Here’s a report from Haiti from Garry Pierre-Pierre and Rachel Platt from the Haitian Times, which is based in Brooklyn.
Forced to flee, desperate residents leave in exodus, but with hope of return
Yearly Archives: 2010
Feb 19-21: American Crossword Puzzle Tournament
It’s at the Brooklyn Heights Marriott and directed by New York Times Crossword Puzzle Editor Will Shortz, the American Crossword Tournament is the nation’s oldest and largest crossword competition. Solvers tackle eight original crosswords created and edited specially for this event. Scoring is based on accuracy and speed. Prizes are awarded in more than 20 categories, including a $5,000 grand prize. Evening games, guest speakers, and a wine and cheese reception allow solvers to meet each other in a relaxed and entertaining atmosphere.
No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford
Oh the Flea, Oh the Williamburgh Savings Bank Building
I nearly bought a chair for my living room at the Brooklyn Flea today. Instead I bought a Scottish beret, which reminded me of something I wore as a girl.
While there’s a lot to see at the Brooklyn Flea, the star is, of course, the space itself. Now that’s when banks were banks. What a room. The Williambsurgh Savings Bank building (One Hanson Place) built in 1927 reminds me of the Central Savings Bank on the Upper West Side, where I had my first savings account as a first grader at PS 166. Our teacher took the whole class to the bank to set up accounts.
I think I had $8 dollars in there.
To call it a grand room is a vast understatement. It is the kind of architecture that cities used to be about: on par with Grand Central Station, the old Penn Station, the Central Post Office, the main branch of the New York Public Library.
It’s a friggin awesome space that makes you feel exalted. And what a blast to have the flea there for 8 weeks this winter.
The Flea takes ups so many neat spaces. The food is in the vault downstairs, there are vendors on the mezzanine and the majority of the vendor booths are in the grand bank space with windows that will make you swoon. And at 2 PM or so when the light starts to pour in…
Ahhhhh.
As for the goods: it’s a mixed bag. I found things to consider buying: groovy old valentines (dang I shoulda got them, cool lamps, the chair I considered for the living room from a vendor based in Hudson, NY).
Finally I bought that Scottish beret from a dealer who calls himself, jokingly, Sea Hair. Apparently it’s a construction worker’s obscene joke. The guy stands on a box and plays the guitar while selling his assortment of wares.
So you must go to the Brooklyn Flea. Meet a friend there. Have coffee from the pastry and coffee vendor near the front (or something tasty from the vault downstairs) take in the soaring architecture, browse around, feel exalted for a few hours one of these winter weekend days.
Dispatches from the Haitian Times: 01/23
Here’s a an excerpt from, “This Time It Was Personal,” a report from Garry Pierre-Pierre in Port-Au-Prince. He is founding editor of the Haitian Times, which is based in Brooklyn.
I have been covering my beloved homeland for about 20 years. The assignments have ranged from coup d’etats to elections to flooding , carnival and festivals.
Those were all assignments that had nothing to do with me or my family. Those who are left in Haiti do not dabble into politics nor the music scene. The floods, for the most part , have occurred in the Artibonite plateau and Central region, my kinfolks hail from the south of Haiti.
For the first time I was personally and deeply affected by the devastation brought on by this earthquake that shook this mountainous nation of roughly nine million people to its core.
No immediate family members died in the calamity, but many friends perished. They are too numerous to mention here, this column would not end. My story is not unique, it is the story of every Haitian. For years to come, Haitians would talk about Tuesday January 12 in the same way they remember January 1, our independence from France, for different reasons obviously.
Feb 11: 4th Annual Memoirathon at the Old Stone House
The Memoirathon: it’s getting to be a tradition and it’s certainly one of my favorite Brooklyn Reading Works events.
For the second year in a row, Branka Ruzak brings together a stellar group of memoirists. This year the theme is: surviving the recession/depression of 2009/2010.
Here’s the list of this year’s memoirists, who will share their woeful and wry tales of survival in these dark economic times. Branka is still accepting submissions if you are interested. Please send to bbranka(at)earthlink(dot)net. 1000 words max.
