No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford
Free Wi-Fi at All Barnes and Noble Stores
Once again Barnes and Noble has upped the ante and added another reason why people should go there rather than indie bookstores.
Complimentary free Wi-Fi.
According to a B&N press release, with complimentary Wi-Fi, the local bookstore is your home away from home. Check your email, have a cup of coffee, and most importantly browse ebooks in their new online bookstore.
Oh I get it.
Questions: Do Community Bookstore, Bookcourt and the upcoming Greenlight Bookstore in Ft. Greene want to be free Wi-Fi destinations? Is that what a bookstore should be?
It can mean people hanging out using their computers. But are they actually buying books? Do the indie booksellers need to copycat what the big giant is doing or can they just keep on keeping on. Maybe people will be happy that there are still traditional bookstores that aren't Wi-Fi media centers.
What Do We Do About Post Office Closings?
The US Postal Services is set to close post offices all over the country. On the local level it's the Seventh Avenue PO plus others in Brooklyn that are facing their demise.
Anyone who has ever walked by the Seventh Avenue PO knows how crowded it always is. It's not the most efficient place in the world but it's obviously a heavily used resource in this community. What are people supposed to do without a post office? Sure you can buy stamps online but what about packages.
People are wondering what they can do to fight this. Who should they call or write to make their opposition known?
Some thoughts:
Let's get our local elected officials on the case. Obviously we need to send word to our Borough President Marty Markowitz (who likes to think of himself as everyone's closest link to big government).
Next: Councilmembers David Yassky and Bill deBlasio, who both represent parts of Seventh Avenue, should be on the case explaining what's going on.
And then: Craig Hammerman, District Manager of Community Board 6, could also be of help.
From there: The Mayor.
Maybe some of the City Council candidates have some BIG IDEAS about how to stop this from happening.
And then there's Bill C. Thompson and Tony Avella, candidates for Mayor.
Hellooooooooo out there. Anyone know how to stop this???? Anyone want to explain what's going on?
National Watermelon Day at Ringling Brothers in Coney
Apparently elephants like watermelon. Does everyone know that? So on Monday, August 3rd: "the
planet's premiere watermelon artist will lend his talents to Coney Island
icons, and the precious pachyderms of The Greatest Show On Earth!"
Okay.
I'm not really sure what they're talking about here. Just trying to drum up some interest in the circus I guess:
WHAT: An elephant brunch featuring one of their
favorite treats: watermelon — of course! … a fascinating foursome of
truly unique carved watermelons — you'll be amazed and awestruck by
the melony magnificence of the Wonder Wheel and the Parachute Jump! …
and free watermelon for all attending — bring a napkin!
WHEN: Monday, August 3 — 11:00 – 11:30 a.m.
WHERE: At the corner of 21st Street and Surf Avenue in Coney Island.
WHY: Because it's National Watermelon Day and
watermelon is the ultimate summer fruit — because Coney Island is the
ultimate summer destination for New Yorkers — and because The Coney Island BOOM A RING is the ultimate seaside circus celebration!
New Shop for Scaredy Kat: Free Moon Pies Until August 16th
One of the Park Slope 100 and an OTBKB fave shop, Scaredy Kat , is celebrating its 10th Anniversary with a new location for their store.
Their new, bigger digs is located at 232 5th Avenue in Brooklyn right across the street from their previous location. The new store has almost twice the square footage, which means they have even
more fun cards and gifts. Plus that
new roominess comes with the added bonus of more space to move around
in –
How fab is that?
Best of all they are giving away FREE Moon Pies to all who come in to celebrate the opening until August 16th:
Here's the note from the owners Damond and Nora:
are having our annual SUPER SUMMER CARD SALE with 100's of cards and
boxed cards at reduced prices. And, in honor of the new space, we are
offering a free Moon Pie with any purchase!
So come on down to Scaredy Kat on 5Th Avenue in Brooklyn to check out the new digs, grab yourself a free Moon Pie and celebrate with us.
