All posts by louise crawford

OTBKB Trivia: We Have a Winner!

Milemarker Congratulations to Amy, the winner of the first Where Might This Be Trivia Quiz.

The answer: IKEA!

Your prize: A $5 gift certificate to Snice, OTBKB's fave coffee/lunch spot of the moment. Please send your address by email so I can send to you: louise_crawford@yahoo.com

Check out today's Where Might This Be? Photographer Tom Martinez is taking mysterious pictures all over Brooklyn for this fun geographic guessing game.

How well do you know Brooklyn? Play Where Might This Be. Prizes!

Greetings from Scott Turner: What Does Baseball Do?

Once again we have the pleasure of one of Scott Turner's missives.
Ostensibly an opportunity to promote his Thursday night pub quiz at Rocky Sullivan's in Red Hook, Turner always manages to communicate so much more. As always, Greetings from Scott Turner is brought to you by Miss Wit, Red Hook's t-shirt queen.

It's very early Wednesday morning, and once again the American League has defeated the National League in baseball's All-Star Game.  Its alternate moniker, charmingly filched from Shakespeare, used to be The Midsummer Night's Classic — back when it actually was.

Since the '70s, though, baseball's mismanagement of most things
baseball has reduced the game to a desperate, shrill, uninspired mess
of mismatched uniforms (cool) and misconstrued priorities (exceedingly
uncool).

The All-Star Game was born in Chicago, in 1933. When
baseball had two truly separate leagues, the All-Star Game was a fierce
affair — league pride actually a) existed and b) fueled the energy of
the yearly contest.  Players played to win.  But under current
commissioner and former Milwaukee used-car salesman Bud Selig,
the All-Star Game has lost its way.  So bad had it become that Selig
was forced to halt the game with the score tied a few years ago. 

Selig's solution for the recent All-Star morass was to award
home-field advantage to the league whose team won the game.  The
American League's no-longer-just-recent dominance means that AL teams
always have an edge in the World Series.  The last time they lost the
All-Star Game was in 1996, halfway through the Clinton administration. 
In a recent poll, fans let Selig know it's a dopey idea.  Bud Selig has
never met a contrivance he's confused for innovation, fans' powerless
tolerance for genuine excitement.

Last night's game, though, went much further into the frenetic
pursuit of relevancy..  Baseball's in a tough spot — steroid scandals,
new stadiums with empty expensive seats beamed everywhere on
television, and continued competition from thousands of other pastimes
besides the National one.

What does baseball do?  They hype a campaign linking baseball with community service called "This Is Beyond Baseball." 
By urging fans to go "beyond baseball" and do good deeds, they're
insisting that baseball is the pass-Go/Collect $200 starting point of
all good deeds.

According to MLB.com, "it began with the thunderous hooves of the famous Budweiser Clydesdales
roaring around the full perimeter warning track starting at the
right-field foul pole. Then came the introduction of the All-Stars
Among Us
, the individuals who drew more than 750,000 votes by fans as
those most deserving of representing their local MLB clubs due to a
singular act of public service and generosity."

07/14/09
The Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales parade on the field at the start of Tuesday's MLB All-Star Game at Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis.
Robert Cohen * rcohen@post-dispatch.com
Drink to the Heroes!

In other words, a blatant Budweiser plug in a stadium named for the Anheiser-Busch
company featuring people representing not themselves, their campaigns
or communities, but the baseball teams they live closest too.  Driving
home the point, they took the field not in their own clothing or shirts
and jackets of the organizations their hard work has created — but
officially-licensed team jerseys.

A video showing the five living U.S. presidents and a few plucky Americans doing things like driving cancer kids to far away chemo sessions said it loud and clear: charity, kindness and community are uniquely American

"As a sport," President Obama opines in the pre-game video, "baseball has always embodied
the values that make America great. … Together, let's strive to make
America a model for other nations. And in the meantime, enjoy the game."

07/14/09
President Barack Obama throws the ceremonial first pitch at the start of Tuesday's MLB All-Star Game at Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis.
Robert Cohen * rcohen@post-dispatch.com
Model American tosses one in the dirt…

Jingoism
has a new face — we no longer police the world.  Now, we moralize it. 
Well, we did that before, in grand geopolitical broadsides.  Now,
though, even random acts of kindness have been franchised by the
stars-and-stripes.

What did baseball itself think of its hugfest?  "Over the top. Unbelievable," said Tim Brosnan, Major League Baseball's
executive vice president of business. "It was overwhelming. You saw
history.

