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Journalism in the Age of the Internet at St. Francis College

St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights is hosting a symposium called Journalism in the Age of the Internet with Diana Williams (WABC), Ben Smith (Politico), Robert George (New York Post) and other notables.

Where: St. Francis College – Founders Hall

180 Remsen Street, Brooklyn Heights, NY 11201

When: Tuesday, February 23

6:30pm – 8:30

A distinguished collection of journalists and media experts will come together at St. Francis College on Tuesday, February 23 at 6:30pm in Founders Hall for the symposium: Journalism in the Age of the Internet, co-hosted by St. Francis and the Manhattan Institute.

The panelists, who will seek to answer the question of how the rise of online reporting and commentary is transforming the business of journalism, include: WABC anchor and reporter Diana Williams; Politico Lead Reporter and Columnist Ben Smith; New York Post Editorial Writer Robert George; WABC Director of Community Affairs Saundra Thomas; Politico Editor Harry Siegel and Hunter College Professor of Economics Lisa George.

The panel will be moderated by Manhattan Institute Vice President of Communications & Marketing Lindsay Young Craig.

She’s Writing a Book & Needs a Kickstart

Do you know about Kickstarter?

Kickstarter is a new way to fund creative ideas and ambitious projects. They believe that: “A good idea, communicated well, can spread fast and wide AND a large group of people can be a tremendous source of money and encouragement.”

My friend and fellow blogger, Cathryn Swan of Washington Square Blog, is writing a book called “The B-girl Guide: In the Context of Now – Living Your Life in An Environmentally, Animal & People-Friendly Way” and she’s using Kickstarter to fund it.

She tells me that on Kickstarter, the end call for funding of your project is the most important one, as she will only receive funds pledged IF she reaches her goal of $6500. With your help, Cathyrn can meet her goal. In her own words:

When I decided to go the Kickstarter route to raise funds to finish writing my book, I was excited about having a video on the site to promote the project (something the Kickstarter site greatly recommends). However, when I set out to make, shoot, produce, edit and finalize one, a few challenges arose. (I could write a book on this in itself!)

So, I’m happy to report that THE VIDEO FOR MY BOOK PROJECT IS NOW UP!

Watch it here:  http://kck.st/bZEdOM

Some will recognize the setting outside Park Slope coffee shop, the Tea Lounge.

Fat Tuesday on Fifth Avenue

Two Boots isn’t the only location for Brooklyn Fat Tuesday festivities. Turns out there’s lots to do on Fifth Avenue, too. Information courtesy of All About Fifth:

200 Fifth: (718) 638-2925 200 5th Ave. $16.95 pre-fix menu featuring New Orleans style soul food. The dinner includes a main course and two sides.

Babouche: (718) 636-2100 165 5th Ave. Tuesday is fish night!

Bogota Latin Bistro: (718) 230-3806 141 5th Ave. Happy hour all night long.

Trattoria Mulino: (718) 398-9001 133 5th Ave. Prefix for 19.95. It will include an appetizer, entree and dessert.

Miriam Restaurant & Wine Bar: (718) 622-2250 79 5th Ave. From 5:30 to 8:00, two for one draft beers, two for one glasses of wine, and two for one Meze’s.

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Feb Community Board 6 Meetings

Feb 18     Transportation Committee
Old First Reformed Church
729 Carroll Street
Brooklyn, NY
6:30 PM

Feb 22     Pub Safety/Environmental Protection/Permits/Licenses Committee
Washington’s Birthday (U.S.)
Cobble Hill Community Room
250 Baltic Street
Brooklyn NY 11201
6:30 PM

Feb 22     Econ/Water/Comm Dev And Housing
Long Island College Hospital
339 Hicks Street
Brooklyn NY 11201
6:00 PM

Feb 24     Youth/Human Services/Education
If needed

Feb 25     Landmarks/Land Use Committee Meeting

Cobble Hill Meeting Room
250 Baltic Street
Brooklyn NY 11201
6:00 PM

Living, Breathing Gay History at St. Ann’s Warehouse

Artistic Director Susan Feldman just sent this email about a new show at Dumbo’s St. Ann’s Warehouse starting in March:

If you saw the movie, Milk, you may recall the overwhelming joy and awakening that distinguished the early days of the Gay Liberation movement in San Francisco in the late 1960s.  At the same time, in Britain, Bette Bourne was discovering drag and fighting the same battles that became a worldwide movement. Now 70 years old, Bette and playwright Mark Ravenhill reminisce about an extraordinary life and an extraordinary time.