MARCO ACEVEDO
NELL BOESCHENSTEIN
JANET RAIFFA
NAVA RENEK
BETSY ROBINSON
DEBORAH SIEGEL
Thursday, February 11 at 8 PM. The Old Stone House. Third Street and Fifth Avenue in Park Slope. $5 suggested donation includes refreshments.
Jan 26: Tom Martinez Photo Show at The Old Stone House
You’ve seen Tom Martinez’s photos on OTBKB. Now you can see, Beneath the Surface, his photo exhibition at the Old Stone House, which opens on Tuesday, January 26 from 7-9 PM. The show will run through March 1.
There will be music and refreshments at the opening plus a special slide show by Tom.
In his dual career as a minister and photographer, Martinez is drawn to images that reflect the interfaith diversity of New York City and its unexpected natural habitats, In 2003 Martinez became minister of All Souls Bethlehem Church in Brooklyn’s Kensington neighborhood. He graduated from Union Theological Seminary in 2000 and subsequently completed a three-year stint at Christ Church in Summit, NJ. With the Christian Peacemaker Teams, he spent two weeks in Baghdad in an effort to promote a human connection with the Iraqi people and alternatives to war. He is the author of the book, “Confessions of a Seminarian: Searching for Soul in the Shadow of Empire.” His photographs have been published in the Staten Island Advance, the Brooklyn Paper and, of course, on OTBKB. You can see more of his photography at Tom Martinez Witness Photography.
The Weekend List: The Ant, The Clark Sisters, Coney Island Puppet Show
FILM: This weekend at BAM: “Soundtrack for a Revolution” tells the story of the American civil rights movement through its powerful music—the freedom songs protesters sang on picket lines, in mass meetings, in paddy wagons, and in jail cells as they fought for justice and equality. The film features new performances of the freedom with performances by: John Legend, Joss Stone, Wyclef Jean, and The Roots.
–Also at BAM: A Single Man with Colin Firth and Julianne Moore. Directed by Tom Ford. Based on a short story by Christopher Isherwood.
MUSIC: Chocolate Chip Chamber Music at Old First Church. Kids orchestra performs “The Cats Meow (More Tails from the Opera) at 10 AM and 11:30 AM on January 22 & 24th.
–All Ages Benefit for Haiti at the Old Stone House with Spencer Breslin & The Wild Children, Bad Teeth, Mother Courage, Passing Bells and Ray will perform at on Saturday, January 23 at 6 PM. $5 admission goes toward Haitian relief efforts. Third Street and Fifth Avenue in Park Slope.
The Clark Sisters, one of the top female gospel groups in the country, at the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College. Saturday at 8 PM.
READINGS/TALKS: On Sunday: The Dynamic Gastropolis. Jonathan Deutsch leads a panel discussion on the history and culture of food in New York City at the GAP branch of the Brooklyn Public Library at 1:30 PM
THEATER: “Lyrics from Lockdown” is the true story of Brooklyn’s own Nuyorican Grand Slam Champion, Bryonn Bain, is wrongly imprisoned in a New York City jail while studying law at Harvard on Sunday at 3PM at the Kumble Theater at Long Island University.
PUPPET SHOWS: “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and “The Snow Queen” presented by Puppetworks. 12:30 and 2:30 PM on Saturday and Sunday.
–On Saturday and Sunday at 1 and 3 PM at Green-wood Cemetery, Victorian Toy Theater presents a multi-media show that celebrates the history and legends of Coney Island.
ART: Artist Xavier Roux was inspired to create a sixty-foot long sculpture by the poem written by Surrealist Robert Desnos in 1942. This sculpture consists of a giant ant symbolizing the trains transporting Jews and other nazi victims to concentration camps. Opens Saturday, 6-9 PM at the Invisible Dog in Cobble Hill. See picture above.
No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford
OTBKB Music: Franz Nicolay Leaves The Hold Steady
News and notes from around town: Franz Nicolay leaves The Hold Steady, Maura Kennedy will be returning with a band to The Living Room in February, and the latest from The Rockwood Music Hall and The Lakeside Lounge.
