Greenpoint
Lorven Pharmacy
Culture on the Cheap
Manhattan Photo du Jour: Fulton Street
Before I experienced the utter hell that is the South Street Seaport yesterday I happened upon this piece of commentary.
And I rather liked it.
Miss Heather
Miss Heather’s Bon Voyage
Filed under: Area 51
Yesterday’s cruise netted (between the Mister and I) 600+ photographs to sort. I am currently on 116. Yup, it looks like it will be a long night for yours truly.
That said, I took a moment from my (admittedly) excessive shutter-bugging to recreate an old photograph I acquired several months ago. It dates from 1943 and was taken from the Staten Island Ferry. My impostor was taken from the American Princess as I was trying to keep my 110-115 pound person grounded while she negotiated choppy water. Nonetheless the similarity is striking.
Inasmuch as things may seem different (from 65 years ago) they are— for the most part— pretty much the same.
Dramamine, anyone?
Miss Heather
Digester Lighting Ceremony Post Script
As I wrote earlier today I attended the digester tank lighting ceremony last night at the Newtown Creek Nature Walk. Aside from being highly entertaining, it has been my experience that these events usually afford opportunities for free stuff. This was the case last night— and cake and coffee were not the only freebies in the offering.
As Mr. Heather and I were leaving the festivities, a woman was handing out these water bottles. As you can see it is emblazoned with the logos for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Department of Environmental Protection. I proudly showed my new prize to Mr. Heather. He was sick with envy— that is, until we looked at the bottom of this bottle to ascertain what it is made of.
This bottle is clearly labeled “PC 7”. What is “PC 7” you ask? Here is a little information from thegreenguide:
Not all #7 plastic is polycarbonate, nor are all Nalgene bottles made from polycarbonate. Unlike #1-#6,#7 is the official “other” plastics category. Nalgene makes several varieties of water bottle, made from different kinds of plastic, including polyethylene and polypropylene. Nalgene’s Lexan bottles are made of polycarbonate plastic (PC), a plastic known to leach the hormone-disrupting chemical bisphenol-A (BPA). This puts it in the company of two other plastics which studies have determined are prone to leaching and pose environmental and/or health concerns: 1) Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) which can leaches phthalates, a hormone disruptor, and dioxin, a carcinogen; and 2) polystyrene, which can leach styrene, a possible human carcinogen.
Does that mean Nalgene Lexan water bottles are unsafe? We cannot say categorically that Nalgene Lexan bottles are unsafe or even that they leach BPA, until the product has been properly tested. According to Our Stolen Future: “No tests on bisphenol-A leaching have been carried out specifically on Nalgene water bottles, to the knowledge of www.OurstolenFuture.org, nor were Nalgene bottles the brand used in the experiments demonstrating a link between polycarbonate and chromosomal aberrations. There may be some reason why Nalgene bottles do not leach bisphenol-A. This would be highly unexpected, however, given their chemical composition.”
What We Know
PC is a durable and heat resistant plastic, making it a popular material for food storage and laboratory equipment, including baby bottles, water bottles, petri dishes and animal cages. In the late 1990s, studies testing PC baby bottles found they leached low levels of BPA. After several tests of the same bottles the presence of BPA decreased dramatically. The studies suggested that while residual amounts of BPA may be present on some baby bottles, it would disappear after a short period of use. The studies concluded that the PC baby bottles currently on the market are not a health risk to children.
In 2003, a study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP), reproduced the same results as the earlier studies when new bottles were tested. However, after repeated washings and scrubbings, the levels of BPA leaching from the bottles increased significantly. The study concludes, “The increased migration levels may be due to polymer degradation.”
During the same year, two more studies were published in EHP, which came about after researchers traced BPA in lab mice to the PC cages in which the mice were housed. These studies share several of the same conclusions: 1) Polycarbonate exposed to harsh detergent is prone to leaching; 2) The older the polycarbonate, the more it leaches; 3) High temperatures cause higher rates of leaching. One study found that polycarbonate will leach into water at room temperature. Of even greater concern, the laboratory plastics studies were initiated by sudden abnormalities in mice egg cells after polycarbonate animal cages were mistakenly washed with the wrong detergent.
This is mildly disturbing. I guess I can always use this item as a time capsule or something. Thanks Department of Health!
Miss Heather
Chinatown Photo du Jour: Confucius Plaza
Filed under: Area 51
No shirt, no shoes, no Nirvana.
