Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn

They Caught The Guy Who's Been Sewing Off The Heads of Parking Meters

So it's just like in the movie Cool Hand Luke. The Paul Newman character did the same thing. That's what got him in prison (I think). Okay.

But this guy, Maurice Mizrahi, beheaded 87 parking meter heads. Well, we in Park Slope can certainly understand the motivation. Here's part of the story from the Times:

When Salvo Frisina went to work recently at a pharmacy in Gravesend, Brooklyn, he saw something odd: a parking meter with a sawed-off head

Mr. Frisina said he thought it was part of the transition in the neighborhood from coin-operated parking meters to Muni-Meters, a move that the city is making across New York.

“I thought the city was cutting them off to put the new meters in,” Mr. Frisina said on Saturday, as he worked behind the counter at Harold’s Pharmacy on the corner of Avenue U and McDonald Avenue.

But Mr. Frisina, 20, may have unknowingly seen the handiwork of Maurice Mizrahi, a man who the police said had cut off the heads of several dozen parking meters in the past two years. They recovered 87 meters from the house where he lived in Gravesend, the neighborhood where the police said most of the thefts took place.

The police said that Mr. Mizrahi was arrested on Saturday afternoon on Kings Highway and was expected to be charged with numerous counts of criminal possession of stolen property.

While it is not unusual for coin-fed parking meters and Muni-Meters to be vandalized, city officials and the police said they had never seen anything on the scale of the thefts in which Mr. Mizrahi had been accused.

Fourth Annual Fort Greene Literary Festival.

Here's an excerpt from author Richard Grayson's post on the Literary Festival in Fort Greene on August 23rd. Read the rest on his blog Dumbo Books of Brooklyn.

We arrived right on time at 3 p.m. today at beautiful Fort Greene Park for the Fourth Annual Fort Greene Literary Festival. Having been to last year's event (you can read our 2007 coverage on Louise Crawford's Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn) as well as the one in 2006, we knew we were in for a treat. And we weren't disappointed.

Much credit for the Festival goes to the New York Writers Coalition (NYWC), a neighborhood Fort Greene fixture at 80 Hansen Place, and under the direction of the dynamic Aaron Zimmerman, its founder and executive director, and many others, last year provided more than 1000 creative writing workshop sessions at more than 45 locations throughout New York City. (Thanks to NYWC for photos above and kids' photos below; you can see more at their website.)

Kudos for their work on the Festival also go to these presenters: chair of the Brooklyn Literary Council and Fort Greene resident Johnny Temple's indie publishing firm Akashic Books, "dedicated to the reverse gentrification of the literary world"; the Fort Greene Park Conservatory, who've done so much good work (those of Brooklyn natives know in what bad shape the place was before they came along); the well-known agency Global Talent Associates; and The Walt Whitman Project - a great Brooklyn organization known for events like tomorrow's reading, "Walt Whitman in the Neighborhood," at the Clinton Hill Art Gallery.

The Oh So Prolific One: Verse Responder, Leon Freilich

John McBush's Fever

Dig here! Dig now!

God's my copilot today!

Victory in Iraq--pow! pow!

Gather ye Hillaryites while ye may!

God Bless New Orleans

Here is the Hurricane Gustav Advisory:

000 WTNT32 KNHC 311435 TCPAT2 BULLETIN HURRICANE GUSTAV ADVISORY NUMBER 28 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL072008 1000 AM CDT SUN AUG 31 2008

...GUSTAV CONTINUES NORTHWESTWARD OVER THE CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO
WITH LITTLE CHANGE IN STRENGTH...

A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHERN GULF COAST
FROM CAMERON LOUISIANA EASTWARD TO THE ALABAMA-FLORIDA BORDER...
INCLUDING THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS AND LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN. A
HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED
WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. PREPARATIONS TO
PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM EAST OF THE
ALABAMA-FLORIDA BORDER TO THE OCHLOCKONEE RIVER....AND FROM WEST OF
CAMERON LOUISIANA TO JUST EAST OF HIGH ISLAND TEXAS. A TROPICAL
STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED
WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

A HURRICANE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM WEST OF CAMERON LOUISIANA
TO JUST EAST OF HIGH ISLAND TEXAS. A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT
HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY
WITHIN 36 HOURS.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE LOWER FLORIDA
KEYS WEST OF THE SEVEN MILE BRIDGE TO THE DRY TORTUGAS.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE
INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED
BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.

AT 1000 AM CDT...1500Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE GUSTAV WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 25.3 NORTH...LONGITUDE 86.0 WEST OR ABOUT 325 MILES...
520 KM...SOUTHEAST OF THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford

A Great Birthday Present: Obama's Speech

Another great speech on my birthday. There were many great lines and passages in Obama's speech. Here's one:

I get it.  I realize that I am not the likeliest candidate for this office.  I don't fit the typical pedigree, and I haven't spent my career in the halls of Washington.

But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring.  What the nay-sayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me.  It's been about you.

For eighteen long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said enough to the politics of the past.  You understand that in this election, the greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result.  You have shown what history teaches us - that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn't come from Washington.  Change comes to Washington.  Change happens because the American people demand it - because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time.

America, this is one of those moments.

I believe that as hard as it will be, the change we need is coming. Because I've seen it.  Because I've lived it.  I've seen it in Illinois, when we provided health care to more children and moved more families from welfare to work.  I've seen it in Washington, when we worked across party lines to open up government and hold lobbyists more accountable, to give better care for our veterans and keep nuclear weapons out of terrorist hands.

