Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn

No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford

Daily Dish: Brooklyn Food Conference

Join WNYC's Leonard Lopate at one of the most fascinating tables in town as he hosts five of the City's most eco-sensitive and talented chefs, including Brooklyn's own David Shea of Applewood and John Tucker of Rosewater. No reservations required, but the early bird gets the best seats at the Brooklyn Food Conference on May 2, 2009. For a look at the mouth-watering and thought-provoking menu of talks, workshops, and activities for adults and children at the Brooklyn Food Conference, visit www.brooklynfoodconference.com. Free! Brooklyn Food Conference Saturday, May 2, 2009 Kids’ Food Fair at PS 321 (7th Ave @1st St) Adult and Teen Programs at John Jay High School (7th Ave@4th St) Children accompanied by caregivers only, please

deBlasio and Markowitz Call for Hand Sanitizers to Combat Swine Flu Threat

Everyone's reeling about this Swine Flu thing. It's scary and no one seems to know how worried to be. Are we getting all the information we need? Is the US version of the flu as mild as they say? Are we getting the real story. Last night President Obama was pretty straight forward about precautions. Hand washing seems to be the panacea that everyone's talking about. Even Boro Prez Marty and City Council Member deBlasio are calling for hand sanitizers in all NYC classrooms and the're urging speedy passage of legislation requiring this in schools and child care centers.  Here's the press release from Tom Gray at deBlasio's office...

NEW YORK – In the wake of the swine flu outbreak, Councilmember Bill
de Blasio is calling for New York City to install hand sanitizers in
all school classrooms.  De Blasio’s office describes the equipment as
a very low-cost yet effective way to help prevent further spread of
the illness, which has already infected at least 49 people in New York
City and led to the closure of five City schools.

“Swine flu in New York City started in classrooms and consequently our
children have faced the greatest danger.   As a parent and a New York
City Councilmember, I think it is crucial that we act now to protect
against this threat by installing hand sanitizers in all classrooms.
I applaud the Mayor and all of City Government for the speedy action
they have taken in the face of this crisis.  However, now it is time
for us put the right tools in place to prevent the further spread of
swine flu,” said Councilmember Bill de Blasio

Artic Ice at the Brooklyn Museum

It's getting icy over at the Brooklyn Museum.

There's a big block of ice and cooling system on view outside of the Museum's south entrance.

The Distance Between What We Have and What We Want (Arctic Ice Project) by Tavares Strachan goes on view today at the Brooklyn Museum.

In 2005, Tavares Strachan journeyed to the Alaskan Arctic and worked with a skilled team to extract a single two-and-a-half ton piece of ice from a frozen river. This ice block was shipped to the Bahamas (the artist's birthplace) and exhibited there in hot summer weather, kept cold in a specially designed freezer powered by solar energy.

The very same block of ice and cooling system are now on view outside of the Museum's south entrance.

Freelancers Union Opposes Unincorporated Business Tax

The Freelancers Union, located in DUMBO, opposes the unincorporated business tax (UBT), a tax freelancers are required t opay. FU proposes "tax justice for freelancers" by exempting them from this tax.

Yesterday, according to a press release from Freelancers Union, there was a large  turnout at a City Council hearing on creating tax justice for freelancers by exempting them from the Unincorporated Business Tax (UBT). "We packed the room and still couldn’t get everyone in," FU writes in their press release.

Council Member David Yassky helped to organize this hearing.

Dating in 6th Grade?

A member of Park Slope Parents wants to know when it became the  norm for 6th graders to begin dating. She wonders if this is just something that is happening at MS51 or a Brooklyn thing in general.

This PSP member is clearly shocked. She's heard that parents are giving 6th graders money to go on dates.  6th graders money to go out on dates.

What about allowances? Shouldn't you at least be earning an allowance in order to date?

Finally, the mom, a self-professed "dinosaur," admists that her kids are only in kindergarten. But she has a nephew at a middle school in Park Slope.

What do you think?

Brownstone Voyeur: Small and Stylish in Carroll Gardens

BROWNSTONE VOYEUR is a joint project of casaCARA and OTBKB.  Look for it every Thursday on both sites.

ROBERT FARRELL, an architect and interior designer, has lived since the mid-1990s in a 600 square foot rental on the ground floor of a Carroll Gardens row house, with lumpy plaster walls and a tiny, tubless bathroom.

He stays mainly for the garden, a fifty-foot swath of lawn at the end of which he has constructed a romantic outdoor pavilion draped with nylon parachute cloth.

A corrugated plastic roof and waterproof parachute fabric make the garden room usable eight months a year.

No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford

Breakfast-of-Candidates: The 33rd Edition

So, you're wondering when I'm going to roll out the Breakfast-of-Candidates (33rd Edition)? So far I've done  Jo Anne Simon and she'll be the first. I may have to wait until after the Blogfest on May 7th to do the others.

In the meantime, enjoy coverage of the 39th (breakfasts and the Dazzle me Forum) and the first forum of the 33rd. Links are below:

Dazzle Me Forum for the 39th Candidates

Forum at St. Francis College for the 33rd Candidates

And in case you missed these:

Breakfast-of-Candidates: Gary Reilly. At 34 he's not quite the youngest of the candidates (John Heyer beats him on that score) but he's plenty wet behind the ears and full of enthusiasm about public transportation and other issues that affect voters.

Breakfast-of-Candidates: Bob Zuckerman. A long-time politico, Bob is currently executive director of the Gowanus Canal Community Development Corporation and  Gowanus Canal Conservancy.  He remembers the night Richard Nixon was elected in 1968 (he was 7-years-old) and one of his heroes is Harvey Milk.

Breakfast-of-Candidates: Brad Lander, The intellectual of the group, Brad has two master's degrees and a BA from the University of Chicago. He made his mark running community organizations like the Fifth Avenue Committee and Pratt Center for Community Development, advocating for affordable housing and community sustainablility.

Breakfast-of-Candidates: Craig Hammerman. As District Manager of Community Board 6, Craig is the nuts and bolts guy. He's the candidate, who understands infrastructure and really knows what its like to serve the public day in and day out for 19 years.

Breakfast-of-Candidates: Josh  Skaller. A former computer music composer at Harvard, it was Howard Dean's presidential campaign that jumpstarted his interest in electoral politics. As president of the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats, he learned to facilitiate dialogue  and manage strong personalities. Running on a community empowerment platform with a strong interest in the environment and smart development, Josh is proud to be refusing donations from  real estate developers.

Breakfast of Candidates: John Heyer: An assiant to Borough President Marty Markowitz, Heyer is the only candidate for City Council born in the 39th district. A fifth-generation Carroll Gardener, his two passions are politics and theology. He works as a funeral director at Scotto's Funeral home and his knowledge of the history of the neighborhood runs deep though he is only 27 years old.

Breakfast-of-Candidates: David Pechefsky. The Green Candidate, David worked for 10 years in the central staff of the New York City Council. With a master's degree in public policy and experience advising local governments in Africa, David knows how the City Council works from the inside out and has ideas about how it could better serve the people of New York City.

Greetings from Scott Turner: Stupid Was Only Part of It

OTBKB apologizes for the tardiness of today's Greetings from Scott Turner. As you know, Scott is a writer/designer and Rocky Sullivan's pub quiz maven extraordinaire. This post is sponsored MissWit Tees. Owner Deb Goldstein, is as Brooklyn firecracker as they come -- in terms of sass and community. She sells online (www.misswit.net) and at all the local fleas and street fairs, sent me her schedule, and we're passing it on to you:

• Brooklyn Flea Ft. Greene Saturday April 25 / May 2
• Fundraising in Style Event Two Saturday May 16 East Village NY to raise funds for Fourth Arts Block
• Good Ole Annual 5th Avenue Fair Park Slope Brooklyn Hooray! Sunday May 17
• Good Ole Seventh Heaven  Sunday June 21

Greetings Pub Quiz Air Space Gazers...

If you've ever searched for the perfect moment to channel Hervé Villechaize, yesterday was your moment in the sun.

"The plane!  The plane!" excited New Yorkers shouted, pointing at the blue skies above.

Except it came out as "oh no, not again," "what the f...?" and "hey, is that Air Force One?"

Well, it was Air Force One.  Not technically, because the blue and white presidential planes are only "Air Force One" when White House Resident One is aboard.  Otherwise, it's just a 747 with a Presidential seal, nothing grander than props and CGIs from a Harrison Ford movie.

liking the looks of this was in short supply

Happily, New Yorkers -- we grizzled, unshakable veterans of terror attacks, Con Ed explosions, crack epidemics and America's Next Top Model riots -- proved unflappable, calm and collected.

""I was crying and praying to God to forgive me my sins because I thought I was going to get killed," the Daily News quoted Kathleen Filandro, who fled her building when the jet passed overhead.

A Wall Street worker, employed by a dominion rife with dubious constructs, said "It's like someone coming up to you, sticking a gun to your head for 15 seconds, walking away and hearing 20 minutes later it was an undercover cop posing for a photo."  Well, point-blank firearms are just a teensy bit more likely to kill financial-sector grandiosity-junkies than winged-machines in the wild blue yonder -- 9/11 notwithstanding.