"No major sport has ever taken its biggest marketing platform and
dedicated it to the 30 people in local communities. This is the first
major sport to do it, and we did it with the cooperation of the
president of the United States."

If a little humility goes a long way, we probably pull up short of the goal on an absolutely zero dollop.

During last night's interminable pre-game ceremonies, baseball might as well have channelled Sally Field and screamed "you like me, you really like me!!"

Tuesday July 14, 2009--Heros mix with All-Star players on the field before Major League Baseball's All-Star game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
Laurie Skrivan  lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Which
are community heroes, and which are simply baseball heroes.  If the
lines are blurred, baseball has you right where it wants you.

Look…it's
great that there are so many people in this country putting others
before themselves.  They knit caps for cancer patients…raise money
for cerebral palsy research…customize care packages for soldiers far
away.  That's great, wonderful.

What's not so wonderful is Major League Baseball exploiting
these good people to sell its product.  It's not enough to simply honor
them.  They have to constantly, insistently, crassly tie them to
synergistic orgies of beer sponsors, weekly magazines, military
flyovers, and the money-printing merchandise of each and every MLB team.

http://mlb.mlb.com/images/kcBbYIET.jpg

In
fact, how much easier would these 30 peoples lives be if their cities
hadn't collectively squandered tens of billions of dollars on the
teams' stadiums over the years.  Or if people had money to donate
instead of spending hundreds of dollars each time their family makes it
to a major-league game?

Baseball teams — and certainly other sports' clubs (see Ratner, Nets, p.r. expenditures, Brooklyn)
have learned to spend a little to rip-off a lot.  In this case, an
on-line contest, thirty baseball jerseys, some local donations and
contributions — that's all it takes to open the public coffers
whenever Bud Selig's people need a helping hand.

It's The New Midsummer Night's Classic, custom-designed and logo-adorned for the age we live in.

OTBKB Music Closeup: Adam Bernstein

Abpressphoto If someone is in the center of the various musical currents swirling
around the neighborhood, that someone would be Park Slope resident Adam
Bernstein
.  Originally from New Jersey, where he was in the 14 piece
folk/rock/klezmer/funk band All God's Children, Adam moved to Park
Slope in 1998.

The reason for that move was to  become the Jazz Program Director at
the Berkley Carroll School
.  Adam says that the purpose of that program
was to make sure that middle school to high school kids "could learn to
play the music." Although Adam left that position at the end of the
last school year, he plans to keep pursuing education.

Adam is also a member of the Laurie Berkner Band, a family and kids'
band.  He's known Laurie for 20 years and once, while the two of them
were living in the same building in Union City, NJ, Laurie needed a
bass player for an appearance on the Today Show.  She called upon Adam,
and the two have been working together since.

One of Adam's musical loves is jazz, and he plays music in that idiom with the David Driver
Quartet and with the band Solar, which now is at least on
hiatus.  Adam's bandmate in Solar, Eli Yamin, recently played at the
White House
.

And like most musicians, Adam is working on a new record.  He has a
home studio, which, Adam explained "in a normal person's house would be
the living room."

Although Adam says doesn't tend to hang out these days, he does seem to
know many musicians.  He asked me if I ever heard of a musician named
Leslie Mendelson.  Of course I had (as you steady readers of OTBKB
Music know).  Adam explained that she was in a songwriters' circle with
her many years ago and she came in every week with really good new
songs.

Even Borough President Marty Markowitz has recognized Adam's talents;
in 2005, Marty presented Adam with a proclamation recognizing his
accomplishments in jazz education.

 –Eliot Wagner

WNYC Buys WQXR from the NY Times: Preserving Classical Music on NYC Airwaves

WNYC buys WQXR. Here's the press release from WNYC:

Laura Walker, the President and CEO,
and Herb Scannell, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of WNYC AM/FM, the
nation’s largest public radio station, today announced the acquisition
of WQXR and 105.9 FM from The New York Times, enabling New York City’s
only dedicated classical music station to continue to serve New York
City.

As part of the transaction, which was
announced in a joint statement today by the three parties involved,
Univision will pay the Times Company $33.5 million to exchange the FCC
105.9 FM broadcast license and transmitting equipment for the Times
Company’s license, equipment, and signal at 96.3 FM. At the same time,
WNYC will purchase the FCC broadcast license for 105.9 FM, all related
transmitting equipment, and WQXR’s call letters and Web site from the
Times Company for $11.5 million. Through the acquisition, WNYC will
preserve WQXR’s 73 year classical music format, and move it to 105.9 FM.

