The Brooklyn Paper: Full articles

POLITICS: Bloomy bucks mean bupkis in Brooklyn

By Gersh Kuntzman — Wed, 4 Nov 2009 00:16:07 EST

By Gersh Kuntzman

The Brooklyn Paper

Mayor Bloomberg rolled to a third term on Tuesday, but he didn’t win Brooklyn.

Challenger Bill Thompson won a plurality of the ballots cast by borough residents, getting 49.8 percent of the vote to the 46 percent earned by Bloomberg, who spent $90 million on his re-election effort.

The close vote total revealed deep divisions in Brooklyn’s electorate, with the incumbent, who ran as a Republican, running strong in white-majority neighborhoods from Bay Ridge to Borough Park, as well as Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill, while predominantly black and Latino neighborhoods in central Brooklyn and Sunset Park came out strong for Thompson.

Preliminary returns show that the Assembly district covering Park Slope and Windsor Terrace voted 55–40 percent for Bloomberg. The neighboring district covering Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill and Brooklyn Heights went 53–40 percent for the mayor.

But in Fort Greene’s 57th Assembly District, 73 percent of voters went for Thompson.

In the end, the early returns show that Thompson won 169,071 Brooklyn votes to Bloomberg’s 157,296.

Citywide, of course, the mayor beat Thompson 50.6–46 percent.

The close results betrayed the predictions of virtually all of the borough’s political elite calling the race wrong. Borough President Markowitz, for instance, told The Brooklyn Paper that Bloomberg would win by “eight to 10 percent,” while Gov. Paterson said Thompson would win.

On the night, the mayoral race was the only close contest in Brooklyn.

In three contested Council races, Democrats rolled over their competition:

• In the 39th Council District, which covers Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill, Brad Lander got 70 percent of the vote to Republican Joe Nardiello’s 16.6 percent and Green Party candidate David Pechefsky’s 7 percent.

• In the 34th Council District, which covers Bushwick and Williamsburg, incumbent Diana Reyna shot down a challenge from Working Families Party–backed challenger Maritza Davila, 60–34 percent.

• And in the 43rd Council District, Democratic incumbent Vince Gentile beat back Republican Bob Capano with 60 percent of the vote.

And in the lone borough-wide race, Borough President Markowitz rolled to a third term, trouncing Republican challenger Marc D’Attavio, 85–13.2 percent.

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ELECTION: On Election Day, the ‘Oracle’ is a Bloomberg shill!

By Gersh Kuntzman — Tue, 3 Nov 2009 11:07:56 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Gersh Kuntzman

The Brooklyn Paper

The Oracle was a shill!

Residents of famously liberal Park Slope awoke on Election Day to find that the large neon sign atop Pintchik Hardware on Bergen Street was no longer blaring out advice for the lovelorn or telling fortunes from the corner of Flatbush Avenue.

This time, it urged people to vote for the mayor.

“Eliminate illegal guns,” read one of the half-dozen pro-Bloomberg messages.

“Works for $1 per year!” said another.

“Right guy to end pay-to-play,” added a third.

The political partisanship in such an important race is a change for the Oracle, which is known around the city for its sober predictions and even making wedding proposals. It is long rumored that its words are furnished by the greatest writer of his generation, Jonathan Safran Foer, who lives nearby.

But the militantly vegetarian Foer has not revealed if he is supporting the third-term-seeking mayor.

Either way, passers-by immediately noticed the change in the Oracle’s tone.

“I think he — it? — should be non-partisan,” said one customer, who declined to give his name lest the Delphic prognosticator turn on him. “It defeats the purpose of an oracle if it’s picking sides in something so earthly as a political race.”

But the Oracle dip its diodes into politics last year, when it endorsed Civil Court candidate Devin Cohen over Roger Adler, who was dogged by his links to disgraced party boss Clarence Norman.

In that case, the endorsement was likely made by Oracle owner Matt Pintchik, who also runs the Park Slope Volunteer Ambulance Corps and is a well known, jovial political insider in the neighborhood.

Late on Election Day, Pintchik confirmed that he was the man behind the curtain this time, too.

“I took a position,” said Pintchik, a lifelong Democrat. “I don’t usually do it, but we need strong leadership, and Mike has that over [Bill] Thompson.”

He differentiated his political endorsement from the prior work of the Oracle.

“Today’s message was not the Oracle,” he said. “The Oracle comes from a different place.”

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ELECTION: Jackie Robinson’s widow endorses the non-black, non-Brooklynite mayoral candidate

By Gersh Kuntzman — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:29:12 EDT

Note: More media content is available for this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Gersh Kuntzman

The Brooklyn Paper

The widow of Jackie Robinson — the great Brooklyn Dodger and civil rights pioneer — endorsed Mayor Bloomberg for re-election on Friday morning, chosing the white, non-Brooklynite over a black native of the borough where her husband made his historic stand.

Rachel Robinson joined Bloomberg for breakfast this morning at Tom’s Diner in Prospect Heights and praised the mayor for his leadership.

“I am endorsing him with a feeling of confidence and hope,” she said. “He has demonstrated that he has prepared to lead the nation — I mean New York.”

Interrupted by laughter over the gaffe, Robinson then continued: “I’m particularly interested in education, and I love the fact that … the children are beginning to benefit. And that’s just one area of his leadership in these critical times.

“I wholeheartedly, and with great pride, endorse him,” she added.

Later, The Brooklyn Paper asked her what her husband — who broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947 and remained committed to civil rights for blacks for the rest of his life — would think about her choice of Bloomberg over Comptroller Bill Thompson, a Brooklyn native.

“Race and social status does always play a part, but Jack always believed that you have to get the best person for the job,” she said.

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GREENPOINT: The billion-dollar bridge!

By Will Yakowicz — Thu, 5 Nov 2009 08:45:23 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Will Yakowicz

The Brooklyn Paper

Call it the $1-billion bridge!

The pricetag for a state plan to replace the crumbling Kosciuszko Bridge by 2017 has ballooned to more than a billion bucks to accommodate the eight-year inflation expected during the long-awaited and long-needed replacement.

It was slated to cost $700 million as recently as last spring. The higher cost is due to a longer build-out time, state officials said.

The good news is that for such a high price, we might actually get something truly stunning — a concrete cable-stayed straight out of a science fiction movie (or the downtowns of many other cities). In layman’s terms, the futuristic bridge resembles two space-turkey wishbones standing upright with diagonal connection cables.

Last month, the Kosciuszko Bridge Stakeholders Advisory Council — a Department of Transportation-appointed panel of local activists — chose three final designs for the new 1.1-mile span.

In addition to the front-runner (pictured) were a simple box girder design and a crescent arch similar to the Bayonne Bridge.

They would all cost a lot, but Adam Levine, spokesman of the state Department of Transportation, said the cost was expected.

“For a bridge that is a mile long in New York City, $1 billion is the going rate,” he said.

Whatever design is chosen, the new bridge will have nine lanes, up from the current six; have a less-steep incline now that there’s no longer a need to accommodate large boat traffic on the Newtown Creek; a bike and pedestrian lane; and a boat launch.

The federal government will pay for 80 percent of the replacement project, leaving $200 million to be picked up by the state. The four-year construction will begin in 2013.

It’s not a moment too soon. The span is perpetually gridlocked — a result of antiquated design and nonexistent shoulders. In addition, the support beams and roadways are deteriorating. Two weeks ago, the bridge was partially closed due to joint failure.

Even worse, the bridge, which carries 160,000 vehicles every day from Greenpoint to Queens, has an accident rate that is six times the statewide average.

“It has issues that need to be repaired right away,” said Levine.

In fact, it’s the worst bridge in the five boroughs, according to the General Contractors Association, an agency that assesses city construction projects.