I first saw this lovely “conversation,” A Life in Three Acts, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last summer, and I was deeply moved by Bette’s story and his generosity in telling it. I felt privileged to hear about the trials and the triumphs, the pride and the small victories that built upon one another to create an historic struggle that continues today. I was struck by Bette’s humour, his strength and his humility, and I was entertained the whole time. Thank you so very much.

And now we’re pleased to welcome Bette and Mark to St. Ann’s Warehouse, where they will share it all with you.  The theater’s in the life, and the story in the telling.  How lucky are we. It begins March 4!

Disruptions on C & D Trains

Starting today:  C and D train service in Manhattan will be disrupted for the rest of the week to replace signals near Chambers Street that control a track switch.

Northbound D trains will run local from 59th Street-Columbus Circle to 145th Street in Upper Manhattan, and northbound C trains will run express from Canal Street to 145th Street, from Tuesday morning until early Saturday morning.

Any local stops bypassed by the C train will still be served by the E train, and B trains will continue to run local along Central Park West. Officials from New York City Transit, who announced the changes on Monday afternoon, apologized for the short notice.

20 Years of Mardi Gras at Two Boots Brooklyn

Park Slope may not be New Orleans but for 20 years Two Boots, the child-friendly  Cajun pizza joint on 2nd Street, has been hosting a raucous and fun Mardi Gras celebration complete with colorful beads, authentic New Orleans specialties and great bands.

Tonight for their 20th anniversary Mardi Gras celebration, Two Boots presents Jelly Roll Brundrett and the Zulu Kings, a special New Orleans menu and cocktails.

As always, reservations are a great idea.

Mack’s Bar & Grill in Park Slope is Snooky’s Reincarnated

Who said you can’t go home again?

Well, it was Thomas Wolfe, whose short story, “Only the Dead Know Brooklyn” is the namesake for this blog.

Mack’s Bar & Grill on Park Slope’s Seventh Avenue between Garfield and Carroll Streets (owned and operated by the folks who own Johnny Mack’s the popular 8th Avenue eatery) is open for business in the space that was Elementi and Snooky’s before that

When Snooky’s, a classic Park Slope sports bar, closed and Elementi’s went in, Snooky’s loyal customers, were none-too-pleased with its replacement, an upscale Italian eatery.

The new Mack’s should make the old Snooky’s crowd very happy. I just took a stroll through the place and it’s got a decidedly Snooky’s-esque vibe. Casual atmosphere, booths up front, TV sets at the bar, grill and sandwiches on the menu, restaurant seating in the back.

It’s a real local restaurant and bar.

If the food is as good as Johnny Mack’s on 8th Avenue I’ll be happy. It may be just what the neighborhood needs. An easy place to grab a drink, a sandwich, a tasty burger.

OTBKB Music: A Busy Week, A Song for Mardi Gras, The Knack’s Doug Fieger Dies and Win Free Passes to SXSW

There’s a lot going on this week and it’s all covered over at Now I’ve Heard Everything.  First, there is good music you can see every night this week.  Check out the calendar here.

Tomorrow is Mardi Gras in New Orleans and in honor of both, you can download a new version of Iko Iko by former Brooklynite and current New Orleans resident Kristin Diable here.

If you were around in the late 70s, you no doubt heard the song My Sharona by The Knack.  Their lead singer and rhythm guitarist Doug Fieger died over the weekend at a way too young 57.  See a video of My Sharona here.

Finally, the South By Southwest Music Conference and Festival (SXSW) is coming on March 17 to Austin Texas.  You could attend it for free; details here.