WNYC
has launched The Campaign to Preserve Classical Music Radio in New York
City, a $15 million campaign co-chaired by renowned classical pianist
Emanuel Ax, along with WNYC Board members Nicki Tanner and Martha
Fleischman. The Campaign will assist with the purchase and ongoing
operation of the station. The Jerome L. Greene Foundation, the
Campaign’s lead donor, has agreed to a $5 million challenge grant,
based on 1-to-1 pledges from other individuals, foundations and
corporations. The Jerome L. Greene Foundation previously set a
philanthropic record for the largest single gift to a public radio
station of $6 million, which was recognized in the naming of The Jerome
L. Greene Performance Space — the station’s recently-opened
street-level broadcast studio and performance venue. Additional
contributions totaling close to $2 million have been pledged by members
of the WNYC Board of Trustees including a generous commitment of $1
million toward the Foundation’s match offered by Bernard and Anne
Spitzer.

“As one of the world’s leading and most
dynamic musical cities, New York deserves its own dedicated classical
music station,” said Laura Walker, President and Chief Executive
Officer of WNYC. “For generations, WQXR has made classical music
available free to millions, and has infused the concert hall experience
into the daily lives of New Yorkers. We are delighted to continue this
tradition and to extend WNYC’s own 85-year commitment to classical
music and the arts. We look forward to building a powerful and vibrant
classical music experience for millions of people on the radio, on the
internet and in our new performance space. ”

“Seven years ago, I was one of the voices calling for WNYC to preserve
as much classical music as possible on its air,” said Emanuel Ax.
“Today, I am happy to stand with WNYC as it carries off the sonic
equivalent of saving Carnegie Hall from the wrecker’s ball by
preserving WQXR as our sole all-classical music station. I know that
all of my colleagues will rejoice in this wonderful and meaningful use
of the airwaves, and I urge all of New York to embrace and support
WNYC’s leap of faith.”

“The Jerome L. Greene
Foundation is proud to support WNYC’s bold undertaking to preserve WQXR
as a world-class classical music station,” said Dawn Greene, Mr.
Greene’s widow and the President and CEO of the Jerome L. Greene
Foundation. “Our foundation believes in supporting organizations that
make significant contributions to the cultural and educational life of
our City, and WQXR is unmatched in its ability to make classical music
accessible to so many New Yorkers. Ensuring its continuation for
generations to come would delight my late husband, who was so dedicated
to supporting so many cultural and educational programs that made great
music possible.”

As a part of the WNYC family,
WQXR will be transformed into a public radio station. In contrast to
the current WQXR commercial model, with its total reliance on
advertising, the public radio model provides for a mix of funding
through contributions from members and other individual donors, private
foundations, city, state and federal entities and grants, and corporate
underwriting. This will allow WQXR to remain a key connector between
arts and cultural organizations and their audiences.

WNYC intends to continue two of WQXR’s most listened to live
programs – Saturday Afternoon at the Opera and The Philharmonic This
Week – on WQXR.

WQXR will begin airing on 105.9 FM in October. It will operate out of
WNYC’s new facilities on Varick Street in Hudson Square and the signal
will continue to broadcast from the Empire State Building.

Zarin Mehta, President and Executive Director of the New York
Philharmonic said, “This is great news for classical music lovers, as
well as all those who support the arts and culture in the City. WQXR
has always been more than a classical music station – it is a
destination on the radio dial where you can hear about a variety of
cultural events throughout the City. WNYC is already an established and
vital presence in the cultural life of New York City and is the ideal
steward for this cultural icon.”

Running Out of Phone Numbers

I just got this from Craig Hammerman, District Manager of Community Board 6:

"The 718 and 347
area codes, covering the boroughs of Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten
Island, are running out of assignable telephone numbers, according to
the Federal Communications Commission's North American Numbering Plan.
Each telephone line is assigned a ten-digit number made up of a
three-digit area code, a three-digit central office code and a
four-digit station number (e.g. 315-NXX-1234) and the available central
office codes for this geographic area is expected to be depleted by
2011.

On May 8, 2009, the Public Service Commission (PSC)
issued a Notice Inviting Comments on the Department of Public Service
(DPS) Staff's 718/347 Area Code "Relief Plan" The Plan, also referred
to as Staff's Options Paper, includes two proposed relief options
involving "overlays" which would superimpose a new area code on the
present 718/347 region."