“We know the state is facing a fiscal crisis, but this is going to cost more in the long run if we wait to repair the infrastructure,” said Felice Farber, a representative of the General Contractors Association. “It’s not about traffic, but rather our economy. Trucks deliver goods, services, and supplies to our stores every day. If this infrastructure fails, our economy fails, too.”

So the New Kosciuszko is on the fast track, right?

Um, not so fast. Last month, Gov. Paterson said that his own Transportation Department’s five-year, $25.8-billion capital package plan is too pricey. He did not mention the Kosciuszko Bridge specifically, but said the agency would face massive budget cuts.

“This plan … [is] simply unaffordable given New York’s current fiscal condition,” Paterson said in October. “If the Legislature does not work with me to address the budget deficit, it will become increasingly difficult to enact a necessary and affordable road and bridge plan for New York.”

State transportation officials insist that they are forging ahead to replace the 60-year-old span, named for Tadeusz Kosciuszko, a Polish general in the American Revolutionary War and a distant relative of this reporter. Though it is not in danger of imminent collapse, state workers are constantly replacing bits and pieces so that the bridge remains open.

As such, Levine said that it was such a high priority that the bridge project would likely avoid Paterson’s budget ax.

Assemblyman Joe Lentol (D–Greenpoint) hopes Levine is right.

“It’s one of the most important projects in the city. It hurts quality of life and it actually costs lives,” said Lentol’s spokeswoman Amy Cleary. “I don’t want to imagine what will happen if we don’t listen to the experts.”

A final design will be chosen by January.

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DUMBO: Panel says no to DUMBO dance club

By Will Yakowicz — Thu, 5 Nov 2009 07:08:58 EST

Note: More media content is available for this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Will Yakowicz

The Brooklyn Paper

Is a dance club a good thing or a bad thing for a neighborhood?

A Community Board 2 committee decided on Wednesday night that a dance club at the corner of Front and Old Fulton streets in lively DUMBO would be bad for the neighborhood, voting 5-2 to reject a cabaret license request by the owners of One Front restaurant.

The owner, Marcelo Pevida, sought the permit for his establishment so that he could offer dancing on the second floor. He claimed that the ground floor and mezzanine of the eatery, formerly the Asian-fusion restaurant Toro, but now serving American fare, would remain limited to dining.

But a majority of the members of CB2’s health, environment, and social services committee was persuaded by the opposite argument.

“I have lived in the neighborhood for 25 years and I have never objected to any new restaurant or establishment,” said resident Gary Van der Putten. “But what happens is that these kinds of places get cabaret licenses then, all of a sudden, they deteriorate into clubs.”

Others cited the Clinton Hill nightclub Reign and the notorious neighborhood Studio B club in Williamsburg as evidence.

But Pevida said that his club wouldn’t be like those.

“My restaurant is a benefit for our community,” Pevida said. “When I bought the build it had been abandoned for three years. I want a cabaret license to improve my establishment for our community.”

The city’s prohibition-era cabaret law requires a special permit — plus more stringent fire and building codes — for any food or drinking establishment that wants to have more than two people dancing at any time.

But residents said that One Front is already too loud without legal dancing. One person said that the police had to be called over the weekend during what he called Pevida’s “two-day party till 4:30 am.”

But one person, Richard Mauro of the Fulton Ferry Business Association, spoke in defense of Pevida, saying that entrepreneurs like him have turned the Old Fulton Street area from dicey to desirable.

“We full-heartedly support Marcelo,” Mauro said. “DUMBO has become a place to live and raise a family, and he has contributed to make our neighborhood a great place.”

Few agreed.

“Did I miss something? What’s the benefit for the community that [he is] offering?” asked the committee’s chairman, John Harrison.

“To make a place to go dancing for the community,” Pevida replied.

“We don’t want to dance!” a resident retorted.

The rejection by the committee was not a surprise, giving the board’s stinginess with new liquor licenses. In fact, earlier this year, Borough President Markowitz told the board to be more liberal with such licenses.

Pevida will get to take his case to the full board next week. The board’s vote is only advisory, and the Department of Consumer Affairs will make the final ruling.

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Something’s fishy: Anglers reel ’em in as fish derby comes to a close

By Stephen Rex Brown — Mon, 2 Nov 2009 12:52:14 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Stephen Rex Brown

for The Brooklyn Paper

For a moment, Mike Bruno thought he had hooked a contender in the final week of the inaugural Brooklyn Fishing Derby.

Unfortunately, it was only spark plugs.

As the 40 participants in the first Brooklyn-only fishing tournament dig in for their last few days and nights on the shores of the East River, they do not just have to deal with the cold weather.

In other words, that’s not a crab at the end of your line; it’s garbage.

On Sunday, five fishermen in the tournament gathered at the end of N. Eighth Street in Williamsburg and rode out their Halloween hangovers in East River State Park, many still in the remnants of the previous night’s costume.

Led by Ben Sargent, a laid-back surfer built like a football player, the motley crew tried its luck, regularly getting lines stuck on the rubble littering the river. One of the group’s most common catches? “Bag fish,” the nickname for the black and white trash bags that they regularly reel in.

But the East River holds plenty of surprises, too.

“A few days ago a guy pulled out a car bumper,” Sargent said.

The tournament — which inexplicably allows catches from Long Island City — was started by Sargent, 32, who has earned notoriety for his formidable seafood chowder that has been tasted by the likes of Martha Stewart and Bobby Flay.

Sargent and a fellow surfer, James Potter, 32, both enjoyed the company of other ocean-lovers so much that they came up with the fishing tournament, which wouldn’t require the long trip out to the Rockaways.

“We found that we all just kind of speak the same language,” Potter, an education consultant, said while wearing a bright green wig.

Still, the mellow anglers couldn’t hide their disappointment that one fisherman has all but secured victory in the striped bass category — and, like any good fisherman, he’s letting everyone know it.

John Ruffino caught a 40-pound, 40-inch beauty — about the length of a golf club — on a pier in Long Island City. But, also like any good fisherman, Ruffino is prone to exaggeration.

Sargent joked that the fish has fluctuated from 39 inches to 41 inches depending on Ruffino’s level of excitement — though everyone begrudgingly acknowledges that Ruffino did struggle for 20 minutes before landing this striper.

That’s feat can’t be beat.

“I would be feeling the pressure if that guy hadn’t caught a 40-incher,” said Michael Louie, 32.

So far, Louie had reeled in a couple striped bass roughly half the size of Ruffino’s already-legendary catch. So far, his biggest thrill was that brief moment when he thought he’d hooked the Big One — only to realize that all he’d caught was a big piece of wood.

“That was an adventure,” Louie said, whose enthusiasm for fishing has resulted in some collateral damage: “I’ve been blowing off my girlfriend to go fishing — I’ve kind of been focusing on fishing more than on her,” he said.

There’s good reason why he’s concentrating on fish right now. Though no one will beat Ruffino’s striper, bluefish and other categories are wide open. Potter, for his part, said he would be dedicating his energy for the next week to landing a respectable fish.

“I have only one crab on my scorecard, so I’m definitely burning the midnight oil,” Potter said. “But it was an enormous crab — could have taken my leg off!”

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BROOKLYN HEIGHTS: City resists chopper command from Brooklyn Heights

By Will Yakowicz — Tue, 3 Nov 2009 01:37:45 EST

Note: More media content is available for this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Will Yakowicz

The Brooklyn Paper

Brooklyn Heights residents who are about to be even more annoyed by helicopter noise starting this April were hit with a bit of “good news/bad news” at a hastily called meeting with city, state and federal officials last Friday.

The good news: Helicopters can take alternate routes to cut down on noise pollution across the tony neighborhood.

The bad news: No agency requires the chopper pilots to use such routes.

Such a revelation reveals part of the difficulty facing residents who are seeking to cut back on news and tourist helicopter flights as one of Manhattan’s two helicopter pads closes next year.