–Eliot Wagner

Valentine’s Day 1991

I just found this photo of me on Jamie Livingston’s Photo of the Day website from February 14, 1991.

Here I am pregnant, in a bed at  Lenox Hill Hospital with pre-term labor. I had to stay there for a month so that my son, Henry, wouldn’t be born 4 months early.

His due date was June 12th.

I remember spending Valentine’s Day at the hospital. Hugh, who managed to stay strong throughout this ordeal, made me a beautiful valentine’s card that made me cry. And I guess he gave me a box of chocolates. Or someone did.

That was one of the most stressful times of my life. I thought Henry might not survive. I was under doctor’s orders to be calm and told not to laugh or cry. I wasn’t allowed to get out of bed, to stand. It was pretty awful. But staying calm was hardest of all.

CALM? How can you be calm in a situation like that?

I had so much love and support from Hugh, my family and friends. My parents, who divorced years before and were rarely in the same room together, were there day after day, side by side (able for the first time to overlook their own differences in the face of this emergency).

My sister, my cousins, my aunts, my friends, including one who figured out how to wash my hair while lying in bed, all rallied round. They brought food, books, magazines. Jamie gave me cassette tapes of his favorite ethnic music, another friend brought  Creme Brulee from a French Bistro, still another gave me an adorable stuffed dog that sat on top of the hospital TV like a mascot.

My twin sister gave blood for me (just in case). At first she was told that she was too thin to give blood. While she was disappointed about not being able to give blood, she was THRILLED to be too thin. As I recall, they told her to go out and have a big meal and then come back.

She did end up giving blood for me and I was grateful.

The room was often full of people. It was actually kind of festive and fun (sort of). I got so many flowers from a Upper West Side flower shop called Surroundings, it was a lush garden on my windowsill, which had a diagonal view of Park Avenue.

I remember wanting to connect with the baby(I had just learned that the baby was a he) but I was afraid because I thought he might die.

A wise person told me: attach to the baby inside of you. If something does happen, you will deal with the loss then.

And so I did. I soared at the art of positive even magical thinking. And you know what, it worked.

Henry was born on his due date. The nurse screamed out “He’s cute.” Indeed, he was the most adorable– and beloved — baby in the world.

A Terrible Night with the NYPD: One Woman’s Story

A note from a young woman arrived in my in-box on Sunday morning. Her boyfriend was arrested Saturday night for “hopping the turnstile” at the Atlantic Avenue Station, but it is what happened to her that is the real story.

She writes:  “I hope sharing my story can help open some more eyes, be it through Internal Affairs, the CCRB, or the internet and I hope that the NYPD will take some initiative on insuring that women’s rights aren’t violated in the name of the law.”

“On Saturday, February 13, 2010 my boyfriend and I were entering the Atlantic Avenue train station.  I swiped my card to enter, he hopped the turnstile.  I know that his action – he committed a crime – may be incendiary.  Please understand that I am aware of this and we are dealing with it as such, I am not trying to elicit sympathy for his action.  What happened to me as a result of his action is something I find abhorring, that is what I’d like to share here.

“After K. hopped the turnstile he was approached by two cops who had been standing on the other side of the entrance.  They noticed my pause, asked if I was with him, asked me to stand further along the wall.  I complied, and stood there for about ten minutes before walking over to see what was happening.  Immediately, one of the officers – Officer W. of the 32nd precinct – asked me to step back.  I said I just wanted to know what was happening, at which time the other officer explained they were calling in his information to see if he had any outstanding warrants.  When the other officer began talking to me Officer W.  indicated I should stand between the two officers and only address the other officer.  I complied, and while I was talking to him something came over the radio, he took out his handcuffs and cuffed my boyfriend with no explanation.

“It wasn’t until later today that I learned that in NYC you do not have to be read Miranda rights or told what you are being arrested for when you are being arrested.  This boggles my mind, but is also not the reason I am writing.

