Monthly Archives: March 2009

Election

Rep. Anthony Weiner On The Fence About Mayoral Run

The New York Times reports that Brooklyn congressman Anthony Wiener may not run for mayor against incumbent Mike Bloomberg, who re-engineereed the city’s term limits law makien it possible for him to run for a third term. Weiner announced yesterday that he is going to take a wait-and-see approach and won't make an announcement until late spring.

After delivering seemingly ironclad vows that he would run for mayor, Representative Anthony D. Weiner cast serious doubt on his candidacy on Wednesday, telling supporters
that he would not decide whether to enter the race until late spring

Representative Anthony D. Weiner, who has raised about $6.6 million for
a mayoral race, said Wednesday that he would decide in May whether to
run.

His sudden — and very public —
ambivalence could significantly reshape the campaign. Mr. Weiner, 44, a
Democratic congressman, tireless political street-fighter and dogged
critic Michael R. Bloomberg. Bloomberg has been considered a threat to the mayor’s re-election.

If he leaves the field, what many had expected to be a spirited Democratic primary could dissolve into a placid affair, with William C. Thompson Jr,  the city comptroller, easily winning the nomination in the fall.

Brownstone Voyeur

Brownstone Voyeur: Flying Colors in Fort Greene

 Brownstone Voyeur is a joint project of casaCARA and OTBKB. 

This is now a regular Thursday series that will
take you behind those pretty facades to see what you’ve strained to
glimpse through windows in the past (admit it, you have).

We’ll walk you through the interiors and gardens of brownstones,
brick row houses, pre-war apartments, detached Victorians, carriage
houses, lofts, and other Brooklyn abodes to see the colorful, creative,
clever, cost-conscious ways people really live in New York City’s
hippest borough.

Steal their ideas, and enjoy. What you see here is just an excerpt. Go to CasaCARA to enjoy more text and photographs.

*******

12-ext
DK HOLLAND’S house is the kind of place that makes people say, “I can’t believe this is New York City.”


The property consisted of three lots when DK bought it in 1990: a three-story, 1,800-square-foot building that was a tack house before the Civil War; a one-story structure, originally a stable, now occupied by Olea, a Mediterranean restaurant;
and a vacant lot in between, on which DK built a wooden extension with
a new kitchen and side porch, “grafted on”  to the original brick
house, and created an enclosed garden with a flagstone patio.

DK bought the property in 1990 and did a top-to-bottom renovation in 2002-4. She added the front porch and opened up the second floor as a loftlike bedroom/study. The renovation exposed original brick and ceiling beams,
which she painted white, and she retained later 19th century additions,
including wainscoting and staircases. The furnishings are country-ish,
bought mostly at auction in Vermont.

55-kitchen
p1030114

Postcard from the Slope

Breaking: Come On Over to Bar Reis, The Tin Roof Trio is Pretty Hot!

Come on over to Bar Reis, have a cold beer and listen to the Tin Roof Trio, they're hot. Fronted by violinist Monica Smith, there's only the slightest chance that bartender Moe will sing Honeysuckle Rose.

Then again, she just might.

And here's the recession  busting deal: $1 dollar off on any $5 dollar draft if you mention OTBKB while the band is playing.

It's a very hot club vibe over here at a very cool bar — a great place with a really high level of civil discourse, reasoned debate and unabashed revelry.

They band plays until 11:30 p.m. and by then things are pretty sublime but nobody is afraid to to flirt with the ridiculous.

Robert Guskind and Gowanus Lounge

In Memoriam Robert Guskind on Gowanus Lounge

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Go to Gowanus Lounge and read the beautifully written—and detailed—In Memoriam written by Marc Farre, with the assistance of Norman Oder, Heather Letzkus and Neal Peirce, and the approval of Bob’s family. Here's a brief excerpt…Go to Gowanus Lounge for more.

Dubbed by some “Brooklyn’s Blogfather,” Bob was a
talented journalist, author, photographer and editor whose deep interest in urban issues took root, right out of college, at the National Journal. Bob’s abundant journalistic gifts flourished throughout the 1980s and 90s at Journal, the Washington Post
and other periodicals, and were reincarnated, in this decade, through
the “revolutionary” (his word) form of blogging — where his own
“personal newspaper,” which he started almost exactly three years ago,
quickly stood out for the quality and seeming ubiquitousness of its
coverage.

Bob was found dead in his apartment in Park
Slope by his wife, Olivia Kissin, on Wednesday, March 4. (An autopsy
report is awaited; he had previously survived several severe health
problems, and well over a decade ago had struggled with addiction.) He
was 50. Bob had experienced a rough several months, and was struggling
on several fronts in both his personal and professional life. In
addition to working through some painful emotional challenges, he had
recently been laid off, for economic reasons, from his full-time job as
Brooklyn editor at Curbed, as well as from a side job he had considered
secure.

Civics and Urban Life

Irondale: A People’s History of Fort Greene

Blake, education associate at Irondale Center, a newly opened theater space on South Oxford
St. in Fort Greene, wrote to let me know that they're creating a new play about Fort Greene.

But here's the deal: they're looking to gather stories and views about Fort Greene from as many who are
willing to participate.

What is the REAL Fort Greene? How do we define "community"? What are the untold stories of our neighborhood? The Irondale Center
(85. S Oxford St), Fort Greene’s newest resident theatre company,
pursues these and other questions with its latest project entitled, A
People's History of Fort Greene. Over the next year, Irondale will be
gathering interviews and holding discussions with community members in
the Fort Greene area to create an original play based on the rich past
and ever-changing present of Irondale's new neighborhood.


Beginning
this spring, Irondale will host a series of so-called “story circles,”
events at which community members will be invited to gather to share
their own opinions, stories, and memories about life in Fort Greene.


In
May, Irondale will host a "work-in-progress" performance based material
gathered during the initial story circles. Following that, in mid-2010,
Irondale plans to produce a fully-mounted production in which members
of

Irondale's permanent performing company will work alongside area
residents to present a special one-of-a-kind performance.


Do
you live or work in Fort Greene? Would you or your community group like
to share YOUR stories with us? Give us a call! Contact Blake Wilson,
Education Associate at 718-488-9233.
Participation is open to ALL who have a connection with Fort Greene
regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, nationality, income,
or sexual orientation/identity

Civics and Urban Life

Cafe Grumpy Coming to South Slope

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I just read it on the Brookyn Paper but someone wrote to me about it before. I didn't know what it was so like any good journalist I ignored it. DUH.

