On Vacation

This will be my last post until Tuesday, June 2nd.

Until then, I'll be on vacation out-of-state.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Talk to you soon.

Stanless Steel

The following comes from Julia at Rooftop Films, a summer film series showcasing new independent films and emerging bands in outdoor Brooklyn locations.

On Saturday, May 30th at 8:00 PM, the documentary Strongman will be screened on the roof at Brooklyn Tech, 29 Fort Greene Place.

The film is described as a humorous, heart-wrenching portrait of Stanless Steel, the "Strongest Man in the World".

There will also be live music, an after-party and an open bar.

Tickets are $9 - $25.

For tickets and more information: http://newyork.going.com/event-602716;Rooftop_Films_Strongman

Hold the Ermine

Daily News columnist Errol Louis dismisses as "hype" the assumption that Mayor Bloomberg has this November's election sewn up.

Bloomberg may already have racked up $18.6 million for "flacks, hacks, pollsters and preachers" -- $15 million of it in the past 2 months for TV, radio and direct mail advertising.

He may be spending at a rate double that of his 2005 campaign, which cost a record-breaking $80 million.

He may have been skewered by President Obama at the recent White House Correspondents Association dinner as "a leader who rules over millions with an iron first, owns the airwaves, and uses his power to crush all who would challenge his authority at the ballot box..."

But Louis sees hints that the mayoral race could get much closer by November.

Hint #1: Bloomberg's three-month $15 million advertising blitz hasn't moved key poll numbers.

Hint #2: The electorate is now divided 47% to 48% over whether Bloomberg deserves a third term, with 47% in favor of a third term and 48% against. This is not good news for Bloomberg, who has tried to downplay his city council end-run around the term limits law.

Hint #3: Voters don't support the mayor's stance on education, the issue on which he has staked his political reputation. In what is seen as a rebuke, 60% of registered voters say they want control of the schools removed from city hall and turned over to an advisory panel.

Hint #4: Corporate titans like Bloomberg aren't as popular these days as they were 8 years ago. In these hard times, voters are more drawn to sympathetic leaders who understand what it's like for struggling families.

The mayor's approval rating is still 57% - up 7 points since February - and most New Yorkers think the city is on the right track. Bloomberg's presumptive Democratic opponent, Bill Thompson, despite his 30 years in public service, is still an unknown to many. But it would be cynical, says Louis, to assume that money will trump values this early in the game.

The Daily News column:
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/05/24/2009-05-24_why_earths_richest_mayor_wont_coast_to_a_third_term.html

Upcoming Events in the Neighborhood

• Grand opening of CB 10's new office at 8119 5th Avenue between 81 and 82 Streets, Thursday, May 28 from 6-8 PM.

• The Bravo 5K Race, Sunday, May 31 at 10 AM, Shore Road Path at 101 Street.

• The June "Love Wanted" pet adoption event at Salem Church, 450 67 Street (between 4th and 5th Avenues) on Saturday, June 6 at 11:30 AM, rain or shine. There will be a celebrity guest from Animal Planet.
  

• DOT's Brooklyn Bus Rapid Transit Workshops June 9 and 10.
  

Flyers in CB 10's window:

Mortgage counseling services from CAMBA:
718-282-2500

Pickup by Scout Troop 20 of used household appliances and other items:
www.reachinout.org

Tom Paine

The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation will sponsor a free lecture by NYU history professor J. Ward Regan entitled "Thomas Paine: Foundling Father" at 2 PM on Saturday, June 6 at Jefferson Market Library, 425 Avenue of the Americas.

The event is part of the Paine Year 2009 commemoration.

Professor Regan will explore Paine’s last days in Greenwich Village and his enduring historic significance.

Born and raised in England, Paine became the voice of the patriot cause during the American Revolution, of which he wrote: “These are the times that try men’s souls".

Paine died in poverty and obscurity in the Village in June, 1809.

The event is co-sponsored by the Thomas Paine Friends, Inc.

RSVP to: http://us.mc813.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=rsvp@gvshp.org or (212) 475-9585 ext. 35.

"Talk to Me"

City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Bill Thompson has criticized Mayor Bloomberg's plan to raise the city sales tax by 8.875%, saying that a tax increase will hammer small businesses and cost thousands of people their jobs.

Instead, Thompson supports a modest tax increase for those who earn $500,000 or more a year.

Thompson points to Mayor Bloomberg's plan to spend $45 million in city money to retrain bankers and traders who lost their Wall Street jobs as evidence that Bloomberg is out of touch with New York City's "Main Street".

Thompson has launched an effort to get feedback from ordinary New Yorkers, asking them to tell him what they think will best help New York's struggling economy.

If you'd like to respond to the Thompson survey, here's the link:
http://www.thompson2009.com/page/m2/55f6f0dd/685b5ea/3a0f0380/5eaf196/1596990226/VEsC/

St. Vincent de Paul

The story-line is all-too familiar: the preservation group Save St. Vincent de Paul, Inc., fighting to save Chelsea's St. Vincent de Paul Church from being "consolidated" by the cash-strapped Archdiocese of New York, has submitted another request for evaluation (RFE) to the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission.

This is the third RFE they have filed with the LPC since 2006.

This time, the preservationists have retained the Urban Environmental Law Center to submit the RFE.

The 150-year-old Greco-Roman church sits on a valuable block-through parcel on W. 23rd St. between Sixth and Seventh Aves. The Archdiocese says it hasn't decided what to do with the 400-seat church, but that it won't maintain it just for the sake of doing so.

The LPC, citing St. Vincent’s updated façade—altered in 1939 from Romanesque Revival to Greek Revival-- says it still won't calendar the church. According to an LPC spokesperson, the church was "evaluated" and it was determined that it did not "rise to the level of an individual New York City landmark".

Advocates hope that sending copies of the application to the LPC’s individual commissioners, rather than to the staff, will help get the RFE calendared this time.

The church has a rich history. It was the first integrated church and parish school to serve African-American children. It may also be one of the only churches that feature 10 large Tiffany stained glass windows depicting scenes of French religious history.

Manhattan Community Board 4, Assemblymember Richard Gottfried, State Sen. Thomas Duane and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer all support landmarking the church.

According to its spokesperson, the LPC has to be "extremely selective about the churches that we consider for landmark designation".

The article from Chelsea Now:
http://www.chelseanow.com/cn_128/chelseachurch.html

Memorial Day Parade

"If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace." -Thomas Paine

"Brooklyn for Bloomberg"

These posters began appearing this weekend in some storefronts on 5th Avenue in Bay Ridge.

For whatever reason, all the businesses seemed to be Chinese-owned.

At the Memorial Day Parade on Monday, Bloomberg campaign workers were leafletting the crowd.

The flyers say that the Bloomberg campaign is opening a Bay Ridge office at 8315 5th Avenue, between 83rd and 84th Streets in Bay Ridge.

There will be opening receptions on Thursday, May 28 from 5-8 PM and on Saturday, May 30, from noon - 3 PM.

The flyer promises that "elected leaders" will attend.

Link Roundup

Trash joins preservation-hatin', graffiti, home-delivered crack cocaine, parking tickets, cyclones, club kids, homicide hotels and eau de sewage as a signature Bay Ridge issue.

Dyker Heights Animal Health Fair June 6.

Reader John Clements, in a letter to the editor of the Brooklyn Paper, has more to say on the trash issue.

Memorial Day concert in Green-Wood Cemetery.

Nathan Kensinger explores the Williamsburg Savings Bank.

Will streetcars return to Brooklyn?

The Ringling Brothers Circus is hosting a job fair in Coney Island.

Coney Island's Dreamland Roller Rink is open for the summer.