Closing of Park Slope P.O. Part of Larger US Plan
Its seems that the proposed plan to close Park Slope's Post Office on Seventh Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets is part of a much larger plan by the US Postal service to close many post offices around the country. Thanks to Eliot Wagner, OTBKB's music columnist, I have this article from Linn's Stamp News dated July 27, 2009:
By Bill McAllister
Washington Correspondent
Declaring
that its post offices are "not intended to operate as monuments to a
bygone era of postal customer interaction," the United States Postal
Service has petitioned for a review of its plans to shrink the number
of its retail outlets.
In a petition files July 2 with the
Postal Regulatory Commission, Postal Service officials raised the
possibility that it might close so many post offices that the changes
may constitute a national change in the availability of postal services.
If the changes are judged to be that, the commission must give its blessing to before they can be implemented.
The
eight page petition said officials don't know yet how many of the
nation's 27,200 post offices and 4,800 branch stations are likely to be
closed or consolidated under the proposed plan.
But they said declining mail volume cannot justify retaining all of the current retail outlets.
According
to the petition, newer forms of stamp sales, including the internet and
consignment of stamps to merchants and automated postal centers, are
growing, reducing the need for post offices. These new services
account for 30 percent of retail revenues and are trending upward.
The
petition states: "In many cases, the justification for the
establishment of a station or a branch at a particular location 20 or
40 years ago no longer exists."
The planned station and branch
optimization initiative assumes "that excess retail capacity can be
identified and reduced." It warns that some customers could be
inconvenienced by the changes, but it argues that the USPS will
continue to provide mandated postal services to all parts of the
country after the closings.
A Postal Service spokesman said that
officials in the 74 administrative districts are expected to review the
number of retail outlets they currently have and come up with a
cost-cutting plan to reduce the number.
The changes are not likely to be implemented until Oct. 2, the start of the new fiscal year for the Postal Service.
The
petition requests that the commission issue an advisory opinion stating
that the changes will keep the public properly serviced with adequate
retail outlets as required by federal laws.
Tom Martinez, Witness: Bob Marley at Vox Pop
Let's get together and feel alright; check out the just finished Bob Marley mural at the Vox Pop Coffee Shop on Cortelyou Road.
Brooklyn-based
artist Juan Carlos Pinto created it with support and
assistance from Michelle Capolongo, James Hartnett, Holley Anderson, Jo
(Anna) Mitchell and Big Sean.
According to Vox Pop owner/manager Debi Ryan, offering up
space for the mural is part of Vox Pop's larger mission to, "give
everyone a voice, no matter what the medium."
Photo: Tom Martinez
OTBKB Music: Tuesday Night Music Club
The name of the band listed on The Rockwood Music Hall calendar for
Tuesday night was "Shit Storm." Unlike almost every other band on that
calendar, it didn't have a link to a website. OK, it's really a band
who doesn't want its name out there, I thought. A bit of asking around
and I was told that it's Sasha Dobson, who has a big (that is, paying)
gig next week and can't play under her name this week. Since I like
the new material Sasha's been playing, I decided to go see her.
I got to The Rockwood early Tuesday night and had 20 minutes to kill.
I ended up in Sugar, the dinner up the block, eating a Black and White
and watching the people pass by on the sidewalk. I looked up in time
to see three women with guitar cases strapped to their backs walk by.
And although I only see their backs, I recognize them. "It's Sasha,
Catherine and Norah; OK, this is going to be a Puss N Boots show," I
thought. So I finish my snack and get back to The Rockwood, where the
8 o'clock band is finishing up.
I'm actually able to find a seat at one of The Rockwood's three tables
(the one against the wall). That seat ends up putting me right in
front of Norah, which means I can finally read the name of the candy
apple red guitar she plays. In the past, I've been able to see that
it's a Fender and that it's neither a Telecaster nor a Stratocaster.
This time I'm finally able to read the model, which I now know is a
Mustang.
