Monthly Archives: March 2005
POSTCARD FROM THE SLOPE_PRIVATE TALKS
My 8-year-old daughter and I have long talks about what goes on in the playground of her school after lunch. Just about every day she has a story about one or more of the "mean girls" and some mean thing they did or said. Sometimes on our way to school in the morning she’ll point someone out and say: "There’s one of them. She’s a mean girl." And we’ll discreetly spy on her for a moment, so that I’ll have a picture to go with the stories.
Recently, my daughter seems to be getting really fed up with one particular mean girl. Last night she stood on a chair and raised her hand very high and said: "I’ve had it up to here with her." She even wrote a note that she probably won’t give to her that says:
Dear ____, I do not like how you play. Mostly you are bose(sic) and mean too. I hate how you are to kids.
My daughter seems to want to stop being friends with the girl she wrote the letter to. But it’s hard. She seems simultanously drawn to and repelled by this girl. And as you can imagine, the girl is quite commanding both emotionally and physically.
After my last postcard about mean girls in the playground, I got this response from a friend: "Wait till 4th grade when it really, really kicks in. Oh my god. My daughter’s going through a hard time now, and if possible the girls have gotten meaner from when we went through it with my older daughter. I was actually thinking of asking the school to please have some kind of workshop addressing this issue, which is widely ignored by school authorities, though some teachers are better than others at dealing with it. I know a number of mothers whose first kids are boys and this all comes as a shock. Even thought I know what to expect, it isn’t any easier."
I’m one of those mothers of boys who had no idea what was going on in the playground all those years. The last few months have been a real education for me. I am grateful that my daughter has been so expressive about what’s going on. And conversations with other moms have helped too. It’s never too soon to address the issue at home and give our kids the time and support they need to really talk about it figure out what to do.
Thanks to Park Slope Parents, a Yahoo.com discussion group, a documentary film called "Let’s Be Real" has come to my attention. The film, which is appropriate for ages 10 and up, lets kids, both victims and bullies, speak out about the pain and confusion of bullying and taunting. It also explores a variety of issues that lead to it, including
racial differences, perceived sexual orientation, learning
disabilities, and sexual harassment. A discussion will
follow the screening on April 16th at the ImaginAsian Theater 239 East
59th Street in Manhattan between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. 10:00 am until noon. Reservations necessary. For more information and registration: urbina9@aol.com
SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.
BROOKLYN WEATHER: What’s it gonna do today? Check here for Brooklyn weather.
SPRING FORWARD NEXT WEEK: Though Europe switched over on Sunday, daylight savings time
for New York (EST, GMT -7:00) takes place NEXT weekend. Set your clocks
ahead (spring forward) one hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 3, 2005.
CITY NEWS: The right to distribute leaflets in front of schools is upheld by a
Federal Court. A group was seeking to stop army recruiters from setting
up tables in front of school.
the settlement, reached earlier this month in Federal District Court in
Manhattan, and dated March 16, the New York Civil Liberties Union,
which represented the group, the Ya-Ya Network, and lawyers for the
city agreed that the department would instruct police officers that a
state law against loitering near schools and colleges "does not apply
to First Amendment activity."
The Police
Department issued a one-page directive to all precincts on March 21
instructing police officers not to enforce the loitering law against
First Amendment activity, including "the holding of signs, placards and
leaflets, chanting and singing."
_New York University will
limit student’s access to balconies in two
dormitories. The school also installed a plexiglass guard wall in the
school’s main library. This is all part of the school’s effort to
prevent
student suicides. Last year there were five such deaths.
_iPods are getting stolen on the subway pushing up city’s subway crime rate, which is up for the first time in years.
_City to get hybrid buses instead of those powered by natural gas.
_Mayor kicks off major pot hole repair blitz attempting to fix damage caused by winter storms.
_As of Sunday, children age seven and younger must be buckled into a car seat in New York State. This is up from age four.
_There’s a growing blog community of New York City public school teachers. MildlyMelancholy, Judysmoh, and others are sites where teachers can openly vent about what they really think and feel about their jobs.
BROOKLYN BEAT: OTBKB has word that there have been a number of muggings between President and Ninth Street in Park Slope. The victims are women who are talking on their cell phones. The suspect surprises them from behind, puts his hand over their mouth and asks for money. Apparently he hasn’ t hurt anyone. He just takes the cash and runs. There was an incident on Tuesday at 4 p.m. on President Street on or near 8th Avenue. If you have any information, please call the 78th Precint Pct., re: Pattern 29. 718-636-6484.
_The Department of
Education has instructed high-demand middle schools in District 15 to
admit 20-40 additional applicants. Parents were outraged when in-demand
middle schools rejected 550 qualified applicants."
_New York wants to reclaim the movie and TV production that’s been
going to Candada and other lower-priced shooting locations by offering
tax credits and other incentives. The city is hoping that the recently
completed Steiner Studios in the Brooklyn Navy Yard will attract movie
and television producers.
_ Workers at the Vox Pop Coffee Shop ("Books, Coffee, Demoracy") on Cortylou Avenue in Ditmas Park unanimously joined the
Industrial Workers of the World last week. The employees join a growing
movement of NYC retail workers, including Starbucks baristas, who are
striving to increase union membership in the industry. Check out the Vox Pop web site.
"Play without Words," a dance-theater piece by Matthew Bourne, the
most important contemporary choreographer in Britian. 8 p.m. at BAM.
IT’S THURSDAY 3/31: Park Slope author James Grant reads from his book: "John Adams: Party
of One." Old Stone House, JJ Byrne Park. Third Street between Fourth
and Fifth Avenue. 7 p.m.
Who’s Afraid of Mike Nichols Film Series. March 31 – April 19th. This BAMCinematek program
includes: "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf "The Graduate," "Carnal
Knowledge," "Angels in America, "Wit," and more. This Thursday, March
31 at 7 p.m. Q & A with Nichols following "The Graduate."
"Play without Words," a dance-theater piece by Matthew Bourne, said to be one of the most
important contemporary choreographers in Britian. 8 p.m. at BAM.
THIS SOUNDS COOL: Valentines. Portraits by Hugh Crawford at Fou Le Chakra. Opening 3 p.m. 4/2. 411 Seventh Avenue
_Pianist Anthony Coleman plays the music of Jelly Roll Morton at Barbes on Friday night. April 1. 7 p.m. And at 10 p.m.: The Wiyos, a band that combines Django Reinhardt, Gershwin, Doc Watson, Fats Waller and vaudeville.
_First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum. April 2nd. 6:30 –
8:30: Use oil pastels to creat your own Basquiat-inspired symbol on
canvas. At 7 p.m. there’s a public reading of Whitman’s Leaves of
Grass followed by a musical setting of the poems by members of the
Brooklyn Philharmonic. Then it’s time to do some LATIN DANCING in the
Rotunda.
<>
WORTH TAKING A LOOK: In the documentary, "Let’s Get Real" kids speak out about
bullying, name calling, and other root causes of violence in school. The
film explores a variety of issues that lead to taunting and bullying including
racial differences, perceived sexual orientation, learning
disabilities, sexual harassment and others. A panel discussion will
follow the screening on April 16th at The ImaginAsian Theater 239 East
59th Street in Manhattan between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. 10:00 am until noon. The film is appropriate for kids ages
10 and up. Reservations necessary: urbina9@aol.com
HERE/SAY: "
Calling somebody else fat won’t make you any skinnier. Calling someone
stupid doesn’t make you any smarter. And ruining Regina George’s life
definitely didn’t make me any happier. All you can do in life is try to
solve the problem in front of you." From the 2004 film "Mean Girls."
