Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn

NO WORDS_DAILY PIX BY HUGH CRAWFORD

NEW POSTMASTER IN BROOKLYN: BETTER SERVICE?

Emily Keller tells us everything you need to know about Brooklyn's new postmaster in the Brooklyn Courier.

Joseph Chiossone is the new postmaster of the Brooklyn Post Office.    
If you’re sick and tired of waiting in line at your local post office to buy stamps, renew your passport or send a package, the new postmaster of Brooklyn has a suggestion for you: don’t.

Joseph Chiossone, who was officially appointed to the position in early March after acting as Postmaster of Brooklyn on and off for several years, said he plans to decrease lobby wait times by informing customers of services offered by mail, online, and at automated machines within several post office lobbies.

He also plans to make delivery times a little earlier by increasing efficiency.

“Some of the delivery times, I understand, have been a little late. We are trying to work to get all of our mail delivered by 3 or 4 o’clock,” he said.

Chiossone said he plans to increase efficiency by communicating his expectations to current employees better, rather than by increasing staff, which he called adequate. “It’s all about managing people,” he said.

Although Chiossone said he is satisfied overall with the services provided by the Brooklyn Post Office and does not plan to make any drastic changes, he will focus on improving customer service.

“The service in Brooklyn for the most part has been pretty good,” he said, referring to first class, overnight and express service in particular. Of all the letter-sized envelopes dropped in Brooklyn mailboxes each day, 95% will arrive at destinations in Brooklyn the next day, Chiossone said.

However, “We do have pockets of problems,” he admitted. “Our customers know where they are and they let us know…and we naturally strive to improve those.” In particular, he said, “We’re looking to reduce our lobby wait time.”

KIDS AT SODA BAR: YAY OR NAY

Smells like the Stroller Manifesto all over again. Kids and Bars. It seems to arouse a lot of controversy. Over at Daily Heights, they're having it out about whether kids are taking over Soda Bar, a bar in Prospect Heights.

Why would anyone want to bring your kids to a bar? wouldn't the social time be better spent at the park, museum, zoo, etc. maybe something that is fun for the kid and not just the parents. bars are dark, kinda dingy with lots of weird strangers who are drinking. If I were a kid again a bar is the last place I would want to be. I know you don't want to give up your social life, but it's not just about you anymore.

AIDS AWARENESS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Yesterday a letter came home in the Oh So Fiesty One's (OSFO) backpack from PS 321's principal, Liz Phillips. In it, she informed the parents that the New York City Department of Education has developed a new HIV/AIDS curriculum for grades k-12. The curriculum is designed to raise awareness about ways to stay healthy and to help develop empathy for people who are ill. OSFO is already a little nervous about these health classes the teachers are talking about. "What am I going to learn in health class," she asked me yesterday. Today, she asked me if the boys and girls were going to be separated when they talk about it. I told her that I didn't know.

At PS 321, there will be age appropriate lessons that help children children learn about staying  safe, making good choices and being healthy. In the upper grades, HIV/AIDS will be talked about more explicitly. Children will learn in science how the immune system works and will have classroom based lessons on how to resist negative peer pressure.

They will be teaching these lessons as part of the health education and science curriculum in late April and early May. They will also be sending home a blue pamphlet for parents from the Department of Education on HIV/AIDS education.

The schools are holding meetings for parents about the new curriculum. There's one at PS 321 on April 4, at 8:40 a.m. in the Auditorium to discuss the rationale for the curriculum and the kinds of lessons they will be teaching each grade.

9/11 RECORDINGS RELEASED

From New York 1 about the release of transcripts and recordings of WTC 911 calls on 9/11.

Nearly five years after the World Trade Center attacks, some families have received transcripts and recordings of 911 calls their loved ones made from the doomed towers, a day before the audio recordings are released to the public Friday morning.

Due to the sensitive nature of the tapes and to protect the privacy of the families, only censored versions of the tapes will be released to the public. Only operators and dispatchers will be heard, with the callers' voices muted out.

The recordings are the result of the three-year-long lawsuit involving a group of nine families who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001.

They argue the tapes are an integral part of piecing together what happened on the day of the attacks.

The New York Times requested the names of the callers be audible on the public tapes in those cases where the dispatcher said the name aloud. A judge ruled in favor of the Times on Wednesday, but the city is appealing that decision.

ZUZU'S IS BLOOMING

I walked past the site of the old Zuzu's Petals on Seventh Avenue between Union and Berkeley Place and saw what I think is a new laminated sign (okay it's been there for six months - I didn't notice).

There have been signs on that storefront ever since a fire forced Zuzu's out of their longtime location. Here's the latest missive from those lovely Zuzu ladies. On top of the note there was a movie still from "It's a Wonderful Life."

While I was jotting down the words, one of my neighbors, a reader of OTBKB, walked by. We read the note together and she told me about a rose she bought at Zuzu's that lasted two weeks. TWO WEEKS. I told her about the two dozen roses I got at Key Food that were THORNY and lasted ONE DAY. ONE. Moral of this story: Get your roses at Zuzu's.

This is the scene from "It's a Wonderful Life" when George Bailey fixes his daughter's Zuzu's damaged fose and tucks the broken petal in her pocket.

Since August 26th 2004, the day of the fire that cost us our home of 33 years, we have focused all our energy on rebuilding and restoring our showp, our business, our lives with the help of so many loving friends.

The morning after the fire, we posted a note here which asked what we learned. There have been many lessons. But these are perhaps the most important:

Life is what happens when you're making other plans.

The love you take is equal to the love you make.

There is much to be said for the kindness of strangers and the loyalty of old friends.

We count ourselves lucky for being part of the Park Slope community. Because of that, Zuzu's Petals blooms again. Perhpas better than ever.

SMARTMOM: Cupcakes are on my Mind

The folks at the Brooklyn Papers say it's okay to post my Smartmom columns on OTBKB. So here goes last week's column about cupcakes. Cupcake photo by NYCnosh.

The Oh So Feisty One’s ninth birthday is here — and that means it’s time to make the cupcakes.

Homemade cupcakes for the classroom birthday party? Who’s kidding whom? It’s a rare mom in Park Slope who makes those cupcakes from scratch anymore.

Smartmom’s friend JollyBeMom is that rare mom — but then again, she’s a professional baker whose luscious chocolate cupcakes are to die for. Not every mom can bake a cake that looks like Chartes Cathedral.

But like everything else in the Slopeosphere, cupcakes are fraught with socio/political and psychological meaning.

They have, in fact, become synonymous with good mothering.

Trouble is, for the vast majority of moms — those who work full-time, parent full-time, volunteer full-time or juggle it all — classroom birthday parties mean Duncan Hines Devil’s Food Cake mix, Betty Crocker frosting, and a smattering of red dye #5 sprinkles, prepared in a kitchen still stacked with dirty dinner dishes. Gross.

Betty Crocker frosting is so sickeningly sweet that five out of five dentists don’t recommend it, even for their patients who like lousy frosting.

But it’s so easy.

To say that Smartmom was in denial about this year’s cupcakes would be a vast understatement. So busy was she working on an assignment for Dumb Editor that there were no cupcakes dancing in her head — until the day before the party.

When, she wondered, would she have time to make those cupcakes?

Smartmom tried to reach Hepcat at the Edgy Computer Startup, but he gave her a quick “gottagorightnowbye” and said he’d call her right back.

Desperate, Smartmom called Harried Harriet, who regaled Smartmom with tales of what happened last year.

“At 2:30 on the day of the party, I was hurtling down Eighth Avenue in my Volvo with cupcakes on the passenger seat.” She was stopped by cop in front of Saint Saviour’s church (God help her), who accused her of bypassing a school bus that was discharging kids.

“He threatened to give me a ticket. I didn’t say anything about the cupcakes — how could I?”

Heart racing and slightly traumatized, Harried Harriet arrived at the school with seconds to spare. “It was fairly ironic, when you think about it: I had endangered the lives of children on a school bus in order to get to my daughter’s classroom in time to deliver cupcakes.”

There’s got to be another way. So Smartmom called Designer Mom, who’s always good for a time-saving parenting tip. “I get mine at Two Little Red Hens,” she said. “I can’t make them as well as they do. Plus, I’ve got better things to do.”

But then her voice changed and she said with barely concealed bitterness: “But last year, Thrifty Mom looked at them scornfully and said, ‘Jeez that must have cost you a bundle.’”

Indeed, there is a stigma attached to bringing bakery-made cupcakes to class. In private school, it’s downright unthinkable, according to Smartmom’s emissaries from Berkeley Carroll, where the rule seems to be: the more money a parent spends on tuition, the more time she is expected to spend baking.

Thank goodness OSFO and Teen Spirit went to public schools, where it is acceptable to use a cake mix — or even bring cupcakes from Costco.

Late Thursday afternoon, Smartmom decided once and for all that she was going to get OSFO’s cupcakes at Two Little Red Hens, but when Smartmom broke the news, OSFO looked stricken. She loves to spread that canned Betty Crocker frosting — high in transfats — onto hot, just-baked cupcakes.

