Union Hall Noise Issue at Community Board 6 Meeting Tonight
It should be quite a Community Board meeting tonight.
On one side of the ring: A small group of Union Street neighbors, who claim the club noise is unbearable; that it’s ruining their lives.
On the other side of the ring: Union Hall, the popular library-style bar/restaurant/music club on Union Street near Fifth Avenue.
The neighbors want to take away Union Hall’s liquor license.
Union Hall is trying to pull together a big crowd of support. They’ve even got a logo: Union Hall is Park Slope: I Support Union Hall.
The meeting is at 6:30 tonight at Brooklyn Borough Hall.
Slope Charter School Approved
As reported on Gowanus Lounge and the NY Sun, a charter school in Park Slope just got the green light and will open in the Fall of 2009.
This is big news for public school parents because it is a much needed new middle school that will serve Park Slope, Gowanus, Sunset Park, Red Hook,
Windsor Terrace, Cobble Hill, and parts of downtown Brooklyn.
A new middle school! Fantastic.
This charter school will be run privately and not by the district. However it will have to meet tough standards in order to open and to remained chartered.
Where will this school be located? What is it called? What’s the curriculum like? Questions, questions and more questions.
Check Out Sogood.TV’s New Flip Video Camera
Don’t you love Heather Johnston?
She delivered the Top Ten Tips for New Bloggers at the Blogfest and has a great food, wine and recipe blog for the home cook called Sogood.tv.
She also got a Flip Video camera for Mother’s Day (best Mother’s Day gift I’ve heard about). It’s a convenient camera for video bloggers. On the post linked above she talks about the camera and then uses it solo to videotape herself cooking Chicken Piccata.
The Flip Video Ultra Series starts at $149. That’s a good price for a video camera for blogging. They also have cameras for $99.99
Law To Make Manufactuers Accountable for Electronic Waste
This morning, Bill DeBlasio’s office sent out this press release about a Council vote today that is expected to pass a law that would require electronics manufacturers to meet collection standards.
This afternoon the New York City Council is expected to override Mayor Bloomberg’s veto of Intro 729, a law that would require electronics manufacturers to meet set collection standards. These standards will help to ensure that manufacturers are held accountable for taking back a certain amount of electronic waste (e-waste) each year.
It is estimated that residents in New York City buy 92,000 tons of electronic devices every year. Nearly 25,000 tons of this electronic waste is picked up and disposed of at City taxpayer expense annually.
The legislation’s sponsor, Councilmember Bill de Blasio will join the Speaker and environmental advocates today at the pre-stated press conference in the Red Room at 1pm.
Our Bodies Ourselves at the Old Stone House
Hey, this sounds cool. What 40ish woman didn’t come of age with Our Bodies Ourselves in the 1970’s? Back then it was THE go-to book for all the information we needed, including how to use a speculum and more. How I pored over this book, which has been reissued and revised countless times.
Join Judy Norsigian (Our Bodies Ourselves co-founder and co-author
of all OBOS titles) for a discussion about pregnancy and birth issues
Thursday, May 22 from 7-9pm in Brooklyn, NY. Sponsored by Planned
Parenthood, the event will take place at the Old Stone House, located
on 5th Ave in the Park Slope neighborhood between 3rd and 4th streets.
Forget just knowing what to expect–learn what to do during pregnancy and beyond.From choosing a provider to coping with labor pain, this comprehensive
book will help women make informed decisions and guide them through
pregnancy, birth, and the "fourth trimester" of early motherhood."The trusted Boston Women’s Health Book Collective has written a
comprehensive, accessible, and up-to-date book for expectant mothers.
It balances important facts, scientific date, and evidence with the
voice of the "wise woman"; and it provides questions to ask, issues to
think about, and options to consider and discuss. This is the #1 book I
am going to recommend to my patients."–Timothy R.B. Johnson MD FACOG, Bates Professor and Chair of
Obstetrics and Gynecology and Professor of Women’s Studies, University
of Michigan"As a new mother myself, I appreciated all the scientific evidence
that was used to back up recommendations or to question standard
practices. And yet this book manages to be a smart, readable guide that
is not preachy — a rarity for pregnancy books."–Tina Cassidy, author of Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born
NY Observer: 100 Most Powerful in NY Real Estate
The New York Observer put together a list of the 100 most powerful people in New York real estate. It’s an interesting list. Power and money was, obviously, their most important criteria:
The list, especially higher up, contains those who animate the deals
and the trends. They are the deciders and the money providers. They
make the real estate world the rest of us live in; or cover, as the
case may be.
