Times in New York

Hidden architecture

2008-09-03T00:08:00.003-04:00

I've driven by this building on 3rd Avenue in Brooklyn many times. It always stood out to me for two reasons. One, aside from the boarded up windows and advertising, its a beautiful old building. And two, it sits on the corner of a gigantic lot that has been completely leveled and dug out and appears to be waiting for yet another huge Brooklyn condo (see photo at bottom). The building seems to be holding on for dear life.

Well, it turns out the giant lot is the future site of a Whole Foods. As part of its development deal, Whole Foods agreed to help restore this building. According to brownstoner, the owner "planned to open an art gallery and gift store in the rehabilitated property." (that would be super-cool.) Unfortunately, things aren't going well. Brownstoner, sums it up:

Whatever benefits this Whole Foods would bring to the neighborhood and Brooklyn have been greatly overshadowed in the past year or so by the store's lack of action in Gowanus. The fence at the abandoned toxic site has been destroyed again and again, giving the general public open-access to a potentially harmful property. At the same time, we now learn the grocer has reneged on its agreement to preserve a city landmark. Whole Foods, it's time to s*&t or get off the Gowanus pot.

You can read the full post here. Photo is by brownstoner.

Here's another photo of the building, this one gives you an idea of how lonely the building looks on the lot right now. (photo from Google Maps)

Joe Biden, champion of Amtrak

2008-08-24T20:18:00.002-04:00

From Daily Kos:

A Shot in the Arm for Amtrak?
by MissLaura
Sat Aug 23, 2008 at 03:03:52 PM PDT

KStreetProjector and Atrios have both pointed to one of the things liberals should really be cheering about Joe Biden being on the Democratic ticket: The man is one of Amtrak's biggest supporters.

That support comes in several forms:

Biden commutes to work each day on Amtrak and has been a strong supporter of the beleaguered rail service. He is an original co-sponsor of the Amtrak Reauthorization Bill (National Defense Rail Act), S.104, introduced on January 7, 2003. Introducing an earlier version of the bill with Sen. Fritz Hollings (D-SC) on March 6, 2002, Biden stated, "For 30 years, I have witnessed Congress dangling a carrot in front of Amtrak's eyes, funding it just enough for it to limp along. And I'll tell you, this has to stop. Now is the time to commit politically and financially to a strong, safe, and efficient passenger rail system." Biden has been particularly concerned with rail passenger security, and has, in the words of communications director Norm Kurz "worked furiously" to secure funding for Amtrak to upgrade its tunnels, hire more cops and bomb-sniffing dogs, build more fences, and add lighting to terminals.

Amtrak president George Warrington presented Biden with a "Champion of the Rails" award in June 2001 and the American Passenger Rail Coalition (APRC), a national association of railroad equipment suppliers and rail businesses, presented him its "Rail Leadership Award" in March 2002.

Moreover, his younger son is on the Amtrak board, and in that capacity is a major advocate for the railroad.

Especially in this moment when rising gas prices have set Amtrak ridership records, having one of the rail service's supporters handed a bigger soapbox creates a real moment of potential. This country needs more public transit -- more miles of service, funding to repair and upgrade equipment (train tracks in particular need work, but Amtrak's cars also need refurbishing or replacing in many cases -- and can you even imagine how many people would opt for Amtrak over the New York to DC shuttle if Amtrak had wifi?), and, as Atrios tirelessly points out, we need public transit to become an organizing principle of new development of residential and commercial areas. This is one of the most important components of improved energy policy. (And, like Atrios, I think it's a path to improved quality of life as well.)

Let's hope Biden is able to move things forward on this one.

Dwyane Wade and I have similar food tastes.

2008-08-13T21:40:00.003-04:00

As few vegetables as possible! (h/t Jon)

Michael Lee of the Washington Post has asked team USA about recent talk of their private chef. "Chef Lovie" gets high praise from players. But in the ensuing conversation, Dwyane Wade undermines the work of nutrition experts everywhere by saying that he simply does not eat vegetables. Can that even be true? Lee reports: "'You got to stay with what you know,' Wade said. 'I don't eat seafood. I don't eat vegetables. I don't eat none of that stuff, so I got to really stick with what I know.' What, no vegetables? How does Wade get his nutrients? 'I don't know. I don't eat vegetables,' he said."

Does this bother anyone else?

2008-08-01T14:54:00.004-04:00

Normally I don't go crazy every time the Bush Administration takes illegal spying to another level. (Except FISA, that really pissed me off Obama.) However this is easily going too far. The government simply can't be allowed to seize assets without any cause whatsoever. How long until this tactic gets abused? 5 seconds? 10?

From Reuters:

U.S. agents can seize travelers' laptops: report
Fri Aug 1, 2008 8:13am EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. federal agents have been given new powers to seize travelers' laptops and other electronic devices at the border and hold them for unspecified periods the Washington Post reported on Friday.

Under recently disclosed Department of Homeland Security policies, such seizures may be carried out without suspicion of wrongdoing, the newspaper said, quoting policies issued on July 16 by two DHS agencies.

Agents are empowered to share the contents of seized computers with other agencies and private entities for data decryption and other reasons, the newspaper said.

DHS officials said the policies applied to anyone entering the country, including U.S. citizens, and were needed to prevent terrorism.

The measures have long been in place but were only disclosed in July, under pressure from civil liberties and business travel groups acting on reports that increasing numbers of international travelers had had their laptops, cellphones and other digital devices removed and examined.

The policies cover hard drives, flash drives, cell phones, iPods, pagers, beepers, and video and audio tapes -- as well as books, pamphlets and other written materials, the report said.

The policies require federal agents to take measures to protect business information and attorney-client privileged material. They stipulate that any copies of the data must be destroyed when a review is completed and no probable cause exists to keep the information.

(Reporting by Paul Eckert, editing by Alan Elsner)

© Thomson Reuters 2008.

Hidden architecture

2008-07-26T10:10:00.003-04:00

I've driven by this building on 3rd Avenue in Brooklyn many times. It always stood out to me for two reasons. One, aside from the boarded up windows and advertising, its a beautiful old building. And two, it sits on the corner of a gigantic lot that has been completely leveled and dug out and appears to be waiting for yet another huge Brooklyn condo. The building seems to be holding on for dear life.

Well, it turns out the giant lot is the future site of a Whole Foods. As part of its development deal, Whole Foods agreed to help restore this building. According to brownstoner, the owner "planned to open an art gallery and gift store in the rehabilitated property." (that would be super-cool.) Unfortunately, things aren't going well. Brownstoner, sums it up:

Whatever benefits this Whole Foods would bring to the neighborhood and Brooklyn have been greatly overshadowed in the past year or so by the store's lack of action in Gowanus. The fence at the abandoned toxic site has been destroyed again and again, giving the general public open-access to a potentially harmful property. At the same time, we now learn the grocer has reneged on its agreement to preserve a city landmark. Whole Foods, it's time to s*&t or get off the Gowanus pot.

You can read the full post here. Photo is by brownstoner,.

Handy tips to stay clean after you bike to work

2008-07-21T19:46:00.001-04:00

Probably the biggest reason my friends give when they tell me why they don't ride a bike to work is, "I don't want to get to work all sweaty and smelly." While I never find this to be a problem anyway (unless its 90+ degrees out, and I don't ride anyway), here are some really interesting tips from PeteCO about how to stay not-sweaty.

A lot of people say they would like to commute, but are worried about sitting in an office all day with that “not-so-fresh” feeling. Hearken to my words; Baby wipes. Shower before you leave in the morning. This may seem counter-intuitive, but it isn’t sweat that smells, it’s the bacteria on your skin reacting with the sweat. Cleaner skin, less bacteria, less chance of smelly pits. Use a strong deodorant (duh). Wear proper bike clothing, not some old cotton tee-shirt. Bike-specific clothing wicks perspiration away from the skin, and helps you stay dry. Change when you get to work, and use baby-wipes to freshen those parts that need refreshing. Unscented, if you don’t want to smell like a small child. Pack them in a ziplock bag with your work clothes. I do this every day, and it seems to work. No-one has ever come out and called me a stinky git, and some of my colleagues would.

Yglesias on why Amtrak is so prevalent/convenient in the Northeast

2008-06-29T23:14:00.001-04:00

Matt Yglesias makes interesting points in discussing why Amtrak is so much more convenient and prevalent in the Northeast and what our country can do to promote train travel, which is efficient, fast, and better for the environment.

On top of this, the DC-to-Boston Acela corridor is the most densely populated part of the country, which makes it ideal for rail service, and also includes many walkable cities with transit infrastructure and substantial commuter rail networks. Transportation is always a network phenomenon -- part of what makes taking the train from DC to New York appealing is that when you arrive car-less in New York, that's fine. Indeed, driving from DC to New York would becomes an expensive/annoying proposition when you consider the difficulty/expense of parking in New York and a car's limited utility in terms of getting around. Even if you live in the suburbs, it makes sense to take Metro to union station and take the train up to NYC rather than driving. But if you took the train from Tucson to Phoenix you'd probably wind up needing to rent a car anyway, so why not just drive?

Global warming. Oil prices at an all-time high. One candidate supports mass transportation. One doesn't.

2008-06-21T12:17:00.004-04:00

Guess which is which?

Vote Obama. Support Amtrak. Ridership is at an all time high. But if McCain and delusional Republicans have their way, Amtrak would be privatized out of existence.

Travelers Shift to Rail as Cost of Fuel Rises
Bay Matthew L. Wald
The New York Times
Published: June 21, 2008

WASHINGTON — Record prices for gasoline and jet fuel should be good news for Amtrak, as travelers look for alternatives to cut the cost of driving and flying.

And they are good news, up to a point.

Amtrak set records in May, both for the number of passengers it carried and for ticket revenues — all the more remarkable because May is not usually a strong travel month.

But the railroad, and its suppliers, have shrunk so much, largely because of financial constraints, that they would have difficulty growing quickly to meet the demand.

...

The railroad carried about 25 million passengers last year and may hit 27 million this year. (That is all intercity traffic; commuter rail, connecting suburbs and cities, is also growing, but that is not Amtrak’s market.) By contrast, the airlines carry about 680 million domestic passengers a year. If Amtrak were an airline, in terms of passenger boardings it would rank approximately eighth, behind Continental and US Airways and ahead of AirTran and JetBlue.

...

Amtrak can move a passenger a mile with 17.4 percent less fuel than a passenger car can, and about 32.9 percent less than an airline can, according to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

...

Amtrak’s fortunes also hinge on who wins the White House; Senator John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican nominee, was a staunch opponent of subsidies to Amtrak when he was chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee. Barack Obama, the probable Democratic nominee, was a co-sponsor of the Senate version of the bill to provide an 80/20 financing match.

The Days of the $300 Nights of Tyranny at the Marriott are coming to an end

2008-06-15T12:43:00.004-04:00

For a while when my parents came to visit they were forced to stay at the uber-expensive Marriott in Downtown Brooklyn as it was the only game in town (remotely near my house). But in the past year or two a Comfort Inn opened in Gowanus offering a much more affordable $180 a night.

Turns out Gowanus is the location of a number of hotels slated to open soon. Take that Marriott!

Brownstoner says:

June 13, 2008
Gowanus Hotel District Getting Even Bigger

One week, two more hotels planned for Gowanus. On Monday we reported that Manhattan developer Peter Moore plans to convert part of a warehouse on 3rd Street into a hotel. Now the Brooklyn Paper breaks the news that a developer purchased a lot on DeGraw between 3rd and 4th avenues, and plans to build a 10,000-square-foot hotel on the property. The property's buyer, Alec Shtromandel, paid $1.4 million and is based in New Jersey, according to public records. Nine hotels are planned, in progress or already open in Gowanus. Nine.

Posted by Gabby at 9:59 AM

Please forward this post to any Democrat (or social liberal) thinking of voting for McCain

2008-06-10T20:23:00.001-04:00

Thanks.

For more information, click here.

Top City Crane Inspector Accused of Taking Bribes

2008-06-07T11:57:00.002-04:00

Hmm. Perhaps this has something to do with all the horrible accidents that have been happening with giant cranes on city construction sites? Might be time to look into this, Mayor Bloomberg.

Top City Crane Inspector Accused of Taking Bribes
By WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM
Published: June 7, 2008
The New York Times

The city’s chief crane inspector was arrested on Friday and charged with taking bribes to allow cranes to pass inspection, the authorities said. He was also accused of taking money from a crane company that sought to ensure that its employees would pass the required licensing exam.

The man, James Delayo, 60, the acting chief inspector for the Cranes and Derricks Unit at the city’s Department of Buildings, oversaw the issuing of city licenses for crane operators. The case against him, announced by the Manhattan district attorney’s office and the city’s Department of Investigation, was filed just a week after the city’s second fatal crane collapse in less than three months.

Officials said the accusations against Mr. Delayo bore no direct relation to the accident last week at 91st Street and First Avenue, where two workers died, or the crane accident on East 51st Street that left seven dead in March.

But the case was another blemish on a Buildings Department that has been reeling from construction deaths and inspection lapses this year, and for which deadly crane accidents are part of a lingering series of problems.

The agency’s commissioner resigned last month and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has been struggling to find a replacement to run a department that has long been plagued by corruption and where critics say an underpaid, shorthanded staff of inspectors has been hard-pressed to deal with the city’s building boom...

Click here for full story.

Another gem from FAIL blog

2008-06-07T11:31:00.000-04:00

FAIL blog is one of my favorites:

Atlantic Yards Aerial Photographs

2008-05-30T08:47:00.003-04:00

The extremely controversial Atlantic Yards project for Downtown Brooklyn moves along at a glacial pace (but just fast enough to allow the developer to tear down landmark buildings, despite questions surrounding the entire project). I recently saw this blog post at Brit In Brooklyn about aerial photographs taken of the Atlantic Yards footprint by photographer and editor of Photo Magazine, Jonathan Barkey.