But Smartmom wasn’t about to bow to a 9-year-old. Nonetheless, she slept fitfully that night, fearful that Two Little Red Hens would be sold out when she showed up the next morning. What happens if some other mom swoops and grabs the entire stock of miniatures?

At 8 am, Smartmom and OSFO took Eastern Car Service to Two Little Red Hens and asked the driver to wait. To her great relief, there was a full tray of miniature cupcakes behind the bakery glass. White cake with white frosting and rainbow sprinkles, they were a veritable bargain at $1.50 each. Feeling like a birthday sport, Smartmom ordered 30.

Spending $45 dollars on cupcakes was a pittance compared with a phone-therapy session. When they got to OSFO’s classroom, one of her teachers saw the label and squealed, “That’s my favorite bakery in the world! I can’t wait.”

These are for you, Smartmom said. God knows you must be sick to death of Duncan Hines.

Smartmom held her head high, vindicated and proud. This wasn’t about being too busy to bake. This wasn’t about childhood neglect or not being a good-enough mother.

Hers was a crusade to save the teachers and children from the curse of the Duncan Hines Devil’s Food mix and the gloppy Betty Crocker frosting.

Or that’s at least what she told herself.

SHOE LAMENT

A blogger I know and love (Laments of the Unfinished) had this to say about shoe addiction, and the ways she is and isn't similar to Carrie Bradshaw.

I think I have an addiction to shoes. I've always loved shoes, but when I found myself online looking at shoes after midnight the other night, I realized that perhaps it's time for me to get some help.

I'm no Imelda Marcos or Carrie Bradshaw (or GlamourGirlVIP who had to insure her shoe collection when she shipped them back to London), but I just rearranged my shoes and while I have an entire shoe rack of black shoes, I have no intention of stopping.

Or I said I'd stop when I came to this realization, but then I saw a pair of white leather wedge slide sandals on sale until the 17th and I just have to get those (actually, in the process of writing this blog, I went ahead and bought them).

Now some of you might ask, "how many shoes does one woman need?" Well, I'll tell you. You need as many shoes as you need to fit the occasion. For instance, from my black shoe rack:

patent leather heels - classic and must haves
leather heels - classic and must haves
sling-backs - classic and must haves
a 2nd pair of sling-backs - classic, but maybe not a must have
Louis VI suedes from high school - different and I still wear them
spectator sling-backs - classic, sexy and professional
spectator suede slides - cute, and I had a gift certificate
ballet flats - needed walking shoes
thong heels - never know when you'll be on a dinner boat in SF
leather casual slides - cute and casual
formal satin shoes - they're formal
heeled sandals - they're sandals
sturdy black flats - they're sturdy and flat
platform boots - classic
non-platform boots - classic
mens-styled lace-up platform shoes - just for the hell of it

As for the non-black shoes, I need something to spice up my extensively black wardrobe. You also have to have a variety of heel styles because even the classics change every decade or so. You've got to make sure you aren't wearing thick heels in a thin heel decade (I've been wearing the same shoe size since the 5th grade, so I've had time to think about these things).

Also, you mustn't confuse shoe addiction with shopping addiction. I am not a shop-a-holic. In fact, one of the many reasons I love shoes is that they're easy to buy. You either like them or you don't. They either fit or they don't. You either have use for them or you don't. And many, many shoes are just like a work of art for your feet.

I discussed this problem with my friend Kryss last night and I think I'm using my unused sexual energy to buy shoes (just go with me here). I'm not addicted to chocolate, so maybe I'm seeking that "high" in another way. It's gotta go somewhere, right?

Carrie and I have, actually, pretty similar lives except for the sex part and the fact that the fictional character managed to find a pretty sweet apartment on the upper East Side, while I have a crackhead living on my stoop. You could call my life Sexless and the City. I got the City and the shoes, but that's about it - well and God, of course. God, Shoes and the City.

And I know I'm not supposed to even be thinking about sex (perish the thought!) or being sexy, but the secret is out. I need to feel sexy even when the only guy looking at me is the neighborly crackhead. So what else am I supposed to do when I need to feel pretty and the last available pair is in my size and on sale?

SHOPSIN'S: MORTON STREET MEMORIES

Boy, do I know Shopsin's. And New York Magazine says that West Village restaurant moving to  Carroll Gardens after 24 years in the Village. That's what I call Big Brooklyn News. (Picture by nycnosh.)

Not suprisingly, the owner refused to be interviewed for the New York Magazine story and told the reporter: "Why don't you make something fucking up. That's what you're going to do anyway."  I think that's Kenny Shopsin's  motto when it came to reporters.

That place is so idiosyncratic and famous there's even documentary about it called "I Like Killing Flies."

Back in the 1980's I worked in an  office on Morton Street. At first I didn't know what to make of this restaurant on the corner of Morton and Bedford that was frequently closed and looked like a vintage luncheonette or grocery store.

But it wasn't a luncheonette at all. First of all, if you tried to get your morning coffee there they'd look at you funny -- they were only open doing prep work for lunch. You could sit and have a cup if you want. "But we don't bag it or anything,"  Mrs. Shopsin said.

The place was run by a strange, somewhat gregarious, rolypoly man named Kenny Shopsin, who usually wore a grease-stained t-shirt and a white apron (also dirty), and his wife. The menu was many pages long and it featured something like 900 items and about 100 soups. How, I wondered, could they have so many soups (and entrees) every day? It was a mystery. It really was a vast menu and the food was really interesting running the gamut from American comfort, breakfast, dinery-lunchy, to dinner entrees of their own invention.

One thing I remember vividly. Instead of caps on the ketchup bottles, there were plastic dinosaur figurines plugged into the bottles.

Another thing, Kenny didn't like tourists much. So, if he saw a bunch of tourists approaching the restaurant he'd run over to the door and say, "Sorry, we're closed." as he put the Closed sign up.

I know the place had a lot of regulars and celebs. People you'd recognize, people you wouldn't. It was really an institution down there on Morton Street - one of the great streets in the West Village. They moved to Bedford and Carmine Street. I never went - I couldn't wrap my head around the new, more modern location.

Wonder where they're moving to in Carroll Gardens? Anyone know? A Brooklyn Life - yoo hoo.

Also here are Ruth Reichl and Eric Asimov on Shopsin's:

The menu is encyclopedic, the soups are spectacular and the welcome is eccentric. It's been a Village hangout for years, and the owners, who would just as soon it stayed that way, are wary of strangers. - Ruth Reichl (4/98)

You're not likely to find a stranger restaurant in New York than Shopsin's, housed in an old general store. Kenny Shopsin, the chef and owner with his wife, are as likely to yell at you as look at you, especially if they don't like your attitude. The food is as quirky as the owners, with many of Shopsin's own pancake and soup inventions. Sometimes they are good, sometimes not so good, but portions are always huge. - Eric Asimov (4/98)
-The New York Times

MORE ON SHOPSINS FROM THE DAILY NEWS

NOW THE DAILY NEWS HAS THE SHOPSIN'S STORY. IT'S AN ONLY IN NEW YORK KIND OF THING. WEST VILLAGE RESTAURANT MOVES TO BROOKLYN: BIG NEWS

Shopsin's, the West Village diner made famous for its 900-item menu and odd rules, such as no more than four to a table, could be hauling its celeb-studded digs to Carroll Gardens.

"You're right - I'm thinking about moving to Brooklyn," owner and chef Kenny Shopsin told the Daily News. "I don't know what else to tell you."

Shopsin and his wife, Eve, are reportedly considering the move because of skyrocketing rent at their 34-seat Carmine St. digs, where they've been serving oddball entrees like the "sausage walnut potato volcano" since 2002.

But when asked about a West Village rent hike, Shopsin insisted his decision wasn't based on money.

"My landlord is a fair and honest businessperson, and I have a good lease," said Shopsin, 63, who enforces a strict ban on cell phones. "That's all. That's it."

When pressed for his reason for considering a move to Brooklyn, Shopsin would only say: "Two of my five children live in Brooklyn and are happy there. When I visit them, I feel pretty good too."

For more than two decades, diners have poured into Shopsin's as much for the spinach walnut pancakes as for notables like Lizzie Grubman, Drew Barrymore and her rocker boyfriend Fabrizio Moretti.

But if Shopsin decides to leave Manhattan, he won't have to do it at the expense of his celebrity clientele. Besides Barrymore, who told New York magazine she would follow Shopsin, Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams have been spotted dining out near their Dean St. home.

"We've got plenty of them living around here," said South Brooklyn Local Development Corp. President Bette Stoltz of the notable names in the neighborhood. "Between the movie stars and the literati, we're doing okay."

The move wouldn't be Shopsin's first. Four years ago, he moved to his current digs after a rent hike at his original spot around the corner on Morton St. But on Smith St., where fine dining is the norm, the soup-and-sandwich joint might not make the cut, one local predicted.

Shopsin's "used to be a legend when it had this perfect little corner spot," sniffed Saul Bolton, owner of Smith St. eatery Saul. "It's a grimy, moldy, musty place where they make food out of a can. I wouldn't be interested in going there now. Even if it was my neighbor."

