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April 13: Brooklyn Job Fair at LIU

This sounds like an excellent idea if you’re unemployed.

Tomorrow, April 13 from 9AM until 3PM, there’s a Brooklyn Job Fair at Long Island University’s Arnold and Marie Schwartz Athletic Center at 1 University Plaza in Downtown Brooklyn. The event is free and open to the public. Nearly 80 employers will be on hand to offer hundreds of available jobs

If you need help prior to or after the job fair on April 13, stop in at the one-stop career centers at 9 Bond Street and 625 Fulton Street in Brooklyn, where they have employment counselors standing by, waiting to help you prepare for this job fair and for other opportunities in the future. Take advantage of our services—they are free and you can come as often as you like.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Brooklyn had the second highest employment increase among the nation’s largest counties between June 2009 and June 2010, but the jobless rate in Kings County remains well above the national and state average with more then 10 percent of Brooklynites—and in some neighborhoods, even higher numbers—out of work. Citywide, the unemployment rate held steady at 8.9 percent in February.

The Brooklyn Job Fair is presented by BP Markowitz in partnership with Citi, ResCare, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, the New York State Department of Labor, and Workforce1 with the New York City Department of Small Business Services.

For more information on the Brooklyn Job Fair and a complete list of participating employers, visit www.brooklyn-usa.org/jobs.

April 14: Asian Voices at Brooklyn Reading Works

Brooklyn Reading Works presents “In the Year of the Rabbit: Voices from the East,”  a celebration of Asian and Asian-American writers on April 14, at 8PM at the Old Stone House in Park Slope, Brooklyn. (336 3rd Street (5th Avenue) Brooklyn, NY 11215 718.768.3195).

The event will be curated by Sophia Romero, author of Always Hiding (William Morrow) and blogger behind Shiksa From Manila.

For the first time since Brooklyn Reading Works began writers from across the Pacific (or Atlantic depending on where one is standing!) will gather under one roof to read excerpts from their work.

Featured artists are poet Joanna Sit, novelists Thad Rutkowski, Bino A Realuyo, and Ronica Dhar, and playwright Diana Son.  There will be a Q&A at the end of the reading.

$5 suggested donation includes refreshments from Purple Yam and wine. Q&A will follow the readings. For more information go to www.brooklynreadingworks.com or www.theoldstonehouse.org

OTBKB Music: Leslie Mendelson and Michael Kaeshammer at Rockwood Music Hall

There’s an interesting double bill at The Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 tonight.  First, at 7, Leslie Mendelson will play a solo show.  She’ll be followed at 8 by Michael Kaeshammer.  I’ve not seen Michael, but he’s a Canadian boogie-woogie pianist, vocalist, composer, and arranger.  There is a video of him, which is pretty amazing posted, along with the details for this show at Now I’ve Heard Everything: just click here

–Eliot Wagner

OTBKB Music: Robbie Robertson Video; James Maddock Tonight

Robbie Robertson, originally part of The Band, has just come out with a new record, How to Become Clairvoyant.  Robbie appeared on David Letterman on Tuesday night to play one song from it, He Don’t Live Here No More live.  His band for the gig (and a few other live ones coming up) was Dawes, who I have been following for a while now (see photos from a show Dawes played in New York City last summer here).  You can see the video posted at Now I’ve Heard Everything by clicking here.

Tonight you’ll find James Maddock playing a full band show over at The Bowery Electric.  James is certainly a favorite around here.  He had a wonderful album out last year, James Maddock Live at Rockwood Music Hall, which demonstrates how good he is live.  And James’ shows are not only excellent musically, they are just plain fun.  Joining James will be his band, Oli Rockberger (piano), John Shannon (guitar), Drew Mortali (bass), Aaron Comess (drums) and Leslie Mendelson (vocals and tambourine).  For the details, just click here.

–Eliot Wagner

Tish James on Cathie Black Departure

Yesterday as I was leaving court reporting school in Lower Manhattan, I saw many familiar faces of NYC reporters racing out of City Hall after Bloomberg’s press conference announcing the forced resignation of and the announcement to assign Deputy Mayor Dennis M. Walcott to the job.

Here is a statement by New York City Council Member Letitia James on Cathie Black fortuitous departure. I couldn’t have said it better myself:

“As coverage develops surrounding the sudden exit of Cathie Black, it demonstrates the Mayor’s senseless appointment of Ms. Black as schools chancellor. According to reports, the decision comes just a day after Santiago Taveras, Deputy Chancellor for Community Engagement, quit the department to join the private sector. This is a total exit of 4 high-level deputies since Black’s short tenure.

