No Words Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford

The Googles Are Coming to Park Slope

As probably everyone now knows, the new owners of the house that belonged to Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany on Prospect Park West are two Google gillionaires.

And would you believe: Alison, one of the writers at Fucked in Park Slope actually wrote a letter to Mrs. Google. Of course I’m pretty sure that this little correspondence is total fiction. But I thought it was fun fiction anyway. Here’s the first note. Go to FIPS to read more:

Hi Mrs. Google,

Sorry to bug you but rumor has it you are the mystery owner of 17 PPW and the residents of Park Slope (well, me anyway) are anxious to live vicariously through your adventures in home renovation on PPW.

Is there ANY way you might give us the scoop on what’s actually going on inside?

I just blogged about it the other day and thought I might actually try to officially investigate as well as satisfy my own architectural curiosity.

You’ll earn major brownie points with your neighbors. Thanks in advance!!

Allison
f***edinparkslope.com

New Blog on the Block: Fabulous in Park Slope

Bring out the welcome wagon and stock it with plenty of caviar and martinis for Fabulous in Park Slope. And don’t forget to wear a fur: Fabulous in Park Slope is run by the woman who wrote into Park Slope Parents a few weeks back with this infamous missive.

I recently moved here from Santa Monica California. I grew up in Rochester, so I am no stranger to the east coast. But I was in SoCal for ten years. Saying it’s a big adjustment is an understatement. But this is something that I noticed today.

Why I don’t think I belong here in Park Slope…

I think fur is fabulous (please don’t yell at me this isn’t about PETA). And I believe that being fabulous is FUN.

I could really just say that and be done with this whole essay on why the hell I stick out like a sore thumb here in this Brooklyn town. But since I have nothing else to do but wait for the season premier of Big Love, I’ll go on…

I have a sick 18 month old and a husband that would be happy just sitting on the couch watching youtube.com all Sunday. I had to get out of the house. And this wasn’t easy, because reason number two I don’t belong here is that it’s 25 degrees. Umm, that’s just not okay for me. Which is why I thought that putting on my mother’s J. Mendel Mink Coat with my over the knee Prada boots was SO necessary for my walk.

Apparently, I’m the only one in Park Slope who wants to stay warm…and fabulous at the same time. I got some pretty interesting looks on my outing, and it’s about time. To be honest, I was happy that they were taking notice that there is something else out there than long black The North Face down coats and mittens made in Nepal. I don’t understand, you are missing out on all the fun it is to be Fabulous! I miss seeing other people all dolled up, contemplating what the new “it” bag is, and seeing the most incredible new Loubitons on the girl across the street.

I know what you’ll say…go into Manhattan. Thing is, I have a baby and it’s difficult to make the trek with him. And to be honest, I’m not sure that I’d find what I’m looking there either, because it’s too damn cold! It’s too cold to wear the newest spring collection pieces before spring (because they are coming out NOW!). It’s too cold to wear my new Stella McCartney Navy bubble rain coat, or my sexy new Alexander Wang cowl neck tank.

So, like the rest of the group, I’ll be wearing my JCrew turtleneck sweater, jeans and uggs. I’ll sit at the playground with all the other kids who are cold and have running noses. And I’ll stand there while the moms with the hipster combat boots, and knit caps don’t talk to me.

But I’ll know that I’m still fun and fabulous…I’ll be wearing the inappropriate fur.

Fabulous and I have a few things in common: We’re both live in Park Slope; we’re both bloggers; and we both love HBO’s Big Love! So I’m psyched to start reading Fabulous’ new Park Slope blog. So welcome to the neighborhood, Fabulous. And good luck with your blog! We’re so happy you’re here.

Bklyn Bloggage: 02/08 (politics)

Oops! Where did that blight go? (Noticing New York)

Redefining eminent domain: Atlantic Yards Report

Beep Inauguration Faux Pas: Your Nabe

Brooklyn party politics 101: Brooklyn Ink

The Jane Jacobs of the Gowanus: NY Observer

Buses Around Me from Roadify

Tired of waiting for the bus on cold winter days?

Roadify, a local start-up, has officially launched its second SMS-based application: BAM (BusesAroundMe). With BAM, you can now access the MTA’s bus schedule via text message without leaving the comfort of your own couch or favorite cafe.

With BAM, you can update the set-scheduled times for fellow riders waiting further down the bus line by sending in a “GIVE” and noting the buses current location.  BAM then time-stamps that location and generates a more accurate ETA for other users who request it by texting in a “GET”.

To find out how to GIVE and GET, check out the BusesAroundMe section of www.Roadify.com or text “BAM” to 95495.

