Beethoven is for us. Is for. The. Beethoven 2023rd 250th anniversary year on. For to me to lawrence nothing is the same anymore the heart of new york her city it still beats but much more slowly than it did before shes been performing on broadway stages for 10 years. But everythings been closed down here since the outbreak of the pandemic and this it now i feel sorry heart break that i did. That i did before. Whats next for to make up whats next for new york in the city recover from the pandemic. Manhattan times square but theres one place in the world where life never stand still its right here. But now in this magical place is deserted. Almost. To make a runs into some colleagues by chance theyre also musicians and currently out of work but theyre busy shooting the music video for the internet as superheroes super powers cant hurt right now. I think that their. New york city where dreams are meant to become reality right now its more like a nightmare from. The borders have been closed for months there are no tourists no shows. No money. America is faltering before new yorkers like to me every day has become a struggle to carry on and be able to remain in the city she made enormous sacrifices to make it to broadway. So thats. A lot of. Our. Acting. It takes some people years to get a broadway gig but to manage it in just a month its her version of the american dream. But the dream is at least for now. Closed because of the coronavirus pandemic and it was recently announced that they will remain closed at least until next june. It was meant to appear right now is about a black woman living in america during the 1960 s. At the height of the civil rights movement. An important topic now just before the president ial election because the u. S. Is more divided today than its been in a very long time in 2 opponents and supporters of President Donald Trump and also on the question of whether black americans are still systematically disadvantaged i feel sad and and partially for me yes. But also i feel more sad for people who. Would benefit from me i feel sad for that family around i. You know may not understand why people see black lives matter who might want to see this because its just unusable and they dont know what its about and then maybe they can receive something Something Else like imprinted on their heart to understand why people say the things that they said. To coronavirus pandemic is pulling American Society even further apart in new york city alone roughly 24000 people have already died from the violence thanks to strict regulations such as extensive masking the citys been able to keep the virus better in check recently. But the number of infections is slowly rising again and in other parts of the country the situation is much more menacing. Black americans like to meet are especially concerned statistically their risk of infection is 3 times higher than that of their fellow white citizens. Pandemic is bringing the deep seated inequality with an American Society back to the surface something that also worries to me a great deal. For home is in the bronx the poorest in new york city. Here to meekers kept busy with her new side job since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic shes been designing fashion and jewelry with social critical and political messages. A little extra income in these hard times. She puts her finger in the open wounds of American Society with many of her designs. Wants to do her part to make sure that things get back on track in america this is one reason why all her products are made in the usa its important to have stuff made in the us here because it means keeping americans employed because employment leads to Health Coverage to less stress healthfully. And. I think that at a time like this its super imperative to think about that. Is true. Why. You letter. Yeah. You play. Josh also hopes for a better future. He and to me could have been friends since they appeared on a broadway stage together. Josh too lost his job because of the coronavirus but unlike to me he decided to leave new york like so many others. Since the pandemic you know forced me. To stay here for a lot of people right so i or sublet or its in my place im in california actually staying in my parents mobile didnt make sense to stay here if i didnt have work when the only keeps me here is. The work you know and im you know im going to be sounds paycheck in the city are right as well i have someone out paying my rent needs to be here and spend time with my family that was the main. Now josh is visiting for a few weeks. Because he managed to get a couple of small the geeks. But the citys not what he remembers. Its a strange feeling because the city is very. Different you know i mean its wire you dont have that some of. The. Folks that are coming in to see photos and you know these varies from all over the world not just basically have new yorkers the most part so theres a part of it thats refreshing as a part of that its a little sad but you know i know that were strong. City folk and im sure that were going to bounce back soon and for a moment when she has time to meet also looks in on her neighbors. Today she meets jane in the lobby. To. Both things thank you for. All we read and. Oh ok i have like the devotionals with it too so i have the super bowl for the bush. But he gives you all just move. Everybody completely. Jay has diabetes and his left foot had to be amputated shortly before the pandemic like him a disproportionately high number of black americans suffer from preexisting conditions and are especially at risk during the pandemic. I just thought it physical rehab the more chronic. Kind them again i was knocked out of rehab because those considered the high risk of the last one still in this chair and i want to know this is a daily thing come out get it. Go back in. This is what. We just have to keep on Going Forward and. Trying to stay alive. But many werent so lucky. That live at the hospital is just around the corner from to me because apartment. She will never forget the weeks when the city was the world wide at the center of the pandemic. Overpass here and. You know semi trucks that were for all the deceased bodies. High of that analysis very alarming. It was a very scary time the conscious. Sirens going off the streets were very empty it made me feel like it was kind of the end of the world. But it was not yet here. As the number of new cases in new york increases so does the fear of a 2nd wave im afraid what will happen because of that im afraid that i wont be able to see my parents because of it or visit them or make sure that theyre ok im afraid that. Everything will close in the entire economy and all the business this wall collapsed because of it i guess im more afraid of the ramifications of power will affect people then what it will do to me. Evening lawrence strong back to times square for many people its the symbol of new york for her its a place full of beautiful memories being here at night time to feel for joy here its nice to know that its not completely empty it. Reminds me of what was i really like that. Vibrancy time where in the privacy of new york think that something that i was nervous was going to be gone forever but its nice to see that there are still people who want to come to times square and if you know why i think and to be a. New entity just to meet the hope that new york and new yorkers will also overcome this crisis somehow. And. The dogs life. What kind of furnishings do they prefer. Renowned designers. I want to find out they designed furniture for dogs. But the designs come to learn. We visit an exhibition in london to try them out. Here romex. Told. Him sleep. Carefully. Dont simply choose to do good. Discover. The slums. Subscribe to the documentary on. The food. That is so much from. Why our reporter henry grayling has climbed into a huge tub of grapes is one of the things you will find out later on in the show. Oh hello and welcome to another fun filled edition of your own max with me your host megan leigh