“Cathleen Black has no educational experience in relation to the nation’s largest public school system, which demonstrates that she was ill-suited for this position. It is my opinion that as a result of the changing faces at the DOE, all co-locations and school closures should be suspended until a full assessment of the impact of these shifts on the school system has been made. Additionally, the DOE Preliminary Budget Hearing scheduled for tomorrow in front of the NYC Council should be postponed, particularly in light of the proposed budget cuts.

“The city has been plagued with incompetent administrators, which weighed heaviest on the children of this city. I am confident that Deputy Mayor Dennis M. Walcott will work closely with all elected officials and communities to adequately assist our schools as Ms. Black’s replacement.

“The Blizzard of 2011, CityTime, the Atlantic Yards project, and now this; many would consider this the third term curse.”

The Doctor is In: Early Puberty

By Dr. Amy Glaser

This past week, I conducted a physical examination on a nine-year-old girl with clear breast development. The mother was alarmed. She was concerned about a hormone abnormality and asked me whether there was something in her daughter’s diet that was producing this change.

Among her other concerns, she didn’t want early sexual development to turn her daughter into one of the “fast girls” who struggles with her reputation.

The truth is that sexual development in 9-year-olds is becoming increasingly common, because the average age of puberty is falling in girls in many countries, including the United States.

Textbooks say that puberty in girls may start anywhere from 8 to 13 years of age, while puberty in boys follows by about two years. Genetics account for around 50% of the variation. This is likely to explain some of the observed racial differences. In the United States, about 25% of African American girls and 15% of Hispanic girls versus 5% of White girls having at least some pubertal development by age 8.

Puberty is a prolonged process that occurs in a number of stages. For girls, enlargement of breast tissue usually precedes growth of pubic and axillary hair and the beginning of the menstrual cycle begins. Even after menstruation, the process continues with a deepening of the voice, increased growth of body on the legs and arms, and acceleration of growth velocity from about 2 inches yearly to up to 5 inches. The process culminates when the growth plates fuse and adult height is achieved.

For boys the onset of puberty is recognized with the beginning of testicular enlargement, but, again, sexual development occurs in several stages over a prolonged period. For both boys and girls, there can be variations in the order of the changes and the speed of the progression. For example, some girls develop a small amount of pubic hair several months or years before other sexual development begins. Boys can develop a small amount of breast tissue at a relatively young age. Although these types of developments can be embarrassing, they are common, and they are not a cause for alarm.

There are likely to be numerous reasons for the progressively younger ages at which puberty is beginning in girls. The average age has fallen from about 16 years of age in the 19th century to 13 years in the 20th century. Boys do not seem to be affected to the same degree, but the trajectory towards younger ages of puberty in girls is continuing. In a recent study, 10% of Caucasian girls were now starting puberty at 7 years of age.

Continue reading The Doctor is In: Early Puberty

Tickets for Brooklyn Blogfest On Sale at The Bell House

Check out the Brooklyn Blogfest website which is now up and running with information about Blogfest 2011.

Come one, come all to the 6th Annual Brooklyn Blogfest on MAY 12, 2011 at 7:30 PM at The Bell House(149 7th Street between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in the Gowanus/Park Slope neighborhood.

TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE HERE.

“Where better to take the pulse of this rapidly growing community of writers, thinkers and observers than the Brooklyn Blogfest?” ~ Sewell Chan, The New York Times

Since it was founded in 2006, the Brooklyn Blogfest has established itself as the nexus of creativity, talent, and insight among the blogosphere’s brightest lights. This year will be no different as Blogfest presents keynote speaker, Jeff Jarvis, author of What Would Google Do? Jarvis blogs about media and news at Buzzmachine and is director of the interactive journalism program and the new business models for news project at CUNY’s Graduate School of Journalism.

Jarvis’ must-see presentation, Will Blog for Food (or You Can Make Money Doing This!), will focus on new business models for bloggers!

Blogfest is for bloggers, social networkers, journalists and entrepreneurs. Whether you live by a blog, blog to live, live to blog (or are thinking of starting a blog) you’ll want to join us on May 12th.