Right now, Shopsin's only immediate connection to Brooklyn seemed to be a beef gumbo and poached egg combination on the menu named for writer Truman Capote, who lived in Brooklyn Heights.

POETRY SHOP CHANGES HANDS

This piece in the Times by Lawrence Van Gelder about a famous poetry bookshop in Cambridge, Mass. caught my eye. Where do YOU buy your poetry books?

The Grolier Poetry Book Shop in Harvard Square, the oldest poetry bookstore in the United States, is about to change hands for the second time in eight decades, Publishers Weekly reported. The influential store, opened in 1927 and a favorite of poets including E. E. Cummings, T. S. Eliot and Marianne Moore, has been sold to Ifeanyi Mentiki, a professor of philosophy at Wellesley College. He is also a poet whose most recent collection, "Of Altai, the Bright Light," was published last year by Earthwinds Editions. "The store has meant a lot to so many of us," he said. "I wanted to make sure it continued." The sale, by Louisa Solano, who owned the store for 31 years, was prompted by her ill health and will become final tomorrow. "I’m going to catch up on 30 years of sleep," Ms. Solano said.

BRIDGE RALLY TO PROTEST CHANGES TO IMMIGRATION POLICIES

According to New York 1, 50,000 people are expected to make their way over the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday as part of a nationwide rally over proposed changes to the nation’s immigration policies.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are weighing three proposals, including one that would make illegal immigrants eligible for work. Another proposal focuses on border security.

Already there are major differences of opinion as the debate rages both inside the Senate and beyond. A version of the bill has been passed by the House.

TRILLIN ON SHOPSIN'S

Ah yes. I remember when the great Calvin Trillin wrote a piece about Shopsin's in the New Yorker. That was April 2002 if I recall...

I've excerpted it here from the New Yorker's fun website. This may help you see why so many of us are buzz buzz buzzing about the fact that this storied (and quirky) West Village restaurant is coming to Carroll Gardens. Part of the fascination is just imagining Kenny Shopsin and his wife actually leaving Bedford Street. Crossing the bridge. Taking the subway? (Blueberry French Toast pix by Roboppy).

         

I suppose Kenny Shopsin, who runs a small restaurant a couple of blocks from where I live in Greenwich Village, could qualify as eccentric in a number of ways, but one of his views seems particularly strange to journalists who have had prolonged contact with proprietors of retail businesses in New York: he hates publicity. I've tried not to take this personally. I have been a regular customer, mainly at lunch, since 1982, when Kenny and his wife, Eve, turned a corner grocery store they had been running on the same premises into a thirty-four-seat café. Before that, I was a regular customer of the grocery store. When the transformation was made, my daughters were around junior-high-school age, and even now, grown and living out of the city, they consider Shopsin's General Store—or Ken and Eve's or Kenny's, as they usually call it—an extension of their kitchen. Normally, they take only a brief glance at the menu—a menu that must include about nine hundred items, some of them as unusual as Cotton Picker Gumbo Melt Soup or Hanoi Hoppin John with Shrimp or Bombay Turkey Cloud Sandwich—and then order dishes that are not listed, such as "tomato soup the way Sarah likes it" or "Abigail's chow fun."

When Kenny gets a phone call from a restaurant guidebook that wants to include Shopsin's, he sometimes says that the place is no longer in operation, identifying himself as someone who just happens to be there moving out the fixtures. Some years ago, a persistent English guidebook carried a generally complimentary review of Shopsin's that started with a phrase like "Although it has no décor." Eve expressed outrage, not simply at the existence of the review but also at its content. "Do you call this 'no décor'?" she demanded of me one evening when I was there having an early supper—the only kind of supper you can have at Shopsin's, which has not strayed far from grocery-store hours. (Aside from a Sunday brunch that began as a sort of family project several months ago, the restaurant has never been open on weekends.) She waved her arm to take in the entire establishment.

NO WORDS_DAILY PIX BY HUGH CRAWFORD

I HATE TO ADMIT I AM WRONG...

Does everyone have as hard a time as I do admitting that they are wrong?

Last night lying in bed before we fell asleep, Hepcat and I had a much-needed talk. Both of us are so busy, sometimes we don't discuss anything beyond logistics for days. But I could tell he was upset. As events unfolded over the last few days, he sometimes had a long, sad look on his face.   I could tell that he was troubled by what was going on. More specifically, he was troubled by MY role in all of this.

I was, needless to say, defensive at first. I hate to hear criticism, especially if it's true. HATE IT. It was hard for me to really own up to my role in all of this.  But Hepcat was determined to show me that I was responsible in some way. He was not being unkind just honest.

First, he asked me if I thought it was wrong for the  woman to put the man's name on the flyer. I said: YES.

YES. IT WAS WRONG.

He followed with: "Then it was wrong of you to mention the flyer, the name of our street, the fact that there was an accused child molester. By doing so, you attracted the attention of the news media and inadvertantly turned this into a more public story than it needed to be."

YES. I WAS WRONG.

SOBERING. It's sobering when your spouse tells you something you don't want to believe but the more you think about it you have to admit is true. It's also maddening when your SPOUSE is SO RIGHT.

GUILT. Yes, I feel guilty, too.

On Saturday morning - a personal story and a potentially very public story converged. I opted to tell the story of the flyer (from my usual "this is my life" point-of-view) without realizing that it would alert the news media to the situation. Sometimes OTBKB is me thinking out loud -- my thought process online. Well, that's not always appropriate and this situation bears that out. It's the emotional truth I'm after but sometimes facts seep in that don't deserve
such wide exposure. The sign was more or less public but only public on this block and probably shouldn't have been blogged to the world.

At first I said, I didn't know the editor of the Daily News reads this blog. But a friend who knows about these sorts of things said, "Of course he reads your blog, all the editors do."

Usually all they could hope to find on OTBKB was small, anecdotal stories about the neighborhood zeitgeist. Quality of life stuff. But on Saturday they saw something in OTBKB a bit more tantalizing AND POSSIBLY VERY DAMAGING TO A MAN, A WOMAN AND A YOUNG GIRL WHO LIVE NEAR HERE.

IT WAS A STORY THAT WOULD SELL NEWSPAPERS.

Hepcat, you are right. I inadvertantly did something that has ramifications way beyond my original intent. I didn't think it through. The personal and the public converged and I forgot to think AND I didn't realize how public this blog really is.

In other words: I wasn't thinking. And I owe everyone who has been hurt by this a profuse apology.

SUNDAY NIGHT: SUBLIME

Here's a picture of Capathia Jenkins from Sunday night's fundraiser at the Old Stone House. It makes me happy to look at it because it was such a great night of music. For those who missed it, they will return. We are hoping to present them again in 2007. So stay tuned.

On June 18th, Capathia and Louis Rosen will be performing at the Great Hall of Cooper. OTBKB will provide details as soon as she has them.

This incredible picture was taken by Tom Martinez, Pastor of All Souls Bethlehem Church in Kensington. He is also an avid photographer with a web site on digital railroad. I saw him taking pictures in the back of the room on Sunday night and I had a feeling they would be good. I was right.

 

R Train Back in Service: Teen Spirit Goes to School

There was a relief around here when we learned that the R train was back in service and Teen Spirit's high school was open. Good news all around. Although Teen Spirit was holding out for another day off.

The R train was back in service in time for the Tuesday morning rush following a nasty water main break in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn Monday.

Rushing water from the break forced the line to be shut down between 95th and 36th Streets Monday. Mud and debris reached two feet above the roadbed and covered approximately 300 feet of track.

Crews worked through the day and night to get service restored in time for the Tuesday morning rush.

Above ground, the news is not as good. Fourth Avenue between 72nd and 77th Streets is still closed to street traffic thanks to a giant sinkhole caused by the break that swallowed an SUV.

Water and gas service was turned off for a time while crews lifted the SUV, but was restored shortly afterwards.

MORE THOUGHTS ON RECENT EVENTS

I am grappling with the issues raised by the recent events on Third Street, I am...listening, reading and trying to take in what I am hearing from neighbors, friends and commenters on OTBKB.

I am hearing that neighbors on Third Street are joining together to aid the man accused of child molestation. He will NEED money for his defense - someone said $10,000. I am wondering if anyone is COLLECTING MONEY ON HIS BEHALF?

Ironically, the over-exposure of this situation could result in his getting the money for the lawyer he needs. Is there a defense fund for him. If not, there should be. He has no money and he needs help.

Everyone deserves good legal counsel.

Quite a few people I've spoken to say that the mother was wrong putting the man's name on the infamous flyer. And I agree. Even putting her own name up there violated her daughter's privacy. Now the local news will not reveal the name of the mother to protect the girl. But the man, his name is smeared all over the city.

Did the mother have a good reason to take matters into her own hands? He'd been arrested, faced a Grand Jury and is now awaiting trial. What more did she want? Couldn't she just let the judicial system do what it needs to do?