Robert DeNiro, the great actor and Tribeca restauranteur, hotelier and booster, is on the list. So is Edward Egan, the Catholic Archbishop because of all the church property he oversees and Amanda Burden for her role as the Commissioner of the Department of City Planning.
Where does Bruce Ratner come in on the list? He’s number 8 just under Craig Newmark of Craig’s List.
Bruce Ratner: Chairman of Forest City Ratner Companies
The leader of what is perhaps New York’s most
high-profile development, the controversy magnet Atlantic Yards, Bruce
Ratner is one of the most active developers in the city, often pursuing
large, publicly administered projects. He’s recently taken a liking to
famous architects, ensuring that his developments leave a notable
impression on the skyline.
Brooklyn Women’s Rugby
An OTBKB reader and rugby player sent this in about Brooklyn Women’s Rugby:
Women tackling each other is usually a crowd pleaser, but our team is much more than a gaggle of hyper-aggressive, unfeminine jocks. Though our roster is small and constantly in flux our players represent our borough: locals and transplants, gay and straight, women who wear makeup to every game, and women who are at their most beautiful when they sprint, tackle, and execute plays. We are the only women’s rugby team in Brooklyn , and our players represent many different neighborhoods. We accept players and supporters from all boroughs, but most exemplify the diversity and attitude of Brooklyn : aggressive, yet affable.
Brooklyn Women’s Rugby was formed only 16 months ago by five women. Though two women’s teams exist in Manhattan , our players were looking for a more social league, one that allows its player to have a life. Since February 2007 our numbers have gone from five to roughly 25, and we now have a certified rugby coach, Ms. Jaimee Lynn Nelsen.
In case you’re unfamiliar with rugby, it is a contact sport in which players, sans padding, advance a ball down a football-sized field by kicking or running. The ball can’t be thrown forward, and once a player has the ball, they’re a marked man: only the ball carrier can be tackled, and any obstruction results in a penalty. Penalties, of which there are many, are resolved through the intricate dog-pile known as a scrum, or the line-out, which resembles bloodthirsty cheerleading. There are rucks and mauls as well, methods of regaining possession through coordinated violence. Injuries aren’t really that common, though they do occur; one of our players was recently sidelined after breaking a finger, though she was good enough to finish the game before going to the ER. However, we tend to go through our lives with more bruises, scratches, and concussions than “normal” people.
Practices take place in Prospect Park on Thursdays at 6:30 and typically have games on Saturdays. Please feel free to come to a practice and get a feel for our team. I know Only the Blog Knows is busy, and we’d have no problem reporting the results of our games and general development if you’re unable to get away from the desk. I’ve attached a schedule of our upcoming games, and also invite you to our First Annual Brooklyn Women’s Rugby Pub Crawl: as fundraiser and opportunity to raise community awareness of our team, it will take place in Park Slope during the afternoon of June 7.
Tonight: OTBKB and Gowanus Lounge on Brian Lehrer Live
Tonight at 7:30 Robert Guskind of Gowanus Lounge and I will be on Brian Lehrer Live discussing the Brooklyn Blogfest and the future of blogging in Brooklyn.
As everyone knows, Brian Lehrer is the popular host of WNYC’s “Brian Lehrer Show." But he also hosts a live, hour-long weekly television program on CUNY TV.
“Just like my WNYC show, we’ll be trying to get at the truth about life
and politics in New York City, and give regular New Yorkers a voice
through live call-ins and e-mail,” says Lehrer. “We’ll be providing
direct access to mayoral hopefuls and other major newsmakers, and doing
New York television’s only ‘open phones’ call-ins. We’ll also invite
people to send in photos and original videos that say something
meaningful about life in New York today. And, as on the radio, we’ll
find our ways to sneak in some fun!”The program is
cablecast in New York City on Wednesdays from 7: 30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.,
and is simulcast live and archived online at www.cuny.tv.
