Gowanus Lounge,  so great to have you in the neighborhood. You’ve added immeasurably to the Brooklyn Blog Zone and New York media in general.

Many happy returns.

Here from the dead let poetry rise up,
O sacred Muses, since I am yours

La Divina Commedia: Music and Readings from Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso on Sunday May 6th at 4 p.m. at the St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church (116 Sixth Avenue) in Park Slope Brooklyn.

A distinguished team of musicians, actors, poets, scholars, and others will gather to celebrate the Divine Comedy in the splendid St. Augustine’s Roman Catholic Church, which the Brooklyn Eagle called, "one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in the country."

For further information, cal 917-544-9514

BAMfamily Book Brunch
Walter Dean Myers & Christopher Myers

Ages 8—12

Sat, May 5, 12noon—2pm
BAMcafé
$20 adults; $15 children 16 and under; 20% off for subscribers to Eat, Drink & Be Literary.

Call BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100 to purchase tickets.

Bring the kids to this literary and musical jam session with the
award-winning team of author Walter Dean Myers and his son, illustrator
Christopher Myers. Their latest collaboration, Jazz,
captures the history and spirit of this vibrant American art form
through syncopated poetry and exuberant illustrations. The event starts
off with a buffet of kid-friendly food and drink followed by a reading
accompanied by live musical demonstration. The authors will discuss the
history of jazz and the art of writing, display the original artwork,
and explain how the illustrations were made. A question and answer
session will be followed by a book signing

Jen at Kensington Blog is concerned about slow service on the F-train casued by the Culver Viaduct rehabilitation.  She seems to have the ear of a New York City Transit rep by the name of Andrew Inglesby and is collecting complaints from other riders on the comment section of her blog. Talk about a good use of a comment section.  Go Jen.

After a frustrating and slow F train ride to 14th Street on Saturday
I decided to email the representative (Andrew.Inglesby@nyct.com) I met
at Bill de Blasio’s town hall meeting back on March 29th. I asked
Andrew about the announcement he had eluded to at the meeting and who I
should contact about F train service issues… Here’s what I received:

"We should be informing the affected elected officials and Community Board 6 about the Culver Viaduct rehabilitation,
which will affect subway service from Smith-9th Street to Church
Avenue, by the end of this year. The construction project’s contract
will be awarded in August 2008 but we always try to let the affected
community know as far in advance as possible.

You can let me know about any problems on the F train in the interim".

This from NY1:

Almost 500 buildings in the northern section of Crown Heights are now
part of a historical district, after the city’s Landmark Preservation
Commission unanimously voted to protect the area.

The area around Dean Street between Bedford and Kingston Avenues is
made up of 19th and 20th century row houses, mansions and churches.

The move essentially freezes the look of the area, because any
significant changes to the buildings will have to be approved by the
commission.

Eventually the landmark designation is expected to include about 1,400 buildings in Crown Heights.

 
 
