Another swastika found on Brooklyn Hts. building (NY Times)
I Write in Brooklyn. Get Over It. (NY Times Book Review)
The Vale of Cashmere in Prospect Park (NY Times)
5 Boros: Which is the best value? (Reclaimed Home)
Dining table = Pool table (Reclaimed Home)
In honor of Schnäck (Brooklynometry)
Here’s something new from our pal Pete of Full Permission Living:
Earlier this week British researchers made headlines with their report that antidepressants are for the most part ineffective. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/26/do-antidepressants-actual_n_88523.html)
But in a fascinating development, now researchers point to growing evidence that depression might actually be good for you. (Is Depression Good for You?)
Interesting. I have very often told people that their "problems" were not their problem, but rather that their judgments of their problems were their problem. And when I taught my class on psychopatholgy, I felt that the best moments were when we examined our "disorders" and "dysfunctions" as adaptations and devices that perhaps regulated the pace of our unfolding into our higher life path. The caterpillar’s coccoon is an apt analogy. Created to protect the caterpillar while it is maturing into a butterfly, the coccoon is quite functional, but to the butterfly needing to spread its wings and fly, it is dysfunctional, something necessary to get out of in order to survive. So, too, with our human emotional and psychological defenses. They are created to help us survive the vulnerabilities ofchildhood, but then we need to shed them in order to soar as adults.
Here’s some excerpts from the article on depression:
"A leading psychiatrist, Dr Paul Keedwell, an expert on mood disorders at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, says that depression is not a human defect at all, but a defence mechanism that in its mild and moderate forms can force a healthy reassessment of personal circumstances.
"There are benefits and that’s why it has persisted. It’s a tough message to hear while you are in depression but I think that there’s a life afterwards,’ Keedwell says. ‘I have received e-mails from ex-sufferers saying in retrospect it probably did help them because they changed direction, a new career for example, and as a result they’re more content day-to-day than before the depression."
"One woman left an abusive relationship and moved on, he says, and might not have done so if depression had not provided the necessary introspection. Similarly, unrealistic expectations are revised when depression sparks a more humble reassessment of strengths and weaknesses. Psychological unease can generate creative work and the rebirth after depression brings a new love affair with life.
"Aristotle believed depression to be of great value because of the insights it could bring. There is also an increased empathy in people who have or have had depression, he says, because they become more attuned to other people’s suffering."
An ode to the amateur, Be Kind Rewind, is a joyous treat for those who love to watch creativity in action.
Jack Black, as a nutty neighborhood character and Mos Def, as an employee at a down-at-its heels neighborhood video store, have to make their own versions of movies after all their VHS tapes are demagnetized.
The film gets wild and fun when we see the two of them (plus Melonie Diaz who joins in for the fun) as they remake these films in a completely ingenuous and kooky ways.
Pizza pies become bloody special effects, xeroxes become old cars, aluminum foil works wonders in a multitude of ways.
In many hilarious scenes, the team recreates Ghostbusters, Rush Hour 2, Driving Miss Daisy, When We Were Kings and more.
We loved it.
Cool (blog) celebrity sighting: After the show, we ran into Joe Holmes of Joe’s NYC with his family in the lobby of the Pavilion. They stayed to the very end of the Be Kind Rewind credits. Big cinema buffs that they are, they loved the film.
Riders of the F or G train may want to leave extra time for their commutes today.
Signal and track work is knocking out service on both lines in parts of Brooklyn through 5 a.m. Monday.
F trains won’t run between the Jay Street and 4th Avenue/9th Street
station. Riders should switch to the D train at 4th Avenue/9th Street
for service to and from Manhattan.And G trains won’t be running between the Hoyt-Schermerhorn and Smith-9th Street stops.
Free shuttle buses will run between Hoyt-Schermerhorn and 7th Avenue in Brooklyn.
"These are life lines, the G in particular," said City Councilman
David Yassky. " They have no other choice. You know, people get very
frustrated."Yassky said that he has been pleased with the number of transit
workers available to inform riders of the service changes and help them
onto the shuttle buses.
The name sort of reminds me of that pseudo French pronunciation of Target (Targey). What’s with Tonez. That aside, someone over at Park Slope Parents has been to the new Fifth Avenue cafe and had very positive things to say.