Also on tap: a video tribute to Brooklyn’s most visionary photo bloggers (by Adrian Kinloch of Brit in Brooklyn); Blogs Aloud (directed by Elizabeth Palmer of Midnight Cowgirls); special networking sessions for like-minded bloggers (i.e. Blogs of a Feather); the return of the ever-popular Shout-out, when bloggers are invited to share their blogs with the world; and a roof-raising after-party with a cash bar, food and music! All at the fabulous Bell House.

See you on May 12th at 7:30 PM (doors open at 7PM). Order your $15 tickets NOW HERE.

Voices From the East at Brooklyn Reading Works on April 14

Brooklyn Reading Works presents “In the Year of the Rabbit: Voices from the East,”  a celebration of Asian and Asian-American writers on April 14, at 8PM at the Old Stone House in Park Slope, Brooklyn. (336 3rd Street (5th Avenue) Brooklyn, NY 11215 718.768.3195).

The event will be curated by Sophia Romero, author of Always Hiding (William Morrow) and blogger behind Shiksa From Manila.

For the first time since Brooklyn Reading Works began writers from across the Pacific (or Atlantic depending on where one is standing!) will gather under one roof to read excerpts from their work.

Featured artists are poet Joanna Sit, novelists Thad Rutkowski, Bino A Realuyo, and Ronica Dhar, and playwright Diana Son.  There will be a Q&A at the end of the reading.

$5 suggested donation includes refreshments from Purple Yam and wine. Q&A will follow the readings. For more information go to www.brooklynreadingworks.com or www.theoldstonehouse.org

Tom Martinez, Witness: Hardship and Triumph at Flatbush Reformed Church

This article by  Tom Martinez originally appeared in the Brooklyn Eagle.

FLATBUSH — It’s hard to imagine a more fitting symbol for the Lenten and Easter themes of suffering and resurrection than the recent hardships and triumphs of the historic, landmark Flatbush Reformed Church (also known as the Flatbush Dutch Reformed Church) at the corner of Flatbush and Church avenues.

Roughly 18 months ago the building that houses the church social hall and a fleet of upstairs offices was engulfed in flames. Brooklyn Congregations United, the social justice organization located upstairs, had to relocate, and the church was forced to operate out of a tiny office adjacent to the main sanctuary (which wasn’t damaged in the fire). In short, things were looking bleak.

But under the leadership of senior minister Rev. Dan Ram (above, right) the church patiently undertook a massive renovation project, restoring the damaged building to its 17th century glory and revitalizing it.

Among the new signs of life is the hiring of Associate Minister Cheri Kroon (above, left). Since her graduation from Union Theological Seminary in 2006, Kroon has been serving as an interim minister for many congregations in the New York metropolitan area.

Continue reading Tom Martinez, Witness: Hardship and Triumph at Flatbush Reformed Church

April 14: Asian Writers at Brooklyn Reading Works

On April 14 at 8PM, Brooklyn Reading Works presents “In the Year of the Rabbit: Voices from the East”, a celebration of Asian and Asian-American writers on April 14, at the Old Stone House in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

The event will be curated by Sophia Romero, author of Always Hiding (William Morrow) and blogger behind Shiksa From Manila.

For the first time since Brooklyn Reading Works began writers from across the Pacific (or Atlantic depending on where one is standing!) will gather under one roof to read excerpts from their work.
Featured artists are poet Joanna Sit, novelists Thad Rutkowski, Bino A Realuyo, and Ronica Dhar, and playwright Diana Son.  There will be a Q&A at the end of the reading.

Stew, Heidi & The Negro Problem at Barbes Last Week

Here’s another piece I wrote for Park Slope Patch.

It’s not every Thursday night that Stew and Heidi Rodewald, and an eight piece version of their band, The Negro Problem, set up shop in the tiny back room of Barbès, Park Slope’s eclectic bar and music space.

In fact, this rare performance in a small venue, which Stew said was a benefit, was actually an opportunity to workshop some of the group’s new arrangements.

Ten o’clock on Thursday night I’m usually home watching 30 Rock so it takes a lot to get me off the couch. But Stew, who won a 2008 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for the acclaimed Broadway musical, “Passing Strange,” is just the sort of must-see-live performer that can get me out the door.

When I walked into Barbès’ tiny back room with its smattering of chairs and tables and the Hotel D’Orsay sign on the back wall, I was shocked by the size of the crowd. As is often the case at Barbès, there was nowhere to sit and audience members were hovering expectantly as Stew, in a white ski cap, tuned his electric guitar.