It think it would have been possibe to spread the word without naming him. She could have written something like: There is an accused sex offender living on this block. He is awaiting trial. In the meantime, do everything you can to assure that your children are well supervised, safe and educated in what to do if such a situation arises.

But you don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows.

We all KNOW that there is danger in this city, this country, this world. That's why we act prudently and cautiously. We protect our children every single day from danger. We oversee their activities, supervise them, stay in touch with them, and NEVER EVER introduce the to situations that might be dangerous. That is the pact we make when we have children. Bottom line: it is our responsibility every day to protect our children and teach them to be smart about imminent danger.

Danger lurks all around. But for the most part, we manage to avoid it by staying alert to the fact that the world is a complicated place and complicated things happen.

The Daily News paraphrased something I said about "stranger danger." Most kids are warned about  strangers when it is actually really nice, familiar people who harm them in this way (I am not suggesting that the man is guilty - I am speaking generally here).

Right from the beginning, I saw parents, understandably, go into "protective parent over-drive." How do I protect my kid, what do I say, how do I even explain what the sign said?

These are just some of the thought rumbling around in my brain. Someone asked me tonight if I think I made a mistake putting the story about finding the sign on my blog. It's quite possible that I did make a mistake. That it was done without enough thought of what the ramifications might be.

I never imagined that he was someone so many people knew. Once I heard that he was a familiar face on the block, a well-liked person, "a good man," I knew things were going to get very complicated.

And god knows they have.

NO WORDS_DAILY PIX BY HUGH CRAWFORD

THE VULTURES ARE COMING

The word is out. There was a story in this morning's New York Daily News. And I'm quoted.

How did a blog entry about feeling uncertain and confused when I read a note posted in the entryway of my building gradually turn into the fiasco that this has become?

This morning I got calls from Channel 11, and one call from Fox 5: I wouldn't talk to them. A reporter from CBS rang the intercom and another reporter from Channel 11 called to say that she was on the block. I groaned.

I told the CBS reporter that I didn't want to be interviewed on camera. He said that was fine but to come down to talk -for background.

I made him wait and when I got downstairs, two cameras were rolling and the CBS reporter AND the Channel 11 reporter were thrusting their microphones in my face.

I thought you weren't going to interview me.

They were really interested in ONLY ONE THING -- where does HE live, where does SHE live. And I didn't feel right telling them. I didn't want to set the wolves on them.

The CBS reporter reminded me of Ted Baxter and boy did he want to get some info out of me. First he tried nice and suave, "So where does he live?" he said with a Baxteresque smile.

I told him that I knew but I didn't want to say. Then Ted Baxter got a little testy: "Come on give me a clue," he said. Again I said no. Then he tried another tact. All sweet and nice again: "Where does SHE live?"

But I wouldn't give him what he wanted.  "You read the note didn't you," he said sounding angry again. "Did you forget the name?"

I think I purposely didn't memorize the name. And for good reason. I certainly don't think it's my job to tell these reporters what they want to know. If they want to disrupt a few lives today for this story, they can do the footwork to find out the names and addresses.

Tomorrow they'll be on to the next story. But they leave such chaos in their wake. And that's the story that I will tell. Because when the dust settles again, Third Street will have to heal. There may be contention on the block. There have been issues before - within buildings, between neighbors. But we've survived them all with good will and openheartedness.

Yet we all have to live side by side in that New York City way. We'll continue to shop at each other's yard sales, attend bar-b-cues and building potlucks, watch the 4th of July fireworks from someone's roof, chit chat on the sidewalk, hang out at the Mojo or the Coco Bar.

It'll be interesting to see how Third Street gets through this. My sense is that community spirt, mutual repect and open heartedness will prevail.

If this becomes an object lesson rather than a witch hunt, everything will be okay.

But you never know.

TALES FROM DUCKYLAND

The news from Duckyland. Diaper Diva bought Ducky a pair of ultra cool bikini underpants with a green camouflage pattern and pink lace.

"I heard from the babysitters in my building that the best way to toilet train a baby is to put them in underpants. They won't want to mess them up."

As DD was paying the cashier at Lolli's, she caught sight of the colorful Baby Bjorn potties on a high shelf. "Maybe I should get her a potty. They say it's a good idea to have one around."

Before you can say poop, Diaper Diva is deciding what color potty she wants to buy. "Do you think I'm being crazy," she asked me. "Do ya?"

Everyone is in a rush to toilet train their babies. Changing diapers gets old pretty fast. You can't blame DD for wanting to move things a long. A little more quickly.

When Diaper Diva got home, she nonchalantly left the bright yellow Bjorn potty in the bathroom. She claims that Ducky actually sat on it. Once. But it did make a great hat. She put it on her head, and did all kinds of tricks with it.

It's not getting much use right now as a potty - but it's a terrific toy. As for the stylish bikini panties - I'm not sure if she's tried those on. Well, my best guess is yes -- Ducky has probably tried them on. OSFO got a pair too. They are just so so cool.

Camouflage undies. What will they think of next?

TEEN SPIRIT GETS A BREAK

This is a Teen Spirit story. He got to miss school because of this water main break. Woo hoo. We're standing by to see if there's school on Tuesday. Please. This from New York 1

The Transit Authority says a water main break that caused major headaches for commuters along the R train in Brooklyn Monday may not be repaired in time for the Tuesday morning commute.

Officials hoped to have full R service back up and running by 9 p.m. Monday, but the TA now says crews will work through the night to fix the problem, with no guarantees service will be back by the morning rush hour.

Meanwhile, gas and water service has been restored to the area near the water main break following outages.

Fourth Avenue is closed to traffic between 72nd and 79th Streets.  

STERLING PLACE: SITE OF SOMETHING NEW

Transfer, NYC's blogger of architecture bad, good, and otherwise had a post Monday about the new buildings going up at the corner of Sterling Place and 7th Avenue, where, in 1960, a United DC-8 crashed killing 135 people and destroying a church and a funeral home.

Construction on the new buildings is nearing completion and for the first time in 45 years, there will be buildings in that spot, instead of a vacant lot.

I can't walk by there without thinking of that crash or the fact that an 11-year old boy by the name of Stephen Baltz survived for one day. He died at Methodist Hospital. There's a bronze wall plaque near the hospital chapel made from the change that was in his pocket.

NO WORDS_DAILY PIX BY HUGH CRAWFORD

LET'S PUT ON A SHOW #1

Hey, let's put on a show. That's been my mantra since I was 12 years old when my sister, Margaret Cohen, and I would lip synch to our favorite musical numbers, move to our own elaborate choreography and entertain our parents who were sitting on the living room couch.

And I'm talking "Mein Heir" from Cabaret, complete with chairs and fishnet stockings, "Flesh Failures" from Hair, and "Take back Your Mink" (Take back your poils)" from Guys and Dolls.

So my desire to put on a show goes way, way back. Years in the film business sort of satisfied that longing. But not really. Later, particpation in director's workshops at Playwright's Horizons and Ensemble Studio Theater filled a need.

Years later, my film background and my theater background merged when I worked with Batwin + Robin Productions to design projections for Twilight Los Angeles with Anna Deavere Smith, and Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk at the Public Theater and Swinging on a Star on Broadway.  Now that was cool.

Nuff said. I love the theater and always, always will. But these days I am wearing a different hat - a writer's hat. Still, I do get exercise my producing chops with Brooklyn Reading Works, where I present writers of fiction, non-fiction, memoir, poetry, and plays at the Old Stone House.

So last March when I saw Louis Rosen and Capathia Jenkins at the Public Theater (one of my favorite venues in New York) I was so blown away by the songs and the singing that I got to thinkin': It's literary - the songs are based on the poetry of Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, and Louis Rosen - it kinda fits the Brooklyn Reading Works model.

But it was after seeing another performance at Makor on the Upper West Side that I said to myself: I really, really want to bring this show to the Old Stone House.

"You'll never get a piano into that room. The stairs or too narrow," Hepcat said knowingly. "Oh, I bet we can," I said without a clue.

Soon, Kim Maier, the board of the Old Stone House, and I decided to present Louis and Capathia in a benefit to support their cultural programming this summer.

There were a lot of conversations with Louis and Kim  about scheduling, budget, renting a piano (whatever you do DON'T get a spinnet), and all the other various and sundry details involved with putting on a show.

When we finally decided on the date (coordinating with three busy artists is no piece of cake), postcards designed by Peter Joseph were sent out and...

WE WERE PUTTING ON A SHOW!!!!

Saturday morning (the day before the show)  I walked over to the Old Stone House to watch the piano movers move the piano up the narrow staircase. They seemed to be having no trouble at all - aside from the usual trouble of carrying a piano up a flight of small stairs.

"It's a spinnet," Kim said. "My husband saw it and said it's a spinnet."

Ain't that always the way, I thought. The one thing Louis kept warning us about -  here we were with our spinnet.

Later when Alex, the Russian piano turner and owner of the piano rental shop, was tuning the small upright upstairs I said:

"Too bad it's spinnet."
"Eeets not a spinnet," he said commandingly
"Oh, I thought it was a spinnet," I said.
"Eeetss a console. Not a spinnet. Eeets a console," he said.