I've seen Puss N Boots (formerly Dixie Fried and the successor band to
The Sloppy Joannes) before and this show fits right into the band's
usual M.O.: Sasha on amplified acoustic, Norah on lead and Catherine on
bass; the lead vocals are maybe 60% Sasha and 40% Norah, with Catherine
getting one lead as well. This show is all covers and there are covers
from folks like Wanda Jackson, George Jones, Johnny Cash and Buddy
Holly, as well as funny and self deprecating remarks from Sasha and
Norah and funny and outrageous remarks from Catherine.
But the standout song of the night for me is, as it has been for a
while, the cover of Wilco's Jesus, Etc. with Norah front and center (I
previously posted it here). It's so good that she should think about
putting it on her next record (which she's now recording).
One hour is what a band gets at The Rockwood and when the hour was up,
the band and much of the audience scattered. Norah was probably on her
way to The Living Room where members of her now disbanded Handsome Band
were playing. I needed some sleep so I just went back to Brooklyn.
–Eliot Wagner
No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford
Sufjan Stevens’ Film BQE to Play at 92YTribeca
The 92YTribeca is celebrating its
first anniversary with a host of special events. A highlight will be a showing of BQE, a a film version of Sufjan Steven’s 40-minute symphonic and cinematic exploration
of New York
’s Brooklyn-Queens Expressway,
one of the indie world’s “most eccentric and personal
songwriters” is helping us blow out the candle in a multi-media,
venue-wide celebration. The event, part of a month-long anniversary
celebration at 92YTribeca, includes Stevens introducing two screenings of The BQE, a documentary that captures his
film and musical suite (performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next
Wave Festival in November of 2007). The BQE
is a film version of Sufjan Steven’s 40-minute symphonic and cinematic exploration
of New York
’s Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, “the infamous traffic artery
that severed neighborhoods and contoured waterways with the brute force of
modern urban planning.” The New York
Times calls it Stevens’ equivalent of the Godfrey Reggio-Philip
Glass film collaboration Koyaanisqatsi: “a skeptical view of development
that eventually falls in love with sheer motion.” The 92YTribeca
event, which coincides with the release of The
BQE on DVD, is the first time NY audiences will be able to experience
the multimedia project since the live event in 2007.
Of
course, at 92YTribeca, it’s not just about one element; we’re
making the whole night a Sufjan Stevens-experience. Osso, the string quartet with a modernist
pulse, performs interpretations of
Stevens’ eccentric electronica album, Enjoy
Your Rabbit (which is based on the animals of the Chinese Zodiac).
The group appeared on Stevens’ 2005 Come
On! Feel the Illinoise! and Songs
for Christmas albums, and has collaborated and performed with an array
of artists, including Jay-Z, Alice and Ravi Coltrane, The
New Pornographers, Antony and the Johnsons, The Polyphonic
Spree , The National, Devotchka and Kanye West.
For
more information about the event, visit www.92YTribeca.org
Seventh Avenue Post Office Closing?
I just heard from my neighbor artist Bernette Rudolph that the Seventh Avenue Post Office is closing.
Questions.
Is it being renovated, relocated or what?
Hey it's not the most efficient P.O. in the world but it's still a P.O.
Speaking of Bernette, her wonderful graphic prints are on display at the new La Bagel Delight on Seventh Avenue between 6th and 7th Streets.
Brooklyn to Gov’s Island Ferry Service Expanded
This just in from The Governors
Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC)
be offered between the borough and Governors Island, the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC)
today announced. Earlier this summer, GIPEC announced a free
ferry between the Fulton Ferry Landing and Governors Island on select summer
weekend days. Due to popular demand, the free ferry will now be offered every
Saturday and Sunday through Labor Day weekend. Ferries run every 20 minutes
between Fulton Ferry Landing and Governors Island on these weekends.
This summer, Governors Island is also becoming a
popular place for a wide array of Brooklyn based food and products, artists, and cultural groups. Earlier this
season, Added Value, a non-profit organization based in Red Hook, planted a
three acre sustainable organic farm at Picnic Point. The farm is open to the
public and offers free educational programming for visitors.