City Council hearing on Two Trees' controversial Dock Street DUMBO project.

More on the Mayor's plan to charge homeless people to live in shelters.

May Roses

Landmark Follies

The 127-year-old Windermere, a Queen Anne-style three-building apartment complex in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, was built in 1881 to accommodate the city's growing middle class.

The complex once attracted "new women", the first American generation of single, self-supporting women -- waitresses, nurses and teachers -- as tenants.

The Windermere is one of the few large apartment houses of its era left in New York City.

By the time city's Landmarks Preservation Commission granted the Windermere landmark status in June, 2005, it was a decaying wreck, a victim of demolition-by-neglect.

Eventually, in March, 2008, the LPC filed a lawsuit to force the Japanese owner, Toa Construction Co., Inc., to stabilize and repair the buildings.

Last week, Toa, after being hit with a record 1.1 million in civil penalties, bailed out.

The new owner, Windermere Properties LLC, has promised the court it will shore and brace the buildings and make other repairs by the end of September.

In a concurrent civil lawsuit, Toa was ordered to pay $2.6 in penalties to 6 former tenants of the Windermere who were evicted in 2007 after the New York City Fire Department found the building uninhabitable.

The article from AM NY:
http://weblogs.amny.com/entertainment/urbanite/blog/2009/05/windermere_tk.html

More from WNYC:
http://www.wnyc.org/news/articles/132737

Plutocrats for Bloomberg?

Up for some ironic humor, kids?

According to the New York Post, Mayor Bloomberg's "scorched earth" mayoral campaign has recruited a cadre of rich and powerful Democratic operatives, including billionaire fundraiser Jonathan Tisch, CEO of Loews, and several wealthy African-Americans, for something called "Democrats for Bloomberg".

Underfunded city comptroller Bill Thompson, the presumptive Democratic mayoral nominee, who is not a billionaire, could have used some of the gratuitous fundraising help Tisch has thrown to fellow plutocrat Bloomberg.

If Jonathan Tisch, who recently spent $40 million for an apartment on the Upper West Side, is a Democrat, then what am I? But more importantly, what is 30-year party veteran Bill Thompson?

What does it mean, in the aftermath of term limits extension, to be a Democrat in New York City? Can the party survive Bloomberg?

I see the Democratic Party in New York City inevitably splitting into two factions: the rich -- and those willing to live on the crumbs from their tables -- and union-and-civil liberties-oriented working people, who I see being increasingly drawn to parties like Working Families.

The article from the New York Post:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/05212009/news/regionalnews/bighot_dems_back_bloomy_170335.htm

Brooklyn Independent Democrats endorse a 27-year old anti-gay marriage "pro-life" candidate for public advocate:
http://www.politickerny.com/3669/how-liberal-democratic-club-endorsed-gay-marriage-opponent

At least the "party loyalty" argument worked for Kirsten Gillibrand:
http://www.politickerny.com/3569/source-israel-will-not-challenge-gillibrand

Kings County Memorial Day Parade

The Kings County Memorial Day Parade, held every year for the past 142 years, is the oldest in the nation.

Originally held on Eastern Parkway, the parade was moved to Bay Ridge 18 years ago.

The parade steps off at 11 a.m. on Monday, May 25 at 87th Street and 3rd Avenue, and will continue on Marine and Fourth Avenues to John Paul Jones Park on 101st Street, where there will be a ceremony for the honored dead.

Army Spec. Nick Mosby, an Iraqi veteran stationed at Fort Hamilton, will serve as grand marshall.

The article from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle:
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=31&id=28419

More from the Daily Eagle:
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=23&id=28373

City Puts a Lid on It

The Brooklyn Paper reports that this summer, the city will install tight-fitting aluminum covers over the holding tanks of near-raw sewage that account for 90% of the stench coming from the Owls Head Wastewater Treatment Plant in Bay Ridge.

The metal covers will replace the temporary wood and steel canopies put up two years ago to keep down the smell while the city's Department of Environmental Protection looked for a more permanent solution.

The new metal covers will provide a better seal than the existing wooden ones. The old canopies will be removed and the new covers installed tank-by-tank, to minimize the stink.

The changeover should be complete by September.

The article from the Brooklyn Paper:
http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/32/20/32_20_bm_stinks.html

Unemployment Benefits Extended 13 Weeks

Gov. David Paterson has signed a bill extending the unemployment benefits of tens of thousands of New Yorkers for an additional 13 weeks.

The bill was rushed through the state senate and assembly because 56,000 New Yorkers would have lost their unemployment benefits by the end of this week.

Because of the legislation, those people, and 64,000 others, will continue receiving uninterrupted benefits.

The extension will not increase employers' costs, since the $645 million for the extended benefits will come out of federal stimulus money.

In March, the state's unemployment rate was 8.1 percent. There are 430,000 state residents now receiving unemployment benefits. The state unemployment fund has been depleted since January, and the state will have to borrow $1.4 billion this year to fund unemployment.

Extra benefits will cost the state and its counties $28 million in administrative and other costs, which will be funded through revenues from higher personal income taxes in this year's state budget.

Unemployment benefits in New York State last 26 weeks. The maximum weekly benefit is $405.

As a result of the federal stimulus, people can now receive unemployment benefits if they leave work because of domestic violence, caring for sick family members or moving with a spouse to a new job location.

The article from Buffalo Business First:
http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2009/05/18/daily38.html

Fifth Annual Brooklyn Pizza Eating Contest

Rocco's Pizzeria, at 78th Street and 5th Avenue in Bay Ridge, will sponsor the 5th Annual Brooklyn Pizza Eating Contest on Sunday, May 31st at 3:00 PM.

The contest is the centerpiece of the Fifth Avenue Festival, a street fair that will extend this year from 65th Street to 86th Street.

Fair organizers expect some 300,000 spectators -- if the weather cooperates.

An entire block of 5th Avenue will be allocated to the contest. DJ Borasio of PULSE 87 radio will host the event.

The contest draws some of the most voracious competitive eaters from across the U.S. -- all of them greedy for the $300 grand prize and the coveted Brooklyn title.

This year, two-time champion Sal Carbone will defend his title against pro-eaters William Millander, Joel Podalsky and #1 ranked WLOCE champion Dale Boone.

A percentage of the proceeds of the event will be donated to MercyFirst, a not-for-profit agency that serves more than 4,000 children, teenagers and families annually in Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk.

Additional sponsors include Bill Boshell of Super Roofer, Grande Cheese Company, Oliveri and Sons and Antonio Foods.

The contest is the original, and the largest, event of its kind in Brooklyn -- the undisputed pizza capital of the world.

Five to seven local contestants will be selected through preliminary trials in which they will be judged based on how many slices of Rocco's thin crust pizza they can put away in 12 minutes.

For more information, visit the website at: http://www.annualbrooklynpizzaeatingcontest.com/

Sal Carbone successfully defended his title.

Photos of the contest from Bayridgistan.

Charter Schools "Creaming"?

As the Bloomberg administration increasingly relies on publicly-financed, privately-run, non-union charter schools, it has become "an article of faith" that charter schools work. But Vanessa Witenko, in a newly-released analysis from Inside Schools, casts doubt on that assumption.

Witenko's analysis questions the validity of comparative test scores recently released by the state showing that 77% of charter school kids met standards, compared with 69% of regular public school students.

Witenko found that charter schools tend to exclude homeless kids, ESL students, and special education students: special needs kids tend to end up in regular public schools.

For example, only about 111 of the 51,316 homeless kids in the city go to charter schools. Of the 14 - 17 % of city kids who need English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction, only 3% go to charter schools -- some charters won’t even take them. And, according to City Comptroller William Thompson, there are 15 charter schools that have no special education students.