The state’s April closure of the West 30th Street heliport for tourist departures could result in thousands more sight-seeing trips leaving from the remaining helipad near the South Street Seaport, just across the East River from Brooklyn Heights.

A decade of complaints about the existing noise led to the Oct. 30 meeting with the Economic Development Corporation, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Brooklyn Heights Association, state Sen. Daniel Squadron (D–Brooklyn Heights), Councilman David Yassky (D–Brooklyn Heights) and Assemblywoman Joan Millman (D–Carroll Gardens). But all that the chopper opponents learned at the confab was that there is very little accountability where helicopters are involved.

“We came out of the meeting with a lot less than we expected,” said Judy Stanton, executive director of the Brooklyn Heights Association.

But Squadron was happy to have been at the table, seeing it as a first step towards trimming non-essential tourist flights.

“We’re working on ending the lack of government oversight of the helicopter business,” he said. “The best way to do this will be to have helicopter companies, the EDC and the FAA at the table.”

It’s not the first time that lawmakers have grappled with the need to balance tourist and news-media needs with community outrage over noise.

In the late 1990s, then-Mayor Giuliani put into motion a gradual ban of tourist helicopters, but Mayor Bloomberg reversed the reductions, citing a need to capture the tourist money that each $800 helicopter ride generates in revenues for the city.

But while the EDC manages the city’s heliports, there are few requirements about where those choppers can go once they leave the pad. The FAA, for example, only controls airspace above 1,500 feet.

“There are alternate routes for helicopters to take that will be less noisy for residents, but the pilots are not required to take them,” said FAA spokesman Jim Peters.

Helicopter noise is not just an in-flight problem. Each flying machine must warm up on the ground — at full throttle — before it can safely take off. The blades makes a strong reverberation that is felt across the river.

“The river is narrow and water amplifies the propeller’s sound,” Stanton said. “If they are not going to cut the numbers of flights, then the residents will still be bothered by helicopters.”

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DOWNTOWN: On the line for a not so free flu shot

By Will Yakowicz — Thu, 5 Nov 2009 07:22:32 EST

Note: More media content is available for this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Will Yakowicz

The Brooklyn Paper

Now that the city’s school system has started to dole out flu shots, adults are apparently realizing that they should get one, too.

On Wednesday, a three-hour line formed outside the Department of Health building on Flatbush Avenue Extension near Willoughby Street, and a worker at the center said it had been “besieged” by patients like Doug Wallace, 82, of Park Slope.

“No one wants to give me a flu shot this year,” he said, explaining how he ended up in the line. “I need it for my health. I went to my doctor and he said he’s not giving them this year, the hospital on my street where I was born doesn’t have them either.”

Here’s what else we heard from people on the line for the free shot:

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WILLIAMSBURG WATERFRONT: Is this tower too big for Greenpoint?

By Will Yakowicz — Mon, 9 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Will Yakowicz

for The Brooklyn Paper

A first-time developer is planning to build what would be the tallest luxury condo tower on Greenpoint’s waterfront — but he’s going to need a “radical” change in zoning to get it done.

Jonathan Bernstein’s proposed Cesar Pelli-designed 47-story tower, with a 20-story sister building, cannot be built on his India Street lot under current zoning without demapping a portion of India Street and some of Java Street as well.

Without the demapping, Bernstein would be allowed to build a 40-story building and a 30-story secondary tower — but both would be much less dense and, therefore, less lucrative.

“The building will never get built unless it is big,” Bernstein said, anticipating community opposition to his $623-million project. “Lenders won’t lend money if you can’t build an original and financially viable plan.”

That may have been true a few years ago, but the recession has dried up a lot of financing. And there is a glut of luxury units at still-unfinished projects nearby, such as the Edge, Northside Piers and the still-unstarted 155 West St.

Bernstein had an answer for that, too. “In Brooklyn, housing is an absolute crying need, so we are proceeding as if the economy will improve tomorrow,” he said. “The truth is that the world will get better and you have to tend to your business.”

In another attempt to curtail opposition, Bernstein said his project would include thousands of square feet of parkland, an amphitheater, a beach, sand dunes, wetlands, two piers for three historical schooners (for educational purposes), and ferry service.

Ward Dennis, the chairman of Community Board 1’s land-use committee, called Bernstein’s plan “a beautifully designed project,” but said he was concerned about radically the zoning would be altered to accommodate it.

Current zoning allows a total density of 660,000 square feet. Bernstein’s project surpasses that by almost 35 percent.

“The big thing is the question of density,” Dennis told The Brooklyn Paper. “How many people can the G train handle? How many people can the community handle at its schools? Where will all these services come from?”

Bernstein admitted that he would be asking for “radical changes to the zoning,” but said his project was so unique that it would become a gateway to Manhattan and Greenpoint.”

“Every city planer comes a across a spot that is overlooked, but is perfect and Greenpoint is inevitable for my plan,” he added. “It has a spectacular world-class view and is a natural and wonderful place to live.”

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PARK SLOPE: At the Armory, wait ‘til next year

By Gersh Kuntzman — Tue, 3 Nov 2009 00:08:50 EST

Note: More media content is available for this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Gersh Kuntzman

The Brooklyn Paper

Sorry, sports fans, but the long-delayed, torturous redevelopment of the Park Slope Armory into a community and local school recreation center is delayed again.

Despite what other media are reporting, the recreation center, whose $16-million renovation was finished nearly two years ago, is not likely to meet its most-recent target opening date this month.

At a meeting last week, representatives of the Department of Homeless Services, which operates the building, said that the center only needs a sign-off by the Fire and Buildings departments before the Prospect Park YMCA can begin running recreation programs inside the former 14th Regiment armory.

But despite relentless questioning from members of Community Board 6, the officials refused to actually set a date.

“They can’t even give us a ballpark figure,” said Nica Lalli, CB6’s Parks Committee chairwoman. “They can not give us anything that will satisfy our need to know. We asked it 15 ways, but they did not budge and give us a date.”

On Monday, the homeless agency, which has site control because it operates a woman’s shelter in the building, told The Brooklyn Paper in a statement that the opening is “imminent.”

The agency’s commissioner, Robert Hess, explained the seemingly endless delays on the condition of the 106-year-old building.

“While this space was antiquated and took time to integrate systems, it is now truly state of the art,” he said. “I believe you will see that the final product was worth the wait.”

Hess was a bit quick with that “was.”

The delays continue, despite promises that the center would be open in May, then by the opening day of school this year.

The responsibility for the delay belongs entirely to the city, which first failed to meet its original renovation deadline two years ago. Then, the city designated the YMCA to operate the facility in May, 2008, but did not even finish inking the deal until December of that year.

Even if the turnover of the building to the YMCA is “imminent,” it will take the Y six to eight weeks to complete its own work inside the facility, said Executive Director Sean Andrews.

But Andrews said that some recreation programs for elementary and middle school children — the main reason for the renovation of the building in the first place — will begin immediately once he has the keys in hand.

“The drill floor will be available for the students right away,” he said, though he said community space and exercise facilities won’t likely be in place until the new year.

Either way, Hess was confident that all would be forgotten once the public gets inside that building.

“We will be turning over a beautiful and safe facility for the children and adults of Park Slope,” he said in a statement. “[It] will become a hub of the community.”

Perhaps, but the multi-year process leaves Lalli wanting more.

“When it opens, it will be fantastic,” she said. “But it is an outrage that this whole process was designed to eliminate any public input. As a result, no one has been accountable to anyone.”

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WILLIAMSBURG WATERFRONT: Take the ‘Edge Challenge’

By Sabrina Jaszi — Tue, 3 Nov 2009 00:08:52 EST

Note: More media content is available for this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Sabrina Jaszi

for The Brooklyn Paper

Pepsi once challenged soda drinkers to sample the competition — and now one of Williamsburg’s super deluxe condo towers is doing the same by giving clients a free ride to see other apartments that supposedly can’t measure up.