More Blogfest Reaction: Second Avenue Sagas
Benjamin Kaback of Second Avenue Sagas , a blog dedicated to blogging the subway from A to J/M/Z has posted his response to the Brooklyn Blogfest. He wrote to tell me about it and had this to say. Go to his blog (link above) for his more critical outlook.
I had a chance to write up my thoughts on the Blogfest on my personal
site. I took a more critical approach to the event, but I did want to
stress to you that I thought it was an excellent gathering. I think
there’s a lot of room for growth, and I know you mentioned in one of
your posts that you’re not sure if it will continue next year. I do
hope it continues next year and for years to come. The Brooklyn
Bloggers are a long way away from milking dry all of their experiences.
The Edgy Mothers Reading: May 15th at The Montauk Club
From the New Yorker’s Readings and Talks column:
“THE EDGY MOTHERS READING”
The writers Lenore Skenazy, Louise Crawford, Amy Sohn, Louise Sloan,
Christen Clifford, Michele Madigan Somerville, and Sophia Romero share
their jagged takes on motherhood. (The Montauk Club, 25 Eighth Ave.,
Park Slope, Brooklyn. No tickets necessary. For more information, call
718-638-0800. May 15 at 7.)
Brooklyn Uncorked: Edible Brooklyn Event
Edible Brooklyn is an appealing, well written and nicely designed magazine for foodies, that is given out free around the Slope. Today they’re throwing a local food and wine party at BAM. Tickets are $50.
Come
join your food community at Edible Brooklyn’s annual local-tasting
soiree. The only place to sample the full suite of Long Island wines,
from austere steel-fermented whites to robust reds to varietal roses,
without getting on the L.I.E.Based on the sell-out success of
last years inaugural event, and the strong turnout from outer boroughs
(Manhattanites made up half of last years attendees), this year
Brooklyn Uncorked will spill over into the lobby of BAM, making way for
an increased number of wineries, local craft beers and much more food.Sample
a selection of award-winning Long Island and New York microbrews,
including Blue Point Brewery, Brooklyn Brewery, Heartland Brewery,
Sixpoint Craft Ales, and Southampton Publick House.In
addition to cheese from Stinky Bklyn and Whole Foods Market, Long
Island potato chips, palate-coolers from Wine Cellar Sorbets, freshly
pressed coffees from Bodum, and natural sodas from Grown-up Soda (GuS),
favorite neighborhood restaurants will be serving up samples, including
Bonita, Flatbush Farm, iCi, La Maison du Couscous, Little D Eatery,
Palo Santo, Smoke Joint, and Stonehome Wine Bar, as well as Great
Performances caterers. Music will be provided by WLIU radio. Glasses
are courtesy of Reidel.Last year’s event sold out, so reserve your spot now.
The event runs from 4-8 p.m. and tickets to the general public are $50.
Only the Blog Links
Quake toll rises; China struggles to reach victims (NY Times)
Victoria Roberts, cartoonist of the month (The New Yorker Blog)
Montclair’s new mayor: Jerry Fried (Baristanet)
Parking rules temporarily suspended in Park Slope (NY 1)
RIP: Artist Robert Rauschenberg (NY Times)
No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford
Press Release from the Department of Transportation
Here’s the press release from the Department of Transportation about the alternate-side-of-the-street holiday started May 19th:
Effective Monday, May 19, 2008, Street Cleaning/Alternate Side Parking Regulations will be temporarily suspended in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn’s Community Board 6 until further notice as the Department of Transportation (DOT) installs signs with new, reduced regulations. In many cases, residential street cleaning parking restrictions will be reduced from three-hour intervals to just 90 minutes, and from twice a week to just once a week, to ease parking for local residents. On commercial corridors, some streets will now be cleaned more often and regulations will be better coordinated to help ensure some curbside parking for local shoppers. The new rules were established by the Department of Sanitation.
Street Cleaning Regulations will be suspended within the following borders from May 19 until further notice:
North: Pacific St. (included) from 4th Ave. to 6th Ave.;
6th Ave. (not included) from Pacific St. to Flatbush Ave.;
West side of Flatbush Ave. (included) from 6th Ave. to Plaza St. West.