    1. Elvis Presley "That’s All Right"

2. Ray Charles "I Got A Woman"

3. Chuck Berry "Maybellene"

4. Bob Dylan "A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall"

5. The Kingsmen "Louie Louie"

6. The Ronettes "Be My Baby"

7. The Beatles "I Wanna Hold Your Hand"

8. Martha and the Vandellas "Dancing In The Street"

9. The Rolling Stones "(I Cant Get No) Satisfaction"

10. Bob Dylan "Like A Rolling Stone"

11. The Beatles "Strawberry Fields Forever"

12. The Velvet Underground "Herion"

13. Aretha Franklin "Respect"

14. Jimi Hendrix "Purple Haze"

15. Led Zeppelin "Whole Lotta Love"

16. James Brown "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine"

17. Marvin Gaye "What’s Going On"

18. John Lennon "Imagine"

19. David Bowie "Ziggy Stardust"

20. Bob Marley "I Shot The Sheriff"

21. Joni Mitchell "Help Me"

22. Bruce Springsteen "Born To Run"

23. Queen "Bohemian Rhapsody"

24. The Ramones "Blitzkrieg Bop"

25. The Sex Pistols "Anarchy in the UK"

26. Donna Summer "I Feel Love"

27. The Sugarhill Gang "Rappers Delight"

28. Black Flag "TV Party"

29. Michael Jackson "Billie Jean"

30. Prince "When Doves Cry"

31. U2 "Pride (In The Name Of Love)"

32. Madonna "Like A Virgin"

33. Run DMC and Aerosmith "Walk This Way"

34. The Cure "Just Like Heaven"

35. Guns N Roses "Sweet Child O’ Mine"

36. Public Enemy "Bring The Noise"

37. Dr. Dre "Nuthin’ But A G Thang"

38. Nirvana "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

39. Britney Spears "Baby One More Time"

40. The White Stripes "Fell In Love With A Girl"

And a logo designed by the fabulous Elizabeth Reagh of Good Form Design. Go here to see the new blog, where I will be posting information about the blogfest, which is on Thursday, May 10th at 8 p.m. at the Old Stone House in Park Slope.

From Gersh and Ariella at the Brooklyn Paper:

More than 50 opponents of Atlantic Yards rallied on Monday morning in front of three buildings that Bruce Ratner plans to demolish this week, arguing that the developer should wait until pending litigation on the project is resolved before tearing them down.
…
“We say to Gov. Spitzer, we need you now!” said Councilwoman Letitia James (D–Prospect Heights). “This community was forced to file lawsuits because [of the lack of] government oversight.”
…
The developer did not return a request for comment from The Brooklyn Paper on Friday and again on Monday.

Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn spokesman Daniel Goldstein said Ratner’s decision to move ahead with the demolitions was “deeply troubling.”

“It has yet to be shown that [Ratner’s] Atlantic Yards project passes legal muster,” said Goldstein, whose group is one of 26 plaintiffs in the case.

Demolition on nine buildings in the Atlantic Yards footprint is set for today.

Last week, Manhattan State Supreme Court Justice Joan Madden refused to issue a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) that would have blocked demolitions before the legal challenge to the state’s environmental review before the court hearing on May 3rd.

But no go.

As I write this, Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn is protesting the demolition. They are assempling at Flatbush Avenue between 5th Avenue and Dean Street in Brooklyn.

This from New York 1:

The city’s last roller rink skated into history Sunday, but skaters
made one final attempt Saturday to keep it from shutting down for good.

A rally was held at the Empire Roller Skating Rink in Crown
Heights. Organizers called on city officials to keep Empire open or
build a new rink.

The rink has been around for more then 60 years and is known for
being the birthplace of roller disco, but it was recently sold and will
soon become a storage facility.

But local skaters say losing the rink will be tough on the neighborhood.

"I really don’t know where the young kids will go after Empire
closes, I really don’t know," said one young patron. "I don’t have that
sense of knowing. But I’ll tell you one thing, it’s gonna bring this
community down. It’s gonna drive a lot of people out, because of
Empire. It’s the only thing that’s really left here, that’s truly
here."

In recent years, the rink has been the subject of many complaints. There was a shooting outside it in January.

Empire’s owner said he decided to close when the city forced him to get rid of Teen Night and his liability insurance went up.

It was Earth Day weekend and it was so splendid in the park. So green. So pink were those cherry blossoms. And grass. Green. Green. And people kite flying and running and playing soccer n the Longs Meadow and I hear there was some gigantic American flag parchute out there. Never found it but that’s OK.

The day it was so idyllic like something out of, what, our memories of spring in Park Slope in seasons past. Something from Monet or Seurat, something from another century but with new age techno bikes, Healey’s, skates, Razrs, bugaboos, 21st Century looking people basking in their first sunny, warm day at the playground — the sand, the swings, balloons, the toddlers running…

It was the park, the park, omigod, the park. 

It was the first actual weekend of spring. The first weekend it didn’t rain and out sprouted the stoop salers with their wares: that stuff you don’t really want or need but it looks kind of interesting when you walk by.

