Monthly Archives: August 2009

Civics and Urban Life

Keep the Carroll Street Subway Station Open: Sign Petition

Here's the petition. Go here to actually sign it!

We, the undersigned, urge Chairman H. Dale Hemmerdinger to stop the
closure of the MTA Station Agent Booth at the President Street entrance
of the Carroll Street F stop in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.

The Carroll Street station is located in a densely populated area
of Brooklyn, which translates to a consistently high volume of riders.
Commuters and families utilize this station throughout the day. The
station agents are necessary to the efficient operation of such heavily
used MTA subway stops.

In light of the Culver El Viaduct Project, which will close the
Smith-9th Street stop for an extended period of time, these station
agents will be vital to overseeing the increased ridership at the
Carroll Street stop. Furthermore, because of the safety concerns which
accompany any major construction projects, having a MTA Agent on site
will decrease the chances of any injuries to its ridership.

Scott Turner of Rocky Sullivan's

Greetings from Scott Turner: Quivery Convergence of Weirdness

Here's this week's greetings from pub quizmeister at Rocky Sullivans. He is also a graphic designer with a company called Superba Graphics.  He never told me that I just figured it out. So we might as well give credit where credit is due. This missive is brought to you, as always, by Miss Wit, the t-shirt queen of Red Hook. Check out her designs they're really FUN.

Greetings Pub Quiz Head Shakers…

Whoa!  If we'd had a devastatingly hot summer here in Brooklyn,
this past week's quivery convergence of weirdness would make sense.  I
guess it does, since none of this stuff happened in Brooklyn.

  • A reality t.v. show dude, one Ryan Jenkins, murders his ex-wife, one Jasmine Fiore. 
    Cuts off her fingers and pulls out Fiore's teeth to make i.d.'ing her
    harder.  Authorities i.d. her anyway…by her breast-implant serial
    numbers.  Jenkins bolts to Canada, is checked into the Thunderbird Motel (you can picture the flickering neon sign) by a mystery woman, and hangs himself with his belt in a closet — very David Carradine.

http://vegasblog.latimes.com/.a/6a00d83452364969e20120a56eda75970c-pi

  • The British government, via the Scottish sort-of government, releases the Lockerbie bombing
    mastermind.  Intensifying storm-clouds of controversy say that it was a
    hostage exchange for oil.  Gosh.  What government would do something
    that insane for oil?

Libya's Moammar Khadafy, at July's G8 Summit in Italy, stands with Britain Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who is reeling from reports that Britain released Libyan bomber for an oil deal.Convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi is free.

  • The Nymets baseball squadron continues to find new,
    astonishing ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.  Yesterday,
    they lose on an unassisted triple-play that ends the game — on the
    second time in major-league history that's happened.

  • Two companies — one British, the other U.S. of A.-ish — are in a jurisprudential battle to the death over who has the exclusive rights to manufacture and sell Michael Jackson hairpieces.  The British company got its start with those white wigs so popular in the UK court system and in movies about the Declaration of Independence.http://media.80stees.com/images/products/Michael_Jackson_Wet_Look-Wig.jpghttp://worldoffancydress.com/images/Michael%20Jackson%20Bad%20Wig.jpghttp://worldoffancydress.com/images/Michael%20Jackson%20Thriller%20Wig.jpghttp://www.mrcostumes.com/Assets/ProductImages/51316-Michael-Jackson-wig-style_t.jpg
  • Mayor for Life Bloomberg, on his weekly radio show,
    pshaws criticism of the pharmaceutical industry by saying "Last time I
    checked, pharmaceutical companies don't make a lot of
    money. Their executives don't make
    a lot of money."  Bloomberg backpedals almost immediately, saying, in
    effect well, I dagnabbit, I guess they do!  Bloomie's disconnect from everyone less wealthy than he jumps to the fore once again.

http://amysrobot.com/files/bloomberg_thumbsup.JPG

  • India’s
    rupee hits a one-week
    high as a worldwide rally in stocks and commodities adds to
    optimism a global economic recovery is gathering pace, according to
    this morning's media reports.  There's nothing undulatingly odd about
    this — I just know none of us have paid close enough attention to the
    rupee lately.

http://www.infosoftek.com/stocks/images/500-rupee.jpg

  • Mikka Shardai Cline, 23, of Waco, TX, and her sister try to take a soccer
    ball from a 13-year-old boy in a wheelchair outside of a Dallas hospital.
    In the
    struggle to get the ball, she punches the boy in the head.  No — it
    gets worse.  the boy has a medical halo screwed into his skull. 
    According to police, that's exactly where Cline's punch lands on the
    boy, causing searing pain. Cline has been charged with child abuse.