East: Plaza Street West (included) from Flatbush Ave. to Union St.;
Prospect Park West (included) from Union St. to Bartel Pritchard Square;
Bartel Pritchard Square (included) from Prospect Park West to 15th St.
South: 15th St. (not included) from Prospect Park West to 4th Ave.
West: 4th Ave. (not included) from 15th St. to Saint Mark’s Pl.;
4th Ave. (included) from Saint Mark’s Pl. to Pacific St..
The new Street Cleaning Regulations will take effect once sign changes are complete in the entire area, also indicated on the map. The DOT will give advance notification before enforcement resumes.
The changes do not affect 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. parking rules or meter regulations, or any other parking rules that are not Street Cleaning Regulations.
Similar conversions and temporary suspensions of ASP rules will occur later this year in Board 6’s Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens and Red Hook neighborhoods.
For more information, please contact the Citizen Service Center at 311 or visit the Department of Sanitation’s web site at www.nyc.gov/sanitation, or contact Brooklyn Community Board 6 at (718) 643-3027 or online at www.BrooklynCB6.org.
Contact: Seth Solomonow (DOT) (212) 442-7033
Vito Turso (Sanitation) (646) 885-5020
Craig Hammerman (CB 6) (718) 643-3027
The Oh-So-Prolific-One: Leon Freilich/Verse Responder
Our verse responder, back from a vacation in the hinterlands, brings us this song of the Food Coop.
BALLAD OF THE FOOD COOP FROG
He tagged along as the member took
Her head of lettuce home;
Among the green organic leaves
He quietly chanted Om.
For three cold days he went on chanting,
Napping now and then
And wondering if he’d ever see
His Florida pals again.
The member had taken the tiny frog
Across the Carroll Street Bridge
And reaching her kitchen, had transferred
Her Coop food to the fridge.
Till now he’d basked beneath the sun,
Floating on a lucky tide,
Escaping certain painful death
By fatal pesticide.
The third day on his frozen shelf,
He replaced his chant with a yelp,
And Om gave way to urgency,
For Froggie needed help.
It came at last, when just in time,
He found his lettuce haven
Withdrawn by a knowing hand and placed
In a bowl by a salad maven.
The member’s eyes doubled in size
And yet she had no regret
As she spied her guest and marveled, How
Organic does it get!
Past shock on her part, relief on his,
Froggie no longer drifts;
He’s joined the Coop and shops in peace–
As long as he does his shifts.
Free Ferry from Lower Manhattan to Ikea in Red Hook
So Ikea will offer free ferry service from Pier 11 in lower Manhattan to its dock in Red Hook. It will be for shoppers and anyone else who wants to take the ride to Red Hook.
Ikea opens on June 18th in Red Hook.
Blogfest Portraits Online Now
The portraits that Hugh Crawford took of Brooklyn bloggers (mostly) at the Brooklyn Blogfest are online now.
If you want to use a picture on your blog, leave a comment or email Hugh and he will contact you.
Prints are available at prices ranging from inexpensive to pretty expensive depending on size and quality at Smugmug.
If you’d like a fine art print of one of the pictures, please get in touch with Hugh: hugh(at)hughcrawford(dot)com
What’s Going on this Week?
Look what’s going on this week. Try to get to one of these events!
May 14 at 7 pm: Martha Dudman, author of Black Olives and and Nan Bauer-Maglin, author of Cut Loose, a collection of true stories and reflections written by 27 women, read their work at the Old Stone House. Fifth Avenue and 3rd Street in Park Slope
May 15 at 7 pm: Have a post-Mother’s Day cocktail (or two) with NY Sun Columnist, Lenore Skenazy, magazine
writer, Amy Sohn, and the Brooklyn Paper’s tell-it-like-it-really-is
Smartmom and others, who will will shock, amuse, and entertain you, and
they won’t make you eat your vegetables before you get dessert. It’s happening at the elegant and fun The Montauk Club at 7 p.m. Cocktails and a reading. Free. Lincoln Place and 8th Avenue.
May 17 all day: NY Writer’s Coalition Write-A-Thon: a daylong writing festival will benefit NYWC’s free,
unique and powerful creative writing programs across New York City. Colson Whitehead is the guest speaker.