There’s
a
really
nice
new
vegan
cafe
on
5th
ave,
just
next
to
the
great
hot
dog
place Willie’s Dogs
between
4th
and
5th
streets. It’s
called
Earth
Tonez
and
it
has
homemade
vegan
deserts
including
cupcakes,
"cheese"cake,
double
chocolate
cakes
and
more.
They
also
make
nice
soups,
sandwiches,
wraps
and
salads
–
all
Vegan.
They
also
have
a
kids’
menu
and
a
menu
for
the
MS-51
crowd
(it’s
nice
to
see
that
these
spots
and
Get
Fresh
are
providing
alternatives
to
the
confectioner’s
donuts
and
candy
that
I
usually
see
the
middle
school
students
eating
for
lunch).
The writer of the above post asked me to add; "the owners are very open and friendly. Also, they do fresh squeezed juices and vegan burgers…"
The blogger at Shelleytown wrote me yesterday and I’m glad she did. I was completely unaware of this Brooklyn blog, which turned one in February 2008. The writing is excellent and the photos are gorgeous.
Here’s how she explains what goes on at Shelleytown:
"Shellytown is where New York life – mostly in brooklyn – is
chronicled, the idea of space in the city is explored, the life of a
writer is revealed (well, maybe) and work unfolds like a tent you might
want to visit."Shelleytown is a very poetic place. She shares her observations about Brooklyn life in a very evocative and sensorial way.
As she says on her about section, Shelley isn’t from here but she wants to be. She writes, "Day by day, I fall more in love with Brooklyn. This
Web site (call it a blog, if you like) chronicles this love affair –
its dark warehouses, strange beaches, and infinite nooks and crannies." I think Shelley considers the entire blog a photo essay and journal all in one. Here she writes about the sounds outside her window:
"Some nights, it’s a hollow roar billowing over the tracks, the elevated
highway…from something huge and made of steel with wheels and a mad
engine, formed around its own emptiness. After, a shiver a chains
breaking on smooth, broken pavement, and the night’s own emptiness –
now sharper, and much more obvious."
Prices for most Metrocards going up this weekend (NY Times)
Rafael Viñoly designing the new addition to the Brooklyn Children’s Museum (NY Times)
Jehovah’s Witnesses hit the streets in Brooklyn Heights (Brooklyn Hts. Blog)
Nice shot of the Hotel St. George (Brooklyn Hts. Blog)
Interview with Brooklyn’s ghostbuster (Brooklyn Optimist)
RIP: Barbara Seaman, author of The Case Against the Pill and Free and Female (NY Times)
Brooklyn Industries on Seventh Avenue moved into its new corner space on 9th Street and temporarily vacated the store next door while workmen fix/refresh/renovate things in there.
Next week, the two storefronts will become one when a sheet rock wall is removed. Voila: a bigger Seventh Avenue Brooklyn Industries.
Some new merch in the shop but still a lot of sale items. If you’re a small size maybe one of the long down jackets will fit you. The price is good.
They’re selling woolen hats and scarves for $9 bucks.
It was so cool having two bookstores right around the corner. Seventh Avenue Books and Park Slope Books both added so much to the intellectual landscape of Seventh Avenue between 3rd and 2nd Street.
First Seventh Avenue left. Now Park Slope Books.
I feel like a spurned book lover.
A few
month’s ago Henry’s tutor asked if there was a Bible in the house and
we couldn’t find one. Omigod there’s no bible in the house That explains a lot.
A few days later I went into Park Slope Books and bought a beautiful edition of the Torah and New Testament.
Park Slope Books was great for those kind of impulse purchases. And I’m so glad to have those religious tomes around.
Every inter-faith household needs a Torah, a New Testament…
What will we do when we need a quick Torah, an anthology of international poetry, a copy of some book by an author we discussed at dinner.
Sadly, Park Slope Books is nearly done moving all of their books out of the store. The packing went fairly quickly. Now it’s just bookcases in there.
The store has an outpost in Brooklyn Heights called Brooklyn Heights Books. The owner is a friend of my father. I’ll have to find out why they decided to close the shop.