[MIKKA+CLINE.JPG]

  • The best selling football jersey at NFL.com is…of course…Michael Vick's new Philadelphia Eagles jersey.

http://www.gambling911.com/Vick-Dog-Jersey.jpghttp://insidethenfl.typepad.com/.a/6a00d834cd4f5769e20120a54bdadf970c-800wi.jpg

  • And finally, from the AFP news service: "A Saudi businessman has purchased what is being described by the
    Canadian seller as the world's most expensive adult novelty item — a
    solid 18-carat gold penis enlarger worth nearly 50,000 dollars. X4
    Labs    , a Canadian manufacturer of medical devices, received the
    unorthodox request and recruited a Montreal custom
    jeweler to help with
    its design and construction. "This male health accessory is the
    most expensive traction device ever produced and will likely become a
    historical benchmark for the adult novelty industry," the company said
    in a statement.   His glitzy new penis enlarger, however, is being
    encrusted at his request with 40 diamonds and several rubies and is to
    be delivered by armored car in October, said Rick Oh,
    X4 Labs co-owner.  Saudi law bans the import of adult sex toys, but the
    company insists its product is a US government-certified medical device.

http://bobbeckstead.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/41jorJtDFoL._SL500_AA280_.jpg
[not an accurate depiction — ed.]

So there — nothing gripping, nothing mind-blowing…just the rich
pageant of eccentricity and the little bonmots it's dropped in our lap
over the last week.  Quiz-fodder?  Sure!  The fuel the March of Time runs on?  Absolutely.

Civics and Urban Life

A Brief Encounter With Michael Jackson (in the 1980’s)

1 Comment

6a00d8341c5fb353ef0120a4d23262970b-400wi.jpg During the mid-1980s, L.B. Brown, owner of Brooklyn-based Clinton Hill Simply Art & Framing Gallery,
experienced a brief encounter with Michael Jackson at LaGuardia Airport
in New York City. She recalls her experience on their new blog site: http://clintonhillframe.blogspot.com.

Once his death was announced, she immediately wanted to help
his fans preserve his image, legacy, and memory. As Michael Jackson's
birthday approaches, L. B. Brown is extending an special offer
exclusively to his admirers.

They want you to visit their blog site, read about her encounter and share your Michael
Jackson experience, and save on sharing his
memory with us.

Full disclosure: For any bloggers who post their Michael Jackson memory on their new
blog, they will receive  a special offer of $10 off any art and framing
services.

Photo of Michael Jackson sidewalk art by Tom Martinez. Prints available.

"Simply post your comment on our blog, http://clintonhillframe.blogspot.com, print your message and bring it to Clinton Hill Simply Art & Framing Gallery
to receive your special Michael Jackson discount — blogger's discount
ends October 31, 2009. The gallery walk-in special offer ends August
30, 2009. 

Please be one of the first people to read our new blog and one of
the first to share your fond Michael Jackson memories or experiences
with other bloggers. A special offer is waiting for you, compliments
of L.B. Brown."

Music

OTBKB Music Video: United Breaks Guitars Song 2

Back in the beginning of July, I posted the first of what musician Dave
Carroll promised would be three videos about his futile battle to get
United Airlines to pay for the repair of his guitar, broken when he
flew with United from Chicago to Nebraska.

Dave has now posted the second video in his United Breaks Guitars
trilogy and it does have its chuckles.  Keep watching to the very end
for the payoff.

–Eliot Wagner

Breakfast of candidates

NY Times Endorses David Yassky for Comptroller

This morning the New York TImes' endorsed David Yassky, currently City Councilman in the 33rd district, for City Comptroller. 

We are
particularly impressed with Mr. Yassky’s ability to think creatively
and then implement his ideas. Mr. Yassky, who taught at Brooklyn Law
School earlier in his career, has a somewhat professorial manner. But
in his years at City Hall, he has successfully fought to control guns
in the city, to lessen pollution from taxis and to ban illegal dumping
in the waters around the city.

He has pushed for help for small businesses and for more affordable housing. His campaign has set up an inventive Web site — ItsYourMoneyNYC.com — that opens the city budget to more scrutiny, a preview of his promise for more transparency for city finances.

The
other main Democratic contenders are Council members from Queens, and
all have sound records. David Weprin, who runs the Finance Committee,
has been an able Council member but is less creative in his thinking
about how to do this job effectively. John Liu has represented his
constituents intelligently and with great eloquence, but too much of
his strength is at the microphone. Melinda Katz has been a smart,
dynamic leader of the Land Use Committee, but we are less enthusiastic
about her connections to the real estate community.