Think of it: if one user sent a GIVE that showed the bus was running 5 minutes late and it reached 50 bus riders further along the route, that one user saved over 4 hours of total waiting time.  Through PAM (ParkingAroundMe), Roadify’s first service, hundreds of community members in Park Slope are helping each other find parking spaces.

So Which Bus Lines Should be BAMMED?

BAM currently works on the B67, with more lines coming soon.  The next line to receive 100 votes will be put up next. Currently in the lead is the B62 with 37, followed closely by the B63 with 34.

VOTE:

Vote for your route by emailing info@roadify.com or Tweeting @Roadify.

Public High School Admissions

The talk on Seventh Avenue in Park Slope is about getting into high school.

On Thursday and Friday 8th graders, who applied to the “specialized” public high schools found out whether they got in. As you can imagine, it’s an incredibly stressful day for kids and parents. I believe the letters are distributed at school, which means there’s lots of happy yelping (I got into Laguardia for drama) and just as many sad looks of rejection (I didn’t get into Stuyvesant).

Lots of tears. Lots of disappointment. And sure, lots of hip hip hooray.

Only in New York is getting into pre-school, elementary, middle and then high school like getting into college. Some places you just go to the school in your neighborhood or town.

But that would be way too easy for a city like New York.

Sure there are neighborhood elementary school but after that you’ve got to apply for school. Imagine that. 5th graders actually have to try out, take tests, audition, interview for…6th grade.

I’ve been through the middle school application process twice and the high school process once. So my sympathy is with parents who are going through the hell that it is.

One OTBKB reader wrote in yesterday to say:

I guess this is just my current obsession, but I was surprised to see that you had nothing on the fact that the DOE just sent out the very first round of high school admissions this past week (on Thursday.) It was actually the pre-round, sort of.

The kids who got into the specialized schools heard which specialized school (or schools) they got into, as well as which regular school they got into as well. Those who took the test or went to the Laguardia audition, but did not get a place in a specialized school just got a letter telling them that they would have to wait with everyone else to find out where they were going.

The next round is March 24. (After that, if a kid doesn’t get in, they have to enter the final round! Oy vey!)

We were lucky. Our daughter DID get a place in a specialized school, but then she also got a spot in her top ranked “regular” school, making the decision hard. So we are once again in decision mode.

I really thought that would be over once we heard, but it seems we still have a choice to make! (This WILL end, some day!)

Anyway, this is a gruelling process, which is probably why I’m obsessed by it! I guess I just expected to see something on your blog about it. Anyway, there it is.

I wrote right back with this simple response:

I feel your pain and I’ll be going through it next year when my daughter is in 8th grade. Best of luck.

OTBKB Film by Pops Corn: Misunderstood Gems @ 92YTribeca

If you attend a film series or frequent the revival circuit, there’s a good chance you’re usually seeing films that are in the canon.  There’s a communal feeling watching a work by Kurosawa or Hitchcock; whether you like it or not, whether you’re getting it or not, there’s still some sense that you’re part of the cognoscenti, aware that you are seeing a work by a great artist or that has an understood value.

A new series is challenging that notion, as the online film magazine Hammer To Nail has organized the Misunderstood Gems series at 92YTribeca, focusing on works that defy the notions “good” and “bad” with films such as The Real Cancun and I Know Who Killed Me. The series was put together with the idea that audiences will walk out having experienced something, but they may not be altogether sure what it was.  The selections also buck conventional festival-thought by focusing on films that are underappreciated contemporary works.  I spoke with series curator Michael Tully to understand that which is misunderstood.

What makes a misunderstood gem?

To be completely honest, I wanted to label this program something different, but the title I wanted to use for this type of film could be considered offensive to some people. To me a misunderstood gem is a film that succeeds on terms that it was not intending. Whether it be an unintentional comedy or a movie that has its sights set on a different side of the spectrum [while] it lands completely on the opposite side.

The selections are all contemporary films, released in the last decade.  In part, this seems to be due to the fact that after a period of time a movie eventually gains its own legacy and we’re more conditioned to know how to react to it.  Any other factors here?

Well, mainly it was for the decade.  We just finished this decade and all these lists are coming out and I thought it would be neat to celebrate films that first and foremost are very entertaining to watch with a crowd.  And secondly, these are not the types of films that will get mentions in decade wrap-ups that you’ll be reading. So, rather than doing the “Best Films of the Decade” I wanted to put a fun spin on it.

The next film in the series is The Real Cancun playing this Thursday. Give us a few words on how this made the cut and why we should see it.