My guess: high rents and low revenues. But maybe it’s something else. You never know. Tom, the owner of Seventh Avenue Books claimed that sales were pretty good in his shop. But then again he was trying to sell the shop.
Truth is, Tome sold for personal reasons and maybe Park Slope Books reasons are personal, too.
You never know.
Walking up to the F Train for the first time in a long time, I noticed that the construction wood around the old D’Agostino space is bright red.
Hint. Hint.
What bank has a bright red logo? Hmmmmm.
It’s Bank of America, kids. Bank of America.
I saw the promise.
At the Seventh Avenue Starbucks, it’s a handwritten chalk board sign with every employee’s signature on it.
I wasn’t wearing my glasses so I asked one of the baristas to read it to me. It says something like: we promise to make a perfect cup of coffee and if we don’t please tell us and we’ll make it again.
I asked the barista if it turned out that she’d been making the coffee all wrong. She said she’d been doing it right but that the training at the store hadn’t always been consistent. Some people were doing it right and others were doing it wrong.
She told me that the training would be standardized now and all employees would be employing the correct method for frothier foam and perfect coffee drinks.
Talk about frothy. The "tall" latte she made me had exceptionally frothy cream .And the coffee tastes strong.
All good.
PS I am an occasional Starbucks customer. I spread my coffee drinking around. Due to budgetary concerns, I tend to buy mine at Grand Canyon or the newsstand. Cheap trumps cappuccino these days.
PARK SLOPE FOODIES
The strollered tot would not stop squirming,
Annoying his mom a bunch,
Till finally she threw down the gauntlet:
"Stop, or no sushi for lunch."
To my knowledge Wednesday was the first time there was a tasting table at the Park Slope Food Coop—if I’m wrong about that I’m sure someone will correct me.
I felt like I was at Trader Joe’s or Costco.
Indeed, the tasting table across from the refrigerator case that has eggs, Indian sauces, tofu, tempeh, and other refrigerator items, gave the Coop a mainstream supermarket vibe. Shoppers seemed surprised to see the free brownies. But few seemed to object—that’s for sure.
The women were promoting individually wrapped Greyston chocolate fudge, walnut, expresso bean and blonde brownies that the Coop will be selling.
I grabbed two pieces of blonde brownies by the toothpick and savored the delicious treat. When I went back to the table for more I noticed that the packaging said Ben and Jerry’s on it.
"I see Ben and Jerry’s is on the label," I said.
"Yes, we make the brownies for their ice cream," said one of the women from Greyston. "It’s a good fit for the Food Coop. I wish we could come here every day,"
That’s Ben and Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie she’s talking about. That flavor contains chunks of yummy, chewy Greyston brownies. According to the Ben & Jerry website, Greyston provides employment and training to economically disadvantaged
residents of Yonkers. Ben & Jerry’s likes Greyston because "we get great tasting brownies and we also get to
support the good work they do to create economic opportunities in their
community."
So Greyston are social activist brownies and that’s why they had a tasting table at the Food Coop. That makes sense.
From the Greyston website:
Greyston Bakery is a force for personal transformation and community
economic renewal. We operate a profitable business, baking high quality
gourmet products with a commitment to customer satisfaction.Greyston
Bakery provides a supportive workplace offering employment and
opportunity for advancement. Our profits contribute to the community
development work of the Greyston Foundation.
According to the Greyston Foundation website, they don’t hire people to make brownies, they make brownies to hire people.
The Foundation provides jobs, workforce development, low income housing, child care services, after school programs, comprehensive HIV health care, housing, community gardens and a gourmet baking business. In 2007, the foundation celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2007.
Did you ever hear of the Manhattan law firm, Mel Harris & Associates?
Neither
did our co-op, until we became victims. These shysters make money by
making life hell for other New Yorkers–that is, by having legal holds
placed on their bank accounts based on trumped up claims and then
extorting them for payment in order to leave them alone.What little
research I did turned up quite a few victims indeed, all bewildered and
grasping for recourse.Luckily, we have a lawyer in the building and
we got the hold lifted, at least. Others are not so lucky. I thought I’d pass it
along.
A Third Street neighbor, who works at a Starbucks in Manhattan, assured me that the milk foam in lattes and cappuccino’s at Starbucks will be much improved because of Tuesday’s re-training sessions at all 7,100 shops.