NO WORDS_Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford
POSTCARD FROM THE SLOPE_by Louise G. Crawford
Co-Editing "Pandamonium," PS 321’s poetry magazine, is mostly a labor of love. But it’s also a bucket-load of work. Since 2001, I’ve headed up the team of parents who type, design, scan, proof read and edit the 70-page magazine, which features one poem from every child at the school; 1300 poems in all. It’s nothing if not inclusive and that’s what I love most about it.
From pre-K to fifth grade, there’s a wide range of subject matter, quality, and style. You can learn a little bit about the teachers through the poems their students write. Some classes produce lots of poems about "rain going pitter pat." Other teachers help kids dig deep for content and forms of expression.
There are so many interesting poems, it’s hard to pick a few to mention here. I enjoyed a vivid poem about an asthma attack, a humorous piece about a boy not wanting to "Practice, practice, practice" his horn, a sad poem about the divorce of a girl’s parents, and one called: "When Alliteration Hits Me:"
When Alliteration hits me / I/ Marvel at Monkeys maliciously/Mashing Mangos making/Metropolitan Museum Mummies/Melancholy/When Aliteration hits me…
The end of March is always crunch time for me, and I’ve been holed up in my office for the last five days doing a final proofing before sending the file to the printer. I feel like I’m going blurry-eyed making sure that students’ names are spelled correctly and that there are no typos or punctuation errors.
Much as I can’t wait for this laborious task to be finished, I do enjoy these long days spent sitting on the floor in my office, reading the poetry of children. It is a rare chance to get inside their heads and find out what makes them tick. Like this excerpt from a poem by a fourth grader:
Me
Violet purple
sleeping flamingo pink
pony-tailed brown hair
dirty sand brown eyes
My hometown Brooklyn
Florida, I come from
Jamaica, I come from
Barbados, I come from
Africa, I come from
but love is what I have
Yours from Brooklyn,
OTBKB
SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.
BROOKLYN WEATHER: What’s it gonna do today? Check here for Brooklyn weather.
SPRING FORWARD NEXT WEEK: Though Europe switched over on Sunday, daylight savings time
for New York (EST, GMT -7:00) takes place NEXT weekend. Set your clocks
ahead (spring forward) one hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 3, 2005.
CITY NEWS: New York University will limit student’s access to balconies in two
dormitories. The school also installed a plexiglass guard wall in the school’s main library. This is all part of the school’s effort to prevent
student suicides. Last year there were five such deaths.
_iPods are getting stolen on the subway pushing up city’s subway crime rate.
_City to get hybrid buses instead of those powered by natural gas.
_Mayor kicks off major pot hole repair blitz attempting to fix damage caused by winter storms.
_As of Sunday, children age seven and younger must be buckled into a car seat in New York State. This is up from age four.
_There’s a growing blog community of New York City public school teachers. MildlyMelancholy, Judysmoh, and others are sites where teachers can openly vent about what they really think and feel about their jobs.
_NYPD arrested 37 protesters,
members of Critical Mass, a group that celebrates cycling and other
non-polluting forms of transportation. Those arrested were charged with
parading without a permit. The city is going to court to demand that
these cyclists get a permit for their month protest. Earlier this year
a Federal judge said permits weren’t necessary.
_The City’s Department of Education sent out
test prep guides to NYC teachers filled with wrong answers, typos and
grammatical mistakes. The first big typo was right on the cover:
Mathematics Planning for the Forth Grade. "Tweed has no problem with
excessively criticizing teachers for failing to meet its picayune
mandates, but then it produces a test prep manual riddled with errors
and misspellings," said Weingarten, president of the United Federation
of Teachers. " The hypocrisy is stunning."
BROOKLYN BEAT: _The Department of
Education has instructed high-demand middle schools in District 15 to
admit 20-40 additional applicants. Parents were outraged when in-demand
middle schools rejected 550 qualified applicants."
_New York wants to reclaim the movie and TV production that’s been
going to Candada and other lower-priced shooting locations by offering
tax credits and other incentives. The city is hoping that the recently
completed Steiner Studios in the Brooklyn Navy Yard will attract movie
and television producers.
_ Workers at the Vox Pop Coffee Shop ("Books, Coffee, Demoracy") on Cortylou Avenue in Ditmas Park unanimously joined the
Industrial Workers of the World last week. The employees join a growing
movement of NYC retail workers, including Starbucks baristas, who are
striving to increase union membership in the industry. Check out the Vox Pop web site. "Play without Words," a dance-theater piece by Matthew Bourne, the most important contemporary choreographer in Britian. 8 p.m. at BAM.
IT’S WEDNESDAY 3/30: "Play without Words," a dance-theater piece by Matthew Bourne, said to be one of the most
important contemporary choreographers in Britian. 8 p.m. at BAM.
THIS SOUNDS COOL: "Who’s Afraid of Mike
Nichols?" film series. March 31 – April 19th. This BAMCinematek program
includes: "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf "The Graduate," "Carnal
Knowledge," "Angels in America, "Wit," and more. This Thursday, March
31 at 7 p.m. Q & A with Nichols following "The Graduate."
Pianist Anthony Coleman plays the music of Jelly Roll Morton at Barbes on Friday night. April 1. 7 p.m. And at 10 p.m.: The Wiyos, a band that combines Django Reinhardt, Gershwin, Doc Watson, Fats Waller and vaudeville.
_First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum. April 2nd. 6:30 – 8:30: Use oil pastels to creat your own Basquiat-inspired symbol on canvas. At 7 p.m. there’s a public reading of Whitman’s Leaves of Grass followed by a musical setting of the poems by members of the Brooklyn Philharmonic. Then it’s time to do some LATIN DANCING in the Rotunda.
WORTH TAKING A LOOK: The SECOND GRADE
ART SHOW at Starbucks. Seventh Avenue between 1st and Garfield Place.
The children’s Romare Bearden-esque cityscape collages will be up all
month.
HERE/SAY: "We love those who know the worst of us and don’t turn their faces away." Walker Percy
NO WORDS_Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford
POSTCARD FROM THE SLOPE_LOUIS ROSEN CAPATHIA JENKINS
He’s in our midst. He looks just like everyone else. Drops his kid off at PS 321 and drinks coffee in the morning; he helps out with PTA activities and does the Times’ crossword puzzle at the same table every day at Starbucks.
Bu this man has another identity too. He’s a prodigiously talented composer and songwriter. His work will make you swoon, laugh, even cry. Just like I did. Lifted out of the every day, his work delivered me to the worlds of Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, and a white, Jewish guy from the Southside of Chicago.
His name is Louis Rosen. And Sunday night at Joe’s Pub, Capathia Jenkens, sang, among other things, a song-cycle he created based on the sassy eloquence of Maya Angelou’s poetry. Rosen uses a variety of song styles to bring the poet’s words to life – blues, jazz, musical theater, classical – with suprising leaps of melody and harmony. His music brings out the poet’s voice in a way that enhances and enthralls.
Vocalist Capathia Jenkins is a discovery. Like Rosen, she deserves to be a star. The songs, which were created expressly for her multi-timbered voice, give life to Angelou’s women. And Capathia becomes these characters in an instant – her stance, the way she holds her microphone or moves her hand. In tiny theatrical ways, she embodies these phenomenal women and stirs the room with virtuousic blues in a deep alto-to-high soprano range. Her earthy emotionality belies a sophisticated vocal control.
What a pair. Louis and Capathia: a handsome, skinny guy from Chicago’s Southside and a ravishing, voluptuous black woman with a voice that makes you laugh and cry.
The audience at Joe’s Pub was in their thrall Sunday night. Louis on the piano singing an autobiographical song about growing up. Capathia endearing herself to the crowd while taking us on a journey through a universe of identities.
The room took them in with all the cabaret-attention it could muster. Waitresses served, people ate from plates of delicious food, drinks were a-plenty, but the audience was rapt and they applauded ferociously after every song-poem, honored to be among the few to see what was probably the best show in town.