But the main difference between “the Pepsi Challenge” and “the Edge Challenge” — named after the Kent Avenue condo building — is that Pepsi was already a hugely selling product when it went after the number one soft drink. In this case, sales at the Edge are slower than expected.

So is there really a difference between Pepsi (a.k.a. the Edge) and Coke (in this case, condo towers like Oro in Downtown Brooklyn or Northside Piers in Williamsburg)? This reporter set out to uncover the truth.

The condo challenge began at the sales office of the high-priced development-in-progress on Williamsburg’s waterfront between North Fifth and Seventh streets, where potential buyers are handed a checklist of all of the Edge’s amenities.

On the long list are such trendy items as green building materials; two gyms with saunas, steam baths and spa services; two mini cinemas; a full-size basketball court; a convertible indoor/outdoor pool; a fire pit; a children’s playroom; washers and dryers in every apartment; safes; glass-tiled walls and water-efficient toilets.

The list also boasts about the outdoor space around the development — a two-acre waterfront promenade and proximity to East River State Park.

“We are so confident that we are asking prospective buyers to take this chart and find another building that offers everything life at the Edge would,” said Highlyann Krasnow, one of the building’s marketers.

But there are some glaring omissions on the lengthy list. The Edge fails to the mention the prices for its 565 units, which are high compared to its competitors. And square-footage in Edge units is low.

The smallest studio costs $395,000, which breaks down to $800 per square foot.

Once clients have been debriefed, they don hardhats and boots to see the model apartments, which, in the midst of a construction site, look far less lavish than they sounded minutes earlier.

That’s because most of the features on the checklist don’t yet exist. The development, slated for early 2010 occupancy, is still largely unfinished.

The Edge looks good on paper, but with other condos offering a completed product, does paper beat rock? The Edge is willing to bet it does. Brokers paid for a car and even made us an appointment at the competitor of our choice, the finished Oro Condominiums on Gold Street in Downtown.

Off we went to the 40-story dun-colored tower just off Flatbush Avenue Extension to put the Edge’s checklist to work. Both condos have indoor parking lots, were built by union hands, and both have floors made of sustainably harvested wood.

But that was about where the similarities ended.

In a few cases, differences were a matter of taste: the Edge has glass-tiled walls in its bathroom while Oro has porcelain backsplashes. And the appliances at the two condos are made by different manufacturers.

On amenities, though, the Edge squarely outdid Oro which offers just one indoor pool, one screening room and a half-sized basketball court. Apartments also don’t come with a washer or dryer and Oro also doesn’t boast many of the green specifications of the Edge.

Sure, conceded an Oro sales representative, “if you want amenities, The Edge has everything. But you’re paying Manhattan prices.”

Meanwhile, the Oro has slashed its prices by 25 percent on all remaining units — so on this one, the Oro has the edge on Edge.

As a result, the same price gets you a studio with about 100 more square feet than at the Edge.

Oro has closed on 82 of its 303 units since September 2008. Though the Edge has pre-sold 30 percent of its units, including all of its penthouses, it has no completed deals since it’s not yet ready for occupancy.

No one from Oro would comment directly on the Edge’s checklist, though a representative pointed out that until the Edge has its first tenant, it can’t claim to be ahead.

“Buyers are shopping around these days more than ever,” said Robert Scaglion, a spokesman for Oro. “Recent price reductions, coupled with the finishes and amenities, position Oro favorably in the market as compared to other buildings.”

But the Edge still believes buyers will favor flavor, even if it costs them a few extra dimes.

“Though we’ll work with buyers on price, no general price reductions are planned because units are selling very well here,” said Krasnow.

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The Halloween Parade pictures you know you want

Sun, 1 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Note: More media content is available for this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

The Brooklyn Paper

Saturday night’s annual Park Slope Halloween parade was a big success — even with a new route that took all the ghouls, ghosts and other very scary monsters (see far right) to Fifth Avenue for the first time. Our photographers caught some of the best costumes including (from left) a Heath Ledger–inspired Joker, a butterfly, a li’l pumpkin, a guy channelling Dennis Hopper in “Easy Rider” and our own editor, Gersh Kuntzman, who led the parade in a dress. Alas, that’s not a costume.

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MCMAHON ON LINE 1: Rep. Mike says ‘no’ to Obama on health care

By Gersh Kuntzman — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:02:01 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Gersh Kuntzman

The Brooklyn Paper

Over the weekend, freshman Rep. Mike McMahon (D-Bay Ridge) was one of only two Democrats in the state to vote against the House health care reform bill. In doing so, McMahon joined 22 Southern Dems and scores of Republicans from some of the reddest corners of our country. But McMahon says his “no” vote doesn’t mean he’s against health care reform — just this health care reform.

Clearly, it was time for another installment of our award-nominated feature, “McMahon on Line 1.”

Brooklyn Paper: So, it’s you, an upstate conservative, a bunch of Southern yahoos and most of the Republican Party on this. Is that really the company you want to be keeping on health care reform?

Mike McMahon: For me, this vote came down to what is best for the people who sent me to Washington. I promised to be independent, and, in my opinon, this bill would be detrimental to the hospitals in my district. Each one would lose $25 million in disproportionate share hospital funding.

BP: Come on. Now you’re just making things up. What’s that?

MM: It’s the rate at which they’re compensated for uninsured and undocumented patients. Hospitals in my district would really suffer because they have high numbers of such patients.

BP: But so would hospitals in neighboring congressional districts in Brooklyn — yet all those members of Congress voted for the bill.

MM: You’d have to ask them why.

BP: We have. They say they support reform.

MM: So do I. But this bill would also hurt seniors, who would lose critical Medicare benefits. And small businesses, which are the main economic engines in my district, would see tax increases. And this bill has no clamp on increasing premiums. Insurance companies would drive up premiums to cover the cost of covering more people.

BP: That’s not in the bill. That’s just your assumption.

MM: It is my expectation, yes. We’re still waiting a report by the Congressional Budget Office, but most experts feel that because of the increase in coverage, the increase in mandates and the lack of any cost controls, the insurance companies would raise rates.

BP: You mentioned seniors. Why does this bill hurt them?

MM: Because they would lose their Medicare Advantage, which 35-40 percent of the seniors in my district use.

BP: But high numbers of seniors in other districts use that, too, yet their congressmen voted for the bill.

MM: Again, you’d have to ask those members.

BP: Where are you on the public option now? You’ve been very iffy on it.

MM: I’m not opposed to the public option, but it’s not the way to cut costs. Remember: you can’t take the public option if your employer covers you currently. So how does an option offered to 10 million people cut down costs for everyone else? You could drive down costs with an independent board that could set rates. That’s in one of the Senate bills, but not the House bill.

BP: OK, so what does Mike McMahon want?

MM: We need to set the right inflection point for health care. The House bill would send it in the wrong direction. It would increase costs without controls over health care system. And it would be a heavy pressure on the national debt. We need to expand coverage, but we need to control costs to the government. In the House bill, for example, there’s no bundling [a payment system that reimburses hospitals for the entire treatment, not one service at a time]. There’s no incentive to get off the fee-for-service system. What you want is performance-based payments, outcome-based payments.

BP: So Mike McMahon wants reform, even though he voted against the House bill.

MM: Yes, but the current bill would not do it.

BP: Man, you must have been under a lot of pressure to vote with the president?

MM: He called me. And the vice president called me.

BP: Biden, whatever. But what’s it like to get that call from the president? Is it really, “Congressman, hold on one second for the president” like in the movies?

MM: Yes, it is. And it’s a bit unnerving. But we had a very serious talk about the bill. I told him that my decision was easy because the bill is not good for the people who sent me to represent them. And at the end, he said, “Mike, I can see that you’ve really thought this through, and I respect that.”

BP: You said no to a Democratic president on the central pillar of his agenda.

MM: Well, you know the Chinese proverb: May we live in interesting times.

