Early reaction to Carroll Gardens zoining announcement (Gowanus Lounge)
Life in Prospect Lefferts (Brooklyn Based)
Raise high the rough beams on 2nd Street (Brownstoner)
Undercover temptations in Brooklyn South (NY Times)
Long Island high school senior dies of Meningitis (NY Times)
A press release from the office of Councilmember Bill de Blasio says it has news of a major development to help protect the character of Carroll Gardens. I’ll let those of you who have been following this issue closely be the judge of that. Here’s the press release:
"I along with community leaders, Brooklyn Community Board 6, and Carroll Gardens residents have brought to the Department of City Planning (DCP)’s attention concerns about the zoning implications of the ‘wide street’ definition in the R6 zoning district on 1st through 4th Place in Carroll Gardens. I am happy to announce that in response to these concerns, DCP has agreed to put forward an application for a change to the zoning text whereby these streets would be defined as ‘narrow streets’ for zoning purposes, permitting a lower Floor Area Ratio (FAR) and maximum building heights that are more in keeping with the surrounding character and context of the neighborhood."
Brenda in her blog, A Year in the Park, chronicles her daily discoveries in Prospect Park. A Wasps’ nest, wild horses, and ingredients for a country dinner from the Farmer’s Market at Grand Army Plaza.
Paul LaRosa in his new blog, The Murder Book 2008, intends to record all the murders in New York City in 2008 that appear in the city’s three daily newspapers.
Paul LaRosa is the man to do it.
A resident of Park Slope, La Rosa is an award-winning journalist who has worked in print and television journalism for more than 25 years.
And now he’s a blogger.
As a reporter for the Daily News in the mid-80s, LaRosa was co-winner with Anna Quindlen of the Meyer Berger Award given by Columbia University’s Journalism School.
Since 1990, LaRosa has worked in broadcast television for CBS News, mostly as a producer for the newsmagazine “48 Hours.” He’s won two national Emmys, one of them a Primetime Emmy for the highly-praised CBS documentary “9/11.” LaRosa was one of the producers of that documentary and in 2003 he was awarded a Peabody Award, a Christopher Award and an Edward R. Murrow Award.
He is also the author of Tacoma Confidential (a True Story of Murder, Suicide, and a Police Chief’s Secret Life) and a new book called, Nightmare in Napa, a true story of a murder in California Wine Country.
So far, LaRosa’s been blogging since January 1. I know he’s got the stamina to keep this up. He wrote two true crime books in the last four years and that’s pretty impressive. The man’s quite prolific.
Welcome to Blogland, Paul.
I got this detailed letter from an OTBKB reader who is sad about the new Union Hall stroller ban:
I’m sad about Union Hall’s new rule.
I agree with you that in
the evening hours, or when there is a loud event or band, Union Hall is
not a great place for young kids. And I agree that kids should not be
served liquor. No question about that. But during the weekdays and
soon after they open on weekends (12 noon) I think it was a great place
for parents to socialize and to bring their young kids along.Were
I a suburbanite with a sprawling 3000 square foot house (or even a
house in Brooklyn, for that matter) my friends and I would gather at
our respective homes, let the kids run around and enjoy some good adult
conversation, and perhaps a drink. In Brooklyn I live in a 650 square
foot apartment where we’ve carved out two bedrooms for my husband,
myself, our 14 mo. old son and an elderly deaf cat. I can at most
invite 2 or 3 couples and their kids over to our living/dining/TV room
before we’re packed in like sardines.What’s the solution?
Get
together out of the apartment, which is a great New York
tradition I might add. In the summer time we’ll head to the park, or
go out to lunch with another couple and kids to one of the kid-friendly
restaurants in the Slope (although we live in Sunset Park). In the
winter, sometimes we go to a bar during "off" hours with our kids, let
them run around, let the adults chat and have a drink whether it be
alcoholic or not. We assume that a bar or bar/restaurant would be
happy to have some business during the off hours.As for Union
Hall we celebrated our son’s first birthday there. Yes, it was more of
a party for my husband and I celebrating our surviving our first year
of parenthood, but it was wonderful to have a place to sit and have
friends drop by, see us, and have a drink and some comestibles. We
started at 12 noon on a Saturday and were gone by 2 when a young crowd
had gathered and a bocce tournament started. The bar was empty except
for us from 12 noon until 1pm-ish and I don’t think we were in anyone’s
way.I
lived in England on and off for about two years in another lifetime in
the late 80s/early 90s. I loved the pubs during weekend afternoons
when families would arrive, have lunch, and see each other. I’m sad
that the closest thing we have here, Union Hall, has shut down such an
environment.My 2 cents. Perhaps I’ll feel differently when I no longer have a toddler.