Monday morning I saw Louis in the Slope but I didn’t say hello. Feeling a little awed, a little shy, I watched to see if there was a spring in his step after such a phenomenal night. He kissed his son good bye in the lobby of PS 321 and found his usual table at the local Starbucks.
Back to being a regular guy. Someone who looks just like everyone else.
Yours from Brooklyn,
OTBKB
SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.
BROOKLYN WEATHER: What’s it gonna do today? Check here for Brooklyn weather.
SPRING FORWARD NEXT WEEK: Though Europe switched over on Sunday, daylight savings time
for New York (EST, GMT -7:00) takes place NEXT weekend. Set your clocks
ahead (spring forward) one hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 3, 2005.
CITY NEWS: City to get hybrid buses instead of those powered by natural gas.
_On Monday night in the rain, Ringling Brothers Circus elephants snarled up traffic as they came out of the Midtown tunnel and crossed 34th Street to Madison Square Garden for their annual crosstown walk.
_Mayor kicks off major pot hole repair blitz attempting to fix damage caused by winter storms.
_As of Sunday, children age seven and younger must be buckled into a car seat in New York State. This is up from age four.
_There’s a growing blog community of New York City public school teachers. MildlyMelancholy, Judysmoh, and others are sites where teachers can openly vent about what they really think and feel about their jobs.
_NYPD arrested 37 protesters,
members of Critical Mass, a group that celebrates cycling and other
non-polluting forms of transportation. Those arrested were charged with
parading without a permit. The city is going to court to demand that
these cyclists get a permit for their month protest. Earlier this year
a Federal judge said permits weren’t necessary.
_The City’s Department of Education sent out
test prep guides to NYC teachers filled with wrong answers, typos and
grammatical mistakes. The first big typo was right on the cover:
Mathematics Planning for the Forth Grade. "Tweed has no problem with
excessively criticizing teachers for failing to meet its picayune
mandates, but then it produces a test prep manual riddled with errors
and misspellings," said Weingarten, president of the United Federation
of Teachers. " The hypocrisy is stunning."
BROOKLYN BEAT: Tenants of a burned out Brooklyn apartment building are suing the city saying that the FDNY was late to arrive to the blaze where two people died and that the fire hydrants were frozen.
-The Department of
Education has instructed high-demand middle schools in District 15 to
admit 20-40 additional applicants. Parents were outraged when in-demand
middle schools rejected 550 qualified applicants."
_New York wants to reclaim the movie and TV production that’s been
going to Candada and other lower-priced shooting locations by offering
tax credits and other incentives. The city is hoping that the recently
completed Steiner Studios in the Brooklyn Navy Yard will attract movie
and television producers.
_ Workers at the Vox Pop Coffee Shop ("Books, Coffee, Demoracy") on Cortylou Avenue in Ditmas Park unanimously joined the
Industrial Workers of the World last week. The employees join a growing
movement of NYC retail workers, including Starbucks baristas, who are
striving to increase union membership in the industry. Check out the Vox Pop web site.
Jury selection has been postponed in the $10 million malpractice case by the Brooklyn family of Yankel Rosenblum against Kings County Hospital.
IT’S TUESDAY 3/29: When there’s nothing going on in the Slope, there’s always Barbes for some fun. Enjoy a SLAVIC SOUL PARTY! Matt Moran leads one of the best Balkan Brass Band anywhere.
THIS SOUNDS COOL: "Who’s fraid of Mike
N ichols?" film series. March 31 – April 19th. This BAMCinematek program
includes: "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf "The Graduate," "Carnal
Knowledge," "Angels in America, "Wit," and more. This Thursday, March
31 at 7 p.m. Q & A with Nichols following "The Graduate.
Do you have any old super 8 reels lying around. Stuff you found and never saw. Buried family footage. Barbes is having a SUPER 8 EXTRAVAGANZA on April 14th. Show up anything you have providing it’s under 5 minutes long. Show up, sign up before the show or email them at super8@barbesbrooklyn.com
_5th Annual Brooklyn Jewish Film Festival. April 5 – 10. Stand up and Laugh: New and Classic Jewish Comedies at BAM.
Jean Luc Godard Festival at BAM a chance to discover and rediscover the masterpieces. April 21-26.
WORTH TAKING A LOOK: The SECOND GRADE
ART SHOW at Starbucks. Seventh Avenue between 1st and Garfield Place.
The children’s Romare Bearden-esque cityscape collages will be up all
month.
HERE/SAY: "Pretty women wonder where my secret lies, I’m not cute or built to suit
a model’s fashion size, But when I start to tell them, They think I’m
telling lies. I say, It”s in the reach of my arms, The span of my
hips, The stride of my steps. The curl of my lips. I’m a woman,
Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman. That’s me." Maya Angelou
NO WORDS_Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford
SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.
BROOKLYN WEATHER: What’s it gonna do today? Check here for Brooklyn weather.
SPRING FORWARD NEXT WEEK: Though Europe switched over on Sunday, daylight savings time
for New York (EST, GMT -7:00) takes place NEXT weekend. Set your clocks
ahead (spring forward) one hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 3, 2005.
CITY NEWS: As of Sunday, children age seven and younger must be buckled into a car seat in New York State. This is up from age four.
_There’s a growing blog community of New York City public school teachers. MildlyMelancholy, Judymoh, and others are sites where teachers can openly vent about what they really think and feel about their jobs.
_NYPD arrested 37 protesters,
members of Critical Mass, a group that celebrates cycling and other
non-polluting forms of transportation. Those arrested were charged with
parading without a permit. The city is going to court to demand that
these cyclists get a permit for their month protest. Earlier this year
a Federal judge said permits weren’t necessary.
_Friday March 25th marked the
anniversary of two tragic fires: the Happy Land Social Club fire in the
Bronx and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.
_Thieves make off with $5 million in diamond heist at a diamond exchanges on West 47th Street.
_The City’s Department of Education sent out
test prep guides to NYC teachers filled with wrong answers, typos and
grammatical mistakes. The first big typo was right on the cover:
Mathematics Planning for the Forth Grade. "Tweed has no problem with
excessively criticizing teachers for failing to meet its picayune
mandates, but then it produces a test prep manual riddled with errors
and misspellings," said Weingarten, president of the United Federation
of Teachers. " The hypocrisy is stunning."
BROOKLYN BEAT: The Department of Education has instructed high-demand middle schools in District 15 to admit 20-40 additional applicants. Parents were outraged when in-demand middle schools rejected 550 qualified applicants."
_New York wants to reclaim the movie and TV production that’s been going to Candada and other lower-priced shooting locations by offering tax credits and other incentives. The city is hoping that the recently completed Steiner Studios in the Brooklyn Navy Yard will attract movie and television producers.
_ Workers at the Vox Pop Coffee Shop ("Books, Coffee, Demoracy") on Cortylou Avenue in Ditmas Park unanimously joined the
Industrial Workers of the World last week. The employees join a growing
movement of NYC retail workers, including Starbucks baristas, who are
striving to increase union membership in the industry. Check out the Vox Pop web site.
Early Saturday morning, an 85 year old retired Russian physicist was
run down by a car at Bay Avenue and Cropsey Avenue, an intersection
that is said to be one of the city’s worst. The elderly man had just
finished his daily four mile morning walk. He died Saturday morning at
Coney Island Hospital.
IT’S MONDAY 3/28: Barbes presents "The Three Penny Opera (1931) at 7 p.m. 376 9th Street near 6th Avenue. Live music begins at 9 p.m.