Tonight at St. Anne’s Warehouse: a benefit concert for Tuli Kupferberg, a member of The Fugs, a seminal mid-60s Lower East Side group. The Fugs were there before The Velvet Underground and The Mothers of Invention.
All this over at Now I’ve Heard Everything.
–Eliot Wagner
The Weekend List: Choc Chip Chamber Music & The Dynamic Gastropolis
MUSIC: On Friday at 8 PM: John Pinamonti, Neil deMause and RebelMart at Rocky Sullivan’s in Red Hook.
—Chocolate Chip Chamber Music at Old First Church. Kids orchestra performs “The Cats Meow (More Tails from the Opera) at 10 AM and 11:30 AM on January 22 & 24th.
–All Ages Benefit for Haiti at the Old Stone House with Spencer Breslin & The Wild Children, Bad Teeth, Mother Courage, Passing Bells and Ray will perform at on Saturday, January 23 at 6 PM. $5 admission goes toward Haitian relief efforts. Third Street and Fifth Avenue in Park Slope.
The Clark Sisters, one of the top female gospel groups in the country, at the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College. Saturday at 8 PM.
READINGS/TALKS: On Friday: Nick Flynn author of “The Ticking is the Bomb” at Book Court at 7 PM
–On Sunday: The Dynamic Gastropolis. Jonathan Deutsch leads a panel discussion on the history and culture of food in New York City at the GAP branch of the Brooklyn Public Library at 1:30 PM
THEATER: “Lyrics from Lockdown” is the true story of Brooklyn’s own Nuyorican Grand Slam Champion, Bryonn Bain, is wrongly imprisoned in a New York City jail while studying law at Harvard at 3PM at the Kumble Theater at Long Island University.
PUPPET SHOWS: “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and “The Snow Queen” presented by Puppetworks. 12:30 and 2:30 PM on Saturday and Sunday.
–On Saturday and Sunday at 1 and 3 PM at Green-wood Cemetery, Victorian Toy Theater presents a multi-media show that celebrates the history and legends of Coney Island.
Tonight: RebelMart’s Last Show in Brooklyn (for awhile anyway)
RebelMart is picking-up stakes. This Friday at Rocky Sullivan’s in Red Hook come see a terrific three-way bill with three Brooklyn bards de musica: John Pinamonti, Neil deMause and the last ever NYC performance of RebelMart.
Free admission, but bring extra quid for RebelMart’s two new demo albums, Brooklyn Is Dying and Little Iodine, as well as John Pinamonti’s many incredible discs, including the newest, End of Smith. Of course, Neil writes as good as he plays geetar and sings — go here and here.
JOHN PINAMONTI (10pm)
REBELMART (9pm)
NEIL DEMAUSE (8pm)
Live on stage at Rocky Sullivan’s
34 Van Dyke Street (corner of Dwight)
Red Hook, Brooklyn
Friday, January 22
8pm
Red Hook, Brooklyn
F/G to Smith/9th Street -or- F/R to 4th Avenue/9th Street Stations
transfer for the B77 Bus to corner of Van Dyke & Dwight Street, Red Hook
free Ikea shuttle buses. Go here for more info: http://info.ikea-usa.com/brooklyn/
http://www.rockysullivans.com/quiz.html
Scott Turner is Moving to Seattle
Brooklyn is losing a great one. And so is OTBKB.
Scott Turner, the writer/designer/thinker behind the weekly Greetings from Scott Turner post, is moving to Seattle. The fight against the Atlantic Yards is losing one of its most passionate activists and Rocky Sullivan’s is losing its talented pub quiz host. And OTBKB…
…OTBKB is saddened and bummed because it SUCKS to lose such an excellent contributor. But Scott says that he’s off to greener pastures: a job offer and a desire to pursue his true love: music—and who can argue with that. I have been honored to publish his posts every week and wish him the very, very best in his Seattle adventure. I even foster hopes that he will continue Greetings from Scott Turner from Seattle (will ya think about it, Scott?).