“Confused, I took a step forward to ask the officer why jumping a turnstile all of a sudden had my boyfriend in handcuffs. (The answer was that the computer was down so they were unable to see if he had any warrants out for his arrest so procedure dictated that they take him in.  Perhaps a little guilty until proven innocent, but again, not why I am writing [and not something I said to the officer, since I didn’t find any of this out until much later.])   As I stepped forward Officer W.  pushed me back – he did so by placing his hand squarely on my right breast and applying pressure.

“No one has ever touched my breasts without my consent.  It was jarring, it was uncomfortable, and I immediately felt violated by someone who had power over me by virtue of his position.  I was terrified and screamed “SEXUAL ASSAULT” to be sure there were witnesses.  I also moved back towards the wall away from the officer, as he approached me I tried to wedge myself between a pay phone and the wall to protect myself.  Writing it now it seems so illogical, but I cannot describe how frightened, how taken aback I was by the inappropriate touch.  At this point he grabbed my right breast, grabbed it as his other hand reached around the small of my back to put me in handcuffs, arresting me for a TBD crime.

Continue reading A Terrible Night with the NYPD: One Woman’s Story

Drinking with Divas: Peekaboo Pointe

by Sarah Deming

This is the first in a new series of interviews with Brooklyn women artists at their favorite bars by Sarah Deming. She met the magnificent burlesque dancer Peekaboo Pointe for a Manhattan at Quarter Bar in Brooklyn’s South Slope.

Peekaboo leaves this week for a month-long tour of Australia, but when she comes back you can catch her lighting up the stage at Galapagos Artspace in Dumbo and the Bell House in Brooklyn as well as The Slipper Room on the LES and Tribeca’s Duane Park.  She will also appear in Washington DC at the Lucky Daredevil Thrill Show on April 9 and the Richmond Varietease Show in Richmond, VA on April 10.

Sarah: Tell me about your dance background and how you ended up in burlesque.

Peekaboo: I have a BFA in Choreography from George Mason University, and I studied modern dance with Bill T Jones and Afro-Cuban with Cutumba in Cuba.  I’ve always been fascinated by the low-brow tradition in art, strip clubs, that kind of thing. When I came to New York after school I took a burlesque class taught by Ducky Doolittle now a sex educator.  I wasn’t hooked right away, but the first time I performed burlesque onstage – at defunct Carroll Gardens joint called Boudoir Bar – I felt like I was home.

Sarah: How has your classical dance training affected the way you approach burlesque?

Peekaboo: I use my modern dance training to create interest and variety in the routine. I want the audience to be dying for the next move, to get a clear build from the beginning to the middle to the end of a routine.  I also use different levels of the stage and am especially big on floor work.  Nothing is sexier than a woman on her back!

Sarah: Your performances are always sexy.  In fact, you won the title of “Most Sensual Performer in Burlesque” at the 2009 Golden Pasties Awards. How important is it to you to create sex appeal on stage?

Peekaboo: It’s so important.  A lot of people in the new burlesque try to take the sensuality out.  They want to make burlesque into something political or something verging on performance art.  I really enjoy that kind of burlesque, but I feel that the mission is to bring the hotness back.  When burlesque originated, it was dirty!  These girls were the strippers of their day.  They were turning tricks in the back of the club. Sometimes people see my routine and they say, “Those moves were so dirty!” but the same moves they think are the raunchiest are the ones I stole from Jenny Lee tapes, from the old burlesque dancers of the 1950’s.  People have been having dirty sex forever.  We didn’t invent it.

Sarah: Do you get turned on when you dance?

Peekaboo: Absolutely.  And when I’m turned on, I know my audience is, too.

Sarah: How can I learn to twirl my pasties like you?

OUR BARTENDER: It’s all in the toes.

Peekaboo: (laughing) Actually, he’s right.  It’s all in the toes.  You have to bounce on the balls of your feet.  I teach classes in tassel twirling at the School of Burlesque.

Sarah: What advice do you have for our readers?

