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Ema | Developer
Dave's Picks | Animal experts warn against the ...

Put down the phone, please.

Dave's Picks | Animal experts warn against the dangers of multi-tasking dog walks
Dave Speaks, Dave's Picks
Ema | Developer
Dave's Picks | Many Personal Care Products ...

Are your hygiene and beauty regimes helping or harming you?

Dave's Picks | Many Personal Care Products Contain Harmful Chemicals. Here's What To Do About It.
Dave Speaks
Ema | Developer
Dave's Picks | How To Get Absolutely No Sun ...

Are you sun savvy? You’re about to be!

Dave's Picks | How To Get Absolutely No Sun This Summer.
Dave Speaks, Dave's Picks
Ema | Developer
Dave's Picks | A TikTok user's rehabbed curb ...

File Under: Sometimes you luck out, and other times, curb scores just might not be worth the hassle…

Dave's Picks | A TikTok user's rehabbed curb couch stirs debate over bedbug risk : NPR
Dave's Picks, Dave Speaks
Ema | Developer
Dave's Picks | They built the digital world. ...

How tech workers are discovering that woodworking and other hands-on activities offer a change of pace and an opportunity to tap into a rich history of craftsmanship.

Dave's Picks | They built the digital world. Now they just want to sew and make chairs.

Dave Speaks

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Forbes | Former Teacher, Foreign Service Officer, Campaign Manager: What Enticed This Mid-Career Woman Back To School

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Forbes | Former Teacher, Foreign Service Officer, Campaign Manager: What Enticed This Mid-Career Woman Back To School

Originally published September 3, 2019 by Forbes | Sheila Callaham Contributor | Diversity & Inclusion
I write about combatting ageism in the workplace.

First in the series: Mid-Career and Beyond–Transforming Personal and Professional Life Through Education

For kids and young adults, September means heading back to a regimen of classes, homework and exams. When it comes to college, young adults are not the only ones looking for degrees and certifications; mature students are also turning to university programs to increase employment opportunities and seek new career experiences.

Julian Phillippi’s decision to go back to school to earn a Masters in Human Resource Management is a path forged to meet her new career interests. A former teacher, foreign service officer and campaign manager, Phillippi is not afraid of change. Now in her second year at New York University (NYU), a private nonprofit research university based in New York City, Phillippi is honing her specialization and already applying her learnings to real world challenges.

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NYT | Welcome to the party. The New York City block party

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NYT | Welcome to the party. The New York City block party

New Yorkers, we live on top of one another, so it’s only natural that sometimes we spill out onto the concrete. It happens especially during the sweltering summer spells, when even the apartment walls seem to sweat.

There are very few backyards in the city, so to avoid walking up flights, a steamy basement or balmy bedrooms, we hug the block.

Across all five boroughs New Yorkers set out on their streets with lawn chairs, pools, bouncy castles and tables full of food, to enjoy the summer together. Throughout the day there is a cacophony of familiar music, the laughter of children playing and the sizzling sound of meat on a grill. No cars are allowed.

Gothamist | Is This Revolting Dead Rat Soup The Future Of NYC Pest Control?

Warning: for the queasy among us — proceed with caution. This gets mighty real.

Originally published By Jake Offenhartz @ Gothamist.com

Sept. 5, 2019 4:58 p.m.

gothamist_rat_soup_image.jpg

Wow

David 'Dee' Delgado

In 1839, the naturalist John Jay Audobon was granted permission by Mayor Isaac Varian to begin shooting rats he spotted along the Battery. In the 1960s, following a series of nest-shaking tenement demolitions, the Daily News trained teenagers to lay rat poison. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani hired future subway boss Joe Lhota as his “Rat Czar,” while Mayor Bill de Blasio has toyed with removing trash cans to stamp out the unwanted rodents. David Lynch was even involved at one point. Still, there are rats.

On Thursday, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams joined the pantheon of New Yorkers operating under the notion that the rats might be eradicated, if only we tried a new approach. In one of the more gut-churning press conferences in recent memory, Adams summoned the city’s reporters to Borough Hall to demonstrate a “cutting-edge” rat-killing device—part bait trap, part drowning tank—known as the Ekomille. We were promised dead rats, and goddamn did we get them.