"Excellence", or engineered statistics?

The article from Gotham Gazette:
http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2009/05/20/charter-school-students-and-tests/

Related Juan Gonzalez column from the Daily News:
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2009/05/08/2009-05-08_city_test_numbers_too_good_to_be_true_hide_achievement_gap_of_poor_students_some.html

An "Urban Myth"?

State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, with Mayor Bloomberg's control over the city's schools under fire in Albany, has released an audit report finding that Mayor Bloomberg's Department of Education has a no-bid contract habit.

Critics have long railed against the DOB's no-bid contracts. Now, as the state legislature looks at whether the DOE needs more checks and balances, the critics have got fresh ammo.

DiNapoli's audit, requested by Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, found that between July 2005 and June 2008, the department let 291 no-bid contracts, each valued at $100,000 or more, worth a total of $342.5 million.

Schools Chancellor Joel Klein has called the no-bid contract issue“an urban myth".

In testimony earlier this year, City Comptroller and mayoral candidate William Thompson criticized the DOE for going over-budget by at least 25% in about 20% of its contracts. One Xerox contract for copying machines, worth $1 million, ended up costing $68 million.

School officials said the Comptroller's figures were wrong.

A key point of the mayoral control debate is that, even though the Mayor says the DOE is just another city agency, the DOE refuses to run its procurement function under the city's procurement rules, choosing instead to operate under state rules.

According to Thompson, Bloomberg and Klein have exploited a "gray area" in the law that lets the DOE flip between treating itself as a city agency and a state agency -- depending on what is most convenient at the time. And the fact that the DOE refuses to operate under the procurement rules governing all other city agencies makes its process far less transparent and accountable.

Thompson and the City Council Working Group on School Governance would treat the DOE as any other city agency -- in all respects, including procurement.

The article from Gotham Gazette:
http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2009/05/19/a-lesson-in-school-contracts/

333 Ovington Sells for $11 Million

Broker Massey Knakal, in a declining market, got $11 million and change -- $121 per square foot -- for the 6-story, 119 unit Spanish Colonial apartment building at 333 Ovington Avenue in Bay Ridge.

The all-cash deal is the biggest apartment building sale in Brooklyn this year.

According to the broker, the property, which had been on the market for a year, could have sold for as much as $13 million in 2006.

The building, owned by the same family for more than 50 years, was described as being "in pristine condition".

The buyer is a "family enterprise" that goes by the name SG & Sons Realty, which owns and operates a number of other apartment buildings in Brooklyn and Queens. The buyer was represented by Mitchell Shpelfogel of the law firm of Pinczewski & Shpelfogel PC.

The only comparable Brooklyn deal this year was an 80,000 square foot factory/warehouse building space in Greenpoint, which sold in March for $14 million.

Deals this big are unusual in this market, where only properties under $5 million have been trading.

The article from Crain's New York:
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20090515/FREE/905159978

Brooklyn Preservation Council Meets

The Brooklyn Preservation Council, now incorporated as a foundation and a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, will meet tomorrow evening, Tuesday May 19th, at 6:30 p.m. in the first flooor conference room at Brooklyn Borough Hall.

For more information, contact Robert Furman at (917) 648-4043 or (212) 751-0038 or e-mail him at bobfurman1@juno.com

Bay Ridge Norwegian Day Parade

Bee Friendly

A mysterious condition know as Colony Collapse Disorder is killing honeybees and threatening global agriculture. You can help support honeybees and other pollinators by making your backyard pollinator-friendly.

Your garden should include a wide variety of plants that, ideally, bloom all season long. Plants with a variety of shapes and colors are more likely to attract different types of pollinators.

Clusters of plants are easier for pollinators to locate.

Native plant species are 4 times more likely to attract pollinators than imported species.

Don't use chemical pesticides. Control garden pests through natural methods if you can, and if you can't avoid using pesticides, don't use those that are highly toxic to bees, such as most neonicotinoid pesticides.

Spray only after dusk, when pollinators are usually done for the day. Try not to use more than one pesticide at a time, because some chemical combinations have a multiplier effect.

Some of the pesticides most toxic to bees -- and what they’re commonly used for:

• Clothianidin: Corn, canola
• Dinotefuran: Cabbage, bell peppers, cotton, grapes, melons
• Imidacloprid: Cabbage, pumpkins, cotton, blueberries, citrus, grapes, melons
• Thiamethoxam: Bell peppers, cotton, cantaloupes, cherries, pears, strawberries, watermelons

A shallow pool of water will attract bees and keep them healthy. It is also helpful to provide a variety of nesting habitats.

About 30% of native bee species nest in old beetle tunnels, snags (dead standing trees) or similar locations. Retaining snags encourages bee nests. You can also make some nesting blocks.

About 70% of native bee species nest in the ground and need access to the soil surface to nest. The help ground-nesting bees, clear small patches of level or sloping ground and gently compact the soil surface. Patches can be from a few inches to a few feet across and should be well drained and in an open, sunny slope. Create nesting patches in different areas to maximize nesting.

For bumblebees, there are no strict size requirements. Any hole large enough for a small colony will be OK. In the wild, most bumblebees nest in abandoned mouse holes in the ground or under grass tussocks. Where you can, keep patches of rough grass. Where you can’t, consider building a nest box or two.

Native plants are the best way to attract and nurture bees. These are rich in pollen or nectar:

• Aster (Aster)
• Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia)
• Blazing star (Liatris)
• Caltrop (Kallstroemia)
• Creosote bush (Larrea)
• Currant (Ribes)
• Elder (Sambucus)
• Goldenrod (Solidago)
• Huckleberry (Vaccinium)
• Joe-pye weed (Eupatorium)
• Lupine (Lupinus)
• Oregon grape (Mahonia)
• Penstemon (Penstemon)
• Purple coneflower (Echinacea)
• Rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus)
• Rhododendron (Rhododendron)
• Sage (Salvia)
• Scorpion-weed (Phacelia)
• Snowberry (Symphoricarpos)
• Stonecrop (Sedum)
• Sunflower (Helianthus)
• Wild buckwheat (Eriogonum)
• Wild-lilac (Ceanothus)
• Willow (Salix)

Supplement native plants with imports:

• Basil (Ocimum)
• Borage (Borago)
• Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster)
• English lavender (Lavandula)
• Globe thistle (Echinops)
• Hyssop (Hyssopus)
• Marjoram (Origanum)
• Mexican sunflower (Tithonia)
• Rosemary (Rosmarinus)
• Wallflower (Erysimum)

The post from the Natural Resources Defense Council: http://www.nrdc.org/wildlife/animals/beegardens.asp

The Borough

Despite falling Manhattan rents, creative businesses are staying in Brooklyn. Some are moving back. In November, Spike Lee's advertising agency moved from Madison Avenue in Manhattan to Dumbo after a poll of the agency's employees found that they all wanted to stay in artsier, hipper Brooklyn.

Over the past decade, as Manhattan became a gilded playground for the rich, Brooklyn became the city's creative center. Artists, designers, novelists and musicians flowed into Brooklyn, settling in resurgent working class neighborhoods like Cobble Hill, Fort Greene, Dumbo and Williamsburg.

Now, with Manhattan real estate prices dropping, Crain's New York Business wonders if Brooklyn will lose its status as a destination for the young and trendy. During the first quarter of this year, the number of Brooklyn real estate transactions fell 57% against the same period in 2008—the biggest drop for any borough. In Manhattan, where declining rents have slowed the number of Manhattanites fleeing to Brooklyn for affordable rents, that number was 48%.