And I've seen it in this campaign.  In the young people who voted for the first time, and in those who got involved again after a very long time.  In the Republicans who never thought they'd pick up a Democratic ballot, but did.  I've seen it in the workers who would rather cut their hours back a day than see their friends lose their jobs, in the soldiers who re-enlist after losing a limb, in the good neighbors who take a stranger in when a hurricane strikes and the floodwaters rise.

This country of ours has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich.  We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that's not what makes us strong.  Our universities and our culture are the envy of the world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our shores.

Instead, it is that American spirit - that American promise - that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend.

That promise is our greatest inheritance.  It's a promise I make to my daughters when I tuck them in at night, and a promise that you make to yours - a promise that has led immigrants to cross oceans and pioneers to travel west; a promise that led workers to picket lines, and women to reach for the ballot.

Busted For Drinking A Beer in Park Slope After Joe Biden's Acceptance Speech

The woman who wrote this fully supports my posting it on OTBKB. It's quite a story.

My husband was IMing and having a beer last night on our stoop after
Biden's speech...NYPD roll up in a patrol car and busted him for an
open container violation for 25 bucks...he was very polite and told
the NYPD he was appreciative of their presence, but asked asked about
the public/private space concept, and he explained that if I was
behind a fence or gate I would be ok. Since we don't have a gate, the
set-back from the sidewalk didn't matter.

I was reading a bit about this online today...there is some opinion
that the officer needs to report the actual brand of the alcohol
being consumed or it won't hold up in court. The cop actually asked
him "What kind of beer are you drinking?" which I thought was odd at
the time, but he didn't write the brand on the ticket.

Anyhow, the cops were polite and my husband was polite and overall
just a goofy story...we'll probably just write the check for $25 and
mail it in rather than burning up a bunch of time contesting the
thing... thought you all might like to know that you can get busted
for this sort of thing!  (oh and apparently you're not supposed to
leave your seat during God Bless America at Yankees games.... but
that's another story).

Thank You All

Thank you all for your lovely birthday greetings. It really made my day, my 50th birthday.

Third Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

On the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, I went back to the archives and found this post from September 2005, when there were many posts about that terrible, terrible disaster. I often run old posts in color.

New Orleans has always been so vivid in my imagination. it is a place I always wanted to visit.

The birthplace of jazz, it is rife with stories of musical greats like Buddy Bolden, Bix Biederbecke and Louis Armstrong. As the daughter of a jazz afficianado, I've felt a kinship with that place where jazz was born, where the music took seed and blossomed lusciously.

To read and see pictures of what is going on in New Orleans hurts. Reading this in the Times caused me to feel despair as well.

Despair, privation and violent lawlessness grew so extreme in New Orleans on Thursday that the flooded city's mayor issued a "desperate S O S" and other local officials, describing the security situation as horrific, lambasted the federal government as responding too slowly to the disaster.

How is it that our government can't figure out how to help the people of New Orleans?  It is horrendous that people haven't been moved out of the squalor of the convention center and the Superdome. The misery of the people is almost too much to bear. They need sanitary conditions, water, food, and safe housing. The so-called rescue effort is an absolute disgrace. Our government acts so high and mighty fighting unnecessary wars on foreign lands when we  have a refugee population in our own country that truly needs help. NOW.

I read somewhere that New Orleans has seen more death than most other American cities, perhaps because it predates them, because disease, floods, storms and war have ravaged the city since its beginning, in the early 1700s.

But it is also a mythical place of the imagination and American music and literature would be lost without it. New Orleans is the city of Stanley and Stella. Of The Glass Menagerie. Of William Faulkner, Lillian Hellman, Tennessese Williams and so many others.

These new images in the daily newspapers and on the news are such a stark contrast to the magical ones in my head. So tragic. So hard to see. Hundreds of thousands of people in dispair, in unhealthy conditions, homeless now.

We must do everything we can to alleviate the suffering of our neighbors in New Orleans. MoveOn.org just announced that it has set up a Web-based hurricane housing service to match people who have space to spare with Katrina survivors in need of housing.

September At The Community Bookstore: Lots of Events

So much to do at the Community Bookstore this September. Here's a selection of highlights. The full schedule is probably at their website (but I'm not sure).

Wednesday, September 3rd @ 7:00 p.m.
Community Bookstore Knit Night
After a short hiatus during the long, too-hot-to-knit summer, the Community Bookstore Knitters unite again on Wednesday, September 3rd at 7:00 p.m. Join us for an evening of socializing and crafty creativity. Beginners are welcome, we love to help! Crocheters too! Bring a skein of yarn to swap or a pair of needles to share, or perhaps even a baked good to pass around. Regulars take note: we have switched from the second Wednesday of the month to the first Wednesday of the month. See you then!

Tuesday, September 9th @ 7:30 p.m.

Joshua Henkin reads from Matrimony
"Elicits a passionate investment in the fate of its characters – truly an up-all-night read."

                        - The Washington Post

Wednesday, September 10th @ 7:30 p.m.
(a.k.a. the 2nd Wednesday of the month)
Books Without Borders Book Group meets to discuss Senselessness by Horacio Castellanos Moya.

The first of exiled Honduran novelist Moya's eight fictions to be translated in the U.S., this crushing satire has at its center a feisty young unnamed writer in penurious political exile from an unnamed Latin American country.