Here’s my guess: there are very good reasons why Union Hall had to enact a stroller/kid ban. I am guessing they didn’t really want to do it but they had to.
Coming soon: The true story from Union Hall. Stay tuned.
I’m not so sure. Yeah, it’s convenient if you don’t have a babysitter. But really, do parents need their kids with them when they’re having cocktails?
Oops, that sounds a tad judgmental. And I’ve had many a cocktail with my daughter in tow…
I’m just saying.
This issue comes up at on bar or another every few years ago. Who can forget the bartender at Patio on Fifth Avenue who wrote the now-famous (or infamous) "No Stroller Manifesto" on an A-frame sandwich board outside that establishment.
Now, Union Hall says no to strollers and small children. And, according to Gowanus Lounge, for good reason.
The word comes via a Union Hall employee that says the bar and popular
hangout has been having issues with minors being sent in as bait by the
police without ID. They have apparently been threatened with closure if
anyone under 21 is found on the premises. (Actually minors are legally
okay if they are with a parent or guardian.) Infants are still allowed,
but any kids that are old enough to walk are out as are strollers
because of "fire codes."
When I was in the English countryside in the late 1970’s, there with pubs that seemed to be gathering places for families with children and dogs. I loved the feeling of those places.
But this is NYC. And Union Hall is a grown up bar. I’d even go so far to say, it’s designed for the younger Park Slope crowd — you know, those people you only see at night and on weekends in Park Slope who live here in great numbers.
They need a place to hang out, too.
Union Hall is also a music space, which occasionally sponsors shows for teen bands like Care Bears on Fire. And don’t forget their Secret Science Club, spelling Bee’s, Name-that-Song nights and literary readings.
It’s a fun place. But they’re going to be put out of business if they break fire code or have people under 21 on the premises.
Don’t think that just because they have a huge Bocce court, it’s a place for kids. Or parents who don’t want to get a babysitter.
If you’re between the ages of 14 and 20, come to the anniversary show at Club Loco, Brooklyn’s newest music venue located at Old First Church on 7th Avenue between Carroll and President Street and hear: Henry Crawford, Random Child, Jet Lag and Banzai.
For ages 14-20, it’s a fun place to see new bands and meet new people. No adults allowed!
To get in you must have a high school ID or any other form of photo ID – passports, drivers licences or permits, plus proof of age.
Club Loco is open Saturday night a month Sept-May and offer all kinds of music. Cover $5. Snacks sold inside.
Pre-K and Kindergarten entry process for public schools simplified (New York Times)
Tribute to Heath (New York Magazine)
Coverage of the Heath Coverage (New York Magazine)
The Idiotarod on January 26th (A Brooklyn Life)
17th Street Ghost (Brooklynometry)
Ivo’s roommate silent on Remsen Street arsenal (Brooklyn Heights Blog)
New night club for Fourth Avenue (Brownstoner)
Police Corruption Inquiry in South Brooklyn Widening (New York Times)
Human Facade Game (Callalillie)
Green Grape Provisions Store now open (Clinton Hill Blog)
Soundcheck wants to see the inside of your rehearsal space (WNYC)
Greetings from Whitehorse in the scenic Yukon Territory (Dope on the Slope)
Just read on Racked that there’s a new bookstore in Dumbo called Melville House at 145 Plymouth Street at Pearl Street. A bookstore opening? How refreshing.
The store is part of Melville House Publishing, the publishers who put out a well-designed series of novellas, which I just love. I already have Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville, The Dead by James Joyce, First Love by Turgenev. I bought them at the Brooklyn Book Festival.
