a colleague said – with a special fondness for reuse of historic buildings. He was 76.

“I feel like I'm preserving important things in history that would usually get thrown away, trashed. I'm keeping it safe and showing people the evolution of tech and history. And that's important.”
— Jay Babina, an 18-year-old who has accumulated more than 400 pieces of technology that he’s researched, curated and displays in what he calls the Westport Tech Museum, in the attic of his home in Westport, Conn.

EPIC BEAUTY: The Northern Lights dropped in on Upstate New York last weekend. Breathtaking does not begin to describe the astonishing range and beauty of the photos people captured and shared, including one from Bolton that had the aurora borealis, Perseid meteor shower and the Milky Way in the same frame.

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CONTRIBUTORS: Bill Callen, Leigh Hornbeck, Mark Behan, Ryan Moore, Troy Burns, John Brodt, Kristy Miller, Claire P. Tuttle, Stephanie Bartik and Nancie Battaglia.

FACING OUT is what we do. We help companies, organizations and individuals work effectively with their most important external audiences – their customers, their shareholders, their communities, the government and the news media.  www.behancommunications.com

Facing Out features news and other nuggets that caught our eye, and that we thought might be of value to you, our friends and business associates. Some items are good news about our clients and friends, others are stories that we hope will leave you a bit more informed or entertained than you were five minutes ago. As always, we welcome your ideas and feedback. 

Let’s make it a conversation: mark.behan@behancom.com