Long-time Bay Ridge resident Kathryn Wylde, CEO of the Bloomberg-friendly Partnership for New York City, predicts that the yuppie tide flowing into Brooklyn will now reverse. Although Brooklyn rents are still cheaper, some, citing long commmutes, are returning to Manhattan.

Will Brooklyn fall back to outer boro status? Unlikely, with so much of the arts scene now in Brooklyn. Between 2000 and 2006, Brooklyn saw a 33.2% increase in self-employed interior, industrial and graphic designers, writers, artists, architects and producers. During the same period, Manhattan posted just 6.5% in growth.

As music venues have disappeared from Manhattan, new ones have opened in Williamsburg. Chanterelle has opened a restaurant in Greenpoint. For many families, Park Slope is the new Upper West Side.

With more creative businesses emerging in Brooklyn, commuting to Manhattan may become a thing of the past. All of the 85 employees of Brooklyn Industries, a hip clothing company with 10 stores nationwide, live in Brooklyn.

The city's creative workforce is Brooklyn-based. In Park Slope, Cobble Hill, Red Hook, Dumbo and Fort Greene, among others, more than half of residents have bachelor's degrees or higher, and many work in graphic design, architecture and software development.

Brooklyn has become the place where "things are invented and trends are born".

Joe Chan, president of the Brooklyn Downtown Partnership, finds the fact that so many creative people live completely Brooklyn-centric lives, spending all of their time and money here, to be a stabilizing factor for the borough.

The article from Crain's New York:
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20090517/SMALLBIZ/305179969#

Pashtuns Protest

As fighting between the Taliban and Pakistani armed forces has intensified in the Swat Valley in northwest Pakistan, forcing more than a million Pashtuns to flee their villages, Brooklyn's Pashtun immigrants have taken to the streets.

On Friday, about 200 people, most of them Pashtun, held a raucous anti-Taliban protest march outside a mosque on Coney Island Avenue.

Taj Akbar Khan, president of the Kyber Society, an organizer of the march, called the Taliban "a vicious enemy".

Protesters interviewed by the New York Times said they feared for the lives of their relatives in northwest Pakistan. One man began to sob over the fate of his blind sister, left alone in her abandoned village.

As many as 7,000 Swatis live in the United States, about half in the New York area, generally within the larger Pakistani population on Coney Island Avenue and in Astoria.

Over the past several years, the Taliban has expanded its control from the Afghan border toward Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, taking the Swat Valley in February.

Under pressure from the U.S., Pakistani security forces have launched a counterattack and claim to have regained control, but the fighting has been bitterly devisive and destructive.

Iqbal Ali Khan, general secretary of the Awami National Party in the U.S., has vowed to hold protests every week, to "let the world know that Pashtuns are not terrorists"

The post from the New York Times Cityroom Blog:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/15/in-brooklyn-pashtuns-march-against-the-taliban/#more-36997

Rosemaling

Doris Jensen, who I met today at Viking Fest, is a practitioner and teacher of the Norwegian folk art of Rosemaling. You can see examples of her work in the photo at right.

Doris leads a Rosemaling group that meets every month at the 59th Street Lutheran/Brethren Church at 749 59th Street.

The group will meet on Monday, May 18th at 7 PM -- their last meeting before summer break.

If you would like to learn more about Rosemaling, the group or Doris Jensen's work, you can reach her at 718-853-1734.

Viking Fest in Bliss Park

South Street Seaport

Link Roundup

Mayor Bloomberg could close as many as 16 firehouses if the firemens' union won't come to heel.

The city's Water Board raises rates by nearly 13%.

Mayor Bloomberg charging the working homeless rent to live in shelters.

Bloomberg turns down stimulus funds for food stamps, unless they come with a workfare requirement.

Bloomberg's current re-election tab: $18.7 million.

More on Mayor Bloomberg's latest antics from Lost City.

Marty Golden wants to reinstate the death penalty.

Fleet Week flyover of the Verrazano Bridge at 11:45 AM on May 20.

A 17-gun salute from Fort Hamilton as the ships arrive in New York Harbor on the morning of May 20.

A detailed Fleet Week schedule from the Intrepid Museum.

Spring plant sale and crafts fair at the Narrows Botanical Gardens on Sunday, May 17 from noon to 5.

It's Viking Weekend: with Viking Fest on Saturday, May 16 and the Norwegian Day Parade on Sunday, May 17.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle interviews Victoria Hofmo, a prime mover behind Viking Fest.

Bay Ridge becomes a foodie destination.

Graffiti Busters

Bay Ridge State Senator Marty Golden may have done virtually nothing to stop the MTA's doomsday budget, but graffiti? That's another matter.

Last week, Golden, with local business and civic leaders, launched "City Solve", a new graffiti eradication program, calling graffiti "an eyesore", a threat to the economy and a threat to local quality of life.

The City Solve program is funded by $50,000 in city funds secured by Golden for the 23rd State Senate District, from Bay Ridge to Marine Park.

If you've got graffiti you want removed, call Golden’s office at (718) 238-6044 and speak to Brett Sullivan, or e-mail Brett at golden@senate.state.ny.us.

The article from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle:
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=31&id=28236

Jeremy Tracy Benefit

Jeremy Tracy, the son of keyboardist Pete Tracy and the nephew of bass player John Tracy of the local Bay Ridge band The Piranha Brothers, has been battling Hodgkin’s Lymphoma for a year and is currently undergoing an extended second round of aggressive chemotherapy.

Jeremy and his wife Maggie have three young children, eight-year-old Jimmy, three-year-old Katie and eighteen-month-old Tommy.

Jeremy’s illness and rapidly-mounting medical expenses have hit the family hard.

On Sunday, June 7th at 2 PM, there will be a benefit concert for Jeremy Tracy and his family at the Lief Pub, 6725 Fifth Avenue in Bay Ridge. The number there is 718-745-9501.

Some of best bands in Bay Ridge are scheduled for the event, including Southern Comfort, Prodigal Child, Frankie Marra, and of course, The Piranha Brothers.

The suggested donation is $25, which includes bar food.

There will be a cash bar, raffles, a 50-50 and some surprise events.

All of the proceeds will go directly to the Tracy family.

So come by, hear some great music, and support a worthy cause.

Kids are welcome. The Lief has a nice outdoor garden.

If you can't make it to the benefit but want to help Jeremy Tracy's family, donations can be sent c/o Kathleen Tracy, 6907 Ridge Boulevard, Brooklyn, NY 11209.

For more information, contact Pete Tracy by phone at 718-921-0825 or e-mail at: http://us.mc813.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=piranhabrosmail@aol.com

Dinkins Endorses Thompson

David Dinkins, the city's 106th mayor, endorsed fellow Democrat William Thompson on the steps of City Hall this afternoon.

Dinkins issued the following statement in connection with the endorsement:

"I'm proud that Bill, our city comptroller and a New Yorker with such a rich history of public service to this city, is in position to become our next mayor, and I'm looking forward to working with you and your neighbors to help him along that road to City Hall.

During these tough economic times, our city needs Bill Thompson. Now more than ever, we need a mayor who can appreciate just how deeply these tough times are affecting New Yorkers -- our families and our communities as well as our businesses and banking institutions.

Bill Thompson's commitment to creating new jobs, to quality education, to affordable housing, and to supporting small businesses didn't start yesterday. And it is his longstanding commitment to creating opportunities for all New Yorkers that makes him the right person for the job.

I look forward to campaigning with Bill Thompson over the next six months, and I invite you to join me in supporting him as he travels to your neighborhood...on the road to City Hall."

That Dinkins, a friend of Mayor Bloomberg, has so publicly demonstrated his loyalty to his fellow Democrat Thompson, when other so-called "Democrats" are hot-footing it over to Team Bloomberg, is a classy and refreshingly old-school move. Nice.