Later this summer, Brooklyn’s own Blue Marble Ice Cream will
begin scooping its homemade ice cream out of its eco-friendly trike. In
addition, Water Taxi Beach at Governors Island sells several
products made in the borough, including Park Slope sausages and Six Point Beer.
“It was great to
get ferry service from Brooklyn going again,” said State Senator Daniel Squadron. “Expanding
service is even better, with more ferries on more days, making Governors Island more accessible for
millions of Brooklynites. Governors Island has the potential to be the center of a new 21st century harbor park–a Central Park for the center of our
city. Now even more community members will be able to keep cool in the
harbor this summer and enjoy an afternoon on this spectacular island.”
City Council Approves Bloomberg’s Coney Island Plan
The City Council on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved Mayor
Bloomberg’s plan to redevelop Coney Island, a controversial plan that
the mayor hopes will create a major tourist destination and livable
neighborhood for permanent residents.
Just before the vote, Bloomberg and Joe Sitt, the major landowner in
Coney Island and a longtime opponent of the mayor’s plans, made a
breakthrough in their sometimes-bitter negotiations over a price for
some of Sitt’s large holdings, though a deal was not yet finalized.
The breakthough involves Sitt selling a portion of his valuable
territory to the city, yet retain some for lucrative development of his
own, the New York Times reported.
The Council voted 44–2 on a rezoning package that seeks to transform
Coney Island’s derelict lots into a gleaming city-owned amusement park
surrounded by enclosed attractions like movie theaters, shopping or a
water park for year-round visitors and 4,500 units of housing.
The plan will rezone 19 blocks of Coney Island, much of it currently
limited solely for amusements, though only a few blocks actually have
seasonal amusements on site while vast portions are empty or used for
other purposes due to lax enforcement.
Noticing New York: Testimony at Atlantic Yards Hearing
Here is an excerpt from Noticing New York.Testimony to the Empire State Development Corporation:
This comment is being offered in the name of Noticing
New York, an independent entity dedicated to the proposition that
developing New York and appreciating New York go hand in hand.
I
offer this testimony as an attorney experienced in real estate, as an
urban planner and as former senior government official who worked for
more than a quarter of a century in the areas of public finance and
development for the state finance authorities.
1. There is good development and there is bad development.
2.
Good development begets and whets the appetite for more development.
Bad development creates enemies and stagnation. Good development moves
relatively fast, providing jobs in the here and now rather than in the
hereafter (after many of those now looking for jobs will have moved on
to other things). For instance, if the alternative UNITY plan had been
adopted there would be a lot of people working right now and a lot of
people housed and about to be housed.
3. Good development finds a quicker more ready acceptance by the community, works with its values and doesn’t needlessly destroy its landmarks and worthwhile buildings.
Frustrations Flare at July 29th Atlantic Yards Hearing
The Brooklyn Paper had this report:
"Supporters and opponents of the embattled Atlantic Yards project
clashed at two public hearings this Wednesday and an information
session last Wednesday, rehashing familiar arguments over the
controversial mega-project in the wake of a new proposal that would
give developer Bruce Ratner sweeter terms.
"The July 29 hearing at the New York Technical College on Jay Street wasn’t as uproarious as the June 22 session,
where years of built-up frustration erupted from project boosters and
foes who long ago made up their minds on the merits of the basketball
arena and the 16-skyscraper development planned for Prospect Heights.
But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t without excitement.
More than 50 project opponents as well as a who’s who of politicians
and City Council candidates rallied outside the hearing, demanding the
project be halted in the wake of changes approved last month
that would allow Forest City to build the project at a slower pace, pay
the Metropolitan Transportation Authority less money up front to build
for development rights to a smaller portion of the railyards at the
intersection of Atlantic and Flatbush avenues, and to make less-costly
railyard renovations than initially promised.
Loads more at Atlantic Yards Report and No Land Grab, of course.
My friend Gilly Youner, Develop Don't Destroy board member, does not look happy in the above photo by Ben Muessig.