BP: Proverb? It’s a curse, congressman!

MM: Now you tell me.

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ELECTION: Who will win on Tuesday? These pols think they know

By Will Yakowicz — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:01:00 EDT

Note: More media content is available for this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Will Yakowicz

The Brooklyn Paper

Downtown Democratic powerbroker Steve Cohn had his annual pre-Election Day breakfast at Junior’s, so we caught up with all the local poobahs to get their predictions about Tuesday’s mayoral election. Mayor Bloomberg may be up by 15 percent in the polls, but these Democratic pols are convinced that he’ll wake up on Nov. 4 as the outgoing leader.

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Fishermen lie — but how much?

By Stephen Brown — Mon, 2 Nov 2009 12:52:15 EST

Note: More media content is available for this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Stephen Brown

for The Brooklyn Paper

Fishermen are notorious liars. So on the eve of next week’s inaugural Brooklyn Fishing Derby award ceremony, we asked fishing folk about their best catch and their best fish tale.

— Stephen Brown

Mike Bruno, 26, cinematographer Biggest fish: A 20-inch trout. Biggest fish he said he caught: A 35-inch trout that I said I caught when I was kid even though my dad caught it. Then I probably inflated it by six-inches.

Maria Haddad, 22, graphic designer Biggest fish caught: A measly 10-inch striped bass. Biggest she ever said she caught: A deadly mutant crab with nine legs.

Ben Sargent, 32, co-founder of the Brooklyn Urban Anglers Club Biggest fish caught: A bluefish over 22-inches off of Cape Cod. Biggest fish he said he caught: I’m good about not exaggerating. It comes back to get you. It’s bad karma.

Michael Louie 32, printer Biggest fish caught: A six-pound dolphin-fish. Biggest fish he said he caught: I caught a really big piece of wood covered in seaweed — that was an adventure. I could have lied about that one.

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BOERUM HILL: Heavenly battle turns to court of man

By Linnea Covington — Fri, 6 Nov 2009 06:31:58 EST

Note: More media content is available for this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Linnea Covington

for The Brooklyn Paper

The battle between the congregation at Bethlehem Lutheran Church and the church’s governing body could soon shift from the kingdom of heaven to a New York court.

The dwindling congregation at the shuttered Boerum Hill church has started raising money to sue the Metropolitan New York Synod to force it to return the church building on Pacific Street to the local group and let it reopen for spiritual business.

The problem: The Synod, which oversees 210 Evangelical Lutheran churches in New York, obtained the deed to Bethlehem in an internal church struggle last January and kicked out the congregation.

Worse, the Synod de-sanctified Bethlehem Lutheran as a church.

“I was shocked when they came out and said Bethlehem Church no long exists,” said Muriel Tillinghast, who was president of the congregation. “We existed before the Synod existed.”

The church has stood at 490 Pacific St. since 1874. Built by the Swedish Lutheran community, the 1,250-seat house of worship acted as a cultural center for Swedish immigrants. At the time of its closing, less then 40 people were affiliated. Today, that number is down to 27 active members, who pray in exile at the Zion German Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brooklyn Heights.

Tillinghast said that the church’s declining membership was the reason that the Synod shut it down in January, but newly appointed assistant pastor Norman David said it was all about that most earthly of concerns: money.

“They claimed all the reserved funds and records and haven’t given anything back to the congregation,” he said, suggesting that the Synod plans to sell the nicely located property.

He’s planning the lawsuit — a process with which he is well acquainted.

In fact, David hooked up with the Bethlehem congregation because the same thing happened at his own parish in Beaumont, Mass., where he still lives and preaches when not working at Bethlehem. That dispute reconciled favorably for his church without going to court. Deep down, David hoped the same thing would happen in Brooklyn.

“We would love to have the Synod come around and say, ‘Look, we are sorry. Here is the property. Let’s work together.’”

The Synod would not comment on the matter because “it’s under litigation,” a spokesman said.

Meanwhile, David is raising money. A couple Saturdays ago, he organized a fundraiser for the church and held a service outside the building’s locked doors, turning over a trash can, draping a white cloth over it, and offering sacrament. Despite the rain, the Bethlehem parishioners sang hymns and held a full service.

“We did this to show our continual care and presence in this neighborhood,” he said. “We are still here, even if we are locked out of the building.”

David said he needs to raise $200,000 to take the Synod to court. He has $5,000 so far.

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POLITICS: Brooklynite runs for Senate seat — in Idaho!

By Helen Rittelmeyer — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:56:51 EST

Note: More media content is available for this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Helen Rittelmeyer

The Brooklyn Paper

He’s never been to Idaho — heck, he’s never been west of Buffalo! — but Bay Ridge resident William Bryk wants to be the Gem State’s next U.S. senator.

Why would any self-respecting Brooklynite even bother? Indeed, it’s not as though Bryk has a raft of positions that gibe with Idaho’s fierce independence or a platform that matches its rough-hewn mountain ways.

For him, the challenge to Republican Sen. Mike Crapo is motivated by one thing: principle.

“Six years ago, the Democratic Party of Idaho failed to nominate a candidate,” Bryk said, appalled that the unopposed Crapo was able to secure 99 percent of the vote. “Given that it’s as easy as filling out a form and writing a check, I thought this was odd, even reprehensible.”

The state hasn’t sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1974, but who knows — it might simply be due to a lack of a hard-headed Brooklynite willing to carry the blue-and-gold flag.

It’s certainly not the first time that Bryk — whose last name rhymes with bike — has sought public office since he was student body president of Manhattan College.

Of course, back in those heady days, a guy could win on a platform of more efficient beer delivery. “The student government had a monopoly on the distribution of beer, and, of course, you needed men to load the kegs onto the truck. Patronage and an independent stream of revenue — we had all the ingredients for an authentic political organization.”

Manhattan College, he added, “was a great place for an aspiring politician.” Unfortunately, fate — or, let’s be honest, lack of political talent — dealt him a losing streak.

First came the bid for Congress in 1980 — when he lost the Democratic primary to Mark Green, of all people. Next, he ran — and lost — races for the City Council in 1996 and ’97.

He even failed in a try for Smallbany as an assemblyman in 1998.

He has not run for local dog catcher, so it is unfair to suggest that he could not indeed win such a position. But the bottom line is that his political career has not gone according to plan.

“I was not elected to Congress at the age of 25 as I had hoped,” said Bryk. “I had hoped to see greater interest in my candidacy.”

But he still burns to represent the people. Even those of a state to which he has never traveled. Hear that, Idahoans? He dares you.

“Either the Idaho Democratic Party finds someone to run, or else my name will be on the ballot,” he said.

It’s unclear if Bryk, who has written for the New York Press and the now-defunct New York Sun, is even a Democrat. He is at the moment, he says, because “eight years of George W. Bush can change a person’s mind.”

And he was a Democrat back in the 1980s and early ’90s, too. But between then and now, he ran for Staten Island district attorney on the Right to Life Party ticket and won the New Hampshire vice-presidential primary as a Republican — although the latter is admittedly a nonsense election with exactly no effect on the national Republican ticket.

In any case, he is an Obama man. In fact, he’s running on that, saying his main edge over Crapo is “an inclination to support the current president.”

Beyond that, his campaign platform ain’t much to look at. He’s for a single-payer health care system, bringing troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan, and not much else off the top of his head.

“The great thing about a campaign where you probably won’t win is that you can afford to tell the truth about everything.” In his first full-length interview, he didn’t have any particular underappreciated truths in mind, but, added, “I’m sure I’ll come across a few.”

Bryk is light-hearted about his Senate run, but his campaign isn’t a complete joke. After all, the Idaho party isn’t guaranteed to find a real candidate — it failed last time, remember.

The party’s executive director asserted that Democrats are fully capable of fielding a home-grown candidate this year.