The PSC is seeking comment and
opinions from the public on which option to pursue. Comments may be
submitted in writing, or electronically via their website.

Click here, or use the following link:  http://www.askpsc.com/

OTBKB Music: Another Video About Broken Guitars

Last week's video from the Sons of Maxwell, United Breaks Guitars, now
has over two million viewings, an an
update from songwriter Dave Caroll
, and responses from United Air Lines and Taylor Guitars.  Although the story of the video
was also picked up by ABC, CBS and CNN, you readers of OTBKB Music
had it before they did.

But there are other, older songs about broken guitars.  This one,
Perfectly Good Guitar, by John Hiatt, is from 1993.

–Eliot Wagner

All Summer Long: Fifth Avenue Art Walk

 Nearly 90 shops, restaurants and cafes along Park Slope’s Fifth Avenue are showing over 300 works
of art as part of a summer-long “Art Walk,” sponsored by the Fifth
Avenue Business Improvement District (BID). 
 
With the initiative, the BID aims to bring the business and art
communities together and add even more value to Park Slope’s already trendy 5th Avenue for residents
and visitors to enjoy.

Brooklyn is a borough
teeming with art and culture.  And the exhibit proves it. Over 100
artists are now being shown from 18th
Street to Dean Street with a variety of work
taking center stage–including works that feature photography, oil, water colors, computer graphics, tile and other media. 

 Curators Albert Trotman and Erika
Clarke are very excited about the quantity, quality and variety of the works
being exhibited.  As is BID Director,
Irene LoRe. “This is a unique neighborhood event,” she said, “and I’m looking
forward to peoples’ responses.  The art
walk offers an exciting new twist to the summer
stroll along 5th Ave.”

On  Saturday, 
August 1st,  there will
be a 30 block  SIDEWALK  ART SALE   from noon to 8PM.  Several 
more artists are expected  and
there will be something for everyone, even the kids.  From 3 to 6 PM neighborhood kids will be
invited to release their inner Picasso on 
4th Street
and 5th Avenue
for a Park Slope Kids Chalk Art Extravaganza
around Washington
Park. Chalk and refreshments will be provided.

 The BID’s blog will show all details and
activities. Check out: AllAboutFifth.blogspot.com.

 

NY Mag: Gowanus Slime

I hear from Jill.Weiskopf over at New York magazine that this week's issue takes a look at the past, present, and future of the area around the Gowanus Canal , otherwise known as the “Gashouse District,” that is home to:

The Contaminants

The industrial plants that lined the canal handled just about every nasty thing that could end up in the water. Certain oily pollutants like coal tar that are customarily measured in parts per million are, in the Gowanus, measured in parts per hundred. Heavy metals like mercury and lead are present; so are PCBs and pesticides.

The Microbes

Cholera, typhoid, typhus, gonorrhea: They’ve all been found in the water. A team of biology professors at New York City College of Technology have also studied a curious white goo oozing along the bottom, which turned out to be a mix of bacteria, protozoans, and various contaminants. The microbes appear to have evolved resistance to the filth, and the scientists have been trying to figure out whether their disease-fighting mechanisms could be adapted for medical use.

See what may lie ahead for the area at http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/topic/57886/

 

Community Board 6 Resolution: Supports Propsed Bike Lane on PPW

 Here is the resolution from Community Board 6 that went out to Commissioner Palmieri, Borough Commissioner of the DOT. CB6 supports the Department of Transportation's proposed installation of bicycle lanes on Prospect Park West.

Joseph Palmieri
Borough Commissioner
Department of Transportation
16 Court Street, 16th floor
Brooklyn, New York 11241

Dear Commissioner Palmieri:
 
I am writing to advise you that at its May 13, 2009 general meeting Brooklyn Community Board
6 resolved by a vote of 18 in favor, 9 against with 3 abstentions, to conditionally approve the
department’s proposal to reduce from 3 to 2 driving lanes and install two-way bicycle lanes in
the parking lane with a painted median on the eastside of Prospect Park West between Union
Street and Bartel Pritchard Square in our district.
 
After hearing a presentation from the department at its April 16, 2009 meeting, our
Transportation Committee first wanted to thank the department for returning to us with a
substantial traffic calming proposal.  As you are aware, we have been seeking relief from
speeding traffic along the Prospect Park West corridor for some time now, and we appreciate the
opportunity to work with you to bring much-needed traffic calming to this particular location.
 
In that spirit, our support for the department’s proposal was conditioned on the following due to
our concerns that this ground-breaking proposal has the potential to create other dangerous
conditions, if not implemented with great care.
 