Click here to read the full post at Gothamist. [CONTENT WARNING: SO MANY DEAD RATS]

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Dave's Picks | NYT Essay — What Beyoncé Taught Veronica Chambers, Past Tense Editor, About Self-Motivation

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Dave's Picks | NYT Essay — What Beyoncé Taught Veronica Chambers, Past Tense Editor, About Self-Motivation

As you may have heard, we’ve been avoiding the office this week. Which means our Elevator Interview — the weekly chats we’ve been conducting with Times writers and editors to get inside their heads about how they do their jobs — took place over email.

That was no problem for Veronica Chambers, who has an early morning writing ritual that, at times, has involved her sleeping on her kitchen floor to ensure that she would be so uncomfortable that she wakes up early. It appears to have worked: She is the author of more than a dozen books, including her most recent, “Queen Bey: A Celebration of the Power and Creativity of Beyoncé Knowles-Carter,” and is editor of the Times archival storytelling project, Past Tense.

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Dave's Picks | NYT Opinion — Should Work Be Passion, or Duty?

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Dave's Picks | NYT Opinion — Should Work Be Passion, or Duty?

It’s worth noting on a national holiday extolling the value and dignity of labor that Americans are uniquely obsessed with work. Could any other nation come up with a product like Soylent, a meal substitute, not for the elderly, the poor or the malnourished, but for software engineers, Wall Street brokers, tech entrepreneurs and others who don’t want to be diverted from their work by the time consuming intricacies of a meal? Could you imagine the French conceiving such a thing?

While other wealthy nations have shortened the workweek, given their citizens more free time and schemed to make their lives more pleasant, stress-free and enjoyable, the United States offers a curious paradox: Though the standard of living has risen, and creature comforts are more readily and easily available — and though technological innovations have made it easier to work efficiently — people work more, not less.

Dave's Picks | NYT Essay — King of Pop Tyshawn Jones

Dave's Picks | NYT Essay — King of Pop Tyshawn Jones

Super cool piece and interactive photo essay on skateboarding master Tyshawn Jones. Check it!

Tyshawn Jones’s jaw-dropping athleticism has made him a skateboarding icon. But is skateboarding big enough for someone like Tyshawn Jones?

By Willy Staley

Photographs by Philip Montgomery
Videos by Danilo Parra and Zach Sky

One of Tyshawn Jones’s favorite places to skate is the William F. Passannante Ballfield in Greenwich Village. Even by skateboarding’s flexible standards, this park is barren: a flat expanse of asphalt with paint denoting a baseball diamond. There are no ledges sweaty with wax, no stairs to jump down, not even a measly curb; once you leave the painted infield, the ground becomes too chunky to really skate on. And yet it’s still a destination in New York, known to locals as ‘‘T.F. West’’ — short for ‘‘training facility,’’ a convoluted inside joke about the fact that there’s nothing to skate there.

Is My Millennial Co-Worker a Narcissist, or Am I a Jealous Jerk?

Is My Millennial Co-Worker a Narcissist, or Am I a Jealous Jerk?

“My co-worker seems to work more for their (I don’t want to specify gender) personal brand than for the company. This team member posts their whereabouts on Slack: They’re at a conference, at class (coursework tangential to their job), working from home! They keep us up to date on the minutiae of their travel (leaving at 11 a.m.! on a train without Wi-Fi until 7 p.m.!). They meet their goals, but I’m not privy to what their results look like — are they treading water or exceeding their goals?

Dave Speaks | NY's New License Plates Will Still Be Made By Prisoners Earning 65 Cents An Hour

Dave Speaks | NY's New License Plates Will Still Be Made By Prisoners Earning 65 Cents An Hour

Next spring, New York State is issuing new license plates, and New Yorkers can now cast their vote for the new design. "License plates are a symbol of who we are as a state and New Yorkers should have a voice and a vote in its final design," Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a release. But the new license plates will still be produced by people incarcerated by the state, who earn an average wage of 65 cents an hour.

Roughly 2,100 prisoners work for Corcraft, which is "the ‘brand name’ for the Division of Correctional Industries,” operated by the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS). The prisoners make a variety of products, from hand soap dispensers to desks to pillows, and generate around $50 million in annual sales, mostly to local governments. The revenue goes to the state general fund.

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Dave Speaks | Old ways, new ways — How to stick to good habits

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Dave Speaks | Old ways, new ways — How to stick to good habits

Summer is ending , Fall is approaching . . . I feel this is a good read on how to stick to your good habits and keep that summer bod of yours in check throughout the Winter months!

Katy Milkman played tennis at Princeton, and when she finished college, she went to the gym every day. But when she started grad school, her fitness routine went south.