Thursday, September 11th @ 7:00 p.m.
Documentary Movie Night

When the Mountains Tremble
The revolutionary tour-de-force and Sundance Film Festival winner that shook audiences and critics alike upon its original theatrical release, this updated edition chronicles the astonishing story of one woman who stood up for her people and helped wage a rebellion in the wake of seemingly unconquerable oppression

Tuesday, September 16th @ 7:30 p.m.

Josh Barkan reads from Blind Speed
Not since Don DeLillo and George Saunders has a writer caught the humor and irreverent seriousness of our time like Barkan has through his protagonist Paul Berger, a flawed hero whose so-called fate drives him toward enlightenment just as surely as it propels him to destruction. Berger is stunned when he receives an ominous palm reading from a savvy guru at a health retreat in Iowa, of all places.

Wednesday, September 17th @ 7:00 p.m.
Community Forum Night

Meets to Discuss:

--How Does New York City Government Work, and
--How the Heck Do You Get Things Done (hint: It's easier than you think!)?

How many times have you wished you could "Just do something about . . . ." or "Just find out how . . . ."  Community Board 6 District Manager Craig Hammerman is graciously joining us to moderate a quick trot through the wonderland of NYC Government.  Come armed with concerns, issues, questions and wishlists.  We can help steer you to solutions and resources, and we're also hoping to generate a list of future Community Forum topics.

Craig Hammerman has been the District Manager of Brooklyn Community Board 6 since February 1993. His district includes the "Brownstone Brooklyn" neighborhoods of Carroll Gardens/South Brooklyn, Cobble Hill, Columbia Street District, Gowanus, Park Slope and Red Hook; some of the most vibrant and sought-after destinations in the City of New York.

About the New Community Forum Nights

Forthwith, the third Wednesday of every month is declared Community Forum Night.  What's that, you ask?  Each month we will host a meeting to allow the community to come together and explore some question or issue pertinent to our shared life in the neighborhood.  The topic of each meeting will be announced ahead of time, and we will try to find someone particularly knowledgeable (about said topic) to "chair" the meeting, beginning with a brief (10 minute?) summary of the issue and then being available to answer questions, serve as a font of information, and generally steer the discussion.  We welcome your suggestions and requests for topics you'd like to discuss!  Email cat_bohne(at)yahoo(dot)com with any ideas!

Tuesday, September 23rd @ 7:30 p.m.

Mark Lilla reads from The Stillborn God
Religious passions are again driving world politics. The quest to bring political life under God's authority has been revived, confounding expectations of a secular future. In this major book, Mark Lilla reveals the sources of this age-old quest—and its surprising role in shaping Western thought.

Wednesday, September 24th @ 7:30 p.m.
(a.k.a. the 4th Wednesday of the month)
Modernist Book Club meets to discuss Robert Musil's
Confusions of the Young Torless

Please mark this down right now, and hesitate not as you saunter over to our best friends at the Community Bookstore to pick up your copy of Robert Musil's Confusions of the Young Torless. We will read from the Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics edition, 2001. As always, it will be at the front desk for your perusal and purchase.

Thursday, September 25th @ 7:00 p.m.

Elizabeth Royte reads and discusses her new book, Bottlemania

To be held at and co-hosted by Old First Reformed Churchon the corner of 7th Avenue and Carroll Street

"Bottlemania is eye-opening and informative; you will never look at water–either 'designer' or tap–in quite the same way. Royte demonstrates how everything is, in the end, truly connected."
– Elizabeth Kolbert, author of Field Notes from a Catastrophe

Tuesday, September 30th @ 7:30 p.m.
Poet Dennis Nurkse reads from The Border Kingdom

In a collection of urgent and intimate poems, D. Nurkse explores the biblical past and the terrifying politics of the present with which it resonates, the legacy of fathers and the flawed kingdoms they leave their sons.

In "Ben Adan," a stunning poem in the opening sequence of the collection, we witness the stirring drama between a captor and the prisoner commanded to dig his own grave ("perhaps in a moment / he will lift me up / and hold me trembling, / more scared than I / and more relieved"). "After a Bombing" examines children's drawings as deep symbolic reactions to 9/11. The subtly majestic "Lament for the Makers of Brooklyn" builds the poignant case for a lost world: "Where is Policastro the locksmith now?" the poet asks. "Half-blind, he wore two pairs of glasses / held together by duct tape, / . . . / afterward the key turned / for you but not for me."

Bright Spots on A Difficult Birthday

As some of you know, my father's condition has worsened a great deal in the last few days. So I've been at Mt. Sinai Hospital almost constantly all week.

That said, my birthday had unexpected bright spots. My father rallied for about an hour when an old friend, an advertising legend like my dad, came by and they talked about horse racing at Saratoga, Belmont and elsewhere, advertising back in the day (the 1960's), Times Square, Coney Island and books.

My father even came up with a great Save Coney Island slogan. All Money, No Coney. Actually I don't know how he's want to punctuate it. He's been sleeping most of the day. If he rallies again, I'll ask him.

It was a gift to hear him converse with this old friend/colleague from advertising days. They also share a great love of horse racing. This man's race horse, Thou Swell, is running in a Saratoga race this Sunday.

We'll be rooting for that horse. We'll be rooting for Thou Swell with all our hearts. If my father were awake I'd ask if we should put some money on it.

Another bright spot. Getting into the subway on 96th Street, my wonderful high school friend Opera Diva jumped off the crosstown bus screaming, "Happy Birthday!!!" We hugged like the oldest and dearest of friends that we are. I could not believe my great fortune in seeing her at such a perfect  moment.

I tried to get her to come to Brooklyn where our mutual friend, Best and Oldest, was waiting with my sister, Hepcat, OSFO, Divorce Diva and Warm and Funny with champagne and a huge, delicious selection of sushi.