At the re-training sessions, employees were trained in the art of making frothy foam. Turns out, the majority of Starbucks baristas were doing it wrong.
My Third Street neighbor was an exception. One of the top three baristas at his Starbucks, he’s been doing it right all along I am proud to report.
From now on, he said, the coffee drinks should taste much, much better. The company, which has sales of over $9 billion dollars, has seen it’s profits plunge since 2006. They’re scared and are attempting to get back to basics to salvage their falling market share.
According to some reports, stores opened yesterday with a sign urging customers to complain if their drink wasn’t "perfect".
I haven’t been to the Seventh Avenue store since last week but am interested to see if things are different over there.
While I’m not a big fan of Starbucks coffee, I do like the staff at our local Starbucks.
More controversy for the Kahlil Gibran International Academy. This time it’s not about the principal. But the school is in search of a new home. Again.
A few months ago I heard on a school tour that the school was definitely moving out of the Dean Street building, which also houses the Math and Science Exploratory School, a middle school, and the Brooklyn High School for the Arts.
Now they are talking about PS 287 in Ft. Greene and parents there aren’t happy about it. It’s deja vu all over again: who can forget the uproar caused by parents when the school was set to move in PS 282 in Park Slope.
At
a meeting with education officials Tuesday night, parents from PS287
were uneasy about older students moving into the building used by their
younger kids. The following is an excerpt from the NY Daily News article:
"It’s a bad idea altogether," said PTA President Edgardo Rivera. "We want the elementary school to stay an elementary school."
"I’m adamantly opposed to its being in this building," said Ed Brown, president of the Ingersoll Parents Association.
Less
than a year old, the school has been mired in controversy since its
inception, with its founding principal stepping down last summer, then
suing the city to get her job back.
Clyde Haberman: Crystal ball is cloudy (Brooklyn Heights Blog)
No run for Bloomberg (New York Times op-ed)
Independents best in bed, republicans the worst (Brooklyn Optimist)
Teaching journalism in Bhutan (Andrea Bernstein’s blog)
RIP: William F. Buckley, Jr (New York Times)
Earn an A and you can use your cell phone at a few Brooklyn middle schools (NY Times)
$60 million gift to SUNY Stonybrook from hedge funder (NY Times)
Gowanus Green in detail (Gowanus Lounge)
Online petition to link G to Atlantic Avenue station (Gowanus Lounge)
Well, the construction workers wouldn’t talk but the nice man in the newsstand had no problem spilling the beans about the new restaurant going in where Tempo Presto used to be. And speaking of beans, black beans, that is…
"A Mexican restaurant is going in there," the newsman told me Wednesday afternoon.
"Did Tempo Presto go out? a customer asked the man behind the counter. Where you been? I thought to myself.
"Three months ago. They were only there, what, six months?" the shopkeeper looked at me for confirmation.
"Yeah six, eight months," I concurred not really sure how long they’d been there.
"I never went there," his customer replied. "Not much room in there for a restaurant."
"They’re going to have outdoor seating," the newsman said.
"But that’s only good in the warm weather," the customer laughed.
"Maybe they’ll put in a tent like Sette," I added pointing the Italian restaurant across the street.
"They’ll have to pay for the heat," the newsman said.
"That’s expensive," the customer said and walked out with his cigarettes.
They’re putting new doors on the former Tempo Presto space on the corner of Third Street and Seventh Avenue.
I wonder if this is the restaurant/cafe a PR guy called me about a few weeks ago. "He said he was inquiring, for his client, about advertising on OTBKB.
All hush and hush and secretive, he ouldn’t tell me the name of the place. Top secret and all that. I said if you want to keep it a secret don’t tell me because I’m Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn and it’s my job to Know and tell all (unless it’s off the record and I can keep secrets).
Anywho, two Russian guys were doing construction work in the new restaurant. It looked like they took the bathroom out. They wouldn’t say what kind of restaurant it is.
"We don’t know," they said.
I wanted to say, you have to tell me I’m OTBKB. But I didn’t.