Tonight, you can hear Scott’s solo band, RebelMart at 9PM at Rocky Sullivan’s. Also on the bill are John Pinamonti and Neil deMause. It’s a great triple-bill and the last RebelMart show around here for quite sometime. Here is Scott’s farewell missive though he’s still around for another two weeks:
Huh? Yep…I’m leaving town. A job offer in Seattle coincided with an awakening that I have to get back to music. Six years of fighting the Atlantic Yards project and lots else going on here in Brooklyn put a squelcher on the guitar and the singing. Seattle’s a clean-slate chance to play lots of music and get RebelMart functioning full-throttle.
My last Quiz at Rocky’s is February 4th. I hired from within for my successor, Sean Crowley, who publishes NerdNY. Sean’s a regular at the quiz. He’ll be taking over the Quizmails, too. I don’t know whether he’ll be issuing scorching screeds at the beginning of each Quizmail, the way I did.
This should explain my failure to send you a photo and a bio for your contributors. I’d offer to shoot you a weekly rant from Seattle, but it’s not what OTBKB is really about. Who needs another Brooklynite-out-of-water blog? Yes, we get it. They don’t have bagels, yellow cabs and blunt honesty in [name of new city]. OTBKB is about Brooklyn telling Brooklyn what Brooklyn is up to. As it should be.
Thanks for running my weekly pieces. I’ve always appreciated the trust you’ve put in me by running them, harshness and jagged edges unimpeded. It’s certainly helped the Quiz and Rocky’s. I can’t say thank you enough. And, per contemporary mores, we’ve never met each other in person. Yep, it’s the post-Aughts, alright.
No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford
Tonight: The Egg Drop Scoop
I just got off the phone with a trusted source who will be attending a meeting TONIGHT at the Novo Condo on Fourth Avenue about the egg dropper, the as yet unknown person who has been throwing eggs from their condo onto the dog run downstairs.
“An egg came from the sky,” wrote a tipster to Brownstoner last week about the incident. Isn’t that the opening of “Gravity’s Rainbow?” No, Thomas Pynchon’s first sentence is: “A screaming came across the sky…”
So why would someone throw eggs at the dogs in the dog run. Noise? Allergy to dogs? Just plain grumpy?
The Dog Run in Washington Park is open 24 hours a day. The park, however, closes at 10 PM. In other words, people who want to play or hang out have to stop at 10 PM but dogs…
…dogs run free (with their owners) and can use the run whenever they want.
Hopefully my source will have the Egg Drop Scoop later tonight. Stay tuned.
Councilmember Steve Levin Chair of Planning, Disposition, Concessions Sub Committee
Councilmember Steve Levin, who represents the 33rd District in Brooklyn, which includes parts of Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights , DUMBO, Vinegar Hill, Boerum Hill, Williamsburg , and Greenpoint, has been named the Chair of the Planning, Dispositions, and Concessions Sub Committee, a Land Use Sub Committee. Levin has also been selected to serve as a member on the Lower Manhattan Redevelopment, General Welfare, Economic Development, Education, and Environmental Protection Committees.
“I am thrilled and honored to be chosen to serve as Chair of the Planning, Dispositions, and Concessions Sub Committee, as well as a member of several other committees. I have always made the creation and protection of affordable housing one of my main priorities, and I will continue to do so in my new role as chair of this very important sub committee. In the aftermath of massive development throughout our city, this sub committee will be vital in determining how we move forward to make sure that development can serve those who need it most,” Levin said. “I thank Speaker Quinn and my fellow Council members for putting their faith in me to guide this committee. Continue reading Councilmember Steve Levin Chair of Planning, Disposition, Concessions Sub Committee
Brownstoner to Launch Philadelphia Edition
Brownstoner announced today that in the spring, most likely early April, they’re going to launch a Philadelphia edition of Brownstoner.