Here’s their blurb:
Melville House Publishing is a new, independent publishing house
founded in Hoboken, New Jersey, which is also known as the Left Bank of
New York City, and which is where Marlon Brando said to Eve Marie Saint
(in "On the Waterfront," which was shot in Hoboken), "Come on, I’ll
walk you home. There are a lot of guys around here with only one thing
on their mind." As it turns out, what’s on the mind of a lot of those
men — and local women, too — is good, solid literature, especially
literary fiction, non-fiction and poetry. In an amazing coincidence,
this is exactly what Melville House provides. Except now it provides it
from an entirely new location — Brooklyn. Yes, the Real Left Bank.
Well, except for the Other Real Left Bank, of course. We’re in the
neighborhood known as DUMBO, to be exact. With a spiffy bookshop to
boot. So, to review, that’s DUMBO, D-U-M-B-O. Remember the "O," or it’s
just dumb. And where would you be without the O? In the river, that’s
where.
Heath Ledger was a member of the Advisory Board of Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn. Not only was he a brilliant actor but his heart was in the right place when it came to development issues in Brooklyn. DDDB has nice condolence note up on their website:
We offer our condolences to all of Heath Ledger’s loved ones. Our heart goes
out to his young daughter. His passing is very sad news.
Heath was a member of our Advisory Board.
He was not afraid to speak out against the entrenched power and corporate back
room deals that the Atlantic Yards represents. He felt passionately that this
project was wrong for Brooklyn. DDDB thanks him and celebrates his life.
We are grateful that Heath chose to contribute to our efforts, and hope to honor
his memory through our ongoing work.
It seems that many parents in NYC feel the way I do as expressed in my post yesterday: Educational Measurements: I’m So Sick of It.
But when parents at two Manhattan elementary schools discovered that their children had been selected to participate in “field tests,” or tests to help the state’s testing company try out questions for future tests, they decided to draw the line.
At a news conference in front of City Hall on Tuesday, the parents said they were organizing a boycott of the field tests to be given at their children’s schools — Public Schools 40 and 116 — later this week.
“We’re using tests to figure out how kids will test on tests,” said Jane Hirschmann, the founder and co-chairwoman of Time Out From Testing, an anti-testing group that sponsored the news conference.
If the test takes time away from classroom teaching I say get rid of it. You have to ask, who is benefiting? The kids already spend too much time preparing for and taking standardized tests. The stress on the kids and the teachers needs to be taken into account.
According to the Times, this increase in testing has something to do with the No Child Left Behind Law:
…because of requirements under the federal No Child Left Behind Law coupled with the City Education Department’s decision to raise the number of diagnostic tests given to third through eighth graders — last year there as many as six — New York City’s public school students are taking more standardized tests than ever. And so the boycotters seized on the field tests, saying the testing company should figure out another way to conduct its research.
More testing might make officials feel like they’re doing something. But as every parent knows, it’s just time away from activities that really add to the quality of our children’s education.
And tests about tests, that’s just plain ridiculous
It’s hard to overestimate what Heath Ledger means to Brooklyn.
When this Oscar nominated Austrailian actor moved to Boerum Hill it seemed to confirm to us what we already knew: Brooklyn is a livable place to be whether you’re a regular person or a Hollywood celebrity.
To the world outside, it meant that brownstone Brooklyn was an it neighborhood: the cool celebrities were coming and Brooklyn had arrived.
The neighborhoods of Boerum Hill and Cobble Hill welcomed Heath and Michelle with open arms and the neighbors stayed out of their way. They were even protective of him: Heath and Michelle were free to be real people in a real neighborhood.
At the same time the local media and the papparazzi followed them with great interest. Their whereabouts were duly noted. Still, the message seemed to be: Look, they’re just regular Brooklyn stoller people, sipping lattes, walking on Smith and Court Streets. Perhaps most importantly Heath and Michelle were members of the Advisory Board of Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn. In this way, they used their celebrity to make people aware of the battle against the Atlantic Yards.
With every snapshot, real estate brokers could practically hear the
price of local real estate rising. If they wanted to be here: everyone
would want to be here, too.
Neighbors prided themselves on seeing Heath and Michelle doing
ordinary things: Heath jogging or at a movie theater; shopping for wine
or buying Matilda clothing at local kid’s shop, Area.
Even in the New York Times’ coverage of the story of Heath’s untimely passing, Brooklyn has a part:
Until they separated last summer, he, Ms. Williams and
Matilda were the darlings of Brooklyn, photographed around Boerum Hill.