Unfortunately, Opera Diva's son was having a sleepover guest and she had to get home. Well, she missed a generous amount of wine, sushi, an unusually delicious chocolate cake made by Best and Oldest's daughter and much great friendship and conversation.

She probably didn't miss Obama's speech, which was a wonderful end to a difficult day that was brightened by the brightest of bright spots.

Urban Environmentalist NYC - Sustainability Beat

Here is a snapshot of the sustainability issues that faced the borough and city this past August. The links were complied by Rebeccah Welch, Associate Director of Public Affairs, at the Center for the Urban Environment (CUE). To learn more about CUE, visit  www.thecue.org.

Going Green to Save Green [AM New York]

The Social Functions of NIMBYism [Planetizen via Brownstoner]

Brooklyn Children's Museum First LEED Silver Museum in NYC [Interior Design]

Connor Opponent Contests Plan for Condos in Brooklyn Bridge Park [Brooklyn Daily Eagle]

Hall Street Storage Making (Green) Waves [Green Brooklyn]

Environmental Concerns Raised About Brooklyn Con Ed Project [NY Sun]

Bloomberg Looks to Wind Power [NY Times]

What Is the Future of Suburbia? [Freakonomics Blog via Brownstoner]

In Slow Times, Rezoning Appeals to Developers [NY Times]

Can City's Infrastructure Handle Floods, Intense Heat? [Associated Press]

Urban Environmentalist NYC: Brother Islands’ History Revealed [GL]

Two Friends Investigate the Urban Food Chain [City Limits]

Fighting the Asian Long-Horned Beetle [Gotham Gazette]

As Bat Population Falls, the Questions Multiply [NY Times]

Will Car-Free 'Summer Streets' Work? [NY Times]

Urban Environmentalist NYC - Ask the Expert [OTBKB]

Weiner Calls for Clean Up of Jamaica Bay [NY Daily News]

People in Boats on the Gowanus [Brooklynometry]

For Scallops, New Signs of Life in the Peconics [NY Times]

Invasion New York [Gotham Gazette]

Newtown Creek Superfund Investigation Sites Mapped [GL]

Newtown Creek Brownfield Map [NAG]

Exhibit Makes Case for Evergreen Gowanus [City Limits]

Reshaping the City [Gotham Gazette]

Small Businesses Closing in Downtown Brooklyn [Report-Urban Justice Center]

The Value of Street Life [Report-Transportation Alternatives]

No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford

No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford

I'm Fifty

A note from a college friend brought a ray of light to my day.

I completely get your apprehension about turning 50. For me it came with a recognition that I'm no longer YOUNG. That was no surprise, but somehow shocking nonetheless.

But flip side is: We are no longer YOUNG. We have accumlulated experience, history, friends, children and spouses. We've made choices and have lives -- full and engaging lives, (although life may not always seem so great when life deals a bad hand). If we continue to embrace our lives, (the good and the bad) with mettle and passion we will not get any YOUNGER, but we will enjoy getting older and maybe even a bit wiser.

Hope you have a great birthday and many more.

No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford

Countdown to Fifty: One Day To Go

With one day left, a nice note from a friend sustains me:

Breathe Deeply. Just thinking of you and hoping that you have a wonderful day tomorrow. All the things that you are, that you mean to your friends, the good you've
done, and all that you will continue to become for a very long time are so
much more than a number.

As does this message from my cousin:

oh lou,
fifty is total grown up girl power and beauty - if you liked your forties,
you'll love yr fifties, I promise.

No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford

Countdown to Fifty: Two Days To Go

With just two days to go...

I feel like screaming: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

I liked being 49. Shit, I liked being 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47 and 48. The forties were my best decade.

I'll have to practice saying it: I'm f, I'm fi, I'm fif, I'm fift, I'm fifteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Crazy, crazy talk. How can this be?

Now say it a bunch of times fast: Fifty fifty fifty fifty fifty fifty fifty fifty fifty fifty fifty fifty fifty fifty fifty fifty fifty fifty fifty fifty fifty. fifty fifty fifty fifty fifty fifty fifty, fifty fifty fifty fifty fifty fifty fifty.

If you say it enough times it loses all meaning. Just a sound, two syllables, a word.

Meaningless. It's meaningless.

To see yesterday's Countdown to Fifty (which I just posted) go here.

Wednesday: Beer For Revolutionary War Buffs And Others

There will be a Battle of Brooklyn Celebration sponsored by the Brooklyn Brewery at The Gate on Wednesday, August 27th from 11 am until 4 p.m.

The Gate is on 3rd Street and Seventh Avenue. For more information on Battle Week go to The Old Stone House website.

More Movies With A View: Cabaret and The Shining

What good is sitting alone in your room...You can see The Shining and Cabaret at Movie with a View, a venue I found to be quite lovely for movie viewing and picnicing right there next to the Brooklyn Bridge (with a good view of one of the waterfalls).

Back by popular demand, Brooklyn Bridge Park's outdoor film series -- Movies With A View -- will offer an encore presentation on Thursday, September 4. The series is produced by the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and presented this year by new sponsor SCI FI Channel. The series takes place in the Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park section of Brooklyn Bridge Park.

 

Movie-goers can catch Cabaret, which was cancelled earlier in the season due to inclement weather. The show will be free, as always. Music will begin at 6:00 pm, and the film will screen at sunset.