This is from Ben Muessig's story in the Brooklyn Paper:

Espresso entrepreneur Caroline Bell told The Brooklyn Paper that she
will open a branch of her popular Greenpoint coffeehouse Cafe Grumpy on
Seventh Avenue between 11th and 12th streets.

Park Slope resident, who with her husband runs a Meserole Avenue
Café Grumpy location and a Manhattan outpost, hopes to launch the new
cafe in storefront that once housed the clothing store Lola in May.

“We’re excited because it’s really close to our apartment,” said
Bell, whose coffee joint is considered a shrine by java junkies
nationwide and is a constant presence on magazine “Best of New York”
lists.

“It’s also our first location on a main street near a subway with lots of foot traffic.”

Civics and Urban Life

What Are Your Fave Child Friendly Restaurants in the Five Boroughs?

OTBKB friend and fave, Alison Lowenstein, author of City Baby Brooklyn, is working on a book about bringing up kids in NYC. She asked me to get your input on this. Leave comments or write to Alison directly:

Hi NYC Parents,

As many of you know, I'm writing another NYC
Guidebook, this one focuses on raising school aged kids in NYC. Right
now I am working on the Dining Out chapter and would love to hear about
your favorite kid-friendly restaurants in NYC. The book is for parents
of kids ages 4-12, so the restaurants don't need to have amenities like
booster seats, changing tables, etc., but should be very kid-friendly.
For example, I'm featuring fun, atmospheric, classic NYC places like
the Cowgirl Restaurant in the West Village or Denino's Pizzeria on
Staten Island.  The book will cover the entire city, so I'd love to
hear your favorite restaurants in any of the five boroughs.

Please feel free to forward this email!

Thanks! I can't wait to check out all of your recommendations!

madoff

Dear Mr. Madoff or Notes to a Sociopathic Asshole

Okay. Here they are: my first words on OTBKB about Madoff, the man who has brought so much anguish to members of my family.

Today, EXACTLY  three months to the day that Bernard Madoff was arrested for running the largest Ponzi scheme in history, Madoff will plead guilty.

That will be music to my ears. The last three months have been a horrendous whirlwind of shock, disbelief,  pain, disappointment, economic fear, loathing and sadness that I've barely had time to actually feel angry at the man himself.

But now I feel angry and vindictive. I want the worst for this man. I always thought it was ridiculous that he got to remain in his penthouse. Brooklyn petty criminals suffer more than this man who stole from thousands of people.

The New York Times asked Eli Wiesel, who's foundation and personal savings were invested with Madoff, what kind of punishment would fit Madoff's crime:  “I would like him to be in a solitary cell with only a screen,
and on that screen for at least five years of his life, every day and
every night, there should be pictures of his victims, one after the
other after the other, all the time a voice saying, ‘Look what you have
done to this old lady, look what you have done to that child, look what
you have done,’ nothing else.”

I like his idea. but I'd also like Madoff to know that he didn't just hurt the investors themselves but he hurt their husbands, their wives, their children and grandchildren. He hurt the people who depend on these people. He's hurt the people, issues, organizations, who benefited from the many charities that had invested with Madoff

He hurt people very close to me and caused them acute anxiety and sleepless nights worrying about their future. The pain has been both emotional and physical.

What would I like to do to that guy? On behalf of my father, who left this world thinking that his wife, his daughters and his grandchildren were in decent economic shape (and that's what he wanted for us), I would like to personally like to claw his eyes out.

–For my father's memory
–For the emotional and physical pain
–For the disappointment
–For the anxiety
–For the economic insecurity
–For all the time this is taking to sort out.

My father would have been devastated by what has happened since his death on September 7th. So I think Madoff should have to listen to an endless loop of our conversations with lawyers, accountants, doctors, friends, family about the fallout from this mess…

Sometimes I'm just glad my father didn't live to see this. But then again, maybe we could use his humor, his smarts, and his always interesting perspective on things. Truth is, I'd do anything for a funny line from my dad right about now. 

Because, you know, he was a really funny guy.

EDUCATION

President Obama Likes Charter Schools

Ccse_map_530x716
I found this map of NYC Charter school on this website. Seems to me the Bronx and Brooklyn top out the list of charter schools in NYC.

SCHOOLS BY BOROUGH

Bronx

2. Bronx Charter for Better Learning
3. The Bronx CS for Children
4. Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls
8. Family Life Academy Charter School
10. Grand Concourse Academy Charter
16. South Bronx Charter School for International Cultures and the Arts
17. South Bronx Classical Charter School
18. The Bronx Charter for the Arts
21. Bronx Academy of Promise Charter School
22. Bronx Charter School for Excellence
23. Bronx Community Charter
25. Icahn Charter School 1
26. Icahn Charter School 2
27. Icahn Charter School 3
38. Harriet Tubman Charter School
52. Bronx Lighthouse Charter
58. Hyde Leadership Charter
59. KIPP Academy Charter School
68. Bronx Preparatory Charter School
79. Green Dot New York Charter School
80. International Leadership Charter School
82. New York City Charter HS for Architecture, Engineering, & Construction Industries

Brooklyn

5. Brooklyn Charter School
6. Community Partnership Charter School
7. Community Roots Charter School
12. La Cima Elementary Charter School
20. Beginning with Children Charter
24. Brooklyn Excelsior Charter
29. East New York Prep Charter
30. Excellence Charter School of Bedford Stuyvesant
31. Explore Charter School
39. Hellenic Classical Charter School
40. Leadership Prep Charter School
43. PAVE Academy Charter School
45. Achievement First Brownsville Charter School
46. Achievement First Bushwick CS (Elementary)
47. Achievement First Bushwick CS (Middle)
48. Achievement First Crown Heights CS (Elem.)
49. Achievement First Crown Heights CS (Middle)
50. Achievement First East New York Charter School
51. Achievement First Endeavor Charter School
53. Brooklyn Ascend Charter
60. KIPP AMP Charter School
67. United Federation of Teachers CS (Elementary)
69. Bedford Stuyvesant Collegiate Charter
71. Kings Collegiate Charter
74. Williamsburg Collegiate Charter School
77. United Federation of Teachers CS (Middle)
83. Williamsburg Charter HS