But Mr. Ledger often clashed with paparazzi — most intensely back home
in Australia.But a Brooklyn blog, the Brownstoner, proudly posted this comment
from The Daily Telegraph after he and Ms. Williams bought their house
near Smith Street: “Ledger, who’s had a rocky relationship with the
paparazzi in Australia, has found Brooklyn’s residents to be a good
deal mellower. ‘He’s very nice and they’re very sweet people,’ said his
neighbor Margaret Cusack. ‘We got to go to the premiere of “Brokeback
Mountain” — he gave us tickets.’ ” Reached on Tuesday after Mr. Ledger
had died, Ms. Cusack said she would not comment.After splitting up with Ms. Williams — and jilting Brooklyn — Mr. Ledger remained a favorite of tabloids and photographers.
Jilting Brooklyn. In a sense that’s true.
He may have been leaving his girlfriend but he was walking out on Brooklyn, too. It was a blow to lose such a cool celebrity.
So in a small way, Brooklyn is part of Heath’s story. And it will be
the part of his life remembered for its nascent normality. He got to be
a dad here and the partner of a beautiful actress. Here he could be
himself on the tree-lined streets of Boerum Hill.
And we got a thrill just by knowing he was here.
Check out the Wafel and Dinges blog.
Learn about these amazing Belgian waffles sold from a truck that will be back in Park Slope February 9th. The owner told a friend of mine that he’s hoping that Marty Markowitz will stop by.
Maybe Marty will stop by on February 9th.
Plenty of Park Slopers are sure to stop by just like they did the last time W&D were Slope side. The truck will be parked in front of Key Food at Seventh Avenue and Carroll Street. Wafel and Dinges seems to have a good feeling about Brooklyn.
It’s a done deal. Brooklyn has made a statement. A BIG statement. The two days we’ve been to Brooklyn so far (December 8, January 6), were some of the best days we’ve ever had. Plus it’s always nice weather when we go down there. So we’re going to make this a tradition. Every first Saturday of the month, we’ll be in Park Slope, on 7th Avenue and Carroll Street (at Key Foods).
Like all good rules, we start of course with a deviation of the rule. Our February day will be February 9th (Would anyone blame me for going to Belgium to celebrate my mom’s 80th birthday on February 2nd??). Look here for the rest of the schedule.
A neighbor sent this email about a sculpture in Prospect Park near PPW and Fifth Street.
I swear to God, I LOVE modern art. I love post-modern art. I just don’t like that ugly white set of tentacles that they stuck in Prospect Park along PPW near Fifth Street. They put it there last fall with a sign saying that it would be there through December.
OK it’s the end of January, time to go!! That space is unusable now because of that hideous creature. Not that too many people would use it now anyway because of the weather, but before The Blob was placed there, on nice days it was a great place for a quick picnic, to read a book under a tree, to play catch with your kid, to throw a Frisbee with a friend, admire the beautiful garden that that nice lady tends there every spring and summer.
Now it’s just creepy. It looks like they left it over from when they filmed the remake of War of the Worlds in the Slope. (Remember the end where they get to Boston but actually it’s our brownstones??) The park should be a place to appreciate nature, not this manmade abstract structure. Or, OK, maybe if it was green and graceful, it might be OK. But it doesn’t fit in in anyway and it’s such a small space, why does it have to be mucked up with such a big thing? I might like it if it were, say, installed on the plaza in front of the Brooklyn Museum but I just can’t wait for it to be removed.
Thanks for listening… I suppose you get cranks complaining to you about art in public places all the time.
Where else but the Jewish Music Café at 401 9th Street (between
6th and 7th Avenues) in Park Slope can you get an ice
cold bottle of He’ brew Beer, a slice of Mrs. Selter’s famous Cheese
cake, a Kosher Cappuccino and enjoy great bands playing Klezmer,
Sephardic, Avant Garde jazz, Hassidic rap and Israeli trance?
This Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. for $15. come hear Y-Love and Pey Dalid.
Y-Love (Yitz Jordan) is part of the new guard of hip hop revolutionaries. Describing his style as "global hip hop," Y-Love seamlessly intertwines English, Arabic, Hebrew, Latin and ancient Aramaic. He combines ethereal scripture with gritty social consciousness, reflecting his own life-changing conversion to Hasidism. Having graced the stage with luminaries as varied and respected as Lou Reed, DJ Spooky, Hadag Nachash, Matisyahu, Steinski, and Immortal Technique, Y-Love has proven himself as a formidable presence in the world of hip hop.