Without party loyalty, the word "Democrat" means nothing.

Bay Ridge Flea Market

The Bay Ridge Jewish Center, at the corner of 4th Avenue and 81st Street, will host a flea market on Sunday, May 24 from 9:00 AM to 4 PM.

The nearest stop on the "R" train is 77th Street.

There will be more than 40 vendors offering collectables, jewelry, household items and gifts.

If you're a seller, you can rent a table for $35.00. Call 718-836-3103 or e-mail brjc11209@aol.com to reserve a table.

Bay Ridge Night at Keyspan

Katie Grenda of the Brooklyn Cyclones asked me to pass along the following information to local baseball fans.

The Brooklyn Cyclones will host a "Bay Ridge Night" and fundraiser for local food pantries at 7 PM on July 8, at Keyspan Park in Coney Island.

The Cyclones, a Class "A" affiliate of the New York Mets, will play the Aberdeen Ironbirds, a Class "A" team affiliated with the Baltimore Orioles.

Regular boxes are $12 and field boxes $15.

For tickets, visit the Cyclones Website: http://www.brooklyncyclones.com/

To reach Katie directly, call 718-382-2622 or e-mail her at: katie@brooklyncyclones.com

To reserve for groups of 20 or more, call 718-507-TIXX.

A portion of each ticket sold using the promo code "Bay Ridge" will be donated to the collective food pantries of Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and Fort Hamilton.

According to local columnist Citizen Kane, "Bay Ridge Night" was a big hit.

Green Church Bulletin

A "Stop Work" order appeared yesterday on the Fourth Avenue strip of the blue wall of death surrounding the site where the Green Church and the Methodist parsonage once stood.

On May 6, according to the DOB BIS database, Cavalier (a/k/a Ken Lickman), Abe Betesh's demolition contractor, applied for a permit to demolish the Methodist Sunday School, a 2-story brown brick building on 4th Avenue once occupied by Heartshare Human Services.

The application for a demolition permit:
Application Details

A description of the work:
Job Overview

The DOB denied Lickman's application for a mechanical (heavy equipment) demolition because there is no safety zone between the Sunday school building and the apartment house next door.

The contractor will have to demolish the Sunday school using a team of men with sledgehammers, as with the limestone rowhouse that once served as the Methodist parsonage: http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/JobsQueryByNumberServlet?requestid=1&passjobnumber=320013114&passdocnumber=01

Lickman has repeatedly failed to appear for administrative hearings at the DOB in connection with numerous violations stemming from the successive demolitions of the church and the parsonage, which substantially damaged the home of neighbors David and Dorcas Kimball.

Lickman has racked up at least $12,000 in fines so far.

How much is a "Stop Work" order from the DOB worth? Ask Matthew Gershon.

An update from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle on the proposed PS 680, to to built at the Green Church site: http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?id=28509

Billy Thompson: A Profile

William Thompson is the subject of the first of a series of Gotham Gazette profiles of the mayoral candidates.

It seems that no one, including the mayor, has anything bad to say about the city's affable, pragmatic, soft-spoken comptroller, "Billy" Thompson.

Some see Thompson's non-threatening personality as a problem, given the "shock and awe" approach of the Bloomberg campaign.

For some, the mayoral race is a done deal -- something only divine intervention could undo. After all, Thompson's trailing in the polls, has little name recognition, and has so far kept a low profile as a campaigner. Smart money is saying, though, that Thompson's best shot may be to keep the focus on Mayor Bloomberg.

So far, Thompson is the only viable candidate willing to take on the seemingly invulnerable Bloomberg, who could drop as much as $100 million this time around. Why is Thompson doing it? Because he has been planning this for a long time, since at least 2003, when he began his first term as comptroller. Now, inspired by voter turnout for President Barack Obama last year, Thompson isn't backing down.

Unlike Mayor Bloomberg, Thompson says, he will be "there for" average New Yorkers.

Thompson, a Bed-Stuy native who turns 56 in July, began his political career in Brooklyn's political machine at age 25. His father, William Sr. ("Willie") Thompson, has been an appellate court judge, a state senator and a city council member. His mother was a public school teacher.

For 10 years, Thompson served as deputy borough president to Howard Golden. He served for 5 years as president of the former Board of Education during the Giuliani administration. His fellow board members remember him as a consensus builder who focused on the needs of children.

Thompson left that post in 2001 to run for city comptroller against Herbert Berman, and won with 54% of the vote.

Among African-American voters, regarded by many as Thompson's base, only 44% of voters know enough to form an opinion about the candidate. And, even with increased property taxes and reduced services, a divisive term limits battle and a proposal to raise the sales tax, Mayor Bloomberg was riding a 64% approval rating in March.

Already, Bloomberg has sunk $7.5 million into his campaign, more than Thompson can spend for the entire primary, if he participates in public financing. Bloomberg is flooding the media with commercials featuring the Mayor speaking Spanish and touting job growth and development, while Thompson has had one YouTube video.

Every night, Thompson is booked solid at Democratic clubs citywide -- but many voters still haven't seen him. Being comptroller for the past 8 years hasn't made Thompson more visible --and it will be hard to make up the difference now. With so little name recognition, Thompson's best chance may be to turn the spotlight on the Mayor.

Brooklyn City Council Member Lewis Fidler called Thompson "the consummate gentleman", "a mench", who needs to "take it negative"and make Bloomberg's money work against him by reminding people that they're being bought and that the mayor's platitudes about the schools and the financial crisis ring hollow.

Thompson's only detailed policy proposal so far is on mayoral control of schools, which he supports, but wants to be more inclusive -- to involve parents.

Thompson opposes increasing the sales tax, says that any proposal for a new pension tier should be discussed in confidence with union leaders and officials, supports small business, is critical of the Yankee Stadium deal, and has spoken out against no-bid contracts by the city's Department of Education.

For his entire political life, Thompson has played the unassuming underdog, but Democratic political consultant Hank Sheinkopf, on Mayor Bloomberg's payroll this year, says Thompson should never be undersold. Scheinkopf called Thompson "extraordinarily smart", "capable", and "the best inside player".

Thompson is expected to try to coalesce the black and Hispanic vote against the incumbent Bloomberg. He is tapping the political consultants who helped underdog Michael Nutter become mayor of Philadelphia, hoping to replicate Nutter's success this fall.

The growing inquiry by State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo into the state and city pension funds, centered around a firm run by former State Senator Daniel Hevesi, could fuel efforts by opponents of the squeaky-clean Thompson to implicate him in scandal.

That job will be made much harder by the fact that, unlike the state comptroller, the city comptroller does not have sole trusteeship of the city's pension funds: they are controlled by a board of trustees, of which Thompson is only one member. And Thompson, who is not linked to any wrongdoing, requested that Cuomo investigate his office to "clear the air."

As a result of the Cuomo inquiry, Thompson has called for the city to ban the use of "placement agents", which help broker deals on pension investments. Placement agents are not illegal in New York, or in most states.

Thompson has a campaign budget of about $5 million. Since term limits extension was signed into law last November, he has raised about $96,000. About $1.4 million so far, about 60%, has been spent on consulting services. Most of the $36,000 Thompson has spent on advertising so far has gone to local civic groups or Democratic club journals.

Deborah Glick, a state legislator from Manhattan who has endorsed Thompson, said that Bloomberg's latest budget proposal reminded her of the "contraction of social services we faced under Giuliani." Said Glick, "The notion that people will simply disappear if you prevent them from having life saving services was wrong then and it is wrong now."