Below is the coolest (/saddest) of his shots (click to enlarge). But I encourage you to go to the original blog post. There are more photos and an interesting interview.

In the distance is New York Harbor, then New Jersey, in the back right corner of the photo are the big buildings of lower Manhattan, on the right near side of the photo are the buildings that currently make up the Brooklyn skyline.

My blue, blue bike

2008-05-24T11:47:00.003-04:00

That is a photo of my lovely new (used) bike. It's super awesome. It's blue. I love it. My brother helped me buy it used off craigslist. As much as I loved my old bike, this is a big upgrade for me. The new one is significantly lighter and better built. It doesn't rattle quite so much. Nor does it feel like I'm driving a bucket of bricks up the Brooklyn Bridge! It's also a proper street bike, whereas my old bike was a bit of a mountain bike hybrid. It makes a huge difference for my commute. I go up the westside greenway to get to work, and having a fast street bike makes the ride much smoother.

The icing on the cake is the sweet new blue tires we got for it! Nothing like matching tires to make me look super cool as I traverse the streets of the city. The bike is shown here in my brother's apartment / bike repair shop.

Thanks Mike!

Green Storage in Clinton Hill

2008-05-22T07:49:00.002-04:00

From the great Brooklyn listserv, Brooklyn Based...

At first glance, Clinton Hill’s Hall Street Storage looks like any storage facility, and for years it was. The warehouse provided cold storage for grocery stores and restaurants, a huge energy suck until its owner, Jeffrey Sitt, decided to renovate, add self-storage units, and power it all using 100 percent renewable energy to make Hall Street the country’s first green storage facility.

That's great - but of all the ways to “go green,” why on earth should you do it with storage? Because Hall Street is damn cheap compared to other spots — a 63-square-foot space, for instance, is $140 a month — at least $30 less than most facilities (including one just down the street).

Hall Street is also the only place in Brooklyn where you can buy cornstarch “peanuts” (which dissolve in water!) and wood shavings recycled from the warehouse’s old beams, to pack with. They even sell $1 recycled boxes (in good condition of course) alongside new ones. So even if you don’t store with them, you can pack up your place without creating a ton of waste.

Grand opening specials include two months free with one year pre-paid and a tote filled with eco goodies like a CFL bulb. There’s even a contest for a free year of storage: hallstreetstorage.com.

Bill O'Reilly has pompous anger issues!? Who knew!?

2008-05-18T11:11:00.005-04:00

This video has been flying around the internet for the past week, so I'll do my part to pass it on to anyone who hasn't seen it. Here is a 1989 clip of Bill O'Reilly flipping out and cursing his staff when he has a, um, 'problem' with the teleprompter.

(Note: all videos below contain profanity and yelling)

But that's not the end of this wonderful story from 1989. Check out the dance remix! (found by Colin)...

And for the final piece of this post, via Crooks and Liars, I offer Stephen Colbert's brilliant and empathetic tribute Bill O'Reilly, the man he calls Papa Bear. The video can be viewed here.

O'Reilly is a joke.

Reason #2 that I took 6 weeks off from blogging...

2008-05-17T09:25:00.000-04:00

The new Mario Kart for Wii.

The last good Mario Kart game came out in 1996. I've been waiting 12 years for this game.

It doesn't disappoint one bit. In fact, they've even added motorcycles. Truly this game is amazing.

God bless Mario Kart. I can even play it online against people from around the world. Nothing like beating a Frenchman, a Canadian and a Mexican at Mario Kart from the comfort of my own couch.

Real New York vs Grand Theft Auto "New York"

2008-05-14T21:02:00.004-04:00

I haven't played the new version of GTA yet, but it takes place in New York and supposedly its level of detail is unreal. Judging from these photos, the rumors are true. On the left are real photos by Matthew Johnson. On the right are images taken from Grand Theft Auto IV.

Photos by Matthew Johnson.

I knew Americans drove their car EVERYWHERE but damn

2008-05-11T11:10:00.003-04:00

Are we really this bad? Here is a chart from a recent post by the NYTs Paul Krugman showing a breakdown of different countries and the percentage of their trips that are traveled by car, and other modes.

Not surprisingly, Americans use their cars more than anyone else. Surprisingly, we use cars about 15% more than Canada, a country with a population at least as spread out as ours, if not more. The other countries put us to even greater shame.

Ride bikes people! It's fun, great exercise, and is far more pleasant than driving.

Barak + Grand Theft Auto

2008-05-09T23:57:00.003-04:00

There is only one man who can bring hope to the urban dystopia of Grand Theft Auto...

From Kotaku...

If you're a Barack Obama fan/supporter/whatever, and you want to get your political point across at this minute in time, you've got two ways of getting people's attention. One's using Iron Man, because right now, Iron Man is hot. Or, you use GTA IV, because right now, it's even hotter. Attack of the Show producer Luke Wahl snapped these pics of some Obama mashup posters that have been turning up across Los Angeles, and while I of course cannot vote in any of your American elections, were I able to, I'd definitely vote for Niko Bellic. I mean, Barack Obama...

More posters from the original blog post here.

Guess I won't be riding my bike to work tomorrow.

2008-05-08T00:04:00.003-04:00

Is there anywhere in the U.S. where it's NOT raining right now?

Not good in Burma.

2008-05-07T21:22:00.003-04:00

Not good at all. Look at this satellite comparison of Burma before and after the cyclone (and 12 foot wave that devastated the coast). Look how much of the country is under water.

See the Washington Post story here.

6 weeks later...

2008-05-06T20:56:00.004-04:00

Well, it's been 6 weeks since I posted and I don't really have a good reason for my negligence. So, my legion of (3) readers, I apologize. One reason I haven't written is that I've been playing with new toys. For starters, I got an iPhone...

...originally my plan was to wait longer to get an iPhone. Especially because there will probably be a better, newer model (3G) coming out this summer. But after 5 loyal years, my old iPod finally kicked the bucket. So instead of getting a new iPod, I went the whole 9 yards and got an iPhone (thanks to a generous donation by my significant other).

I already had AT&T so I didn't even have to switch services. Here in NY AT&T gets decent coverage so I had no qualms about continuing with them. Once I ordered my iPhone online, it was scarily easy to activate it. I plugged it into my computer, and through iTunes I answered a series of questions, put in a cc number, and by the end of the 10 minute process, my iPhone had service and my old phone no longer did. Apple couldn't have made it more painless. And that's part of the reason I'm such a loyal customer.

So far the iPhone has been great. It's not mindblowing or anything, but it sure does everything I need it to do. It's a bigger ipod than my old one. The touchpad is great for text messaging. And I access the internet all the time. While AT&T currently uses a slower internet technology than most carriers, that will be updated one day. And in the meantime, I really enjoy browsing full version websites, instead of stripped down versions that most internet phones access.

All in all I've been really happy with it, and once again Apple has put out a great product.

A Peep-y Easter

2008-03-23T22:54:00.005-04:00

This Easter the Washington Post had its second annual Easter Diorama contest in which all characters in the diorama had to be marshmallow peeps. The entries were excellent. A few of my favorites are below. You can see all the finalists here.

I love the rubber duckie inner tube:

One of my all-time favorite movies:

SpongeBob SquarePeep!

More Antibalas! New York* Rejoices!

2008-03-16T13:50:00.005-04:00

*(by 'New York' I mean 'me')

(photo by smotion)

Go to these shows! Dance your a** off! Have a great time!

Thursday, April 10th, 2008
8:00 PM
S.O.B.'s
200 Varick Street (at Houston)
New York, NY 10014
http://www.sobs.com

Friday, April 11th, 2008
8:00 PM
Southpaw
125 5th Avenue
Between Sterling & St. John's
Park Slope, Brooklyn 11215
http://www.spsounds.com

Saturday, April 12th, 2008
8:00 PM
Southpaw
125 5th Avenue
Between Sterling & St. John's
Park Slope, Brooklyn 11215
http://www.spsounds.com

Obama-styled beer: sounds delicious & inpirational

2008-03-16T11:21:00.000-04:00

Reports Brownstoner:

March 12, 2008
Sixpoint Puts Obama on Tap

On Monday Sixpoint Craft Ales introduced its latest brew, "Hop Obama" Ale. According to a press release from Sixpoint, "In keeping with the Illinois senator's unifying theme, the 'Hop Obama' is an indefinable ale that doesn't adhere to traditional style guidelines." The beer is being offered for a limited time at select bars in New York and Massachusetts, and the 4th Avenue bar Pacific Standard is one of the places that's scored some kegs. The bar's blog notes that "this beer is about hope and a rejection of beer as usual."

Obama pic by cecily7

Posted by Gabby at 4:00 PM

So our governor got into some, um, trouble.

2008-03-11T22:44:00.004-04:00

It's really disappointing too. I really liked him when he was elected to office. He had so much promise and so much momentum to change such a corrupt and broken culture that reigns in Albany.

The passages below from the Washington Post web site are a close reflection of why I think the Spitz needs to resign:

Spitzer, Hypocrite and Idiot, Must Resign

Eliot Spitzer should resign, immediately. Although a person's sexual behavior should by rights be a private matter, and irrelevant to his fitness for public office, that presumption of privacy must be overruled when the officer concerned has been acting to attack the very thing that he has been doing, namely prostitution. We do not expect our politicians to be saints. But when they are shown to be rank hypocrites, they are finished. Their credibility is gone.

...In the end, though, this story, like so many others before it, is not just a story about sex or a story about hypocrisy. It is a story about how power corrupts, or about how power destroys judgment. Powerful people like Spitzer seem to come to think of themselves as untouchable, as somehow entitled to indulge themselves in this way. What Spitzer is, though, is much simpler than that. He is an idiot.

-Bill Emmott

Why the city seems so hot during the summer

2008-03-06T23:24:00.000-05:00

From FYI in the City Section of the NYTimes:

Q. As I walk along New York streets sweating in sweltering heat, I wonder: How different is the weather in the city from the weather in the suburbs? How much hotter is the city? Do the buildings have any other effect, like causing more rain?

A. The city is a heat maker, but not a rainmaker.

“As for precipitation, it’s hard to find any significant effect,” said Francis Kredensor, a meteorologist at Pennsylvania State University.

The biggest effect, he said, is in temperature. “When you take all that metal and blacktop at high density,” he said, the dark surfaces soak up solar radiation and re-emit it as infrared radiation, which is felt as warmth and heat.

The effect is most pronounced at night because buildings and streets are slower to release energy than the ground. At night, Mr. Kredensor said, “the ground is cooler, but these buildings are still giving off a lot of heat.”

The nearby suburbs average 4 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit lower than in Central Park. Farther out, the night temperature can be 10 to 15 degrees below Midtown’s.

If you’re wondering about lightning, you might think that skyscrapers would attract it, but other places, like the South, have more lightning storms, Mr. Kredensor said. Manhattan, though, probably gets more lightning than Long Island.

And the city’s mildest weather? “Any place that has a wind from off the water is a sure-fire bet to be cooler than the surrounding areas,” he said. He suggested a south- or west-facing shore, like the Rockaways and the area around Kennedy Airport.

“Fort Greene doesn’t really have a club like this”

2008-02-27T20:47:00.006-05:00

What does this quote refer to? Ft. Greene's own Masonic Temple. I've walked by the building before and whenever I do I can't help but think of Homer when he joined the secret society of the Stonecutters.

Anyway, Brooklyn Based recently wrote about Ft. Greene's Masonic Temple and shared many cool facts, such as the fact that identical buildings exist in Nevada and Egypt.

As per Brooklyn Based, a few well known local and international bands have played the Masonic Temple lately, and with luck, we'll get more bands coming to the neighborhood in the future. As local music promoter Brice Rosenbloom pointed out, the Masonic Temple opening itself to concerts is really cool because "Fort Greene doesn’t really have a club like this."

Now all that remains is for my favorite band, Antibalas, to come play.

For a list of shows at the Masonic Temple, check here

New Yorkers: monitor your block

2008-02-23T08:41:00.002-05:00

A great new website has been started where New Yorkers (or San Franciscans (?) or Chicagoans (?)) can monitor their block, tracking everything from construction violations to crime to traffic accidents. This seems very useful, especially if you're planning on moving to a new neighborhood.

(h/t brownstoner.com)

Apparently NYC rates high on the "misery" scale

2008-02-15T07:45:00.002-05:00

And in response I say, "shut up, jerks!" This city has its flaws (overcrowding, lack of public/green space) but I still love it for a million reasons. Anyway:

From gothamist:

January 31, 2008

New York in Top 5 Most Miserable Cities, Says Forbes

New York City faced some stiff competition in the Forbes Top 10 “Misery Measure”, but ultimately moped away with a respectable fourth place, losing only to such perennial dystopias as Detroit (#1, forever); Flint, Michigan (#3) and… Stockton, California, in the #2 slot? Apparently, the Bay Area satellite has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the country and a swelling population.

To compile the list, Forbes compared 150 of America’s largest metro areas based on data from Bert Sperling, a researcher from Portland whose city, conveniently, is not one of the ten most miserable. Here’s how New York fared compared to the other cities, with 150 being the lowest score:

* Commute times 150
* Income tax rates 150
* Superfund sites 78
* Unemployment 99
* Violent crimes 105
* Weather 86
* Total Misery Measure 668

Full post & story here.

Brooklyn Navy Yard Update

2008-02-09T09:48:00.000-05:00

I've posted in the past about the interesting waterfront property known as the Brooklyn Navy Yard. It is not to far from my house. Anyway, there are various plans making their way around the community about what to do with the significant part of the Navy Yard that's not currently in use.

Public space? Condos? A giant grocery store?