Peekaboo: Quit your day job.  I quit my job working retail at Agent Provacateur four years ago. Everybody said I was crazy, but it’s made me a better person.  You are never going to get anywhere as an artist if you play it safe.  Humans are built to survive, and you are stronger than you think you are.  Just take that leap and trust that someone will catch you.

MANHATTAN RECIPE:

As prepared by our groovy bartender Richard, after owner David Moo.  These proportions are my own – adjust them to suit your taste.

2 ounces Old Overholt Rye Whiskey
1/2 ounce Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
Four dashes Angostura bitters
Four dashes Peychaud’s bitters
Lemon twist
Orange twist
Brandied cherry – at Quarter they make their own!

Chill a cocktail glass.  Shake the bitters into bottom of glass and express oil from rinds into glass, then rub bitters all over glass using inside of rinds.  Dump out the excess bitters, leaving glass coated with deliciousness.  Stir rye and vermouth very well over cracked ice and strain into prepared glass.  Garnish with a cherry and drink with someone sexy.

A Dog Named Sugar is Lost

A dog named Sugar is missing and a family is broken hearted:

Our beloved Sugar ran off in the snow storm in Prospect Park on Wednesday.
We have contacted the police, the park, vets, animal organizations, posted fliers, scanned and posted on the Internet but no luck yet.
Sugar was wearing her tags and is micro chipped so we thought we’d be contacted by now.
It’s been suggested that by now someone may be planning to keep her as their own.
Here’s my thought, if all of you e-mail the attached flier and photo of Sugar to as many people as you can think of, it will be hard for them to walk her without
being reported.
Also, we’d love to hear any suggestions you might have.
As you can imagine, Albert, the boys and I are broken hearted.

Smartmom: Valentine’s Jitters

From this week’s Brooklyn Paper:

In the days before Valentine’s Day, Smartmom was simply trying to decide what to do.

Face it, it’s been years since she and Hepcat went out for romantic dinner. They both know it’s one of the worst restaurant nights of the year as local restaurants are usually overcrowded and chaotic.

Still, it is a symbolic day. A day to exchange cards and gifts. A day to be all lovey-dovey.

But Smartmom and Hepcat are a tad cynical about the whole “holiday,” which seems so pre-determined and un-spontaneous. And sometimes things can go terribly wrong.

Who can forget the year that Hepcat lovingly refers to as the “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre or when my wife tried to kill me with bed sheets.”

That was when Smartmom bought new white sheets from Ikea, but forgot to wash them before use.

The next morning, Hepcat woke up with hives and could barely breathe. They rushed to Methodist Hospital and spent much of the day waiting for his welts to go down.

Then there are the years that Hepcat forgot to buy Smartmom a gift. Sometimes he has the best of intentions, but he just doesn’t get to the store on time.

The Clay Pot closes at 7 pm — everyone knows that!

Then there was the time he ordered a special watch for Smartmom with her picture on the face.

But somehow (in this case, luckily) it got lost in the mail.

Then there was the year that Smartmom booked a room at the Brooklyn Marriott for some Valentine’s fun and frolic. The plan was to meet at the cocktail lounge and then go upstairs (insert suggestive ellipses here). But the night of marital bliss didn’t happen because Hepcat came down with a nasty cold; given his drippiness, all Smartmom was getting that Valentine’s Day was a rain-check and dozens of dirty Kleenexes. Smartmom held out hope that Hepcat would recuperate in time for the secluded rendezvous — but then she remembered that they had a couple’s therapy appointment that night. Smartmom cancelled the room at the Marriott and headed for her shrink, so that Valentine’s evening, they sat in that cozy brownstone office discussing why they weren’t at the Marriott having sex.

Which isn’t to say that Smartmom and Hepcat haven’t had a few fantastic Valentine’s days.

Smartmom will never forget the night a few years after Teen Spirit was born when Hepcat staged a wonderful surprise. He wouldn’t tell Smartmom where they were going, but when they got to Varick Street near Van Dam Street in Gaphattan, he made her close her eyes. When she opened them, they were in front of the tiny Van Dam Cinema (it’s no longer there). On the marquee, it said, “ ‘L’Atalante’ by Jean Vigo.”

