Open Thread Wednesday 9/16/09

By on September 16, 2009 7:22 am in Brooklyn Heights

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

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  • HicksStRes

    I know no one on this blog likes or wants to bring up the issue of Best Dog Walkers again, but with Henriette and Cxaba now gone, who are people using? We definitely miss them and have not had as great an experience with their replacement.

  • yo

    mobile mutts, hands down

    http://www.mobilemutts.com/

  • GHB

    Where did Henriette and Czaba go?

  • Cranky

    Hawaii. Teddy the Wheaten misses them terribly. :-(

  • HicksStRes

    @GHB — they moved to Hawaii to start a family. No joke. I guess one of them already had family living there and they fell in love with it when they went to visit over the summer. Good for them – they deserve (bad for me…)

  • Pete

    Are they the couple that had. man bald women blond wore her hair in a pony tail?

  • AEB

    Homer (and all others), if you haven’t already seen this, by all means click on:

    http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2009/09/21/090921ta_talk_mcgrath

  • Homer Fink

    @AEB oh yes, the Statler and Waldorf of Brooklyn historians.

  • x

    The Bossert on Montague Street is getting a lot of activities recently.. staff moving numerous fridges, microwaves, etc into the building.

    Is it turning into a dorm?

  • mc

    Has anyone ordered pizza from Fascati lately and noticed a change (alas, not for the better) in the quality of their pies? After five weeks away from New York, we were eagerly anticipating Fascati’s thin crust pies, which always had just the right cheese-to-sauce ratio. The pie they delivered last week had a thick, spongy crust, and too much cheese, which was gluey. OK, we thought, everyone’s entitled to an “off” night; this was the first bad pie we’d gotten in 10 years. We ordered again tonight. The crust was thin, but had the texture and taste of cardboard. The cheese was again gluey. I’m hoping someone will tell me Fascati’s main pizza guy is on vacation, will return soon, and all will be well again with the nabe’s (arguably) best pizza joint. If not, please feel free to recommend others. Delivery is essential!

  • Flavio DiSantis

    Is it just me or are others sick of the “clipboard activists” roaming Montague Street asking passerby to sign petitions for one left wing cause after another? If it’s not the ACLU, it’s Planned Parenthood, Gay Rights, Health Care Reform, etc. It’s gotten so bad I don’t even want to go out anywhere. Not that you’d ever see them here, but I’d be just as annoyed if there were canvassers for right wing causes as well. I just want to be left alone damn it!

    Curiously, the politician wannabees and their volunteers don’t bother me anywhere near as much. Perhaps because they’re just passing out flyers which I can throw away almost instantaneously in the garbage cans at the end of the block. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled the primary is over but Doug B seems like a nice enough guy who i would have voted for if I could have, but I’m an independent so that wasn’t possible.

  • nabeguy

    mc, it’s probably is just a hangover from an extended vacation. After 30+ years of eating their pizza, I’ve come to learn that their vacation actually extends to about 6 weeks before things start shaking out. In the interim, their heads are still in the mountains of Calabria.

  • T.K. Small

    It’s funny, I just finished a slice about 30 minutes ago. I thought it was quite good tonight.

  • No One of Consequence

    It seems like it takes them a spell to get back in the groove (Fascati’s).

  • north heights res

    Flavio: It’s not just you. I’ve begun to take a perverse joy in saying, “No, I don’t have a few minutes for the environment, starving children, gay rights…[fill in the blank).”

  • Karl Junkersfeld

    Mary Travers, from Peter, Paul and Mary, passed away yesterday. Did she live in the Heights at any time? I recall her picture being prominently displayed in the Su Su’s restaurant window on Cranberry and Henry back in the early 80’s. I am the only one who remembers this picture or am I just blowin in the wind?

  • my2cents

    Flavio – There was a piece on NPR about clipboard canvassers and they interviewed a woman who had studied them. The study held out 4 really incredible facts
    1) This tactic is used almost exclusively by left wing groups. No right wing groups seem to use canvassers on the street.
    2) The tactic of canvassing is devastatingly ineffective. these smiley oung people are lucky to get as many as 3 people to listen to them in a whole day of annoying people
    3) The experienceof being a canvasser is so demoralizing and frustrating that people who canvas are less likely to be politically involved in the future. In other words it breaks the young idealistic spirits in the very people we should want to be active.
    4) Canvassers are often assigned to work on causes they aren’t interested in. Let’s say a young woman passionate about Gay rights signs up to canvass. She could end up trying to help the environment instead of working on Gay rights. This also is a big drain on morale.

    I was shocked to learn all these things which basically add up to the conclusion that these kids are not being harnessed to do work that counts and work that really helps others. Instead it just breaks their spirit at a time when they should be really committed to causes like these.

  • alex

    Flavio — I share your frustration. I often pretend to be on the phone when I spot them. My annoyance is especially ironic as I used to be one of them; I canvassed for the DNC one summer during college. It’s just as horrible of an experience for them as it is for you, so give them a bit of sympathy.

  • In the Heights

    I recently ran into someone working on behalf of Planned Parenthood (who I actually do give money to). I said I already contribute to the cause and that totally shut them up. That is my tactic going forward.

  • sue

    i don’t remember Mary Travers at Su-Su — just John Forsythe. His granddaughter went to PS8 with me and she once saved my ass from a serious whupping in the 5th grade. So I am eternally grateful to her, and will always remember her granddad’s photo there.

  • Karl Junkersfeld

    I remember John Forsythe also. I live across the street from PS 8 and saw him a couple of times. He was at his peak, as far as popularity, during that time and always looked perfect.

  • T.K. Small

    Sue, I am reasonably certain that my sister also went to school with the Forsythe granddaughter and that, many years later, she and I were in law school together. Small world isn’t it.

  • curious

    what is the granddaughter’s name

  • T.K. Small

    I am very impressed with our State Sen. Les then 30 minutes ago I contacted his Albany office regarding my frustration with the Gov. about something recently vetoed. The Albany staff listened carefully and someone from the Brooklyn office quickly called me back with the assurance that Squadron was personally interested.

  • sue

    Her name was Elizabeth Forsyte

  • curious

    There is no attorney listed as Elizabeth Forsythe (or Forsyte). See this NY listing of all attorneys: http://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/attorney/AttorneySearch. Perhaps she married and changed her name.

  • curious

    But thanks anyway Sue. I appreciate the followup.

  • T.K. Small

    For some reason I think her name was Susanna, perhaps spelled with a “z”. Sorry for not responding sooner.

  • sue

    My name is Suzanne with a Z… I know it wasn’t hers!

  • curious

    Regardless of the spelling, the search site allows a search of last name and the first 2 letters of the first name ie Su Forsythe. Nothing comes up. I appreciate the diligence but I’m losing interest. Thanks again.