First, we believe that, along with the installation of the bicycle lanes, a separate set of traffic
signals should be installed to control the southbound and northbound bicycle traffic, particularly
the northbound traffic that would not otherwise have any visible traffic signals.  We note that on
the westside of Manhattan the department has installed a separate set of signals for bicycle traffic
control and we would expect nothing less for Prospect Park West.
 
Second, the department must study the Prospect Park West vehicular (including but not limited
to personal vehicles, MTA buses, school buses, trucks, etc.) loading and unloading locations,
especially at peak use times, and ensure that the proposed changes are implemented in a manner
which does not result in a doubling-up of vehicles that blocks traffic and constricts moving
250 Baltic Street • Brooklyn, New York 11201-6401 • www.BrooklynCB6.org 
t: (718) 643-3027 • f: (718) 624-8410 • e: info@BrooklynCB6.org
traffic to just one lane.  Particular hot spots requiring study include the curbsides around the Poly
Prep School at 50 Prospect Park West, 9th Street park entrance, and the Pavilion Movie Theater
at 188 Prospect Park West.
 
Third, that a fully built-out raised median replace the proposed striped median which is intended
to physically separate the two-way bicycle traffic from the eastside parking lane as soon as
possible.  We realize that this might involve some capital work on the department’s part, but we
believe that it is an essential component toward making the physical separation complete. 
Ultimately, it is our belief that motorized vehicles, non-motorized vehicles and pedestrians all
will be safest if there is a raised median separating the bicycle lanes from the parking lane.  We
would encourage you to continue to work with us and the Parks Department to develop an
appropriately sensitive design for these medians so that they will compliment the historic nature
of the park and the existing special treatments that are already in place along the Prospect Park
West eastside sidewalk.
 
Our discussion about this issue did raise a number of additional questions that we were unable to
address, which we would like your help in understanding.  For that reason, and to allow for time
for the department to work through the conditions above, a supplemental resolution was adopted
by the Board by a vote of 16 in favor, 14 against, with no abstentions, that the department delay
the installation of the bicycle lanes until September 2009.  Between now and then we would like
the department to address the above conditions and the following:
 
1) How would the eastside curb, bicycle lanes, and median area get cleaned, presumably by the
Department of Sanitation’s mechanical brooms?
2) What would happen to storm water run-off at the eastside curb, bicycle lanes, and median
areas?  Where would it drain?
3) How can we balance park users’ loading and unloading needs with the community’s desire to
preserve and retain the maximum amount of parking on Prospect Park West?
4) Will the existing Street Cleaning Regulation and any other curbside signage be relocated
from the eastside sidewalk onto the traffic medians?
 
We look forward to your answers and continuing to work with you to improve safety along
Prospect Park West as quickly as possible.
 
Thank you for your attention.
 
 
Sincerely,
 
 
 
Richard S. Bashner
Chairperson
 
 250 Baltic Street • Brooklyn, New York 11201-6401 • www.BrooklynCB6.org 
t: (718) 643-3027 • f: (718) 624-8410 • e: info@BrooklynCB6.org
 
 
cc: Hon. Marty Markowitz
      Hon. David Yassky
      Hon. Bill de Blasio
      Commissioner Jannette Sadik-Khan, DOT
      Prospect Park Administrator Tupper Thomas, DPR/PPA
      Ken Freeman, President, Park Slope Civic Council
      Robert Witherwax, Grand Army Plaza Coalition
      Randy Peers, Chairperson, Brooklyn CB7

21st Century Schizoid Music at Cornelia Street Cafe

21st Century Schizoid Music Presents:  Italian Schizoid With Gene Caprioglio, Le Nozze di Carlo and Dirty Mac at the Cornelia Street Cafe. Le Nozze di Carlo

What
happens when a 21st Century Italian American musician keeps one foot
planted in the old country and one in the new? He stumbles between
sophisticated, continental, Italian classics and pseudo-primitive jug
band sounds. So sit back and sip fine Italian wine or Wild Turkey and
enjoy this entertaining juxtaposition of music with both groups
featuring the guitar playing of Gene “The Jammeister” Caprioglio. Gene
will also sing in Italian and offer oenophilic commentary. The other
performers will include Joel Darelius, Paule Diamond, Emily Fellner,
Bob Goldberg, Josh Michael, Lionel Sanders, Doug Strich, Sam Williams
(a.k.a. Dirty Mac) and Chris Zeig playing accordions, trumpets, banjos,
washtub bass, mandolin and few other things and singing about wine,
drinking, love and other stuff.