Of the four,
Mr. Yassky makes the best case for making better use of the powerful
tools handed a city comptroller. He promises to use the audit powers —
including new ones overseeing the city’s education contracts — to
increase productivity and efficiency.

We have seen in New York
State the temptations and corruption that come with managing a
multibillion-dollar pension fund — with huge fees handed out to
political cronies and contributors. Mr. Yassky has promised to stand up
to special interests and has embraced new S.E.C. rules that would block
campaign contributors from doing business with the fund. For all of
these reasons, we endorse David Yassky for comptroller.

Tom Martinez, Witness

Tom Martinez, Witness: Red Hook Sunset

1 Comment

IMG_1320
The day after a huge storm blew through (the one that
did so much damage in Central Park), the sky was magnificent, though
by the time I made it down to the waterfront in Red Hook I had
missed the real blazing phase of the sunset.  I was making my way to
the shore another photographer was coming the other way, having no doubt captured it all.  Wonder what her images look like.

Photo by Tom Martinez

Books

TinTin Book Locked Away at Brooklyn Public Library

2 Comments

Amd_tintin The Daily News reports that TinTin Au Congo has been removed from general ciruclation at the Brooklyn Public Library by the library's chief librarian.

I have been following this story with interest because both Hepcat and Teen Spirit are huge TinTin fans.

The book was locked away because it "had illustrations that were racially offensive and inappropriate for children," said Richard Reyes-Gavilan, director of the library.

"The book was recently reissued. It was so over the top racist, imperialist, and colonialist that nobody had much interest in publishing it," said Hugh Crawford, who has been reading the TinTin books since childhood. According to Crawford, "Author George Herge had terrible misgivings about it himself.  An early associate of Herge said that The Blue Lotos was Herge's attempt to make amends for TinTin Au Congo being so bad."

"I think the book shouldn't be banned. It should be held up as an example of that sort of thing. All the editions I've seen have been published as a historical curiosity rather than part of the TinTin canon," Crawford said.

To see the book you have to make an appointment at the library.

Smartmom

School Gets In The Way Of OSFO’s Summer Reading Fun

1 Comment

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

Smartmom doesn’t get the point of summer homework. Isn’t summer
supposed to be about recreation, relaxation and fun? Isn’t it a time to
do things other than school work? Smartmom thinks there’s plenty of
time for school work during the other 10 months of the year.

But Smartmom has nothing against summer reading. And the Oh So
Feisty One has been reading quite a bit this summer. At the moment,
she’s hooked on a book called “Peace, Love & Baby Ducks” by Lauren
Myracle.

But every day she whines, “I have to find ‘Tangerine.’”

That’s the young adult book by Edward Bloor that is assigned to all
the incoming seventh graders at her middle school. It sounds like a
decent book. But why does she have to read it this summer?

In addition to “Tangerine,” OSFO has to pick from a list of approved books for another reading selection.

Unfortunately, none of the books she has read this summer are on
that list. Sure, the list includes a great group of books. But she’s
read a bunch of them and some of them don’t interest her at all. At
least that’s what she tells Smartmom, who knows that the very fact that
they’re on the list makes them less interesting to OSFO because she’s
got that anti-authoritarian streak she inherited from Hepcat.

Whatever. Smartmom wondered if “Peace, Love & Baby Ducks” could
be substituted for her summer reading book. Why not? It’s a perfectly
fine book, maybe even a tad literary.

“No, it’s not on the list,” said OSFO, the oh so literal one.

“Well, maybe we should call the principal to get special dispensation …”

OSFO wasn’t having it. Finally, she did pick a book from that list,
“The Cat Ate My Gymsuit” by Paula Danzinger, something she’s already
read.

From Smartmom’s experience with summer reading (and she’s had
plenty), it’s not like the books are integrated into the curriculum
even though the kids are required to write a two-page essay about each
book.

In fact, Smartmom has never heard about those essays once they’re
handed in. Smartmom wonders what happens to those essays. Do they go
into some gigantic folder called Summer Reading? Are they sent to the
recycling?

More important, why do the schools insist on insinuating themselves
into the lives of their students 24/7? OSFO’s life already revolves
around school. So does Smartmom’s. But like OSFO, she enjoys the
two-month break from school schedules and homework.

Sure, the American educational system is way behind other countries,
which have longer school days and school years. But what’s wrong with
letting life be the educator for a few months of the year?

That’s what summer is all about. It’s a chance to spend time with
family and friends and to experience new people, places and things.

It’s also a time to discover the pleasure of unassigned reading.