Relieved  I went downstairs and told Kim.
"My husband was pretty convinced it was a spinnet," she said.
"My husband said we'd never get the piano upstairs," I reminded her. "and your husband said it was a spinnet..."
"Why listen to husbands," one or the other of us said.

For more on the show see: Let's Put On A Show #2

LET'S PUT ON A SHOW #2: LOUIS AND CAPATHIA

It took a few minutes for me to calm down after handing out programs and directing people to the coat rack, the wine. At 7:10 or so, I flashed the lights and asked everyone to go upstairs.

The room was packed. A few stragglers came in late. The audience was ready. Some had no idea what they were about to see. Some had dragged themselves from their Sunday evening comfort to see what was going on at the Old Stone House. People were even willing to miss "The Sopranos."

For me, it was a few minutes into the show, when I actually sat down and focused on the show.

Capathia started out with a couple of beautiful Langston Hughes songs. There was a palpable sense of relief in the room as the audience seemed to melt into her warm musical embrace. It felt easy: they were in good hands. She was about lead the way on an artistic journey and the audience was game.

Then Louis came on stage. He's been called gaunt, angsty, and Jewish. My sister said he has a remarkable charisma on stage. We were meeting the man behind the music and hearing him sing, too, a masterful story-song about sleezy hotel in Chicago

Then it was time for "Southside Stories" his song cycle based on his book, "The South Side: The Racial Transformation of an American Neighborhood," Rosen's 1998 exploration of white flight in Chicago's southside after the neighborhood changed its racial makeup.

The song cycle is very personal but it is also, as Kerry Reid wrote in the Chicago Tribune,  "a somber portrait of heartbreak and survival,joy and its absence,and love that endures even when the objects of that love are long vanished."

The piece has an incredible mood and a very melodic  musical vocabluary that draws on a variety of 1960's musical style. Different characters, voices and narratives are explored in each song. But they come together to create a wistful, sometimes nostalgic, often painful and ecstatic picture of a time gone by but still held onto fiercely.

In "On the Southside" and "If I Were a Reincarnationist" Rosen shows his skill at creating musical narratives that are like short stories. "Lucky Girl" found Capathia in a joyful, loving mood that was infectious.

From Chicago, we moved to the south of Maya Angelou's youth. Capathia performed nine songs from the Angelou cycle, that were created expressly for her multi-timbered voice. With her subtle and persuasive sense of drama, Capathia gives life to Angelou's women and becomes these characters in an instant - her stance, the way she holds her microphone or moves her hand. In tiny theatrical ways, she embodies these phenomenal women and stirs the room with virtuosic blues in a deep alto-to-high soprano range. Her earthy emotionality, full of pain and longing, belies a sophisticated vocal control.

The acoustics at the Old Stone House are astounding. It's a wonderful place to hear music. And  there is  something about being in that little house in the middle of Brooklyn. The  incongruity of it makes for a magical time.  I have found that when people enter that room they are willing to really focus and listen. And that was truer than true last night. The audience was cradled by Capathia's voice and big hearted personality.

A standing ovation was the least we could do to convey our apprecation and high regard for the night of fine music and performance we had just been given.

WAY TO GO: STONE PARK CAFE

I saw this on Brownstoner. It was in the Daily News (What's in the Daily News, I'll tell what's in the Daily News...from Guys and Dolls)

It's good news for everybody.Or is it?  I like the sound advice for sudden fame from the owners of The Grocery, which enjoyed sudden fame nabbing a very high rating in Zagats. Get a second phone line and someone to answer it, they say. Don't forget the customers who stuck by you when you needed it most, they added. "Give priority to the people who supported you." YEAH.

Congratulations to the two Joshes and everyone who works at SPC. Hep and I do love it there.

Ready for another water-cooler argument over the best restaurant in New York?

The 2006 AOL CityGuide City's Best List has a brand-new name to add to the mix: Brooklyn's Stone Park Cafe.

The nationally obscure but locally popular Park Slope eatery took first place among restaurants, according to 2.6 million voters nationwide who logged their choices on AOL.com - edging out the likes of Manhattan mainstays Daniel, Gotham Bar & Grill and Per Se.

"We're very thrilled - winning these types of contests really attests to the loyal support of our customers," says Stone Park chef and co-owner Josh Grinker. "We really see what we're doing as bringing up the standard of neighborhood restaurants."

Other winners among the 41 categories weren't quite as surprising.

The mustached barkeeps at West Village lounge Employees Only won handily for best signature cocktails, Happy Ending in SoHo won for best overall bar and Crobar topped the dance clubs group.

John's on Bleecker St. was crowned best pizza, while Peter Luger's was tops among steakhouses - and also pulled off a minor coup in winning the best burgers race, with Blue 9, Burger Joint and Corner Bistro close behind.

Other predictable winners: Nathan's of Coney Island for hot dogs, Brooklyn Brewery for beer selection and H&H for bagels.

AOL also devised city-specific contests for the 37 locales included in the survey - and in the Big Apple, this meant a category for Best Jewish Deli. The winner: Katz's at 205 E. Houston St., followed by the now-defunct 2nd Ave. Deli and then Artie's on the upper West Side.

Nominated establishments were chosen by local correspondents. The 2.6 million votes represented a big increase over the roughly 1 million cast in the 2005 online poll.

Been-there advice

If the folks at Stone Park Cafe want the recipe for dealing with sudden fame, they should check with the owners of another Brooklyn restaurant that went from neighborhood favorite to culinary superstardom.

The Grocery in Carroll Gardens catapulted out of its underground popularity courtesy of Zagat's 2004 rankings.

Partners Sharon Pachter and Charles Kiely went from leisurely taking reservations while cooking up meals at their 30-seat Smith St. hideaway to juggling a nightly line out the door.

Their No. 1 advice: Get another phone line - and someone to answer it. "We couldn't run credit cards because there were so many phone calls coming in," Pachter said.

And don't forget the customers who stuck by you when you needed it most, they added. "Give priority to the people who supported you," Kiely advised.

GOWANUS WHOLE FOODS IN EARLY 2008

Crains New York reports that Whole Foods plans to build a bigger Brooklyn store:
by Catherine Tymkiw

Whole Foods Market said its new store in Brooklyn will be larger than previously expected, thanks to a redesign, but won’t require additional land.

The original plan called for a 49,000-square-foot store to be located near the Gowanus Canal on a 2.1-acre site at Third Street and Third Avenue. The retailer has three Manhattan locations: a 60,000-square-foot store at Columbus Circle, a 34,000-square-foot store in Chelsea and a 50,000-square-foot store at Union Square.

Published reports suggested that the Brooklyn expansion would require more land -- a claim Whole Foods denies.

“It’s going to stay on that one lot,” said Whole Foods spokesman Fred Shank., adding that it was too soon in the redesign process to know the store’s exact size.

The store redesign and cleanup of the building site have prompted the organic food retailer to push back the grand opening by more than a year. It was originally planned to open this fall but is now expected to debut in early 2008.

The company said the new store would “reflect recent Whole Foods Market design innovations,” declining to provide further details. The retailer expects completion of environmental remediation by this fall, followed by 15 months of construction.

“A large portion of the cleanup work has already been completed,” said Environmental Conservation Department spokeswoman Gabrielle DeMarco. That work included removing contaminated petroleum storage tanks and excavating contaminated soil.

Ms. DeMarco said there’s no timetable for completion of the cleanup because Whole Foods voluntarily entered into the state’s Brownfield Cleanup Program, which gives companies tax credits in exchange for cleaning up contaminated sites.

JUST A NOTE

It was just a note on the mirror of my building's vestibule. Now it seems like a whole lot more.

People's lives. The man. The girl. The mother. They're all locked in a  twisted tango. Who is telling the truth? What is the truth?

Reputation. Judgement. Craziness. I am hearing many things. Many. That the man is reputable. That the accusations are groundless. That he doesn't deserve to have his life ruined this way.

It was just a note on the mirror. But so much more. Ambiguity. A mother's attempt to warn and protect or a mother's attempt to indict and ruin a man publically.

What could be her motive? What could be his? And who is telling the truth?

And then there's my small role in all of this. Did I fan the flames by putting it on OTBKB. But I didn't know anything - I just saw the note and wanted to share what I was feeling about that note: the fear, the uncertaintly, the sense that these things are complicated.  Wondering if it  true, or is it slander.

I may know Third Street but I didn't know this man at all. Now I am hearing about him from neighbors and friends who care about him, trust him, want to belive that these accusations are simply not true.

This is my beat. And if I wake up in the morning and there's news literally on my door step...

There were moments this weekend when I wondered whether I was the reason that note was left there. That the mother knew, somehow, that I would blog about it, that I would spread the word and be complicit in what might be a lie.

I don't know the truth—only two people know. And the mother, too. How could I possibly know?

