Open Thread Wednesday

By on April 3, 2024 12:06 am in open thread

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

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  • CommentsSection

    How crowded do you think the Promenade will be for the eclipse? Wondering if I should plan to view from there or somewhere else.

  • Jorale-man

    Not loving all the pro-Israel signage on the synagogues on Remsen Street. It’s their right to express it, of course, but a lot of neighbors will find those sentiments rather offensive given the country’s actions in Gaza.

  • Red Leader

    There are many of us “neighbors” who don’t equate Netanyahu’s actions with the country itself. Very disappointed in this comment. Let’s pray for the return of the hostages and for peace.

  • Banet

    I’m sure some will indeed find their signage offensive.

    Just as others would find any pro-Palestine signage offensive.

    Do you suggest that no one ever post anything that might offend? Or should they only post the more popular opinions?

  • Jorale-man

    Not at all. It’s their right to post the signs, as I said. I’m simply saying that they shouldn’t expect everyone around them to reflexively agree, especially when the signs include presumptuous language like “New York stands with Israel” (I do not in this case).

  • Banet

    Ah. You did not mention the specific language. Agreed — I doubt all 8M+ New Yorks “stand with Israel”. But I also think that most reasonable people know that all 8M+ New Yorkers don’t universally “stand with” anyone or anything.

    So I’m gonna let this one go as of course a synagogue supports Israel. I’m sure they have mixed feelings about it as many (including myself) feel Netenyahu has gone too far… which is also how many Israelis feel. Hence, the protests in the streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem this week.

  • Banet

    The eclipse is around 3pm so really, any sidewalk with a good view of the western sky will likely work. In other words, most every east-west street in our neighborhood.

  • Cranberry Beret

    I was on the promenade for the 2017 eclipse. Certainly a nice festive crowd – but no reason to be concerned that you won’t find a clear spot to view. It’s the middle of a work-day so don’t expect the throngs like in the years when we’ve had 4th of July fireworks, for example

  • gc

    “the middle of a work-day” …
    how quaint šŸ˜€

  • Andrew Porter

    You can see the eclipse from anywhere you have a view of the Sun. Here’s a photo I took of the spaces between the leaves on a tree functioning as pinhole lenses:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9fe9101ebf491ce38559303454d818c6231edd9f026a7b8adaae0076e487610b.jpg

  • Andrew Porter

    Here’s the Medical Arts Building on Joralemon on Sept. 8, 1929, photo by the Wurts Bros.:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/bc0f175e313155b313c18c1d35ba119d72a5434a0956b715bc0c2d581426e34e.png

  • Andrew Porter
  • Jorale-man

    Well, you’re certainly right about the lack of agreement on this divisive issue. I’ll put it another way: If the signs said “I stand with Russia,” I suspect there would be some outcry. And there are some definite parallels between Russia and Israel at the moment. Will see how long the war in Gaza goes before maybe the signs come down.

  • RickP

    For some years I’ve wondered about this, but have never asked anyone.

    Do you recall the little restaurant (counter and a few tables in a storefront) that was next to the Bossert? Late 60’s, early 70s?

    As I recall the sign was “Pepsi Restaurant”. I recall somebody calling it “The Greek’s”.

    Did it have a name?

    They had hamburger on the menu. At one point the Times mentioned them in an article indicating they had been cited for serving adulterated meat. After that, they put a pencil line through the word “hambuger” but you could still order it. I assumed (hoped?) that the adulteration was a benign filler like breadcrumbs and not anything worse.

    I also recall the World’s Saltiest Butter, but it didn’t mention that on the menu.

    Back to the point. Did that place have a name?

  • Peter Scott-Thomas

    I wish I could help you…. I tried! Thought that “Greek” and “Bossert” would get Google thinking, “C’mon – that’s not much of a challenge!”

    Turns out “Greek Revival” either characterizes the Hotel Bossert or somehow winds up in most web pages that feature it. So, I came up “empty.”

    However, when I saw a link to the BHB, I *had to* follow it. WHAT A HOOT! –

    http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/5875

    I guess it aged better than it might have in the 15 years since it graced these “pages” the first time around.

    No dig at the current “staff,” but BOY could “Homer” – the B.H. one – write!

  • fuantisemite

    Maybe take your anti-Semitism elsewhere.

  • Effective Presenter

    We do NOT see comments by Jorale-man as anti-semitism

  • Jorale-man

    Ah yes, an old standby: Anyone who criticizes Netanyahu’s barbaric bombing and starvation campaign is somehow an anti-semite. I think you need to find a new angle.

  • Red Leader

    But you were criticizing the synagogues. If you’re upset about what’s going on then say that. Honestly.

  • Jorale-man

    Only in that the synagogues appear to be supporting the war with their signs. Support for the war and the war itself are linked. And again, it’s certainly their right to support it.

  • Red Leader

    Why donā€™t you go talk to them about their feelings re: the war instead of speculating here? I would imagine that would lead to a greater understanding. Iā€™d be interested in hearing what you find out.

  • Andrew Porter

    I see some guy with my name commented there, a mere 15 years ago!

  • Jorale-man

    I appreciate the sentiment of talking things through with people we don’t agree with, but I can’t see it ending well. I doubt they’d appreciate a stranger showing up on their doorstep to question their politics.