77 Hudson Street...the Big Address Sign strategy pays off

The most hysterical reaction came from His Honor, whose rehearsed anger didn't have panicked New Yorkers' backs.  Quickly, it melted to reveal the mayor's hurt feelings at being the only New Yorker who should've been told but wasn't.  As usual with Mister Mayor, it wasn't about how it affects the citizenry, but how it affects Mister Mayor -- a breach in ring-kissing protocol, not the breach in our hearts.  The mayor never disappoints.

Look...it was a stupid stunt on the White House's part (whose chief resident apparently knew as little as Bloomberg).  Obama's gotta run a tighter ship than this.  It was insensitive, because eight years later, few New Yorkers here that day can glimpse a plane overheard and not think about September 11th.  Me too, and I'll never stop.

It doesn't mean, though, that I was counting my sins as Not Officially Air Force One flew overhead.

And yes, the mayor should have been told.  He is the mayor, after all, as much as he shouldn't be come this November.

And boy, do I agree that a photo-op of this magnitude should never have happened.  The panic and miscommunications were bad enough.  The waste of taxpayer money to fly a presidential 747 and an F-16 over Manhattan for a White House giveaway trinket, in any economy, is ridiculous.  An anonymous source told the Associated Press that the flyover was combined with a nearby training exercise to save money.  "Honey, I know we're in foreclosure, but the salesperson gave me a great deal on the new yacht!"

In other words, how many imbeciles cooked this up and for how many different reasons?

For what it's worth, local security officials -- including the NYPD and New Jersey police -- had been informed days before.  The Bloomberg minion who was told by the feds not to mention it (very X-Files) is the fall-guy in the parts known as 'Round These.  Bloomberg's spokesman Stu Loeser said, via a statement, "He has been reprimanded and a disciplinary letter will be placed in his file." A letter placed in his file!  Ooooh, the mayor must be very, very angry!

"must act concerned...must act concerned...must act concerned...must -- can't wait for my crème brûlée -- NO! must act concerned...CONCERNED!"

If only we'd have known, we could have warned New Yorkers was the Bloomberg administration's other protestation.  How, exactly?  The media?  The Internet?  Posting DO NOT LOOK SKYWARD signs on every lamppost from South Ferry to Central Park South?  A lot of us don't pay attention to the warnings out beyond their doorstep, which is sad, but which, you know, is.

Bloomberg, as always, rings hollower than Tubular Bells.  Just a day prior, Bloomberg defended Con Ed officials who failed to evacuate a Queens street prior to the blast that killed Ghanwatti Boodrama, a mother of two.  A sunrise later, Bloomberg's concern for New Yorkers' lacks a certain sincerity.

Besides, it's not just about the feds keeping Bloomie from knowing the secret handshake.  High-up NYPD officials had gotten the memo, and they didn't pass it on to the cops on the street who could help quell the panic around them.

Bloomberg: rehearsed fury, scapegoating an underling, disciplining with a letter in a file, and glossing over the mistakes in his own house.  Had the mayor been a lord in feudal Japan, he would have gone down in history as the first to walk away from falling on his sword.

It's hard to judge the plane-in-the-sky panic.  Well, beyond as judgemental as I've already been.  People reacted, and many got out of what they perceived as harm's way, and that's good.  How much of it is post-9/11 awareness, and how much of it is the relentless clobbering our psyches took from the Bush Administration's All Scare Tactics All The Time onslaught can never be known.

At Rocky's last night, as the melodies of the Monday-night trad Irish seissun floated off into the warm April night, the conversation turned to the weirdness in the air.  The recent spate of multiple-murder cases, the swine-flu Whendemic of '09, this plane thing.  Bizarre stuff is the electrical grid  for humanity's more vibrant realms, and that's an always-has-been/always-will be.  The consensus at Rocky's, though, was that the dial's been tweaked up a notch.  Or over a notch.  A certain direction that has us stepping a bit more gingerly and little wider-eyed.

As for counting our sins, if that's your thing, it's probably best to get it out of the way before the sky starts falling.

* * * * * * * *

Fab Foto of the Week...the New York Public Library opened a new branch in midtown.  It's got a "laptop bar" and at least one patron you don't want to upset:

ever wonder what male lions do while the females are out doing everything else...

Leon Freilich, Verse Responder: To Do About Tray U

Battling expanding student waistlines, colleges are dispensing with cafeteria trays.  --news item

 TO-DO ABOUT TRAY U.

Eighteen-year-old's eyes

Widen with surprise--

Pasta, burgers galore,

Two or three or four;

Smoothies, sodas, shakes,

Cookies, candies, cakes,

Hot dogs, chill dogs, corn dogs,

Ice cream, chocolate logs,

Whitefish, bluefish, lox--

Not from Pandora's box.

Takeaway: bursting belly

Soft as lemon jelly.

Temptation can't be beat

When it's all-you-can eat.

Eighty-sixing trays

Limits piles at buffets.

So the teen's brown eyes

Stay at healthy size,

As does his midsection,

Almost back to perfection.

Final weapon awaits:

Much smaller plates.

DUMBO NYC: Coverage of Dock Street Protest at City Hall

DUMBO NYC has coverage of yesterday's protest about the controversial proposed condo tower developed by Two Trees, that would block views of the Brooklyn Bridge. David McCullough, who is the Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Great Bridge has become an outspoken opponent of the project was on hand and spoke to the crowd. There were also a bunch of celebrities, too. I wanted to be there but I was sneezing my way through the press preview of the Sakura Matsuri and appreciating the glorious cherry blossoms. Here's an excerpt from their coverage. More pix and text at their blog:

A group of elected officials, historic preservationists, neighborhood associations, and residents went to the City Hall yesterday to protest the Dock Street Dumbo development near the Brooklyn Bridge. The proposed property is not located in a historic district, sandwiched between the Fulton Ferry Historic District and the Dumbo Historic District, but historic preservationists say the proposed tower will crowd the historic Brooklyn Bridge, the Tobacco Warehouse and Empire Stores. According to a story published by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, the common arguments against the Two Trees plan were:

Sakura Matsuri at the Brooklyn Botanic: A Glorious Rite of Spring

What a glorious day yesterday was for the press preview of the Sakura Matsuri Cherry Blossom Festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.

The press (and members of the public who happened to be in the gardens yesterday) were treated to short previews of what's to come this weekend. There was an unbelievably adorable group of pint-sized Suzuki violinists from the children's music program at Brooklyn College, parasol dancers in elaborate kimonos, a J-pop star and  taiko drumming.

But the real stars of the event were, of course, the voluptuous blossoms of the cherry trees that as of yesterday were in close to full bloom. From the height of the stairs near the entrance of the Gardens, they looked like a tantalizing pink canopy in the distance. Up close and personal they were a sight to behold.

There is even a Japanese word for the enjoyment of these trees. Hanami is "the cultural tradition of viewing and cherishing each moment of the cherry blossom season." The idea is very lovely, a chance to be present in the now-moment to stroll, savor and share the beauty of the blossoms.

Trouble is, the event tends to get unbelievably crowded. That's why it was such a gift  to go when it was only slightly crowded but empty by Sakura Matsuri attendance standards.

And if only they didn't make me sneeze. Yesterday the pollen count must have been through the roof and I had an allergy attack almost immediately. Advice to allergy sufferers: Bring antinhistamine with you or take in advance of this weekend's festivities.

On their website, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden calls this event New York City's "rite of spring," And I have to concur. This is the 28th year of an annual event that always makes me sneeze -- and smile.

Tom Martinez, Witness: Blues By The Book

A laid-back, upstairs music shop on a lazy, Saturday morning.       
Photo: Tom Martinez

Brooklyn Blogfest Has a Long List of Sponsors

Brooklyn Blogfest is a labor of love by a large group of volunteers, local bloggers  who have donated their time, energy and creativity to put the event together. But there's also a long list of local (and not local) businesses who have made a generous contribution to the event. And the list is growing every day. If you'd like to be a sponsor or donate an item to the Blogfest raffle let me know (louise_crawfordATyahooDOTcom. You will be in great compnay. Here is the current list of sponsors:

Brooklyn Blogfest Wishes To Thank Its Generous Sponsors: 

PowerHouse Arena is a laboratory for creative thought. Home to a world-renowned art book publisher, Powerhouse Books, the arena is a gallery, boutique, book store, performance and events space located at 37 Main Street, in New York City's Scenic DUMBO neighborhood.  Powerhouse Arena showcases a series of landmark exhibitions, performances, and controlled mayhem fusing the worlds of art, photography, design, fashion, pop culture, advertising, music, dance, film and TV into a glorious whirwind of captivating spectacle.

Galapagos Art Space is a performance space and bar, offering multidisciplinary bills of theater, performance, live music, dance, film, and visual art.

 Blue Barn Pictures, Inc. is a multimedia production company providing the highest quality images to suit the needs of its clients. Blue Barn Pictures' successful history includes producing imaging for: Canon USA, ExxonMobil, PerkinElmer, Casa Nova Pendrill, EZpass, the Element Agency, Media 100, Armani Exchange, and Worldwide Fight Services.

Yelp is the fun and easy way to find, review and talk about what's great and not so great in your neighborhood.