"At the end of a long day of classes, I was exhausted," Milkman says. "Frankly, the last thing I wanted to do was drag myself to the gym. What I really wanted to do was watch TV or read Harry Potter."

Dave Speaks | If you put your keys in a safe place you will never find them again.

Dave Speaks | If you put your keys in a safe place you will never find them again.

Now that you have your new apartment, it is kind of like traveling to the new world, there is a whole slew of details you will need to know. Don’t be overwhelmed. For frequently asked questions about what happens when you are a tenant with Dave visit your specific password protected building page. If you don’t know your password email db@speaktodave.com

Now if you can’t remember where you put your keys. GOOD LUCK.

Dave Speaks | If there's a grill there's a way

Dave Speaks | If there's a grill there's a way

With warmer weather approaching, many of us are making plans to grill and be merry. In our experience it is good to have a few ground rules when the merriment and grilling mix:

ROOF FUN RULES

We all like to have a good time, and we want you to in our buildings.

BUT

If you are have a BBQ or roof get together clean up after yourself.

Respect your neighbors!!

If we get complaints from our cleaning crew, you will be charged depending on the mess.

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New CitiBike Stations Arrive in Bushwick

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New CitiBike Stations Arrive in Bushwick

So after 2 years of talking; the L train partial shutdown is here! If you travel on the L train between 10:30pm to 5am your commute is now more challenging.

Starting today in Bushwick we have new CitiBike stations that will hopefully assist commuters during this service interruption. It won't really help folks that don't want to ride at night but perhaps more bikes will lead to more fun and safe riding.

These new #Bushwick Citibike stations are now live:

- White St & Moore S

- Stagg St & Morgan Ave

- George St & Wilson Ave

- Irving Ave & Jefferson St

- Willoughby Ave & Wyckoff Ave

Check the map below for the full expansion plan:

Bottom Line Properties Need Attention

Bottom Line Properties Need Attention

Managing properties is an interesting vibe. One minute you are signing a new tenant to a lease while the next moment you are fielding complaints about a leaky toilet. A property is a living organism. It needs your attention.

Interesting to me as property manager, I found this cool behind the scenes look at the property manager of Fenway Park in Boston.

"We have city inspections we have to worry about," he said. "We have construction we have to finish up. We have just all kinds of things going on right now."

Sounds familiar. Kind of interesting to think that folks are paying attention to these behind the scenes details at baseball stadiums.

Bottom line properties need attention.

— dave speaks

Can I have a 'Nappuccino' please?

Can I have a 'Nappuccino' please?

I found this NPR article to be more relevant with living in NYC - we spend most of our time commuting, working, eating, exercising or not, having drinks with friends or just hanging out watching the latest on Netflix - finding enough time to sleep is sometimes difficult with our busy schedules. Its time to strategize having a nappuccino …

Recycling: The Hardest Part

Recycling: The Hardest Part

We get it. Everyone is busy. Finding time to set-up a personal recycling program and vision is not probably high on your priority list. It turns out the city, state federal, government (and private industries) are also struggling with the clean up and separation that goes with a standardized recycling program. I learned in this recent NY Times article, that one of the primary reasons recycling has trouble catching on is because of dollars and cents:

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Dave DIY pest solutions

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Dave DIY pest solutions

What do lemon juice, chalk, cinnamon, cornmeal, and white vinegar have in common? All of these items can be used to rid yourself of ANTS! Check out this excellent post on DIY Solutions to keeping ants, fleas and roaches out of your apartment.

FYI, if you ever have a problem with pests and live in our building call us immediately. The best way to avoid bigger problems is to contact us first.

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Dave Speaks | Fixes every New Yorker should know

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Dave Speaks | Fixes every New Yorker should know

Believe it or not, many simple repairs can be handled by Googling a YouTube video and doing it yo’ self rather than calling a professional. DNA published an AMAZING post detailing simple household fixes. An old post but a classic post archived (DNA doesn't even exist anymore ;(

Here are the fixes every New Yorker should know:

► Unclogging All Kinds of Drains

► Changing a Light Switch to Light Dimmer

► Fixing Low Water Pressure in Your Faucet

► Hanging Heavy Objects on Walls

► Fixing a Running Toilet”

OUR HANDYMAN CONFIRMS THAT EVERYONE SHOULD OWN THE TOOL PICTURED BELOW. IT IS FOR CLEARING UP DIFFERENT TYPES OF CLOGS. > AT AMAZON < GOOD LUCK.

You’re almost home!