Long Island City and The New Home of Amazon Under the lens, A Journey from Baghdad to Brooklyn, and Music from Nick Demaris

This week we have a fully loaded three part show, mixing local Amazon news and analysis, in studio music, and a personal story of escaping war in war ravaged Iraq.

First, Newtown Creek Alliance historian Mitch Waxman joins Chilly Underground by phone to offer his analysis and insight into the recent news that Amazon- the worlds largest online retailer- aims to build part of its new headquarters in Long Island City, a region of the city Mitch knows very, very well. As a historian writing for the Newtown Pentacle, Steering committee member of Access Queens, his decades of familiarity with the region, offers a unique multi pronged glimpse into this important community discussion that is just beginning.

We then are joined in studio with Nick Demeris, a NYC based artist, musician, and community builder- who offers a brutally intense blend of musical theater which he continually hones throughout the city including in theaters and subway stops near you. We hear about Nick’s creative roots and hear a few of his unique songs that he was kind enough to do for me in studio.

Lastly, we take a journey from Baghdad to Brooklyn- we hear from Saif, an Iraqi born accountant who tells us his personal story- spanning life under Saddam Hussein in Iraq, to his 2005 escape from his war torn country, to his journey to Brooklyn. What he misses, what he doesn’t, and what it means to be an American.


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