And then the after-sale give-away. You can’t even give the stuff away in some cases. But leave a box of books on the street in Park Slope and somebody, somebody will pick it up. OK, they may dump it farther up the street when they’ve had some time to browse that book they thought they were interested in.

But they’re not interested in it anymore. Or maybe they are.

Moi? Smartmom is avoiding stoop sales this season. She’ll look but she won’t buy and that’s a promise.

She won’t even have one of her own. She’s all about just giving it away. Not just for altruistic reasons but because she just can’t bare to have another stoop sale.

OSFO has big plans, however. Stoop Sales-R-Us this season when OSFO gets in the mood. And Smartmom doesn’t mind a bit just as long as the stuff doesn’t come back inside.

I’m just saying I’m just saying.

Thanks to Gowanus Lounge who did a bang up job of collecting all of Brooklyn’s Earth Day events. It’s a big list cause there’s lots to do on this gorgeous Earth Day.

Here’s this week’s Smartmom from the Brooklyn Paper:

Smartmom is wearing new shade of lipstick lately. It’s called “Emerging” and she picked it out at MYR, a make-up shop on Seventh Avenue.

Emerging. It’s the perfect name for the soft burgundy color that goes so well with her skin tone. And it makes Smartmom feel like a butterfly emerging from her schleppy chrysalis in her journey to add a little flair to her appearance.

Hepcat hasn’t said a thing. OK, so he’s a little distracted these days — consulting as a software engineer — but he could comment on her new shade of lipstick, nu?

Truth is, Hepcat has never been one for make-up. Hell, he grew up on a farm. He hates perfume, and he gets all edgy when Smartmom wears foundation or rouge. He says he likes his Smartmom au natural.

Same with her hair. Hepcat doesn’t believe she should color it. Her “blondes-have-more-fun” phase last year left him cold. He actually loves the patch of gray that makes Smartmom look like Susan Sontag.

“I just find it so sexy,” he’s told her again and again.

But Smartmom pays no attention to that man. She’s been covering her gray since just days before her 40th birthday nearly nine years ago. And she likes it that way.

Since Hepcat didn’t notice her new lipstick color, Smartmom got to thinking: Would more radical make-up action get a rise out of him?

She decided to give it a try. Recently, she went back to MYR and decided to buy some eye make-up. The saleswoman helped her pick out a Kohl pencil, mascara, and, would you believe, eye shadow.

When Smartmom got home, she stood in front of the bathroom mirror and used her new pencil to try to make herself look like the Anais Nin character in the film “Henry and June.”

Then she applied the mascara carefully. She’s never had great luck with the stuff. It tends to smear if she rubs her eyes, has a crying jag or a laughing fit. But the MYR brand is smudgeless. Suddenly, Smartmom felt like she was being watched.

“What are you doing?” asked the Oh So Feisty One.

“Just putting on some make-up.” Smartmom replied.

“I like you better without make-up,” OSFO said.

Scram, she felt like saying. I’m in the mood to try something new. Like, is it possible to get some alone time in this apartment?

So, why this sudden desire to do something new with her face? Maybe it was that post on Park Slope Parents titled, “How Did I Get to Be Such a Frump?” that got her going:

“I just turned 50, and am in desperate need of a makeover. I’ve been a stay-at-home mom; can I blame it on that? My makeup and hairstyle is from 10 years ago, and my wardrobe consists of eight pairs of black elastic-waist pants, and different colors of the same Lands’ End shirt. I wish I was joking.”

Ms. Frump went on to say that she wanted to look more polished and professional. Clearly, she could use some SOS in the make-up, hair, and clothing department.

Smartmom immediately did an accounting of all the ways that she has absolutely NOTHING in common with this woman.

First of all, there are at least 15 months between Smartmom and 50.

Second, Smartmom regularly gets her hair cut at a trendy salon on the Lower East Side.

OK, she does wear black elastic-waist pants, but they’re from Eileen Fisher so that doesn’t count.