Philadelphia’s status as the sixth borough and one of the most historic cities in the country make it an ideal spot for our first geographical expansion; in addition to the architecture, there’s such a strong sense of community and neighborhood allegiance (like in Brooklyn) that make it a great place to launch Brownstoner. What’s more, the city is woefully under-blogged and under-reported in general. We have every confidence that a Brownstoner community can flourish in the city of brotherly love, especially because it will be launched under the experienced watch of Gabby Warshawer, who has been a writer for Brownstoner in Brooklyn for the last 2 1/2 years. There will more details as we approach launch, but we urge you to tell your Philly friends about it and to direct them to this page to sign up to receive a notification when the site launches. We’ll also be looking for a handful of neighborhood “stringers” to report on streetlevel and development news, so feel free to shoot us an email if you’re interested.
Jan 23: Brooklyn History Lesson at the Brooklyn Flea
Preeminent New York City and Brooklyn historian Prof. Ken Jackson (Columbia Univ.; The Encyclopedia of New York City, ed.; The Neighborhoods of Brooklyn, co-author) will join Prof. Stuart Blumin (Cornell Univ.) at the Brooklyn Flea at One Hanson to provide a freeform public talk on the history of the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Building and its relationship to Brooklyn as a borough, and formerly as a city unto itself.
The approximately 45-minute talk will take place at the kiosk at the main entryway to the Flea/bank, starting at 3:00pm this Saturday, January 23. The event is free and open to the public. Directions are available at www.brooklynflea.com.
Brooklyn Flea has moved into the beautiful bank space—now managed as an event space by Skylight One Hanson—for 12 weekends, through March 27/28, Saturday and Sunday from 10:00am to 5:00pm, with 100 vendors on three floors: the main-floor bank space, mezzanine, and lower-level vault. The market has attracted nearly 10,000 visitors each of the first two weekends at One Hanson, and the Flea is building on its activation of this public space by highlighting the special significance the landmark skyscraper holds in both Brooklynites’ imaginations and the borough’s compelling history.
Professors Jackson and Blumin will delve into the building’s architectural details—from the giant golden mosaic map of Brooklyn on the bank’s back wall to the wrought-iron depictions of artisans and skilled workers in the stained-glass windows—while linking them to the broad narrative of Brooklyn as a longtime capital of the American working class. They will also answer questions from the public.
New: Vietnamese Sandwich Shop on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope
Banh mi are the thing!
The other day a restaurant opened in the space next door to Willie Dawgs on Fifth Avenue between 4th and 5th Streets in Park Slope. It’s called Home S and they sell banh mi, which are Vietnamese sandwiches (think Hanco’s on Seventh Avenue and 10th Street). Classic sandwiches cost $6 and they’ve got bubble tea for $3.75.
Pix of sandwich is not from Home S.
Tonight at 8PM: Tin House at the Old Stone House
Brooklyn Reading Works presents Tin House at the Old Stone House curated by Tin House editor-in-chief Rob Spillman.
Tin House is an American literary magazine and book publisher based in Portland, Oregon and New York City that has a reputation for presenting “what’s still righteous and nervy in American writing.”
For this special Brooklyn Reading Works event, Spillman brings together a stellar group of Tin House authors, including Brenda Shaughnessy, Matthea Harvey and Elissa Schappell. They will be reading their own work plus one poem each by Heather Hartley, the Paris editor of Tin House.
Thursday, January 21, at 8 PM.
The Old Stone House. Third Street and Fifth Avenue. Suggested donation of $5 includes refreshments. Tin House magazines and books will be offered for sale.
And here’s BRW’s winter/spring schedule. All events at 8 PM at the Old Stone House in Park Slope:
January: 21: TIN HOUSE AT THE OLD STONE HOUSE curated by Rob Spillman
February 11: MEMOIRATHON curated by Branka Ruzak. We are accepting submissions for memoir pieces about life during the recession of 2009/2010 (send to louise_crawford(at)yahoo(dot)com ASAP).
March 18: BLARNEYPALOOZA curated by Michele Madigan Somerville
April 15: TRUTH AND MONEY curated by John Guidry
May 20: 4TH ANNUAL EDGY MOTHER’S DAY curated by Sophia Romero, Michele Madigan Somerville & Louise Crawford (note new date for this event).