You just really should see it! I, like many when The Real Cancun came out, planned to ignore it. But a recommendation of a trusted friend caused me to take the plunge at which point I was pretty floored by the experience. And, you know, I think now in light of the smash success of Jersey Shore, this is probably the most timely pick, if you will, in the series. I think what The Real Cancun did for the first time as opposed to the earlier incarnations of The Real World, was that the filmmakers were clearly heightening the absurdity, the lunacy, the idiocy of these people. The first few seasons of The Real World you were invested in the characters and you cared what would happen to them, The Real Cancun changed all that for better or worse. And for this experience I plan to bring a squeegee bottle of tequila–this is the part where you’re supposed to want to come see it now—and at any point if you are moved by what you see, almost like church, I will be there for you with a tequila squirt.

Was it just serendipity that one of the screenings—Lady In The Water—will take place on April Fool’s Day?

You have just blown my mind. I had no idea.  I realize these films are available on DVD and I realize it’s cold and dark at night, but these films play great with a room of open-minded viewers, so I’m trying to spice these screenings up.  To set the tone for that screening, I will be reading from choice excerpts, by way of introduction, from the M. Night Shamalyan book [The Man Who Heard Voices: Or, How M. Night Shyamalan Risked His Career On A Fairy Tale, by Michael Bamberger] on the making of the film. The writer was a Sports Illustrated writer and he opens the book with, “I am nothing like a movie expert. Ingmar Bergman, man or woman? I don’t know,” and it just goes from there.

Hammer To Nail is an online magazine dedicated to independent and adventurous cinema. What’s next for you guys?

That’s a tough question.  We’re two years old and our plan was to build slowly and organically.  We currently don’t have advertising, but in this current climate if the films aren’t making money, online magazines (laughs) definitely aren’t making money.  But that said, our mission remains to be a positive voice and in such a cluttered world point you in the direction of movies that we love and think you should, too.

Misunderstood Gems are playing monthly at 92YTribeca, 200 Hudson St.

The Real Cancun, Thu, Feb 11, 2010, 8:00pm

I Know Who Killed Me, Thu, Mar 4, 2010, 8:00pm

Lady In The Water, Thu, Apr 1, 2010, 8:00pm

Brad Lander: F/G Weekend Suspensions & Protest MTA Cuts

City Councilmember Brad Lander wrote in with this information about upcoming weekend suspensions to the F and G service between Jay Street and Church Avenue due to the ongoing Culver Viaduct rehabilitation project. During these weekends shuttle buses will replace F/ G service between the effected stops.

The planned weekends for suspension are:

February 20-22
February 27-March 1
May 8-10
May 15-17
May 22-24
November 13-15
and November 20-22

Lander also had this to say:

I also hope that all of you will join me in taking action to protest the recent cuts that have been proposed by the MTA. Among other dramatic reductions in services, the MTA is proposing to reduce service or completely eliminate the B23, B51, B69, B67, B71, B75, and B77 buses all of which directly serve our district; phase-out the student MetroCards, which get 600,000 kids to school; and reduce paratransit (Access-A-Ride) service by $40 million.

There are several things that we can do to make our voices heard on this issue:

–Contact Governor Paterson and Mayor Bloomberg to tell them that these cuts will harm our neighborhoods: http://bit.ly/NYSGovernor and http://bit.ly/NYCMayor.

–Call the MTA at (212) 878-7483 and tell them not to slash our services

–Sign a petition that the New York City Council, along with the Straphangers Campaign, has put together http://bit.ly/transitpetition

–Attend one of the hearings that the MTA is hosting. The Brooklyn hearing will be on Wednesday, March 3 at 6pm in the Brooklyn Museum, Cantor Auditorium (200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn). A full schedule of hearings can be found here: http://mta.info/news/pdf/hearings.pdf.

We all know how vital our subway and bus lines are to this district and this city. Help us to fight the proposed cuts by taking action today.

City Councilmember Brad Lander
39th District

Tuesday at Tribeca Cinema: Filmmakers for Haiti:

At Tribeca Cinema on Tuesday, February 9th from 7:30 until 10:30) Friends of Ciné Institute (FOCI), a group of NY-based crew members, producers and filmmakers working together to support and rebuild Ciné Institute, are having a benefit to raise money for an important trip to Haiti.

The Ciné Institute provides Haitian youth with film education and edutainment, technical training, and media related micro enterprise opportunities. We integrate educational film screenings into classrooms of public schools, train aspiring filmmakers in all aspects of production, and develop and produce films of all kinds in partnership with our students and graduates. The Institute also promotes excellence in Haitian cinema domestically and abroad and holds weekly entertainment screenings of films from around the world at its theater.

Based in Jacmel, on Haiti’s southern coast, Ciné Institute began as a film festival. Held for three years, Festival Film Jakmèl showed hundreds of international films free of charge to tens of thousands of Haitians.Their coalition includes Jonathan Demme, Annika Grove, Lindsay Jaeger, Nora Killoran, Charlie Libin, Betsy Reid, Alec Sash, Emily Sklar, Nina Shiffman, and Tracy Anderson and Katy Finch of Brooklyn Workforce Innovations.