Writes brownstoner.com:

Navy Yard Watch: Multi-Use Complex for Kent Avenue

We were lucky enough to spend a couple of hours on Friday touring the Brooklyn Navy Yard with its president Andrew Kimball. There are a ton of initiatives underway, from adaptive reuse to new construction that will remake both the yard interior and well as its relationship to the surrounding neighborhoods. Over the next couple of weeks, we'll drill into some of the most interesting projects.

One of the biggest concepts aims to turn a problem into a solution. Dry Dock A is in desperate need of dredging, but since Fresh Kills closed, there's no place to dispose of the dredge. What Kimball et al hope to do with it is to fill in the channel (1) next to the salt pile (3) along Kent Avenue. The 15-foot-deep channel is man-made and has no aquatic life. Combined with the city auction lot (2) and the Keyspan site (4) that the gas company is under court order to clean up, this would create a 16-acre site fronting on Kent Avenue. The Navy Yard Corporation is hoping to put out a Request for Proposal at some point in the next six to 12 months for a series of multi-story building with a mix of commercial, industrial and, get this, retail fronting along Kent Avenue. What kind of impact do you think that would have on South Williamsburg?

Posted by Brownstoner at 10:45 AM

Video games & real life merge

2008-02-04T22:36:00.001-05:00

Photo by freshyill

From brownstoner.com:

Grand Theft Auto, Brooklyn Liberty City
from Brownstoner | by Gabby

A Wanted poster has popped up on the corner of Lorimer and Grand asking people to shoot Niko Bellic on sight. Bellic is the main character in the latest installment of Grand Theft Auto, and the poster says he's "wanted for questioning in connection with a shooting at a nightclub in the Hove Beach area of Broker." The new installment of the popular video game series, due out in April, is set in Liberty City, a fictional version of New York. The game has painstakingly reproduced NYC streetscapes, like the fake row of Brooklyn brownstones at right. Anyone know if the marketing campaign is targeting neighborhoods other than Williamsburg?

GTA Posters Showing Up in Brooklyn [Kotaku]

Making beer pong even better!

2008-01-26T11:32:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't love a good game of beer pong among friends? A while back I saw this post on a cool design blog, Core 77. This invention does solve what I think is a problem in beer pong: as the game goes on the beer gets warm and gross. On the other hand, part of beer pong is that the cups get knocked around and it makes it more challenging. This invention would remove that feature.

Frat boys, what say you?

N-Icerack for serious beer-pongers
Posted by: Jeannie Choe on Wednesday, January 02 2008

When you crossbreed an icepack with college shenanigans, you'll more than likely end up with N-Icerack--literally, a beer-pong cup rack that you fill with water and freeze to keep brewskis chilled during game play. For $19.95 you can scoop up 2 racks, 3 balls, and a set of official rules. It might be a stretch for the average college student's budget, but if you've already chosen beer over books, might as well play the game legit. Regulation beer-pong table not included.

The best band in the best venue in the best borough!

2008-01-09T07:38:00.001-05:00

(so I'm a little self centered, what can I say?)

Brooklyn's own Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra is playing two shows at the very intimate and cool Southpaw club in Park Slope, Brooklyn on Fri. 1/18 and Sat. 1/19. Tickets are $20 adv./$25 day of.

If ever there was a time to enjoy Antibalas headlining their own show, this is it.

Join me!

There used to be an el train on Myrtle Avenue

2008-01-04T23:35:00.000-05:00

Given how insanely crowded the B54 bus is on Myrtle Avenue at rush hour, I kind of wish the Myrtle Avenue elevated train still existed. Alas, according to Forgotten-NY.com, the Myrtle Avenue el was shut down for good on October 4th, 1969.

Forgotten NY is a great website with all kinds of photos, stories and history about our great city. Recently they ran this story about the Myrtle Avenue el. Here are a few photos from the web page. I encourage you to check it out. Lots of great facts and photos.

(looking down Carlton Avenue at the intersection of Myrtle Ave)

(Stylish 60's commuters)

Reasons why I love Brooklyn: The Architecture

2007-12-21T10:24:00.000-05:00

There are so many great brownstones, townhouses and wood-frame homes in Brooklyn. Here is a row of unique houses near The Pratt Institute, near my house.

(h/t Brownstoner)

Pratt Row Will Be Restored. Sometime.

All is not lost for Pratt Row, the group of 27 landmarked houses on Willoughby Avenue between Hall and Classon. Designed by Hobart Walker in the first decade of the 20th Century, the houses have been used as faculty housing for decades. ("Note the bay windows and alternating Dutch and triangular gables," advises the AIA Guide.) In recent years, however, their deteriorating condition has led the school to not replace departing tenants; as of this semester, just 11 are occupied. At a community meeting on Wednesday night, Pratt Institute head Thomas Schutte said that the school wants to convert the houses to student residences. It just needs two things first: (1) The approval of the faculty union and (2) $12 million. "I hope very soon we will know for sure what the use will be and have the funding in place," said Schutte.

Photo by pups vs. robots

idealist.org

2007-12-14T22:17:00.000-05:00

I went to a really cool event this week at the Art Directors Club of NY. It was called Designism 2.0 and its theme was helping designers get involved in activism and the world around them.

There were fascinating panels. One involved younger designers, and another involved legends in the field such as Milton Glaser. It was a very inspiring, uplifting and fascinating evening. There are amazing ways designers are getting involved. One such way is through idealist.org.

I had never heard of this site before, but it connects people throughout the world who are interested in a specific cause, or who are looking for a cause or organization to help. It's a very cool site, I encourage you to check it out.

Garbage on my stoop aka business 'advertising'

2007-12-10T18:56:00.000-05:00

(photo by Brownstoner)

Every few days I come home from work to find up to three plastic bags filled with store circulars and 'coupons' on the stairs of our three story building. Never mind that there's clearly only two units in the building and thus no need for three circulars, the fact that stores are allowed to dump their advertisements, literally, on everyone's door step is mind-boggling to me.

What percentage of these 'coupons' do you think get used? 20%? 5%? I'm going to go with <1%.

Anyway, to the rescue comes city councilman Simcha Felder. He recently got a bill passed which makes it illegal to dump advertisements (euphemistically known as 'circulars') on anyone's stoop who has posted a "no advertisements" notice.

Bless you Mr Felder. Screw you Associated Supermarkets and Home Depot.

For more on this problem (and solution) see the post on Son Of Planet PLG. Also see the NYTs story here.

h/t to brownstoner.com.

DYK? Subway trash gets sorted and recycled.

2007-12-03T23:31:00.000-05:00

A NYC Subway trash can. (Photo by cresny)

Occasionally when I finish reading the paper on the subway, I toss it into a trash can in a station. I always feel bad when I do this because I assume the paper doesn't get recycled as it would if I brought it home and put it in our recycling bin. Turns out the city sorts through all the trash from subway stations and picks out recyclable materials.

That's unexpected, and pretty cool.

Writes the FYI column in this week's (NY) City Section:

Q. For several years, signs in subway stations asked customers to deposit all newspapers in special receptacles, but I don’t see them anymore. What happened?

A. The signs were part of an experimental recycling program that evolved. Now, a contractor for New York City Transit separates the recyclables. The subway agency says 40 percent of the trash is recyclable.

The change took effect in 1996. Since then, the agency said, it has kept 56,698 tons of recycled material out of landfills while saving $4.9 million in dumping costs.

One might think that it would cost more to pay someone to sort the recyclables than to have riders do it. In fact, the reverse is true, said Deirdre Parker, a transit spokeswoman. Buying extra bins and plastic bags, and paying workers to remove the material, would have cost an estimated $45 million from 1996 to 2006 to recycle one-third as much material.

test

2007-12-03T22:16:00.001-05:00

Technorati Profile

Finally! A butcher in Clinton Hill/Fort Greene!

2007-12-01T11:14:00.000-05:00

Ever since I moved out of the Italian section of Williamsburg, I've been desperately missing the old Italian butcher and various bake shops I used to visit on a weekly basis. It was quite a luxury to have a friendly old Italian butcher cutting me fresh meat and giving me cooking tips.

Clinton Hill sadly lacks a real butcher or any kind of fresh bakery (especially when it comes to bread). But apparently no more! A butcher! Now all I need is a place to buy fresh bread.

Writes brownstoner.com...

November 29, 2007

Streetlevel: Greene Grape Behind New Gourmet Market

The cat's out of the bag. While word of a gourmet market replacing South Portland Antiques has been out for a few weeks, details have been scarce. Until now. A reader forwarded us a job listing for an assistant manager at the new store that just popped up on Craigslist. It reveals that the owner of the spot is Greene Grape, the wine store down the street. From the ad: "The Greene Grape is opening a full service specialty foods store with butcher, fishmonger, cheese and charcuterie." The focus will be on "local, small production and sustainably produced products." We're particularly psyched for the butcher and fishmonger that will be onsite. We're hearing an opening is targeted for January 1, but expect to see an awning go up in the next few days.

The Death of Sean Taylor, Day 3

2007-11-29T18:48:00.000-05:00

The Death of Sean Taylor, Day 2

2007-11-28T19:32:00.000-05:00

The Washington Post has put up this video, narrated by the Redskins beat reporter Jason LaCanfora. LaCanfora does a great job reflecting on Sean Taylor the player and the man, as well as the shock of his premature death.

Click here for the link. The video is about 4 minutes.

Also from the Washington Post today, Courtland Milloy had this great op-ed piece putting Sean Taylor's death in perspective. Milloy brilliantly ties in this tragedy to the great tragedy our society fails to deal with every day.

(Sean Taylor and his daughter Jackie. Photo © Washington Post. h/t Timothy McIntyre.)

We lost someone special today.

2007-11-27T18:24:00.000-05:00

(Graphic by Colin)

Redskins player Sean Taylor (1983-2007) died early this morning at the age of 24 in a Miami hospital after suffering a gunshot wound early Monday morning. Me and most of my friends (Redskins and non-Redskins fans like) are in shock. So is the Redskins nation as a whole, from his teammates to the fan base.

Sean Taylor was a special player and this season seemed to finally be realizing his potential both as a leader and as one of the best players in the league. But more than that, he was realizing his potential as a beautiful young person. A friend, a father, a son, a fiancée. From all outward appearances it seemed he had finally turned his life around after a troubled beginning to his career and his adulthood.

When Sean came into the league in 2004 he got into one troubled situation after another. He almost went to jail for off the field escapades. And he was regularly fined for on-field transgressions. But in a storyline that's only becoming apparent now, since giving birth to his daughter two years ago, Sean decided to change his life. He moved out of the lower middle class neighborhood in Miami where his Mom lived and where he got in trouble with the law. He bought a mansion in a nice Miami suburb, where he put up his daughter, his fiancée and, at the time of his death, other family members too. Clinton Portis, a close friend on the Redskins from their days at the University of Miami, truly believed that for the past two years, Sean Taylor was a new, more mature man.

As Redskins fans, we spent 2004 through 2006 waiting for Sean Taylor to mature on and off the field. We wanted him to realize his potential that seemed so tantalizingly close. Then, finally, this year, it seemed he had truly broken through and started down the path to greatness, as a player and as a man. But early this morning all of that came to an abrupt end.

* * * * *

The details of Sean's death are sketchy. He was at home over the weekend resting from an injury (and thus not with the team who had played earlier that day). Someone broke into his mansion (it's unclear whether there was an alarm system). Taylor, asleep at 1:30 a.m., heard the noise and confronted the intruder in a hallway. The assailant fired two shots at Sean and then fled. Sean's fiancée and 18 month old were in the bedroom but were unharmed. Robbery was the original assumed motive, but as facts come out it seems like this might have been a premeditated attempt on Sean's life.

* * * * *

Sean Taylor was taken from his friends and family before his time. It is made all the more painful because it seems Sean was truly beginning to hit his stride, as a player and as a man.

R.I.P. Sean. Words can't express the empty feeling I have inside.

* * * * *

Here are some blog posts and news articles with interesting thoughts and more details:

Sean Taylor Dies In Miami
The Washington Post's main article

RIP 21
A tribute from Colin that's been making its way around the internet today

The Saddest Day At Redskins Park
Jason LaCanfora reports from Redskins Park

An Ode To Sean Taylor (God Bless You)
this made me tear up

Why Redskins Fans Care
recap of various fan reactions from Dan Steinberg

Sean Taylor memorials
more from Steinberg

R.I.P. Sean Taylor
moving thoughts

What Sean Taylor Means to Black America
An interesting take on violence in America

* * * * *

Some photos I found:

Renown Chelsea flea markets coming to Brooklyn

2007-11-22T18:13:00.000-05:00

(h/t brownstoner)

Not too long ago there were cool flea markets in Chelsea that I never managed to get around to visiting. Well, the flea markets were eventually closed, but comes now news that they're reopening, and this time in Ft. Greene, not far from where I live! Sweet.

Also, big ups to Tish James for helping to make this happen. She's our councilwoman and she rocks.

Brooklyn’s Largest Flea Market Planned for Fort Greene Schoolyard
published online 11-20-2007
By Sarah Ryley
Brooklyn Daily Eagle

FORT GREENE — Nostalgic for the sprawling flea markets of Chelsea past, Jonathan Butler decided last year to start one in Brooklyn. But don’t expect this flea market to carry white tube socks, so often a staple of city street fairs these days.

“It’s going to be antique, vintage, and one-of-a-kind type-stuff,” everything from furniture to vinyl to jewelry, said Butler, also founder of the real estate blog Brownstoner. Food stands could line the bleachers, where patrons would take a break before heading back to the maze of 200 to 300 vendors he expects to cram the yard of Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School, on Lafayette and Clermont avenues.

Butler said the market would start in April and run every Sunday, at least until Christmas. “If it’s a booming success, the vendors will be happy to freeze their butts off every Sunday through the winter,” he said. “We’ll just have to wait and see.” Since it was announced early this month, Butler said 80 vendors have expressed interest in participating.