 

The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, along with NY State Parks, launched Movies With A View nine years ago, and works with a volunteer Film Committee, made up of members of the local community, to put together an exciting and eclectic line-up of films each year. With a venue noted for the quality of its views as well as the quality of its films, the free series has attracted thousands of people each summer to the waterfront park. Films this season included Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit, The Shining, Being There, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

 

The remaining film schedule is:

The Shining, Thursday, August 28
Cabaret, Thursday, September 4

That Was Fast: New Italian Restaurant on 3rd Street

It's in the space that used to be Pizza on the Park. Right across from the illustrious JJ Byrne Park on Third Street west of Fifth Avenue.  Right around the corner from the Stone Park Cafe and the new Bird.

I don't know what it's called. If you do please write me or leave a comment. I saw something about it somewhere...

I guess I could get up off my almost 50-year-old BUTT and walk over there.

Maybe there's something about it on  Gowanus Lounge

Ft. Greene Wants An Indie Bookstore And They're Doing Something About It

The Community Bookstore may have inspired this blossoming of community activism on behalf of another independent bookseller.

In this case, the store doesn't exist yet but people in Ft. Greene are rallying behind Jessica Stockton Bagnulo (aka The Written Nerd) to help her open a shop soon. They're even planning this bookstore Kickoff Event on September 16.

It's a movement. Not only do Brooklynites organize to protect and support a beloved literary institution but they also organize to make a new one happen!

Last year the Fort Greene Association's retail committee surveyed 380 locals about their shopping preferences. 75 percent of respondents (281) cited bookstores as a category in which they wanted more choices.

To meet this need, the Fort Greene Indie Bookstore Initiative (FGIBI) embarked on a campaign to find an independent bookstore. After months of talking with Brooklyn-based bookstores, the group met Jessica Stockton Bagnulo, a Brooklyn entrepreneur who won the 2007 Brooklyn Public Library PowerUp! Competition for her business plan to open a bookstore in Fort Greene.

To raise community awareness and rally support for Jessica's independent bookstore, FGIBI is hosting an event in Fort Greene at the Cumberland Greene (237 Cumberland Ave) on September 16, 2008 from 7pm to 9pm. The event will feature local Brooklyn authors. Complimentary beer, wine and hors d'oeuvres from local businesses will also be served. RSVP required; email rsvp_fortgreeneindie@hotmail.com to be added to the guest list.

The Oh-So-Prolific-One: Leon Freilich/Verse Responder

Garlic On Her Mind

My wife's convinced

It's good for the heart--

She's welcome to it

Till breath do us part.

August 30 at 6 pm: Urban Alchemist Party

First Ever Cobble Hill Bike Ride

Save the date: September 14th, 2008

10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Cobble Hill Park
FREE, to participate simply email your full name and daytime telephone number to CobbleHillBikeRide@gmail.com

http://cobblehillassociation.blogspot.com/2008/08/join-cobble-hill-bike-ride.html

The Cobble Hill Association and Brooklyn Greenway Initiative are hosting a 12 mile casual bike ride that will start at Cobble Hill Park and then pass through the Columbia Waterfront District, Red Hook, Park Slope, Prospect Park, Gowanus and loop back to Cobble Hill.

There will be several scenic rest stops as the ride follows mostly calm streets with some light vehicular traffic. Several Bike Marshals will travel alongside the group, guiding the ride.  Bike Marshals will also be prepared to handle any urgent bike repairs needed. Light snacks and water will be provided but riders should be prepared with sunblock, plenty of water, and ready for a light pace that will include some cobblestone streets in Red Hook and the 9th Street hill in Park Slope, with an option to also ride hill within Prospect Park's car-free loop.

Unsolicited (But Welcome) Dining Tips

Got this email from a loyal reader of OTBKB about brunch at Sette.

Sette on Third Street and Seventh Avenue.

Went for first time Sunday. Brunch. It never looked that inviting to me.
Took a long long time (but I think it was because there was a big party of
12 demanding birthday revelers...) Anyway, it turned out to be lovely and I
thought it was a good deal.

Also went to Willie's Dawgs again. Delightful on a end-of-summer day.

Unsolicited dining tips!

There's Something About Barry

An OTBKB reader wrote in to tell me about these Barack Obama t-shirts.

Hi Louise.  I saw these cool Obama Tee Shirts made by a local NYC woman.  Given that we Brooklynites are politically minded I thought I'd pass this site on for you to blog about.

www.theressomethingaboutbarry.com

RIP: Slope Grandad to 12

As reported in the Daily News, a Park Slope grandfather of 12 was mowed down by a car on Fourth Avenue. Here's an excerpt from the article.

A grandfather of 12 - and a beloved fixture of his Brooklyn neighborhood - was killed Monday while crossing the street near his home.

Antonio Torres, 86, a Park Slope resident since 1960, was crossing Fourth Ave. at about 7:20 a.m. when Hyundai driver Edgar Marrero, 28, slammed into him, police said.

The impact sent Torres flying into the air before landing underneath a Dumpster. Medics rushed Torres to Lutheran Medical Center where he died five hours later, his family said.

His legs were nearly severed. His heart nearly split in two, relatives said.

"It didn't look like him," said Torres' eldest son, Jaime Torres, 61, after leaving his father's deathbed. "The only way I could tell it was him was by his hands. We have identical hands."

It appeared that Torres jaywalked, witnesses said. But his family insisted that a delivery van sat doubled park on the street blocking the sight of traffic from the always cautious Torres, a World War II vet known for feeding the local homeless and helping sickly seniors with their groceries.