Manhattan

1. Amber Charter School
9. Girls Preparatory Charter School
11. Harlem Day Charter School
13. Manhattan Charter School
15. Sisulu-Walker Charter School of Harlem
19. Harbor Science & Arts Charter School
28. DREAM Charter School
32. Future Leaders Institute Charter
33. Harlem Link Charter School
34. Harlem Success Academy
35. Harlem Success Academy 2
36. Harlem Success Academy 3
37. Harlem Success Academy 4
41. Mott Haven Academy Charter
55. Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy I Charter Upper Elementary, Middle
56. Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Acad I High
57. Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy II Charter Elementary School
59. KIPP Academy Charter School
61. KIPP Infinity Charter School
62. KIPP STAR College Prep Charter School
65. Ross Global Academy Charter
66. St. HOPE Leadership Academy
70. Harlem Village Academy
72. Leadership Village Academy
73. New Heights Academy Charter School
75. Democracy Prep Charter School
78. New York Center for Autism Charter School
81. John V. Lindsay Wildcat Academy Charter School

Queens

14. Peninsula Preparatory Academy Charter
42. Our World Neighborhood Charter School
44. VOICE Charter School
63. Merrick Academy Queens Public Charter School
64. The Renaissance Charter School

EDUCATION

Obama Supports Charter Schools in First Education Speech

As reported in the Associated Press, President Barack Obama, in a speech on Tuesday to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, called for expanding innovative charter schools and suggested longer school days and school years.

School in the summer? I don't know how that's going to fly but it's worth a try.

Yesterday's speech was Obama's first major speech on education. Understandably he has been very busy since mid January. But still.

Here's a quote from our prez:

"The future belongs to the nation that best educates
its citizens," he said. "We have everything we need to be that nation
… and yet, despite resources that are unmatched anywhere in the
world, we have let our grades slip, our schools crumble, our teacher
quality fall short and other nations outpace us."

Solutions, which include teacher pay tied to student achievement and charter school proposals, have met
opposition among members of teachers unions, an important segment of the Democratic Party.

President Obama openly acknowledged this group of naysayers:

"Too many supporters of my party have resisted
the idea of rewarding excellence in teaching with extra pay, even
though we know it can make a difference in the classroom.

Postcard from the Slope

Plan to Turn St. Thomas Aquinas School into Aquinas Arts Center

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Hammerman_@_Arts_Center_1!
My friend architect Gilly Youner seems to be involved in this effort to transform the St. Thomas Aquinas School at 4th Avenue and 8th Street, which was closed down in June 2005, into the Aquinas Arts Center,

Now that's what I call a stamp of approval that I respect. A member of the Park Slope Civic Council and Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, Youner is an experienced architect and a rock solid community activist with good judgment and loads of energy.

She's even pictured far left with Craig Hammerman and artist Shelia White (right) in this photograph that was sent out yesterday with  Hammerman's press release about this proposal to bring Brooklyn artists and residents together by creating a mixed-use arts and learning center in Park Slope.

 Hammerman, who is running for City Council in the 39th District, says:

“The future prosperity of our neighborhoods depends in large part upon supporting the cultural soul of our community…This area needs a non-profit contemporary community arts center that pulls together and showcases the finest our neighborhoods have to offer.”

 Candidate Hammerman imagines this art space as something akin to PS 1 in Long Island City, I see what he's getting at:

Still it takes a lot of work and resources to become an art institution on par with a PS 1.

PS 1, like this project, is located in an old school building. Now run by MOMA, PS 1, is a world class art institution, with an excellent curatorial staff and the resources to present site specific art, as well as renowned artists.

According to Hammerman, the Aquinas Arts Center, will present the extraordinary breadth and diversity of talents of Brooklyn artists and would also offer arts classes to Brooklynites of all ages.

Okay.

“Since P.S. 1 reopened in 1997, it has become more than a world-renowned tourist destination, it has drawn remarkable artists of all media to live and work in Long Island City,” said Hammerman. “The Aquinas Arts Center will bring the artistic excellence of our community to the world, while bringing the finest artists in the world to our community," says Hammerman, who plans to make the development of Aquinas Arts Center a priority of his first term in the City Council. Affordable studio space would also be provided.

 “Despite all other economic trends, the creative economy is growing in Brooklyn,” explained Hammerman. “City government has foolishly put all its eggs in the Wall Street and real estate baskets. We must diversify our local economy to insulate ourselves from the volatility of the markets. That means supporting the creative economy and doing a better job at supporting our small, locally-owned commercial businesses and manufacturing industries too.”

Hammerman hopes to begin construction as early as 2010, for this arts space, which would be located on the cusp of Park Slope and Gowanus and easily accessible by both the F, N, and R subway lines and the B75, B77, B37, and B63 bus lines.

Scott Turner of Rocky Sullivan's

Greetings from Scott Turner: Bonfire of Vile Machinations

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Once again, we are blessed with Scott Turner's always stimulating missive. A graphic designer and writer, Scott runs the Pub Quiz at Rocky Sullivan's in Red Hook.

Greetings Falls Road Ramblers and Bogside Brigands…

It's the Green Season, for better and worse.

This is the better:

http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/apr06/p6b.jpg

And this is the worse:
http://advice.com/images/article/2009/02/stPattys.jpg

There's
pride, history, culture, revolution, passion, music, resilience,
literature, dance, heritage, innovation, and resistance.  It should all
be celebrated.  And at Rocky Sullivan's over the next several days, it will be.

But it's a weird St. Patrick's Day this year.  Eire feels like she's crumbling, like the last few years of bright-future vistas have collapsed in a wash of white-noise static.

For starters, here at home, comes Mayor Bloomberg's courting of the Irish-American vote.  His team has been distributing posters and buttons at all the St. Patrick's parades — Woodside, Staten Island, and assuredly the upcoming Park Slope and Manhattan parades.

irishmike by dnblog1.

At the Woodside parade, these placards and buttons were mostly carried by South Asian and Latino kids.  The Bloomberg campaign people are maybe missing the point of the Woodside parade's all-inclusive message.