Councilwoman Letitia James helped him secure the location. “All I did was help him with the bureaucracy in confirming the location,” she said. “I wanted something centrally located in my district that would serve the needs of Clinton Hill and Fort Greene.” ...

Read the full story here.

Bowlcat

2007-11-20T23:19:00.000-05:00

lolcats strike again...

Which one is your favorite!?

If you want a great reggae show, this is it.

2007-11-15T21:22:00.000-05:00

Bastardjazz's reggae parties/concerts at Studio BPM in Williamsburg never disappoint. Ever!

This show is $7 and features members from two great Brooklyn bands, Antibalas and Dub Is A Weapon.

A Middle Eastern Oasis in the heart of Brooklyn

2007-11-15T18:57:00.000-05:00

File this under, 'Reasons why I love Brooklyn/NYC'. Cobble Hill is a very cute neighborhood not far from mine...

November 18, 2007
An Exotic Oasis in Brooklyn
Weekend in New York | Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn
By SETH KUGEL

If your knowledge of Middle Eastern food starts with falafel and ends with hummus, a few hours on Atlantic Avenue should set you straight.

“Atlantic Avenue Offers Variety of Exotic Food,” reads a New York Times article on display in Sahadi’s, the best-known store on the block. The date: Jan. 7, 1960. The accuracy half a century later: pretty good.

This stretch of Atlantic Avenue in the Cobble Hill section, not far from downtown Brooklyn, has maintained an ethnic identity even as it has become well known. Though there are fewer spots than there used to be, the blocks of Atlantic on either side of Clinton Street are the ideal place to give yourself a crash course in Middle Eastern foods and ingredients. Merchants and waiters there treat their regular customers like friends, and even at the busiest times seem willing to give you a lesson, tip or, occasionally, a free sample.

Two small traditional stores on the south side of the street, Oriental Pastry and Grocery and Malko Karkanni Brothers, are good places to start. Despite their size, you could spend an hour in each, asking about the different varieties of bulgur, sampling a free chunk of sweet halvah or salty fresh cheese, wondering what in the world the seaweed-like stuff in a jar marked “Fancy Green Zaatar,” and even stumbling over familiar products that seem way out of place (like Aunt Jemima pancake mix, for example).

At Oriental, sweets are the specialty, and free samples flow. They’ll cut generous portions of baklava; pistachio-packed Turkish delight; or kounafa, a syrup-soaked, salty-sweet Middle Eastern take on cheesecake. This place doesn’t really engage in fancy display; in fact, the sweets department is virtually hidden in front of the belly-dancing instructional tapes.

Some sweets are disguised as fruits: there are several kinds of sugary dates, and there is also the dried apricot paste known in Arabic as kamar al-din, an ancient ancestor of Fruit Roll-Ups

By the way, the Oriental folks also do catering, so if you’re planning a big party in your hotel room while you’re in the city, consider ordering a stuffed lamb (rice, pine nuts, raisins and, of course, meat) for $310. You’ll want to call the store a few days in advance (and check your hotel’s policy on in-room lamb feasts).

Across the street, at Sahadi’s, you’ll find a totally different — and more familiar — experience. Founded in 1941 and on Atlantic Avenue since 1948, it’s long given up the pretense of being just a Middle Eastern store. But the all-purpose gourmet shop still stocks endless Lebanese imports, as well as Middle Eastern cheeses, big selections of nuts and olives, even regional Lebanese olive oils.

But there is plenty of unexpected stuff, as well, like the prettily packaged fig, date and other jams from Mymouné, a Lebanese company owned by two sisters. And the prepared-food section has amazingly rich hummus that can turn a bag of miniature carrots into a meal, a popular lentil and rice dish (mjadra or mujadara), tabouleh, as well as the bulgur-and-meat kibbes. Sahadi’s makes theirs with lamb, beef and pine nuts, and they come in balls or in pie slices...

Full article here. h/t brownstoner.com.

Clinton Hill Halloween '07 Recap

2007-11-03T10:13:00.000-04:00

One of the greatest things about my neighborhood is how every Halloween it goes all out in decorations and fanfare. Kids come from all over the city to trick or treat in our neighborhood because it's so Halloween-friendly.

In one yard this year there was a stage set up that looked like a dungeon. People dressed as a mad scientist and Frankenstein put on a show that ended with Frankenstein being raised from the dead and eventually fighting other monsters. At the very end a hidden monster jumped out and scared the crowd, sending the 7 year old boy in front of me into tears. As his mom comforted him, we smiled, knowing that a little scariness is what Halloween is all about.

The biggest hit of this year's Halloween was a giant flying saucer someone built in the front yard, complete with fog machine, flashing lights, and thumping music. People dressed as aliens danced around the yard putting on a show and giving out candy. So many people were watching the show that the entire block seemed to have the feeling of a block party, not a random block on a Wednesday night.

Next to the flying saucer was a house that had set up a long, large "candy conversion machine" which "took in" trash on one end, and spit out candy on the other. The candy would come down a long conveyor belt, and be delivered to the anxious kids waiting in the street.

All in all the whole evening was fantastic. So many families and people of all ages. It felt so great to be in the middle of a true Halloween night. Below are some photos I took as we walked around:

More on Lucky Dube's untimely death

2007-10-25T23:28:00.000-04:00

Visit Lucky's homepage for more on his tragic death but more importantly, his beautiful life (and music!).

LUCKY DUBE’S RECORD LABEL, GALLO, MOURNS HIS TRAGIC LOSS

The staff of Gallo Record Company are devastated by the news of the tragic passing of reggae legend Lucky Dube. Lucky was slain in an attempted hijacking in Rosettenville in Johannesburg last night, at approximately 8pm, whilst dropping off his children at a family members house.

Although Lucky attempted to escape the scene, he had been fatally wounded from the hijacker’s attempt to steal his motor vehicle, and he died almost instantly.
Senseless and random, the death of Lucky Dube leaves a great void in the music industry, as 25 years of music suddenly ends in tragedy.

South African born but globally revered, Lucky Dube was one of the country’s most toured and beloved artists ever. His music touched millions around the world, primarily through his 22 recorded albums - in Zulu, English and even Afrikaans - many of which have been record breakers with phenomenal sales from around the globe.

As a frontline artist in the reggae genre, Lucky's creativity and inventiveness kept growing.
Compelling in his musicianship and intriguing in his lyrical content, Lucky's sonic daring to take his genre to new heights never failed to amaze even the most ardent fans, whilst reigning in new devotees to his magic every day.

R.I.P. South African music star Lucky Dube

2007-10-22T22:01:00.000-04:00

So sad.

I'm happy to report:

2007-10-22T21:34:00.000-04:00

....the reggae/dub show was awesome, as expected. I'm glad so many of you guys came out with us, I hope you had as much fun as I did.

The band was excellent, but so was the venue. It is so low-key and relaxed. It's a perfectly unpretentious place to hear great music and dance your butt off. Good friends. Good music. Good times.

Studio B.P.M. has great reggae and world shows all the time, so if you didn't make this show, be sure to come with us next time.

Up next: On Friday November 16th Rob Garza, who makes up half of the duo that is Thievery Corporation, is playing a show with his new solo project, Dust Galaxy. In my opinion every project Thievery Corporation is involved in is golden, so I eagerly anticipate Garza's solo release. Similarly, this show should be great. It also features Ursula 1000, a DJ who has a great album on Thievery Corporation's record label, Eighteenth Street Lounge Music.

Show information:

21+ w/ID

Doors Open At: 10:00 PM
Advance Price: $15.00

Hiro Ballroom
http://www.themaritimehotel.com
363 W 16th St
New York, NY

Reggae Show Saturday! $7!

2007-10-17T18:51:00.000-04:00

Should be a great show at a great venue (a loft in Williamsburg). Can't beat the price...

Writes bastardjazz (an excellent source for music and concert news)...

It's that time of the month again for us to gear up for the wickedest little dub & reggae session this side of Trenchtown....The Dubwise Sessions --- held in that intimate Japanese speakeasy loft that is Studio BPM!

This month find's DC's See-I with full live band joining us on-stage. For those of you not familiar with See-I - they're the vocalists who regularly appear on Thievery Corporation's more dubwise tunes on many of their albums, and tour as a part Thievery Corporation's live show...they've been doing their own thing for a while now, and are pushing their wicked + unique dub sound out more than ever! (Look out for an upcoming 10" from these guys on Bastard Jazz in the near future!)

Also playing live will be Main Space, a new project from many core members of Chimp Beams, Akoya Afrobeat Emsemble and Mariane. This new project features heavy heavy dub stylings, with traditional Japanese instrumentation and melody dubbed out in that swirling echoplex style by Marihito Ayabe.

If that's not enough, our man DJ LionDub will be dropping tunes alongside DJ DRM... - keeping it strictly roots, rockers, rubadub, rocksteady, and riddimwize in between, before, during and after sets!

BPM is Located @ 237 Kent Ave b/w Grand and N. 1st
Williamsburg (L train to Bedford Ave)
$7 Suggested Donation.
Doors @ 10PM

More on the Giant "NYC Rat"

2007-10-16T21:15:00.000-04:00

I originally posted about this rat here. Today, the NYTs revisited the story (h/t Brownstoner). This time the NYTs spoke with the man who manages The Rat.

Posed to Inflict Union Shame: Say Cheese!
By STACEY STOWE
October 16, 2007
Ink
The New York Times

THE rat took a nose dive on Third Avenue, pooling on the sidewalk like a downed parachute. Chaz Rynkiewicz swung into action.

“Uh-oh,” said Mr. Rynkiewicz, assistant organizing director of Local 79, the union representing construction and building laborers. “Technical difficulties.”

“Get me a new fan,” he shouted, and began gathering the vinyl remains of the 15-foot balloon that is put up in front of job sites and corporate offices to shame developers and contractors who use nonunion workers. “Abe, you pull that string, I’ll pull this one.”

With the efficiency of emergency room personnel, Mr. Rynkiewicz, Abe Delgado and two other burly men connected the new fan, then hoisted the ropes. Quickly, the black-eyed, bucktoothed rodent was reinflated.

For eight years, Mr. Rynkiewicz, 37, has been a rat wrangler for Local 79. He was there when a rat was threatened with arrest. He was there when a rat was stabbed by a person opposed to the construction of a Staples store in Brooklyn.

“They gutted it,” he said, eyes downcast. “Right in the belly.”

Rats are the most ubiquitous tool of shame, but not the only one used by Mr. Rynkiewicz’s union. There is also a cigar-smoking pig, a gorilla and a skunk. The balloons are never left alone when on public display. Two union men, earning roughly $30 an hour, keep watch over them. Sandwich boards featuring quotes by Abraham Lincoln, George Washington or Gandhi are propped at the foot of the rat. Leaflets are distributed.

Local 79 came up with the idea of placing the balloons outside job sites 11 years ago. On Third Avenue, the rat loomed in front of offices belonging to Extell, one of the city’s larger developers. The union was upset that Extell was using nonunion workers to build extra office space on East 46th Street for the United Nations. Mr. Rynkiewicz said he received a call from Extell executives, who agreed to a meeting that afternoon. A week later, he said, it became a union job site. When contacted, Extell would not respond to questions about that site.

Earlier, Mr. Rynkiewicz mused about his trajectory from a scrappy, poor boy in Brooklyn to a family man with a home and an in-ground pool in New Jersey.

“I’ve always felt proud that I get to build skyscrapers,” he said, as he waited at a red light on Sixth Avenue and eyed the hazy spire of a building under construction. “Something that big, that generations are going to be in awe of, it gives me a chill.”

The light turned green. But, he added, “I couldn’t do it for 10 bucks an hour.”

Things I never thought I'd see: GPS tracking on city buses

2007-10-05T18:39:00.000-04:00

Various blogs and newspapers are reporting on a pilot program that the MTA has started up recently to have digital displays at all bus stops. Among other features, the displays will show when the next bus will arrive. The buses are fitted with GPS systems that transmit their location to a satellite, which in turn transmits the info to the MTA, who sends it out to the bus stops. Seems pretty incredible. And pretty awesome.

Buses are an underrated mode of transportation in NYC. They're especially helpful for getting around Brooklyn from one neighborhood to another as the subways are better suited for getting from borough to borough. But one of the biggest problems I've encountered with buses is that although they have posted schedules, they can have a hard time keeping up. And sometimes a bus will fall behind schedule. And as it falls behind, more people are waiting at each stop, which in turns makes the bus travel even slower (as it waits for more people to get on and off at each stop). Eventually a bus will get so backed up that the bus that left the depot 10 or 15 mins behind it has caught up. And so you have two buses, back to back, going along the route. Needless to say, this undermines the concept of having a regular stream of buses along a route.

The GPS system won't necessarily help keep the buses running on time, but they will at least keep us riders informed. So if a bus is really behind schedule, we can choose other transportation options. This touches on something I think the MTA severely underrates: keeping riders informed. Most riders understand that glitches happen and trains and buses get backed up. But what kills me is when a train isn't running, or is running every 30 mins (instead of 6), and there's no information provided whatsoever. If my train line isn't running, that's fine, I'll find another way to get home. But don't let me sit on the dirty, hot platform waiting for 30 minutes at 1 a.m. for a train that's not even coming.

I sometimes wonder if the MTA fails to post information simply because they don't want to draw attention to any problems they're having. They'd rather be in denial than be honest. Well MTA, you're wrong. Back ups happen, just keep us informed and your loyal riders will be far happier.

I encourage you to read this short article about the new MTA bus GPS program. It seems super cool.

The Next Bus Will Arrive in Exactly...
By WILLIAM NEUMAN
Published: October 4, 2007

The wait for a bus may seem more predictable at 11 stops where New York City Transit has begun testing electronic signs that show when the next one is due.

Giant Panda Guerilla Dub!