Dr. Gordon just sent me this alert from the Department of Health:
Dear HAN Subscriber:
We have just released a DOHMH Alert
concerning Measles in Brooklyn. It is available on the HAN home page ,
is appended to this email, and is also attached as a pdf file. To read
the attachment, you will need the Adobe reader. If you do not have that
software, it can be downloaded at no cost at
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.
To log into the HAN, for this alert and many related documents, go to www.nyc.gov/health/nycmed
If you have any questions or problems, call 1-888-NYCMED9 or write to nycmed@health.nyc.gov
February 25, 2008
2008 DOHMH HEALTH ALERT # 5: Measles in Brooklyn
1)
Two measles cases have been identified in a family in Brooklyn. The
cases have not travelled outside of New York, indicating exposure to
measles within the City.
2) All clinically suspect cases of measles
(febrile illness accompanied by generalized maculopapular rash) must be
reported immediately (prior to laboratory confirmation) to the New York
City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene at (212) 676-2292 or 2313
(weekdays 9 am to 5 pm). For after hours and weekends, please call
Poison Control 212-764-7667. Suspect cases of measles must be placed in
respiratory isolation immediately.
3) Appropriate clinical specimens should be sent to the NYC DOHMH Public Health Laboratories for testing.
Please
Distribute to All Primary Care Staff, Including Infectious Disease,
Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Family Medicine, and
Laboratory Medicine and All Infection Control Personnel
Continue reading DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH RELEASES MEASLES IN BROOKLYN ALERT
Dr. Phillipa Gorden, a well-regarded pediatrician in Park Slope, put the word out on Park Slope Parents about two cases of measles in the area. She started with this concise post.
Not
sure
if
this
has
been
reported
yet,
but
there
is
a
little
outbreak of
measles
in
Brooklyn
—
and
it
is
homegrown,
not
imported
from
another country.
I am guessing that some PSP members got a little agitated. One woman, a self-described hypochondriac, wrote to say that she appreciated the heads
up,
but wondered what she’s supposed
to
do
with this
information?
Watch
for
fever
and
red
spots?
Avoid
indoor
public
germfests
like
B&N?
Dr. Gordon sent out this second post to allay her fears. But it sure contains some scary information.
Sorry
everyone,
I
did
not
mean
to
start
a
panic. It’s
only
2 cases!
The
primary
case
contracted
the
disease
and
passed
it
on
to an
unimmunized
family
member.
But
why
it’s
interesting
is
that
the index
case
had
not
been
out
of
the
country,
which
means
he
or
she
was exposed
to
the
disease
within
New
York
City.Since
the
mid-nineties, almost
all
cases
of
measles
have
been
imported
–either
visitors
to
USA from
other
countries,
or
US
residents
returning
from
trips
abroad.
From a
public
health
point
of
view
this
is
extremely
interesting.Measles outbreaks
can
only
occur
when
so-
called
"herd
immunity"
fails
—
that
is,
when
the
number
of
susceptible
people
in
a
community
increases
to
a
certain
percentage,
transmission
occurs,
but
if
the
number
of susceptible
people
in
a
community
is
low,
the
community
cannot
sustain an
outbreak.So
it
raises
questions
as
to
the
status
of
our
community with
regard
to
herd
immunity,
and
the
Dept.
of
Health
will
be
watching carefully.
Occasionally
they
have
to
institute
quarantines
—
some
may remember
that
last
year
there
was
an
outbreak
of
chicken
pox
at
321
and the
DOH
came
and
sent
home
children
who
had
no
proof
of
immunity.Interestingly,
if
a
disease
becomes
very
prevalent,
some
people
who
are
immunized
will
catch
it
anyway.As
far
as
what
we
as
parents
need
to
worry
about,
if
your
child
is
immunized,
no
problem.
The
disease
consists
of
fever,
cough,
runny
nose,
conjunctivitis,
and
a
lacy
red
rash.
Also
spots
inside
the
mouth
called
Koplik’s
spots.
Kids
under
5
are
more
at
risk
for complications.
Acute
encephalitis
causing
permanent
brain
damage
occurs in
one
out
of
a
thousand
cases,
and
death
occurs
in
one
to
three
out
of a
thousand
cases.