Turn Your iPhone Into a Musical Instrument

My friend, Henry Lowengard, is author of the newly-released SrutiBox, 
an application for the iPhone that simulates an Indian harmonium, used 
as a base tone in Indian music and in droning and chanting. You can 
also use it to tune an instrument. Handy!

If you have an iPhone or have friend(s) with one, I hope you will check 
this out and forward these links in case they are interested in it—a 
steal at $2.99.

The link below takes you Henry's development blog where   
SrutiBox fans can read further and find out how to buy one.  Also feel free to email him with 
feedback.

New Gadget Madly In Hope blog: http://www.jhhl.net/nucleus/InHope.php

Here's a direct link into iTunes' App Store for SrutiBox

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Snazzy Shoe Store for Seventh Avenue

That's right. The new store going in where Seventh Avenue Books used to be (Seventh Avenue between 2nd and 3rd Streets) is Eric, a shoe store I've been to on the Upper East Side. It's a mini-chain and this, I'm guessing, is their first outer borough shop.

Interesting how many Manhattan shops and restaurants are coming to the Slope. Barrio, Carmen's Kid Rx, S'Nice. I guess the rents are a bargain here compared to what they're used to. Here's something abotu the Eric shops from New York Magazine:

Upper East Side moms and their downtown-minded daughters trek to this footwear mini-chain--a neighborhood mainstay since 1976--for their fix of traditional and contemporary shoe styles, like demure heels perfect for a jaunt to the Hamptons and trendy wedges made for the school semi-formal. Founder Eric Mudick stocks his small, pastel-painted boutiques with a good sampling of designer styles, including Cynthia Rowley's red leather slingbacks, called the Runway Wedge, and her Grecian-style Tabitha flats. There are also plenty of more conservative offerings, like Enrico Antinori's sensible pumps in seasonal prints, as well as Mullen's classic kitten heels. Younger girls gravitate toward the swank, Indian inspired slippers by CYD and Eric's own line of ballet flats.

No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford

Countdown to Fifty: Three Days To Go

With three days to go until the big Five Oh, I had one hell of a day:

Spending the day in the ER at Mt. Sinai Hospital with my dad waiting for a room brings up a lot of thoughts about life, death and everything in between.

Small moments of kindness mean everything. They're enough to make you cry. Life feels heavy, hard, murky and dark.

One finds illumination where one can.

No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford

Teen Spirit Catches Dylan Fever

Here's this week's Smartmom from the award-winning Brooklyn Paper.

Smartmom did not go to the Bob Dylan show in Prospect Park last week. Instead, she was dining on grilled salmon, fresh corn and arugula salad in the backyard of a Sag Harbor summer rental while the world’s greatest songwriter was singing “Rainy Day Women #12 and 35.”

It’s not like she didn’t want to be there. When the tickets went on sale in June, she was quick to type “Tilden,” the special code that she read about on BrooklynPaper.com that enabled her to charge two $85 tickets to her credit card before the rest of the Dylan-loving masses could buy them.

Expensive, yes. But it was Bob Dylan in her own backyard. Who could resist?

Smartmom could tell that Hepcat was dubious about the purchase.

“That’s an awful lot of money,” said Hepcat, ever frugal. “Besides, aren’t we going to be in Sag Harbor that week?”

Well, yeah. But that didn’t matter. They could always Jitney back to the city for the night.

“It’s Dylan, after all,” she said.

“It’s Sag Harbor, after all,” he said.

In the end, Smartmom gave the tickets to Teen Spirit, a huge Dylan fan. In a sense, she was passing on the baton. Just like she’d given him her old acoustic guitar.

“You got tickets? Wow. Of course I want to go,” he yelped when she gave them to him. Clearly, he was expecting a life-changing experience. First, he had to choose whom to take. Then he decided that he was going to bring his guitar to the show.

Afterwards, he wanted to play Dylan one of his songs.

Smartmom and Hepcat did little to disabuse Teen Spirit of this wacky idea. A boy can dream. Besides, he never listens to them anyway.

In some ways, Teen Spirit is just like his mom.

Smartmom and Dylan go back, way back. Not only was he the voice of her generation, but he’s been the soundtrack of her life.

When Smartmom was 11, her parents gave her a vintage leather jacket (from Ridge Furs on Eighth Street) and a Dylan songbook.

Boy, did Smartmom love that aviator jacket. But that songbook was her bible for so many years. She was a budding singer/songwriter, after all. And he was her hero.

Smartmom saw Dylan at Madison Square Garden, in upstate Binghamton, at Madison Square Garden again during his Born Again phase when he sang with those great back-up singers. She saw him with Tom Petty and later with GE Smith and again at Madison Square Garden in concert with Joni Mitchell.

She even ran into him once on Eighth Avenue in Park Slope across the street from the Montauk Club on June 12, 2000, Teen Spirit’s ninth birthday. The musical legend was wearing a white cowboy hat and walking with a photographer.

“Omigod,” she screamed. “That’s Bob Dylan.”

“Who?” Teen Spirit asked.

Boldly, Smartmom asked Dylan for an autograph. He obliged and signed his name on the back of an American Express billing envelope she had in her bag. Luckily, she didn’t mail it.

That envelope, now framed, sits on the bookshelf in her and Hepcat’s dining room.

A few years ago, Teen Spirit bought Smartmom “The Definitive Bob Dylan Songbook” for her birthday. He dropped hints for days, “You’ll probably start to cry when you open my gift.” And he was right.