“L’Atalante” happens to be one of Smartmom’s favorite movies (and is considered by many critics to be one of the best films of all time).

Made in 1932, the film is about Jules, the captain of a canal barge, and his new wife, Juliette. The newlyweds embark on a trip from Le Havre and Paris, a makeshift honeymoon that is also a cargo delivery.

Tensions arise in all directions and Juliette runs off in Paris, having grown disenchanted with barge life. Without Juliette, Jules plunges into a deep depression and scours Paris looking for his bride. Eventually, they are reunited.

The film, which is lyrical and poetic, passionate and tortured, is perfect metaphor for the ups and downs of marriage.

That special night, Smartmom and Hepcat were the only ones in the movie theater and Smartmom thought it was the most romantic thing ever for a few reasons:

1. It was ooh la la romantic to watch a poetic French masterpiece on Valentine’s Day.

2. It was fun being the only people in the movie theater.

3. It was thoughtful — and loving — of Hepcat to remember that “L’Atalante” is Smartmom’s favorite movie.

After they film, they browsed in the now-defunct Spring Street Books and later had dinner at the Odeon in Tribeca. Manhattan Granny was watching Baby Teen Spirit and it was, as Smartmom remembers, a perfect Valentine’s Day.

So how to top that?

Smartmom could rent “L’Atalante” at Video Forum and stage a repeat of that night.

Nah. Been there, arthoused that.

Well, she could rent “Touch of Evil” or “The Third Man,” which are two of Hepcat’s favorite movies. And they could watch one or both sitting on the new couch in their redecorated living room.

Smartmom could prepare Hepcat’s favorite dish (she’d have to call Hepcat’s mom for her tamale pie recipe) and eat by candlelight in their dining room.

Smartmom is liking the sounds of that (minus the tamale pie, which Smartmom would gladly replace with one of her own specialties — if she had one).

All in all, it might just be a nice way to celebrate the day of love with the man she loves.

The Weekend List: Kiki, Purple Yam, Sesame Street

FILM:

–The Hurt Locker and A Single Man at BAM

MUSIC:

–Three bands Friday, February 12 at Sycamore in Ditmas Park at 9:30: Michaela Anne, Big Tree and In One Wind mix folk with country, jazz, a bit alternative, somewhat progressive and improvised.

Friday, February 12 at 9 PM at BAMcafe. Grammy and MTV Video award nominated Tracy Bonham brings her big voice and captivating songs from her new EP, In the City + In the Woods to the cafe at BAM.

THEATER:

–Friday, Saturday and Sunday Caroline or Change at Gallery Players. in the South Slope.

ART:

–Kiki Smith: Sojourn at the Brooklyn Museum through September 12 2010

FOOD:

Purple Yam, a Filipino, Pan-Asian restaurant in Ditmas Park has a 9PM seating for Valentine’s Day. The 7PM seating is already totally reserved.

KIDS:

Sesame Street: A Celebration of 40 Years of Life on the Street in the lobby of the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library at Grand Army Plaza.  Through February 21.

BOOKS:

Sunday, February 14 at 1:30 PM at the Stephen Dweck Center at the Brooklyn Public Library: The History of White People by historian Nell Irvin Painter.  Beginning at the roots of Western civilization, she traces the invention of the idea of a white race often for economic, scientific, and political ends.

Last Night’s Memoirathon

Betsy Robinson at the Memoirathon

At 7;45 I paniced that cold and ice might keep people away from the 4th Annual Memoirathon at the Old Stone House. We’d gotten a bunch of cancellations from friends and family.

By 8:05, the room filled up and more people joined in as the event progressed.

Artist Lori Nelson displayed 40 of her Recession Story plaques, which are just wonderful. What she does is this: she gathers one- or two-line stories from friends, Craigslist, and Facebook about what people are feeling and seeing during these tough economic times. In her words.