Smartmom doesn’t remember any summer homework when she was a kid.
But that was back in the 1970s when progressive education was in vogue.
Summer meant family vacations on Fire Island, Maine or Martha’s
Vineyard. During one memorable summer vacation, the family visited the
Grand Tetons in Wyoming.

For years, Smartmom went to sleepaway camp, where she had the chance
to exist outside of the strictures of family and school. There she
learned to folk dance, to play the guitar and the lyrics to every
protest song imaginable.

It was a great time — and a welcome break from school and family.

This summer, Smartmom decided to read Dostoyevsky. During the rainy
days of June, she read “The Idiot,” the story of the epileptic Prince
Myshkin (and Dumb Editor’s favorite of the enigmatic Russian’s doorstop
books).

On Block Island, she dove into “Crime and Punishment,” the great
novel about Raskolnikov’s remorseless crime. And in the bright
California sun, she read “The Brothers Karamazov.”

It’s been a heavy summer full of nihilism, human psychology and the
spiritual, political and social world of 19th-century Russia

What if Smartmom had required reading? She’d never get a chance to wrap her head around The Brothers K.

Luckily, Smartmom doesn’t have to write a two-page essay on her
summer reading. But OSFO does and she better get going. It’s mid-August
and it’s time for OSFO to get cracking.

Anyone have a copy of “Tangerine”?

Civics and Urban Life

Park Slope Awaits Scathing Put Down By Amy Sohn in Her New Novel

1 Comment

9781416577638 Amy Sohn's new book, Prospect Park West, comes out on September 1, and I'm dying to get my hands on a copy.

According to the Daily News:

"The book creates a scathing portrait of Park Slope's mommy brigade
— of which Sohn is a breast-feeding member — as a parade of
unsatisfied thirty- and forty-something moms sizing up their plights
relative to all the other stroller-pushers at the playground. Few are
having sex — at least not with their spouses."

Seems that  Sarah Jessica Parker optioned the book for a TV series—not a movie as I previously reported.

The story is about a character named Melora Leigh, a two-time Oscar winner who lives in a mansion on Prospect Park West with her Australian husband. Sounds a little like Jennifer Connelly.

I heard Sohn read a chapter from the book at the Edgy Mother's Day reading in which Sohn parodies the Park Slope Food Coop, Park Slopers and local celebs.

Interestingly, most of the celebrities, in this celebrity strewn novel, are called by their real names.

Maggie Gyllenhaal, Melora's arch rival and nemisis is described in the book (according to the Daily News) as a  "skinny
hipster who was famous only because she'd flashed her t- -s in
'Secretary.' "

"I think we make it very clear in the disclaimer," says Simon & Schuster publisher David Rosenthal told the Daily News. 

That provision partly reads: "Although several well-known people
appear in this book, the references to them, their conduct and their
interactions with other characters are wholly the author's creation."

Civics and Urban Life

Carroll Gardens Dumpster Pools on NPR

In case you missed the story on NPR: here's an excerpt. Read the rest over here.

On an industrial lot in Brooklyn, N.Y., three garbage bins have been
transformed into swimming pools. They're set in what looks like an
urban country club — with tent cabanas, barbecue grills and a dozen
plastic beach chairs.

The
idea of swimming in a trash container grosses you out? Think again.
They're clean. The bins are lined with thick sheets of plastic, and the
water is chlorinated and filtered, just like what goes in an inground
pool.

The company behind the pools is Macro Sea, a Manhattan real
estate developer. Jocko Weyland, the guy in charge of the pool project,
says Macro Sea got the idea from a rock musician in Georgia.

The
pools are behind a chain-link fence in the Carroll Gardens
neighborhood. The 5 1/2 foot-deep containers are in an H-formation with
a wooden deck built around them. There's also a shallower kiddie pool.

News
of the Brooklyn trash bin swimming pools first surfaced on a blog for
ReadyMade magazine, which helps do-it-yourselfers use familiar objects
in new ways.

"It's a Dumpster. It's not trying to pretend it's not a Dumpster, you know," Weyland says.

Civics and Urban Life

Sept 15-20: In-I With Juliet Binoche at BAM

1 Comment

In-i1 In-I, the opening event of the  2009  Next Wave Festival sounds very interesting. It is directed and performed by Oscar-winning actor Juliet Binoche and choreographer Akram Kahn.

Sep 15, 17—19, 22—26 at 7:30pm
Sep 16 at 7pm*
Sep 20 at 3pm
*2009 Next Wave Gala: Patron Celebration

"I never know what I'm capable of doing before I do it." These words, spoken by Oscar-winning actor Juliette Binoche (Caché, The English Patient, Blue), capture the intrepid spirit—indeed the daring—behind In-I,
an intensely visceral dance-theater work conceived, directed, and
performed by Binoche and the adventurous British choreographer Akram
Khan (Steve Reich @ 70, 2006 Next Wave Festival). Together,
these charismatic artists arrive at something entirely new, as an actor
dances and a dancer acts.