Use the day however best serves your writing needs; write on
your own, participate in workshops, or receive fun and stimulating
prompts from our “prompt stations.”
Like a walk-a-thon, our attendees will ask friends and
family to donate in support of their day of writing. These
contributions will help fund NYWC’s creative writing programs for
at-risk youth, the homeless and formerly homeless, the formerly
incarcerated, seniors, and many others that aren’t heard from often
enough in our society. At theNY Center for Independent Publishing. 20 West 44th Street.
May 18: Cho-Chiqq: The ultimate Park Slope backyard theater festival. 11:00am – 4pm
369 1st Street, Garden Apartment – Park Slope. R to Union Street. For details go here.
The Treachery of a Trusted Partner: May 14th Reading at the Old Stone House
It’s happened to too many women we know.The guy that they thought they knew well walks out. In fiction and in real life, what happens?
This is the territory covered in two remarkable books.
–Martha Dudman’s latest novel Black Olives
–Nan Bauer-Maglin’s Cut Loose, a collection of true stories and reflections written by 27 women
For an entertaining and therapeutic evening, join
Martha and Nan reading from their books
Wednesday May 14
7:00 pm
The Old Stone House
Fifth Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets, Park Slope, Brooklyn
(easy to reach from R train, Union Street stop, or F train, 4th Avenue stop)
718-768-3195
For additional information, call Betsey at 718-768-1130
The Nikki Giovanni Songs: Louis and Capathia Do it Again
Louis Rosen’s musical settings of poems by the contemporary black poet Nikki Giovanni are a great leap forward in a career already sparkling with high points.
For those who are fans of Rosen’s song cycles based on the poetry of Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes—and his own South Side Stories—the Nikki Giovanni songs will be yet another revelation.
Last night at the CD release show for One Ounce of Truth: The Nikki Giovanni Songs (on PS Classics) at Joe’s Pub, the audience knew they were witnessing something very special. Indeed, a chance to hear Louis Rosen and Capathia Jenkins is always a treat but the added bonus of a 6-piece band (including Louis on guitar) made this performance something even more interesting and complex.
The new songs swirl through a variety of musical styles and moods, including blues, R&B, funk and the smooth Brazilian vibe of The Moon Shines Down and The World, two ravishing love songs. The Laura Nyro-esque Telephone Song is a joyous and giddy swoon of musical pleasure.
There is darkness in You Were Gone and One Ounce of Truth and humor and a sassy sexiness in a songs like, I Wrote a Good Omelet and That Day. The Black Loom, from a Giovonni poem dedicated to Nina Simone, is a showcase for the funky, soulful side of Capathia.
Not enough can be said about the smarts, musicality, and 2-octave
interpretative genius of Capathia Jenkins. She is a treasure to behold,
on CD or on the stage of Joe’s Pub.
One Ounce of Truth, is another chapter in Rosen’s musical exploration of black American poetry. The deceptively causal, often funny and wise verse of Giovanni is a perfect companion to Rosen’s multi-timbered musical settings. Here’s what Nikki Giovanni had to say about the recording:
"I’m just a girl who writes poems and was lucky enough to find someone who writes music who found someone who sings like an angel so my work once again has this wonderful opportunity to reach out and embrace and tickle and lovingly dance with you. I hope you like it. The moon is still against the night singing loves songs to the stars."
Luckily, you have 3 more chances to catch this go-round of performances by Louis and Capathia: May 18, 19, 26 at Joe’s Pub
This Weekend: Artist Studio Tours
Leaf and Circle, a work by artist Jessica Baker, is on display at the Prospect Park Audubon Center. Baker invites readers of OTBKB to check out her studio on this weekend’s studio tour.
I would like to invite you to visit my studio next weekend (5/17 & 5/18) during the annual Sonya Studio Stroll (see stroll directions and info below – my studio is at 122 Washington Ave. on the 3rd floor). Previous work will be on sale, and I’ll be showing some friend’s prints on the walls.
My exhibit Leaf & Circle is still up at the Prospect Park Audubon Center and has been extended through June 1st (jessicabaker.net – Leaf & Circle).