That kind of exploitive disconnectivity is standard procedure
for Bloomberg.  From atop his enormous bonfire of vile machinations, he
said last week: 

"You know, the yelling and screaming about
the rich – we want rich
from around this country to move here. We love the rich people. People
say, 'Oh, well, you know, if the income were redistributed throughout
the system more fairly.' I don't know what fair means. You can argue
that if you make more money, you deserve more money. A very small
percentage of people do account for a big
part of our income.  The first rule of taxation is…you
can't tax too much those that can move."

In otherwords, if
you're too poor to move, Bloomberg will soak you.  If you're moneybags
material like our mayor, come and go as you like, but while you're
here, velvety-soft hugs will be hand-delivered to your doorman.

And who supports Mayor Mike's Hugs For the Rich mandate?  Why, the Very Rockish Deity himself, Bono.  At a street-renaming ceremony last week, Bono happily pinned an Irish for Mike Bloomberg button on his faux military coat.

2009_03_snowway.jpg

If this is the alternative, let's live in a place where the streets have no names.

Bono's no stranger to linking his ego to despots.  He allied himself with Jesse Helms, North Carolina's unapologetic segregationist, back in 2001.  Before that, U2 ignored Kmart's awful track-record of sweat-shops and anti-union efforts to announce a tour in the chain's East Village location.  Bono goes out of his way to blame Irish Republicans for all of the troubles during The Troubles.  This from a Dubliner who hasn't been to Belfast as many times as I have, and who's band's operations are relocating to the Netherlands to avoid paying Irish taxes.  (Slate has the details.)

Back in the Auld Sod…

The fiscal bubble that has burst in the U.S. has exploded in Ireland.  The Celtic Tiger
was one of those first-time-ever national prosperities throughout the
world, and a lot of people bought into it — literally.  They thought
it would last forever.  Ask Japan how long yummy bubbles stay inflated.

In the North of Ireland, tensions are high after two British soldiers and a police officer were killed.  The Real IRA,  a group that broke away from the IRA's
embrace of the Irish peace process, claimed responsibility for the
attack on the soldiers.  A few days prior, the British announced that
the Special Reconnaissance Regiment, a shadowy surveillance unit that caused countless Irish republican deaths during the last forty years, was heading back Ulster to re-start their insidious counter-insurgency program.
http://www.ladlass.com/intel/archives/images/gb-srr.gif
Yes, that's really the Special Reconnaissance Regiment's emblem.  Who wouldn't be happy to have them back?

Hands are being rung over the deaths of these state "security"
members.  (As in many places, it was always more about securing the
state than people's daily lives.)  The war is over in Ireland but the
conflict remains.  The British government has created a dangerous
vacuum where everyone's looking over their shoulders — not at army
operations and paramilitary bombs, but at the frustrating lack of a
clear way forward.  Tony Blair and now Gordon Brown know
how oppressive it can be for skittish people who don't want war but
aren't offered peace.  They don't much seem to care how dangerous it
can be.

Is this just a plucked thread on Ireland's delicately-repaired
fabric, or something more grave?  The hype machine is pining for the
latter, but in 2009 the region has moved past war.  Still, as long as
Britain fills this slippery power vacuum with the fumes of a fogged-in
future, there'll be trouble.

The north of Ireland is among Britiain's last colonies.  It's time
they left Ireland for good.  Free of British rule, Ulster can face the
future.  It won't be easy.  Britain is a hobbling crutch for the
pro-British loyalist community and a target for the Irish independence republican community
— and Ireland is plunder-ready place for the British.  Free of the
crutch and the target, the six counties can get on with life — for the
first time looking forward and not over their shoulders.  Free of
colonialism just across the Irish Sea, the British can edge closer to being an ethical country.

Britain fading in the rear-view mirror — it's Ireland's only road forward.

Brooklyn Papers

Brooklyn Paper Shocker: Local Newspaper Sold to Rupert Murdoch

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Yesterday while OTBKB was in Manhattan taking care of some family business, the NY Observer reported that Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. is set to buy the Brooklyn Paper.

Yeesh. See what happens when OTBKB goes into Manhattan.

Here's how I found out: I was checking my iPhone as we were driving from the Upper East Side down to SoHo and I saw a couple of emails. One from Brooklyn Optimist, one from the Brooklyn Paper, one from Leon Freilich, Verse Responder.

Huh? Murdoch? The Brooklyn Paper…At first I thought it was a joke. But when I actually read Brooklyn Optimist's post I realized it was true.

I tried to reach Gersh at the Brooklyn Paper but it was impossible to get through; I had many questions, concerns. Here's an excerpt from the article in The Observer:

They don’t want the product to change," said Mr. Kuntzman. "And they love the product. And the product is fantastic."

Celia Weintrob said an official statement would be released on Friday.

In 2006, Mr. Murdoch purchased a rival chain of papers, The Courier-Life chain, which publishes 12 papers in Brooklyn. Last year, when Gawker speculated that the Paper was in financial trouble, Mr. Kuntzman was dismissive of that report—and of Mr. Murdoch's chain of papers.

"The Brooklyn Paper, which just won 'Newspaper of the Year' from a major national trade group, is certainly not going out of business," he told Gothamist.
"Brooklyn needs us too much right now, what with local papers being
snapped up by billionaire moguls who have no interest in local news
except maximizing classified ad sales. Has Rupert Murdoch even BEEN to
Brooklyn? His reporters don't know the territory, either."

My first comment to Hepcat: "Brooklyn blogs just got very important."

Looking back, I have to say, I was wondering about the Atlantic Yards turnaround by the paper's publisher.After years of fair and hard-hitting anti-Yards coverage that even won the Paper some awards.

And what about the fact that the Brooklyn Paper was no longer using WNYC as their hold-soundtrack on the telephone?

Too liberal? 

Was this all part of grooming the Paper for the News Corp sale? 

Does this mean that the Brooklyn paper and the Courier are merging? Will Smartmom be part of the newly Murdocked (sic) Brooklyn Paper? Will Gersh have the free editorial hand he's had under Weintrob?

Will reporters still be expected to work for close to nothing for that billionaire? It's one thing when it's a fledgling and financially strapped locally-owned newspaper. Quite another when it's the biggest media mogul in the world.

Will Smartmom want to be in the new Brooklyn Paper. I'll have to talk to her and get back to you.