Incandescent and delicate, Binoche
moves with surprising force, always in lockstep with Khan's virtuosity
and power. Accompanied by an evocative, mercurial score and performed
before a luminous wall designed by British sculptor Anish Kapoor, the
couple's exchanges are thrust into relief, revealing the intricacies of
a love affair, in all its glory and all its pain.

Civics and Urban Life

Aug 29: Michael Jackson Birthday Party in Prospect Park

11 Comments

Thriller-michael-jackson What started out as a Fort Greene birthday party for Michael Jackson planned by Spike Lee will now take place in Prospect Park, because of the large number of people expected.

The Parks Department for the celebration in Fort Greene park allowed 2000 people but because of national publicity they're expecting a whole lot more. That's why it was moved. The event is set to run from noon to 5 p.m. next Saturday.

Councilwoman Letitia James told The Local, the New York Times' Fort Greene blog: “This was supposed to be a small-scale community event,” said James. “Now they’re concerned about crowd control.”

Aug. 29 would have been Jackson's 51st birthday. He was exactly one day younger than me.

Postcard from the Slope

Battle Week 2009 at the Old Stone House and Elsewhere

Retreat There's a whole  lot of early American history in the Park Slope/Gowanus/Sunset Park area. The first battle of the Revolutionary War took place in Washington/JJ Byrne Park and that's what's celebrated every year during Battle week. Marilyn Pettit, Chair of the Old Stone House Board of Trustees explains:
"The Battle of Brooklyn took place seven
weeks after the signing of the Declaration of Independence and was the first
battle of the United
States.

"Even though the Americans
lost the battle in the face of the overwhelming British forces, the bravery they
displayed helped galvanize the Colonists and proved their determination to fight
for the freedom and liberty which they eventually won seven years later in
1783.

"The Old Stone House is the place where
256 brave members of Captain Smallwood’s Maryland Regiment sacrificed themselves
on August 27, 1776, to buy time for the rest of their American comrades to
evacuate to safety during the Battle of Brooklyn."


Sunday August 23, 11 AM – 1 PM

Evergreens Cemetery Walking Tour

 

Evergreen
Cemetery presents a walking tour of the revolutionary war-related sites
of the cemetery. Meet at Evergreen Cemetery Main Gate, Bushwick Avenue
and Conway Street, Brooklyn.
718-455-5300/www.theevergreenscemetery.com/

Wednesday, August 26, 6 PM
Gowanus Dredgers Estuary Tour

 

Canoe
the Gowanus Canal and learn the history of this infamous escape route
for American soldiers during the Revolutionary War. 2nd Street between
Bond and the Gowanus Canal, Brooklyn.

718-768-3195/www.gowanuscanal.org/

 

Friday, August 28, 6 PM – 8 PM

Battle of Brooklyn Neighborhood Walk

Led
by Old Stone House Board Member and Hunter College Archaeology
Professor William J. Parry. Meet at Grand Army Plaza, entrance to
Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Gowanus Canal, Brooklyn. $12 per person/$10
OSH members; includes light refreshments. Wear comfortable shoes.
Reservations and infortmation:
718-768-3195/info@theoldstonehouse.org

 

Saturday, August 29, 11 AM - 12 PM

Maryland 400 Remembrance Ceremony

Meet
at the newly refurbished Maryland Monument in Prospect Park. Enter
Prospect Park Southwest and 16th Street and proceed across to Wellhouse
Drive, then uphill to the monument. Sponsored by the Maryland State
Monuments Commission.
718-768-3195/info@theoldstonehouse.org

 

Saturday, August 29, 10 AM - 5 PM

Battle Days Reception

Old Stone House, JJ Byrne Park, 3rd Street at 5th Avenue, Brooklyn, OSH Gallery. Reenactors Welcome!


Sunday, August 30
Battle of Brooklyn Commemoration

  

The Green-Wood Cemetery, 5th Avenue at 25th Street, Brooklyn. 718-768-7300 for more information.