2007-10-01T19:34:00.000-04:00

At SOB's tomorrow night Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad is playing. I haven't seen them live but I absolutely love their album Slow Down, and I'm sure I've made all of my friends sick of it by playing it so much (I'm looking at you, jbenso!). I expect them to be really great in concert and for $10 (or $12), they're well worth it.

Come check 'em out!

They're currently touring the country so if you're not in NYC, check their tour schedule here.

Click here to see their album on iTunes.

Antibalas playing in NYC on Halloween

2007-09-22T12:39:00.000-04:00

Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra just announced a Halloween (Wed. Oct 31st) show at SOBs here in NYC. One of my favorite bands is playing one of my favorite venues, and for only $20.

I can't wait!

The Brooklyn Navy Yard

2007-09-18T20:50:00.000-04:00

There was an interesting article recently about the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which is near my neighborhood. (See map above.) As the article explains:

...its heyday [was] during World War II, when more than 60,000 people worked there.

Although ships were built in the marshland of the yard during the Revolutionary War, the area came into its own after 1801, when the federal government bought the land and began using it to build warships. The battleships Maine, Arizona and Missouri were built there.

The federal government shut down the yard in 1966. New York City bought it for $24 million in 1967 and reopened it as an industrial park in 1971. Since 1981, it has been run, under contract with the city, by the not-for-profit Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation.

The Navy Yard is home to Steiner Studios, a large movie studio company, as well as a number of other smaller arts companies. Below is a link to the NYTs article. It's a pretty good read that gives a good overview of the Brooklyn Navy Yard then and now.

Brooklyn Navy Yard, a Roomy Haven for Industry, Once Again Is Booming
By JANE L. LEVERE
Published: August 29, 2007

The Brooklyn Navy Yard, one of New York City’s major industrial real estate sites, is undergoing a renaissance.

Since last fall, new developments totaling 1.3 million square feet have been announced for the yard, a 300-acre industrial park on the East River between the Williamsburg and Manhattan Bridges. This is in addition to the 4 million square feet already in use, in about 40 buildings that have more than 230 tenants employing about 5,000 people.

Here are a few pictures of the Navy Yard:

Photo from fas.org

Postcard of Augusta passing under the Brooklyn Bridge while departing NYC and Brooklyn Navy Yard. From http://www.internet-esq.com

Scammer passing fake $20 bills at stoop sales in Brooklyn

2007-09-13T11:15:00.000-04:00

Some scumbag has been going around Brooklyn neighborhoods, passing off counterfeit $20s at stoop sales. The jerk usually buys something inexpensive, pays with a fake $20, then gets real money back. As was mentioned on Brooklynian, a counterfeiter's goal is to turn the fake money into real money, not to just use the fake money to buy used goods.

Reports Dailyheights, the blog for Brooklynian.com:

UPDATE: At least two other stoop sales got burned by this guy (or these guys) this past weekend. See the thread for details: Stoop sale counterfeit $ scam– beware
Report by: spec* | Newbie | Joined: 23 Aug 2007
Location: prospect heights

a few folks had a stoop sale today on the corner of park and vanderbilt. turns out when one of us tried to use some of the $, she learned we had been given two fairly undetectable counterfeit 20$ bills in the sale– and given back the counterfeiter 15-18$ in change on two separate occasions.

obviously we’ve been scammed for the cash. we think we know by whom– and i think this person’s been going around and doing this at many stoop sales in brooklyn. just a warning to check the 20$ bills for all those stoop sale-ers.

these counterfeit bills are shiny and a little smaller and do not appear real when held up to the light. not everyone is honest in our hoods and it sucks to have our wholesome little sale soured. it’s just not cool, it’s illegal, and it’s not like we’re raking in the dough selling off our two dollar books and cds to bolster our student loans.

stoop sale enterpeneurs, beware!

Full link & discussion here.

Photo of my neighborhood.

2007-09-08T15:04:00.000-04:00

I saw this photo on flickr the other day. Not only do I think it's a nice photo, but it gives great perspective of my neighborhood (Clinton Hill) with Manhattan in the distance.

Click the photo to view at full size. The sky looks incredible. The smaller size shown here doesn't do it justice.

Photo by HonoluluStatus.

Bebel Gilberto concert: Tuesday Sept 18th (NYC)

2007-09-05T11:44:00.000-04:00

(h/t Deadlymelody)

Brazilian songstress Bebel Gilberto is playing at Webster Hall in New York in two weeks. It should be a great show. Bebel is the daughter of famous Brazilian musician João Gilberto (who is credited with creating beautiful bossa nova genre of music). Bebel usually plays bossa nova songs, but she frequently dips into other genres. Her albums are beautiful downtempo creations. You may also have heard her on a number of Thievery Corporation albums over the years.

Go to this show! You won't be disappointed.

New Yorkers- Visit Dumbo! See this Darfur exhibit!

2007-08-31T12:11:00.000-04:00

Darfur: Twenty Years of War and Genocide in Sudan
An exhibition for social justice curated by Leora Kahn
The powerHouse Arena, 37 Main St., Brooklyn, NY
August 30 - September 30, 2007

Photographs by Lynsey Addario, Pep Bonet, Colin Finlay, Ron Haviv,
Olivier Jobard, Kadir van Lohuizen, Chris Steele-Perkins, and Sven Torfinn.

Even by conservative estimates, the situation in the Darfur region of the Sudan is grave. There are 3.5 million people who are hungry, 2.5 million who have been displaced by violence, and 400,000 individuals who have died since the crisis began in 2003. The international community has failed to take steps to protect civilians, or to influence the Sudanese government to intervene. The spread of violence, rape, and hate-fueled killings across the border into Chad is simply the latest atrocity. Call it war. Call it genocide. Call it famine. There is no single word to describe the plight of these people. They face all of these horrors at once.
In answer, Proof: Media for Social Justice, Amnesty International, and the Holocaust Museum of Houston have partnered to create Darfur: Twenty Years of War and Genocide in Sudan.

powerhousearena.com/darfur/

New Yorkers, Sierra Leone needs you (to attend this concert!)

2007-08-27T10:10:00.000-04:00

Just heard about this from my favorite message boards, okayplayer.com...

Join us for a very SPECIAL night to celebrate and help benefit SIERRA LEONE

NEW YORKERS, Sierra Leone needs you.

Come see DRY YAI and meet the Sierra Leonian super stars whose 1st international single debuted in the movie Blood Diamond. Learn of their incredible journey, fleeing a war-torn nation, and returning with a strong commitment to helping rebuild and re-vitalize their home and their community.

DJ SPOOKY and DJ REBORN
will be holding it down on the ones and twos for this very special benefit concert "Sweet Salone"!

Wednesday Aug. 29th
Joe's Pub
425 Lafayette
For tickets, www.joespub.com, or call 212.967.7555
$12 advance/ $15 door/ $25 V.I.P. Donor
Proceeds go to benefit African Refuge

Pupa Bajah and Baw-Waw Society, who comprise DRY YAI, are often hailed as the voice of the youth, and this in a nation where over half the voters are under age 35. This year's elections, the first since UN peacekeeping forces left in 2005, are a true test of the fragile peace in a nation recently ravaged by a brutal ten-year civil war. Some Sierra Leoneans have been leaving the country ahead of the elections,
fearful that violence will break out as voting begins.

But Bajah, who narrowly escaped the war as a refugee in Guinea, has a deep love for is country and an inspiring hope for the future, "after some years we will become the shining star of Africa."

For more information on Dry Yai and their mission, read the entire press release.

For more DRY YAI, visit www.dryyai.com

Jeebus saved Redskins QB Jason Campbell

2007-08-23T14:32:00.001-04:00

The beloved quarterback of my beloved Washington Redskins was almost lost for the season last weekend when he got hit on the knee during a pre-season exhibition game. As Head Coach Joe Gibbs noted after the game, 9 times out of 10 that hit ends up ending a player's season. If Campbell was out for the season, the Redskins season would probably go in the tank also. Luckily we dodged a bullet, and Campbell's knee is fine.

I can't help but think part of the reason Campbell came out of this situation okay is because Homer prayed to his favorite god, Jeebus. Here is an artist's (mine) rendering of Homer hugging JC, metaphorically speaking of course.

Save me Jeebus!!!

World's tallest Lego Tower

2007-08-23T11:46:00.000-04:00

Man I loved Legos as a kid. (And still do.) I also love any news story that has to do with Legos.

This comes from Activate.

A view shows the world's tallest standing Lego tower at 29.3 meters (96.1 feet) in Toronto, Canada, on August 22, 2007. The tower beat the previous record of 28.75 meters (94.3 feet).
Photo by Reuters/Mark Blinch

more home-made lolcats!

2007-08-17T17:49:00.000-04:00

For more of my lolcats, click here.

To see the amazing lolcats website click here: icanhascheezburger.com.

Q. Will the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway ever be finished?

2007-08-14T20:55:00.000-04:00

(from a recent installment of "The City" Q&A in the NYTs)

A. Patience, please.

The current or recently completed work on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway involves five projects costing almost $600 million, according to Adam Levine, a spokesman for the State Transportation Department. Roadway curves, entrance and exit ramp lengths and other features are being upgraded, and the projects should be finished by late 2009.

Several additional contracts will be coming out over the next few years on other sections of the Interstate 278 corridor in Brooklyn and Queens, which comprises the B.Q.E. and the Gowanus Expressway. Among these are rehabilitation or replacement of the Kosciuszko Bridge and the Gowanus itself. These projects are expected to start from 2010 to 2017.

Why so much work? Mr. Levine offered an explanation: The B.Q.E. was there before most of the interstate system. It was built in stages from the late 1930s to the early 1960s, much of it before modern interstate design standards were developed. Some sections had not had significant repairs since the 1960s.

“Literally speaking, no, it never will be finished,” Mr. Levine said. “Everything we build has a service life.” And in 30 or 40 years, he said, the same places will probably have to be repaired again.

Above is a photo of the BQE from Flickr, posted by yellowbike. You can see the wood 2"x4" planks that make up the temporary guardrail during construction they're currently doing. Also for some reason this project requires there to be a waterfall of water runoff 24-7. It's constantly raining when you're underneath the BQE.

Good NYTs article on what went wrong with the Flood

2007-08-09T10:11:00.001-04:00

Shockingly (sarcasm), the MTA hasn't fixed any problems that arose from an identical flood in 2004.

From the NYTs on Thursday:

August 9, 2007
New York Transit Failings Similar to Those in 2004
By WILLIAM NEUMAN

...What happened yesterday was remarkably similar to the events of Sept. 8, 2004, when 1.76 inches of rain fell in Central Park between 6:51 a.m. and 7:51 a.m., according to a report issued by the transportation authority’s inspector general’s office...

...[in 2004] the transit agency appeared to have neglected regular maintenance of the system of pipes and valves that drain water from the tracks into the city sewer system. It also said that work crews were not given the information or the equipment they needed to do their jobs efficiently, and that in some cases, the size of the crews sent to flooded areas were either too large or too small for the job. In addition, some crews took too long to get to locations where they were needed.

...Paul Fleuranges, a spokesman for New York City Transit, said that the subway tunnels were prone to flooding during heavy rains in the same way as the basements of many homes. Even without rain, groundwater routinely gets into a subway system and on a typical day with no rain, 13 million gallons of water are pumped out of the subway.

During very heavy rains, Mr. Fleuranges said, additional water pours into the system through grates in the sidewalk and through the subway entrances. Water then collects in the tunnels, and once the water reaches the rails, the trains cannot run.

That is because the rails contain electrical circuits that communicate with the signal system, indicating when a train is on a particular section of track. If the rails are covered with water, the signal system cannot work.

And if water reaches the third rail, which is 10 inches above the track bed, power must be shut off. Charles Seaton, another agency spokesman, said that two trains yesterday morning had to be evacuated because of the flooding. One was an E train stopped just outside the Northern Boulevard station in Queens about 7:25 a.m. with 300 to 400 passengers aboard. He did not provide information about the other one...

...Officials said that once the flooding began, crews were dispatched with portable pumps.

The subway system also has three pumper trains, Mr. Seaton said, but yesterday only one was put into service, near the Northern Boulevard station where the E train had to be evacuated. Mr. Seaton said that there were enough crews with portable pumps to handle the flooding in other areas.

Once the water is pumped or drained from the tracks, he said, crews have to clean the muck and debris from the tracks and clear the drains, which often become clogged. Then they have to check the electrical circuits in the rails, the signal system and switches, to make sure that nothing has been damaged. Only then, Mr. Seaton said, can service resume...

Even the MTA's website was broken yesterday:

Yesterday’s disruptions were accompanied by complaints from many riders that it was difficult to get information from the transit agency. That applied to employees in trains and stations, who often had little or nothing to tell riders, and to the transportation authority’s Web site, mta.info, which was difficult to reach during much of the morning.

The Web site also broke down during a power failure in June that disrupted the evening rush. Jeremy Soffin, a spokesman for the transportation authority, said that after that crash, it upgraded some computer equipment, but that problems were then encountered with the new equipment.

As a result, he said, when a rush of users tried to use the Web site yesterday morning, only some could get through. He said the authority was working to fix the problem.

NY Governor Eliot Spitzer (or 'The Spitz' as I like to call him) has given "the Metropolitan Transportation Authority 30 days to come up with a plan to address the chronic flooding problems."

You go, Spitz!

For the full story, click here.

Hmm. Guess I won't be taking the subway to work today.

2007-08-08T11:52:00.000-04:00

(photo by lesterhead)

This was the scene today at my subway stop. It meant I rode my bike to work, despite the forecast calling for 95 degree heat and humidity.

A crazy storm passed through the city last night, and due to flooding most of the subway lines are running slowly, if at all.

Here are a few links:

Transit Officials Urge Commuters to Stay Home

Photos of some storm damage.