Rodewald, who lives in Park Slope and is the decidedly less flamboyant of the two, is Stew’s co-writer and creative co-conspirator. In a black suit and a white t-shirt, she plays bass and sings in the band, which includes Mike McGinnis on sax, Brian Dye on Trombone, Jaco Garchik on accordion, two percussionists, a sitar/mandolin player and Joe McGinty, of Loser’s Lounge fame, on upright piano.

Last fall I was lucky enough to catch “Brooklyn Omnibus,” a song cycle written by Rodewald and Stew, which was performed as part of BAM’s Next Wave Festival. A hyperactive mix of inter-connected musical short stories on the theme of Brooklyn, the show was well-reviewed and I’m guessing will be moving on or off Broadway sometime soon.

As Stew said in an interview video on the BAM website, “We’re not experts on Brooklyn, we bring to it who we are.”

I was hoping they’d do some of the songs from “Brooklyn Omnibus” at Barbès and they did quite a few, including “Brooklyn Mothers,” a sexy ode to the stroller set on Seventh Avenue.

Continue reading Stew, Heidi & The Negro Problem at Barbes Last Week

Crafting a Vision for Park Slope

How willing are Slopers to make sacrifices to ensure that Park Slope remains a special place to live? Read more in this article I wrote for Park Slope Patch.

In recent months the number of vacant storefronts on Seventh Avenue has reached upwards of 15. With rents ranging anywhere from $5,000 to more than $20,000 per month it seems that cell phone stores, real estate offices and national chains are the only businesses that can afford doing business here.

But aren’t the so-called mom-and-pop-shops or independent businesses an important component of what makes Park Slope the urban haven it is?

Think about it. What would Park Slope be if Seventh Avenue was wall-to-wall large drugstores and other national chains?

Sounds pretty boring. We could call it the Seventh Avenue Strip Mall.

And one thing’s for sure: the Seventh Avenue Strip Mall would certainly lack that ineffable essence that makes Park Slope such a livable neighborhood—and a fun place for locals and visitors to shop and stroll.

A few weeks ago, Video Forum, a popular Seventh Avenue video rental shop, announced that it was closing at the end of March citing Netflix streaming video and a significant drop in revenue.

Perhaps it was just matter of time before they succumbed to market forces. Still, many in the neighborhood lamented the loss of a friendly place to browse for videos and talk to real people—shopkeepers and other customers—about movies.

It was a real community, not a virtual one.

So what would it take for Park Slope to keep its local video rental store business? Would locals be willing to commit to using a brick and mortar rental shop rather than Netflix? Or at least use their local video store in combination with Netflix?

Let’s see what this sacrifice really looks like.

You’d have to willing to pay more money per rental than Netflix, which offers a monthly fee for as many videos as you want. You’d have to be willing to leave your house for a video rather than get your DVDs via a red envelope in your mailbox. And you’d have to be diligent about returning the DVDs on time so as not to accrue late fees.

Are locals willing to sacrifice savings, selection and convenience for the sake of the community feeling that a destination like Video Forum engenders?

Continue reading Crafting a Vision for Park Slope

Brooklyn Blogfest 2011 Website Up and Running

Check out the Brooklyn Blogfest website which is now up and running with information about Blogfest 2011.

Come one, come all to the 6th Annual Brooklyn Blogfest on MAY 12, 2011 at 7:30 PM at The Bell House(149 7th Street between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in the Gowanus/Park Slope neighborhood.

TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE HERE.

“Where better to take the pulse of this rapidly growing community of writers, thinkers and observers than the Brooklyn Blogfest?” ~ Sewell Chan, The New York Times

Since it was founded in 2006, the Brooklyn Blogfest has established itself as the nexus of creativity, talent, and insight among the blogosphere’s brightest lights. This year will be no different as Blogfest presents keynote speaker, Jeff Jarvis, author of What Would Google Do? Jarvis blogs about media and news at Buzzmachine and is director of the interactive journalism program and the new business models for news project at CUNY’s Graduate School of Journalism.

Jarvis’ must-see presentation, Will Blog for Food (or You Can Make Money Doing This!), will focus on new business models for bloggers!

Blogfest is for bloggers, social networkers, journalists and entrepreneurs. “Whether you live by a blog, blog to live, live to blog (or are thinking of starting a blog) you’ll want to join us on May 12th.