 

10 AM – 12 PM Green-Wood
historian Jeff Richman and author Barnet Schecter conduct a trolley
tour of the cemetery. Reservations necessary. $20 for the public, $10
for Historic Fund members. 718-768-7300

11:30 AM Tributes to George Washington's Irish Generals, The Bold Fenian Men/The Civil War, Irish Korean War Memorial, Matilda Tone

12 PM – 1:15 PM Re-enactment inside the Main Gate

1:30 PM Parade to top of Battle Hill

2 PM Memorial Ceremony at Battle Hill; Micahel Callahan, Guest Speaker
 

Food and Drink

Southern BBQ In Northern California

Kettle_Ribs  Hepcat decided that he wanted to BBQ spare ribs for Friday night's
dinner with his sister, bro-in-law, his mom, OSFO and me. It was a
lark, really. He'd never done it before and thought it might be fun.

Quick to the rescue, I emailed Mrs. Cleavage, my friend the southern gal blogger of Eat Drink Memory, who is currently residing in North Carolina and asked if she had a recipe.

Of course she had a recipe; she wrote this in her email.

Here's a link to
a solid rib recipe that I love.  A BBQ sounds like a lot of fun about
now.  We are going to my Uncle's Labor Day Weekend for a pig-picking
and pool party.  I plan to lounge in the water until I look like a
prune.

Luckily we took a look at the recipe, which is on Epicurious and originally from a cookbook called The Thrill of the Grill by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby (William Morrow and Company, 1990), early in the day because it required four hours of cooking time on the BBQ.

It's a dry rub recipe, which combines: 2
1/2 tablespoons sugar, 3 tablespoons paprika, 2 tablespoons ground
cumin, 1 1/2 tablespoons black pepper, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1
tablespoon salt.

Hepcat is usually violently opposed to
following recipes because he likes to improvise but he followed this
one to the letter because he doesn't know squat about southern BBQ.

He
did, however, substitute chipolte chili powder for regular chili powder
and that was a tasty idea. Mid-preparation, he had drive to the store
to get hickory chips and extra black pepper because he thought the rub
and the basting sauce called for a whole lot of pepper. I see now he
misread the word teaspoons in the basting sauce recipe for tablespoons.
Maybe that's why it was so spicy.

Here's the recipe for the basting sauce: 1 3/4 cups distilled white vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon Tabasco, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper.

Correction from Hepcat:
he says he did misread it initially but when he read it again he saw
that it said teaspoon not tablespoon. "Still, I think it was too
peppery and next time I'd do less pepper and more sugar."

Hepcat
started preparing the ribs around 5 pm which put the EST for eating
around 9 pm. While the ribs cooked we had a great time sitting around
and swimming in the pool, listening to music, talking and drinking
beer.

The ribs were spicy, savory and delicious and there were
absolutely no leftovers. We served them with BBQed homegrown zucchini
and eggplant and a salad. Even the veggies had a nice hickory smoked
taste.

Good job Hepcat and thanks to Mrs. Cleavage for the recipe. I see that today on Eat Drink Memory she's got a recipe for Eastern North Carolina Pit Cooked BBQ. She writes:

When my Dad and brother cook a pig, they cook the whole behemoth –
everything but the squeal.  Cooking a whole pig over coals is a lengthy
process, with an average cooking time of between 10 and 12 hours. My
Dad and brother used to cook pigs in lined earth pits but later
fashioned cookers from metal drums.

Sounds great.  But tonight, we're cooking leg of lamb here in California.

Civics and Urban Life

Aug 28 & 29: The Brooklyn Soul Festival at the Bell House

The Bell House has booked a couple of great shows featuring soul legends.

On August 28: “The Brooklyn Soul Festival will feature Barbara Lynn (best known for
“You’ll Lose a Good Thing”), Roscoe Robinson (who played with Sam
Cooke), and Hermon Hitson (who played with Jimi Hendrix and Wilson
Pickett).

On the 29th: Otis Clay  and Maxine Brown (“Oh No Not My
Baby” from 1964) will grace their stage.

“Brooklyn Soul Festival” at The Bell House [149 Seventh St. bet.
Second and Third Avenues, (718) 643-6510], Aug. 28 and 29. Tickets, $15.

Music

OTBKB Music: The Sandanista Project for Free

Sandinistaprojectcover I recently received the following email from Abe Bradshaw at 2Minutes59
Records, a record company based in Park Slope which has released some
very good music over the years:

Most of you know that the name of the record label, 00:02:59, is pulled
from a line in the song "Hitsville UK" from the album Sandinista!
by
The Clash.  Hopefully more of you know that we released a track by
track tribute (by 36 different artists!) to this strange and beautiful
album
called The Sandinista! Project back in 2006.

 

Jimmy Guterman – the guy who came up with the crazy idea of The
Sandinista! Project just approached me with another crazy idea. 
He
said, "Joe Strummer's birthday is coming up on August 21st… let's
offer a free download of the entire album on August 21st."