Since January 13th, Friends of Cine Institute has worked in partnership with numerous New York film vendors and crews to arrange a shipment of donated equipment to Jacmel. Their shipping container of donated generators, lights and film equipment-along with a collection of much-needed basic medical supplies and personal items – recently left Brooklyn and is expected to arrive in Haiti later this month.

Now they need your help to get a team to Jacmel

A volunteer team of NY crew members from Locals 600 and 52 will travel to Haiti to offload and set up the equipment from the container in a coordinated effort with Ciné Institute and other relief organizations in the city of Jacmel.

When: Tuesday, February 9 at 7PM – 10:30 PM

Where: Tribeca Cinema: 54 Varick Street

Donation for Haiti: $20

Cash bar

OTBKB Music: Another Freebie

Or, The Whale, the San Francisco based alt country/Americana/rock band have covered the Britney Spears song Toxic and made it their own.  Get your own copy (with the band’s permission, natch) over at Now I’ve Heard Everything.

Also at NIHE, some photos of Amy Speace’s gig at The Living Room last week, courtesy of Pierre Jelenc of The Gigometer.

–Eliot Wagner

No Words Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford

The Crusader, the Movie, and the Soul of the Port of New York

I just stumbled upon this book, “On the Irish Waterfront: The Crusader, the Movie, and the Soul of the Port of New York” and thought it might be of interest to OTBKB readers. I see that author, James T. Fisher, read at Sunny’s Bar in Red Hook last month. Here is the Amazon “product description.”

“Site of the world’s busiest and most lucrative harbor throughout the first half of the twentieth century, the Port of New York was also the historic preserve of Irish American gangsters, politicians, longshoremen’s union leaders, and powerful Roman Catholic pastors. This is the demimonde depicted to stunning effect in Elia Kazan’s On the Waterfront (1954) and into which James T. Fisher takes readers in this remarkable and engaging historical account of the classic film’s backstory.

Read more

Leon Freilich, Verse Responder: Bark Slope

BARK SLOPE

Parking meters across New York
will have their heads hacked off
and be turned into bike racks.
–news item

Around the city parking meters
Are being converted to racks
For the use of savvy cycle riders
Who’ll soon be making tracks.

Too late, however, for Park Slope,
Where locals discovered niches
For their everpresent dogs
And already claim them for leashes.

Feb 11: Recession Stories at The Memoirathon

A lot of New Yorkers have their own recession story to tell, whether it’s from the past year, the past decade or the accumulation of a lifetime.During this year’s Memoir-a-thon, you will get to listen to the personal reflections and insights on how some writers have managed to survive, preserve their sanity and even have fun during hard times.

Brooklyn Reading Works presents the 4th annual Memoirathon on February 11 at 8 PM at the Old Stone House. Third Street & Fifth Avenue. $5 suggested donation includes wine and snacks.

Curator Branka Ruzak had this to say about this year’s theme:

“You’ll be amazed to discover just how resilient and resourceful people can be, while still managing to find humor, cause for reflection and even gratitude, in some of life’s most challenging situations. Whether you found the past year “the year you’d like to forget” or “the year of positive thinking”, you will be inspired and entertained by tonight’s lineup of writers who talk about infinitely new ways of being.”

Here are this year’s memoirists:
MARCO ACEVEDO
NELL BOESCHENSTEIN
JANET RAIFFA
NAVA RENEK
BETSY ROBINSON
DEBORAH SIEGEL

Read more about these writers

Today: Reading at Sunny’s Bar in Red Hook

Today at 3PM there’s a literary reading at Sunny’s Bar, a beautiful old waterfront bar in Red Hook.

Today’s reading (which will be over before the Super Bowl even begins) will include a new batch of poetry from a Sunny’s alum, a nonfiction exploration of why it’s so difficult to talk about pain, and a funny and poignant true dating tale.

The February “Sundays at Sunny’s” reading will feature:

–David Biro, M.D.
Nonfiction writer, author of The Language of Pain: Finding Words, Compassion, and Relief and One Hundred Days: My Unexpected Journey from Doctor to Patient

–Priscilla Becker
Poet, author of Internal West

–Marian Fontana
Nonfiction writer, author of A Widows Walk: A Memoir of 9/11

The series, organized by novelist Gabriel Cohen and  BookCourt will continue on the first Sunday of every month  at 3:00 p.m at Sunny’s, a legendary old bar on the Brooklyn waterfront in Red Hook at 253 Conover Street (between Beard & Reed Streets).

You can buy books and get them signed by the authors. Suggested donation: $4. The bar (cash) will be open. Free coffee and Italian pastries and cookies will be provided. Bar telephone (only available when the bar is open): 718-625-8211.

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