THIS SOUNDS COOL: "Who’s fraid of Mike Nichols?" film series. March 31 – April 19th. This BAMCinematek program includes: "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe," "The Graduate," "Carnal Knowledge," "Angels in America, "Wit," and more. This Thursday, March 31 at 7 p.m. Q & A with Nichols following "The Graduate."
<>
5th Annual Brooklyn Jewish Film Festival. April 5 – 10. Stand up and Laugh: New and Classic Jewish Comedies at BAM.
Jean Luc Godard Festival at BAM a chance to discover and rediscover the masterpieces. April 21-26.
WORTH TAKING A LOOK: The SECOND GRADE
ART SHOW at Starbucks. Seventh Avenue between 1st and Garfield Place.
The children’s Romare Bearden-esque cityscape collages will be up all
month.
HERE/SAY: "A story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end… but not necessarily in that order." Jean-Luc Godard
NO WORDS_Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford
CONTENTS_27 March 05
NO WORDS_Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford
POSTCARD FROM THE SLOPE_by Louise G. Crawford
SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.
GRAB-BAG_Brooklyn and Beyond
SIDE PANELS_Links this way <<<<< and that>>>>> for Essential Brooklyn.
POSTCARD FROM THE SLOPE_by Louise G. Crawford
Sometimes I’m not sure I want winter to end. A part of me appreciates the cold, dreary season because it is, in its way, very forgiving of moodiness. Spending a winter weekend at home, making soup, and devouring the Sunday paper inspires not the least bit of regret that I am not doing something better with my time.
These first springy days bring with them a kind of pressure to take advantage of what the weather has to offer. I force myself to say: "Wake up everyone, it’s time to get out there and have some FUN," when really all I want to do is lie underneath my comforter until hunger and the need for coffee forces me to the kitchen.
Much has been said about winter depression. But what about the blues brought forth by the expectations that spring arouses. What if the reality and the expectation don’t exactly match up? I, for one, am not quite ready for perky tulips at the Korean market, the park full of fair-weather runners, or Easter, for that matter. Truth is, I’m just not ready for spring.
A great, great jazz tune sung by Betty Carter comes to mind. The lyrics by Fran Landesman really say it so well:
"Spring this year has got me feeling. Like a horse that never left the post. I cry in my room, staring up at the ceiling. Spring can really hang you up the most."
I think this is just a temporary thing. Transitions are often hard. You get kind of attached to the seasons, even the nasty ones, and it’s hard to move on. I’ll get past this. I know I will. But please, just a few days more of winter, so I can get this malaise out of my system.
Yours from Brooklyn,
OTBKB
SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.
BROOKLYN WEATHER: What’s it gonna do today? Check here for Brooklyn weather.
SPRING FORWARD NEXT WEEK: Though Europe switched over early this morning, daylight savings time
for New York (EST, GMT -7:00) takes place NEXT weekend. Set your clocks
ahead (spring forward) one hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 3, 2005.
CITY NEWS: NYPD arrested 37 protesters, members of Critical Mass, a group that celebrates cycling and other non-polluting forms of transportation. Those arrested were charged with parading without a permit. The city is going to court to demand that these cyclists get a permit for their month protest. Earlier this year a Federal judge said permits weren’t necessary.
_Friday March 25th marked the
anniversary of two tragic fires: the Happy Land Social Club fire in the
Bronx and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.
_Thieves make off with $5 million in diamond heist at a diamond exchanges on West 47th Street.
_The City’s Department of Education sent out
test prep guides to NYC teachers filled with wrong answers, typos and
grammatical mistakes. The first big typo was right on the cover:
Mathematics Planning for the Forth Grade. "Tweed has no problem with
excessively criticizing teachers for failing to meet its picayune
mandates, but then it produces a test prep manual riddled with errors
and misspellings," said Weingarten, president of the United Federation
of Teachers. " The hypocrisy is stunning."
BROOKLYN BEAT: Workers at the Vox Pop Coffee Shop ("Books, Coffee, Demoracy") on Cortylou Avenue in Ditmas Park unanimously joined the
Industrial Workers of the World last week. The employees join a growing
movement of NYC retail workers, including Starbucks baristas, who are
striving to increase union membership in the industry. Check out the Vox Pop web site.
Early Saturday morning, an 85 year old retired Russian physicist was run down by a car at Bay Avenue and Cropsey Avenue, an intersection that is said to be one of the city’s worst. The elderly man had just finished his daily four mile morning walk. He died Saturday morning at Coney Island Hospital.
_Brooklyn woman was mauled by her son’s pit bull. The dogs were tranquilized and taken to An Animal Care Center. Her arm was seriously wounded.
_Brooklyn Rebbe Naftali
Halberstam, who continued his father’s efforts to rebuild the Bobov
sect of Hasidism that was nearly eradicated by the Holocaust, died on
Thursday. The Bobov practice an ecstatic form of Judaism that centers
on a religious leader and an individual’s direct relationship with G-d.
The sect originated in Galicia, now southeastern Poland.
_ A teenager was stabbed in the stomach by an older man on the
Northbound R platform at the Ninth Street subway station in Park Slope.
Apparently the two were having an agrument. The teenager was taken to
Lutheran Hospital. Read all about it at New York 1.
_Brooklyn receives $1 million to spruce up Fulton Street.
Congresswoman Nydia Valazquez was able to secure the money from the
Transportation Appropriations Bill and a local developer. Improvements
include better lighting, signage, sidewalks, and landscaping. Read all about it at New York 1.
IT’S EASTER/PURIM SUNDAY: Purim Festival at the Brookyn Lyceum. Sunday March 27th. Music by Golem and Jonathan Bayer. 3 p.m.
_"Play Without Words," a dance theater piece by Matthew Bourne at BAM. Tonight through Saturday. 2 p.m.
_Catpathia Jenkins and Park Slope resident Louis Rosen perform their
song-cycle based on the work of Maya Angelou at Joe’s Pub. Sunday 7 pm.
WORTH TAKING A LOOK: The SECOND GRADE
ART SHOW at Starbucks. Seventh Avenue between 1st and Garfield Place.
The children’s Romare Bearden-esque cityscape collages will be up all
month.
THIS SOUNDS COOL: Mike Nichols answers
questions following a screening of "The Graduate" as part of BAM’s
"Who’s Afraid of Mike Nichols?" film series. Thursday March 31 at 7 p.m.
HERE/SAY: He allowed himself to be swayed by his conviction that human beings are not born once and for all on the day their mothers gave birth to them, but that life obliges them over and over again to give birth to themselves." -Gabriel Garcia Marquez,
Love in the Time of Cholera.
NO WORDS_Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford
SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather News. Stuff to Do.
BROOKLYN WEATHER: What’s it gonna do today? Check here for Brooklyn weather.
CITY NEWS: Friday March 25th marked the anniversary of two tragic fires: the Happy Land Social Club fire in the Bronx and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.
_Thieves make off with $5 million in diamond heist in city’s diamond district.
_The City’s Department of Education sent out test prep guides to NYC teachers filled with wrong answers, typos and grammatical mistakes. The first big typo was right on the cover: Mathematics Planning for the Forth Grade. "Tweed has no problem with excessively criticizing teachers for failing to meet its picayune mandates, but then it produces a test prep manual riddled with errors and misspellings," said Weingarten, president of the United Federation of Teachers. " The hypocrisy is stunning."
BROOKLYN BEAT: Brooklyn Rebbe Naftali Halberstam, who continued his father’s efforts to rebuild the Bobov sect of Hasidism that was nearly eradicated by the Holocaust, died on Thursday. The Bobov practice an ecstatic form of Judaism that centers on a religious leader and an individual’s direct relationship with G-d. The sect originated in Galicia, now southeastern Poland.
_ A teenager was stabbed in the stomach by an older man on the Northbound R platform at the Ninth Street subway station in Park Slope. Apparently the two were having an agrument. The teenager was taken to Lutheran Hospital. Read all about it at New York 1.