Miss Heather
Brooklyn Photo du Jour: The Taking Of Hoyt Schermerhorn
Filed under: Area 51
How many of you can say you saw a cop brandishing a semi-automatic weapon at Hoyt Schermerhorn and it made you smile? I can! I stumbled upon the filming of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (remake) today. Click here and check out what else I saw!
Miss Heather
TOMORROW: Sale And Samba
Filed under: Area 51
Tomorrow, Sunday, June 1 the Capoeira Brooklyn Academy will be hosting a multi-family yard/bake sale with a dash of Samba. Here are the deets per their press release:
Capoeira Brooklyn’s annual fundraising event is a fantastic indoor multi-family yard sale, complete with live samba performances, facepainting, balloon animals and … did we mention an amazing yard
sale and bake sale?We’ll have plenty of: Clothes & accessories, handbags, jewelry. Shoes for men and women, children’s clothing, books, CDs, great movies on DVD and VHS, sporting goods, toys, miscellaneous household items and fabulous knick-knacks.
We also know we’ll have some furniture (at least one futon, a box spring, a microwave cart), electronics and household appliances (a microwave) and much, much more.
Proceeds will benefit Capoeira Brooklyn’s annual batizado celebration (you can find out more about Capoeira Brooklyn at the sale, too!)
Don’t miss it!
WHAT: Sale/Sambafest
WHEN: June 1, 2008 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (Samba performances are 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.)
WHERE: Capoeira Brooklyn Academy
347 Flatbush Avenue, 2nd Floor
(Corner of Flatbush and Park Place)
WHY: Not?
HOW: Take the B or Q to 7th Avenue.
Enjoy!
Miss Heather
Brilliant. Simply Brilliant.
Filed under: Area 51
Once in a blue moon I happen upon a web site whose concept is so utterly brilliant I am green with envy. Such was the case at the Brooklyn Blogfest earlier this month. During the “shout out” session a gentleman got on stage and described of his blog, Trailers Undone. The sole purpose of this site is to review movies solely based on their trailers. No more shelling out ridiculous sums of money to only walk away disappointed!
If any of you have the time today, do check this site out. It’s a lot of fun!
Miss Heather
Times Are Tough Indeed!
Filed under: Area 51
A number of you probably attended any one of a number of festivities thrown last weekend in honor of the Brooklyn Bridge’s 125th birthday. I was not fortunate enough to check out the Brooklyn Bridge last weekend, but thankfully my intrepid colleague (and fellow Greenpointer) Bitchcakes did. You can check out her flickr photo set by clicking here.
But this post isn’t about the Brooklyn Bridge’s 125th birthday. It not about fireworks or celebrations either. Nope, this post is about a curious item Miss Cakes found ON the Brooklyn Bridge.
Bitchcakes notes:
Someone abandoned their sign. I guess they got enough $$ for breakfast.
You know times are bad when Lady Liberty is shilling for breakfast money at the Brooklyn Bridge.
In all seriousness folks, there are a lot of people right now who are having a very hard time putting food on the table. I know for a fact the Greenpoint Reformed Church’s food pantry is seeing an unprecedented number of families needing groceries.
Why not take a little time and donate to your local food kitchen today?
Miss Heather
Photo Credits: BitchcakesNY
Bed Stuy Photo du Jour: Long Weekend Edition
Filed under: Area 51
From Greene Avenue.
Miss Heather
COMING UP: Exposure
Filed under: Area 51
During my knockings around this week I happened to walk by Third Ward. A poster in the front door advertising an upcoming photography competition called “Exposure” quickly caught my interest so I took a picture of it (to remind me to follow it up when I got home). Here is a very general rundown of my findings as culled from artistswanted.org:
1. Submissions can only be made online via Artists Wanted’s web site. The deadline is June 17, 2008.
2. Up to four works can be submitted. The genre is completely up to you. It can be fashion, fine art, still life, portrait, landscape, nature, travel, photo journalism, and so forth. Be sure to include an image that represents you as well.
3. There will be two forms of judging: a panel of judges and a “people’s choice” award.
4. The winners will be announced July 15, 2008. The Grand Prize includes $2,008, a full press promotional campaign and a feature in The Annual.
Those of you who are interested to learn more can check out Artists Wanted’s web site or contact Third Ward in person (at 195 Morgan Avenue) or via email at:
exposure (at) artistswanted (dot) org
Good Luck!
Miss Heather
NYS Flickr Pool
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