After visiting my show, art critic and blogger, Olympia Lambert, featured me as "artist of the day" on her blog: olysmusings.blogspot.com
You can also see the work of a wide variety of other artists on the Sonya Studio Stroll in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
View a sampling of works by artists on the Studio Stroll.
SONYA Gallery
394 Waverly Ave, between Greene & Gates Aves.
Open by appointment: 718-857-5696 and
Stroll Weekend, Sat & Sun, noon to 6pm.Artists
Jo-Ann Acey, Pamella Allen, Jessica Baker, C Bangs, Fred Bendheim,
Caitlin Bermingham, Doug Beube, Ramona Candy, Mary Chang, Carol Foy,
Tanda Francis, Deborah Goldstein, Sheila Goloborotko, I. Leon Golomb,
Kathleen Hayek, Ryan Ketchum, Melanie Kozol, D. Lammie-Hanson,
Richard Lebenson, Winicjusz Lysik, Halina Marki, Diana McClure,
Johanna Mendez, Kathleen Migliore Newton, Reuben Moore,
Ragnar Naess, Douglas Newton, Gabriel Pacheco, Sandra Perez-Weeden,
Jim Porter, Mary Salstrom, Gina Samson, JD Siazon, Deborah Singletary,
GG Stankiewicz, Kathy Stecko, and Valerie WilliamsArtist Groups, Museums, Institutions, and Galleries
Artists of 35 Claver Place, Clinton Hill Art Gallery,
Fort Greene Photography Organization,
I.O.I – Items of Importance Gallery, MoCADA,
Sankofa Ceramics Cooperative, Tres Gallery,
and Underbridge PicturesFree and open to the public. Over 100 artists exhibiting work at 32
locations. With hundreds of great works of art at affordable prices,
you can easily start or add to your own art collection.
From May 19th: Summerlong Suspension of Alternate-Side-of-the-Street Parking
The Brooklyn Paper reports that alternate-side-of-the-street (ASOTS) parking will be suspended on
residential streets in Park Slope starting on May 19. This means that there will be no residential street cleaning at all this summer.
What’s the reason for this summer vacation from ASOTS parking for Park Slopers?
According to the Brooklyn Paper, the Department of Transportation needs to install
street signs explaining new street-cleaning regulations that will
reduce “No parking” times on residential street-cleaning days from
three hours to 90-minutes.
In the commercial zones, streets will
be cleaned as many as six times a week, up from four or five, and at
staggered half-hour cleaning schedules.
ONLY THE BLOG LINKS
No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford
May 15th is Post-Mother’s Day Cocktails for Edgy Moms
Join ruckus rousing NY Sun Columnist, Lenore Skenazy, magazine writer, Amy Sohn, and the Brooklyn Paper’s tell-it-like-it-really-is Smartmom and others, who will will shock, amuse, and entertain you, and they won’t make you eat your vegetables before you get dessert.
Come to this reading/cocktail party (cash bar) at the Montauk Club in Park Slope on May 15th at 7:00 pm.
Readers include:
Christen Clifford, writer/ performer of Off-Broadway’s hit show Baby
Love, true stories about sex and motherhood
Louise Crawford, The Brooklyn Paper’s Smartmom and editor of Only the
Blog Knows Brooklyn
Michele Somerville Madigan, poet and blogger, Fresh Poetry Dail
Sophia Romero, blogger, The Shiksa from Manila and novelist, Always
Hiding
Lenore Skenazy, the controversial New York Sun writer, who let her 9-
year-old take the subway alone
Louise Sloan, Huffington Post blogger and author of Knock Yourself
Up: A Tell-All Guide to Becoming a Single Mom
Amy Sohn, author of the novels Run Catch Kiss and My Old Man
Location: 25 8th Avenue between Lincoln and St. John in Park Slope, Brooklyn
Date: Thursday May 15th
7 p.m. Cash bar for cocktails
7:30: The reading begins
Admission free
Maggie Gyllenhaal Talks About Jen/Paul Leaving the Slope
Tim Murphy of New York Magazine’s Daily Intel cornered Maggie Gyllenhaal about the recent move Tribeca flight by Jennifer Connelly and Paul Brittany at the 4th Annual Design on a Dime benefit for Housing Works, an organization devoted to fighting the twin crises of AIDs and homelessness.