Pey Dalid performs a unique blend of musical styles, incorporating
rock, reggae and many other popular genres with traditional Jewish
sound and content. Singing in Hebrew and English, the band’s live shows are high-energy and
intense, bringing audiences to their feet singing and dancing. Formed
by three brothers, Mordechai (rhythm guitar/vocals), Shlomo (lead
guitar/vocals), and Pesach Walker (drums/percussion/vocals), Pey Dalid
has influenced and inspired thousands of people in its 8 years in the
Jewish music field. They have traveled the world
Last Friday, my daughter (OSFO) had to take what seemed a sudden standardized math test that her teacher told me had something to do with appraising teacher performance.
I am guessing that my daughter was randomly chosen to take one of these controversial tests.
On Thursday, her teacher pulled me aside at dismissal and told me that OSFO was noticibly distressed when told about the test. Luckily, her teacher clued me in on what was going on and told me to reassure OSFO that she shouldn’t worry about the test at all. Her teacher felt bad about the whole thing. “This isn’t really fair to them at all.”
That night, OSFO told her dad that she had a BIG test the next day. Somehow this was a big deal for OSFO. He wasn’t sure what it was. I told him what OSFO’s teacher told me.
Tests are tests and they freak out some kids. This test is meaningless as far as OSFO is concerned. It will determine nothing about her future. But it put her into a state of worry for an afternoon and an evening.
I ask you this: Why put a kid through this kind of anxiety?
Someone sent me an email today (maybe it was Jim Moore himself) bout a film premiering this week at Sundance called Man on Wire, which features photographs of Phillipe Petit by Jim Moore, a Brooklyn photographer.
Moore was Philippe’s right hand man during the planning of Petit’s walk on a high wire between the World Trade Towers.
The film, directed by James Marsh, recreates the preparation period prior to the World Trade Towers event. Moore followed Petit in the months prior to his clandestine walk.
More than 50 photographs are used by filmmaker James Marsh in this film. Moore is also interviewed in the film about his involvement.
For more information about Moore’s photographs go here: http://www.moorepics.com
In May of 2006, I wrote a Smartmom for the Brooklyn Paper about Heath Ledger because something he said about his life in Brooklyn with Matilda and Michelle moved me.
Sadly, the actor who said the following to the Hollywood Star is now dead: “My life right now is, I wouldn’t say reduced to food, but my duties in life are that I wake up, cook breakfast, clean the dishes, prepare lunch, clean those dishes, go to the market, get fresh produce, cook dinner, clean those dishes and then sleep if I can. And I love it. I actually adore it.”
He was only 28 years old.
When I went to Cobble and Boerum Hill in search of Heath, everywhere I went shopkeepers and neighbors had such nice things to say about him. Here is an excerpt from that story meant as a tribute to a wonderful actor who made Brooklyn his home for a while. He will forever be remembered for his brave and sensitive portrayal of Ennis in “Brokeback Mountain.”
Smartmom loved Heath Ledger in “Brokeback Mountain.” In fact, the scene in the tent with Jake really got her juices going. Literally. A little rough, a little raw, it was one of the best movie sex scenes in recent memory.
Truth be told, Smartmom got all hot and squirmy sitting next to Hepcat in the Pavilion not long ago. Then, the other day, Smartmom read a short on-line piece about her man Heath.
“My life right now is, I wouldn’t say reduced to food, but my duties in life are that I wake up, cook breakfast, clean the dishes, prepare lunch, clean those dishes, go to the market, get fresh produce, cook dinner, clean those dishes and then sleep if I can. And I love it. I actually adore it,” Ledger told the Hollywood Star.
It’s no secret that Smartmom thinks — hell, even dumb moms, think it, too — that there is nothing sexier than a man who takes good care of his children, SHOPS FOR GROCERIES and cooks. Clearly, Heath is loving his life as baby Matilda’s dad and Michelle’s “husband” in Boerum Hill.