Brooklyn Papers

Breaking News: Rupert Murdoch Buys Brooklyn Paper

1 Comment

I was in Manhattan attending to some family business when I saw Morgan Pehme's post on his blog, Brooklyn Optimist reporting that Rupert Murdoch bought the Brooklyn Paper, home of Smartmom. 

That's a shocker to me. Now a lot of things I was wondering about are making sense. I knew nothing about it although Gersh did recently hint that some investors might be interested in the Brooklyn Paper. 
I have to say, I am very surprised that they would sell to Murdoch. But then again, in these times survival is survival.

I guess. 

My reaction in the car with Hepcat: "Brooklyn blogs just got very important now that Murdoch owns both the Courier and the Paper, as well as the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post."

And you can quote me. 

I'm not sure what this means for Smartmom. I'll have to have a long talk with her about it. Here's Morgan's report on Brooklyn Optimist:

Today, Murdoch, who already owns the Brooklyn Courier-Life chain of newspapers, the New York Post, and The Wall Street Journal, gobbled up The Brooklyn Paper too. In an article posted just over an hour ago on the The New York Observer's website, The Brooklyn Paper's editor Gersh Kuntzman declares, "We're very excited."

Good thing Gersh is happy, because Brooklynites I called for quick comment are deeply disturbed at the total media consolidation of New York City's biggest borough – especially since all the papers will now be under the control of the ultra-conversative FOX News baron. "It's likely to put a stanglehold on independent reporting and on the ability for people to find out what's going on in their community and influence it," said Carroll Gardens resident Glenn Kelly.

And it's not just the residents of Brooklyn that are reeling from the sudden bombshell. There's likely to be a dramatic shake-up in both theCourier-Life and Brooklyn Paper newsrooms as News Corp. eliminates overlap between the two papers.

Morgan, I couldn't agree with you more when you say: "Dear readers, have the Brooklyn blogs ever been more important? We're the only source of true, independent news left in the borough." 

This is a crazy turn of events and one that leaves many of us feeling slightly (slightly?) uncomfortable. Gersh has worked for Murdoch before and he's a  very independent guy. I am very curious what this mean and how things will roll out. . 

I was wondering why the Brooklyn Paper's music-in-hold isn't WNYC Radio anymore. And that recent Atlantic Yards turnaround by the paper's publisher. 

Hmmmmm. Questions. Questions. 


 

Brooklyn Blogfest

Women’s Herstory Induction Ceremony At Brooklyn Borough Hall

I guess it's Women's History Month because this Thursday, March 12, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz
and Deputy Borough President Yvonne Graham
will host the annual Woman’s Herstory induction ceremony and reception at
Brooklyn Borough Hall, honoring women who have made invaluable contributions to
their communities, Brooklyn and New
York City .

And the winners are:

Winner of the Lucy Burns Activist Award:

Susan Anderson,
chair, Towns Square, Inc.

Winner of the Shirley Chilsom Leadership Award:

Pamela E. Green,
executive director, Weeksville
Heritage Center

Winner of the Emily Roebling Business Award:

Monique Greenwood,
president & CEO, Akwaaba Bed & Breakfast Inns

Winner of the Betty Smith Arts Award:

Susan Feldman,
artistic director, St. Ann ’s
Warehouse

Winner of the Lady Deborah Moody Founders Award:

Dr. Nicoletta Pallotta,
founder, Women Against Violence:

Winner of the Dr. Susan Smith McKinney
Humanitarian Award:

Dr. Nancy Talavera,
director of psychiatry & neurology, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Cente

Brooklyn Blogfest

Cool Blog: Women and Hollywood

2 Comments

There's  a cool blog out there produced by a Brooklyn resident, which makes it a Brooklyn blog even though its subject matter isn't Brooklyn at all.

The blog is called Women and Hollywood:  News and commentary about women and Hollywood from a feminist perspective. I for one find it very interesting. Here  blogger, Melissa Silverstein explains what the blog is all about:

Ever notice that most of the films in mainstream Hollywood are by
and about boys? Women & Hollywood does and is tired of it. Women
& Hollywood will focus on bringing attention to the films, TV
shows, theatre and other entertainment that highlights women and our
contribution to the culture.

This blog will focus on what’s going on for women in Hollywood: what
movies are being made; what directors are getting jobs; what projects
actors are working; and will call attention to the continuous disparity
that dominates Hollywood.

Music

Daniel Smith: Most Recorded Bassonist in the World to Perform at Kitano

Swingin_bassoon
Park Slope's Daniel
Smith, the most recorded bassoonist in the world and in recent years one of a handful of players in the world to adapt the bassoon to
the jazz idiom, will be performing with his quartet
Bassoon and Beyond at the Kitano Jazz Club on Park Avenue .

According to his daughter, this promises to be an exciting event which will highlight the music from
his jazz albums, Blue Bassoon, The Swingin' Bassoon, and Bebop
Bassoon. There will be two sets, at 8 pm and 10 pm.

The Kitano is an upscale jazz club, recently selected
as one of the 100 best jazz clubs in the world…. and the best part is
there is NO cover charge! 

His daughter writes:

"If you are free this evening, it would be wonderful to see
you there! And if you know of other people who would like to attend, please
spread the word and bring friends, family and anyone who loves jazz. It will be
for most of you the first time ever to hear jazz bassoon performed
live, as well as an evening of wonderful music for your
enjoyment."


The Where and When

March 18th
Sets at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.
The Kitano
66 Park Avenue at East 38th
Reservations: 212-885-7719Great American and Japanese food – no cover charge!
  
early diners 7PM receive preferred seating                                                           

                         
Civics and Urban Life

Transit Overload in Brooklyn Confirmed by Center for an Urban Future

Ruse_060512_3680
 Jonathan Bowles of the The Center for an Urban Future, a
nonpartisan think tank based in New York City, sent an email on Monday to announce their new study which reveals that Brooklyn
was home to 51 of the 111 subway stations that experienced an increase in
ridership of 50 percent or more between 1998 and 2008.

The report also shows
that bus ridership in Brooklyn increased by 21.9 percent between 1998 and 2008,
much more than in Manhattan
during the same time period.

The Center for an Urban Future report documents the percentage increase in weekday ridership for every subway station
in the system between 1998 and 2008 as well as the growth in daily bus
ridership by borough, highlights just how important the city’s public
transportation system has become for residents living outside of
Manhattan. Now here's what really sucks: this comes at a time when the MTA is planning to cut back dramatically on bus and subway lines outside of
Manhattan and as some outer-borough
legislators are opposing new tolls on the bridges as a way to prevent the
transit cuts.