For more about Le Nozze di Carlo, checkout: www.cdroots.com

Monday July 13, 2009 8:30PM

The Cornelia  Street Cafe
29 Cornelia  Street ,NYC 10014
212-989-9319

http://www.corneliastreetcafe.com/i

$10 cover + 1 drink minimum.

Smartmom: What’s The Matter With Kids Today? Computers!

Smartmom_big8 Here is this week's Smartmom from the Brooklyn Paper:

The Oh So Feisty One and her good friend Luvbud were having a
sleepover, but there weren’t any sleeping bags in the living room or
bowls of popcorn on the rug. They weren’t even in the same place. OSFO
was at home and Luvbud was three blocks away in her own bedroom;
they’re hanging out via iChat.

It’s so freakin’ futuristic.

Here’s how it worked: OSFO stared at a live image of Luvbud on the
screen of her computer while Luvbud stared at a live image of OSFO on
hers. Each computer has a tiny video camera that makes this all
possible.

From their remote locations, they both watched a re-run of “Saturday Night Live,” and they had a blast.

They watched a sketch where Alec Baldwin pretends to be the fourth
Jonas Brother and tries to convince the other three to rename the band
The Donut Brothers. Luvbud laughed hysterically. Smartmom could hear
her voice coming through the small speakers of OSFO’s iBook. When the
skit was over, Smartmom heard her say, “That was great.” OSFO concurred.

During the show, Smartmom walked through the living room in her bathrobe with a towel turban on her head.

“Hi, Luvbud,” Smartmom said into the computer.

“Go away, Mom,” OSFO said. She hates it when her mother interferes
with her iChats. Especially when she’s wearing her bathrobe. It’s so
embarrassing.

The Jonas Brothers had just finished performing their hit single,
“Tonight,” and OSFO asked, “Did you see that?” Then they both started
making fun of the Jonas Brothers. They’re not big fans.

People dreamed about having a picture phone as a futuristic fantasy
(or nightmare) ever since it was introduced at the 1939 World’s Fair.
Smartmom remembers hearing about it at the 1964 World’s Fair at
Flushing Meadows. Again, it sounded so cool. Smartmom never thought
she’d live to see it in her lifetime

But now with iChat and Skype, the picture phone is real and the
future is now. It’s fascinating to observe how tweens are using iChat
and Skype to interact socially. For instance, OSFO will iChat with a
camp friend for hours on end. She’ll walk her friend via the computer
through the apartment and show her around. “Here’s my bedroom, here’s
the living room. There’s my brother…”

Smartmom tries to imagine what it would have been like if she could
have visited with her summer camp friends via iChat. She used to write
long letters to Jessie, her best camp friend, who lived in Roslyn, Long
Island. Every few months, she’d take the Long Island Railroad and visit
her in her big suburban house. It was fun and exotic for a city girl
like Smartmom to visit the ’burbs, where she and her friend would go
shopping at malls, get fribbles at Friendly’s and play with their
Labrador in the backyard.

How different it would have been if they could have had virtual
dates via computer. It might have taken some of the specialness out of
those trips to Long Island. Then again, it might have been really fun.

Lately, OSFO has been having playdates with school friends like
Luvbud via iChat. They do homework, play games and visit Web sites
together.

This, however, was OSFO’s first virtual sleepover, and Smartmom
wondered how it was going to go. Were they going to keep the iChat
going while they slept and then watch each other eat Cinnamon Toast
Crunch in the morning? Would Smartmom have to get up in the middle of
the night and tell Luvbud (via computer) to turn off her light and go
to bed?

OSFO just announced that she and Luvbud are going to try to stay up all night.

There it was, the old “we’re going to stay up all night routine,”
Smartmom thought to herself. It reminded her of the time she and Best
and Oldest had a real sleepover and tried to stay up all night. They
were 11 or 12 and they almost didn’t make it. In fact, they got so
tired that they took turns sleeping. Still, they were determined to see
the sunrise.

Finally, at 6 in the morning they had the crazy idea to have a
picnic in Riverside Park. Smartmom’s dad, Groovy Grandpa woke up and
discovered them missing. As they walked back to the apartment Smartmom
saw her dad leaning out the window. “Come back,” he hollered from the
ninth floor.

That was scary.

Now OSFO and Luvbud were watching the Jonas Brothers sing “Video
Girl.” Smartmom didn’t hear Luvbud. Maybe she’d fallen asleep. After
all, it was 12:54.