“We had a lot of people interested in running against Crapo last time,” explained the official, Jim Hansen. “But as the deadline approached everybody sort of went, ‘Well…’”

He dismissed Bryk’s run as a stunt.

“Because Idaho election law doesn’t require candidates to collect signatures to get on the ballot, we always get a lot of characters running in the primaries,” Hansen said, adding, “We’ll definitely find somebody.”

That’s what they said the last time! Perhaps William Bryk really is the answer for the struggling donkeys; and here’s a bonus: if he wins the nomination, he says he’ll “absolutely” move to Idaho to face a certain defeat at the hands of Crapo.

So the utter backwardness of Idaho’s Democratic Party electorate could end up sentencing an innocent Brooklynite to desolate Western exile. No worries; Bryk is taking the threat of being forced to leave the city in stride.

“I like Brooklyn very much. It’s quiet,” he said. “But Idaho is probably quieter.”

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THE BUTCHER OF FLATBUSH AVE. EXTENSION: Irish import at St. Ann’s Warehouse is truly ‘Electric’

By Gersh Kuntzman — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:20:55 EDT

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Gersh Kuntzman

The Brooklyn Paper

It’s as if “No Exit” kissed the Blarney Stone.

Words, massive amounts of words, strung together into long, gorgeous, meaty, metaphor-laden sentences that combine into spirited, brilliant, heart-wrenching monologues are bouncing all over the walls at St. Ann’s Warehouse in DUMBO, where Enda Walsh’s “The New Electric Ballroom” opened last Tuesday for a month-long run.

This claustrophobic play, set in a dour room shared by three sisters in a horrible fishing town, is as hellish as Satre’s Existential drama, but the Frenchman did not have the Irishman Walsh’s gift of gab.

For Walsh, who had a hit last year at St. Ann’s with “The Walworth Farce,” the action of the play, such as it is, is secondary to these words. In fact, the entire play exists solely so its four characters — the sisters, Clara, Breda and Ada, plus Patsy the fishmonger — can relive a singular moment in all of their pasts.

For Clara and Breda, it is that moment, roughly 40 years earlier, when both briefly attracted the attention of Roller Royle, an Elvis-like figure who performed one night at the New Electric Ballroom in a neighboring town.

Clara, the prettier of the two frozen-in-time sisters, first gets to recount her version of the story, the version in which she interrupts the Roller’s make-out session with Breda. Later, Breda spits out her almost-identical version, agonizing over the love affair that was in flagrante when Clara messed it all up.

All the while, Ada, far younger than both her siblings, but no less stuck in her own time-warp, plays a secondary role — evidence that a night in the sisters’ household is a feedback loop every night of their lives (in fact, one of the key props on the sparse set is a reel-to-reel tape recorder).

To sit in the audience of “The New Electric Ballroom” is to be bludgeoned repeatedly with these words — the set paragraphs about the bike ride to the ballroom, the sweat on the girls’ backs, the clatter of the cobblestones, the cannery “turning fish into money,” the “little shoebox” that Patsy calls his bedroom, the confidence that both girls feel from hearing the Roller say the words, “You meet me after” — yet also to be spellbound in a way that only words, stunningly rendered by four actors at the top of their game, can concoct.

The standout in the cast is Patsy (Mikel Murfi), who enters with his fish twice a day and is never invited in “as a guest.”

After what seems like years of this kind of treatment, he is finally invited in — and is stripped down by Clara (Ruth McCabe) and Breda (Rosaleen Linehan) for a baptism, of sorts, that rebirths him as the Roller himself. But rather than be drawn into Clara and Breda’s sickness, Patsy gains a new confidence, and his unconsummated love for Ada moves closer to a satisfactory conclusion.

And then…

Another torrent of words, and the fishmonger reveals his own, heretofore unknown connection to that night at the New Electric. The chance at breaking the pattern that has consumed all four lives is suddenly lost forever as he spins his tale.

It’s an unremittingly bleak finish to a gut-punch of a play. In the hands of a less poetic playwright — and less-talented actors — it would be a disaster. But a one-way ticket to hell, loneliness and dementia can be a great night at the theater when stunning words like these meet great acting.

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ELECTION: In Bushwick: Reyna beats Davila — and Vito!

By Aaron Short — Wed, 4 Nov 2009 01:41:03 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Aaron Short

Community Newspaper Group

Diana Reyna (D):

9,830 (60 percent)

Maritza Davila (WFP): 5,647 (35 percent)

Jacqueline Haro (R): 916 (6 percent)

Incumbent Diana Reyna won a third term in a race so bitter that the chairman of Brooklyn’s Democratic Party organization didn’t even endorse his party’s nominee.

Instead, Assemblyman Vito Lopez (D-Bushwick) backed Working Families Party candidate Maritza Davila, lost to Reyna by just 251 votes in the Democratic primary in September. Reyna, a former Lopez protege, broke with her former mentor and he has sought to defeat her ever since.

The race also featured a rare intrusion into local politics by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, the borough’s Catholic leader, who recorded a robocall thanking Lopez for his work in the state legislature regarding sex abuse legislation. Reyna allies claimed that the calls amounted to a tacit endorsement from the Catholic Church.

But Reyna and her supporters had the last laugh, partying outside their S. First Street headquarters and nearly shutting down Bedford Avenue.

“It’s a party in the street!” said Reyna volunteer Lincoln Restler.

— Aaron Short

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ELECTION: In Park Slope: Lander triumphs again

By Gersh Kuntzman — Wed, 4 Nov 2009 01:41:04 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Gersh Kuntzman

Community Newspaper Group

Brad Lander (D): 15,279 (70 percent)
Joe Nardiello (R): 3,650 (16.6 percent)

David Pechefsky (G): 1,524 (7 percent)

Democrat and Working Families Party standard-bearer Lander trounced easily his two challengers in a rare spirited campaign that featured a liberal Republican and a Green Party candidate who hammered Lander on his commitment to reforming the Council.

“I feel great,” Lander, who handily won the Democratic primary in September, told The Brooklyn Paper from Johnny Mack’s, a Park Slope bar. “I’m thrilled and honored. And can’t wait to get to work.”

For his part, Pechefsky said he was proud to have “talked about real issues,” such as the Council’s corrupt member-item slush fund.

“I would have liked to have done better in the vote total, but I accomplished some of what I set out to do,” he said.

Nardiello made the biggest splash of the campaign by putting fake parking tickets on windshields all over the district — which, upon closer inspection, turned out to be fliers lambasting Lander for his support of residential parking permits, which Nardiello considers a tax on car owners.

“We’re still laughing over the fake tickets,” he said. “And I’m proud of the hard race we fought, getting 17 percent without taking public funds.”

Lander said he would focus on progressive issues in the Council, including a proposed paid sick day bill and developing affordable housing — a remnant of his former job as head of the Fifth Avenue Committee and the Pratt Center for Community Development.

— Gersh Kuntzman

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WILLIAMSBURG WATERFRONT: A ‘Juicy’ story: Sugary drink maker to fund playground

By Ben Muessig — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Ben Muessig

The Brooklyn Paper

You’ve heard of Hershey Park, but have you heard of Nestle Park?

The Nestle Corporation — whose very name is synonymous with Big Cocoa — is shelling out $60,000 to help the state’s cash-strapped parks agency construct a playground in East River State Park in Williamsburg.

The cash — which is part of a $350,000 statewide commitment from Nestle’s Juicy Juice brand of sugar-heavy drinks — will be coupled with donations to construct the playspace, possibly by spring.

“Our commitment is to really try to promote and develop really healthy children,” said Kim Rguem, a spokeswoman for Nestle Beverages, a division of the world’s largest food company. “There didn’t seem to be enough money [so] we felt it was a great way to be consistent with what it is we’re trying to do, but in a really socially responsible way.”

That would be a shift in policy, given that juice drinks — even 100-percent fruit elixers like Juicy Juice — have been seen as responsible for part of the childhood obesity epidemic because the consumption of juice tends to supplant eating healthier foods, studies have shown.