But most importantly, Smartmom is not now, nor has she ever been, a shopper at Lands’ End. In fact, Smartmom has never even tried on a Lands’ End shirt.

Whoa. Calm down. Nobody ever said that Smartmom and the Frumpette had anything in common. So why the over-reaction?

Well, on one level, Smartmom worries about becoming a frump, too. While she does obsesses about the way she looks (and she loves to window shop at Bird and Flirt), the pressures of her kids, her work, the family’s money situation, and her writing sometimes keep her from having a more, shall we say, polished appearance.

The trouble started after Teen Spirit was born when Smartmom found that she was still wearing her black Belly Basics way longer than she needed to.

Then the Oh So Feisty One was born, and Smartmom became self-employed in the Slope. Why dress up when the only people who see her are her MacBook, her office mate, and her family?

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Whether you’re getting dressed to go to the office, the gym, or a PTA meeting, you can still make an effort to look good.

Case in point: Smartmom’s friend, writer and blogger Mom After-Hours. She’s a bit of a fashion plate, who always looks terrific on Seventh Avenue whether she’s wearing jeans or one of her creatively coordinated outfits.

“Women who are so dedicated to being good mothers, good caregivers, and good partners end up neglecting who they are,” she said last week. “Since when did being a mother come to mean a life of self-denial? Since when did motherhood mean getting rid of stilettos and wearing in their stead, dare I say it, Birkenstocks?”

Stilettos? Smartmom doesn’t have one friend who wears stilettos. But Mom After-hours does have a point. While comfort and efficiency are the buzzwords of Park Slope life, comfortable doesn’t have to mean a lack of creativity or style.

Smartmom felt like calling Ms. Frump. She wanted to tell her to go to MYR to buy some eye shadow. She wanted to tell her to check out the clothes at City Casual, Living on Seventh or Flirt. She wanted to tell her to take a run in the park and meditate. She wanted to meet her for lattes at Sweet Melissa’s and compare shopping woes.

Hepcat still hasn’t noticed Smartmom’s lip color. But he did make a comment about her eye make-up.

“I think that stuff makes you look like a ferret or maybe a raccoon,” he told Smartmom over udon soup.

But Smartmom didn’t care. She is doing it for herself. Just playing around. Having some fun. And when that bathroom door is closed, OSFO now knows she wants to be alone.

This from Streetsblog:

Shin-pei Tsay and Lisa Chamberlain have organized a gathering in memory of Jane Jacobs on the anniversary of her death, April 25:

Come raise a glass in honor of Jane Jacobs— a community activist who knew when to don the white gloves, when to get arrested, and when to unwind at the local pub. Speakers: Darren Walker, Vice President of the Rockefeller Foundation, will talk about the first annual Jane Jacobs medals to be announced in June. Alex Washburn, the first ever Chief Urban Designer for NYC’s Department of City Planning, will talk about urban design challenges in 21st century New York.

When
Wednesday, April 25th, 2007 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Where
White Horse Tavern
567 Hudson St. (at W. 11th St.)
Manhattan
RSVP
Everyone welcome — No RSVP necessary

Streetsblog has a video interview with Bob Kiley, who served as the Commissioner of Transport for London from 2001 to 2006? (Kiley was also chairman and CEO of New York’s MTA from 1983 to 1990.) about congestion pricing in London.

Today, Mayor Bloomberg plans a big speech at the Museum of Natural History at 1 p.m. about congestion pricing, which is part of his Plan NYC, which lays out 127 different ideas to ease global warming and carbon emissions. Here’s a teaser of what’s in tomorrow’s speech.

People argue about global warming. I can’t tell you how fast the oceans will rise, whether they’ll rise. I can just tell you a handful of things: dirty air isn’t good for you to breathe and we aren’t doing our environment any good by dumping all this crap into the air.

You want to solve the energy crisis in this country, you’ve got to either raise gasoline taxes or force manufacturers to make more fuel-efficient cars. That’s the biggest thing you could do.