June 10: FICTION IN A BLENDER curated by Martha Southgate
Sat Jan 23 at 6PM: All Ages Benefit for Haitian Relief
Spencer Breslin & The Wild Children, Bad Teeth, Mother Courage, Passing Bells and Ray will perform at the Old Stone House on Saturday, January 23 at 6 PM. $5 admission goes toward Haitian relief efforts. Third Street and Fifth Avenue in Park Slope.
Dispatches from Haitian Times: 01/21
Here are reports from Garry Pierre-Pierre, founding editor of the Haitian Times, and reporters Rachel Pratt and Ron Howell about what’s going on in Haiti—and in Brooklyn—since the earthquake.
–On the Rise With aid slow to reach starving population, food prices skyrocket
–Forced to flee, desperate residents leave in exodus, but with hope of return
Found in Brooklyn: Tish James Speaks Truth to Power
Found in Brooklyn has video from a press conference at Freddy’s Bar where councilmember Letitia James gave a rousing speech denouncing the priorities of Mayor Bloomberg, Governor Patterson, Brooklyn Borough President Markowitz and “other elected officials,” whose work with real estate developers resulted in last week’s eviction of 88 homeless families in the dead of winter.
Tonight at 7PM: EPA Coming to Gowanus for Public Info Meeting
From the EPA’s press release:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invites you to attend a public information meeting to discuss community involvement tools available for the Gowanus Canal site. Topics covered will include the formation of a Community Advisory Group (CAG), Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) and Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC).
When: Thursday, January 21,
Time:7:00PM – 9:00PM
Location:P.S. 32 – 317 Hoyt Street, Brooklyn, NY
Bklyn Bloggage: 01/21
Thursday is apartment/house design day on BB:
Behind the scenes of Mad Men with Adam Rowe: Design Sponge
City slicker’s adventure in cottage living: CasaCara
2009 home resolutions revisited: A Brooklyn limestone in progress
Found object clocks: Reclaimed Home
Current Weather in Park Slope
Brought to you by The Feldman family from their weather tower in Park Slope.
Jan 28: Brooklyn Israel Film Festival in Cobble Hill
The Brooklyn Israel Film Festival is returning to the Kane Street Synagogue in Cobble Hill for three days starting Thursday, January 28. Once again, the festival will offer a chance to see some of the best in new Israeli cinema, including:
Lady Kul-El Arab: a documentary exploring the conflicts faced by a young Arab woman competing in an Israeli beauty contest.
A Matter of Size: a funny, poignant feature about four overweight Israeli men who discover sumo wrestling.
Eli and Ben: an insightful feature about a privileged boy whose world is shaken when his architect father is accused of a crime.
WHAT: Kane Street Synagogue’s Brooklyn Israel Film Festival, with screenings of “Lady Kul-El Arab,” “A Matter of Size,” and “Eli & Ben”
WHEN: Thursday, January 28, 8 pm; Saturday, January 30, 8 pm; Sunday, January 31, 7 pm
WHERE: Kane Street Synagogue, 236 Kane Street (between Court and Clinton Sts.), Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, 11231
No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford
Dispatches from the Haitian Times: 01/20
Two reports from Haiti from Garry Pierre-Pierre, founding editor of the Haitian Times, which is located in Brooklyn:
In the Aftermath of the Earthquake Social Networks keep People Informed and Comforted
OTBKB Music: Free Movie, Punking Out, Tonight
Two things are on the docket for tonight: a free movie, Punking Out, which is being shown at 92 Y Tribeca and the first of the Haitian Benefit Concerts at City Winery. Details at Now I’ve Heard Everything.
Also, Celebrate Brooklyn 2010 had its first concert announcement yesterday: a benefit show (that is a show with tickets that cost real money, not the $3 at the gate and which raises money for Celebrate Brooklyn‘s regular programs) featuring Passion Pit and Tokyo Police Club on June 29.
–Eliot Wagner