 

The Center’s findings include:

    ·       
20 of the 22 stations with the
largest percentage increase in average weekday subway ridership between 1998
and 2008 were either in the outer boroughs or in
Manhattan north of
96th Street .

  ·       In 2008, 62 stations outside of
Manhattan had an average
weekday ridership of more than 10,000 people, up significantly from 46 stations
in 2003 and 36 in 1998.

  ·        
More than a quarter of all New York
City subway stations—111 out of 425—saw an increase in average
weekday ridership of 50 percent or more between 1998 and 2008. Brooklyn
accounted for nearly half (51) of those stations; there were 28 in
Manhattan , 20 in the Bronx and 12 in Queens .

·        
13 stations on the L line and nine
on the N line were among the 50 fastest growing stations citywide. Other lines with
several stations among the 50 fastest-growing stations in the system between
1998 and 2008 were: the 2 (seven stations), 3 (six stations), F (five
stations), J (five stations) and M (five stations).

 ·        
Overall, 82 percent of the citywide
gain in bus ridership between 1998 and 2008 occurred in the boroughs outside of
Manhattan .

 While average daily bus ridership in
Manhattan increased by just 7.6 percent during the past decade, bus ridership
surged by 28.4 percent in Queens, 28.4 percent in Staten Island, 23.5 percent
in the Bronx and 21.9 percent in Brooklyn. (
Manhattan actually experienced a 6.7 percent
decline in bus ridership between 2003 and 2008, the only borough to see a
decrease during this period.

The Center’s analysis, which is based on data from MTA
New York City Transit, is the latest issue of New York by the Numbers, the Center for an Urban
Future’s monthly economic snapshot of the five boroughs

Last month, the Center published a
major report about the challenges facing New York
City’s middle class which argued that rising
commuting times and overcrowded subways have already become a key quality of
life issue for many residents living in the boroughs outside of
Manhattan . This new data
makes a strong case that these residents should be seeing an improvement in
transit service rather than a dramatic cut—and it suggests that elected
officials representing neighborhoods in Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens and the
Bronx would be well-served to pay as much or more attention to their transit-riding
constituents as to the relative handful of car drivers into Manhattan.

The new study is available here:

  http://www.nycfuture.org/images_pdfs/pdfs/TransitOverload.pdf

Photo by Travis Ruse

Music

March 16: Brooklyn Songwriters Exchange at Union Hall

Onseat
It's a montly thang: the Brooklyn Songwriters Exchange. And on Monday, March 16th they present another free night of great songwriters, featuring Jen Clapp, Ethan Lipton, and Rebecca Pronsky at Union Hall.  

All of the artists will be performing with full bands and Rebecca Pronsky
will be releasing her new EP "The Best Game in Town" at this show.

Monday, March 16

702 Union Street
Brooklyn, NY
7:30PM
Free show.

About Jenn Clpp:
“Masterful new album…graceful and often majestic.” – Kingston Daily Freeman
"Absolutely beautiful." – Dar Williams

About Ethan Lipton
"Hilarious,
dark, sophisticated, schleppy and sad all at once… songs that take the
mundane of life and twist it." – NPR's Weekend Edition
"A sardonic voice that offers an unlikely kind of comfort against the vagaries of everyday life." – Popmatters

About Rebecca Pronsky:
"Pronsky's tunes are literate, passionate, and wry." – Time Out NY
"Songbird. With a brutal, cutting lyricism and a jazz trained voice, Ms. Pronsky is an act worth catching." - Ithaca Times
Postcard from the Slope

Saturday Night: Hot Under the Collar in Front of Key Food

3 Comments

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An OTBKB reader sent in this letter about an incident that occurred in front of Key Food. He also sent it to CB 6. I guess I have a few questions about the incident and will be speaking to this person later today.

Dear Community Board 6,

I'd like to take a minute of your time
to let you know about a problem I've had with the Key Food on 7th Ave.
and Carroll St. Last night, at around 9:53, I attempted to go to the
Key Food only to find that despite their posted closing time of 10
p.m., they were not letting people in because according to the sign they
lock their doors at 9:55. While that's an issue for Key Food to
address, I got a little hot under the collar at the Key Food employee
manning the door. When I turned to walk away, one of the indigent men
who station themselves outside, harassing pedestrians and shoppers,
took exception to my anger. He began threatening me and following me
down the street. I did not feel safe, and had I not called 9-1-1 and
had two Key Food employees not intervened, I am sure he would have
attempted to physically attack me.

It shouldn't be like this on our streets. Key Food has long tolerated
these people who beg outside their doors. They smoke; they're rude to
passers-by; and they are a general nuisance in the neighborhood. I am
writing to you in the hopes that you are the appropriate people to
address these concerns. I realize that personally, I acted out of line
toward the Key Food employees last night. That does not mean that I
should have to fear for my safety from mentally unbalanced people
begging on the streets on my block. I look forward to hearing from you.

Robert Guskind and Gowanus Lounge

Craig Hammerman: The Blogosphere is Emptier Without Bob Guskind

Here from Craig Hammerman, District Manager of Brooklyn's Community Board 6, a tribute to the late Bob Guskind, founder of the blog, Gowanus Lounge. Hammerman is also a candidate for City Council in the 39th District.

 

I remember when Bob Guskind introduced himself to me a few years ago after a Community Board meeting.  The first thing I asked him, which I now ask all serious bloggers, was how do you make a living doing it?  He laughed and explained that unless you set yourself up to receiving advertising money, it wasn’t an easy feat.  And there’s pretty fierce competition for the advertisers.

 

Over
time, and dozens of community meetings later, I came to learn that Bob
made his living writing for Curbed, and that provided enough (though
just barely) for him to pursue his avocation, writing the Gowanus
Lounge.  I enjoyed GL tremendously as a source of information, venue for opinions, and even for its entertainment value.  I
particularly loved the sidewalk sofa pictures; I remember one great
photo that showed how someone creatively set up some eclectic seating
inside one of the City’s bus shelters.  Priceless stuff!