 

Because I'm crazy too, I said, "OK."

 

So – be sure to visit 2minutes59.com on August 21st for info on how you
and all of your friends can download this sprawling, yet totally
engaging,
epic for FREE for 24-hours.

**************

I've visited the 2Minutes59 site and the URL
for the download is there.  The problem with it is that it is not a
link and you can't cut and paste it.  So I'll give it to you in link
form:

http://blog.guterman.com/2009/08/20/sandinista-free

Remember that this link will only work today, Friday.

 –Eliot Wagner

Civics and Urban Life

Sat: The Politics of Community Based Organizations

51NtT9N0adL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_ Brooklyn for Barack is sponsoring an event called "The Politics of Community Based Organizations with Professor Nicole
Marwell." 

Marwell spent years conducting field research inside eight
nonprofits in Williamsburg and Bushwick.  Her recently published book,
"Bargaining for Brooklyn," includes an insightful critique of Brooklyn
Democratic Party Boss Vito Lopez's successful effort to transform a
senior services organization – Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens
Council – into a contemporary political machine.

 
Please come on Saturday at 2:00pm at the Bushwick Branch of the
Brooklyn Public Library at 340 Bushwick Ave at Siegel St. (Take the G
to Broadway, the J to Flushing, or the L to Montrose).
hope you can make it. let me know if you have any questions. and please invite friends!
Civics and Urban Life

PS 107 Needs Wood Planters and Organic Potting Soil

Organic-potting-soil PS 107 in Park Slope is planting a garden. And now they have the opportunity to plant 12 dwarf fruit trees on school property.

Of course, this comes with some critical needs:

The school needs 12 large untreated wood planters and tons of organic potting soil. So, of course, we are open to donations (we had a great donation from a member but, alas, the planter was stolen…it was even interesting enuff to be in the Daily News), but more important, I seek potential partners with suppliers/merchants who might be interested in a partnership/sponsorship.

Breakfast of candidates

Register to Vote by Today For September 15th Primary Election

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A friendly and urgent reminder from Park Slope Neighbors:

Dear Park Slope Neighbor,

If you're not already registered to vote in New York City, and
you'd like to vote in the September 15th Primary Election, your voter
registration application must be postmarked by Friday, August
21st.
For a list of the qualifications for voter eligibility,
instructions on how to register, and to download a voter registration
form, please visit http://www.vote.nyc.ny.us/register.html.
Remember, if you wish to vote in a party primary on September
15th, you'll need to declare party affiliation on your registration
form.  Of course, no party affiliation is necessary for voting in
a General election.
Thanks to Community Board Six District Manager Craig Hammerman
for the reminder about the deadline.
Civics and Urban Life

Parents Helping Parents: Help For Children When Scary Things Happen

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Dsc00678 Sharon C. Peters, of Parents Helping Parents, had some advice for parents about what to say to children when sad and scary things happen. She lives on 11th Street and is responding to the death of the construction worker who died this week when the scaffolding he was standing on collapsed.

At Parents Helping Parents, located in Park Slope, Peters offers help to families facing transitions as well as those sorting through
everyday challenges.

According to Peters: "Practical suggestions help parents find solutions
to problems that have been hard to unravel at home. Parents get to talk
about what has or hasn’t worked for them and try new strategies to move
their families forward." 

As a family coach, Peters give parents and children the tools
to deal with acute or ongoing issues in their lives. She is also the Family Issues consultant for  Park Slope Parents where this list appeared.

I for one was always curious about that little storefront on President Street.

1.  Spend plenty of time with your children.  Try and make the time 
relaxing and comforting by letting the child choose the activities 
you do together.

 2. This is not the time to try and help a child with their 
 behavorial problems.   it is a time to recover from a confusing and 
 traumatic incident.  Temporarily suspend corrections and 
 adjustments,  you will have plenty of time to try again when things 
have returned to a more typical pace.

3. .  Answer all of your child's questions and try and set up 
 conditions that will help them ask questions or talk through what 
 they experienced.  Games can help this happen,  but sit down talks 
 can also be useful.  Remember your perspective and theirs might be 
 very different.  Try to set up a ;way to hear theirs not yours be 
 dominant.  Some children don't share what they are thinking,  they 
 just like to be  playing and close to family – that is a fine way 
to recover from such an incident.