_Brooklyn receives $1 million to spruce up Fulton Street. Congresswoman Nydia Valazquez was able to secure the money from the Transportation Appropriations Bill and a local developer. Improvements include better lighting, signage, sidewalks, and landscaping. Read all about it at New York 1.
IT’S SATURDAY: The Gallery Players present: "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)." 199 14th Street. 8 p.m. Great for older kids.
_The Brooklyn Philarmonic presents "Kurt Weill Goes Brooklyn" Ute Lemper is vocal soloist. At BAM 30 Lafayette Avenue. Saturday. 8 p.m.
_"Play Without Words," a dance theater piece by Matthew Bourne at BAM. Tonight through Saturday. 8 p.m.
ON SUNDAY: Purim Festival at the Brookyn Lyceum. Sunday March 27th. Music by Golem and Jonathan Bayer. (see hand-picked below).
Catpathia Jenkins and Park Slope resident Louis Rosen perform their song-cycle based on the work of Maya Angelou at Joe’s Pub. Sunday 6 pm.
WORTH TAKING A LOOK: The SECOND GRADE ART SHOW at Starbucks. Seventh Avenue between 1st and Garfield Place. The children’s Romare Bearden-esque cityscape collages will be up all month.
THIS SOUNDS COOL: Mike Nichols answers questions following a screening of "The Graduate" as part of BAM’s "Who’s Afraid of Mike Nichols?" film series. Thursday March 31 at 7 p.m.
HERE/SAY: "They need to worry and betray time with urgencies false and otherwise, purely anxious and whiny, their souls really won’t be at peace unless they can latch on to an established and proven worry and having once found it they assume facial expressions to fit and go with it, which is, you see, unhappiness, and all the time it all flies by them and they know it and that too worries them no end." ~Jack Kerouac
POSTCARD FROM THE SLOPE_by Louise G. Crawford
There are ghosts around here. And I’m not talking about the spooky kind. They’re friendly ghosts, like Caspar, ghosts of friends who have moved away from Brooklyn for greener pastures more than 90 minutes from here.
These friends have left behind pieces of of themselves that appear from time to time when I walk past their apartments or the well-worn spots on Seventh Avenue where we used to stand and talk.
Some of these ghosts are good friends, people we try to stay in touch with, and call on the phone. Friends who, regardless of the fact that they abandoned us for a huge Victorian in Rockland County, we continue to love.
Our friends from across the street fall into this category. They’re here but they’re not here. I check their window everytime I leave my building. What I’m checking for I don’t know. Now that it’s spring I half-expect to see her weeding her flower boxes, or pullilng her shopping cart chock-full of gourmet health food from the Food Coop.
And then there are our friends who up and left us for a big Victorian in Upstate New York. I still dial 718 when I call them on the phone. Yesterday I addressed a postcard to them and wrote Brooklyn, New York instead of…
There’s also the family downstairs, whose kids were best friends with ours. "I’m going down to Eddie’s," was my son’s constant refrain until the day Eddie moved away. Eddie and his sister were like family, as were their two younger siblings, and their parents. Even if we were wildly different in our approaches to things, we found a common ground on Third Street.
This block is also full of ghosts of people that I never got to know but wonder how they are: the single mother with the adopted son from Viet Nam, the woman who writes T.V shows for PBS and her husband and son, the two moms with the two kids who moved to Montclair, the family from Yemen with the spunky daughter (does she wear a veil now that she’s grown up?). And there are more. Plenty more. And they’re all still here in their way.
It’s been hard to figure out how to be friends with the friends who have moved away. it takes time, a year or more, to accept that their ghostly apparitions are just that, and that they’re NOT coming back to the Slope. Denial can be deep.
The next step is learning how to be friends at a distance. Phone calls and addresses must be memorized. New conversational topics must be substituted for the old standbys like: local real estate, 321 teachers, Coop gripes, and Third Street gossip. The ease of shouting up to a window Brooklyn-style, must be replaced with the effort of picking up the phone
But it can be done. First come the good-byes. Then the ghosts. And then, after a very long time, the acceptance that they’re no-longer in their too-small apartment in Brooklyn, but a suburb or town that’s really not that far away.
Yours from Brooklyn,
OTBKB
NO WORDS_Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford
CONTENTS_25 March 05
NO WORDS_Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford
POSTCARD FROM THE SLOPE_by Louise G. Crawford
SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.
GRAB BAG_BROOKLYN AND BEYOND
HAND-PICKED_DON’T MISS
SIDE PANELS: This way <<<<< and that >>>>> Links to Essential Brooklyn. Check out HelloBrooklyn.com for movie times, Brownstoner.com for real estate and renovation blogging, Brooklyn Bomb Shelter for borough news from a seasoned reporter, Daily Heights a chatty, informed community blog for Prospect Heights and MORE.
POSTCARD FROM THE SLOPE_by Louise G. Crawford
This is gossip with absolutely no malicious intent. So bear with me as I try to be discreet sharing this absolutely scrumptuous story.
For a couple of years, I have noticed a lovely man and his son on my block. He is divorced and seems to have custody of the young boy, who is about nine years old. They play soccer in front of their building and other ball games. I see them sometimes doing homework at the cafe. The mother is sometimes around – she comes by to pick up the boy once a week and on weekends. It is always so strange when a woman doesn’t have custody of her child. Sad to say, it raises suspicions in me – what is the matter with this mother that she isn’t with her son?
But I have a soft spot for this father – he seems to take such good care of his boy. And he seems so serious with his sensible green parka and the studious look on his face.
Last summer, a divorced woman with four, yes four, children moved into their building. There is something very sweet about this woman – she always says hello and has a fairy tale pretty face. Sometimes she looks overwhelmed, infused with a "do I have the energy get through this day" look. But mostly she looks like she enjoys "homeschooling" her two younger children while the other two attend our local elementary school. Recently I’ve noticed the dad: he takes care of the kids on the weekends.
For months, I’ve harbored fantasies that this divorced man and this divorced woman would fall in love. I’ve noticed that they do a lot of things together with their kids. It’s sweet to see the man’s son play with the woman’s four children in the yard – an instant family for this only-child, soccer whiz. The combined families walk to school together often and I once saw the father and mother standing underneath the same umbrella, which was for me a sign of latent intimacy.
Well today it happened. I saw them hug. Really hug. Like two people in love. And I swooned. It’s the Brady Bunch come true – a relationship for the parents, siblings for the little boy, and one more brother for the already bulging sibling-group of four.
I may be making this up. Maybe it was platonic hug, a "it’s a hard day" kind of hug. Maybe there is no romance at all.
But for me, it was so gratifying to see my dream become a reality. It looked like the real thing and it made my heart leap a little every time I thought about it.
Yours from Brooklyn,
OTBKB
SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.
BROOKLYN WEATHER: What’s it gonna do today? Check here for Brooklyn weather.
FYI: It’s Good Friday. There is no school today. No alternate-side-of-the-street-parking either.
CITY NEWS: Court orders FDNY to release 9/11 audio tapes. Read all about it at New York 1.
_The remains of three more World Trade Center victims were identified this week. They may be the last until new technology is developed. Read all about it at New York 1.
_The City’s Department of Education sent out test prep guides to NYC teachers filled with wrong answers, typos and grammatical mistakes. The first big typo was right on the cover: Mathematics Planning for the Forth Grade. "Tweed has no problem with excessively criticizing teachers for failing to meet its picayune mandates, but then it produces a test prep manual riddled with errors and misspellings," said Weingarten, president of the United Federation of Teachers. " The hypocrisy is stunning."