So fair is fair. Smartmom has had plenty of Bob Dylan in her life and last week was Teen Spirit’s chance to revel in the legend. He knows that Dylan can barely sing anymore. He knows that you can’t recognize the songs because Dylan changes the tunes; it’s a veritable game of “Name That Tune” when he starts to play.

Still, Teen Spirit was ready for anything (though he was, fortunately, talked out of bringing his guitar by a friend).

In Sag Harbor, Smartmom thought about her son at the show.

But she was there in a way. Through her son’s eyes and ears. Plus, she got to hear about it in the morning.

“He can’t sustain a note,” Teen Spirit said. “He basically just yells the words.”

And that was worth it all.

Big News: Bird on Fifth Avenue

So the other day I walked up Fifth Avenue from Third and I missed the REALLY BIG NEWS. Bird, the much loved, very stylish women's clothing shop that started in the South Slope is now on Fifth Avenue between 2nd and 3rd Streets. It was actually a pioneer in the South Slope and is now an iconic Brooklyn brand I'd say.

Well, they've closed their South Slope shop and are concentrating on Fifth Avenue, Smith Street, and an upcoming shop in Williamsburg.

The Fifth Avenue shop will sell men's clothing as well as  Green Bird, their line of green clothing. I haven't been over there yet but I am chomping at the bit.

For me the shop is on the expensive side and the sizes aren't always to my body's liking BUT they do have Petit Bateau t-shirts, great shoes, accessories and jeans. And lots, lots MORE.

Y'know, I don't even know which storefront that is. I've been very out of touch with that particular block lately. Watch out every one, the storefront that was Lulu's will also, finally, get occupied now.

316 Fifth Avenue
between 2nd and 3rd Streets

Elderly Victim Says Alleged Attacker's Apology Means Nothing

"How can he be sorry when I was the, I understand, the 12th victim?" said Lilian France at a press conference. Cornelius Abson, The man allegedly responsible for the attack is being held without bail.

Countdown to Fifty: Four Days To Go

Four more days. Here's today's thought:

Life gets more complex the older you are. There's more to deal with. More to think about. One longs for the carefree days of one's twenties. Trouble is: you never know how carefree you've got it until you don't got it no more. And no matter what your age it's always something.

With just four days to go until the big Five Oh, I am trying to get used to my new number. It's like a new black t-shirt that doesn't really fit. I could just put it back in the shopping bag or put it on, stretch it out a bit, add an accessory and wear it anyway.

I guess I have to wear it anyway.

No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford

Obama's Running Mate: Joe Biden

2:10 a.m. Saturday morning: Teen Spirit just woke me up to tell me the news. Senator Joe Biden is Obama's choice for VP.

Flyer Remover: Let Him Be Says Sister

The Brooklyn Paper has the story and there's an excerpt below. Turns out that the Park Slope flyer remover—the person who has been removing stoop sale signs and other signs from area lamp posts - has a very caring sister who urges the community to be sensitive to her brother's issues.

“The public needs to understand my brother, that he does this because he is autistic,” said the sister, who requested anonymity because there have been threats against her brother as he’s walked his flier-removal beat throughout Park Slope and nearby Prospect Heights.

The Brooklyn Paper got in touch with the woman after she responded to a story last week about the activities of the so-called “Ripper.” That story recounted that some people in the neighborhood are angry that he is pulling down signs, which are actually illegal, though others defended his activities as a public service.

She also posted a long letter on the Web site Brooklynian that asked her neighbors to “please leave him be.”

She signed it, “Concerned Sister 11215.”

In a subsequent interview with The Brooklyn Paper, the sister said her older brother’s sign-removal campaign started about five years ago and is directly related to his autism.

“He’s not doing this to be an a—hole or a killjoy or to inconvenience people,” she said. “It is something that his mind believes he absolutely must do. My mother often describes that he thinks of it as his job, his mission. He is compelled to do it.”

She said the family has long tried to get him to stop — mostly out fear that someone who has posted a sign will harm him — but he continues to keep his daily schedule of tidying the neighborhood.

“He has been confronted many times,” she said. “He gets upset and comes home and relates the incidents to my mother and to me. There’s a specific group of people from a moving company who have threatened him physically. But people have to understand that he is absolutely not violent and not a threat to anyone.”

Last Chance: 10 More Performances of Life in a Marital Institution

I just got this email from the very talented James Braly. Just 10 more performances of his acclaimed Life in a Marital Institution at the Soho Playhouse.

The Off Broadway run of LIFE in a Marital Institution will end as scheduled, on Sunday, August 31.    Meaning, there are only 10 more performances of the New York Times and Time Out /NBC Critic's Pick that inspired a woman in the front row last week to cry out, “Jesus Christ!”  It was a special moment, in a summer full of them:

    -- The New York Times Reader's Favorite Shows currently lists LIFE as #9 Off Broadway, a follicle AHEAD (!) of Hair.

    -- NPR's Brian Lehrer interviewed me on his show recently, as did New York media institutions Joe Franklin and Joey Reynolds, where I was paired with sex therapist Dr. Judy for a discussion about female anatomy, albeit she did most of the talking.

    -- Producer Anna Becker's hilariously repulsive “Got Breastmilk?” ad campaign was rejected by Facebook--at the start of National Breastfeeding Week, no less.  Evidently, the tastemakers at Facebook are not Lactivists.

    But I digress.  LIFE must end in New York City (a national tour is being planned), so now is your last chance to catch the show Off Broadway.  Details at www.jamesbraly.com.   Use discount code SEB for $15.00 off tickets to remaining performances.