Rooftop Films is known internationally as one of the most dynamic film festivals in the world. In 2009, they screened more than 20 feature films, almost all of which were New York, U.S. or World Premieres. This combination of brilliant, original programming and stunning outdoor venues makes Rooftop Films one of the best-attended film festivals in New York.

Outside.in is the best place to discover news happening around you. They  make it easy to check out stories, events, and local discussions within your city, neighborhood, or immediate surroundings. Thousands of sources, including bloggers, newspapers, and even Twitter tweets help you be "in-the-know" about what's happening in your back yard.

Casio is one of the  world's leading manufacturers of consumer electronics and business equipment solutions. 

Babeland offers top quality products, a pleasant place to shop, and most of all information and encouragement to women who wanted to explore their sexuality. Claire Cavanah and Rachel Venning opened the first Babeland store in 1993 in response to the lack of women-friendly sex shops in Seattle.The store's popularity with both women and men eventually led to two more stores in New York and one in Los Angeles, as well as a thriving website.

Peeled Snacks make three tasty and nourishing varieties of fruit & nut mixes that became Peeled Snacks. Peeled Snacks are made with ingredients that you recognize. Large, easy-to-eat pieces of fruit and nuts provide a natural source of vitamins, minerals and fiber - with NO added sugar or fat. The nuts are dry roasted and lightly salted. And for the chocolate lovers, we use the finest rich dark chocolate with 61% cacao in our Shock-olate variety.

Melt is a restaurant in Park Slope, which aims to bring people together, meet and mingle, taste life and experience something new. Innovative New American classics, big on taste in the open kitchen and a taste of style with the sleek, modern decor all at an affordable price.

Slope Suds is a multi-service Park Slope salon and soap bar offers an escape from complicated city life.

Pizza Plus has served real Brooklyn pizza since 1987 on Seventh Avenue in Park Slope. A very attractive neighborhood place with super delicious pizza and other Italian entrees.

D’Vine Taste is a gourmet market on Seventh Avenue in Park Slope. Nalie Elsebaie, a native of Lebanon, runs the store with the help of her two brothers. Besides the wonderful selection of olive oils from Spain, France, and Italy, they carry five olive oils from Lebanon, which Elsebaie describes as having a stronger, greener taste. Make sure to sample the fresh fig treats, with figs imported from Lebanon

Brooklyn Frame Works provides custom picture framing with an emphasis on preservation. Serving Park Slope Brooklyn since 1997, their friendly staff is happy to help customers design the ideal treatment for your cherished artwork.

Whimsy & Spice Brooklyn Confectioners create the ultimate accompaniment to tea and coffee, our shortbread cookies and biscotti, elevated and enlivened by the use of fresh ground spices, aromatic flavors and roasted nuts, can also be enjoyed alone. Choose among 3 deliciously complex shortbread flavors for a delicately crisp cookie: Chocolate Orange Cardamom, Honey Lavender, or Brown Sugar Gingerspice, or try one of our biscotti, Cinnamon Chocolate Malt or Chocolate Chili Cashew, which are twice baked to crunchy perfection. All of our cookies and sweets are hand rolled, hand cut and hand packaged in Brooklyn, NY, using only the finest ingredients with no added preservatives or artificial flavorings.

Alison Lowenstein is the author of City Weekends: Greatest Escapes and Weekend Getaways In and Around New York City.  She is the author of City Baby Brooklyn. She is also a contributor to Time Out Kids, and her work has appeared in Parenting and Babble among other publications.

May 6: Teach-In with David Pechefsky, Green Party City Council Candidate for Dist. 39

I just heard from David Pechefsky who is running for City Council in the 39th district. On May 6, he is having a fundraising event/teach-in at the Community Bookstore in Park Slope (Seventh Avenue between Garfield and Carroll), where he will be screening an interesting short film about  democracy in a Chinese classroom followed by a discussion.

We’re screening the PBS documentary Please Vote for Me (documenting an election in a third-grade classroom in China) followed by a discussion on democracy led by David.  Drinks/refreshments provided.
 
David Pechefsky is a former Assistant Director in the New York City Council Finance Division, a former Assistant Commissioner in the New York City Department of=2 0Housing Preservation and Development and has consulted on democratic governance in Nigeria, Sier ra Leone, and Jordan.   He lives with his family in Park Slope. 

The Where and When

Community Bookstore
143 7th ave. between Garfield and Carroll
Wednesday, May 6th
7 - 9 PM

OTBKB Music: The Bottom Line Is Looking For Investors

 If you went to see live music (opera and classical excepted) between February, 1974 and February 2004, you almost certainly went to The Bottom Line, located on West 4th and Mercer Streets in Greenwich Village.  I was there so many times that I knew about sound quirks (sit at the first seats at the front tables and you'll hear the show off the monitors, not the house system), remember the experiments undertaken and abandoned (the free but mandatory coat check) and can tell you about the best places to find parking around the club.  But eventually there was a dispute between the club and their landlord (NYU as it turns out) and to make a long story short, in February 2004, two weeks before its 30th anniversary, The Bottom Line was history.

But believe it or not that was not the end of the story.  Allan Pepper, one of the owners of The Bottom Line obtained financing for a replacement space and started a search.  Since 2004, there were some false starts, and ultimately the stars did not align.  About 18 months ago, there was a New York Times article which said that Allan was now looking in Brooklyn.

Flash forward to today.  Allan says he has found "an ideal location, 23,000 square feet, three blocks from public transportation, plenty of parking available, and a landlord who thinks The Bottom Line is an iconic institution and should have a permanent home."  I asked Allan if it is in Brooklyn but he told me that it is not.

Here's the kicker, though: now that there's an affordable space available, the financing that was formerly available no longer is.  So Allan is looking for investors.  If the idea of being a backer of The Bottom Line appeals to you or someone you know, you can contact Allan here. 

 --Eliot Wagner

No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford

Leon Freilich, Verse Responder: Specter Switches Parties

Republican Sen. Arlen Specter To Switch Parties--NPR

Welcome aboard, Arlen Specter,

Too long you've been afar;

Joining the Democrats puts you

Where the people are

Dock Street Development Takes Its Case to the Steps of City Hall

It looks like a bunch of celebrities are going to show up  at City Hall to protest a controversial proposal to build an 18-story development that would be constructed 82 feet from the Brooklyn Bridge. They're calling it "a dramatic and informative event." Here's the information from the organizers about today's protest intended to save views of the bridge.

  What:   A dramatic and informative event to address the controversy over Dock Street , a proposed 18-story development that would be constructed 82 feet from the Brooklyn Bridge .  The proposed DUMBO building project has been the topic of heated debate in the media and among residents, politicians and celebrities alike.  This event will act as the platform to address the truths and myths behind the project and the direct impact it will have on citizens of New York and around the world.

Also at the event, an Open Letter of Opposition to Mayor Bloomberg, created in the name of the many preservation groups, historians, citizens and stars including Gabriel Byrne, Gary Sinise, Helen Hunt, Ana Gasteyer and Ken Burns who have strongly voiced their opposition to this controversial project which would forever alter the Big Apple skyline, will be unveiled.

The only way to save the Brooklyn Bridge - whether or not you live in New York City - is to call or email New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn: (212) 788-7210 / <http://council.nyc.gov/d3/html/members/home.shtml>

http://council.nyc.gov/d3/html/members/home.shtml (click contact Speaker Quinn) and Mayor Michael Bloomberg: call 311:

When:   Tuesday, April 28th @ 12:30pm (press event)

Where:  City Hall, 260 Broadway

Who:  Experts expected to attend and speak include two time Pulitzer Prize winning author and historian David McCullough, New York City Council Members David Yassky, Tony Avella and Bill de Blasio, Doreen Gallo, Executive Director of the DUMBO Neighborhood Association (DNA), DUMBO resident and actor Skipp Sudduth (“Third Watch” and “Law and Order”), as well as executives from groups such as The Municipal Art Society and The National Trust for Historic Preservation and Historic Districts Council.

 

Tonight: Come to Opening Celebration of Hugh Crawford's Photo Show

Come to the opening celebration for Essence and Accident: Photographs by Hugh Crawford at the Old Stone House. April 28th from 6-8 p.m.

Wine and refreshments will be served. We can't wait to see you!

Brooklyn Blogfest Dedicated to Robert Guskind of Gowanus Lounge

This year the Brooklyn Blogfest is dedicated to Robert Guskind (1958-2009), the influential blogger who founded Gowanus Lounge. There will be a short and inspiring video about Guskind shown at the event. Guskind attended and spoke at the three previous blogfests. He will be sorely missed at this one.

Find out why Brooklyn is the bloggiest place in the US at the Fourth Annual Brooklyn Blogfest on May 7, 2009. Doors open at 7 pm at powerHouse Arena in DUMBO. 

Brooklyn Blogfest 2009 is an exciting, idea-filled event for bloggers, blog readers and the blog curious, where you will find: Insight. Advice. Inspiration. Resources. 

 

Here's your chance to meet your favorite bloggers; learn about blogging; be inspired to blog.  

"Where better to take the pulse of this rapidly growing community of writers, thinkers and observers than the Brooklyn Blogfest?" ~ Sewell Chan, The New York Times

 

This year's event is dedicated to Robert Guskind (1958 - 2009), the founder and editor of Gowanus Lounge.