A jury will have to sit through a trial - and hear the evidence - and decide whether there is enough proof. I sat on a jury in a sexual harassment trial last July. I know what it is like. You go in with a whole bunch of preconceptions and the trial can really turn you around. It's all very complicated. And finally when the jury is sequestered and it's time to reach a verdict, there must be proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

For someone who purports to know Third Street, I guess I don't know Third Street as well as I thought. We know what we know and who we know -- beyond that we don't know a thing. If I fanned the flames in this incident - I take full responsibility.

There must be an object lesson in all this. About journalistic ethics and blogging. About Brooklyn blocks and what you do and don't know. About sexual harassment and the muddy  realm of statutory rape, endangering the welfare of a child. About lies, about truth. There must be an object lesson in this.

There must be an object lesson in all of this.

NO

NO WORDS_DAILY PIX BY HUGH CRAWFORD

BLUE VELVET

The Daily News asked me why I put the child molester story on my blog. A reason didn't come immediately to mind. When I am being interviewed I try not to speak too quickly, try not to speak too impulsively.

After thinking about it a bit, I told her that  I saw the letter at 8:30 Friday morning but didn't blog about it until 4:00 a.m. Saturday morning (As I sometimes do,  I woke up in the middle of the night and wrote the posts).

"This is my beat. You just know when it's a story you have to tell," I said.

My reasons for doing it had nothing to do with outing a man who may or may not be guilty or humiliating a 13 year old girl, who has already been humiliated enough. I certainly didn't want to name names or print addresses.

My reason was simple: The note was on my mind and it felt like an important wake up call about the world we live in. This is an issue that sneaked into our idyllic little world on Third Street. Park Slope may seem like a smally town where this kind of thing doesn't happen.

But it does. It can happen anywhere.

I keep thinking about that David Lynch's movie, "Blue Velvet," which opens with a simple, idealized "technicolor" depiction of small town life. The slow-motion shots, however, suggest that there is something not quite right with what we are looking at. When Lynch pushes his  camera through the soft green grass of a regular front lawn and shows us the slithering insects that hide in the darkness, we realize that we are going to enter a very dark world.

There is darkness just below the surface -- beneath the facade.

No matter how you look at this story - whether it's true or not. Whether the man is guilty or not. Whether the mother is telling the truth or not - there's darkness here. Sadness. Pain.

All my attempts to delay talking to my daughter about it came undone when I was being interviewed by the reporter. She sat down right next to me on the stoop and later wanted to know what was going on. I had to bite the bullet and gently tell her why the reporters were here. It's hard with a 9-year-old because so much about sexual behavior hasn't really been discussed in much depth yet.

But I kept it pretty simple: There's a man who may have touched a girl in a way that was inappropriate. He was much older and it isn't right for an older person to touch a child...

Just as was getting into it, we saw two police cars in front of the home of the alleged perpetrator. "What are the police cars doing there?" my daughter asked. "Are they coming to get him?  I thought he was in jail already? He should be in jail."

I explained the old "innocent until proven guilty" thing - one of the foundations of democracy. He will be tried in front of a court of law, he will not go to prison unless he is found to be guilty by a jury of his peers.

My attention turned to the door of the building. There was a sign on the door that said, "NEIGHBORS. THE LOCKS HAVE BEEN CHANGED. GO TO APT. X FOR YOUR NEW KEYS."

I walked back across the street and saw a couple, longtime residents of this street,  standing in front of their building across the street wondering what was going on. They were staring but clearly had no idea why the police were there...

"I guess someone tried to break in," the woman said. "Must've been an attempted robbery or something."

"No. I think it has something to do with that note on the door," her husband said.
"They're all pointing to that note on the door. I think it has something to do with that note on the door."

I don't know what that note on the door means. It's amazing how much of this story is about notes on a door.

NO HIGH SCHOOL FOR SUNSET PARK

It's a long, byzantine story of buracracy and disappointment for Sunset Park, which has been waiting for a high school for 37 years. And the residents are ANGRY and Mobilized. Here's an excerpt from the story in the New York Daily News.

For the third time, the neighborhood was promised a high school in the latest five-year school construction budget, only to see it cut at the last minute because of budget woes.

"It's been taken away three times, and now people are incensed," said Julie Stein Brockway, chairwoman of the Sunset Park High School Task Force.

"If this was Park Slope, this wouldn't happen. If this was Bay Ridge, this wouldn't happen," added Brockway, who also heads the Center for Family Life in Sunset Park. "We are going to get this high school this time. The community is way too mobilized."

Sunset Park is one of only two city community districts without a high school, advocates said.

REPORTERS ON THIRD STREET

I was taking a nap on Saturday afternoon when Hepcat came upstairs. "The Daily News is downstairs, they want to interview you," Hepcat said.

I dragged myself downstairs. "Are you the blogger?" Daily News reporter Celeste Katz asked. there was a photographer there as well.  She said she saw my story on OTBKB and wanted to hear more about the alleged Third Street child molester.

"All of the flyers have been torn down," she said. "And I talked to a lot of people on the block who said they hadn't heard a thing or seen the flyer."

The reporter did stop by the building where the man lives and rang his intercom. "Speak to my lawyer." he said.

The reporters asked me how I felt. I said that I was concerned, not about this man in particular but about the reality that this sort of thing happens even in the small town of Brooklyn.

And what really concerns me, I said, was how to talk to my children about it. I found a site on the Internet that offered some good advice.

The reporter asked all the usual questions. My age, how long I've been blogging. She gave me her card and asked me to give her a call if I found anything else out. Then she asked the photographer to take a picture of me. We decided that I should pose with my computer open to my blog.

A woman walked by who lives in one of the nearby co-ops. She told the reporters that this man works for their building and that he is a very nice man.

Clearly, the situation is tragic for everyone involved. I feel for the girl, I feel for mother. I feel for the man who either has terrible judgement or is emotionally screwed up.

If it is true, I will feel betrayed that one of our neighbors on this very neighborly block would do something to endanger the safety of a child.

If it isn't true, I feel sick that this man is being subjected to groundless charges.

The scariest thing about all of this is that it is always someone nice, always someone who has won the trust of those around them, that commits this kind of crime.

That is the scariest part of it all.

.

REMINDER: THIS SUNDAY NIGHT AT 7 P.M.

NOT ONLY is there a  great musical event at the Old Stone House this Sunday March 26th. Capathia Jenkins, who was acclaimed in the Public Theater and B'way productions of "Caroline or Change" will be singing songs by award-winning composer Louis Rosen based on the poetry of Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, and Louis Rosen.

BUT GET THIS: STONE PARK CAFE WILL BE SERVING LIGHT SNACKS AFTER THE SHOW. NOW THAT'S REALLY COOL.  PLUS CHAMPAGNE IS ON THE HOUSE.

LOUIS AND CAPATHIA played to sold-out houses at Joe's Pub last year and will be there again in the Spring. So catch them in Brooklyn first. It's their FIRST BROOKLYN APPEARANCE EVER.

SUNDAY MARCH 26th at 7 p.m. Join the festivities. Wine, refreshments from the STONE PARK CAFE,  meet the artists afterward and socialize with your friends and neighbors. Promises to be a great night in support of the Old Stone House's historical, educational, and cultural programs including Brooklyn Reading Works, Brooklyn Film Works, Piper Summer School and MORE!!!!

EMAIL ME: louisecrawford@gmail.com if you need info or tickets. For directions: The Old Stone House web site

NO WORDS_DAILY PIX BY HUGH CRAWFORD

CHILD MOLESTER ON THIRD STREET?

Many residents of Third Street woke up on Friday to find a letter on the front door of their apartment buildings or in their vestibules from a mother who lives near here.

"This is one of the most difficult things I've ever done, but if I heard that another child was molested because I kept my mouth shut, I would not be able to live with myself."

She described the man as someone who lives on this block, too.

"My family has used him for at least five years. He had keys and access to our building and has shown me on numerous occasion other keys for other building, many on this block."

She went on to write:

"(This man) has succeeded in seducing and molesting my 13 y.o. daughter, this apparently has been going on for a few months...I called the police and he was arrested and charged with multiple counts of sexual abuse, endangering the welfare of a minor, and attempted rape. He is out of jail on bail."

I of course will not post the name of this man for a number of reasons even though she provided his name and address. I have no way of proving the veracity of this note. I don't even know if the writer really exists. She did give an email address and I plan to get in touch with her. I am inclined to think the letter is authentic and that the incident occurred. But I really don't know.

Some of the moms on Third Street are trying to figure out what to do. We feel the need to share this information with our daughters in an age-appropriate way. But just how do you do that?

The thought of something like this happening to our children is frightening. A neighbor spoke to the guidance counselor at PS 321 for advice in this regard. I look forward to hearing what she had to say. In the meantime, I am haunted by the last paragraph of the note written by this mother, who describes herself as a single mom and a neighbor with RN, BSN, CNM degrees:

"Please talk to your children, hold them close. I could not bear the thought of this happening to anyone else's child."

HOW TO TALK TO KIDS ABOUT CHILD ABUSE

This is from a site called:  National Center for Missing and Exploited Kids.
I think they have good information about how to talk to kids, and what parents should know. Scary stuff. But VERY IMPORTANT to be aware of.