New York City Transit System Crippled by Flooding (NYTs article, with multimedia slide show)

In the Details, a Small-Town Feel

2007-08-06T19:56:00.001-04:00

Fort Greene/Clinton Hill:
In the Details, a Small-Town Feel
By JENNIFER BLEYER
Published: July 29, 2007

Architectural details like cornices, cast-iron columns, and brownstone sills and lintels have always spelled class in a city like New York. And now these small touches are being installed — or reinstalled — on a stretch of Myrtle Avenue in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, a once-shabby strip that was a magnet for sailors and shipbuilders during the height of activity at the nearby Brooklyn Navy Yard.

At the corner of Waverly Avenue, the elaborate cast-iron facade of a former theater and wedding hall built around 1850 was refurbished, down to the molded lion heads supporting its cornice. Across the street, scaffolding is up where another wooden cornice is under repair.

Farther east on Myrtle, between Ryerson Street and Grand Avenue, passers-by can admire the most recent accomplishment. On a three-story brick building, historically inaccurate white mortar was replaced with appropriate dark mortar, brownstone lintels were affixed above the upper-floor windows, and the original wooden storefront was painted cornflower blue and outfitted with latticework glass panes. The restoration, which cost $20,000, was aided by a $10,000 grant to the building’s owner.

With the new décor, a restaurant called Pillow Café opened in the space in February, to instant popularity.

“Something about the French windows and color just attracts people,” said Biola Odunewu, a co-owner of the cafe, where items like goat cheese salads and fruit smoothies have been selling briskly. “Based on the storefront alone, people want to go in.”

The grant was part of a three-year-old state program called New York Main Street, which aims to revitalize downtown commercial corridors. Such grants have been distributed largely in upstate cities with small, decaying downtown corridors, like Utica and Troy. But there have been a handful of beneficiaries in New York City in addition to Myrtle Avenue, including Sutphin Boulevard in Jamaica, Queens, and Port Richmond Avenue in Staten Island.

On Myrtle Avenue, five facades have been restored, one restoration is in progress and two are in the planning stages. According to Vaidila Kungys, a program manager for Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership, the community organization guiding the restorations, the plan is to restore at least a dozen more facades in the next few years by offering $10,000 matching grants to building and business owners.

“This might be three times as expensive as the aluminum storefronts that owners commonly slap on buildings,” Mr. Kungys conceded. “But a historic rehabilitation makes the avenue look more attractive, and that’s better for economic development.”

Click here for NYTs link.

Saw the Simpsons Movie this week

2007-08-02T11:45:00.000-04:00

Verdict of my Simpson-obsessed friends and I:

Love it.

We laughed the whole time. It had some great classic Simpsons humor. It wasn't mind-blowing. It wasn't on par with the Simpsons mid-90's heyday. But it was easily worth $11 and it was very well done. Seeing Homer on the big screen was a great experience. And Albert Brooks was brilliant as the villain in the movie. He did a character which was a reprisal of one of my favorite Simpsons characters of all time: Hank Scorpio.

I encourage any Simpsons fan to see it. I even encourage non-Simpsons fans to see it. It's enjoyable as a movie. It's enjoyable as a 90 minute Simpsons episode. I was nervous the movie would flop, but it most certainly did not.

The Simpsons movie comes out this week.

2007-07-27T11:01:00.000-04:00

I would be happy if it's nothing but 90 minutes of Spider Pig!!!!

Click image to enlarge.

To see the movie clip, click here.

lolcats!!1!

2007-07-21T10:30:00.000-04:00

If you don't know what lolcats are, I strongly urge you to visit the hilarious (if odd) site called icanhascheezburger.com

As best I can tell, the site involves funny pictures of pets (cats mostly), with funny captions and horrible grammar.

I made two lolcat photos of our cats recently:

The captions are funnier after you visit icanhascheezburger.com, I swear.

Oil spill in Brooklyn: twice the size of the Exxon Valdez spill

2007-07-18T10:23:00.000-04:00

A bit of serious NYC news today. In 1950, an oil spill put more than 20 million gallons of oil products into the ground in northern Brooklyn beneath Greenpoint and other neighborhoods. Exxon and other companies still to this day have not cleaned it up. Well, New York State Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo plans to do something about it. Writes the New York Times today:

Suit Seeks Belated Cleanup of a 57-Year-Old Oil Spill
By ALAN FEUER
July 18, 2007

The New York State attorney general’s office filed a lawsuit yesterday against Exxon Mobil and four other companies to force them to clean up a 57-year-old oil spill that has polluted the soil beneath Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and left traces of toxic chemicals in nearby Newtown Creek.

The spill — said to be originally almost twice as large as the Exxon Valdez disaster, which dumped 11 million gallons of oil off the Alaskan coast in 1989 — resulted from an industrial explosion in 1950. It went undiscovered until 1978, when the Coast Guard found a subterranean pool that contained an estimated 17 million gallons of oil products.

In the lawsuit, filed in Federal District Court in Brooklyn, the attorney general, Andrew M. Cuomo, said he is seeking to compel Exxon Mobil and the other companies to speed up the cleanup and to force them to pay millions of dollars in fines. Also named in the suit are BP, Chevron, KeySpan and Phelps Dodge.

For years, Greenpoint residents have wondered whether state environmental officials or the companies would finally clean up the spill, which occurred at an oil refinery and storage facility on the Brooklyn-Queens border. In 2004, Riverkeeper, an environmental group, filed its own lawsuit against Exxon Mobil. The following summer, soil tests performed by the group found toxic fumes coming from the ground above the spill. That prompted a second lawsuit by about two dozen Greenpoint residents. Both suits are pending.

The state’s lawsuit is a sharp turnaround in its handling of the spill. A 1990 agreement between state environmental officials and Mobil Oil — which merged with Exxon in 1999 — required the company to recover the spilled oil, but it specified no deadline and required no cleanup of either the creek or the polluted soil under Greenpoint. In February, the attorney general’s office indicated a change of policy was at hand by sending Exxon Mobil and the four other companies a notice of its intention to sue.

About eight million gallons of oil and petroleum byproducts — including benzene, arsenic and lead — are believed to remain underground, and soil tests have revealed that the spill has released toxic vapors in the neighborhood.

Mr. Cuomo said the spill was nearly twice the size of the one created by the Exxon Valdez accident. He added that the oil seeps from the bulkheads of the former oil facility into the three-and-a-half-mile-long Newtown Creek and then into the East River.

“It’s amazing this situation has gone on as long as it has,” Mr. Cuomo said in an interview. “It’s been allowed to exist for decades.”

In the almost 30 years since the spill was discovered, the companies have made no progress in treating the contaminated soil, Mr. Cuomo said, and they have not addressed the contamination in Newtown Creek. Beyond fines and a faster cleanup, the suit seeks scientific testing and investigations to determine the scope of the environmental contamination, cleanup of contaminated groundwater and soil and the restoration of Newtown Creek.

Barry Wood, a spokesman for Exxon Mobil, said yesterday that company officials had not seen the suit and could not comment on its specific charges. In the past, Exxon Mobil has said that it has helped to recover more than 9.3 million gallons of oil and oil byproducts from the spill and that it takes its responsibilities seriously under the 1990 agreement with the state.

Basil B. Seggos, chief investigator for Riverkeeper, said the state’s lawsuit is “a fairly dramatic step forward.”

“It demonstrates the state is prepared to hold Exxon accountable for its misdeeds and reverse 30 years of inaction,” he said. “We look forward to working with the attorney general.”

BBQ'ing in Brooklyn

2007-07-11T12:18:00.000-04:00

Brooklyn Based recently sent an email which lists bars around the borough that provide outdoor barbecuing and grilling.

The list is of course for those of you that don't live in the lap of (backyard) luxury like I do:

(note: these photos show my backyard before the bamboo forest and piles of brush/trash got cleared out. There is now a booming garden back there. I'll try to post new photos.)

Paranormal Detective

2007-07-08T23:49:00.000-04:00

Check out this photo recently posted to the Clinton Hill group on flickr. It's a flyer someone saw in my neighborhood (Photo by 1n3br14t3d):

Here's what is says, as best I can tell:

Horatio Brunswick-

Paranormal Detective

New Orleans' finest paranormal detective agency is now available in NYC. The Brunswick Detective Agency specializes in cases where the police and other agencies are unable to help. No matter how strange your problem is, the Brunswick Detective Agency CAN solve your case.

Hexes - curses - voodoo - ghosts - zombies - demonic possession - poltergeist - vampire - battyman - werewolf.

Call today - no case too strange

'Brooklyn By Foot'

2007-06-29T18:31:00.000-04:00

From a cool email list I'm on (Brooklyn Based):

A few things you probably didn’t know about Brooklyn: its longest street is Bedford Ave. On it, near the intersection of Empire Blvd. in Crown Heights, the Dodgers’ old Ebbets Field is now a block of high-rises. Not far away, the team’s owner Charles Ebbets is turning in his grave in Green-Wood Cemetery, the final resting place of the New York Times’ founder, the two Tiffanys (Charles Lewis and Louis Comfort) and the man who played the Wizard in the Oz movie.saltmarsh.jpg

Walking Brooklyn, the new guidebook by licensed NYC tour guide Adrienne Onofri, is filled with these you-don’t-say moments. In it, she distills the borough’s history, neighborhoods, and culture into 30 illuminating walks, some in areas so wild — like this salt marsh in Marine Park, a magnet for egrets — you can’t believe they’re in Brooklyn.

To research the book, Onofri spent six months scouring Brooklyn on foot (after knee surgery no less). Each five-mile and under stroll she maps out is crammed with facts and points of interest, like Bed-Stuy for instance: “Many people hear that name and think, ‘Yikes, I’d never go there.’ But Stuyvesant Heights is just gorgeous. Some of those streets are just like Brooklyn Heights or the Slope,” says Onofri.

Read the full post here.

Clinton Hill from the air

2007-06-22T14:15:00.000-04:00

Clinton Hill Blog ran this great photo today, submitted to them by Jen Cooper. You can see our neighborhood is right on the East River, with Manhattan in the distance. Over the river on the right of the photograph is the Williamsburg Bridge, towards the left hand side are the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges. In between the two bridges on the left and the Williamsburg Bridge on the right is the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where a lot (most? all?) of the ships for WWII were built.

I love my neighborhood. I also love Clinton Hill Blog. It's an incredibly well done, entertaining and informed blog on various goings on in my neighborhood. Whether you're a resident or not, you'll love it.

And here's a very rough diagram showing my commute when I bike to work over the Brooklyn Bridge...

As always, click the photos to enlarge them and get a better look.

flickr+legos

2007-06-19T22:06:00.000-04:00

flickr is simply a great photo website. the social aspects of it make it really fun to search for random tags, or just browse through strangers' photos.

For example, I did a search for "legos". You know, the greatest toy ever. Or at least, the greatest toy of my childhood. Check out these gems:

Legomen on break (click to enlarge and see the awesome caption).
Photo by Digger Digger Dogstar.

Lego Abbey Road.
Photo by Digger Digger Dogstar.

Legomen attempt to zip a zipper.
Photo by miwaza.

No caption.
Photo by Brian Jacobsen.

Photo of people dressed as legomen for halloween:
Photo by artvixn.

I close with this photo, a combination of two of the greatest brands on earth: Lego & Volvo.
Photo by citybumpkin
.

This weekend: craft fair in McCarren Park, Brooklyn

2007-06-14T11:33:00.001-04:00

Just heard about this today. Seems really cool. Ride your bike! I will be doing so.

[insert new technology here] is going to ruin the industry!

2007-06-13T20:33:00.000-04:00

this week columnist King Kaufman had a nice passage about the goofiness (not to mention shortsightedness) of national companies (or sports leagues, or industry organizations) resisting the use of new technologies. This time, MLB is fighting Slingbox, a technology which allows you to watch your home tv on your laptop, from anywhere on earth. Writes Kaufman:

...the future has a funny way of arriving, whether you fight it or not. The future may not be Sling Media and its Slingbox product specifically. But something like it. This is increasingly how people watch TV: We, the viewers, decide not only what we watch but, thanks TiVo, when we watch it, and now where we watch it too.

The entertainment industry always, always, always fights the future, tries to force the new technology back in the box because the new technology is going to ruin the entertainment industry. The new technology always wins out sooner or later, and the entertainment industry always finds a way to adapt and survive. And thrive.

Baseball teams once thought that broadcasting the games on the radio would kill attendance. It didn't. They once thought broadcasting home games on TV would kill attendance. It had the opposite effect. I could go on. The music business fighting cassette tapes. The movies fighting videocassettes.

Brown quotes Sling Media chief executive Blake Krikorian at a 2006 conference: "I'm still failing to see how we're hurting them or their brand. We're allowing more people to see more baseball, with all the same commercials, and stay connected to their teams. How is that bad? It's additive to what they're doing."...

FREE concerts in downtown Brooklyn this summer!

2007-06-08T15:24:00.001-04:00

Check 'em out! For more info, click here.

2007 BAM Rhythm & Blues Festival at MetroTech
June 7—August 9
Thursdays 12noon—2pm
Produced by Danny Kapilian

Ashford & Simpson
June 7
One of soul's quintessential partnerships, Ashford & Simpson wrote the soundtrack of their lives and ours with hits like "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," and "I'm Every Woman." With a personal life reflecting their musical one, there’s no better way to describe the duo than by the title of their smash hit: "Solid." After all, "it's one thing to write a love song, but it's quite another trick to convince an audience you inhabit one" (The Guardian [UK]).

Booker T. & The MG's with special guest Sharon Jones
June 14
As the studio band that backed Otis Redding and Sam and Dave, Booker T. and The MG's are true patriarchs of rock and roll—and the classic track "Green Onions" only furthered their fame in their own right. In a match made in soul heaven, Booker T. and band are joined by Sharon Jones of Dap-Kings fame, whose sound smolders like a hot night in her hometown of Augusta, Georgia.