 

WHY WE BLOG is the theme of a panel discussion moderated by Brooklyn Independent Television's Megan Donis and featuring Jake Dobkin of Gothamist, Anne Pope of Sustainable Flatbush, Tracy Collins of Freakin' Blog, Bed Stuy Banana, and Melissa Lopata of Hip Slope Mama.

 

This year Brooklyn Blogfest introduces BLOGS-OF-A-FEATHER, special small-group sessions led by notable bloggers in a wide variety of blog categories, where you can connect with other bloggers who share your interests.

Also on the agenda:  A VIDEO TRIBUTE TO BROOKLYN'S PHOTO BLOGGERS by Adiran Kinloch of Brit in Brooklyn, WHY WE BLOG VIDEO SPOTS by Blue Barn Pictures, THE ROBERT GUSKIND VIDEO, and the annual SHOUT-OUT: a chance to share your blog with the world!
 
Whether you live to blog, blog to live or are just curious about this thing called blogging, you won't want to miss Brooklyn Blogfest 2009: the best Blogfest yet. 

For information, interview and sponsorship opportunities for Brooklyn Blogfest, contact Louise Crawford (e:louise_crawford(AT)yahoo(DOT)com, c: 718-288-4290).

 

Fourth Annual Brooklyn Blogfest

May 7, 2009
Doors open at 7 p.m.
powerHouse Arena
37 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Admission: $10  ($5 for students and seniors) 

Brooklyn Blogfest After-Party
Galapagos Art Space
16 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
(right across the street from powerHouse Arena)

Cash bar and refreshments

Swine Flu Update from NYC Department of Health

Investigation of New York City Swine Flu Cluster Continues; Symptoms Remain Mild

The Health Department announced that four days of close monitoring has yet to show any increase in reports of severe respiratory illness in New York City. The agency is investigating a cluster of illness at the St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens, where 100 students missed classes because of flu-like illness last week. Daily calls with hospitals and monitoring of admissions have yet to suggest a wider or more severe outbreak.
Read the Press Release - update 4/27 1:30 PM
Read the Press Release - update 4/26 11:30 AM
Read the Press Release - 4/25 2:00 PM
Facts about swine flu
Swine Influenza: What New Yorkers Need To Know (PDF)
Cover Your Cough (available in 14 languages)
Read Ready New York: Pandemic Flu (PDF)
Information for Providers

My Blogging Class Starts on Wednesday: There's Still Room

If you're interested in my blogging class at BAX sign up today. The first one meets on April 29th at 7 p.m. The other two sessions are May 6th and May 13th.

Yup. I'm teaching a three-session workshop at BAX (421 Fifth Avenue at 8th Street) and it's a great chance to learn how to blog. You will even be encouraged to start a blog during the workshop.

My workshop is part of of AccessBAX: Classes and Workshop for the Curious, Creative Adult. Pre-registration is required. To register call 718-832-0018. For more info: www.bax.org

The cost is $45 for the three sessions.

Learn how to blog with OTBKB, is a hands-on workshop for anyone interested in becoming a blogger and those who already blog but want to learn more. I will discuss a wide variety of blogging genres, including photo blogs.

Session 1: Introduction to Blogging
Session 2: Hands-on Blogging
Session 3: Next Steps

Daily Dish: Brooklyn Food Conference

Got controversy? Milk helps you lose weight. Milk makes you fatter. Almost 80% of people are allergic to cow's milk. Raw milk has enzymes that counteract allergies, which are removed during pasteurization. Raw milk does not contain hormones that cause male pattern balding. Children don't need milk after weaning. The debate rages on and on. What to believe? Join the creme de la creme of milk experts in a panel workshop "Milk: good, bad, organic, conventional" to sort out myth from fact about this essential beverage.
 
For a look at the truly mouth-watering and thought-provoking menu of talks, workshops, and activities for adults and children at the Brooklyn Food Conference, visit www.brooklynfoodconference.com.

Brooklyn Food Conference
Saturday, May 2, 2009

Kids’ Food Fair at PS 321 (7^th Ave @1^st St)
Adult and Teen Programs at ohn Jay High School (7^th Ave@4^th St)

 Children accompanied by caregivers only, please

No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford

Daily Dish: Brooklyn Food Conference

What’s red and wiggly and green all over? Find out at the Brooklyn Food Conference Kids’ Food Fair where red wiggler compost worms will be on display in all of their slimy eco-beauteousness. These compost-creating maniacs may not be the snuggliest pets you’ll ever own, but they’re probably the hardest working and best for the environment. See them in action, chewing up kitchen scraps to produce gorgeous, nutritious soil. Learn all about vermiculture -- the care and feeding of compost worms. Discover how easy and fulfilling it is to raise compost worms, even if you live in an apartment!

For a look at the truly mouth-watering and thought-provoking menu of talks, workshops, and activities for adults and children at the Brooklyn Food Conference, visit www.brooklynfoodconference.com. 

Brooklyn Food Conference
Saturday, May 2, 2009

Kids’ Food Fair at PS 321 (7^th Ave @1^st St)
Adult and Teen Programs at John Jay High School (7^th Ave@4^th St)

Children accompanied by caregivers only, please

Third Annual Edgy Mothers Day: Tales of Motherhood without Sanctimony

Join acclaimed playwright Diana Son, journalist Beth Harpaz, novelist Mary Morris, and five other notable mother-writers for a fun reading over a much-needed glass of wine, just a few days after Mother’s Day.

From aggrieved moms of pot-smoking teens to fed-up new mothers of colicky infants, these writers will shock, amuse, and entertain you, and they won’t make you eat your vegetables before you get dessert.

Hear them at Brooklyn Reading Works’ Third Annual Edgy Mothers Reading at the historic Old Stone House in Park Slope, Brooklyn, on Thursday, May 14th at 8:00 pm.  The Brooklyn Reading Works is run by Louise Crawford and the Edgy Mothers Reading curators are Sophia Romero, Amy Sohn, and Michele Madigan Somerville.

The complete line-up:

--Jill Eisenstadt, author of From Rockaway and Kiss Out

--Beth Harpaz, author of 13 is the New 18 and other things my children taught me while I was having a nervous breakdown being their mother and The Girls in the Van

--Mary Morris, author of Revenge, Vanishing Animals, The Bus of Dreams, and The Lifeguard Stories

--Jenny Offill, author of Last Things and editor of Money Changes Everything

--Sophia Romero, blogger, The Shiksa from Manila and author of Always Hiding

--Amy Sohn, author of Run Catch Kiss and the upcoming Prospect Park West

--Michele Madigan Somerville, poet and author of WISEGAL and Black Irish

--Diana Son, playwright of Stop Kiss and Satellites

The Where and When

Location:  Old Stone House
Fifth Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets
Phone:  718-768-3195
7:30 p.m.:  Open bar/Wine donated by Shawn Liquors
8:00 p.m.:  Reading
Suggested contribution:  $5 to benefit Old Stone House
Reading is open to all – not just mothers – though please leave children at home

Janine Nichols: Park Slope Singer Makes Collage Art, Too

Award-winning collage artist Janine Nichols is having a trunk show at Lion in the Sun stationers
on 7th Avenue in Park Slope on Thursday evening, May 7th, from 7-9pm. This is a one night only
event.

A single mother with freelance careers as a musician, producer and promotions writer, Janine Nichols also makes art - collage - at night in her kitchen. One mid-night in 2006 she stumbled on
instructions for something called a packing tape transfer, minimum ingredients for which were clear packing
tape, water and a spoon. Before dawn, she’d found her medium: by layering transparent/translucent images
of various sources, time periods and printing methods (and working them with sandpaper, wire- and
toothbrushes), she creates depths of field that can suggest photographs taken before the invention of the
camera.

Nichols’ work is narrative and non-ironic, composed of images from discarded museum and lab supply
catalogs, poetry anthologies, maps, radio schematics, etc. Prices will range from $5 to $500, encompassing
greeting cards, decorated switch plates, and unframed collage on large (8 x 10 or 11 x 14 inches) vellum and
museum board. All works on paper are offered unframed. Some of the work being offered for sale can be
seen on the artist’s blog, http://jazzpaperscissors.blogspot.com.

Nichols is also the “arrestingly plaintive” (Village Voice) singer in the electric bass and voice duo
Flutterbox and, with Hal Willner, the creative force behind (and frequent performer in) a well-received
series of multi-artist concert events for Celebrate Brooklyn! exploring the music of, so far, Leonard Cohen,
Neil Young, Doc Pomus and Bill Withers. From 1985-2000, she was program director for Arts at St. Ann’s,
now St. Ann’s Warehouse, in its original home on Montague Street. She began her music career in the
1970s as music coordinator for the first run of Saturday Night Live.

Lion in the Sun is located at 232 7th Avenue, corner of 4th Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Nursery University: The Movie

Nursery University is a feature documentary that is described by the filmakers "a film which reveals the oddly competitive, yet often humorous, world of nursery school admissions." The film will be at Cobble Hill Cinema on May 1, 2009. For more information go to the film's website.

Ah, yes. A subject close to home to many in Park Slope.

 The film tells the story of five families – each with different backgrounds and economic circumstances – attempting to place their toddlers in prestigious Manhattan preschools that have limited spaces and high price tags.