 

Like any great artist, Bob was passionate about his work.  Blogging was his medium; a blinking cursor his blank canvas.  What I admired most about him was his dedication to getting “it” right.  He was an utter professional in that regard.  He wanted to understand it, so he could write about it, and help explain it to others.  We were kindred spirits in that regard as I, too, am in the business of accurately disseminating information to the public.

 

Probably
the moment that touched me most was when Bob decided to post an
announcement on GL when I was inducted into the New York City Hall of
Fame a couple of years ago.  In return for this
act of kindness, I made a point of attending the Brooklyn Blogade last
year at the Brooklyn Lyceum that was organized by my friend and Bob’s
fellow blogger, Louise Crawford.  Bob was one of the featured speakers on their panel of bloggers.  I wanted to show my respect to Bob and these local blogging giants.  And, finally, I’d get to sit back and listen to him talk.

 

I
hope someone picks up the mantle where Bob left off and dedicates
themselves to covering issues in the Gowanus community the way he did.  If
ever there were a community in need of coverage, if for no other reason
than to protect its neighborhood character and uniqueness, it would be
Gowanus.

 

The blogosphere is a bit quieter and emptier without Bob in it.  I miss him already.

Civics and Urban Life

Brooklyn Beat: Sir Salman Rushdie in Brooklyn Heights

Brooklyn Beat of Deep in the Heart of Brooklyn had the pleasure of attending a lunchtime lecture today by Sir Salman
Rushdie at St. Francis College today, as part of its Thomas J. Volpe
Lecture Series on Global Business & Finance. He filed this report on his blog. Here's an excerpt, read more  at DITHOB.

Sir Salman spoke for
about one hour and then took audience questions. As expected, he was an
entertaining, thought-provoking and engaging speaker, and extremely
gracious in responding to audience questions.

He noted that he
had been in Brooklyn and passed St. Francis College many times but had
never been inside. I took a lot of notes and
wanted to share a great lecture.

His topics included:

A
favorite thought-games, which he termed extremely addictive, thinking
of titles of books that would never have made it: "The Big Gatsby",
"Two Days in the Life of Ivan Denisovich," "The Old Man and the Lake."

About the Ayatollah and the fatwa,
he noted "One of us is dead." Therefore, "Don't mess with novelists."
Ostensibly the fatwa was listed, although I believe I have read that
this is in dispute. There appeared to be substantial non-uniformed
security at the event. Nevertheless, Sir Salman is an amusing,
brilliant, and relaxed speaker.

He explored what it means for
the novel, and to the role of the novelist, when the world has become
fictitious, strange, non-realistic; when the incredible rush of extreme
events and occurrences in society and the world today, take 9/11 as an
example, are difficult to render in a naturalistic literary style. "The
gulf between public and private has shrunk." Sir Salman mentioned
Heraclitus's remark that "Character is fate – destiny–" may no longer
be the case in the current world, since so many issues that occur,
violence, social and economic dislocations, etc., are not necessarily
the individual's fault. "Today, character is not necessarily destiny.
How do you write about the meaning of life when character is not
destiny?"

Humans are storytellers. "We are storytelling
animals" he observed. When people say "How is the family?" "Oh, the
family is fine" he laughed and remarked, " Is it really? Not really. It
is hell in there."

We tell stories to understand ourselves,
our families,our society and our world. Not just fictional stories, as
I understood him to say, but also humans tend to use a storytelling
form when giving explanations. "Since the world is so complex, and we
are inundated with media and information, so much of which is without
real meaning and does not promote understanding," then "Using stories
to understand ourselves is the way human beings try to understand their
world. Therefore, the storytelling act is incredibly important" to
helping us understand ourselves and our world. But there are forces
—political, religious, personal– that wish to preserve a social
order and clamp down on storytelling which is a mechanism for
understanding and conveying the truth about human experience.

Therefore,
once the "Simple act of remembering becomes a political act"
storytelling becomes dangerous. Rushdie passionately observed that
"preventing people from telling stories is a crime against humanity–an
existential crime. We live inside stories."

Rushdie also
observed how many people who protested against the book The Satanic
Verses had never read it or any of his other work. That is why it is so
important to maintain and protect the open society. People who find
stories troubling should just learn to "deal with it."

Rushdie
commented about a section of Saul Bellow's The Dean's December that
describes a dog that would not stop barking. To Saul Bellow, a scene
like that is imbued with deep meaning. Rushdie said that the dog's
barking was a "protest against limits of his experience as a
dog"–therefore, the dog's barking is a plea or demand to "open the
universe a little more. And that is as good a description of what great
art can accomplish: To open up the universe a little more."

The
risk to artists especially writers is that when you seek to push
boundaries outward, "you can't do it from the middle of the room; you
need to go to the edge." However, in doing so, there is always the risk
that you will "fall off the edge, or that someone will push back,"
which can be very dangerous.

Civics and Urban Life

For the Dogs: Screening, Hot Dogs & Popcorn, Too!

Wdlovebitespdf-2a-copy
The folks over at Willie's Dawgs are calling it Shorts-4-Dogs and it's a benefit screening for the dog run in Washington Park.

Cool.

On Saturday March 21st at 7 p.m. get yourself over to the Old Stone House
for a screening of lovable, award-winning short films. A benefit for
Washington Park Dog Run, the price of admission is $20. That's twenty
bucks.

And for that you get plump, juicy and delicious hot
dogs grilled any way you like them and reverently tucked into our hand
rolled homemade buns,  traditional, natural or veggie dogs on challah,
mulitgrain or rye rolls. You get a ton of different homemade toppings
piled high plus all the necessary stuff like fresh hand cut potatoes
and our own
buttermilk onion rings fried in peanut oil by our precision staff.

And a movie, beer and popcorn. And good karma!

The Where and When

Saturday March 21st at 7 p.m.
Shorts-4-Dogs
The Old Stone House
Fifth Avenue and Third Street
Tix are $20, which includes hot dogs (veggie, too) beer, and popcorn.

Civics and Urban Life

We Have One Winner and Two Runner-Ups for Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion Ticket Giveaway

Arloguthrie17
The answer was Washington County. That's the name of a great Arlo Guthrie album (see left). And the name of a county upstate near Saratoga and the Vermont border.

My dad has a gorgeous property up there which happens to be for sale. 40 acres of gorgeousness, a lake and a colonial era house with a massive kitchen/great room in Shaker style that was added on, a stream and some barns. Let me know if you want to see pix.