In
addition
there
is
a
chronic
irreversible degenerative
central
nervous
system
syndrome
known
as
subacute sclerosing
panencephalitis
that
is
very
very
rare
and
has
hasn’t
occurred
in
the
US
in
many
years.As
children
are
infectious
one
to
three
days
before
symptoms
occur,
it’s
a
crap
shoot,
but
staying
home
if
your
child
have
fever
or
rash,
and
making
sure
your
child’s
immunizations
are
up
to
date
if
you
do
intend
to
vaccinate
them
are
the
best
bet
for
now.
My mother-in-law is in town and we’ve been playing Scrabble as we love to do. About mid-way through a game on Tuesday night, I used used the word LUCIFER on a triple word score.
My mother-in-law and Hepcat challenged me. "That’s a proper noun. You can’t use that," my mother-in-law said. We looked in the dictionary and it was capitalized.
"Seeeeeee," Hepcat cried self-righteously. "You can’t use that. It’s capitalized. That means it’s a proper noun."
Hepcat victorious.
But then I looked in the Scrabble Dictionary and it said that lucifer is a friction match.
A friction match. Nice. I got 36 points in one turn. Nice.
On Tuesday, Starbucks closed all of its 7100 American stores today for three hours for barista re-training. I walked by Park Slope’s Starbucks on Seventh Avenue near First Street and saw the staff sitting in the back of the store being re-trained or whatever it is that they were doing.
I felt like waving at those familiar faces. Like, hey guys. You okay in there?
Howard Schultz, Starbucks CEO, pulled a Steve Jobs by reclaiming his job as CEO in January in an attempt revitalize the company.
He says he wants baristas to feel the passion for making espresso—it’s all part of a new focus on the customer experience.
Racked had this conjecture about the real reason for company-wide shuttering.
NATIONAL—Rumor has it that the Starbucks shutterings
tonight from 5:30 to 8:30pm are taking place so that the coffee chain
can switch its wifi over from T-Mobile to AT&T. Of course, the
official word from the company is that they’re retraining all their
baristas. If so, that coffee should taste extra-special tomorrow
morning. [RackedWire Inbox]
Yesterday there was activity in the Tempo Presto storefront—a radio playing jazz and people inside moving around, cleaning up.
Strangely, there were also workmen moving metal pipes and other objects from the abandoned and boarded-up building on Third Street into a rental moving truck.
That’s the mystery building on Third Street next door to Tempo Presto.
"What’s going on?" a Third Street neighbor asked me. Any activity in that neglected building is big news on Third Street.
"Dunno," I said. "I asked one of the workmen if the building had been sold and he said no. But maybe that was the wrong question."
"I think the city owns that building," my neighbor told me. "It’s been vacant for more than ten years."
More like 14 years. My guess is that someone wanted all that metal. It’s worth some money, isn’t it?
It was encouraging to see activity in that building which has been boarded up for as long as I’ve lived here. Back in 2001 it looked like the building was being turned into condos and there was consistent work going on there.
After 9/11 everything stopped. Either the money dried up or someone connected with the project was affected by 9/11.
There’s been almost no activity there. Until yesterday.
LEAP INTO LITTLE BOXES
Leap Year Day, that calendar curiosity,
Comes to Brooklyn with velocity
Bringing crossword puzzlers Friday
Hoping each to make it "My Day"
In the annual competition
For their peers’ recognition
As the verbal king or queen
Of the
Up-and-Down-word scene.
The American Crossword Puzzle Tournament,
Otherwise known as Connecticut’s ornament,
Shifts to Brooklyn (with its subway trains)
In the search for more room–and more brains.
Which is how the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott,
Famed for its ballroom and commissariat,
Landed the World Series of puzzles,
Sport of head-slaps and of
nuzzles.
Founder and director Will Shortz
Of course will be there with retorts
To questions of style and suitability,
Issuing rules of enforceability.
Six hundred crossworders will keep heads bent
At the the weekend-long event.
Shortz, the New York Times puzzle master
Overseeing the race-to-be
faster,
Won matinee idol movie status
Starring in "Wordplay" with charm apparatus.
Soft of voice, the ideal boss,
Will never utters a word that’s cross.
Brooklyn’s crossword-off welcomes visitors,
All except vocal kibitzers.