An eight-ounce serving of Juicy Juice has 26 grams of sugar and 110 calories.

The Juicy Juice-funded playground will take up a prominent plot in the relatively barren waterfront greenspace between N. Seventh and N. Ninth streets, which hosted the popular Pool Party concert summer.

The playground will include low berms for children to play on, a dry rocky streambed crisscrossed by bridges, and the centerpiece: a wooden train that children can climb through that will pay homage to the park’s prior use as a train yard.

“This is very much in keeping with the park itself, which is a very natural post industrial area, it’s not glitzy, it’s not high tech,” said Rachel Gordon, the state’s director of New York City parks.

Gordon told The Brooklyn Paper that the cash couldn’t have come at a better time.

“We’re delighted that Juicy Juice is being so generous,” she added. “It’s particularly appreciated when we are going through such extreme budget cuts.”

This isn’t the first time that funding was a problem for the riverside greensward.

Last winter, the state was closed the park because of a 10 percent budget cut to the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, but the agency reopened it after implementing cost-cutting measures and receiving pledges from community groups that promised to help maintain the space.

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MEAN STREETS: State promises to fix FDR Drive-Brooklyn Bridge ramp

By Gersh Kuntzman — Wed, 4 Nov 2009 00:49:42 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Gersh Kuntzman

The Brooklyn Paper

Possibly the worst thing about living in Brooklyn — the debilitating traffic congestion on the Brooklyn Bridge’s entrance ramp from the southbound FDR Drive — may be getting just a little bit better.

The state Department of Transportation announced this week that it will make cosmetic changes to the frustrating exit ramp from the FDR onto the fabled span — initially paint and new signage, but, eventually, a wideing of the ramp to two lanes so it can better handle the traffic.

“That’s the five-year project,” said state Sen. Daniel Squadron (D–Brooklyn Heights), who said he was pleased that the long-term plan will widen a ramp that sometimes backs up as far as the Manhattan Bridge, encouraging [expletive deleted] drivers to cut in at the last minute.

That ramp — which officially bears the name of Ari Halberstam, the 14-year-old Hasidic boy who was killed when a gunman opened fire on the roadway in 1994 — is “nothing short of infuriating,” Squadron added in the understatement of the year.

For now, the first-term lawmaker got a commitment from state DOT to make immediate superficial improvements, including new paint on all lane markers, making them easier to read and clearer about when the merge is approaching; two repetitions of the words “EXIT ONLY,” to discourage cutting; and replacing the current sign that reads, “Bklyn-Battery Tunnel” with a new sign that reads, “Exit 1 / Battery Pk / Staten Is Ferry.”

“It will be clearer for people and for the police to do enforcement,” Squadron said.

When reminded that catching cheaters at that entrance ramp would be as easy as handing out speeding tickets at the Indy 500, Squadron pointed out that the current lane markers aren’t as clear as they could be.

“There is one point where it says ‘Do not cross solid line,’ but it’s not solid at that point,” he said. “We all know that the long-term solution is a two-lane exit — and that’s going to happen.”

There isn’t a Brooklyn driver who hasn’t been caught in traffic at that ramp, though at least one motorist said Squadron’s “powder and paint” won’t help the problem.

“When it’s a two-lane exit, fine,” said driver Jen Frayne. “But they’ve put down paint before. People still cut in, penalizing those of us who play by the rules. The only way to stop it is to put a cop on the ramp all day long.”

That said, there is some recent research that suggests that late mergers do not, in fact, slow down traffic, despite other drivers’ frustration.

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ELECTION: In Williamsburg: Levin doesn’t even break a sweat

By Gersh Kuntzman — Wed, 4 Nov 2009 01:41:03 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Gersh Kuntzman

The Brooklyn Paper

Steve Levin (D): 16,561 (91 percent)
Elizabeth Tretter (C): 1,580 (8.8 percent)

Levin’s victory in the seven-person Democratic primary scared off any Republican challengers, leaving the virtually unknown Tretter as the lone challenger.

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EDITORIAL: Mike — fix this already

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

The Brooklyn Paper

Given our strong endorsement of him earlier this summer, we are obviously pleased that Mayor Bloomberg won a third term on Tuesday and will be running this city for another four years.

But that doesn’t mean we are blind to the discord within Brooklyn’s electorate.

Exit polls showed that blacks overwhelmingly voted for Thompson, while whites strongly backed Bloomberg. Those making less than $50,000 liked the comptroller, while more-affluent voters preferred the billionaire. The college educated preferred Bloomberg by nearly 20 points, while those with no degree flocked to Thompson.

And on and on.

Just because people disagree over whether Bloomberg deserved re-election does not necessarily mean that we are a deeply divided city. But it does mean that he needs to double his efforts to reach out to all New Yorkers — especially in Brooklyn, which Thompson carried by several percentage points. As such, Bloomberg should address these vital issues on:

• Race: Certainly, every New Yorker loves a black-and-white cookie — but as a dessert, not as an election result. In Park Slope and Windsor Terrace Bloomberg outpolled Thompson 55-40 percent. And in Bensonhurst, it was a 70-26 landslide. Yet in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill’s largely black 57th Assembly District, Thompson won 73 percent to Bloomberg’s 24 percent. Whatever the reasons for Bloomberg’s weak numbers among blacks in Brooklyn, he needs to address that community’s apparent disastisfaction.

• Crime: The mayor has presided over historic reductions in crime, but he can not let up now — especially considering periodic upticks in burglaries and other major crimes. With an even deeper reduction in crime, Bloomberg can credibly make the case that he has manifestly improved the quality of life in the neighborhoods that backed his opponent.

• The Gowanus Canal: The mayor made a clean-up of the Gowanus Canal a foundation of his campign pitch to Brooklynites, arguing that his solution to this century-old environmental disaster would be quicker and better than a federal Superfund designation. But his case has not been that convincing. Cleaning the canal sooner rather than later would eliminate our doubts.

• Coney Island: Bloomberg’s other main Brooklyn re-development plan — to restore Coney Island to its original glory — has stalled.

• A true commuter-friendly city: Even more divisive than the racial divide is the chasm between cars, bikes, subway riders and pedestrians in this uniquely mobile city. For the past seven years, the mayor’s plan has been willy-nilly: paint bike lanes all over the place and see what happens. Unfortunately, in many neighborhoods, what has happened is chaos: cars and bikers at odds and pedestrians feeling left out. The mayor must re-think his policy and fix the problem pronto.

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ELECTION: In Fort Greene: Tish James in a landslide

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 01:41:04 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

The Brooklyn Paper

Letitia James (D): 18,463 (92.3 percent)
Stuart Balberg (R): 1,547 (7.7 percent)

Incumbent James’s victory in the three-way Democratic primary was the real race in this liberal district. Her re-election was never in doubt.

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ELECTION: In Bay Ridge: Gentile beats off Capano

By Will Yakowicz — Wed, 4 Nov 2009 01:41:04 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Will Yakowicz

The Brooklyn Paper

Vince Gentile (D): 13,217 (60 percent)
Bob Capano (R): 8,911 (40 percent)

Incumbent Gentile handed Republican Bob Capano his second straight election loss, defeating the challenger in a 60-percent to 40-percent romp on Tuesday.

It will be the second full term for Gentile, who first entered the Council in a special election in 2003.

He was too busy celebrating to call us back, but his campaign spokeswoman Dena Libner said that her boss is “truly honored to be re-elected for another four years of fighting for Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, and Bay Ridge.”

The race was seen by many as a test of whether Bay Ridge would remain the borough’s Republican stronghold. It certainly was that for Mayor Bloomberg, who beat his Democratic challenger Bill Thompson by large margins in the neighborhood.

But the strong turnout for the mayor did little to help Capano, who lost last year in a fight against first-term Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny.