NURSERY UNIVERSITY follows the families’ journeys while also going behind the scenes with the experts that advise them and the school directors who must determine which “applicants” to allow through their doors. Enjoy the insanity in this sweeter look at the social issues, and the little darlings at the center of all the fuss.

OTBKB Music: Songs of The Kinks at The Living Room

Tomorrow (Tuesday April 28), The Living Room presents another in its series of programs in which a cast of thousands (OK, dozens) cover the songs of a particular act.  This time up, it's The Kinks, which really means Ray Davies.  These shows are not an exercise in nostalgia but actually a great way to discover performers you have not seen before.  The cast this time includes: Dred Scott, Warren Russell-Smith, Jon Dryden, Emily Zuzik, Pete Kennedy, Daru Oda, Vito Palmore, Milton, Jack Petruzzelli, Richard Julian, Sasha Dobson, Lee Feldman, John Dyer, Daniel Marcus, Chrissi Poland, Chris Masterson and Eleanor Whitmore, Eric Feigenbaum, Jim Keller, Joy Askew, and Jim Boggia (who will probably do his excellent version of Waterloo Sunset).

The Living Room, 154 Ludlow Street (F Train to Second Avenue; use the First Avenue exit) 8 PM until whenever, $12.

NYC Department of Health on Swine Flu Outbreak

I was curious what the NYC Department of Health website had to say about the swine flu outbreak. The BBC reported this morning that 100 people have died in Mexico. In NYC 8 students, who attend St. Francis Prepatory School in Queens, have been positively diagnosed with the swine flu. The students apparently contracted the flu on recent trips to Mexico. The student's symptoms were much milder than those experienced by those in Mexico; the students are already recovering.

That said, the press release from the Department of Health does list some precautions, including the advice that all New Yorkers should cover their mouths when they cough. Here are some others:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.

• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

• If you get sick, stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to avoid infecting them.

Here is the information from the NYC Department of Health Website.

Testing Confirms Swine Influenza at St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens

Tests conducted at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have confirmed cases of human swine flu among students at St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens. The school is suspending classes on Monday. The affected students have experienced only mild symptoms and many are already improving, but a similar virus has recently caused deaths in Mexico.
Read the Press Release - update 4/26 11:30 AM
Read the Press Release - 4/25 2:00 PM
Facts about swine flu
Read Ready New York: Pandemic Flu (PDF)
Healthcare Provider Alert on Swine Flu 4/26
General information about swine flu from CDC

A Different Vision for Prospect Park West Traffic

In the latest e-newsletter from Park Slope Neighbors, there's a good description of the DOT's plans to change Prospect Park West into two way vehicle traffic and a two-lane bike lane.

The redesign will reduce Prospect Park West from three travel lanes to two, which should go a long way in mitigating the speeding problem on PPW, and will add a two-way, physically separated bike lane with a four-foot buffer between the parkside parking lane and the sidewalk.  The changes will also mean shorter, easier, safer pedestrian crossings.  I submitted a report on the plan and the meeting to Streetsblog with all the details, which you can read here:

While the group views this proposal as "a big win for safer, calmer Park Slope" they support a different plan.

While we heartily applaud DOT for taking major steps to address the traffic problems on Prospect Park West and 3rd Street, and for the plan for a great new Class I bike lane, the announced changes still come up well short of what the 1,200 of you who have signed our PPW/8th Avenue/Union Street traffic-calming petition have asked for.  While speeding has been worse on PPW than on 8th Avenue, 8th has been the scene of recent fatal and near-fatal accidents, and the intersection of 8th Avenue and Union Street is plagued by dangerous crosswalk-blocking day in and day out.

For these reasons, Park Slope Neighbors plans to continue our campaign seeking the conversion of Prospect Park West and 8th Avenue to two-way traffic flow.  If you haven't done so already, please help us keep the pressure on DOT by signing our electronic petition:
http://www.parkslopeneighbors.org/two_way_pet.htm

I was at that Community Board 6 meeting on April 16th when Eric McClure of Park Slope Neighbors asked the representative from the DOT whether they would consider two-way traffic flow on Prospect Park West. The representative said that no plan for that was on the table and that he thought that adding another "input" to Grand Army Plaza would only complicate traffic flow over there.

Park Slope Neighbors Group Strongly Supports Superfund Designation

Park Slope Neighbors, a neighborhood organization "committed to the protection and enhancement of quality of life in Park Slope, Brooklyn," articulated its support of designation of the Gowanus Canal as an EPA Superfund site in their recent e-newsletter.

Park Slope Neighbors strongly supports the designation of the Gowanus Canal as an EPA Superfund site.  The fact that the EPA would even consider adding the Canal to its Superfund list certainly calls into question the wisdom and appropriateness of proposed development along the Canal, including the Toll Brothers, Public Place and Whole Foods projects.  We believe designation as a Superfund site is the best hope for a true, comprehensive clean up of the Gowanus, especially since the Bloomberg Administration, which opposes Federal intervention, has now admitted that a city-led clean-up effort would be woefully inadequate.

They also strongly urge community members to submit their own comments:

You can do by clicking on the following link.  The web-based form also allows you to upload attachments such as photos or documents.

http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=SubmitComment&o=090000648094b7d2

Or, you can send your comment via email to superfund.docket@epa.gov.  Be sure to include the ID number for the Gowanus Canal nomination: NYN000206222.

City Council Candidates Try to Dazzle in the 39th District

Who knew politics could be such fun?

On Saturday I attended the Dazzle Me Forum, a chance for the citizens of Carroll Gardens to see and hear the candidates for the City Council in the 39th District at the Carroll Gardens Public Library.

I was really looking forward to the event because I loved the name of it and the spirit in which it was conceived. Some candidates joked that they might sing or tap dance. But nothing like that happened. Still, I was not disappointed. 

"These men all want to work for us as our representative on the NYC Council," the organizers wrote in their press release. "Do you have questions you would like to ask? Do you have concerns and want to choose the best person for this job? Here is your opportunity!!: They invited members of the community to submit questions.

Rita, one of the organizers and a member of Community for Respectful Development (CORD), introduced the forum and was one of the moderators. She said the idea  was to think of the candidates as hungry job applicants and the community as the boss.

"If I'd known they were hungry I would have brought Italian food," one community member yelled out. Much laughter ensued.

On the small, make-shift stage in the basement of the library sat the five Democratic candidates and the Green candidate (who will face the winner of the democratic primary in the general election in November). Present were Gary Reilly, John Heyer, Josh Skaller, Bob Zuckerman, David Pechefsky (Green) and Brad Lander. They all wore Dazzle Me buttons and seemed in good spirits. On the wall behind them, there was a spiffy handmade sign created with purple magic markers and sparkles that said, Dazzle Me Forum. The questions submitted by members of the community were wrapped like fortune cookies and came out of an Easter basket with colorful dangling ribbons.

The format was interesting. The moderators asked each candidate an individual long question. The candidate was given about five minutes to respond. Then the others were able respond or add their thoughts in one minute or so. There was also time for audience questions.

Probably the most discussed issue was Superfund designation for the Gowanus, a subject near and dear to the Carroll Gardens neighborhood. Public Place, a large affordable housing project planned for the south bank of the Gowanus was also discussed in depth. Other hot issues included ULURP, the city's land use process; the MTA; ways to keep the community involved in the political process; bridge tolls; reform of the City Council and whether to accept campaign money from developers and lobbyists. Economic support of local businesses and industry was briefly touched on. Education was barely discussed at all.

Were there winners and losers? It's hard to say. It was a friendly event where all the candidates were able to shine. It was not contentious or nasty at all as most of the candidates are more or less in the same ballpark on most of the issues.

There are differences, of course: differences in approach, differences in style, personality and personal history. Perhaps the most contentious moment came after Josh Skaller criticized what he called a lack of community involvement in the development of Public Place and compared it to the Atlantic Yards project. Brad Lander, who has been involved in the development of Public Place, strongly disagreed and countered with "It was one of the best processes I've seen. Community members reviewed it. Several people in this room reviewed it  It is night and day from Atlantic yards. Let's use the right examples as models."

That's about as contentious as things got. But there was a lot of subtext there, too. Skaller and Lander are often mentioned as the front runners but there are significant shades of difference between them in terms of personality and approach. Lander has a statesmanlike quality and is tremendously likable when he speaks about issues. Skaller, a community activist and former president of Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats, is more of an outsider/provocateur and probably the more rebellious and strident of the two. Unlike Lander, he has little experience actually working on grassroots community development and affordable housing. But from the outside in, he knows the subject well and has been endorsed by Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn and Norman Sigal of the Civil Liberties Union.

I knew that Lander and Skaller would be the strong candidates to watch. But this is an impressive group and they all had something to offer. John Heyer was probably the biggest surprise. He is impressive in his ability to connect with an audience. Articulate, easy to listen to and engaging when he speaks, he had some members of the Carroll Gardens crowd in the palm of his hand quite a few times during the forum (a local boy, maybe he brought a lot of friends and family). He is probably the most conservative of the group. An assistant to Borough President Marty Markowitz, he manages to be both old school and new school Brooklyn. A fifth generation Carroll Gardener he honors the history and character of that neighborhood. On issues like Superfund, he's wary of the federal governments ability to actually pay for the project and come through in a timely manner. He wants  the Gowanus cleaned quickly and seems to trust the developers to do the job.