Later, Smartmom shared her view of Heath with Dumb Editor (who also liked “Brokeback Mountain,” although he did not find the tent scene as pleasing as Smartmom). “Why don’t you go down to BoCoCa — or whatever the brokers are calling that neighborhood nowadays — and find Heath? Then you can see for yourself.”
Smartmom is never thrilled when she has to leave her upholstered divan to do some real reporting. But if it meant a chance to see her man Heath, Smartmom was game. She changed into Heath-stalking gear — cowboy boots, blue jeans, jean jacket and dark glasses — and boarded a Bergen Street-bound F-train.
When Smartmom arrived in the land of Heath and Michelle, she walked up Smith Street and peeked into the Cafe Kai, which had an ultra welcoming sign on the door that said, “We’ve Been Waiting for You.” Despite a full menu of organic tea, there was no H or M. Smartmom spotted a seriously cool woman’s clothing store called Dear Fieldbinder. Hoping to see Michelle, with Matilda in the Bjorn, shopping with Daddy Heath, Smartmom walked into the high-end dress shop.
Smartmom spotted a black t-shirt that would look perfect underneath the jacket she’s wearing to her 30th high school reunion in a few weeks. She plunked down $32 for garment — but this wasn’t shopping, this was recon! Smartmom asked the saleswoman, Sadie Stein, if she’d ever seen Heath or Michelle.
A huge, mischievous smile crossed Stein’s face and her eyes shone through her oversized tortoise-shell glasses.
“I was driving down Smith Street with friends and saw a really goofy looking jogger wearing bright red sweat pants, an Africa t-shirt, a really weird headband, and big sunglasses, flailing his arms about like this.”
She demonstrated what looked like a cross between modern dance and kick-boxing.
“He looked so funny, we had to stop the car. And then my friend figured out that it was Heath Ledger!”
Stein was an unapologetic treasure trove of information about Heath and Michelle. “I also saw the two of them at an afternoon screening of ‘Grizzly Man’ at the Cobble Hill Cinema. I was the only one in the movie theater. They came in after the opening credits and left before the closing credits. Stein thought that was strange. “I mean, it was just the three of us.”
That sounded kinda kinky to Smartmom. (Dumb Editor note: Down, girl.)
Next, Smartmom checked out the various children’s boutiques on Smith Street. Smartmom was almost certain that she’d see them at Area in BoCoCa, shopping for yoga pants, a Buddha-patterned diaper cover, or a $95, hand-knit hoodie for Matilda.
“They’ve been here a lot,” one salesgirl said helpfully.
But they’re not here now, are they, thought Smartmom.
Smartmom headed to Hoyt Street, where, she’d heard, the dashing couple lived. Hoyt is a step back in time to pre-gentrified Brooklyn. The impressive St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church looms over the small-scale neighborhood of three-story brownstones and bodegas and acres of red brick apartment buildings that make up the Gowanus Houses.
Smartmom ran into a small woman walking a fashionable small dog and popped the question. The woman’s eyes moved discreetly towards the building where Heath and Michelle supposedly live.
“But we’ve never seen them,” Dog Lady said. “I think they must have a house somewhere else. They don’t live there.”
Still, Smartmom’s opinion of Healthmichelle was rising to new heights. They are so cool to see the beauty in this very mixed Brooklyn landscape, she thought.
Smartmom walked back to Smith, hoping to see Heath carrying a big bag of groceries. Instead, she saw a Brooklyn house with an American flag in the garden, a barking dog and a memorial sign that said, “John Padillo Way, Battalion One 9/11/01.”
This was a real as Brooklyn gets,
Back on Smith Street, Smartmom swooped into Andie Woo, a dreamy lingerie shop, where she chatted up one of the owners while buying a black bra for the dress she’s wearing to the Baltimore wedding next month (again, recon, not shopping).
“Michelle has been in here LOTS,” said Patti, one of the owners. “She’s really down-to-earth and nice. She’s bought stuff for her mother!”
Smartmom was impressed that Michelle bought lingerie for her mom. While paying for her $65 bra, Smartmom listened to Patti’s thoughts on Heath.
“I really respect the fact that he choose to move here, a real place with real people,” she said. And then, almost as an afterthought, she added that she sees the two of them a lot at Smith and Vine, a tasteful boutique wine shop across the street.
“What do you expect? He’s an Aussie,” said a woman who was shopping for thong underwear.