Lizz Wright
June 21
"Pitch-perfect, with a smoky, full-bodied texture, impressive in its steadiness, control and rhythmic subtlety"—that's how The New York Times describes Lizz Wright's velvety contralto, which transforms mixtures of jazz, gospel, and R&B into "spun gold." With a new album produced by Craig Street, the ears behind k.d. lang, Cassandra Wilson, and Me'Shell Ndegeocello, this young talent has something special to say as she "elongates songs into prayerful meditations" (The New York Times) and creates musical moments that linger long after the show.

Andy Palacio & the Garifuna Collective
June 28
Widely regarded as the most popular musician in Belize, Andy Palacio is revered for more than his urgent vocals and compelling brand of Afro-Caribbean "punta" rock; he's an important archivist of and advocate for those traditions as well. Having done much to revive the unique blend of West African and indigenous Caribbean heritage known as "Garifuna," Palacio creates music that is living history—a history that is infectious, nuanced, and endlessly danceable.

The Mahotella Queens
July 5
As the inventors of "Mbaquanga"—Zulu for a kind of homemade dumpling—The Mahotella Queens are the true crown bearers of South African pop. Ascending to the throne in the early 1960s, Hilda Tloubatla, Mildred Mangxola, and Nobesuthu Mbadu, together with the help of Simon Nkabindé Mahlathini (the "Lion of Soweto") and the musicians of the Makgona Tsothle Band, are still churning out their fiery mixture of traditional African music, South African jazz, American R&B soul, and gospel—as original as it is eclectic.

Robert Glasper
July 12
Equally comfortable squaring off with jazz greats Kenny Garrett and Terence Blanchard as he is fattening the beats behind Mos Def and Jay-Z, Robert Glasper is a fearless talent and one of the most in-demand keyboardists around.

Toumani Diabaté's Symmetric Orchestra
July 19
The Malian kora master Toumani Diabaté and his Symmetric Orchestra bring the thrill of their all-night sets in Bamako to downtown Brooklyn. A West African griot (a poet/musician considered to be keeper of oral traditions) and one of the first to introduce the 21-string kora to audiences around the world, Diabaté is both a gallant guardian and daring innovator of African musical traditions, rocketing back and forth between social commentary and astounding virtuosity, anticipation, and exhilaration.

James Cotton Blues Band and the Carolina Chocolate Drops
July 26
James Cotton began playing the blues in the 1940s and hasn't stopped since. After his 1953 debut on Sun Records, Cotton embarked on a twelve year stint with Muddy Waters before settling into something more comfortable: his own James Cotton Blues Band. The Memphis legend performs with the Carolina Chocolate Drops, a group dedicated to reviving the banjo and fiddle styles of the Antebellum South.

Eric Roberson and Chrisette Michele
August 2
Michele has contributed her silky voice to tracks by Nas, Jay-Z, and Babyface. And that's not including a long stint as the opening act for the illustrious India.Arie. Roberson is a tireless touring artist with a massive and devoted fan base, who plays a dozen sold-out concerts each month. Together these new stars light up the sky like nothing else in the neo-soul constellation.

The Itals
August 9
In the patois of Jamaica's Rastafarians, the word "ital" means pure, natural, and unprocessed—the perfect way to describe a group Keith Richards once claimed to have written the "perfect reggae track." The Itals' lithe syncopations will blow through your hair like a cool Caribbean breeze.

For more info, click here.

Ever wonder how hot dogs were invented?

2007-06-05T21:04:00.000-04:00

"Hot dogs were invented when a family of racoons got lost in a toothpaste tube factory"

-Stephen Colbert
June 4th, 2007

Witness Lebron

2007-06-01T11:13:00.000-04:00

I try not to post about sports too much, especially when it's not football season. But last night, Game 5 of the Eastern Conference NBA Finals was one of the most incredible sporting events I've ever watched. Lebron James had one of the best performances in NBA history and as one blog put it, "You either saw [this game] or you didn't."

And now I will quote a great post about last night's game, from a great sports blog, Deadspin:

(To do this photo justice you should click on it to enlarge)

This photo is of the last point of the final 25 LeBron James scored last night to give the Cavaliers a 3-2 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. (Yes, for once, the Eastern Conference playoffs were not just watchable, but thrilling.) We find it amazing that in this shot, there are five Detroit Pistons and only LeBron. We know that LeBron's sort of a one-man team, but this drives it home in a literal sense.

So much to marvel about from LeBron last night, but our favorite has to be the two times, late in the fourth quarter, when he simply drove through all Pistons defenders for an easy dunk. It was a video game move, something that doesn't seem fair or governable by the laws we usually subscribe ourselves to. And it happened twice, in the most important game of his career, under the most possible pressure. We're officially a little scared now.

(Getty Images Photo)

"Helmet saves man when truck runs over his head"

2007-05-31T13:11:00.000-04:00

Here's why I wear a bike helmet every day:

(It's amazing to me that I still see people riding the streets of NYC without a helmet. As Seinfeld once said, you don't know what to say about a brain that's not smart enough to wear a helmet to protect itself.)

From the AP, via CNN:

Helmet saves man when truck runs over his head
POSTED: 8:08 a.m. EDT, May 16, 2007

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin (AP) -- Ryan Lipscomb lived to tell how it felt to have a truck run over his head. "Really strange," he said.

Lipscomb, 26 of Seattle, suffered a concussion but was otherwise unhurt. He was shaken up, especially after he saw his mangled helmet.

Lipscomb, a graduate student in medical physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was riding down a bike path in Madison on Friday afternoon. As he approached an intersection, he said, he noticed the oncoming delivery truck preparing to make a right turn in front of him.

The truck wasn't going to stop, Lipscomb said, so he slammed on his brakes, flipping his bike and landing in the street.

A moment later the truck rolled over his head.

"I didn't see it coming, but I sure felt it roll over my head," he told The Capital Times newspaper. "It feels really strange to have a truck run over your head."

His black helmet was flattened, tread marks visible on the cracked frame.

Lipscomb was taken to a hospital and released about three hours later.

Police initially declined to call the incident a hit-and-run, saying it was unclear whether the driver knew someone had been hit. But Sgt. Bernie Gonzalez later updated the accident report to include the designation.

Police spokesman Mike Hanson said Tuesday there hasn't been an arrest because investigators haven't been able to identify the driver.

In a telephone interview Tuesday with The Associated Press, Lipscomb said he has had some lingering headaches and a stiff neck.

"All things considered, that's about as good as it can get," he said.

Despite the close call, he said, he has to focus on school because his qualifying exam for the Ph.D. program is next week.

"I think it will probably hit me when I'm done with exams," Lipscomb said.

Lipscomb does plan to ride again, he just prefers to wait until after exams are over.

"After that, I'll go out and get a new helmet and be back on my bike," he said.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Props to morepalaver.blogspot.com for pointing me to this article.

Ft. Greene Park named park of the month!

2007-05-24T18:11:00.000-04:00

The New York City Parks department named my local park, Ft. Greene Park, as the "Park of the Month" for May. I'm not sure what other honors come with this distinction, but a big "woohoo!" nonetheless.

Ft. Greene Park is a beautiful mid-sized park that's not far from my neighborhood. It's got wonderful hilly paths, great open spaces, a cool museum/visitor's center and when renovation is done, a huge pillar-type monument at the top of the biggest hill.

Fun Fact #1: The original park on the site (Washington Park) was developed at the behest of Walt Whitman, who started a campaign to get a much needed public park area built.

Fun Fact #2: The original park on the site (Washington Park) was the first public park in the borough of Brooklyn.

Fun Fact #3: The Park is the old sight of an important fort during the Revolutionary War (Fort Putnam, who's construction was overseen by Revolutionary War General Nathaniel Greene, who lent his name to the surrounding neighborhood as well as the modern incarnation of the park).

Fun Fact #4: Under the park lies a crypt housing the remains of thousands of American prisoners of war who died in horrid conditions aboard British jailing ships docked in nearby Wallabout Bay.

For more on the park's history, click here.

To any New Yorkers or Broolynites reading this, I recommend visiting the park the next time you're in the neighborhood.

Yup, these are the athletes I adore. Also: my favorite NFL arrest of all time.

2007-05-20T21:23:00.000-04:00

For those of you living under a rock for the past few months (or those of you who *gasp* don't keep up on NFL news), NFL player Pacman Jones was recently suspended an unheralded 12 months by the NFL for getting arrested for various offenses in the past two years, including a few months ago during the NBA all-star weekend in Las Vegas where he allegedly started a fight at strip club (which resulted in a bouncer getting paralyzed).

The reason the fight started? You see, Pacman had brought $81,000 in cash to the strip club in order to shower it down on the strippers, in what is known in the rap world as 'making it rain'. What the strippers didn't know was that the dollar bills weren't for them! (Stupid strippers.) So Pacman goes crazy, his bodyguard shoots a bouncer, and a few months later he is subject to the largest suspension in NFL history.

Fast forward a few months again and Pacman and his lawyers are in NYC to appeal his suspension......to the man who suspended him in the first place (the NFL commissioner). Good luck with that, Pacman.

Anyway, as part of his defense, Pacman's lawyers submitted an itemized list of every incident of an NFL player getting arrested in the past five years. Needless to say, the list is extremely long, with a huge percentage of the offenses being drunk driving and spousal abuse (way to go, NFL'ers).

Which brings us to the point of this post. Some of the arrests on this list were pretty funny, if I say so myself. Here are a few of my favorites:

3/23/06
Dhani Jones, Philadelphia Eagles

Charged with failure to obey a lawful command - a misdemeanor - after he allegedly refused to stop dancing outside a South Beach club.

Um, what? It's a misdemeanor to refuse to stop dancing in South Beach? I better keep that in mind when I go to Miami.

3/1/04
Dwight Smith, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Arrested and charged with pulling a pellet gun on two fans who approached his car while he waited in line at a McDonald's window.

I don't know what's funnier, that an NFL player was sitting in a drive-thru at a McDonald's, that two fans decided this was a good time to annoy him with an autograph request, or that Smith carries a pellet gun around in his car.

10/19/04
David Boston, Miami Dolphins

Arrested, charged with simple assault for allegedly striking a gate agent when the attendant would not allow Boston to board a late-night flight at Vermont airport

That's a great solution David, a flight attendant won't let you on the flight so you punch him or her. Also, what are you doing Vermont? You're a millionaire. You should be skiing in the Alps. And if you were in Vermont and you weren't skiing, what on earth were you doing in Vermont!?!?!

5/25/04
Brock Marion, Detroit Lions

Charged with theft and filing a fraudulent vehicle insurance claim in Plantation, Fla

Wait, what? You're a millionare? What did you steal? A car? And insurance fraud? Really? You make millions but you're comitting fraud? I certianly hope it would have netted you more than the millions you get paid to play football.

10/21/03
Kenyatta Jones, New England Patriots

Arrested for allegedly assaulting his roommate with scalding water

Scalding water?! What is this, the dark ages!? Did you pour boiling oil on him after he tried to cross your moat too!? And why do you have a roommate?!?! You make millions. Maybe it's time to move out of that $1200/month 2 bedroom apt, eh Kenyatta?

10/7/02
Darren Hambrick, Cleveland Browns

Arrested in Tampa, Fla on a felony grand-theft charge that he stole a check for $5,682.51 from the Panthers

You stole a check from an NFL team!? Was it even made out to you? What were you thinking? Did you try and cash it at a check cashing place and then make a run for Mexico? With $5000!?

7/8/02
Najeh Davenport, Green Bay Packers

Arrested in Florida after a woman told police he had broke into her university dormitory room and defecated in a closet.

No comment necessary. this is by far my all-time favorite NFL arrest and it is truly the standard by which all other arrests are judged. It is the reason we all call him Deuce Davenport.

8/9/00
Bill Romanowski, Denver Broncos

Indicted on four felony charges of fraudulently obtaining prescription diet drugs.

Oh Bill. You roid-raging, teammate-fighting, career-ending thug. Diet pills!? Your wife told you looked fat didn't she?

For more on Pacman, or to download the list of NFL arrests over the past five years, see this blog post on Deadspin.

The Squid and the Whale

2007-05-16T00:09:00.001-04:00

We watched The Squid and the Whale (2005) recently. It was pretty good, I recommend it to anyone who likes dark comedies based on dysfunctional families. It was about a couple with two kids who go through a divorce in yuppie Brooklyn (Park Slope) in the mid 80's. It was very Royal Tennenbaums-esque, then I saw that it was co-produced by Wes Anderson, and it all made sense.

It's a short movie (82 minutes), but good, and definitely worth renting. Jeff Daniels was excellent as the past-his-prime writer/professor.

Here's an official blurb:

Based on the true childhood experiences of Noah Baumbach (writer and director) and his brother, The Squid and the Whale tells the touching story of two young boys dealing with their parents divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980's.

New York City Bicycle Survey, 2007

2007-05-09T16:45:00.000-04:00

The NYC Dept of Transportation recently released a bicycling survey. You can download it here.

The survey is pretty interesting. Below are some statistics from it. I do not know why there is a photo on the cover of a memorial to a dead biker. (The bike that's painted white.) Seems morbid and/or unintentional.

Anyway,

1. For Bicycle Commuters: 44% start in Manhattan and 41% start in Brooklyn; 81% end in Manhattan and 10% end in Brooklyn.
2. At the work place: 52% park and lock their bikes outdoors, 48% indoors.
3. The average commute time for cyclists is 35 minutes.
4. The most common reason that non-commuting cyclists do not commute by bike is because of driver behavior/traffic and lack of safe storage at work.
5. The most common reason commuter cyclists do commute by bike is because it is healthy/good exercise and because it is environmentally friendly.