BROOKLYN BEAT: A teenager was stabbed in the stomach by an older man on the Northbound R platform at the Ninth Street subway station in Park Slope. Apparently the two were having an agrument. The teenager was taken to Lutheran Hospital. Read all about it at New York 1.
_Two students have accused a teacher at Brooklyn Tech High School of sexual harassment. Read all about it at New York 1. Read all about it at New York 1.
_A tree fell on elevated subway tracks in the Bronx and cut off #4 subway service in Bronx on Wednesday evening. Read all about it at New York 1.
_City Council tries to block conversion of Plaza Hotel.
_FDNY to implement new procedures for safety ropes. This comes after a fatal fire in January in which two firefighters were killed and four others were seriously injured when they jumped out a fourth story window.
Grand Rebbe Naftuli Halberstam, a highly respected Brooklyn Hasidic leader was laid to rest in a cemetery in New Jersey. Thousands attended his Brooklyn funeral. Read all about it at New York 1.
_Brooklyn receives $1 million to spruce up Fulton Street. Congresswoman Nydia Valazquez was able to secure the money from the Transportation Appropriations Bill and a local developer. Improvements include better lighting, signage, sidewalks, and landscaping. Read all about it at New York 1.
_Brooklyn woman suing the Daily News for its Scratch ‘n Win fiasco. The woman was led to believe that she won $100,000 in prizes. Sunday the news informed its readers of a misprint. "Our dreams were shattered. Our high was brought down to an extreme low," said Stewart.
_A sanitation worker was shot while working on a Brooklyn Street. He was wounded by a richocheting bullet during an argument with a gun between two men on the street. Another man was wounded as well.
_A student at Brooklyn’s New Utrecht High School was shot by a gun that went off in his book bag during an English class.
2500 runners ran the Brooklyn Half-Marathon from the world-famous Coney Island boarwalk to the Nevermeade in Prospect Park. Ivan Marionda, age 29, from New York City, won the race in 1:10:37. THe top female runner was Michelle Bleakley, age 37, in 1:20:58. Thomas Deaver, age 29, a wheelchair runner, finished the race in 1:41:28.
_English ex-pats love Brooklyn says the City section in the New York Times. Mini Coopers, Fish and Chips joints and British accents are cited as proof that there’s a British invasion of brownstone Brooklyn. Interesting fact: the Park Slope zipcode has one of the largest numbers of Mini Cooper owners in the country. The owner of Curry Source, an Indian "takeaway" in Boerum Hill, told the Times’ reporter: "Brooklyn is America without tears."
IT’S FRIDAY: All sorts of eggsperiments for the kids at the Audubon Center in Prospect Park. Egg arts, egg crafts, and egg games. Noon until 4 p.m.
"The Misfits," the John Huston masterwork. Screenplay by Arthur Miller. Starring Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift, Clark Gable and Thelma Ritter. Playing at the Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Branch.6 p.m. and it’s free.
_A Good Friday candlelight procession led by the Bishop of Brooklyn and Queens. Bring a candle. Starts at Shallow Junior High School, 65th Street and 16th Avenue. 8 p.m.
"Play Without Words," a dance theater piece by Matthew Bourne at BAM. Tonight through Saturday. 8 p.m.
THIS WEEKEND: Purim Festival at the Brookyn Lyceum. Sunday March 27th. Music by Golem and Jonathan Bayer. (see hand-picked below).
The Gallery Players present: "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)." 199 14th Street. 8 p.m. Great for older kids.
The Brooklyn Philarmonic presents "Kurt Weill Goes Brooklyn" Ute Lemper is vocal soloist. At BAM 30 Lafayette Avenue. Saturday. 8 p.m.
Catpathia Jenkins and Park Slope resident Louis Rosen perform their song-cycle based on the work of Maya Angelou at Joe’s Pub. Sunday 6 pm.
WORTH TAKING A LOOK: The SECOND GRADE ART SHOW at Starbucks. Seventh Avenue between 1st and Garfield Place. The children’s Romare Bearden-esque cityscape collages will be up all month.
THIS SOUNDS COOL: From the New York Times: "Sears Beverley Road, an Art Deco cathedral of commerce christened by the soon-to-be-first-lady Eleanor Roosevelt in 1932, has seen better days. The Macy’s-size display windows that faced Bedford Avenue and Beverley Road have long since been cemented over. The Munchbox is not exactly a beauty spot, either. The plants in gold hangers are plastic, the fluorescent lighting somehow both harsh and dim, the feeling of windowlessness palpable. But where else in this land can you dive into a generous plate of allspice-laced snapper beneath corporate-morale-building signs urging the meeting of sales quotas ("Can You Bring Home the Gold?") and framed letters from satisfied vacuum-cleaner customers? And on the PA system: ‘Attention all customers, attention all Sears associates. Our Sears cafeteria is now open for lunch. We have boneless stewed snapper fish, stewed chicken, callaloo and saltfish, a delicious homemade cowfoot soup.’ The Sears cafeteria is open to the public.
HERE/SAY: "To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting." – e.e. cummings, 1955
NO WORDS_Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford
CONTENTS_24 March 05
NO WORKS_Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford
POSTCARD FROM THE SLOPE_by Louise G. Crawford
SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.
GRAB BAG_Brooklyn and Beyond
HAND-PICKED_Don’t Miss
SIDE PANELS_Links to Essential Brooklyn. Check out Hellobrooklyn.com for movie times >>> and Brooklyn Bomb Shelter for news <<<<< and Brownstoner <<<<< for real estate renovation blogging.
POSTCARD FROM THE SLOPE_by Louise G. Crawford
Second grade girls can be pretty mean. What they call Grade Recess over at my daughter’s elementary school might just as well be called "Lord of the Flies."
Is it diabolical or just developmental?
My daughter has been coming home with stories that would make your skin curl. And she’s no innocent victim. But I worry that she is being manipulated into mean girl behavior by alpha girls that don’t seem to know better.
My girl seems a bit confused by it all. "She makes me be mean to people I actually like," says my daughter about another girl who seems to be the center of the action. "I really hate her but I also want to play with her…" My daughter adds, obviously confused by the attraction and repulsion she feels toward this girl. It’s a double bind.
I am struggling to figure out what to do. I’ve talked to her teacher and some other parents who have girls in the second grade. One mother, who has older girl, has been through it before and says that you have to do a lot of work at home to counteract what going on. You can’t necessarily change the world of the playground but you can instill moral and ethical thinking in your child.
One or two moms have tried to speak to the mother of the most alpha girl of all but the mother doesn’t want to get involved. "Leave me out of this," she told one mom. "Let them figure it out for themselves."
While that is often my attitude about more benign childhood squabbles, this seems to be a problem of a different magnitude. What goes on in that playground is settting the groundwork for emotional baggage that could last a lifetime.
This is my first exposure to the world of mean girls. Sure there were some meanies when I was a kid but I didn’t get pulled in. I better read the books, see the movie, do a little homework. Time for a little consciousness raising for mom and daughter. You can’t start too early, I say. Can’t start too soon.
Yours from Brooklyn,
OTBKB
SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.
BROOKLYN WEATHER: What’s it gonna do today? Check here for Brooklyn weather.
FYI: 8th grade students and parents will be finding out today what public
high school they got into. At MS 51, the letters are being handed to
students during last period. Good Luck to all. It’s been a long ride…
CITY NEWS: The remains of three more World Trade Center victims identified. They may be the last until new technology is developed.
_ A tree fell on elevated subway tracks in the Bronx and cuts off #4 subway service in Bronx on Wednesday evening.
_City Council tries to block conversion of Plaza Hotel
_FDNY to implement new procedures for safety ropes. This comes after
a fatal fire in January in which two firefighters were killed and four
others were seriously injured when they jumped out a fourth story
window.