Mayor Bloomberg, with his typical overkill, has already nailed down about seven times as many endorsements as Thompson. Rev. Floyd Flake and Democratic Assemblymember Barbara Clark, both of Queens, have annointed Bloomberg. Some Democrats have said Thompson, who has spent 30 years in New York City politics, is "not ready" to succeed Michael Bloomberg, who came to the job 8 years ago.

Thompson, who exhudes a quiet confidence, says he isn't threatened by Mayor Bloomberg's endorsement blitz, and is comfortable where he is. He sees his campaign building momentum over the next 6 months.

"Cozy" -- or foxy?

The article from Gotham Gazette:
http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/issueoftheweek/20090511/200/2907

At the Botanic Garden

Houdini's Grave

Photographer Nathan Kensinger, in a recent photo essay, explored Machpelah Cemetery in Glendale, Queens, where magician Harry Houdini is buried.

Houdini, born Ehrich Weiss in 1874 in Hungary, was a Jewish American magician, escapologist, stuntman, actor and film producer, who was deeply interested in spiritualism.

Houdini was one of 7 children born to Rabbi Mayer (Mayo) Samuel Weiss and his wife Cecilia Steiner, and immigrated with his family to the United States in 1878, at the age of 4.

Childhood friends called him "Ehrie" or "Harry".

The Weiss family settled in Appleton, Wisconsin, where Houdini's father was rabbi of the Zion Reform Jewish Congregation. After the rabbi lost his position, he moved with Ehrie to New York City in 1887, where they lived in a boarding house on East 79th Street while the rabbi looked for a place for the entire family.

Ehrie went to work as as a child, becoming a trapeze artist, "Ehrich, the Prince of the Air" at age 9.

Ehrie emerged as a professional magician under the name "Harry Houdini", in homage to French magician Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin. "Harry" most likely derived from his childhood nickname.

When Houdini died unexpectedly in 1926, he was buried at Machpelah cemetary, which has fallen upon hard times. The graves are untended and covered in weeds. The once-beautiful 1928 cemetery office, now a pidgeon roost, is littered with discarded burial records.

The Machpelah Cemetery Association, founded in 1860, encompassed 83 burial societies. The 19th century Jewish burial societies were established by immigrants who pooled their money to buy grave sites and pay for funerals.

Many of the burial societies now exist only on paper and, like so much of New York these days, have been taken over by speculators.

The post from Nathan Kensinger's blog:
http://kensinger.blogspot.com/2009/04/machpelah-cemetery-houdinis-grave.html

Parker Arrested

Democratic state senator Kevin Parker, the Flatbush senator who sponsored legislation that would strike down the local law that enabled Mayor Bloomberg's third-term run, is facing two felony counts in connection with an alleged assault this weekend on a New York Post photographer.

The photographer, William Lopez, said that Parker, known for having a short fuse, attacked him for taking his picture.

Lopez had staked out Parker at his parents' home on Friday for a story about how Parker was about to lose a house he owns to foreclosure. Lopez may have been banking off of a story that Parker had been in a dust-up with an Albany parking attendant.

When Parker saw Lopez' camera flash, he allegedly chased the photographer down the block, reached into his car and grabbed the camera.

Lopez said Parker damaged his car and his camera during a struggle in the front seat.

Parker has been stripped of his senate leadership position and scolded in the press by State Senator Martin Golden as "an embarrassment to the senate".

Parker has a prior arrest record for punching a traffic agent, and has reportedly scuffled with security guards and a former aide.

The legislation Parker sponsored, which would strike down the Bloomberg term limits extension law and impose a referendum requirement, is still pending.

The article from the Daily News:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/05/09/2009-05-09_brooklyn_.html

Like Basquiat

Wanted: Mojo Back

State Senator Martin Golden has joined the GOP wolf-pack howling for the immediate resignation of Joe Mondello as the New York State party chair.

Said Golden, "He should get out. It's time for him to step aside."

Golden called Jim Tedisco's loss in the race for Kirsten Gillibrand's vacant seat in upstate New York "The final nail in the coffin."

Mondello's term expires in September.

Golden has called for "fresh, new, young leadership," saying that the state GOP needs a teambuilder.

Golden has declined to endorse a successor to Mondello, but the names of former assembly minority leader John Faso, former state senator Ray Meier, Ed Cox and lawyer Dan Isaacs are in play.

Faso has reportedly called Mondello and asked him to resign.

Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos said he plans to talk to Mondello.

The post from Politicker NY:
http://www.politickerny.com/3304/marty-golden-calls-joe-mondello-resign-immediately

Brooklyn Republicans look to repackage and rebrand their unsold product: http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=31&id=28072

The local rebranding is part of a national GOP effort:
http://www.politickerny.com/3385/republicans-wonder-sell-toxic-brand

To the degree that the Republican party remains the province of xenophobic, homophobic, gynophobic good ol' boys -- and young men who think like them --- that lost mojo is going to be hard to find.

Doomsday Averted

According to the New York Public Interest Groups' Straphangers Campaign and the Working Families Party, our phone calls, letters and emails to our state legislators made a difference in the outcome of the recent MTA budget cliffhanger.

Riders sent an estimated 25,000 messages to our state senators last month through the WFP's HaltTheHike.org -- at the rate of nearly 1,000 a day.

The new legislation, while not perfect, halves the amount of the proposed fare and toll increases, eliminates the planned service cuts, and provides capital funding for 2 years.

Legislative highlights:

• A single-ride MetroCard will be $2.25, not $2.50;
• The pay-per-ride discount will be 20% when you buy $7.50 or more;
• A 30-day MetroCard will be $89, not $103;
• Fare increases on LIRR and MetroNorth will be about 10%, as opposed to the 25%-70% hikes in the MTA "Doomsday" budget;
• The Doomsday service cuts will not happen, maintaining current levels of service;
• Two years worth of capital funding will ensure the MTA has the basic resources needed to continue to rebuild the system.

Marine Park Junior High to House Charter School?

The parents of I.S. 278 Marine Park Junior High School are furious over a plan by the city's Department of Education to put a charter school in their school building.

The Marine Park community wanted to expand the grades 6-through 8 school into a performing arts high school, but the DOE told them that there wasn't enough space.

Now, the DOE plans to commandeer the junior high school for a new charter school, the Hebrew Language Academy.

In the worst-case scenario, the school could lose its library, gym and band practice room to the charter, which may take years to relocate.

Marine Park Junior High, which has been turned around under Principal Debra Garafalo, was lobbying to expand into a grades 6 through 12 performing arts school, but was turned down by the DOE -- due to lack of space.

Now, the DOE has found sufficient space at the junior high school for 150 kindergarten and first grade students, with new classes to be added annually.

Historically, it has been near-impossible to dislodge charter schools once they are established within public schools.

The parents of PS 222, PS 277 and PS 207 are wondering if the school will have room for their children.

The following upcoming meetings will address the charter school issue: Marine Park Civic Association, May 19 at 8:30 PM, PS 207, 4011 Fillmore Ave. and The Madison-Marine Civic Association, May 21 at 7:30 PM, Kings Chapel, 2702 Quentin Rd. (basement).

Interested parents and neighbors are urged to attend.

The post from Gerritson Beach Blog:
http://www.gerritsenbeach.net/2009/05/04/marine-park-jhs-278-to-house-charter-school/

Avella Fundraiser at Greenhouse Cafe

Queens City Council Member Tony Avella, who is running for mayor, is one of the few New York City politicians who have given historic preservation and community-based planning more than just lip-service.

You may recall that Avella fought alongside neighborhood activists in Ridgewood to save St. Savior's Church -- a battle that resulted in the wood-frame structure being re-located to another site.

With gratitude for Avella's commitment to historic preservation, I pass along the following invitation.

The Avella campaign will host a fundraiser at the Greenhouse Café, 7713 Third Avenue in Bay Ridge, on Tuesday May 12, at 7 PM.