    That said, I’m simply calling attention to something in the neighborhood here (as we often do on this blog). Nothing more or less.

  • Stop Jew Hatred

    I am sickened bu this thread and by Jorale-man in particular.

    First, No one in Israel wants war. All they want is the hostages returned and for terrorism to end. Prior to Oct 7th there was a ceasefire, and missiles flew from Gaza regularly but Israel did not attack. Why? Israel thought semi-peace was better than the alternative. So they let the missiles fly and took it on as a cost of peace. No other nation in the world has gone this farā€” everā€” for peace. When their citizens were raped and butchered, and kidnapped, they had no choice but to attack and destroy Hamas so such an evil can never happen again. Look at the videos Hamas joyfully and victoriously posted and you will understand what evil looks like. Look at the mutilations. Look at the bloody pants of victims that have been raped. See how babies were burned in front of their parents. Read the testimonies from the female hostages that were freed and raped regularly. Then you will know evil and understand why this is happening.

    When the 100+ hostages are returned the hostilities will stop. Calling for a ceasefire before then is unfathomable when there was a ceasefire on Oct 6th and Hamas broke it.

    This was not a war Israel started and not one they wanted. But they will defend themselves.

    Second, where are you complaining about the millions killed in Sudan, the true genocide in Syria, the ethnic cleansing and imprisonment by the millions of Uyghurs bu China. Your zeroing in on what the jews are doing is antisemitism plain and simple especially when it is to attack and Evil and return their citizens.

    Iā€™m particularly sick of BK Heights limousine liberals gaslighting Jews and taking sides on a simple moral debate of one side that has offered peace numerous times to the other side and been rejected out of hand each time. And now Israel faces an enemy, Hamas, that is a designated terror organization worldwide, and whose stated goal is to kill Jews off of the face of the planet and whose leaders publicly state that they will continue to orchestrate Oct 7th like attacks again and again. Why would Israel not defend itself. Imagine if Canada shot missiles at New York, killed 1200 US citizen and mutilated their bodies.what would our reaction be then?

    On top of which, letā€™s not forget that Israel is the land of the Jews going back thousands of years. Israel (and Jews) are mentioned in the Koran 43 times, yet there is not a single mention of Palestinians. Go figure.

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton

    Please stop playing the Antisemite-card anytime someone is critical of Israel.
    Yes the Hamas actions of October 7th were barbaric and unacceptable on any level of humanity, yes Israel has a right to defend itself and retrieve its hostages. However, the actions of Israel are now equally barbaric and inhumane as anything Hamas perpetrated. Israel’s inept, shoot anything that moves tactics have KILLED 13,000 CHILDREN in Gaza since 10/7. They certainly aren’t guilty of the Hamas actions. How on earth do you defend that? Never-mind I know you can’t.

  • Karl Junkersfeld

    That was scary. I live on the 28th floor and at approx. 10:30 I felt my bed shaking for about 30 seconds and immediately thought earthquake especially when the leaves on my corner tree were shaking. Very scary indeed.

    They say this magnitude of 4.7 earthquake is a once in 100 years event.

  • Stop Jew Hatred

    I would write this off as a typical Arch misanthropic comment, but this goes deeper.

    Hamas is the elected government. Hamas hides behind civilians and embeds themselves in hospitals, schools against the Geneva convention. Hamas started this and Hamas is to blame. Until Hamas lays downs their weapons and surrenders the war will not end. You can not create a moral euqivalency between Hamas which started this actions and now Israel which is seeking to end them permanently.

    And the reason this is antisemitism is that you only protest against jewish actions. Show me one instance where you have publicly proclaimed that China is barbaric and inhumane on this bulletin board for what they do to the Urghurs. Show me where you protested the gassing of Syrians by Assad. Where were you when the Sudanese were being slaughtered. Nowhere. So your voice now calls out the one Jewish state in the world when it defends itself against attack. Since Oct 7th alone, Hamas has fired 12,000 rockets into Israel. Should they just let those continue. You have some really messed up sense of morality.Yes war is not pretty. Yes the loss of life is tragic on both sides, But as we’ve seen in WWII, you sometimes need to eliminate evil doers to move forward. A ceasefire is meaningless when the ones that broke it— Hamas — are still in power. And they profess to break any ceasefire. This will only end when Hamas ends.

  • Peter Scott-Thomas

    They also are in the process – even before now – of “raising” NYC’s “risk profile.” I doubt that they’ve stuck lots of probes 50 miles or more below our basements, but seismology is really in its infancy. I went looking online for “stuff” about today’s event and ran across a more modest quake IN QUEENS in Jan. of this year.

    No predictions from me, … except “once in 100 years” is almost always code for “I didn’t see THAT coming!” Obviously, the experts can’t deny that it happened, … so their fallback is that it was WAY AGAINST THE ODDS. Hope, you scoff at that – I know I do.

  • Effective Presenter

    So many are hypersensitive to issues today that include antisemitism.

    We hope for a better tomorrow and that fvantisemite feels better soon.

  • Jorale-man

    It’s hard to know where to start with all this but I will say: the Chinese, Syrians and Sudanese don’t have the same power of the U.S. government (and huge lobbies) behind them, supplying taxpayer funded bombs to drop indiscriminately on civilians. Arch is exactly right here. If anything, I think he’s being a little too kind to the Israelis.

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