“Luvbud,” OSFO yelled into the computer. “Luvbud.”

“Did she fall asleep?” Smartmom asked, hoping that this virtual sleepover would be over before it began.

“No,” OSFO said, thoroughly annoyed.

“Luvbud,” OSFO said one more time into the computer. OSFO’s friend was definitely fading.

“Time for bed — iChat or no iChat, I’m still your mother,” Smartmom told her high-tech daughter.

Smartmom thought back to when the picture phone was just a gleam in
some inventor’s eye. Now, it was happening for real in her living room
and bringing with it a host of parental complications.

The next morning, Smartmom found OSFO asleep in her loft bed without
a computer. Later, she asked her what happened to her “virtual
sleepover party,”

“Luvbud’s battery ran out,” she said. Smartmom couldn’t help but smile.

“Well, at least you got a good night’s sleep,” she told her child.

Volunteers Needed for Macy’s Fishing Contest in Prospect Park

Volunteers needed for Macy's Fishing Contest in Prospect Park:

First of all, I'd like to thank all of you who have answered our call for
volunteers for the Macy's Fishing Contest in Prospect Park.

At the Fishing Contest, kids 15 years and under learn about fishing.  All
participants borrow a fishing pole, attend educational workshops and
participate in Arts and Crafts activities.  All fishing is
catch-and-release; we use barbless hooks and kernels of corn as bait.

Volunteers at this event will assist with registration, distribute and
collect fishing poles, monitor fishing stations (unhooking and measuring
caught fish), assist with Arts and Crafts and/or whatever else is needed
to ensure this event runs smoothly.

We are still in need of volunteers for the afternoon (1:00 PM-4:30 PM)
shift from July 15-19.  This event has been a tradition in Prospect Park
for more than 50 years.  Come on out and join us…unless you'd rather be
out fishing.

For more information please call the Volunteer Corps office at 718-965-8960.

Tonight: Hamlet in Washington/JJ Byrne Park

We went last night and thoroughly enjoyed Piper Theater's production of Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Hamlet on the green in Washington Park. I wanted to ask director John McEneny all kinds of questions about directing Hamlet in a park setting (and maybe I will get a chance to do so tonight). 

_IGP4780

In terms of staging, McEneny did wonderful things with ladders, chairs, picture frames and a stage within a stage, that created a very physical and dynamic Hamlet that worked well al fresco with a playground nearby complete with screaming children and squeaking swings.

As always with Piper Theater, the actors were uniformly good and well directed in a skillful, naturalistic and always accessible Shakespearean style. I love that Horatio was played by a woman, the excellent Zoe Frazer. Ophelia, Laerties, Queen Gertrude and many of the others were great to watch as the daylight dimmed and the darkness of the play was able to assert itself into the night.

_IGP4800 Aaron Novak as Hamlet was especially powerful during the "to be or not to be" soliloquy which he did while standing on a ladder in the middle of the green creating quite a stirring image.

Piper Theater Productions was created by John McEneny with his sister Rachel McEneny. John runs the drama program at MS 51 and the very popular summer drama program for kids ages 10-17 at the Old Stone House. In addition to Hamlet, this summer's Piper Theater productions in Park Slope include, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Lililth, Holes, The Boy in the Iron Mask, Peter Pan and our Town.

For a complete schedule go to theoldstonehouse.org

August 8th: Soapbox Derby in South Slope

On
August 8th, around 11.30am, 17th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues will be closed to traffic and they will be having one of its annual block parties. Given that it is a South Slope street, it provides enough incline for a soap box derby.

Woo hoo.

*We
will obviously be taking every precaution to make this event as fun and
safe as possible for the kids including brakes on the cars and a net on
the end of the course but a bicycle helmet and any other protective
gear is surely a good idea," says one of the organizers of the event.

This will come after a three week workshop for kids conducted by artists Hubert Dobler and Monika Wuhrer of Open Source Gallery, who will supevise the kids in the construction of creative, fun
and functional soap box racers made out of found materials.
I think the workshop is full and they are not accepting applications. But they say everyone is welcome to drop by to see the workshop in action.