The Green candidate, David Pechefsky, was also impressive and very likable. Knowledgeable on certain key issues, extremely smart, analytical and honest, he's the only candidate with any real experience in the City Council (he worked in the central office of the council for 10 years and has expertise in budget, economic and housing issues). When the subject turned to reform of the City Council David was able to intelligently stir  up the conversation and contribute insight. I noticed that all of the candidates were really listening to him when he talked about some of the inherent problems in the CC. "There are structural problems with the Council," David  told the audience. "The speaker has all the power and you have to contend with that." Perhaps the best exchange of the forum and a testament to how impressive David is on the subject of council reform, was when Lander told the crowd "If I'm elected I'm going to hire David to help me." David turned to him and said, "How much are you going to pay me?"

Pechefsky won the respect (and applause) of the crowd when he declined to speak about Public Place. "I know this isn't a great thing to say at a job interview but I haven't really done my homework on this and I need to study the issue more. I'd be happy for anyone to fill me in."

Bob Zuckerman, the executive director of the Gowanus Canal Community Development Corporation (GCCDC) and Gowanus Canal Conservancy (GCC), was asked by a member of the audience why that group honored the architect who is designing and developing Claret House on Court Street, an unpopular building project. That was a fairly uncomfortable moment for Zuckerman, who hedged by saying  that they honored the architect for his work on Public Place and not Claret House. A member of Community Board 6, Zuckerman, while knowledgeable, is not wonky when it comes to the brass tacks of housing, development and transportation issues. He is, however, the candidate who likes to toss around creative, "out of the box" ideas.  "When I'm elected I'm going to get a book mobile and I'll call it the Zuckmobile and every week I'll visit one  of the neighborhoods in the district. It will be a mobile office."

"Will it sell stamps?" someone in the crowd shouted out.
"Stamps. That's a great idea." Zuckerman said.
"How about a mini-supermarket," someone else said.
"A mini-supermarket, too."

Gary Reilly, an attorney who has worked in environmental law, is a community activist with a passion for transportation and livable streets. He is not a forceful speaker but he does have a good command of the issues and is a very smart guy. There was not one moment in the forum when he seemed unprepared or unfamiliar -- in detail -- about the issues at hand. And he did show some fire when talking about not supporting Bloomberg's third term and transportation issues. While trusted and well-liked in Carroll Gardens, he was the least memorable of the group during the forum.

Discussion of Superfund status for the Gowanus was a real litmus test for the candidates. While all, of course, agree that the Gowanus Canal should be cleaned they don't all agree how it should get done. It is my impression that at this point in time NO ONE really knows what the EPA is promising yet and that's a key factor in all of this. I have the feeling that if the EPA promises the money in a timely manner, most of the candidates (except maybe Heyer) would support that.But that's a big if and it's a very complicated process.

Lander impressed me when he explained that the facts are still unclear and he's not sure what it all means yet. But about one thing he's sure: "Superfund without resources and without money is a lose lose," Lander told the crowd.

Skaller on the other hand seems ready to hand the process over to the EPA unequivocally as he doesn't trust the city or the developer to take care of it. He is adamant that the canal be cleaned before usage (residential or industrial) is decided. He believes that if usage is determined in advance there is an inherent conflict of interest that will seriously get in the way of getting the job done in the most thorough and safe way possible.

Heyer is definitely on the fence about the EPA. As someone who grew up next to the Canal, he wants it cleaned in the best and fastest way. Does he mean that it should be done by the city and developers? "I want it clean. I want it clean as soon as possible," he told the crowd.

He off-handedly expressed concern for the health hazards of living near the Gowanus Canal. "I've got all the fingers on my hands. But there have been three miscarriages in my family and quite a few members have succumbed to cancer."

This motivated a question later on from Tina, one of the organizers of CORD, who said, "Something you said really made me nervous. I live near the canal. Is anyone in the Health Department studying the health hazards of living near the canal?"

"No, I don't think so," Heyer answered.

There was a really interesting discussion about affordable housing and whether the candidates support ANY project that promises to have it.

Gary Reilly brought up the problem of developers building towers with promises of affordable housing "but in the fine print there are no promises." He also said that there is rarely any concern for infrastructure like fire,  police, hospitals and schools.

Lander, who has devoted his life to affordable housing as the head of the Fifth Avenue Committee and currently working at the Pratt Center, believes that the community must be involved in the process to create affordable housing. "We must meet early and often. There's a need to preserve it and create it."

Skaller returned to his theme of holistic development and the need for community voices to be heard:  "The road to affordable housing does not lie with luxury housing."

Pechefsky called the Atlantic Yards "the poster child for an awful project that was sold on the promise of affordable housing." He believes "that model needs to be revisited."

About transportation, the  mild mannered (and pleasantly smart) Gary Reilly is at his most passionate. "Subway service cuts and fare hikes are the worst thing to happen to working people." He mentioned Robert Moses and the one thing he did right:  "Making sure that there funds dedicated to maintaining infrastructure."

Zuckerman has a plan for residential parking fees. "It'll cost something like $10 a month to park in your neighborhood and the money will go to neighborhood jitneys that will get people from their homes to public transportation."

Pechefsky made the point that the $400 tax rebate promised to tax payers should have been put toward the MTA. "Now that could have been a real debate in the City Council. The city could have put that money (something like $250 million) into the MTA and it would have taken care of their problems."

Skaller, who believes that big projects like the Atlantic Yards and Yankee Stadium, are a big waste of city money, said that there is a "priority deficit" in the city and there's a need "to spread the pain around." He told the crowd: "The MTA is the heartbeat of the city and there should be no cuts to subways or buses. The city needs control of the MTA not politicians in Albany."

Heyer had strong feelings about this topic, too:  "Does anyone trust  the MTA? There's no oversight of  the MTA. We pay enough in taxes, we should get public transportation," a sentence that got a big round of applause. "And about bridge tolls: only if you have money can you go to Manhattan in a car? Manhattan is not a luxury, it is one of the five boroughs."

About stimulus money for the Atlantic Yards, the candidates all agreed that it was a travesty. "It's absurd," Skaller stated forcefully. "The need for stimulus for small business is greater than any need for Atlantic Yards." 

About small business and manufacturing in the district, Zuckerman thinks the Gowanus area should be turned into the first green business cooridor in New York City. "It's a perfect opportunity to create a place to manufacture products needed for green building, wind power, solar, etc."

And what to do about all the unfinished building projects, that in this economy, may go bankrupt and will remain unfinished for years to come. Ideas were bandied about.

Lander said that he'd recently met with the City Council and they're coming up with a plan about what to do with 23 Caton in Kensington, the residential tower that was fought by the community (and necessitated the closing of a horse stable there). He mentioned that there's a risk of overpaying developers. "But if you get the price right, it can be made into affordable housing."

Reilly concurred, "It's not right to pay someone out for their mistakes."

Probably the best question of all came from the community. "Are we just a bunch of whiners?"

Pechefsky tackled that one first and  made the point that the 39th District does, in some basic areas, have smaller problems than other areas. "We have great schools where other communities have terrible ones." He thinks this enables the City Council representative to tackle some of the bigger, city-wide issues.

Heyer: "If a baby is whining there has to be a reason. It's the City Council member's job to listen to the voices of the community."

Reilly: "They call you a whiner only when they want to marginalize your opinion and your position."

Skaller: "I am astounded when people say that. I thought that was the purpose of all of this."

And I must say, Lander had the best response of all: "It not whining, it's dazzling. What a great neighborhood we live in. The parks, the streets, we know our neighbors. We need to protect, defend and make our communities better."

Okay. Winners and losers. Hmmmm. I asked the elderly woman next to me if she had a favorite and she said, "I can't tell they're all so impressive." In another post I will be picking favorites and giving the candidates some advice...

No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford

Pardon Me For Asking Reports on the Dazzle Me Forum

Read Katia Kelly's take on the Dazzle Me Forum on her blog, Pardon Me for Asking. She was one of the organnizers of the event and she took a lot of great pictures.Here's an excerpt.

"This last Saturday, it may have been almost 90 degrees outside, but on stage, in the Carroll Gardens Library meeting room, it was even hotter. For almost two hours, the six candidates for the 39th Council district seat, currently held by Bill DeBlasio, were subjected to tough questioning on issues that are important to Carroll Gardeners."

Don't Panic: It May Not Be That Bad. Then Again...

I've been listening to NPR and keeping track of  what's being said about the Swine Flu scare.

At a White House news conference Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano assured the nation  that steps are being take to minimize the effects of this outbreak. .

She told people to think of it as a "declaration of emergency preparedness."

"Really that's what we're doing right now. We're preparing in an environment where we really don't know ultimately what the size of seriousness of this outbreak is going to be."

 Here were some precautions that were offered at the White House press conference::

Consistent message: Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands.

If you're sick with fever or flu like symptoms: Don't go out; don't travel on airplanes; keep your children, if they are sick, at home.

Swine Flu Declared Publlic Health Emergency in US

This is from the AP :

The U.S. declared a public health emergency Sunday to deal with the emerging new swine flu, much like the government does to prepare for approaching hurricanes.

