Call it Table Tennis or Ping Pong, But the Championships Are On

While some people may be breathlessly glued to their TVs, watching the Masters Tournament and Tiger Woods’ return to the world of golf, others are watching the championships of another sport—the New York City Open for table tennis is being held this weekend in Manhattan, on New York’s Upper West Side.
About 250 players, among the best in the world, are competing for the title up at Columbia University. The U.S. National men’s single champion is 15-year-old Michael Landers, who lives in Long island and is a sophomore in high school.
The tournament also supports an after school table-tennis program run by the American Youth Table Tennis Organization. In addition to giving players a chance to compete, it’s also a way to spread the news about the sport on a grass-roots level and get more people interested in playing.
The championship match will be played today in the Frances Levien Gymnasium in the Dodge Fitness Center at Columbia University, 2960 Broadway. There’s no charge for spectators, but donations are welcome. (Go to nationaltabletennis.com for more information about both the tournaments and the sport itself.)
The JOOLA North American Tour goes on all summer. The Eastern Open takes place May 22 and May 23 at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Table tennis became an Olympic sport in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea, and will be on view again at the 2012 games in London.
And yes, it's the same thing as Ping Pong. Ping Pong is actually a registered sports trademark (Note: It’s kind of like calling your tissues Kleenex.)

The Wild Life Has Gotten Wilder in New York's Parks

How do you vaccinate a raccoon?
Very, very carefully.
A plan to vaccinate raccoons in New York City’s Central Park, Riverside Park, and Morningside Park is underway.
Since December, more than three dozen documented cases of rabies among raccoons have been reported. A dog and two people have been bitten by rabid raccoons since the end of last year; all of those bitten received treatment. The raccoons have been sighted largely in Central Park and upper Manhattan.
The New York City Department of Health says the project is to protect both the raccoons and the community around them.
The raccoons will be caught (humanely) by wildlife experts. They will then be vaccinated, tagged, and released in the same location. (Unless, we hope, they were found wandering around a store on Broadway or some such place.)
The whole process will take four to eight weeks, and will be repeated next summer to vaccinate the raccoons born this spring.
Obviously, people, do not touch, pet, or in any way coo over a wild raccoon should you encounter one, whether it be shopping at the Food Emporium or strolling through the park.
And in other news documenting the fact that wildlife in New York is indeed getting wilder, a trio of coyotes was spotted at Columbia University earlier this month.
Coyotes have also been spotted in New York suburbs, proving that despite the many lures of the 'burbs, a wildlife-free zone isn’t one of them.

"Runaway Bunny" Lovers, Unite: It's The Great Children's Read

True children’s book aficionados know that “Goodnight, Moon” and “Harold and the Purple Crayon” are right up there with ”Remembrance of Things Past” and “Madame Bovary” as the truly great works of literature. Now, everyone can revel in children’s books at the New York Times’ Great Children’s Read, this Sunday, October 4, at New York’s Columbia University (116th Street and Broadway; 10 am-5 pm). The event features celebrities, librarians and just plan folk reading from great children’s books like the folk tale “Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears”; excerpts from “Winnie-the-Pooh” (our personal favorite); and the classic picture book “Blueberries for Sal,” by Robert McCloskey. Readers include Roscoe Orman (Gordon from “Sesame Street”); Gregory Jbara (“Broadway’s “Billy Elliott”)’ and WCBS-TV news anchor Dana Tyler.
While reading is the focus, other activities also take center stage at the event. Examples? Book signings! Live entertainment! Giveaways!
You can buy some of the books that are being read, and have featured authors sign them. Big Apple Circus clowns will be entertaining passersby on the main quad; and representatives from The New York Public Library System will be on hand--a good time to check out their programs and pick up a library card if you don’t already have one. Information about Columbia University will be distributed, and families can try their hand at mask making, inspired by the costumes from “The Lion King.” Organizations from The New Victory Theater to The New York Historical Society will also feature activities and programs for kids.
So ready, set, read!