FYI, my responses:

1. I start in Brooklyn and end up in Manhattan
2. I lock my bike outside to scaffolding
3. My commute time is 30 minutes
4. The days I don't ride to work are because I'm lazy or it's too cold out
5. I bike to work because it's good exercise and much more pleasant than stuffing myself on a crowded subway

Photos from Cape Town, South Africa

2007-05-07T10:14:00.000-04:00

For your enjoyment, on this Monday morning

Photos from South Africa by a fellow Smuts boy, Jeremyhughes on flickr.

If you're not a sports fan ignore this post...

2007-05-03T17:57:00.000-04:00

...otherwise, if you're a sports fan with a soul, this image should make your stomach turn (and I'm not even from New England)...

Photo from awfulannouncing.blogspot.com

Caron Butler, Straw Connoisseur (strawnoisseur?)

2007-04-30T14:05:00.000-04:00

While the Washington Wizards fight for their playoff lives in the NBA playoffs (they're currently down 3-0 in a best-of-7 series), we learned this about one of the Wiz's star players, Caron Butler, courtesy of Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post: Caron Butler chews straws compulsively. But that's not even the whole story:

Thanks to the Wizards PR staff, which continues to humor me for who knows what reason, I lined up a straw-based one-on-one interview with the subject himself.

Butler said he used to chew toothpicks, but that was frowned upon during games, so he picked up the straw habit back in AAU ball in '98 or '99.

"I had a good performance and it was something that became a habit, and I started doing it all the time," he said. "So before every game I stop at the nearest Burger King or McDonald's, grab a handful of straws and come to the game and start chewing them....You know, I've got a handful on me right now."

With this, he pulled probably 8 to 10 McDonald's straws out of his breast pocket. It's a weird calling card, the straws. Later, CSN producer Adam Littlefield and I were strolling through a Verizon Center tunnel when we saw a little white thing on the ground. We hovered over it, two Gil Grissoms on the prowl for some forensic evidence. Sure enough, it was a straw wrapper.

A used straw wrapper. Artistic, no? I'm willing to sell the image.

More facts: Butler said he goes through about six straws a half, about 12 a game. He only has one in his mouth at a time. He spits them out when they "start getting a little stringy." He also chews at home. His young daughter, Mia, has started imitating him, walking around the house with a straw in her mouth (but never running, thankfully). He doesn't think it's a dangerous habit, and in fact has only had one cavity in his life. His wife, Andrea, told us that she is somewhat of an enabler; she'll stop off at McDonald's and pick up a handful of straws for her husband. Like, 60 straws. Daily. "And then if he goes on his own he gets some himself," she said. This, friends, is a full-fledged addiction.

I asked Andrea Butler if she minded the habit.

"Only when I find them in our driveway, when he throws them out the window as he's pulling up," she said.

Finally, while talking to Butler, we unveiled our wares: about 10 straws, collected from a variety of local eateries. We had hoped he might sample them. But we underestimated his palate. I quickly felt like a heel, like I had just offered Robert Parker a chilled bottle of Corbett Canyon.

"I did all these before," he said, clearly bored. "This is a McDonald's straw," he continued, seizing the one McDonald's straw in our collection and pocketing it. There were no markings on the wrapper, no colors, nothing to suggest McDonald's. It was remarkable. He's a straw savant.

"I know McDonald's straws," he told us. "Trust me, I've been in this game a long time. This is a McDonald's straw and all these, hold on don't say anything, like a 7-11 big slurpee thing or something."

He began to lose interest in our stash.

"I don't do these," he said. "I don't do 7-11 straws or anything. McDonald's, Burger King, that's it. Not Wendy's. Maybe Subway, because their straw is thick, clear, with a clear wrapping, but that's it, McDonald's, Burger King....Cheesecake Factory's got the black straws, they're kind of thick. That's good quality straws."

It was a virtuoso performance. I'm not kidding, when he plucked that McDonald's straw out of my hands I was every bit amazed as when Gilbert hit all those one-handed three-pointers. So the conclusion, Wizards fans, is that even if Caron Butler does not play one minute in this series, he is still out there working his magic, and chewing his plastic.

Brooklyn = Blog Central, USA

2007-04-26T12:23:00.000-04:00

I saw a link to this story on Clinton Hill Blog, apparently Brooklyn is the most blogged-about area in the country. Woohoo!

BROOKLYN HAS NATION’S BLOGGIEST NEIGHBORHOODS
By HEIDI SINGER

April 25, 2007 — Brownstone Brooklyn, and especially up-and-coming Clinton Hill, is the busiest blog zone in the country, according to a new study that tracks the most blogged-about neighborhoods.

Steven Johnson, founder of the Web site outside.in, looked at the location and subject matter of more than 100,000 posts involving blogs in more than 3,000 neighborhoods to come up with a top 10 “bloggiest” hot spots during the past six months.

Brooklyn’s Clinton Hill, home to two colleges, and bursting with artsy young people, took first place.

Park Slope and other brownstone Brooklyn neighborhoods were almost as bloggy, Johnson said, although the official second place went to Shaw, D.C., followed by downtown L.A.

Another rapidly developing nabe, Harlem, ranked No. 8, after areas of Newton, Mass., Chicago and Portland, Ore. “There are far more active bloggers writing about Harlem than the Upper East Side,” Johnson said. “There are a lot of people interested in what’s happening to Harlem.”

“Brooklyn in general lends itself to blogging because it’s a borough of neighborhoods,” said Jonathan Butler, 37, founder of the Brownstoner blog, which boasts a readership of 100,000. “Unlike Manhattan, people feel connected and empowered to do something about the changes happening in their neighborhoods.”

CHB has been a lot of work on my end, but thanks to everyone who reads, comments and sends tips. It’s really a group effort. Cheers to neighbors!

And now, I will share photos of Clinton Hill, from the Clinton Hill Group on flickr:

Photo by brewpez

Photo by Scalino

Photo by triciawang

Photo by yellowbike

Photo by lesterhead

Photo by Angela

Photo by lesterhead

Hippie lightbulbs

2007-04-08T11:47:00.000-04:00

I sarcastically use the term hippie to make fun of anything that's environmentally-friendly, however I try to buy such products whenever possible. I direct your attention to this cool info page the Washington Post is running today which compares the three major types of consumer lightbulbs (incandescent, halogen and compact flourescent). I recently tried a compact flourescent for the first time when I received one free as a party gift from a fundraising dinner I went to for WRI, an environmental group.

(Al Gore spoke at the dinner and the NYTs Thomas Friedman was the M.C., it was pretty cool and I am grateful to Colin's Dad for taking me as I could never afford such an event.)

Anyway, the knock against compact flourescent bulbs is that they're not as bright as the standard incandescent. While this may be true, in terms of home lighting needs, I'm not sure the difference in brightness is enough to justify using the old, energy inefficient incandescent bulbs. (According to the WP, compact flourescent bulbs use one-fourth the energy that traditional bulbs do!!) Maybe if you want your kitchen to be super-bright you won't use the old bulbs, but in our living room the compact flourescent bulbs are perfect.

So check out the WP's info page. I encourage you to look into getting some compact flourescent bulbs to use in your home. According to the WP, they can even save you money. I included a few images from the WP at the beginning and end of this post.

There's a brewery hidden in my neighborhood!

2007-04-04T00:30:00.000-04:00

ClintonHillBlog recently had a post about a visit they made to a semi-hidden brewery right here in Clinton Hill. I've posted a few of their photos below, and I encourage you to read about their experience here.

I can't believe there's a brewery in my neighborhood! Why didn't I know about this!? Why aren't they (generally) open to the public!? Why must their sweet, sweet nectar be kept from me!?

While you're on ClinonHillBlog be sure to leave a comment expressing your desire for the brewery to open a beer garden!

Grand Theft Auto IV

2007-03-31T13:50:00.001-04:00

The latest installment of the best video game ever, Grand Theft Auto, is coming out for XBOX 360 and PlayStation 3 on October 16th, 2007!!

Click here for the cool trailer.

NYC subway photos (a response to my DC subway post)

2007-03-26T22:32:00.001-04:00

I found these photos on flickr. They are by joepierce.

Went to DC last weekend

2007-03-20T23:24:00.000-04:00

Rode the Metro downtown. The DC Metro creates some amazing visual effects. It makes the NYC Subway look like a pile of puke with steel wheels attached to it.

Sorry New Yorkers, but it's true. And yes, that is a digital sign which shows exactly how many minutes until the next train arrives.

Stories like this make me glad...

2007-03-18T23:41:00.000-04:00

...I live in New York City not New York State. This is the story of a teacher in a small village upstate who got a sex change operation over the summer and came back to school a new sex. Now I would expect there to be some uncertaintity caused in the community by this. Not everyone is ready to deal with transsexuals in their immediate surroundings. However outright bigotry is not what I would have expected.

As a New Yorker I try to be open-minded when it comes to my upstate counterparts who tend to vote Republican and plaster their cars with American flag decals. However when I hear stories like these, I'm glad upstaters stay up there, and I stay down here. To be fair, most of the town, Batavia, welcomed the teacher back with open arms. The local school board even said the following, "Because it's a medically diagnosed condition, it fits in as a disability under the New York Human Rights Law...We have to accommodate the disability and allow the individual to perform the job."

However some members of the community weren't so open-minded:

''It's wrong,'' Amber Robinson, the mother of a 14-year-old boy who is in one of the teacher's classes, said after the meeting. ''If you've got a problem, go away. My son is academically challenged and immature -- he's not prepared to handle this. The district is encouraging my son to fail.''

Excuse me!? Not only do you not accept the choices of a grown adult, but you actually go so far as to blame your own child's short-comings on the life choices of the teacher!? Give me a break! Are you that consumed with bigotry or are you in that much denial about what the problems are with your child!?!

Full Text:

Batavia Journal; A Not-Quite-New Teacher Starts a New School Year
By DAVID STABA
September 7, 2006

The local Rotary Club published a calendar in 2004 featuring its members -- mostly middle-aged men -- in shirtless beefcake poses, and the local newspaper's editor said that for months he received angry letters and calls venting about it.

Then there were the openings of the topless bar and an adult bookstore, tapping a vein of outrage in this city of about 16,000 people hard by the New York State Thruway, midway between its larger neighbors, Buffalo and Rochester.

And there was the time the name of the minor-league baseball team here was changed from the Clippers to the Muckdogs, in 1997.

''You never know what's going to torque people off,'' said Mark Graczyk, managing editor of The Daily News of Batavia.

Or what won't.

After learning that a male science teacher planned to return this year as a woman, school district officials spent nearly nine months worrying and wondering how to keep the transition from causing an uproar.

It seems to have worked.

Students at Batavia High School returned from summer vacation on Wednesday morning and sat through a short presentation on the teacher's transition and the medical condition propelling it -- gender identity disorder, the fervent desire to become a member of the opposite sex and distress at one's own gender.

Then it was like any other first day of school, officials and students said.

''Kids were talking about who was going to sit with whom at lunch and trying to find their lockers,'' said Richard G. Stutzman Jr., the district's superintendent. ''We had an extremely positive opening, given all the attention that's been paid.''

The teacher, who is starting her 10th year teaching in the district, has not spoken publicly and the district has not disclosed her name, citing medical privacy laws. No news account had named her, and The New York Times chose not to do so. While she told officials last December about her plan to begin dressing as a woman and undergo hormone therapy in preparation for a sex-change operation Mr. Stutzman said the teacher and the district decided to keep the matter private until two weeks ago.

''We did not want to disrupt two school years,'' Mr. Stutzman said. ''We decided we would roll it out about two weeks before the school year started, and hopefully, this would become old news quickly.''

Batavia is surrounded by even smaller towns and vast swaths of farmland, and according to the 2000 census, more than 42 percent of its households have married couples. ''I expected more of a public outcry and maybe some demonstrations or that sort of thing,'' Mr. Graczyk said. ''I'm pleasantly surprised by the reaction of the students, which seems to be, 'It's no big deal.' ''

To be sure, when the district held a meeting last month to explain the situation to parents, some of them said they were upset by the news.

''It's wrong,'' Amber Robinson, the mother of a 14-year-old boy who is in one of the teacher's classes, said after the meeting. ''If you've got a problem, go away. My son is academically challenged and immature -- he's not prepared to handle this. The district is encouraging my son to fail.''

The parents of 5 of more than 100 students assigned to the teacher's classes asked that their children change classes. The requests were denied. ''Curriculum changes, we accommodate,'' Mr. Stutzman said, ''but we do not change teachers.''

But views like Ms. Robinson's clearly seemed to be in the minority.

''I e-mailed her and told her I hoped she could focus on earth science and not all of this controversy,'' Marilyn Drilling, who has two daughters in the teacher's classes, said of her after the parents' meeting.

''All I've heard is great, great things about her as a teacher, and that's what matters.''

One of Ms. Drilling's daughters, Kristen, a freshman, said she and her friends shared her mother's perspective. ''I think it's about what she wants to do -- it's not up to us,'' Kristen said. ''I think this is harder for her than it is for us.''

James A. Spitz, the school district's lawyer, said, to his knowledge, this was the first time that a working public school teacher in New York State has undergone such a transition. Mekah Gordon, a former art teacher in Eastchester, who had sex-change surgery, said she took a yearlong leave of absence before returning to her job.

Once the Batavia teacher's gender identity disorder was diagnosed and she told officials of her intention to continue teaching, the school's course of action was governed by state law, as well as its own instincts.

''Because it's a medically diagnosed condition, it fits in as a disability under the New York Human Rights Law,'' Mr. Spitz said. ''We have to accommodate the disability and allow the individual to perform the job.''

Amber Dobiesz, a Batavia resident who underwent a similar change three years ago, said the teacher was happy with her decision, as well as the way the school district handled it.

''She has a glow about her,'' Ms. Dobiesz said. ''She told me, 'I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life.' ''

''I said, 'I know how you feel. It's like you won the Lotto.' ''