Heathless, Smartmom popped into Smith and Vine, lugging three shopping bags with her Smith Street booty, half expecting to see them loading up on fine vintage booze.
So it wouldn’t be a total loss, Smartmom did spend $18 on a bottle of sake (recon!). Depleted and hungry, she made her last stop at a real neighborhood hangout, The Food Company — surely a place that Heath and Matilda would feel right at home. Futiley scanning the casual restaurant for Matilda’s stroller, Smartmom ordered a superb turkey club with bacon, arugala, and cranberries.
Even though she hadn’t seen them sipping lattes while walking down the street with Matilda in the sling, Smartmom felt like she knew them both a little better.
They own a derelict building across the street from a housing project and live on a block with blue-and-white plastic Virgin Mary statues in the front gardens. Heath even flails his hands about when he jogs…
High mercury levels found in tuna sushi (NY Times)
Residents may be allowed to return 475 Kent Street (NY 1)
475 Kent has website and Flickr Pool (Gowanus Lounge)
Transparent Pulpit at Beth Elohim (Andy Bachman’s blog)
Call for high school filmmakers (Bed Stuy Blog)
Blogternity Leave (Brooklyn Junction)
Interview with Heath Ledger (NY Daily News)
Atlantic Yards Destruction Update (Brit in Brooklyn)
Interview with Windsor Terrrace Hero: John Linnell of They Might Be Giants (Gothamist)
The Associated Press reports that Heath Ledger, the 28-year-old Australian actor, was found dead today in the Soho apartment of Mary Kate Olsen, who was away in Los Angeles. The cause of death is unknown but it may be related to drug use.
Ledger was nominated for an Oscar for his role in “Brokeback Mountain” and lived in Boerum Hill with Michelle Williams and their daugher Matilda until their break-up a year ago. Their movement around the Brooklyn neighborhood was followed by the local media with great interest. He recently appeared in the Bob Dylan bio-pic, “I Not There.”
The New York Times reports that "No Country For Old Men,” and "There Will Be Blood" topped the nominations announced this morning.
No surprise, Daniel Day-Lewis was nominated for best actor. "There Will Be Blood" is also up for best picture and director (Paul Thomas Anderson).
"Michael Clayton" and "Atonement" were also big winners garnering quite a few nominations. Julian Schnabel was nominated for best director for "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (which I loved).
Surprisingly, "Into the Wild" directed by Sean Penn received just one nomination: Hal Holbrook for best supporting actor, his very first nomination.
Not surprisingly, the film everyone seems to love, "Juno," was nominated for 4 awards including best actress.
For her sensitive and beautiful portrayal of a woman with Alzheimer’s, the great Julie Christie is up for the best actress award, as is the astounding Marion Cotillard for her age-spanning role as Edith Piaf in "La Vie en Rose."
The question remains: will there be an awards show or will it just be a news conference like the Golden Globes? At our house we make a big deal about Oscar night but we could live without it in solidarity with the writers.
This was in today’s Times. It looks like the DOE is putting yet another quantitative spin on education.
I suppose the idea is: if you’re going to test the students you might as well test the teachers.
But come on.
This makes me sick. How do you measure the art of teaching. How do you quantify a teacher’s contribution to a student’s life. Do you get points for being inspiring? For explaining things clearly? For being patient and illuminating? How about insight and encouragement?
How do you measure that stuff?
Sure, these tests will reveal something worth knowing. And it some cases they reveal inadequacies in a particular teacher’s methods. But I am so sick on this reliance on tests, which is dehumanizing and gross.
It’s also a waste of time and just one more bit of busy work that takes teachers and students away from what they should be doing: TEACHING and LEARNING.
New York City has embarked on an ambitious experiment, yet to be
announced, in which some 2,500 teachers are being measured on how much
their students improve on annual standardized tests.The
move is so contentious that principals in some of the 140 schools
participating have not told their teachers that they are being
scrutinized based on student performance and improvement.While
officials say it is too early to determine how they will use the data,
which is already being collected, they say it could eventually be used
to help make decisions on teacher tenure or as a significant element in
performance evaluations and bonuses. And they hold out the possibility
that the ratings for individual teachers could be made public.“If
the only thing we do is make this data available to every person in the
city — every teacher, every parent, every principal, and say do with it
what you will — that will have been a powerful step forward,” said
Chris Cerf, the deputy schools chancellor who is overseeing the
project. “If you know as a parent what’s the deal, I think that whole
aspect will change behavior.”
