Could this be a trend? Who is this "artist"?
Photo by Mrs. Fink
Archive | April, 2007
Boccelism Fourpeats, Keeps Bocce Fun
Boccelism fourpeated as champs in the FloydNY Winter Bocce League Finals, defeating the PoTown Pallinos in two straight games on Sunday (4/29).
Brigate Bocce capo Homer Fink, whose team was eliminated in the second round by the very Type A Kobra Kai, issued this statement upon learning of Boccelism's victory, "Gli Americani ed i ventilatori del bocce possono riposarsi bene stasera per il honor del nostro gioco caro è stato sostenuto. Gli uomini di Boccelism sono brave e sono temuti soltanto dal più debole degli uomini. Bravo Boccelism! Li vedremo nei finali la stagione prossima."
New Path Almost Done
Workers were putting the finishing touches on the new path at Cadman Plaza Park this weekend.
Photo by Homer "Shutterbug, not so much" Fink
Clark Street Elevators Get Citywide Attention
A front page article in today's New York Sun tells of the chronic problems with the elevators at the Clark Street subway station. Brooklyn Heights Association Executive Director Judy Stanton is quoted as saying, "one working elevator out of three is about par".
An odd and interesting fact, gleaned from former City Councilman Ken Fisher, is that the original elevators at Clark Street came from an aircraft carrier. These were replaced in 2000, when the station was closed for four months.
UPDATE: As mentioned below in comments, channel 5 covered this story last night. City Councilman John Liu, chairperson of the Transportation Committee (and next Mayor?) took the opportunity to get some airtime and beat David Yassky to the punch on the transit elevator crisis.
Slice of Life
Mike's Knife Shapener was out on Willow Street Saturday, open for business and ringing his bell.
Sunday’s Open House
114 Hicks Street, upper duplex
Condo
$1.95 million, $200/mo maint. $450 taxes
Broker: Warburg Realty Agents: Judith Thorn, Sarah Gorenstein
Open House Sunday: 12PM – 2PM
Stunning upper duplex in Townhouse conversion in the heart of Brooklyn Heights. The apartment has 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. The living room has 18ft ceilings with skylights and leads to a dining area. Stairs lead to a mezzanine floor with French doors leading to beautiful planted deck and a full height large den/library. The new chef's kitchen has a DW and a washer and dryer.
Confession in Murder of Heights Resident
A Filipino man has confessed to the murder of Peace Corps volunteer and Brooklyn Heights resident Julia Campbell, the Associated Press reports (WCBS-TV video).
In a shocking development, the circumstances surrounding the killing are more senseless and absurd than anyone could have anticipated. The killer, Juan Duntugan, told Filipino TV that Campbell bumped into him and he burst out into an explosive rage and killed her. He admitted that his sudden burst of violence — which included striking Campbell multiple times on the head with a rock — was misdirected at the 40 year old Heights resident, as he was angry over a recent dispute with his neighbor.
Panelists Discuss “Roots of Modern Brooklyn”
A group of distinguished civic leaders and academics, including former journalist and Phoenix founder Michael Armstrong and former Deputy Mayor, now Crain's New York Business publisher, Alair Townsend (photo above), convened at the Brooklyn College Library on Thursday to discuss the events, forces and people behind the residential, educational, commercial and artistic resurgence of Brooklyn.
The proceedings began with brief introductory remarks by Mr. Armstrong, followed by several others, including former Borough President Howard Golden, who was honored at the opening reception held on April 16th at the Brooklyn Historical Society. The keynote speaker was Professor John Mollenkopf, Director of the Center for Urban Research at CUNY Graduate Center, whose topic was "Modern Brooklyn in Context." Professor Mollenkopf began by noting the similarity of Brooklyn's problems in the latter decades of the twentieth century to those of "rust belt" cities like Cleveland and Detroit: reliance on declining manufacturing industries, stresses caused by changing ethnic demographics, and crumbling infrastructure. He noted, however, that Brooklyn benefitted from its proximity to the relatively vibrant Manhattan economy, its large stock of mostly well-preserved housing, and the energy imparted by the arrival of immigrants. As a result, Brooklyn proved to be resilient. Looking to the future, Mollenkopf noted that Brooklyn's "native" population is aging, and will need to "build bridges to younger immigrant populations." He said that a critical issue for the Borough's future is how well the second generations of these immigrant groups fare in education and careers. Finally, he noted that the problem of lower and middle income people being priced out of the housing market would have to be addressed.
Byrne Hosts Clinton Fundraiser
Former President Bill Clinton was in Brooklyn Heights last night to attend a fundraiser for his wife Hillary's presidential campaign. The event was held at nabe thesp Gabriel Byrne's Garden Place brownstone.
According to reports, Clinton sidestepped a question from Malachy McAllister, an Irish ex-pat who is fighting deportation from the United States. In Northern Ireland, he's been charged with the attempted murder of a Royal Ulster Constabulary officer in the 1980s. When asked if he would help McAllister with his troubles, Clinton changed the topic, stressing the need for the cessation of sectarian divides throughout the world.
Clinton added that McAllister should reach out to Senator Clinton's office, however. The senator did "appear" to support McAllister's bid for political asylum, the Irish Echo reported in 2004.
The former president also mentioned that Mrs. Clinton, if elected, would help the nation's youth by fighting global warming.
Clinton, the first "baby boomer" president drew a crowd worthy of a rock star. The Brooklyn Eagle reports that entire families gathered on Garden Place to "get a glimpse" of him. One resident quipped to the paper, “This is the most exciting thing to happen on Garden Place since Spike Lee filmed here.”
The event raised a reported $200,000 for Senator Clinton's campaign.
Byrne's new movie Jindabyne is now playing. His new HBO series In Treatment starts production in June.
Creeps Lurk in Heights
The two following stories from the police blotter in this week's Brooklyn Paper make one wonder why police patrols — especially in the North Heights — appear to be so few and far between:
Brooklyn Paper: Drugged Out Robber: The thief promised he meant no harm, but just needed enough money to buy drugs so he could stop the pain of withdrawal.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you,” he said as he grabbed a 33-year-old woman on the corner of Orange and Henry streets, around 9 pm on April 16. “I just need something. I’m dope sick.”
The woman handed over $40 and the addict shuffled off. She described him as a white Hispanic man, age 22, with a goatee, 6-foot-2 and 180-pounds, in a grey windbreaker, blue jeans, and a black hat. But she was not able to find him in the police’s photo books… (more…)
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