What are the most important things a parent should know when talking to a child about this issue?

1. Don’t forget your older children. Children aged 11 to17 are equally at risk to victimization. At the same time you are giving your older children more freedom, make sure they understand important safety rules as well.

2. When you speak to your children, do so in a calm, nonthreatening manner. Children do not need to be frightened to get the point across. Fear can actually work at cross-purposes to the safety message, because fear can be paralyzing to a child.

3. Speak openly about safety issues. Children will be less likely to come to you if the issue is enshrouded in secrecy. If they feel that you are comfortable discussing the subject matter, they may be more forthcoming to you.

4. Do not confuse children with the concept of “strangers.” Children do not have the same understanding of who a stranger is as an adult might. The “stranger-danger” message is not effective, as danger to children is much greater from someone you or they know than from a “stranger.”

5. Practice what you talk about. You may think your children understand your message, but until they can incorporate it into their daily lives, it may not be clearly understood. Find opportunities to practice “what if” scenarios.

6. Teach your children that it is more important to get out of a threatening situation, than it is to be polite. They also need to know that it is okay to tell you what happened, and they won’t be a tattletale.

Back to the top

What are the most important things a parent should tell a child about this issue?

1. Children should always check first with you or a trusted adult before they go anywhere, accept anything, or get into a car with anyone.  This applies to older children as well.

2. Children should not go out alone and should always take a friend with them when they go places or play outside.

3. It’s okay to say no if someone tries to touch them or treats them in a way that makes them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused and to get out of the situation as quickly as possible.

4. Children need to know that they can tell you or a trusted adult if they feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused.

5. Children need to know that there will always be someone to help them, and they have the right to be safe.


What is the biggest myth surrounding this issue?

The biggest myth is that the dangers to children come from strangers. In the majority of cases, the perpetrator is someone the parents or child knows, and that person may be in a position of trust or responsibility to the child and family.

What advice would you offer a parent who wanted to talk to their child about this issue?

Parents should choose opportunities or “teachable” moments to reinforce safety skills. If an incident occurs in your community, and your child asks you about it, speak frankly but with reassurance. Explain to your children that you want to discuss the safety rules with them, so that they will know what to do if they are ever confronted with a difficult situation. Make sure you have “safety nets” in place, so that your children know there is always someone who can help them.

Tips reprinted from Know the Rules...General Parental Tips to Help Keep Your Children Safer. Copyright© 2000 National Center for Missing & Exploited Children(NCMEC). All rights reserved.

THE TALK ON THIRD STREET

I saw the note on the mirror in the vestibule of our building where our mailboxes are. It was probably left outside the building and someone from the building attached it with a Post-It to the mirror.

OSFO and I were on our way to school, rushing off as usual. I glanced at a few of the words and got the gist...

"This is one of the most difficult things I've ever done, but if I heard that another child was molested because I kept my mouth shut..."

I didn't stop to read it because I was with 9-year-old OSFO and I knew it would be incredibly complicated and difficult explain and that she'd want to know EVERYTHING and I wasn't quite prepared to do that -- or to figure out what to say -- quite so early in the morning.

It flew out of my mind until I saw a neighbor who lives across the street in the administration office at PS 321. I handed her a postcard about Louis and Capathia's concert at The Old Stone House on Sunday night and we started talking about Smartmom. Then she whispered, "Did you see the note?"

Her biggest concern was how to talk to her daughter about it. That's why she was waiting to talk to Kathy Sweeney, the guidance counselor at PS 321, to see if she had any advice.

The victim was 13 years old. Such a vulnerable age, an intense time. My thoughts are with her. Wondering, wondering. Do I know her face, is she someone we know by sight? How does she feel about this being spread around the neighborhood? How is she dealing with all this, is she okay?

Reading the letter again, very closely, I tried to analyze its use of language, its typos, its commas. Trying to piece this story together word by word. At this point, I have no way of proving the veracity of this. It was, afterall, just a note left on the mirror. I take it to be true. Do I really know what is going on here? No.

Later, one of my neighbors brought it up. She too was spooked by the whole thing. I think we're all having a: "What? Not on my block!" kind of reaction. This is such a neighborly block, we all think we know each other so well. Of course we don't. This is a big city even if it does feel like a small town.

And stuff like this happens everywhere - in small towns, in big cities, in Brooklyn all the time.

We on the north side of Third Street often joke that we don't know anything about the south side of Third Street. And I guess that's true. Nobody crosses the street to socialize, we say: It's too wide a street. 

We have no idea who this man is. It just doesn't ring a bell. Who is he? Is he someone we know, someone we would recognize?

If this can happen here it can happen anywhere. No one's safe from this kind of thing. Once you know, it changes every thing a little bit. Lock your doors (even if he does have keys). Hold your children close. Keep them informed, not scared, but informed. Empower them.

Read the post: HOW TO TALK TO YOUR CHILD ABOUT CHILD ABUSE (ABOVE).

BRUSH UP YOUR SHAKESPEARE AT THE OLD STONE HOUSE

Sign your child up for Piper Summer School at the Old Stone House, Summer Shakespeare workshops for students ages 7-19. July 3-28.  Daily 9 am to 5pm.  (3 pm for ages 7-10).

I looked up Piper Theater online and found this about it and its founders John and Rachel McEneny. If McEneny rings a bell, he's the beloved and WILDLY TALENTED theater teacher/director at MS 51. He's obviously been doing a lot in Yonkers. AND NOW: he's bringing PIPER THEATER TO BROOKLYN. WE ARE BLESSED.

Piper Theatre Productions was establishedin 2001 by John and Rachel McEneny to develop arts and culture in the City of Yonkers as a way to foster economic development, tourism, and an enhanced quality of life.

We work to develop emerging artists and produce artistic works for the entire community of Yonkers. In addition, through mentoring and collaboration with adults, we help young people to become creative, hardworking members of society.

For more information about PIPER THEATER AT THE OLD STONE HOUSE CALL: 718-768-3195, or e-mail oldstonehouse@verizon.net Public workshop performances will take place outdoors in JJ Byrne Park July 14, 26, 27 and 28.

TALL-BIKE CULTURE IN BROOKLYN

In the Village Voice this week, a story called:  "Mutant Bike Gangs of New York:  Tall bike clubs live free, ride high, and don't want your stinking logos"

The headline caught my eye but I didn't read the article. Then I found a link to it on A Brooklyn Life and found out that it is a Park Slope story AND a Brooklyn Industries story.

Seems that Brooklyn Industries was the target of some rather agressive graffiti. Check this story out at The Village Voice.

"Bike Culture Not for Sale," read the runny white lettering found February 23 on the glass at the four Brooklyn Industries outlets in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

The Park Slope store's assistant manager, McKenzie Rollins, first spotted trouble when she came into work the morning before and found someone had messed with the gate locks overnight. "They looked like someone had inserted something—maybe a screwdriver—to screw them up," she says, folding a retro '80s T-shirt with a cut-out neck. "We had to buy new locks."

The next morning, McKenzie found the graffiti. "They knew it wouldn't come off," she says. "This was malicious. They could have left a note. They could have gotten in touch with us about their concerns." But who could be so enraged by using a bike to pitch hipster duds? Another saleswoman suggested something curious, that it was local members of something called "tall-bike culture."

NO WORDS_DAILY PIX BY HUGH CRAWFORD

MENINGITIS IN BROOKLYN?

This from NY1:

The city Health Department says a new strain of bacterial meningitis is circulating in Brooklyn, and it has already claimed four victims.

Since late December, nine cases have been diagnosed in the borough, including four who died.

Health officials are urging New Yorkers to see their doctors if they think they're experiencing meningitis symptoms, which include: fever, vomiting, confusion, headache, stiff neck and a rash.

Meningitis infects the tissues and fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It gets spread through close contact with an infected person.

The disease can be treated with antibiotics if detected early, but it can also be fatal.

The Department of Health said recent patients with meningitis in Brooklyn reported using street drugs or being in close contact with people who used street drugs. The department says the general population is not at a higher risk.

NO WORDS_DAILY PIX BY HUGH CRAWFORD

STEVE BUSCEMI FILM OPENING AT IFC CENTER

David Carr in the New York Times waxes poetic about our man and favorite celeb, Steve Buscemi, who always seems to get knocked off in films.

Directors adore Steve Buscemi. They lavish him with great roles, stellar dialogue, generous screen time, and then — and there is no nice way to say this — they generally bump him off.

"When I get cast, I always flip to the end of the script to see if my character gets beaten up or killed," Mr. Buscemi said, recalling a history of being stabbed, axed, shot and fed to a wood chipper. "I really thought that after getting killed on 'The Sopranos,' I should not accept scripts where I die. I mean, there's nowhere to go after getting killed by Tony Soprano.

"But then I got offered this great part in 'The Island,' " he said, with a whaddayagonnado shrug. "I didn't even make it a third of the way through the movie."

"I have been surviving a lot more lately, though," he added brightly.

In "Lonesome Jim," which opens tomorrow, Mr. Buscemi does not die, perhaps only because he directed the film and does not play a role.