The Brooklyn Eagle has the story of the Remsen Street arsenal.
The shocking discovery of a veritable arsenal of weapons — including pipe bombs and a crossbow — in a posh Brooklyn Heights co-op has given way to a further shocking discovery.
According to police, 31-year-old Ivaylo Ivanov has confessed to, and has been charged with, painting swastikas in the neighborhood in late September.
Ivanov, a Bulgarian immigrant who shared an apartment at 58 Remsen St. with pioneering AIDS researcher Dr. Michael Clatts, 50, has been charged with 23 counts of second-degree aggravated harassment and 23 counts of fourth-degree criminal mischief, all as hate crimes, said NYPD spokesman Sgt. Carlos Nieves.
Stocks plunge worldwide on fear of US recession (NY Times)
MLK: The fierce urgency of now (Brooklyn Junction)
Flock of fake owls in Red Hook (Callalillie)
Bring Wegman to the Navy Yard (Clinton Hill)
Measuring teachers by test scores (NY Times)
Live opera in HD at BAM: Hansel and Gretel (Brooklyn Academy of Music)
Calorie counts at fast food restaurants (NY Post)
Do me a grilled cheese (Eat, Drink, Memory)
A tale of two Brooklyns (NY Daily News)
Letter grades for NYC public schools (Newsday)
The Future of Molecular Medicine (Secret Science Club at Union Hall)
Italian hero’s at Carluccios in Bensonhurst (Clinton Hill Gastrome)
TODAY from 10 am until 7:30 p.m, Spoke the Hub Dancing and the Old First Reformed Church have designed an event dedicated to the idea of creating and sustaining peace.
A day day of participatory activities at Old First at Seventh Avenue and Carroll, the event that intriques me is: Six Chapels: Simultaneous interfaith Meditation and Prayer for Peace right in Old First’s sanctuary. Here’s a list of what’s going on today:
THEATER OF CHANGE (for ages 12 and up) with Ellen Baxt & Friends: An all day workshop for young people and adults, culminating in an informal performance at the end of the day.
SIX CHAPELS: INTERFAITH MEDITATION AND PRAYER FOR PEACE
Six sacred spaces set aside for simultaneous silent prayer and meditation for Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh faiths.
MOVING MEDITATION & PRAYER (Adults & Teens) with Jenny Burrill
FAMILY DANCE & YOGA (siblings ages 1-5 with caregivers) with Heidi Kinney
HATHA YOGA: A PORTAL TO FREEDOM (Adults & Teens) with Dolores Natividad
Beginners welcome.
JESUS ON PEACE: TEACHINGS WHICH INSPIRED MLK (Everyone Welcome)
with Pastor Daniel Meeter
BIG HEART DANCING & YOGA (ages 8 and up) with Heidi Kinney & Elise Long
LITTLE BIG HEART DANCING (ages 5-7) with Sarah Pope
PRAYING PEACE (Everyone Welcome) with Pastor Daniel Meeter
MEDITATION: A WAY TO INNER PEACE (Adults & Teens) with Mina Hamilton
WALKING MEDITATION (Adults & Teens) with Mina Hamilton
TOUCHING THE EARTH : A WAY TO OUTER PEACE with Mina Hamilton
Based on the work and practice of Thich Nhat Hahn.
CHAIR YOGA & MEDITATION (Adults & Teens) with Dolores Natividad
Ideal for seniors and the physically challenged.
TECHNIQUES AND APPROACHES TO REDUCING TENSIONS AT HOME
(Parents Only) with Sharon Peters
BIG HEART DRUMMING (For the Whole Family) with Gabriella Dennery of BaTuBa Collective Percussion
INTRO. TO NONVIOLENT COMMUNICATION (Everyone Welcome) with Nellie Bright
WORKSHOP SHARING Informal Workshop Performances
by Gabriella’s BIG HEART DRUMMING Workshop and Ellen’s THEATER OF CHANGE
MEAL SHARING & SALUTE TO DR. KING’S LIFE AND LEGACY
Food generously donated by local restaurants