In the tradition of Studs Terkel, I feel compelled to document this important time in history so that people can understand how it is and maybe learn. The numbers are interesting and I will continue to create plaques for the important data of the Recession, but I have switched the focus of my project to the humans. One Hundred Little Recession Stories is at about 40 stories now and seems to show no signs of letting up.

Branka Ruzak, a gifted host, got the event off to a great—and theatrical—start with the Stephen Foster song, “Hard Times” (sung by Kate McGarrigle & Emmylou Harris) while distributing Hershey Kisses to the crowd.

She told a short version of her own recession story, which includes a stint as a cashier at Whole Foods and a 10-week crash course in teaching English as a Second Language, and provided introductions to all the readers.

Marco Acevedo, now a freelance graphic designer, read a piece about losing his job and becoming a stay-at-home-dad to his newborn twins.

His wife, Deborah Segal, an expert on gender, politics, and feminism,  read a humorous—and insightful—piece about grappling with Marco’s unemployment.

Nell Boeschestein read about real estate envy in a funny and well written piece called “Window Shopping.” Janet Raiffa, a laid-off recruiter and recruiting manager read about her willingness to do just about anything, including babysitting, bird-sitting, petitioning for political candidates, casting a reality television show, working sample sales, doing extra work on “Law and Order,” and coaching MBA students at Columbia, Wharton, and Yale.

Nava Renek,  writer, editor, and educator, read a tough, personal piece about growing up poor and the anxieties that come with that.  Ironically—and luckily—during this recession she has the first job security she’s ever.

Bestsy Robinson (pictured above) a former managing editor of a spiritual magazine, wowed the crowd with hilarious, tongue-in-cheek, unemployment tips, and Brent Shearer, an unemployed sports journalists, joked that he is now attending the Baltika beer consumption MFA program at the East Village’s KGB bar and goes to more literary readings than anyone (must be the free cheese and wine).

Bushwick Asks: Where Did Stimulus Money Go?

My cousin Meg Fidler, executive director of the Petra Foundation, brought this article in  New American Media to my attention. This story origianlly appeared in El Diaro/La Prensa, and was produced as part of NAM’s Stimulus Watch coverage and was funded with a grant from the Open Society Institute. It is part three of a three-part series. You can read part one here. and part two here

Elba Reyes, from Puerto Rico, and her husband thought they had found a home to raise their five children when they bought their house five years ago in Bushwick on 59 Harman Street, an area of two-story houses.

However, Reyes, 44, is now having nightmares about intruders breaking into her home and harming her children.

“Once again you can see drugs being sold on the streets; you often hear gun shots,” Reyes said. “I am at home with my children and I hear helicopters and police sirens.”

The economic crisis has left an epidemic of foreclosures in Bushwick, especially in the southern area, where many Hispanic homeowners like Reyes live. Just on her block, three houses have “for sale” signs; another five are abandoned, with boarded-up doors and windows, accumulating trash and graffiti.

Brad Lander: Stalled Development Watch & Website

City councilmember Brad Lander just released an  interactive map of vacant, stalled or abandoned development sites the 39th City Council district, which includes Carroll Gardens , Cobble Hill, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park , and Kensington.

The map is available online at the Stalled Development website, where community members are encouraged to help track the status of the sites.

Says Lander: “We need to make these sites into assets for the community. These developments cause real hazards for their neighbors—fences falling down on sidewalks, loose construction debris that can become deadly in high winds, and unsecured sites that are dangerous for children and an invitation to squatting.”

Lander, who’s entire careers has been devoted to affordable housing at the Fifth Avenue Committee and the Pratt Center for Community Development, wants to develop policy initiatives that would keep these sites safe, address the hazards and nuisances to neighbors.

Here in his own words is his three-point plan:

1.    Impose a surcharge on vacant properties (including stalled development sites) that have a severe blighting effect on their surroundings;

2.    Strengthen the city’s ability to compel property owners to perform emergency repairs, complete them when the property owner is unable to, and to convert the cost of repairs into liens that are more easily foreclosable;

3.    Discourage speculation on troubled apartment buildings by changing state law to limit foreclosure auctions of multiple dwellings to responsible, credible bidders.