The Jim of the movie's title, played by Casey Affleck, is no barrel of monkeys; he recalls many of Mr. Buscemi's losers and victims and perpetrators. He arrives home from the big city on the bus, his tail not so much tucked between his legs as trailing behind him, maimed and run over. He is sucked into the gaping maw of a nuclear family he quietly loathes and spreads his misery — he diagnoses his condition as "chronic despair" — between bouts of ennui. He is more of a loser than, say, the ice cream truck driver of "Trees Lounge" (1996), the first feature film Mr. Buscemi directed, but has a little better luck with women. The female love interest, played by Liv Tyler, sees something in him that Jim, alas, cannot see in himself.

"I don't tend to think of these characters as losers," Mr. Buscemi, 48, said, pushing around some eggs at French Roast in Greenwich Village. "I like the struggles that people have, people who are feeling like they don't fit into society, because I still sort of feel that way."

Over breakfast, after taking the F train from Brooklyn, where he lives, Mr. Buscemi hardly comes across as the twitch he frequently plays in movies. Sad-sack or homicidal roles aside, he is a working actor married to a writer and filmmaker, Jo Andres, and they have a 15-year-old son. After his breakout turn as Mr. Pink in Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs" in 1992, he has had big roles in big movies — "Armageddon" and "Con Air" — and continues to make smaller movies with the pals he came of professional age with in the 80's, including Mark Boone Junior, who played fireplug to Mr. Buscemi's skinny fireman — his day job at the time — in comedy bits they worked up. Mr. Boone plays Evil in "Lonesome Jim," a Hells Angel type who rides a moped.

Mr. Boone, who has known and worked with Mr. Buscemi for 25 years, is unsurprised by his success. "He's got a great face, great eyes, he knows his mechanism and knows how to use it," he said, adding that in spite of Mr. Buscemi's ubiquity, "I think he is underused. There are a lot of things that he can do besides the kind of roles that he is cast in."

"Lonesome Jim" made its debut last year at Sundance to mixed reviews. Mr. Buscemi has no sense of entitlement around his work as a director, but has yet to figure out the folkways of the movie business...

READ MORE AT THE NY TIMES.

BROOKLYN UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL

The Brooklyn Underground Film Festival is just around the corner. It will be at the Brooklyn Lyceum on Fourth Avenue at President. April 19 - 23 are the dates. The following list is just a sample of what you can expect to see at this event...

My Grandmother’s House Adán Aliaga’s visionary documentary revelas two very distinct characters: Marina, six years old, and Marita, her 75-year old grandmother. As Marita tries at no avail to tame the spirited youngster, the quietly omniscient camera follows them through their days together, often accompanied by Marita’s clique of jaded, like-minded grandmas. But what will happen to Marita’s emotional impasse when she must give up her home of fifty years?

 

Lifelike Meet four unlikely taxidermists or self-proclaimed Realist artists, and one enthusiastic client. This documentary by Canadian filmmaker Tally Abecassis will open one’s eyes to the profession of taxidermy—or how to fall into it—as it traces the steps to the National Convention in Alberta, where professionalism goes to the next level: showmanship.

 

High Score A crowd favorite for all ages, filmmaker Jeremy Mack takes us on a zany tour of classic arcade game enthusiasm, and in particular one die-hard Missile Command fanatic who may or may not be just the one fated to beat the game’s all-time high score.

 

Clever Monkey Pinochet Versus La Moneda Pigs Weaving together improvisations of several groups of young people, Bettina Perut an d Ivan Osnovikoff’s documentary tells an historical event from the imaginations of those who grew up in its wake. The plot of the September 11, Military Coup in Chile is portrayed in lively acts by children and young Chileans, giving way to how history is processed by the people.

 

The Empire in Africa The international reaction to the civil war in Sierra Leone has resulted in one of the most devastating humanitarian disasters in recent history, and Philippe Diaz’s narrative, important documentary tells the inside story of the country’s victims.

The Other Side This highly visual, personal documentary by up-and-coming filmmaker Bill Brown explores the United States-Mexico border and its liminal cinematic __expression. Talking to undocumented immigrants and border activists along the way, the director sheds a new, poetic light upon a landscape well-known to politicians and his Texas hometown.

 

Super Happy Fun Monkey Bash is a no-holds-barred and often shocking montage of clips from popular Japanese TV. But what happens when these clips are taken out of context, presented before a disengaged Western audience, and become a cult DVD success?

For more info, visit the Brooklyn Underground Film Festival website.

NEW RABBI FOR CONGREGATION BETH ELOHIM

As part of my research for a piece I am writing about religion in Brooklyn for the Brooklyn Papers, I've discovered that Beth Elohim is getting a new senior rabbi and his name is Rabbi Andy Bachman and HE'S GOT A BLOG. How cool is that? A rabbi with a blog. Here's a post from March 21st. I am hoping he'll let me interview him for the Brooklyn Papers piece.

Today I was officially voted in as the new rabbi at Congregation Beth Elohim of Brooklyn. Congregational by-laws require an election by at least a quorum of its members for such large, transitional issues as hiring a new rabbi. And so today, after hearing a thorough presentation on the rabbinic search process from the committee chair, David Kasakove, the shul’s president, Jules Hirsh, called for a vote.

It passed.  And in an instant, or so it seemed, my life and our life as a family changed forever.

Of course, the community was stil humming along–there was Religious School across the street in the Temple House; the choir was itching to rehearse; traffic on 8th Avenue was speeding along outside. Our Irish neighbors were preparing for the Brooklyn version of St. Patricks Day. But our life was changed in an instant.

DUCK AND COVER AT THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE

At the base of the Brooklyn Bridge, workers came across a stash of Cold War survival supplies: This from New York 1:

A historic discovery is made at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Workers inspecting the bridge on Tuesday stumbled on a Cold War stockpile of survival previsions. Among the supplies were water drums, paper blankets, medical supplies, and 350,000 crackers with higher-than-normal calories.

“It tasted like 44-year-old food," said Department of Transportation Commissioner Iris Weinshall, who ate one of the crackers.

The vault is believed to have been built by the Office of Civil Defense in the 1950s. It is a reminder of a period of U.S. history when the country was at odds with the Soviet Union, and air raid sirens and fall-out shelters were common.

MARK MORRIS FILM PICKS AT BAM

I check A Brooklyn Life every day and today she's all over Mark Morris at BAM:

At BAM, wacky modern dance guru Mark Morris celebrates his company's 25th anniversary  with a series of dance pieces...and a movie festival. Fortunately, he seems to have pretty OK flick tastes, with Robert Altman's truly genius Nashville  on Saturday, and the evil-piano-teacher epic The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (with script by Dr. Seuss!) on Sunday.

POSTCARD FROM THE SLOPE: KEYS

Back Story: Teen Spirit took my keys off of the dining room table and was planning to hand them to me when I met him at Smiley Face Pizza on Monday night before he was off to the concert. But he forgot. Then he handed them to his friend "for safe keeping."

Next Morning: "Sorry mom. You can use my key." Only problem: I need my work keys and they're with those keys his friend his holding "for safe keeping."

No Biggie: The manager of the space where I rent my office has back-up keys. I get mine and decide to hang on to them since god knows when Teen Spirit will see friend with MY KEYS.

Dumb move: I leave the extra set of office keys on my desk at the office.

Next morning: I'm with my friend who I regularly meditate with on Wednesday morning checking my bag for that extra set of keys when I realize they're on the desk in my locked office.

Not Very Calm: Searching through my bag, I realize that not only am I mit out keys but I am mit out cell phone.

Just in Case: I check with the office manager to see if they have ANOTHER set of extra keys.

No Such Luck: I walk up to my office mate's apartment praying that she is home from dropping off her daughter.

VOILA: She is home. Surprised to see me, it looks like she is just going to hand me the keys at the door. I say, "I am coming in."

BEE-LINE: I make one to her dining room table, ask her to heat up my now-cold Cousin John's coffee, and feel like crying. "I have a million things to do, I am overwhelmed, I am stressed, and I can't get into the office..."

COMFORT ZONE: She offers to make me breakfast (eggs, bagel, toast?), and tells me she has already done one of the things I was so stressed out about ("I took care of it, do you want to take a look?")

RELIEVED: The sun pours into the dining room. It is, just maybe, going to be an alright day.

BLUE RIBBON OPENING ON THE YUPPER WEST SIDE

Our beloved Blue Ribbon is going seriously uptown (honey, we're not in Park Slope, SoHo or the village anymore) opening a restaurant near the Time Warner Center. So says the New York Post:

Uptown Manhattanites won't have as far to go for Blue Ribbon's food. Hotelier Jason Pomeranc says he's bringing a hybrid branch of the popular Blue Ribbon and Blue Ribbon Sushi restaurants to his hotel at 308 W. 58th St., located across the street from the Time Warner Center.

Pomeranc is renovating the hotel, which is presently called the Westpark, where he's also adding five floors on top and will rename it 6 Columbus Circle when it's completed later this year.