_Bobby Short, classy and cosmopolitan jazz singer and pianist, who
frequently graced the keys of the Cafe Carlyle died of Leukemia on Monday
_Transportation Altenatives, an advocacy group for New Yorkers,
gives the city passing if not great grades for its performance as a
city hospitable to bikers.
_212, the area code with so much cache, will soon be available on cell phones. But who cares? 718 is way cooler.
_On Saturday, activists protested the Iraq
War on its second anniversary on the streets of New York and Brooklyn.
Three men and five women were arrested in front of a military recruiting station at 41 Flatbush Avenue. Read all about at Brooklyn Bomb Shelter. Tens of thousands protest across Europe.
_Report says one-third of city’s fourth graders are in danger of failing. Read all about it at NY1
_NYPD named nation’s best dressed police force. Read all about it at NY1
_New York’s favorite hawks, Pale Male and Lola, are expecting at least two little hawks.
BROOKLYN BEAT: Two students have accused a teacher at Brooklyn Tech High School of sexual harassment.
_Brooklyn receives $1 million to spruce up Fulton Street. Congresswoman
Nydia Valazquez was able to secure the money from the Transportation
Appropriations Bill and a local developer. Improvements include better
lighting, signage, sidewalks, and landscaping.
_Brooklyn woman suing the Daily News for its Scratch ‘n Win fiasco.
The woman was led to believe that she won $100,000 in prizes. Sunday
the news informed its readers of a misprint. "Our dreams were
shattered. Our high was brought down to an extreme low," said Stewart.
_A sanitation worker was shot while working on a Brooklyn Street. He was
wounded by a richocheting bullet during an argument with a gun between
two men on the street. Another man was wounded as well.
_A student at Brooklyn’s New Utrecht High School was shot by a gun that went off in his book bag during an English class.
_Mayor Mike Bloomberg joined marchers at the Brooklyn Irish American parade in the rain.
_Coney Island’s Astroland opened on Sunday, two weeks earlier than
usual. Visitors will arrive from the newly renovated Stillwell Avenue
train station. Coney Island draws more than a million visitors per
day in nice weather.
_More than a 130 new buildings are being planned in Williamsburg and
Greenpoint, as well as large-scale development on the waterfront.
_Over 2500 runners ran the Brooklyn Half-Marathon from the world-famous
Coney Island boarwalk to the Nevermeade in Prospect Park. Ivan
Marionda, age 29, from New York City, won the race in 1:10:37. THe top
female runner was Michelle Bleakley, age 37, in 1:20:58. Thomas Deaver,
age 29, a wheelchair runner, finished the race in 1:41:28.
_English ex-pats love Brooklyn says the City section in the New
York Times. Mini Coopers, Fish and Chips joints and British accents are
cited as proof that there’s a British invasion of brownstone Brooklyn.
Interesting fact: the Park Slope zipcode has one of the largest numbers
of Mini Cooper owners in the country. The owner of Curry Source, an
Indian "takeaway" in Boerum Hill, told the Times’ reporter: "Brooklyn
is America without tears."
_Barrier installed at exit ramp at the Verrazano Bridge after accident. Read all about it at NY1
_ Marty Markowitz writes in response
to a recent New Yorker cover: "Marcellus Hall’s illusletters tration of Adam and Eve
being cast out of Manhattan by the hand of God is to be commended for
its prominent placement of the Brooklyn Bridge, the world’s most
beautiful. I am concerned, however, that my copy of the issue may have
been missing a second panel, in which the couple realize that what
awaits them on the other side of the bridge is not a dark cloud of doom
but the promised land itself. High rents might push some residents out
of Manhattan, but we Brooklynites welcome these emigres with open arms
to our better quality of life, our unrivalled diversity, and maybe even
a nice brownstone. Just as Saul Steinberg’s famous westward view from
Ninth Avenue exaggerated Manhattanites’ perspective in 1976, your East
River scene in 2005 misleads by rendering gloom where there should be
a glow; crossing the bridge is actually a blessing in disguise.
Besides, what better than the hand of God to direct you toward the most
divine bagels and lox?"
_From an article called, "School Auction as Economic
Indicator," in today’s New York Times: "The Berkeley Carroll School in
Brooklyn combines the groovy independent film vibe –the "Sopranos"
star Steve Muscemi offered a tour of the set – with local color. One
family paid $4,000 to have lunch with Marty Markowitz at Bamonte’s in
Williamsburg. "The place is quintessential Brooklyn," said Henry
Trevor, an assistant head of school." At Packer, someone paid $100. for
a gift certificate to a company "dedicated to the spreading of sexual
enlightenment throught the promulgation of chosen playthings."
IT’S THURSDAY: "Play Without Words," a dance theater piece by Matthew Bourne at BAM. Tonight through Saturday. 8 p.m.
_Cook’s Companion hosts its annual series of spring wine tasting nights with a tasting of South African wine. 197 Atlantic Avenue. 7 p.m.
_Debra Schultz, the author of "Going South: Jewish Women During the Civil Rights Movement" will be reading at the Grand Army Plaza branch of the Public Library this evening at 7 p.m.
WORTH TAKING A LOOK: The SECOND GRADE
ART SHOW at Starbucks. Seventh Avenue between 1st and Garfield Place.
The children’s Romare Bearden-esque cityscape collages will be up all
month.
THIS SOUNDS COOL: Purim Festival at the Brookyn Lyceum. Sunday March 27th. Music by Golem and Jonathan Bayer. (see hand-picked below).
Catpathia Jenkins and Park Slope resident Louis Rosen perform their
song-cycle based on the work of Maya Angelou at Joe’s Pub. March 27th.
6 pm.
_From th New York Times: "Sears Beverley Road, an Art Deco cathedral of commerce christened by
the soon-to-be-first-lady Eleanor Roosevelt in 1932, has seen better
days. The Macy’s-size display windows that faced Bedford Avenue and
Beverley Road have long since been cemented over. The Munchbox is not
exactly a beauty spot, either. The plants in gold hangers are plastic,
the fluorescent lighting somehow both harsh and dim, the feeling of
windowlessness palpable. But where else in this land can you dive
into a generous plate of allspice-laced snapper beneath corporate-morale-building signs urging the meeting of sales quotas
("Can You Bring Home the Gold?") and framed letters from satisfied
vacuum-cleaner customers? And on the PA system: ‘Attention
all customers, attention all Sears associates. Our Sears cafeteria is now open for
lunch. We have boneless stewed snapper fish, stewed chicken, callaloo
and saltfish, a delicious homemade cowfoot soup.’ The Sears cafeteria is open to the public.
HERE/SAY:
"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and
day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which
any human being can fight; and never stop fighting." – e.e. cummings, 1955
NO WORDS_Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford
CONTENTS_23 March 05
NO WORDS_Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford
POSTCARD FROM THE SLOPE_by Louise G. Crawford
SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.
HAND-PICKED_Don’t Miss
SIDE-PANELS_ Links to Essential Brooklyn. Check out Brooklyn Bomb Shelter <<<< HelloBrooklyn.com >>>>> and all the other fun links.
POSTCARD FROM THE SLOPE_by Louise G. Crawford
There’s a nasty virus going around. My son has had a high fever on and off since Saturday. 102, 103 temperatures for four days running. What a siege.
The poor guy: he’s tired, listless, and glassy-eyed. His lips are chapped and his nose was bleeding this morning when he woke up.
Fortunately, he’s really pleasant when he’s sick. Lots of pleases, thank yous and I don’t want to bother you. He’s not used to being sick but he does it quite well. But this virus makes him so tired he can’t really do anything but lay in bed and sleep.
In our house, being sick means we take out the wooden tray and the bell. Ring, ring, ring, We serve the sickone in bed. Soup, sandwiches, whatever. Being sick is all about the tray and the bell. And room service.