    It's been a great run, and if you haven't seen LIFE--or if you haven't seen it at Soho Playhouse--please come.  Director Hal Brooks joined me on this adventure almost two years ago, and his work has been nothing less than transformational.

The Oh-So-Prolific-One: Leon Freilich/Verse Responder

Shed

The years of unreflective eating
Were mirrored in my middle
And showed as well in how I shuffled
From gawky twaddle to twiddle

Till finally I found a diet
To banish longtime blight
And shorter portions were effective--
I lost eight inches in height.

Adopt a Fountain?

Oh. It's an art project! Still, I'm not sure what this is about. If you figure it out let me know.

ADOPT/LE-FONT is looking for participants throughout Brooklyn
to adopt and temporarily house a simple fountain. The
fountains will become available for hosting on September 1
and will remain available for consecutive week-long intervals
throughout the month. Adoption is free and open to the public.

Please contact us at 646.309.6031 or adoptlefont@gmail.com

New on Fifth Avenue

A quick walk on Fifth Avenue from Third Street to Save on Fifth on 7th Street revealed the following.

--The space that was Pizza By The Park on 3rd Street west of Fifth Avenue is going to be another restaurant.

--A new WINE shop is going in on Fifth Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets in the space that previously housed Living on Fifth.

--Work is being done in the space that used to be Cocotte on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 4th Street. It will be a restaurant.

--The Drama Cafe building between 4th and 5th Streets is for sale. The Drama Cafe is closed.

--The Bagel Shop on the corner of 4th Street and Fifth Avenue is renovating.

--Get Fresh on Fifth Avenue between 5th and 6th is adding a cafe to its take-out food concept.

BAM: Penelope Cruz and Phillippe Petit

They've got it all at BAM:

Elegy, Vicki Christina Barcelona and Man on a Wire. Go to the spiffy new BAM website for the schedule.

Countdown to Fifty: Five Days to Go

In just five more days. Here is today's thought:

I don't feel depressed today. Something has lifted. And I am starting to think about what I want to do on the big day. Meditate, run around the park, drink a beer sitting outside at The Gate, hang out with friends, watch Obama's acceptance speech, have a good dinner with Hepcat and the kids.

These last gorgeous days of summer have me thinking about the busy Fall ahead. There's lots of writing to do. A new school for OSFO. Senior year for Teen Spirit. Much to think about; much to do.

So there is life after August 28th: Loads to organize and plan...

Enzo Is A Very Cute Chihuahua

You would be too if you were a blend of Chihuahua and Greyhound. He belongs to Hepcat's sister and her husband.

September 14: Brooklyn Book Festival

The Brookyn Book Festival will be here before you know it. Brought to you by Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Literary Council and Brooklyn Tourism, the Brooklyn Book Festival, a huge, free event presenting an array of literary stars and emerging authors who represent the exciting world of literature today is on September 14th.

    The Brooklyn Book Festival is one of America ’s premier literary and literacy events—a hip, smart, diverse gathering attracting thousands of book lovers of all ages. The festival is organized around themed readings and devoted to timely and lively panel discussions. The inclusion of top national and international authors and new partners has expanded the festival’s reach while continuing to celebrate and enhance Brooklyn ’s contemporary and historic literary reputation

    Confirmed authors include Joan Didion, Richard Price, Jonathan Lethem, Dorothy Allison, Russell Banks, A.M. Homes, George Pelecanos, Terry McMillan, Jonathan Franzen, Susan Choi, Esmeralda Santiago, Thurston Moore, Paul Beatty, Jacqueline Woodson, Chuck Klosterman, Jimmy Breslin, Pete Hamill, Nikki Turner, Elizabeth Nunez, Ed Park, Pico Iyer, Gail Carson Levine, Cecily von Ziegesar, Chris Myers, Jane O’Connor, Jon Scieszka, Mo Willems and many more.

    “These days, Brooklyn is indeed the Creative Capital of America. We’re home to many of the world’s renowned writers and a thriving reading audience—as well as a destination for culture-seeking tourists worldwide,” says BP Markowitz. “The Brooklyn Book Festival is as diverse as our borough itself, and it’s only fitting that it’s now become a must on the national and international literary circuit. How sweet it is!”

    The festival boasts five outdoor stages in Borough Hall Plaza and Columbus Park , as well as “Reading Rooms” inside beautiful, historic Borough Hall and nearby at the Brooklyn Historical Society and St. Francis College auditorium. An outdoor literary marketplace will include more than 140 booksellers, publishers and literary organizations.

    Young adults and young adults at heart are in for a special treat. The Brooklyn Book Festival caters to the facebook set with hip panels on topics from graphic novels to fantasy and wildly popular teen “glamour fiction” at the “Youth Stoop” stage. Children of all ages will also be entertained at the Target “Children’s Area,” whereby kingpins of children’s lit like Mo Willems and Jane O’Connor will read from their work.

    Again this year, beautiful, collectable Brooklyn Book Festival bookmarks will be available at all branches of the Brooklyn Public Library and most independent bookstores.

    The 2008 Brooklyn Book Festival is an initiative of Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz presented by Brooklyn Tourism and the Brooklyn Literary Council. Target is a major sponsor of this year’s Festival and Time Out New York will once again serve as the event’s media sponsor. NYC and Company Foundation is a cultural partner.

    Following is a complete list of confirmed authors to date. As programming information becomes available, check www.visitbrooklyn.org. Also visit myspace.com/brooklynbookfestival and the Brooklyn Book Festival Official Site on facebook

No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford