Greenpoint
Lorven Pharmacy
Culture on the Cheap
New York Shitty Day Ender: Calling All North Brooklyn Unemployeds!
Filed under: 11211, 11222, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic, Recession, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn
Briana of Unemployed Brooklyn writes (in an email entitled “Greenpoint Unemployed”):
…I am trying to get a group together for unemployed peeps in Greenpoint and Williamsburg and thought you might be able to help me get the word out. I know you have a lot of loyal readers in the ‘hood (me included!)… I don’t have a definite time/place set yet, but am trying to gauge interest  – and see what I can get together.
Any and all who are interested in participating in this job fair for the jobless should contact the proprietress of this site at the above email address. Great idea, Briana!
Miss Heather
Greenpoint Photo Du Jour: Alternative Use For Manhattan Avenue’s Bike Lane #457
Grab a dolly and your best bud and take that new twin mattress home!
To close on the subject of mattresses always exercise caution when purchasing one. In New York State it is legal to sell “reconditioned” mattresses, e.g.; used mattresses that purport to be “sanitized” for re-use. I use the word “purport” because they quite often are not. Reconditioned mattresses are required by law to have a yellow tag— but unfortunately often do not. It should also be noted that reconditioning isn’t a guarantee it won’t harbor a few unwanted guests, if you know what I mean.If the price of that mattress (or box springs) seem to be too good to be true, it probably is.
To get an idea why this practice should be abolished (or at the very least strictly regulated) click here and you will be redirected to New York Vs. Bed Bugs web site. If you want to see some shit that will really gross you out click here.
Sleep tight!
Miss Heather
New York Shitty Day Starter: Dogate
Filed under: 11211, 11222, Dung of the Day, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn
(Literally)
Lest I have not made it clear already OSA North Brooklyn has a suspicious provenance, has been less than forthcoming about their mission (to put it politely) and how they are spending the money our elected officials (READ: our tax dollars) have donated to them.
I cannot for the life of me understand why a “community advocacy” group affiliated with the Parks Department can raise money by having concerts and make a nice penny selling concession rights shilling alcoholic beverages at McCarren and East River State Park…
when the patrons of McGolrick Park are admonished to abstain: in English and Polish.
I suppose the “open container law” applies to some citizens more than others. Or as long as folks are swilling booze sanctioned by/profiting the city (or OSA)? Remember, the President of Brooklyn Brewery is one of their founding members) I suppose it’s A-OK? Can you say hypocrisy? This whole set-up reeks of graft.
OSA outlays money to hang advertisements on private property, facing public property (in this case East State River Park)…
and cries “poverty” when it comes a new fence at the McCarren Park Dog Run. McGolrick gets a new fence and McCarren gets Sternberg’s leftovers. I could not understand why this came to pass— McCarren needs help. BIG TIME. Then I remembered that I am (for all intents and purposes) an honest person. I put on my “tweeder” thinking cap and re-read this exchange.
The following missive put it all together:
This has nothing to do the the betterment of the community. It is patronage mutual backslapping, plain and simple. McGolrick gets $13,000 and McCarren gets a paltry $500. The latter phat wad of cash was to be divided between “the two leaders” volunteers who are going to weld together the remains of Sternberg’s fence at McCarren; they get $200 each, and $100 for “little bro helper”. “Little bro helper”, for those of you who are not in the know, is Ms. Thayer’s little brother whose sole qualifications are:
- Being Ms. Thayer’s little brother.
- Taking a welding class.
If a Parks employee/OSA Executive has sent an email indicating her own brother should be compensated $100 for doing no work whatsoever how many more of her friends are on the dole? Just a question.
On that note, I strongly encourage you, dear readers, to revisit the post mentioned at the beginning of this post. I have made some very interesting corrections/amendments— including what appears to be the “Pete Best” of the original OSAnb group. Contrary to what Mr. Short wrote, Adam Perlmutter was not one of the original founders of OSAnb. But this document seems to attest otherwise. Hmm…
Miss Heather
UPDATE, 7/30/09: Be sure to read the comments. Suffice it to say it keeps getting more and more interesting!
UPDATE, 8/3/09: The Greenpoint Gazette has this take about the fencing situation. Choice quote:
…Currently, the fencing surrounding the McCarren Park dog run is a combination of chain-link fence, temporary wire barriers and historical black iron fencing the iron fencing makes up nearly three quarters of the hodge-podge partition. Recently the Park’s Department decided to standardize the fences in Sternberg Park as well, and in doing so uprooted a portion of black iron fencing, which will in turn be installed in McCarren, to match the already existing iron fencing stock.
Actually Diana Reyna gave $40,000 to Sternberg to buy a new fence. It IS an election year after all.