RSVP to Steve Harrison at 718-745-1797 or at http://us.mc813.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=leegle544@aol.com.

Please feel free to pass along this information.

Superfund It!

As most of you probably know, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that the Gowanus Canal has been nominated as a Superfund site.

The Superfund is a federal program that identifies and cleans up the most polluted sites in the country. Only the worst sites are nominated by the EPA for cleanup.

For over a hundred years, the Gowanus was little more than an open sewer for industrial waste, receiving the toxic waste flow from dozens of industrial plants that operated on its banks.

The EPA has found cancer-causing PCB’s, coal tar, and heavy metals like mercury and arsenic in the canal.

Developers oppose Superfund designation because -- at least initially -- property values will decline as a result of the cleanup. But once the cleanup is completed, the reverse will happen.

The city has been putting off the task of cleaning up the canal for 37 years -- since the Clean Water Act was passed in 1972. During the 8-year reign of Mayor Bloomberg, water quality has taken a back seat to proposals to redevelop the canal as a residential area -- pollution and all. New Yorkers have no reason to expect that, without federal government intervention, the Gowanus will ever be cleaned up.

The cleanup process is time-consuming. There are no "quick fixes" for 100 years of polution, but the EPA will least do the job correctly -- once and for all.

Although polluters -- current and former -- will be liable for some of the costs of cleanup, the federal government allocates money to the Superfund annually. Currently, there is $600 million budgeted for properties on the EPA's Superfund National Priorities List.

The NY State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which has overseen the city's long-term planning process for the Gowanus for decades, invited the EPA to assess the canal. The DEC was in charge of the cleanups at Lowes, Public Place & Whole Foods, so they knew that the Gowanus was more than they could handle.

The EPA, in the process of cleaning up and restoring the canal, will create Green jobs. On the other end of the cleanup process, the Gowanus can be re-developed as a waterfront resource for everyone.

We have 90 days to comment on the EPA's plan to clean up the Gowanus.
For more information, go to http://www.superfundgowanus.org/. The comment period closes on July 8.

You may also submit your comments via email at: superfund.docket@epa.gov

Neighborhood organizations Friends Of Bond, Carroll Gardens Coalition for Respectful Development (CORD) and Friends & Residents of Greater Gowanus (FROGG) all advocate Superfund status for the Gowanus.

The post, from Pardon Me for Asking, which is following the story:
http://pardonmeforasking.blogspot.com/2009/05/superfund-gowanus-questions-and-answers.html

Josh Skaller, an advocate for Superfund designation, is running for City Council in the 39th District: http://skaller09.com/index.php

More on the cleanup from the Brooklyn Downtown Star:

http://www.brooklyndowntownstar.com/pages/full_story?article-EPA%20Reveals%20Gowanus%20Cleanup%20Could%20Cost%20-300%20to%20400%20million%20=&page_label=news&id=2499375-EPA+Reveals+Gowanus+Cleanup+Could+Cost+-300+to+400+million&widget=push&instance=lead_story_left_column&open=&

Golden Opportunity

State Senator Martin Golden, on the stump for Mayor Bloomberg, talked up the city's new NYC Business Solutions initiatives at his recent "South Brooklyn Small Business Workshop and Forum, subtitled "Tools to Help Small Businesses Face Current Economic Challenges".

The event was held at the Dyker Beach Golf Course Catering Hall. Exhibitors included city agencies, business solution and workforce development groups, banks, economic development and business planning resources.

Golden called the event, produced by Bay Ridge resident Rosalie Rance, of Business in Brooklyn, a "networking" opportunity.

Golden proposed closing some blocks along commercial avenues to vehicular traffic and turning them into pedestrian shopping malls on Friday evenings after 5 PM.

Speakers included Ashley Buechele, of the NYC Economic Development Corporation, who spoke about Mayor Bloomberg's NY Capital Access Revolving Loan Program for small businesses, and Kelvin Collins, director of the NYC Business Solutions Brooklyn Center.

Collins, as part of his presentation, promoted the use of Business Express, an online service provided through NYC.Gov that streamlines licenses, permits and renewals.

The Bay Ridge/Bensonhurst Beautification Alliance, Citibank, N.A., Health Plus and Lutheran Medical Center co-sponsored the event with Golden.

The article from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle: http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=27&id=28012

Cheap Date

This summer, you can catch free or low-cost movies in parks and on rooftops from DUMBO to Bay Ridge.

At the Narrows Botanical Garden in Bay Ridge, three movies will be shown in July and August, including the classic Audrey Hepburn thriller Wait Until Dark.

In Prospect Park, two movies will be shown in June and August as part of the "Celebrate Brooklyn" festival, featuring a live music score and a sing-along.

Brooklyn Bridge Park's "Movies With a View" program, in its 10th year, will show classics such as Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid and The Return of the Pink Panther on Thursdays from July 9 to Aug. 27.

In Williamsburg's McCarren Park, the "Summer Screen" series will show six films from July to August, featuring appetizers from local restaurants for under $2.

The "Rooftop Films" program will screen independent films on the roofs of Brooklyn Tech and Automotive High and the old American Can factory in Gowanus. The ticket costs $9, but comes with a live band pre-show and an open bar after.

The article from the Daily News:

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2009/05/03/2009-05-03_some_reel_summer_fun_boros_parks_and_rooftops_to_offer_free_or_cheap_flicks.html

The City that Never Sleeps?

MTA officials are warning that 24-hour transit service will soon end if Albany fails to find a way to fund our mass transit system.

The State Senate is scheduled to vote on an MTA funding plan this week that would claw back doomsday fares and scheduling. This vote may be our last chance to stop the fare hike and save 24-hour service.

The Working Families Party, which has sent nearly 22,000 messages to Albany, is trying to generate another 3,000 messages in the next 24 hours.

Of the 32 Democrats and 30 Republicans in the State Senate, all of the Republicans and at least two Democrats are still threatening to vote against the "doomsday alternative" funding plan.

Yes, Martin Golden may vote in favor of raising your subway, bus and commuter rail fares by 25 - 70%.

Late-night service isn't just a convenience: it's a necessity for a lot of hard-working New Yorkers.

Send a message to Albany: http://action.workingfamiliesparty.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2658

What about Real Time?

While Mayor Bloomberg racks up millions saturating the city with radio and TV ads, he has been ducking questions about his campaign and denying that anything he does is politically-motivated. He denies, for instance, that his speaking Spanish more often on camera has something to do with running for mayor.

The Working Families Party has tried to draw Bloomberg into a mayoral debate, but Bloomberg refuses to commit, saying he's focused on "running the city".

City Comptroller Bill Thompson sees a "rose garden strategy" at work. Why, Thompson's people are asking, is Bloomberg spending millions to spin his message while refusing to engage the enemy, if everything is under control?

Thompson's campaign manager, Eduardo Castell, says that Bloomberg can't have it both ways.

But Bloomberg just keeps shooting ads, like the one he shot last month in Brooklyn that featured a stroll through Bay Ridge's Xaverian High School.

As the political game gets rougher on the streets of New York, can the mayor continue to address the voters only through soundbites?

The article from the Daily News:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/05/03/2009-05-03_thompson_camp_rakes_mike_rose_garden_strategy.html

Brooklyn Preservation Council Meets

The next scheduled meeting of the Brooklyn Preservation Council will be at 6 PM on Tuesday, May 19 at Brooklyn Borough Hall, in the Borough President's First Floor Conference Room.

If you live in Brooklyn and are interested in historic preservation and neighborhood-based planning, you are welcome to attend.