Mississippi Mermaid: Truffaut, Denueve and Belmondo at BAM

Mississippi2_pdp Oh la la. Summer is always a wonderful time for a Francois Truffaut movie. Here, mon cherie, is the blurbage:

At BAM: Fri, Jul 10—Sun, Jul 12 at 4, 6:45, 9:30pm
Mon, Jul 13—Thu, Jul 16 at 6:45, 9:30pm

When
isolated tobacco farmer Louis (Belmondo) meets his mail-order bride
Julie (Deneuve), he’s unsure this beautiful woman is the same one he
has been corresponding with by letter and only seen in photographs.
Ignoring his doubts, he falls head over heels for her and the two begin
a life together…until the day the mysterious Julie disappears with a
large portion of Louis’ assets. Based on a book by William Irish
entitled Waltz Into Darkness (also the source writer for Truffaut’s The Bride Wore Black),
this tale of sexual obsession and betrayal unfolds in the lush tropical
landscape of Africa’s Reunion Island. Truffaut draws on themes and
conventions of American noir, while peppering Mississippi Mermaid with eclectic allusions to film and literature such as Renoir, Ray, and Balzac. In French with English subtitles. Courtesy of The Film Desk.

Today: Nation Beat at Bklyn Yard (International Fusion)

New_nationbeat Good story about this band that's playing at Bklyn Yard on the banks of the Gowanus Canal on Carroll Street between Bond and Nevins (right off the Carroll Street Bridge). The show, which includes other bands and DJs, goes from 2 p.m. until 9 p.m. It costs $18 to get in, kids under 12 are free and all ages welcome. Here's the story:

A couple of years ago, Nation Beat, a Brooklyn-based band inspired by
Brazilian music, were invited to play at a world music festival. When
the organizers asked them not to play any of their English-language
songs, the reason why was: it’s a world music festival.
 
“Our
response was, well isn’t America a part of the world?” remembers Scott
Kettner, the percussionist for and founder of the band. “It was a big
controversy. They finally folded and let us play what we play.”
 
So on July 11, Kettner is producing an outdoor music festival at BKLYN
Yard, inviting local bands that, like his own,
fuse international music with American styles and confuses notions of
“world music.”

Next Week: Breakfast-of-Candidates with the Mayoral Contenders

This week OTBKB interviewed CIty Councilman Tony Avella at Donuts Coffee Shop and Comptroller Bill Thompson by phone (on his way to an event at Borough Hall).

They'll both be on the ballot September 15th and are vying to be the Democratic candidate for mayor against Mayor Bloomberg.

Tony or Bill (or Green candidate Rev. Billy for that matter): Can anyone beat the richest man in NYC who also happens to be the incumbent who overturned turn limits?

That IS the question.

Coming next week on Breakfast of Candidates meet Tony Avella and Bill Thompson.

Luna Park Gazette: On This Spot

Another classic New York story from Rob Lenihan at Luna Park Gazette. This one is about the history of place, memories and the wrecking ball.

I stopped to give someone directions on Monday and ended up in a time warp.

I
had just stepped out of my building at lunchtime when a little old lady
stopped in front of the revolving door and asked for directions.

“Excuse me,” she said in what sounded like an Eastern European accent. “Could you please tell me where is 198 Broadway?”

She
was speaking to a man standing by the door and I was about to walk away
until I noticed the guy was ignoring her. So I stepped in.

“Where do you want to go?”

“198 Broadway,” she said, holding up a slip of paper. “My eye doctor is there.”

I
work at 195 Broadway, so I didn’t think this would be too difficult. My
office is located in this magnificent old building in Lower Manhattan
that dominates one side of the street.

The place is a treasure, with this fabulous lobby that looks like something out of a Cecil B. DeMille picture.

It
was the headquarters of AT&T; from 1916 to 1983 and since they were
a monopoly back then money clearly was no object. The place is like a
cathedral of capitalism.

AT&T; even installed a basketball
court on the fifth floor so their employees could get a workout during
the workday. I’ve been working there for several months now and I’m
still amazed every time I walk through the front door…

Read more at Luna Park Gazette.

Just A Rumor: Sarah and Matthew NOT Moving to Park Slope:

My sister told me. And she sent me this link to  the New York Times piece by Josh Barbanel at 3:41 this morning. Apparently a Google engineer and his wife are moving into THAT house on Prospect Park West vacated by Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany. Guess we won't be seeing the twins at the Third Street Playground after all. 

It is house with room enough for a movie star with an entourage. But it turns out the stately limestone mansion facing Prospect Park in Park Slope purchased late last year for $8.45 million — a record price for the neighborhood and one of the highest home prices ever in Brooklyn — was actually bought by a wealthy Google engineer and his wife who want to raise their young family away from the hustle and bustle and celebrity of SoHo, where the family now lives.

Serving Park Slope and Beyond