And of course, Arlo is Sarah Lee's dad.

Three OTBKB readers came in with the answer. I already told the first winner that he's got the two tickets to the Jalopy show. But for the two  runners-ups: I am checking with SL&JI's manager to see if they can spare more tix. (Update: Runner-ups get tickets,too).

Other than that: the contest is over unless I get more tickets.

About Jalopy: it's an old-timey performance space  with an awesome, cool cool line-up of performers. It's a music school. It's a vintage instruments store: the place where I got the banjo and then had to return. They were so gracious about it.

Tom Martinez, Witness

All Souls Sermon: The Meaning of Pain and A Dog Named Rider Sue Magoo

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 Here's an excerpt from a recent sermon by Tom Martinez.  Not only is he a photographer and photo contributor  to Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn, he is also the pastor of All Souls Bethlehem Church, a "funky little house church that rocks" in Kensington, Brooklyn. Open to the world's religions, ASBC is affiliated with the United Church of Christ, the Disciples of Christ, and the Unitarian Universalist Association. Tom graduated from Union Theological Seminary in New York City in 2000, after working as a psychotherapist in the Seattle area.

…As I read about St. Patrick I couldn’t help thinking about Joseph, who, like Patrick, was sold into slavery.  Both men went on to do important work in the land where they once served as slaves.  I’d imagine neither had any idea that good would one day come out of their situations, just as any of us in the early phases of a difficult situation are able to imagine a time in the future when some good will come from our suffering.  But we know that often times we are eventually able to glean meaning from life’s pain.

I want to be clear that I’m not saying bad things happen for a reason.   God knows there’s been no shortage of ideas as to why bad things happen to good people but if you ask me they’re pretty much like the different explanations for the current economic mess the world is in.  I liked the letter in the New York Times recently by a Christopher Cook from Praque, who wrote a response to a piece the Times did in which 11 economists attempted to answer the question, “When Will the Recession be Over?”

“…Now that I’ve read their answers only one thing is clear.  In 11 different ways, they don’t know.”  I think the same thing could be said of the theological enterprise known as theodicy, which is the term used to describe explanations for why bad things happen. I’m suggesting we humbly accept that at present we just don’t know why that is.

But that’s not to say we have to leave it there.  Especially during this Lenten season, I think it’s important to note that, when it comes to suffering, human beings have an amazing capacity for finding meaning. 

Take my friend Rob for instance.  He’s battling ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease. 

Why? 

Your guess is as good as mine.  But what does his suffering mean to him personally?  Lots of things.  For starters, it means he’s been forced to confront the reality of his mortality in ways few of us ever will.  He knows his time is limited and he knows he wants to spend his remaining days being the best husband and father and friend he can possibly be.  Rob is motivated by the power of love and, though he’s as baffled by his fate as the next guy, he is crystal clear about how he has chosen to respond.   In this way, he has redeemed his suffering.

Suffering without redemption is really nothing more than glorified masochism.  Woe is me, woe is the world.  Let me list all the terrible things that are going on.  (I know, I know, I’m guilty of doing precisely that myself.)  That’s because I know how easy it is to bury our heads in the sand and avoid the pain altogether, which is of course the other extreme in an unhealthy continuum

 I’d like to suggest this morning that in between the two extremes, of being exclusively focused on tragedy and of totally suppressing the pain and suffering of the world, there is a healthy middle ground that seeks to find meaning in suffering.  Again, I don’t mean to say that the goal is to answer the ultimate question as to why bad things happen.

I’m merely suggesting that, when we do, we look for the ways we can make sense of life’s pain, to find some sort of redeeming meaning in the midst of the storm. 

Take Kathy, for example.  She had a very difficult time getting pregnant and then lost two babies, one was one day old and the other was five days old. 

Unimaginable suffering and pain. 

Why did God allow that to happen?   No one can say.  But perhaps we can find meaning in her pain.

Fast-forward 27 years. Our new associate minister, Matthew, tells a story in church about another mother who lost her baby.  Imagine being Matthew, when Kathy comes up to him and says, “That’s so important that you were there for that woman.”  I mean, that would be affirming coming from anyone.  But because of all that Kathy had  been through her words had extra dimensions of meaning.  

 Picture 032

A friend of mine named Mark rode his motorcycle to Alaska and along the way he found a puppy that had been abandoned.  Long story short: you might see Mark driving through Manhattan with his now full-grown dog, Rider Sue Magoo, standing on the gas tank, a skill she practiced riding all the way back to NY from Alaska where Mark found him.

Mark is living with AIDS and one way he’s decided to make meaning out of his suffering is by showing up at schools and hospitals with Rider Sue Magoo.  There’s actually a certification program people with pets can undergo to do this sort of thing and Mark and Rider Sue Magoo completed the training and are now they’re regularly appearing at various places, bringing warmth and love.

Mark was telling me that he brought his dog to a school  the other day and ran through the usual routine, telling the kids about how he found Rider  Sue Magoo and what a great dog he is, then making time for the kids to pet him and feel the love.  When he was leaving he bumped into a couple of the kids out in front of the school and they chatted a bit more.  Mark got on his bike and Rider Sue Magoo jumped up on the gas-tank and as he was getting ready to roar off into the sunset the kid looked at him and said, “I hope to see you in life.”

Out of the mouths of babes.  “I hope to see you in life.”   How about this time next week?  Amen

Civics and Urban Life

Local Pharmacist, Marisa Palma, Dies

2 Comments

Marisa Palma Muller, the pharmacist and owner—with her husband Peter Muller—of Palma Chemists, at the corner of Garfield Place and Seventh Avenue in Park Slope, died on Saturday, March 7. She had a heart attack.

Palma Chemists was founded by Marisa's father, Dominick Palma in 1962. He died in 1999.

Frank Calandriello, who has worked in the shop for many years, told me that there will be a wake tomorrow at Smith's Funeral Home in Windsor Terrace. 248 Prospect Park West. From 2 pm – 5 pm and 7 pm – 9 pm. A private funeral will be held upstate where Marisa lived with her husband.

There is a sign in the front window of the shop. Frank will notify me if there is a charity where the family would like donations sent in lieu of flowers.

My condolences to Peter, Marisa's family and all the staff at Palma Chemists.