So what
does Gyllenhaal think about her fellow Brooklyn celebs, Jennifer
Connelly and hubby Paul Bettany, fleeing the borough? "I don’t know
her" — we found that a little suspect, because we know all about that
SlopeCelebs Yahoo group where they all conspire about the best times to
hit the food co-op without being spotted — "but everyone’s telling me
that she’s leaving, she’s leaving. But she lives in a mansion, like a huge house, and we don’t…"Our eyebrow involuntarily took flight.
"I mean, we live in a brownstone, it’s huge, it’s big, believe me,
I’m grateful for all the space we have. But I think [Connelly] was
saying that her house was kind of too much. Our house, like, it doesn’t
feel like too much."She then reiterated that she was glad to be out of Manhattan. And
then she dropped the bomb, one in a string that may eventually restore
Park Slope fully to the unboldfaced, if not the unfinanced: "To be
honest, I’m thinking in the next few years of moving even further
away." Like … to Gowanus? we asked. "To the country," she said…
The Great Mistake of 1898
1898 was the year Brooklyn, previously an independent city, merged with New York City. The merger was called the "Great Mistake of 1898" by many newspapers of the day, and the phrase is, according to Wikipedia, used to denote Brooklyn pride among old-time Brooklynites.
The Great Mistake of 1898 is also the name of a local Williamsburg that plays around town, mostly at the Luna Lounge. They played Arlene’s Grocery on Saturday night. Photographer Cameron Justice is documenting their evolution as a band in a photo essay. He writes:
The Great Mistake of 1898 is a small, underground brooklyn rock band that I have been photo-documenting over the last couple of months.
They are very talented and committed to their music, and are currently
recording their first full length album. I hope to continue with this
project.
Has anyone heard them? I hear they’re great.
Science Fiction from Park Slope Auxillary Cop Killed in the line of duty
"The too-short life of Nicholas Pekearo was both triumph and tragedy.
He died a hero’s death, sacrificing his own life to save others. And
now comes The Wolfman, a brilliant, insightful, overpowering debut from
a writer who studied, listened, and learned before he took his
shot…and centered the bulls-eye. Published posthumously, this
"debut" novel is a triumph."–Andrew Vachss
Nicholas Pekearo’s first novel, The Wolfman, will be released in the coming weeks from Tor Books.
Pekearo, a young writer, who lived in Park Slope, was killed in the line of duty while volunteering as an NYPD Auxiliary Police Officer in the neighborhood he grew up in, New York City’s Greenwich Village.
He worked in bookstores throughout New York City, including Crawford-Doyle on Madison Avenue. The Wolfman is his first published novel.
Marlowe Higgins has had a hard life. Since being dishonorably discharged after a tour in Vietnam, he’s been in and out of prison, moving from town to town, going wherever the wind takes him. He can’t stay in one place too long–every full moon he kills someone.
Marlowe Higgins is a werewolf. For years he struggled with his affliction, until he found a way to use this unfortunate curse for good–he only kills really bad people.
Settling at last in the small town of Evelyn, Higgins works at a local restaurant and even has a friend, Daniel Pearce, one of Evelyn’s two police detectives.
One night everything changes. It turns out Marlowe Higgins isn’t the only monster lurking in the area. A fiendish serial killer, known as the Rose Killer, is brutally murdering young girls all around the county. Higgins targets the killer as his next victim, but on the night of the full moon, things go drastically wrong. . . .
Plastic Recycling at the Food Coop
The Food Coop accepts plastics that NYC Department of Sanitation does not. My question is this: Does the Food Coop accept plastics from non-members? Here’s the blurb from the PSFC:
We’ve expanded the Saturday and Sunday recycling hours. See below for details.
Bring clean, dry plastic to the Coop’s sidewalk during monthly
recycling hours. We close up promptly. So, the final drop offs will be
accepted 10 minutes prior to our end time to allow for sorting:2nd Sat., 10 AM-2 PM
3rd Thur., 7 PM-9 PM
Last Sun., 10 AM-2 PM.
We accept…* #1 & # 2 (where mouth is wide or wider than the body, meaning NOT bottles) plastics
* #4 plastics
* #5 plastic tubs, cups & specifically marked lids and caps (discard any with paper labels)
* Plastic film