4.   Reach out to other parents and families for support.  Don't 
 stay isolated.

5.   Get plenty of rest and good food.  It can help ease tensions 
 and stress.

Sharon C. Peters
Parents Helping Parents

Civics and Urban Life

Aug, Sept and Oct Sexy Moms Series at Babeland

Babeland, the woman's sex toys and sex education shop on Bergen Street just released their schedule of Sexy Moms events. They've been in business for 16 years (a little more than 1 year in Park Slope) and they see their mission as  encouraging personal empowerment, community education and support for a more passionate world—and lets not forget loads of vibrators and other interesting sex implements. Babeland Brooklyn is located at 462 Bergen Street between Flatbush and 5th Ave.

Last spring, I went to the Talking to Your Kids About Sex workshop with Amy Levine and will probably attend this one, too. It was great. The next event is on August 26th at 7 pm.

Desire, Sex and the New Parent
Wednesday, August 26, 07:00pm

This month’s Sexy Moms event will feature Shara Frederick, an active Dona
Certified Labor Support Doula and founder of Tots-n-Tonic – a citywide happy
hour that brings new moms together for socializing and support, who will
offer new parents tips and tricks to help them discover how to put the zing
back into their sex lives. This topic is ideal for new moms, moms-to-be, and
parents of small children who are wondering why their sex lives took a
detour once the baby arrived! Complimentary refreshments will be served
courtesy of Sip Wines and Joyce Bakery. Babeland’s “Sexy Moms Series” is
jointly sponsored by New Space for Women’s Health, Bump and Park Slope
Parents.

Lesbian Parenting

Wednesday, September 30, 07:00pm

This month's event will feature Lauren Abrams, a community health center
midwife from Park Slope, who will speak about her experience as a lesbian
partner raising two children. She'll discuss navigating the medical world as
a lesbian couple, communication between the birth and non-birth mother,
changing desires, "donor dads," taboos, etc. Babeland Co-Founder, Claire
Cavanah, will also speak about her experience as a single lesbian mom.
Complimentary refreshments will be served. This event is jointly sponsored
by The New Space for Women’s Health, Bump and Park Slope Parents.
Complimentary refreshments will be served courtesy of Sip Wines and Joyce
Bakery.

Talking to Your Kids About Sex

Wednesday, October 28, 07:00pm* *

This month’s "Sexy Moms Series" event will feature sexuality educator, Amy
Levine, who will share tips about how to talk with your kids about
sexuality-related topics. This discussion is for parents who would like to
raise sexually healthy children but aren’t sure where to start, what to say
or how to keep conversations open and ongoing. Complimentary refreshments
will be served. This event is jointly sponsored by The New Space for Women’s
Health, Bump and Park Slope Parents. Complimentary refreshments will be
served courtesy of Sip Wines and Joyce Bakery.

Civics and Urban Life

Raising Money for Compost-o-Rama and Solar Education

A group called ioby.org (which stands for in our backyards) is raising money for a number of environmental projects in Brooklyn. Here's a note from its founder, Erin Barnes:

Hi Louise

Just a quick pitch to introduce ioby.org
(stands for in our backyards) an online microphilanthropic initative
that connects New Yorkers to environmental projects in their
neighborhoods. Brooklyn residents have a number of projects to get
involved with http://ioby.org/projects/brooklyn
and can support them by donating or volunteering.  We have volunteer
opportunities coming up on Sept 19th as part of Climate Week NYC http://www.climateweeknyc.org/events/2009-09-19#61 and one is in Prospect Park Lake by the Prospect Park Alliance initiated by Brooklyn resident Tami Johnson.

But there's two other Park Slope projects I want to bring your attention to:

The
first is a community garden small-scale solar project that they want to
expand and use as a workshop to teach others in the neighborhood about
applying solar to their buidlings. They need $9,921 and volunteers to
help make the project happen  http://ioby.org/projects/brooklyn/solar-arbor-615-green

The second is Compost o Rama at the Old Stone House on 5th. The
middle school wants to build a composter for the community to use later
in the fall for rotting jack-o-lanterns and leaf waste.  They need
$1,380 and volunteers.  http://ioby.org/projects/brooklyn/compost-o-rama

Let me know if you have questions about ioby, what we do, or about
the projects.  We're a completely volunteer-run nonprofit out of
Prospect Heights so it might take us a little while to get back to you,
but I'm happy to help when I can.

All the best,
Erin

Civics and Urban Life

Movies With A View On The Cover Of The New Yorker

New yorker coverThe
illustration, by artist Adrian Tomine (http://www.adrian-tomine.com)
on the cover of the August 24th New Yorker Magazin shows the outdoor movie screen (provided by Fresh Air Flicks) used by the 'Movies with a View' series, which runs on Thursday nights in Empire-Fulton
Ferry State Park in Brooklyn, NY through September 3rd.

'The finished image was based on sketches, photos, and bit of artistic license.' says Tomine.