Greenpoint Loses One Of Its Own
Filed under: 11222, Crazy Cat Lady, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic
Many of you are undoubtedly familiar with delightfully old school storefront at 155 Greenpoint Avenue: H. Temkin Carpets & Linoleum.
If so, you will undoubtedly recognize this lovely lass: she frequented the windows of this establishment.*
Her name was Noel and after “14-15” years of gracing the Garden Spot with her stately presence, I am sad to report she is no longer with us. Per Noel’s “person”, Allan**, she had cancer and went into a steep decline the last two weeks of her life. He did assure me, however, that he did everything in his power to make sure her last days were as painless and comfortable as possible.
Goodbye, Noel. You will be missed.
Miss Heather
*Who, Allen attests, “knew” when a funeral was going to happen next door. How, you ask? Very simple: on the day of any given funeral Noel could be found in the window, laying on her back “playing dead”.
**Who is an amazingly nice and very interesting guy. As you can see.
From The New York Shitty Inbox: Ad Hoc Rock
Filed under: 11211, 11222, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn
Last Sunday afternoon I happened to find myself in Williamsburg. As I was approaching Kent Avenue I began to hear music. LOUD MUSIC.
What the fuck?
I asked myself. Sure enough, when I reached East River State Park I found my answer: they were having a concert event. I don’t think I have ever seen this park crawling with as many people as I did that day. Naturally I got the hell out of dodge STAT.
It’s not that I do not like music or concerts. I do. I simply do not like large crowds of people. I prefer my entertainment to be on a more intimate scale. “Unplugged”, if you will. Which brings me to the following.
Tony (who took the above photographs) writes:
On the way to the farmer’s market we found quite a post-video-game-rock-out mess at the little park on Driggs & McGuinness.
A lot of Polish dudes sleep on cardboard inside there, but I doubt these have anything to do with them.
I most emphatically disagree. For all we know among this gaggle of Garden Spot guydom is the next Eddie Van Halen, Ted Nugent, Randy Rhaods, or— if we’re really lucky— Pete Townshend!
Miss Heather
Construction Site Du Jour: 211 Huron Street
You know how the saying goes:
All’s well that ends well.
Well, I would like to update this adage with a distinctly Greenpointian twist:
Anything that starts out this badly will probably end up being even worse.
Which brings me to this.
I have seen a lot of shoddy construction work in my day. So much so that I have become somewhat oblivious to it. That is until I beheld 211 Huron Street. This site is in a class all its own.
This is without argument one of the most fascinating construction fences I have ever seen.*
The use of a residential door gives it a “cozy” feel lacking in this day and age of mega-development and glass boxes. If you lived here, you’d be homeless by now!
Signs, signs, everywhere a sign— but these missives pass muster as such only in the most academic sense of the word. It should be noted, however, that although they do not score points for relaying information they do create an interesting montage!
As you can see no expense has been spared on cement. In fact, they even went to the trouble of repaving part of the street. I have no doubt this will work wonders for our already beleaguered sewage system.
Need a place to store your stuff? That’s what your next door neighbor’s property is for!
The more eagle-eyed among you probably noticed there are no permits whatsoever to be found at 211 Huron Street. This is because they have no valid permits (those expired in April**). Not that this formality appears to have deterred them from working anyway.
Whoops.
Miss Heather
*Note the absence of a sidewalk shed. It would appear they really need one.
**What is slated to be built here is as follows:
Don’t believe me? Click here and see for yourself!
TOMORROW: Smackdown!
Filed under: 11211, 11222, Brooklyn, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn
Tomorrow, July 28, starting at 7:00 p.m. the Williamsburg Northside Preschool will be hosting “The Ultimate Verbal Smackdown”. What will this “forum for 33rd council districts” entail? I’ll let NAG’s Neighborhood Watch give you the 411:
In a match held only once this century, seven City Council candidates will grapple with the issues important to North Brooklynites to help voters decide who will best be able to serve Greenpoint and Williamsburg in the City Council. Candidates will attempt their best verbal wrestling moves, although any metal chairs present will be for sitting and the only sleeper holds allowed are those that require a firm grasp of zoning law.
The Ultimate Verbal Smackdown forum will focus on the major issues facing North Brooklyn: affordable housing, open space, transportation, public safety, environment, quality-of-life, education and youth. The forum will be moderated by Susan Albrecht, Co-Chair of NAG…
It will probably be of interest to a number of people reading this that NAG is also taking submissions for a “people’s choice” question. You can tender your submission(s) and learn more about this event by clicking here.
ULTIMATE VERBAL SMACKDOWN
Tuesday, July 28, 2009; 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Willamsburg Northside Preschool
152 North 5th Street
Brooklyn, New York 11211
Let the mayhem begin!
Miss Heather
NYS Flickr Pool
You must be logged in to post a comment.