I have pleasant memories of being sick as a child: laying on the couch watching daytime television (Leave it to Beaver, Make Room for Daddy, I Love Lucy, etc.). My mother brought me chocolate eclairs, and Matzah Ball Soup from Williams Bar-B-Que on Broadway.
But being sick like this isn’t much fun. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s actually looking forward to going back to school. Well, maybe no. Not that.
In the meantime, recovery is the main thing. Tomorrow we take him to see his doctor. And before that: lots of liquids, Vitamin C, tender loving care and flufffed up pillows.
Yours from Brooklyn,
OTBKB.
SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.
BROOKLYN WEATHER: What’s it gonna do today? Check here for Brooklyn weather.
CITY NEWS: Subway service was back to normal after a fire at the Atlantic Avenue Station disrupted Tuesday’s morning rush hour.
_Two polls show that Ferrer is leading in mayoral race against Bloomberg.
_FDNY to implement new procedures for safety ropes. This comes after
a fatal fire in January in which two firefighters were killed and four
others were seriously injured when they jumped out a fourth story
window.
_Bobby Short, classy and cosmopolitan jazz singer and pianist, who
frequently graced the keys of the Cafe Carlyle died of Leukemia
yesterday.
_Transportation Altenatives, an advocacy group for New Yorkers,
gives the city passing if not great grades for its performance as a
city hospitable to bikers.
_212, the area code with so much cache, will soon be available on cell phones. But who cares? 718 is way cooler.
_On Saturday, activists protested the Iraq
War on its second anniversary on the streets of New York and Brooklyn.
Three men and five women were arrested in front of a military recruiting station at 41 Flatbush Avenue. Read all about at Brooklyn Bomb Shelter. Tens of thousands protest across Europe.
_Report says one-third of city’s fourth graders are in danger of failing. Read all about it at NY1
_NYPD named nation’s best dressed police force. Read all about it at NY1
_New York’s favorite hawks, Pale Male and Lola, are expecting at least two little hawks.
BROOKLYN BEAT:
Brooklyn receives $1 million to spruce up Fulton Street. Congresswoman Nydia Valazquez was able to secure the money from the Transportation Appropriations Bill and a local developer. Improvements include better lighting, signage, sidewalks, and landscaping.
_Brooklyn woman suing the Daily News for its Scratch ‘n Win fiasco. The woman was led to believe that she won $100,000 in prizes. Sunday the news informed its readers of a misprint. "Our dreams were shattered. Our high was brought down to an extreme low," said Stewart.
_A sanitation worker was shot while working on a Brooklyn Street. He was
wounded by a richocheting bullet during an argument with a gun between
two men on the street. Another man was wounded as well.
_A student at Brooklyn’s New Utrecht High School was shot by a gun that went off in his book bag during an English class.
_Mayor Mike Bloomberg joined marchers at the Brooklyn Irish American parade in the rain.
_Coney Island’s Astroland opened on Sunday, two weeks earlier than
usual. Visitors will arrive from the newly renovated Stillwell Avenue
train station. Coney Island draws more than a million visitors per
day in nice weather.
_More than a 130 new buildings are being planned in Williamsburg and
Greenpoint, as well as large-scale development on the waterfront.
_Over 2500 runners ran the Brooklyn Half-Marathon from the world-famous
Coney Island boarwalk to the Nevermeade in Prospect Park. Ivan
Marionda, age 29, from New York City, won the race in 1:10:37. THe top
female runner was Michelle Bleakley, age 37, in 1:20:58. Thomas Deaver,
age 29, a wheelchair runner, finished the race in 1:41:28.
_English ex-pats love Brooklyn says the City section in the New
York Times. Mini Coopers, Fish and Chips joints and British accents are
cited as proof that there’s a British invasion of brownstone Brooklyn.
Interesting fact: the Park Slope zipcode has one of the largest numbers
of Mini Cooper owners in the country. The owner of Curry Source, an
Indian "takeaway" in Boerum Hill, told the Times’ reporter: "Brooklyn
is America without tears."
_Barrier installed at exit ramp at the Verrazano Bridge after accident. Read all about it at NY1
_Brooklyn rapper Lil’ Kim guilty of perjury in connection with 2001 murder. Read all about it at NY1
_City is facing $10 million in lawsuits from cyclists who say their
broken bones were caused by injuries caused by the bumps on the
Williamsburg Bridge. City officials are taking a closer look at this
problem. Read all about it at NY1
_ Marty Markowitz writes in response
to a recent New Yorker cover: "Marcellus Hall’s illusletters tration of Adam and Eve
being cast out of Manhattan by the hand of God is to be commended for
its prominent placement of the Brooklyn Bridge, the world’s most
beautiful. I am concerned, however, that my copy of the issue may have
been missing a second panel, in which the couple realize that what
awaits them on the other side of the bridge is not a dark cloud of doom
but the promised land itself. High rents might push some residents out
of Manhattan, but we Brooklynites welcome these emigres with open arms
to our better quality of life, our unrivalled diversity, and maybe even
a nice brownstone. Just as Saul Steinberg’s famous westward view from
Ninth Avenue exaggerated Manhattanites’ perspective in 1976, your East
River scene in 2005 misleads by rendering gloom where there should be
a glow; crossing the bridge is actually a blessing in disguise.
Besides, what better than the hand of God to direct you toward the most
divine bagels and lox?"
_From an article called, "School Auction as Economic
Indicator," in today’s New York Times: "The Berkeley Carroll School in
Brooklyn combines the groovy independent film vibe –the "Sopranos"
star Steve Muscemi offered a tour of the set – with local color. One
family paid $4,000 to have lunch with Marty Markowitz at Bamonte’s in
Williamsburg. "The place is quintessential Brooklyn," said Henry
Trevor, an assistant head of school." At Packer, someone paid $100. for
a gift certificate to a company "dedicated to the spreading of sexual
enlightenment throught the promulgation of chosen playthings."
IT’S WEDNESDAY: Liquid Language performance of poetry and open-mic at the Seventh Avenue Barnes and Noble.
"Play Without Words," a dance theater piece by Matthew Bourne at BAM. Tonight through Saturday. 8 p.m.
WORTH TAKING A LOOK: The SECOND GRADE
ART SHOW at Starbucks. Seventh Avenue between 1st and Garfield Place.
The children’s Romare Bearden-esque cityscape collages will be up all
month.
THIS SOUNDS COOL: Purim Festival at the Brookyn Lyceum. Sunday March 27th. Music by Golem and Jonathan Bayer. (see hand-picked below).
Catpathia Jenkins and Park Slope resident Louis Rosen perform their
song-cycle based on the work of Maya Angelou at Joe’s Pub. March 27th.
6 pm.
_From th New York Times: "Sears Beverley Road, an Art Deco cathedral of commerce christened by
the soon-to-be-first-lady Eleanor Roosevelt in 1932, has seen better
days. The Macy’s-size display windows that faced Bedford Avenue and
Beverley Road have long since been cemented over. The Munchbox is not
exactly a beauty spot, either. The plants in gold hangers are plastic,
the fluorescent lighting somehow both harsh and dim, the feeling of
windowlessness palpable. But where else in this land can you dive
into a generous plate of allspice-laced snapper beneath corporate-morale-building signs urging the meeting of sales quotas
("Can You Bring Home the Gold?") and framed letters from satisfied
vacuum-cleaner customers? And on the PA system: ‘Attention
all customers, attention all Sears associates. Our Sears cafeteria is now open for
lunch. We have boneless stewed snapper fish, stewed chicken, callaloo
and saltfish, a delicious homemade cowfoot soup.’ The Sears cafeteria is open to the public.
HERE/SAY: "I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired." Fannie Lou Hammer, Civil Rights Activist