Officials reported 20 U.S. cases of swine flu in five states so far, with the latest in Ohio and New York. Unlike in Mexico where the same strain appears to be killing dozens of people, cases in the United State have been mild — and U.S. health authorities can't yet explain why.

"As we continue to look for cases, we are going to see a broader spectrum of disease," predicted Dr. Richard Besser, acting chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "We're going to see more severe disease in this country."

At a White House news conference, Besser and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano sought to assure Americans that health officials are taking all appropriate steps to minimize the impact of the outbreak.

Top among those is declaring the public health emergency. As part of that, Napolitano said roughly 12 million doses of the drug Tamiflu will be moved from a federal stockpile to places where states can quickly get their share if they decide they need it. Priority will be given to the five states with known cases so far: California, Texas, New York, Ohio and Kansas.

Napolitano called the emergency declaration standard operating procedure — one was declared recently for the inauguration and for flooding. She urged people to think of it as a "declaration of emergency preparedness."

"Really that's what we're doing right now. We're preparing in an environment where we really don't know ultimately what the size of seriousness of this outbreak is going to be."

CDC: http://www.cdc.gov

More Thoughts On the Dazzle Me Forum

I think the most dazzling thing about Saturday morning's Dazzle Me Forum in Carroll Gardens for the City Council candidates running in the 39th District was the way it was conceived and conducted by CORD (Coalition for Respectful Development) and SoBNA (South Brooklyn Neighborhood Alliance)

There was such a refreshing atmosphere of fun and good humor. Yes, the issues are real and divisive in Carroll Gardens. Think Superfund designation, Toll Brothers, Public Place. But somehow this event managed to be a good-natured exercise in local democracy.

And there was even a decent turnout though not as large as the organizers expected. You can blame the weather for that. Yesterday was a ravishingly beautiful day and again and again the candidates thanked the audience for coming out and sitting in a library basement when they could be outside frolicking in the sun.

But that's what it was all about:  bunch of dedicated citizens curious about the people who will be their closest link to city government.

The problem is that events like these attract the same people again and again. The bulk of community members never find out about these forums or feel motivated to attend them. And that's not because they're not well publicized. There's just a certain apathy about local politics and a tendency to be overwhelmed by the day-to-day.

And that makes sense. Time is limited, there's much to do. And events like these probably sound like just another boring debate. Who knew they could be such fun? And that's where the dazzling comes in. The organizers really created  an interesting, lively format for the event complete with sparkly homemade posters, buttons that said Dazzle Me, a be-ribboned Easter basket full of good question,  and a generally convivial atmosphere.

Still, ignorance is bliss on a glorious spring day. Many people in district 39 aren't even aware that there's a City Council election coming up. And among those who do, many don't know who's actually running.

A lot of people think Bill deBlasio (39th) and David Yassky (33rd) are running for third terms. The fact is deBlasio is running for NYC Public Advocate and David Yassky is running for City Comptroller.

Another thing: Isn't it strange that Park Slope is divided into two districts. On Third Street, I'm in the 39th and my sister on PPW and 1st Street is in the 33rd. PS 321 is in the 39th. The Community Bookstore is in the  33rd.

That's why OTBKB is covering both the 39th and the 33rd districts and trying to familiarize readers with the 12 men and one woman (in the 39th and the 33rd combined) and one Green, who are vying for those two seats in the Democratic primary on September 15th. That means that much of the campaigning will occur during the summer months when many people go  away. You get back from summer vacation and it's two weeks until the election.

And that's a problem. Because the 39th and 33rd are Democratic districts, for all intents and purposes the candidate will be elected in the primary because whichever democrat wins the primary will surely beat the Republican in the general election.

So in the next weeks, the candidates will be going door-to-door to meet the  citizens of the 33rd and the 39th. Some of them have already been doing just that. In June (as designated by the Board of Elections) they'll be gathering signatures to get themselves on the ballot. If you do find yourself face-to-face with one of these guys or the one woman, Jo Anne Simon in the 33rd,  strike up a conversation and try to get a feeling for the type of person he or she is.

FYI: The Green candidates has to wait until July to get signatures to get his name on the ballot. The system is really stacked against the Greens (and other parties I assume) in our assertively  two-party  democracy. Another caveat: you can only put your signature on one petition. The Democrats should have no trouble filling their petitions with names. But if you want to see Green on the ballot, save your signature for July.

I was dazzled on Saturday. Dazzled by the look and feel of the forum. And excited to get a close up view of how the 39th candidates express themselves; how they looked on stage; their comfort level with the issues; their articulation of their core values; their experience and their opinions on the matters of concern to the district.

Today there's a candidates forum in Boro Park. The Green candidate wasn't invited. I wish I could be there. But I can't. Too much other stuff to do.

Smartmom: The Problem? She's Not Bad Enough

Smartmom has just discovered that it’s very cool to be a bad parent right now.

And she’s not talking about run-of-the-mill bad parenting. You know the kind of bad parents you read about in the Daily News and the Post who commit horrendous crimes like murder, incest, neglect and all the other cruel and awful things that parents (some parents!) do to their children.

Nope. Smartmom is talking best-seller bad: the kind of bad parenting that sells books; makes parenting blogs tick and convinces ordinary parents that they’re doing a pretty good job just by virtue of not being that horrifically bad.

It’s the kind of bad that means money. And as everyone knows, Smartmom has an agent, a book proposal and dreams of publishing her genius insights into the maternal condition. So all of these best-selling bad parenting books are making her mighty jealous and quite sure that she may have missed the boat on yet another parenting trend.

Today, there are many flavors of bad parents (soon, they will need their own special section at the Community Bookstore). First, there are the hipster bad parents. You know, the groovy bad parents who rebel against the status quo of perfect parenting, like that alone is their badge of honor: “I’m a bad parent and proud of it.”

On babble.com, which calls itself the community for a new generation of parents, there’s even a popular column called Bad Parent (soon to be a book collection) with story after story about all the bad things parents do.

OK. How bad is bad?

Smartmom knows from bad. Really. And while she doesn’t really like to broadcast it unless she’s on deadline and has nothing else to write, she might be willing to spill the means if it means a coveted book contract. So here goes:

• Smartmom lets the Oh So Feisty One order out Chinese when Hepcat makes scallop risotto.

• Smartmom and Hepcat only require Teen Spirit to text them if he’s going to be home after 4 am in the morning on Saturday night.

• Sometimes they forget to make breakfast. OK. That’s pretty awful, except that there are usually some English muffins in the fridge and a couple of boxes of Raisin Bran in the cabinet. Can’t the kids just do it themselves?

Smartmom isn’t sure she’s really bad enough to sell a bad parenting book or pen a Bad Parent column for babble (if the Web site would even have her!). But the truth is, the stuff on babble’s Bad Parent isn’t really all that bad. There’s the parent who lets her baby watch six hours of television a day (can you imagine?) The one about the parents who walk around naked all the time (how naked?). The dad who is forcing his kids to play soccer (is that like forcing OSFO to take piano lessons?).

But here’s a whopper: the dad who makes his kids wait in the car while he gets a lap dance?

Now that’s bad.

Years from now you can be sure there will be loads of memoirs written by the children of those parents who wrote for the Bad Parent column. There are already a plethora of memoirs about bad parents, written by people who survived terrible childhoods. Heck, half of English literature is about children surviving rotten childhoods.

Certainly one of best bad parenting memoirs is “The Glass Castle,” Jeannette Walls’s look at her dysfunctional, nomadic parents. It’s like she was raised by wolves and she goes into excruciating detail about being uprooted constantly from one town to another, not being fed, wearing shoes held together with safety pins; and using magic markers to camouflage holes in her pants.

But somehow she survived it all and still has compassion for her parents, who were clearly mentally ill. And she wrote a best-selling book about it, which you can put on your shelf with all the others: “Running with Scissors,” “Sickened: The Memoir of a Munchausen by Proxy Childhood,” “A Child Called ‘It,” “Mockingbird Days,” and on and on.

Dang. Smartmom’s parents may not have been perfect, but they’d never qualify for the bad parenting Olympics, that’s for sure. Scratch that idea for a memoir.

And look at Lenore Skenazy. All she did was let her 10-year-old son ride the subway by himself. Why didn’t Smartmom think of that? Think of the media frenzy could have incited if she’d only told OSFO to take the train all by herself to Manhattan Granny’s. Like Skenazy, she could have been the talk of the town and the proud recipient of a book contract.

Yup, Skenazy has written a book called “Free Range Kids,” where she writes about “giving our kids the freedom we had without going nuts with worry.” Since the publication of her book, she’s been driving Smartmom crazy with her Twitter tweets about ridiculous examples of overcautious parenting like “A school just outlawed all human contact including — hugs, high fives — lest someone get hurt. Sheesh.”

You don’t need the full 140 Twitter characters to spell self-promotion!

Skenazy is not alone. Smartmom just heard about another new book called, “True Mom Confessions,” a compilation of bad parenting confessions that originally appeared on a blog with that very name. The Web site received something like 500,000 confessions!

And there’s at least one more bad parenting book to look forward to: “Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities and Occasional Moments of Grace” by Ayalet Waldman, who caused a stir when she admitted that she loves her husband, hottie author Michael Chabon, more than her children (Dumb Editor note: So do I).