Also on tap: a video tribute to Brooklyn’s most visionary photo bloggers (by Adrian Kinloch of Brit in Brooklyn), Blogs Aloud (directed by Elizabeth Palmer of Midnight Cowgirls); special networking sessions for like-minded bloggers (i.e. Blogs of a Feather), the return of the ever-popular Shout-out, when bloggers are invited to share their blogs with the world, and a roof-raising after-party with a cash bar, food and music!

See you on May 12th at 7:30 PM (doors open at 7PM). Order your $15 tickets NOW HERE.

OTBKB Music: Bob Dylan and The Law

There’s a free panel discussion and musical performance about Bob Dylan and the Law tonight at Fordham Law School near Columbus Circle and Lincoln Center.  The discussion begins at 6pm and the panel includes:

Professor David Hajdu, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Professor Alex Long, University of Tennessee College of Law and Professor Abbe Smith, Georgetown Law School.  The Moderator is Corny O’Connell, Fordham Law Graduate and DJ with WFUV.  At 7pm the performance by The Kennedys of songs by Bob Dylan will begin.

The rest of the details are here at Now I’ve Heard Everything.

–Eliot Wagner

OTBKB Music: Eight Shows to Choose From Tonight

No matter what it is you are looking for, musically, geographically or timewise, there is at least one show for you tonight.  There’s folk (Abbie Gardner), rock (The Madison Square Gardeners, Israel Nash Gripka), jazz/folk (Richard Julian), alt country (The Waco Brothers), pop/rock (Mike Viola), rock/Americana (Serena Jean) and rock/electro pop (My Pet Dragon).  So just don’t stand there; go out and see a show or two tonight.  You’ll find the details at Now I’ve Heard Everything by clicking here.

–Eliot Wagner

Staying in Business on Seventh Avenue

Here’s an article I did recently for Park Slope Patch about what it takes to survive on Park Slope’s Seventh Avenue.

When Lisa Polansky first opened her tightly packed shoe and clothing emporium on Seventh Avenue between Carroll and President streets, the rent was only $250 per month. But that was back in 1975 before Park Slope was, well, Park Slope.

Since then Seventh Avenue storefront prices have soared with landlords asking—and getting—anywhere from $5,000 to $30,000/per month, which, rumor has it, Starbucks pays for their prime Slope location.

That said, there are more than 15 empty storefronts on the avenue at the moment, an alarming statistic for Slopers who form a close attachment to their local stores and the people who work there. Many fear that the only businesses that can stay in business are cell phone stores, real estate firms and national chains.

Just this week, Video Forum, a video rental shop on Seventh Avenue between Garfield and Carroll streets, closed after 15 years in business. According to Sean O’Brien, who has worked at the shop for five years, sales have gone down precipitously in the last few months.

“We saw it coming. The amount of money coming in dropped due to Netflix streaming video. There were just not as many customers coming in,” he told me.

According to O’Brien, the store’s lease was up and the owner and landlord were able to work out a deal. But the owner, who recently closed his stationery store on Flatbush Avenue (and Video Edge, another rental store, also on Flatbush) made the decision to close anyway.

“He’s done,” O’Brien told me.

Locals reacted with shock and sadness. “They rented the last DVD on Wednesday and are selling their entire stock. What a huge loss for our neighborhood,” said Joe Rydell, a local psychotherapist.

Standing in Lisa Polansky’s namesake shop just a block away, I got a master class in what it takes to stay in business on Seventh Avenue for 35 years.

“That color is my favorite color,” the chic Polansky, told a tween who was trying on hot pink Converse sneakers. She turned to another customer, a woman in her thirties, who was considering a pair of Bogs rain and snow boots.

“One of my customers vacationed in the Arctic at Christmas and she wore those boots,” she said.

It is this ability to multi-task combined with a tireless attention to the needs of her customers that has made Polanski a popular destination for Park Slope shoe and clothing shoppers.

“I carry unusual stuff. Things you won’t see at the Gap or Macy’s,” she told me of her wide-ranging stock, which includes Doc Martins, cut-rate designer shoes, comfortable skirts and dresses, tutus, Dorothy glitter shoes and fleece jackets.

“Our stock changes constantly and we have what people want,” she told me as adults and children wandered in and out of her crowded shop. “You have to like talking to people. This is a service business and you have to be nice to everyone—including cranky people.”

Continue reading Staying in Business on Seventh Avenue