Here’s some useful advice from a member of the Park Slope Parents message board regarding the recent credit card/debit card fraud that had been rampaging through Park Slope. Some on the message board thought to post the names of merchants in PS, who may be responsible for credit card fraud. Obviously PSP is rejecting posts with merchant names as there is no evidence that specific merchants are at fault. Nor is this problem limited to Park Slope.

Since the PSP board is rejecting posts with the names(s) of
merchants they believe have been resposnsible for CC fraud. Its
worrisome to know that this is happening and that I have no way of
even trying to protect myself despite the fact that others are
willing to share their information.”

If you’re concerned, I’d suggest emailing directly the people who’ve
said they might have ideas as to which stores might put your credit
info at risk; their email addresses are included in their posts. Note
that I didn’t say these merchants are “responsible”–because as an
earlier poster made clear, it’s entirely possible or likely that the
merchants have been hacked without their knowledge, and are no more
responsible for the situation than their customers.

Absent any hard proof beyond speculation, I’m sure you can appreciate
how unfair it would be to announce to some 7,000 people in the area
that Merchant X is not to be trusted; it could easily be a death
sentence for a small business that has done nothing wrong–and may
have been identified mistakenly in the first place.

In the meantime, there is plenty you can do to protect yourself. Only
use bank ATMs. Pay only with credit cards, not debit cards–or,
ideally, use cash instead. Put a freeze on your credit report, as has
been explained earlier. And keep in mind that, as one of the
fastest-growing areas of crime, credit card fraud and identity theft
are a much bigger problem than a single breach in a single store;
these are all measures we should be taking anyway, regardless of the
current suspicions.

This credit card fraud thread has a lot of people spooked, myself
included! But it would be a terrible thing if, in our eagerness to
play detective, we ended up victimizing one of the local merchants
who make PS such a special place.

Last week, Citibank told me that our debit card may have been compromised. That’s why they reduced our cash limit suddenly without telling us. There may have been a robot call but I’m not sure.

I found out when I tried to take out more than $500 from my account on a weekend and the screen told me that I wasn’t allowed to do that.

When I called Citibank, they told me that many debit/credit card passwords had been compromised in this area and as a safety measure, they were limiting the amount of cash that can be withdrawn from a large number of accounts in the area.

I’m not sure why they suspected that my account had been compromised or if they are protecting a random selection of local accounts.

In order to get the security limit lifted, the Citibank operator went over every transaction on my card made since December 12th.

I was able to confirm that there were no fraudulent uses of the card.

Reading Park Slope Parents, I see that a lot of members are talking about finding purchases they never made on their cards. Many of the purchases are at gas stations in Texas.

Gowanus Lounge has the story,too.

Park Slope’s Nancy Kalish, author of The Case Against Homework, writes in an Op/Ed in Monday’s New York Times:

Research shows that teenagers’ body clocks are set to a schedule that is different from that of younger children or adults. This prevents adolescents from dropping off until around 11 p.m., when they produce the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin, and waking up much before 8 a.m. when their bodies stop producing melatonin. The result is that the first class of the morning is often a waste, with as many as 28 percent of students falling asleep, according to a National Sleep Foundation poll. Some are so sleepy they don’t even show up, contributing to failure and dropout rates.

Many of our presidential candidates have been relatively silent on how they plan to save our troubled education system. For those still searching for a policy that might have a positive impact, here’s an idea: stop focusing on testing and instead support changing the hours of the school day, starting it later for teenagers and ending it later for all children

Are we still bracing for a big storm or did it just blow over? Once again, the kids are disappointed. They were hoping for a snow day. “Did it snow, did it snow?” Teen Spirit made a beeline for the front window when he woke up.

Hope snows eternal.

According to Weather.com, flurries and a few snow showers throughout the day. Temps in the mid-30’s. Chance of snow 30%.

Brooklyn Junction proposes a ban on the term Nor’Easter.

I propose a temporary ban on the term Nor’Easter, until further study of its impact on society can be undertaken.

Hepcat reports that there were six police cars and an ambulance on the north side of Third Street between 6th and 7th Avenues Sunday morning at 2 a.m.

Does anyone know what was going on? Hepcat was working at his computer when he heard the sirens.

Audra Rox and the Deedle Deedle Dees
Brooklyn Lyceum
Doors open at 3 p.m.
Tickets at the door: $18.00
227 Fourth Avenue

Marty Beller of They Might Be Giants says: “AudraRox is a gem. She connects so well with kids of all sizes. Her energy and spirit are infectious, her songs are clever and catchy and alot fun to sing along to. Her band is rockin’!”

The Deedle Deedle Dees are a rock band for kids who perform historically inspired songs like “Nellie Bly”, “Underground Railroad” and silly songs, too.

Sounds like a great show and a great CAUSE.

On Martin Luther King Day, Monday January 21 from 10 am until 7:30 p.m, Spoke the Hub Dancing and the Old First Reformed Church have come together to create an event dedicated to the idea of creating and sustaining peace.

This special event will be a 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 will be going on that day:

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

The other day, Smartmom ran into her neighbor, Ciao Bella, who wanted to know which Weight Watchers meeting she’s been attending. Smartmom told her that the Sunday morning meeting at the Montauk Club is top notch and that Melanie, the leader, is knowledgeable and inspiring. She even sends out a Thinspiration e-newsletter every week or so.

“That’s my New Year’s resolution,” Ciao Bella told Smartmom. She’s already lost 23 pounds on Weight Watchers, put 10 back on during the holidays and now wants to get back on track.

Way to go, Ciao Bella. Smartmom gave her loads of encouragement and hopes to see her at the Sunday meetings.

The two women have lived on the same block for more than 10 years — and in that Third Street way, feel a lot of affection for one another. Somehow, Ciao Bella knew that she and Smartmom were both going to be turning 50 this year and they got to talking about that, too.

“We should have a support group or something,” Ciao Bella suggested.

That seemed like a great idea. Ciao Bella wasn’t sure if it should be a support group or something a little more festive.

“Maybe a party or a gathering,” she said.

This got Smartmom thinking. A part of her loved the idea of a huge gathering of everyone in Park Slope who is turning 50. It could be like a secret society and called the Park Slope Half-Century Club and have a special handshake or something.

But then she wondered if she’d really want to attend something like this. She felt a little Groucho Marx about the whole thing and worried that it might be a drag. For Buddha’s sake, what does Smartmom have in common with a bunch of 50-year-olds?

The whole thing started to sound really depressing. It would probably be a first-class kvetch fest, an “I-can’t-believe-I’m-turning-50” kind of event. Smartmom was pretty sure she wanted no part of it. She still feels like she’s an 11-year-old in Mr. Giard’s sixth grade class at New Lincoln. As far as she’s concerned she’s still that same old gal.

Wake up, Smartmom. You’re 50 and there’s no denying it. You may feel like you’re 11, but add 39 years to that number. Get real, girlfriend.

Besides, maybe 50 isn’t so bad after all. Ciao Bella is turning 50, so is Epic Poetry Mom, Best and Oldest, The Brooklyn Paper’s PS…I Love You columnist, Diaper Diva, of course, local architectural historian Francis Morrone, and many more.

And that’s not all. Just look at this list of celebrities who are turning 50 in 2008: Holly Hunter, Ellen DeGeneres, Sharon Stone, Miranda Richardson, Michele Pfeiffer, Annette Benning, Kevin Bacon, Alec Baldwin, Prince, Madonna, Tim Burton, Michael Jackson, Tim Robbins, Viggo Mortensen and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Suddenly, Smarmtom isn’t feeling so bad. Maybe the Park Slope Half-Century Club should show movies starring actors turning 50 this year. They could have a Holly Hunter film festival and watch “Broadcast News,” “Thirteen,” “The Piano” and “Raising Arizona.” How about “Bull Durham” with Tim Robbins or “The Lord of the Rings” with Mortensen?

The club could dance to CDs by Prince, Madonna and Michael Jackson and discuss books by 1958-born authors like Park Slope’s George Hagen (“The Laments”), Mitch Albom (“The Five People You Meet in Heaven”), Roddy Doyle (“Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha”) Christina Garcia (“Dreaming in Cuban”) and George Saunders (“In Persuasion Nation”).

The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea of a Park Slope Half-Century Club. Maybe it’s a club she wouldn’t mind being part of even if she really has no choice. The group could compile an interesting list of historical events that happened in 1958 and even talk about what it was like to be 10 years old in 1968, that most iconic year, when Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were both assassinated.

They could share memories of “duck-and-cover” Cold War exercises in elementary school, anti-war demonstrations, bake sales for Eugene McCarthy, and Watergate hearings on network television.

So it’s decided. Smartmom and Ciao Bella are gong to do it: The Park Slope Half-Century Club. Next week, when Smartmom runs into Ciao Bella at that Sunday Weight Watchers Meeting, they will come up with a plan. Maybe they can even figure out the secret handshake?

Who’s in?

Everyone loves Grab. It’s a great cheese, charcuterie, speciality foods and gift shop at 438 Seventh Avenue (between 14th and 15th Streets)  that everyone needed when Blue Apron left the South Slope.

Now Union Market is opening on Wednesday January 16th in the South Slope and they’ve hired some kind of big deal muckity muck fromaggey expert kinda guy. Still, that doesn’t mean you have to stop shopping at Grab.

There’s room enough for both places. It’s all about moods and needs. Somedays you wanna get a Jarlsberg from Union Market. Some days you wanna have a long talk about various kinds of Stiltons at Grab.

This isn’t a zero sum game. Keep the local place in business while welcoming a new gourmet supermarket. That’s what I say.

Yay Grab.

I had a lovely dinner at Applewood last night; it was my first time there. The food was delicious; well prepared with fresh ingredients.

How did we get so lucky to have this great place in our midst?

I had the pan seared striped bass and it was friggin’ awesome. I didn’t really know what to expect and it was GREAT with potatoes of some kind and kale. My friend had the venison. Another friend had the duck

We ordered this great bottle of Tuscan cabernet: Tenuta de capezzana sangiovese cabernet sauvignon for $45.

What a good bottle of wine. Or was it three? The waiter was very helpful, attentive. Loved the place. Five of us went out and we had appetizers, entrees, wine, dessert and coffee and it was $80 bucks a person. Not cheap but really wonderful.

OTBKB friend and Fave, Helen Richmond, neighborhood flute and piano teacher, concert flutist, and founder or Chocolate Chip Music recommends this Sunday’s concert.

There looks to be a great FREE flute and harpsichord concert this Sunday Jan. 13th at the Grand Army Central Library starting at 4 p.m. Features superb, prestigious players Ken Cooper and Susie Rotholtz. I highly recommend checking it out!!

Living on Fifth, the clothing and home goods store on Fifth Avenue, with other outposts on Seventh Avenue (Living on Seventh), Smith Street (Living on Smith) and the South Slope (Lola) is relocating.

The landlord at their old location on Fifth between 3rd and 4th Streets stopped heating the store two months ago. He suddenly changed the terms of their lease and acted in a dishonorable fashion.

Not a nice guy.

Luckily, LOF’s owner found a small storefront on that hotter than hot block between Carroll and President Streets next door to Diana Kane, Scaredy Kat, and Eidolon (I double checked the spelling on that 3 times because someone got so mad at me for mispelling it on the Park Slope 100). (And I still got it wrong. I fixed it.) 

According to Go Brooklyn, if you call the old Inaka Sushi phone number you get Mura Sushi at 369 Fifth Avenue.

On to fishier matters: Park Slope’s Inaka Sushi has closed and dialing the phone number now leads callers to Mura (369 Fifth Ave. at Sixth Street in Park Slope) where a staffer wouldn’t explain what happened to Inaka, but did offer to replicate any item from its menu for me.

This could mean a couple of things.

1. Mura Sushi is moving into the spot where Inaka used to be on Seventh Avenue between 4th and 5th Streets.

2. Inaka Sushi gave its customers to Mura Sushi.

3. Inaka Sushi is taking over Mura Sushi.

4. Inaka Sushi is Mura Sushi.

Anyone know?

Brownstoner reports that A-frame signs are allowable in Park Slope again. You know, those signs that restaurants and shops use to display specials, sales, and other information.

I know a lot of businesses in Park Slope were bemoaning the fact that they were getting multiple tickets for their sidewalk A-frames from the Sanitation Department. In fact, this issue came up quite a bit at the Buy in Brooklyn (Yellow Umbrellas) meeting last November. This will be good news for many shops! The following is a quote from the Gothamist’s  story.

Brooklyn bars and restaurants rejoice: you can once again put your sandwich board signs on the sidewalk without fear of tickets from the Department of Sanitation! Your free and effective method for seducing customers with daily specials and clever jokes about drinking the pain away is now perfectly legal. Of course, this does not give you permission to lose all restraint and play music or let people dance.

Last fall a crackdown on the signs led to such establishments as Park Slope’s excellent Community Bookstore and Brooklyn Heights’ delicious Zaytoons getting slapped with tickets from the Department of Sanitation, who was acting on a rarely enforced law intended to keep the sidewalks clear. Brownstoner reports that Councilmember David Yassky leaned on Sanitation commissioner John Dougherty a few weeks ago and, lo and behold, Dougherty “agreed it was ridiculous.

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