So what gives? Is this bad parenting fad just a swinging of the pendulum? A healthy reaction to the emphasis on pitch perfect parenting and over control or the conspiracy to make Smartmom feel like she’s missed yet another publishing boat.

Oh, it’s clearly the latter!

Damn.

No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford

Why I Wrote This Book: A Hidden Life by Johanna Reiss

I In this installment of OTBKB's recurring feature, Why I Wrote This Book, author Johanna Reiss shares with OTBKB readers why she wrote her powerful new book, A Hidden Life, a Memoir of August 1969 (Melville House Publishing).

Reiss is the author of The Upstair's Room (a Newberry Honor), a young adult classic about a hidden child during the holocaust. In the new book, she writes about the suicide of her husband.  Unlike The Upstairs Room, A Hidden Life is for adults.

Leslie Garis, in an enthusiastic review in the New York Times Book Review, writes "Reiss handles this difficult material by probing her memory for clues, putting facts and suppositions together in ferverish prose jutting back in forth in time..." The book was also selected as a Editor's Choice in the NY Times Book Review. 

Johanna Reiss will be reading at Barnes and Noble in Park Slope on May 5th at 7:30 p.m. 

Johanna Reiss writes:

I seem to deal with grief by writing about it. I did it with The Upstairs Room, the story of my time in hiding as a Jewish child living in Holland during the Holocaust.

And now there is my new memoir in which I "look" at what happened on August 24, 1969, the date and the year my husband killed himself here, in New York, while I was in Holland to talk to the family who  had sheltered me during WWII.

Excerpt:  How do you tell children that life is one continuous goodbye, that with each day the end comes a little nearer, each step, each touch, each sound, whether you're around to hear it or not, cars tooting, trains
whistling, boats hooting; how do you explain that people you're close to, or thought you were, can just vanish?

Accordian Angels Tonight at Freddy's: Eclectic Squeeze of Music

Hear the Accordian Angels tonight at Freddy's in Prospect Heights, where you will be treated to the sounds of Rossini, Ellington, Ivor Cutler, Kraftwerk  and more, mingled and squozen out at one of Brooklyn's great music bars.

I know the Accordian Angels have a great sound because last Sunday they practiced in front of one of the buildings on Third Street. On that Sunday, one of the first gorgeous days of Spring, Third Streeters and passers-by were treated to an impromptu concert and it was lovely.

Here's your chance to hear them:

Saturday April 25th / 8:00 pm

Freddy's Backroom 

485 Dean Street

Brooklyn NY 11217

718-622-7035

near Bergen St (2 or 3 trains)

no charge, but "the hat" will be passed...

also playing:  

9pm - Brotherhood of the Jug Band Blues

10pm - Julia Haltigan & The Hooligans

11pm - Mike Cobb & The Crevulators - (thanks - they got us the gig!)

12am - Jimmy & The Wolfpack

Brooklyn Film Works Summer Schedule: "Downturns in Destiny"

Summer's coming and that means theater and film outdoors in front of the Old Stone House in Washington Park. This July there will be performances outdoors by Piper Theater. And of course, Brooklyn Reading Works will take out the big screen and project some fantastic movies outdoors.

And I  just got the scoop from Kim Maier, who runs the Old Stone House, on this summer's Brooklyn Film Works films. The series is called Downturns in Destiny.

Downturns in Destiny at Brooklyn Film Works on Thursdays in July in Washington Park (the Park formerly known as JJ Byrne Park):

July 2: Yankee Doodle Dandy

July 9: Dr. Strangelove

July 16: What a Way to Go

July 23: Films from the Piper Theater Film Workshop

July 30: Sullivan's Travels

Are You Going to the Dazzle Me Forum?

If you are, I'll see you there. It's this morning from 10:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the public library in Carroll Gardens. Organized by the Coalition for Respectful Development.

I love the name of this event and it perfectly characterizes the feisty energy of the neighborhood activists who have organized this.

CORD (The Coalition for Respectful Development with SoBNA (South Brooklyn Neighborhood Alliance) have invited  the seven candidates who are running for the City Council seat in the 39th District to a special event called, the Dazzle Me Forum. Because this is in Carroll Gardens the issue addressed may focus on this area but this should still be of interest to voters from other neighborhoods.  

When: Saturday, April 25th

Time: Begins at 10:30 a promptly. Ends at 1:00 pm

Where: Carroll Gardens Library Auditorium at 396 Clinton St. @ Union St. Brooklyn, NY 11231

Here's how the organizers are framing this event:

These men all want to work FOR US as our representative on the NYC Council. DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS you would like to ask? DO YOU HAVE CONCERNS and want to choose the BEST PERSON POSSIBLE for this job? Here is your opportunity!!

We are taking your questions from now until April 15th. Your submissions will become part of the event. If you would like some of your concerns addressed...please submit your question(s) to:

Via email: CGCORD@GMAIL.COM or via phone: 347-661-8819All questions (duplicates excluded) will be submitted to the candidates on the day of the event. If you are interested in attending we strongly recommend that you reserve a seat as soon as possible. You may do so by using either the email address or the phone number above.

Light refreshments will be served immediately following the "interviews"

What Is The New Anti-Idling Law?

I just discovered the Global Climate Blog that has information about anti-idling laws. Here's an excerpt from a post about NYC's anti-idling law called Introductory Number 631-A.

On February 10, 2009, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed legislation reducing the amount of time that vehicles can idle near schools and expanding New York City's enforcement of idling laws. Introductory Number 631-A reduces the amount of time that non-emergency vehicles can idle adjacent to schools from three minutes to one minute. In addition, the legislation requires the Environmental Control Board and Department of FinanceIntroductory Number 40-A authorizes the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of Sanitation to enforce idling laws (enforcement was previously limited to the Department of Environmental Protection and the Police Department). The new legislation also gives civilians the ability to report truck idling violations. (Previously, citizens were entitled to report noncompliant buses only.) Hearings were recently held on a third piece of potential legislation, known as Proposed Introductory Number 881-A, which, if passed would require the city to implement technology to allow traffic enforcement agents to issue idling tickets via their hand-held computers.
to submit annual reports on the number of idling violations issued and the total value of penalties assessed.

Here is a transcription of the anti-idling law from webdocs.nyccouncil. And you can see the names of the council members who wrote it. I see that de Blasio had a part in it.

Int. No. 631-A

By Council Members Liu, Arroyo, Jackson, Brewer, Dickens, Gerson, Gonzalez, James, Koppell, Martinez, Palma, Reyna, Sanders Jr., Foster, Mark-Viverito, Mendez, de Blasio, White Jr., Vann, Garodnick, Gennaro, Rivera, Sears and Stewart

..Title

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to engine idling.

..Body

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

Section 1. Subdivision a of section 24-163 of subchapter seven of chapter one of title 24 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended to read as follows:

§24-163 Operation of motor vehicle; idling of engine restricted.  (a)  No person shall cause or permit the engine of a motor vehicle, other than a legally authorized emergency motor vehicle, to idle for longer than three minutes, except as provided in subdivision (f) of this section, while parking as defined in section one hundred twenty-nine of the vehicle and traffic law, standing as defined in section one hundred forty-five of the vehicle and traffic law, or stopping as defined in section one hundred forty-seven of the vehicle and traffic law, unless the engine is used to operate a loading, unloading or processing device.  When the ambient temperature is in excess of forty degrees Fahrenheit, no person shall cause or permit the engine of a bus as defined in section one hundred four of the vehicle and traffic law to idle while parking, standing, or stopping (as defined above) at any terminal point, whether or not enclosed, along an established route....read more here

New Shutoff Systems for Fresh Direct Trucks: No More Idling

As reported in today's New York Times, Fresh Direct has agreed to buy new, improved trucks that are equpped with shutoff systems so that they won't be idling in front of your building anymore.

Where there's a will there's a way. OR: where there's a crack down you really see some action. Why didn't they do this sooner. Probably because the new trucks are expensive...

An investigation into Fresh Direct revealed that the company's trucks were violating anti-idling laws. That's the law that says a car or truck cannot idle for no longer than one minute.

Anti-idling laws were already on the books. But Bloomberg in 2009 strengthened them by reducing the number of minutes from three to one minutes.

Even at three minutes, Fresh DIrect has been breaking that law for a long, long time. They idle for much longer when they make multiple deliveries on one block. Those trucks can sit there for upwards of 15 minutes at all hours of the day and night.

Yay for Andrew Cuomo for pursuing this investigation and  making this happen. He told the New York Times that idling is bad for public health and the enviornoment. But it also wastes fuel. Fresh Direct is paying $50,000 in fines  for violating state and city anti-idling laws. 

But guess what? The refrigeration noise that also bothers people will not be shut off. Well, there's no law against refrigeration noise AND you don't really want Fresh Direct to have to turn the refrigeration off because that would be gross.

Still, those shutoff systems are a great idea. I think it is the idling that's very annoying and I for one am thrilled that this is happening.

No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford

The Daily Dish on the Brooklyn Food Conference

Anne Pope our friend at Sustainable Flatbush created a great little animation. Check it out. 

Your food has issues. Find out more at the Brooklyn Food Conference, May 2, 2009.
http://sustainableflatbush.org/sendcard/sendcard.php?view=1&id=Dttz4CpepMVH