Reade and Broadway

This distinctive landmark building at the corner of Reade and Broadway in Manhattan, just down the street from the site of the collapse of 71 Reade, is being held up by steel buttresses, which can been seen rising out of the demolition site to the left of the building, on Broadway.

Based on the orange square spray-painted on the elegant cast-iron facade of this corner building, it would appear that it has been doomed to demolition, perhaps because it has been made unstable by the demolition of all of the buildings surrounding it.

Demolition-by-Neglect at 71 Reade/89 Chambers

A vacant five-story building at 71 Reade Street in Manhattan's TriBeCa South Historic District collapsed last week in a cloud of dust and debris.

Adjacent buildings were evacuated.

Aharon Vaknin, who, with his partners, owns 71 Reade (apparently a/k/a 87 Chambers Street), faced numerous fines and violations for its cracked and crumbling facade.

Concerned neighbors had filed a string of complaints about the deteriorated state of the building.

Days before the collapse, the city's Department of Buildings ordered Vaknin and his partners, who were reportedly planning to develop the site as a boutique hotel, to install structural supports to hold the building up.

As the shoring-up began, the building collapsed, toppling a scaffold and blanketing the City Hall area in a cloud of dust reminiscent of 9/11.

Earlier this month, the DOB had issued a partial stop-work order -- apparently for 89 Chambers -- after determining that unprotected adjacent properties were “cracking and sagging” as a result of drilling.

The photo at left shows the adjoining facades of 89 Chambers and 71 Reade after the collapse.


The building at 71 Reade, which dates from 1856, is connected to 89 Chambers Street, both buildings running through the entire block. Vaknin is listed as an owner of both structures.

The two buildings were to have been combined into a 95-room hotel. Under the local Landmarks Law, their historic exterior walls were to have been left intact.

The hotel project had been hold because Vaknin couldn't get financing.

Thousands of dollars in fines had accumulated on 71 Reade, going back to 2007, when inspectors discovered a 15-foot long crack and a section of wall in danger of collapse.

The remains of 71 Reade and adjoining 89 Chambers will now be completely demolished -- and adjacent buildings may have to be demolished as well.

In recent days, neighbors of 71 Reade had complained that the walls were cracking, that there were loose bricks, that the building was shaking, and that it looked like the structure was ready to come down.

A work permit had been issued by the DOB for the adjoining 89 Chambers Street, and it appears that work at 89 Chambers contributed to the collapse of 71 Reade.

Vaknin, who had applied for a demolition permit for 71 Reade, has been spared the trouble by the building's collapse.

The city's Office of Emergency Management is overseeing debris removal and demolition operations, at taxpayer expense.

The article from the New York Times:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/30/vacant-building-collapses-in-lower-manhattan/?hp

More from Downtown Express:
http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_315/safetyandpreservation.html

5th Annual James Marston Fitch Lecture

The 5th annual St. Mark's Day/James Marston Fitch Lecture, "Preservation Without Limits", will take place at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery Parish Hall on Tuesday, May 19 at 6:30 PM.

The program is free, but reservations are required. For reservations, call 212-228-2781 or e-mail info@smhlf.org.

The lecture is sponsored by the Neighborhood Preservation Center and the Fitch Charitable Foundation.

The St. Mark's Parish Hall is located at 131 East 10th Street at 2nd Ave in Manhattan. Disabled access is available but must be arranged in advance.

The 2009 lecture marks the 100 birthday of James Marston Fitch, and will feature a series of presentations and a panel discussion. Participants include Joan K. Davidson, Mary Dierick, William Higgins,Theo Prudon, Robert Silman, John Stubbs, and Anne Van Ingen.

The Fitch Charitable Foundation 2008 grant awardees will be announced.

James Marston Fitch (1909-2000) was a historic preservation pioneer whose writings and teaching enlarged our understanding and appreciation of historic treasures. Fitch saw architecture as part of the environment, advocated for justice in preservation, and inspired countless advocates.

The James Marston Fitch Charitable Foundation supports research and design projects that advance historic preservation in the United States.

Following the lecture, you are invited to a 100th birthday reception sponsored by the St. Mark's Historic Landmark Fund and James Marston Fitch Charitable Foundation.

The program is supported by Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and Planners, LLP, Grey Dog Coffee, Kumquat Cupcakery and Union Square Wines & Spirits.

Opening Day at the Farmers Market

Walked over to the Bay Ridge Farmers Market in the early eafternoon to check out opening day.

Vincent Gentile and a handful of vendors were on hand.

Aside from the plants and flowers, there wasn't much on display -- and not much of a crowd.

Maybe the action happened earlier.

Bought some basil plants and schlepped home.

Wisteria

The graceful lavender-gray Wisteria, my favorite spring flower.

End Run?

According to the New York Times and Gotham Gazette, the Bloomberg administration, in an effort to prevent the closure of some Brooklyn parochial schools by turning them into charter schoools, is planning to end-run the state's charter school law.

The charter school law bans the conversion of any private school — religious or otherwise — into a publicly-funded, privately-run charter school.

When the Bloomberg administration first came up with the idea of saving some Brooklyn parochial schools from closure by turning them into charters, it said it would lobby Albany to change the charter law.

But Albany is unlikely to act within the administration's time frame. The city's Department of Education wants to re-open the schools in September -- without a break.

Now, the administration is arguing that the former parochial schools are “entirely new schools” — in the same buildings, with the same students.

Our Lady of Angels in Bay Ridge is one of the schools involved.

The New York Civil Liberties Union is concerned that the plan to "import" parochial schools into the public school system -- as through they were not religious -- violates the charter school law.

Should the law be brushed aside mereby because it will delay the Bloomberg administration's plans?

The article from Gotham Gazette:
http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2009/04/22/death-bed-conversion/

Our Lady of Angels parents Website:
http://www.olabayridge.net/

BDFC Salutes Rasinya

Last week, more than 100 people attended a dinner at J.T.'s restaurant on 3rd Avenue in Bay Ridge hosted by Brooklyn Democrats for Change in honor of CB 10 Chair Dean Rasinya.

Mayoral contenders William Thompson and Tony Avella attended the dinner, as did public advocate candidates Mark Green and Norman Siegel (a Bay Ridge resident) and David Yassky, a candidate for comptroller.

BDFC president Kevin Peter Carroll said the dinner had raised more money than any single event in the history of the club.

Mary Nolan co-chaired the event with Brian Kassenbrock.

Bay Ridge Council Member Vincent Gentile credited the BDFC with bringing a "progressive message" to Bay Ridge and helping to elect Michael McMahon to Congress.

Rasinya, a retired NYPD police officer who has chaired CB 10 for more than two years, was honored with a plaque and praised for his civic activism.

The BDFC sponsors public forums, candidates' nights, film evenings, speakers on civic and social topics, and other events to raise the public's awareness and commitment to action through the political arena.

The BDFC, a neighborhood political club founded in 2004, focuses primarily on Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights, Fort Hamilton, Bath Beach and Gravesend.

The article from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle: http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=27&id=27897

Brooklyn Democrats for Change Website: http://www.brooklyndemocratsforchange.com/

Link Roundup

Ringling Bros. Circus to spend the summer in Coney Island.

The endorsement contest between Michael Bloomberg and Bill Thompson continues.

The mayor plugs diligently away at his Spanish.

Bloomberg to be deposed in pregnancy discrimination lawsuit against Bloomberg LLP.

The mayor buys a 5th straight week of TV time, at a cost of over $1 millon.

The mayor proposes to raise the city sales tax:

Bill Thompson opposes the planned sales tax increase.

Bloomberg to lay off 3,750 city workers.

David Paterson has a "secret" plan to avoid the MTA doomsday budget.

Just how bad is it looking for the MTA? Scary bad.