Still, the challenger was pleased with his losing effort.

“If I helped in some small way by giving [Gentile] a perspective through a competitive race than I did my job, and view this campaign as a success,” said Capano. “I congratulated him, and said I look forward to working with him as a community member.”

Libner credited Gentile’s victory to the incumbent’s success in securing funding for three new schools, four school expansions and $4 million in investments in area parkland.

— Will Yakowicz

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CLEANING THE GOWANUS: Teens make their Gowanus death masks

By Sabrina Jaszi — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:07:11 EDT

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Sabrina Jaszi

for The Brooklyn Paper

The Gowanus Canal is smelly, funky and totally gross — all of which make it a juicy subject for teens.

For a project at the Starting Artists center in Cobble Hill, two activists gave teenagers paint, markers, ribbon and airborne contaminant masks, and told them to express how they felt about planned clean-up efforts of the putrid corpse of water.

What came out was pure revulsion.

“Death was a theme. Carcinogens were a theme. Fear and anxiety were themes,” said Triada Samaras, an artist and supporter of the federal effort to declare the Gowanus Canal a Superfund site. “But they were couched in the innocence of young people with soft imagery, so that it was clear that the kids were trying to reconcile the two.”

Guided by the activists, the high-schoolers researched the issue and then expressed themselves through painted phrases like “Save the Gowanus” and “Gowanus Chemicals Warning.”

But were the teens just a mouthpiece for advocates on the Superfund side of this large and dirty issue? The program’s organizers say, no.

“The teenagers were thirsty for knowledge. You can’t exaggerate the truth of this situation, it’s so unreal,” said Susan Handler, the program’s other leader who is executive director of the Arts Alliance of the Lower Hudson.

Some of the creative face coverings will make politically edged and decidedly dystopic entries for the “Brooklyn Utopias?” teen exhibition opening on Nov. 12 at Starting Artists, which follows two adult exhibitions at the Old Stone House and the Brooklyn Historical Society.

As for the unusual medium, Samaras said that masks were the perfect vehicles for youthful expression.

“Teenagers like the whole idea of changing persona, like at Halloween,” said Samaras. “They’re fashion-conscious and make a statements through what they wear.”

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MUSIC: These superhero rockers saved rock and roll — in 2048!

By Shane Dixon Kavanaugh — Mon, 2 Nov 2009 12:34:24 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Shane Dixon Kavanaugh

for The Brooklyn Paper

Jef UK, frontman and lead singer for Americans UK, has never had an album reviewed in Pitchfork, and he hasn’t established an indie following in Williamsburg. But the Gowanus sci-fi rocker has done something that no other band has done: he’s traveled through time to save rock ’n’ roll.

No, really. It’s all documented in his comic books and LPs.

For example, not too long ago, UK’s band had a rumble with the Beatles where John Lennon kicked UK in the groin. That was in Liverpool. The year was 1964.

Sometime afterward, UK and his bandmates found themselves starting a robot revolution in the year 2048 to defeat a pop-musician-terrorist named Stang.

“Sure, I had to rewrite reality for these things to happen,” UK told The Brooklyn Paper. “But I did it anyway. All for you. All for rock.”

Back in Brooklyn — the real Brooklyn, 2009 — Americans UK has continued its mission to preserve rock’s vital essence.

For its debut album, Rocktronic, the band created a 10-song assault on the senses and sensibilities. Its infectious pop beats and post-punk riffs channeled the sonic specters of The Dickies, The Ramones and Electric Six. The lyrics invoked tales of zombie invasions (“Zombies Attack”), dancehall mavens (“Rocktronic”) and bawdy teenage fantasies (“Inappropriate Words To Your Mother”).

“I have one rule for every song we write,” said UK. “It has to make me want to dance.”

Dancing is just one component of the band’s frenzied live performance. On stage, the foursome dons superhero costumes and unleashes “cheesy rock stunts.”

“We don’t just stand there and play our songs,” said UK. “We dress up, we play the part. We dance and pose and posture and head bang and jump around. This is f—ing rock ’n’ roll, you know?”

In addition to cutting tracks and tearing up the stage, UK pens and publishes a comic book series, aptly titled “Americans UK.” The series chronicles the band’s episodes through space and time.

“Every page of comic needs its verse, chorus and hook like a two-minute punk song,” said UK. “The stories are fast-paced and bigger than life, and in that way, hopefully evokes our songs.”

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DOWNTOWN: Is this Brooklyn’s craziest crib?

By Stephen Brown — Thu, 5 Nov 2009 09:02:17 EST

Note: More media content is available for this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Stephen Brown

for The Brooklyn Paper

Well, it’s certainly more inviting than an over-priced studio in Park Slope.

Mary Mattingly, the avant-garde eco-provocateur, has proposed what could be the most-bizarre abode in all of Brooklyn — a chicken-coop–styled unit that she wants to install atop the Metropolitan Exchange Building at 33 Flatbush Ave.

Mattingly, most famous for her Waterpod craft earlier this year, says her new “Air Ship Air City” has received the initial green light from the eclectic group of activists at the MEX building to construct the “sustainable living” and event space that will feature a chicken coop, a laboratory, and a sleeping area for an intrepid ecologist.

Though the living space — also known as a “flock house” — looks more appropriate for fowl than humans, the amenities, like a hanging garden, free eggs, no utility bills and something Mattingly refers to as “human nest outdoor couches” are definitely a plus.

Al Attara, the owner of the building, cautioned that he had yet to see the proposal and that he would have to make sure all building regulations were met before giving final approval to the project.

“Air Ship Air City” follows in the footsteps of Mattingly’s Waterpod, a barge that looked like it came from a poorly received Kevin Costner movie.

“This will be an evolution of Waterpod’s autonomous living system and event space,” Mattingly said, pointing out that many of the materials used in the barge would be recycled and put to use in the new structure.

And like the Waterpod, the conceptual sketches of the house-on-the-roof conjure images of a “Waterworld”-like environmental disaster, where desperate Brooklynites gather whatever scraps and flora they can to survive.

“I think it is interesting to associate this project with structures that are on stilts or are already elevated to relate to … sea level rise, but more than that, ‘Air Ship Air City’ can be an example of a housing add-on for the growing population of New York City,” Mattingly added.

The MEX Building is an ideal location for such an out-there idea. Inside the seven-story building, Attara has brought together numerous like-minded entrepreneurs who dedicate their time to coming up with more environmentally-friendly solutions to the world’s woes.

Mattingly said in her proposal for “Air Ship Air City” that the space could eventually become entirely sustainable by harvesting kitchen compost from the building, harnessing energy from the sun and wind and even implementing a “system that turns waste into energy.”

Currently on the roof of the MEX building is a prototype of a “Fab Tree Hab” — literally a tree house that could (theoretically!) provide a comfortable living space for a family. That concept was designed by Dr. Mitchell Joachim of Terreform One, another group of thinkers that envisions a future where a brownstone on Prospect Park West won’t be worth a damn.

Mattingly cautioned that the “Air Ship Air City” project is only in the earliest stages and that many of its aspects will change.

Still, bargain hunters beware, if all goes as planned the cheapest and strangest house in all of Brooklyn looks to be going up sometime in spring 2010 with occupancy in June.

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MUSIC: The algorhythm: Americans UK

By Shane Dixon Kavanaugh — Mon, 2 Nov 2009 12:34:24 EST

Note: More media content is available for this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Shane Dixon Kavanaugh

for The Brooklyn Paper

What kind of music does the Americans UK play? Use our exclusive feature, “the Algorhythm” to figure it out:

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MEAN STREETS: It’s plaza sweet on Schermerhorn Street

By Ben Muessig — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:07:10 EDT

Note: More media content is available for this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Ben Muessig

The Brooklyn Paper

Downtown is turning into a real walker’s wonderland.

The city has almost finished creating a pedestrian plaza at the corner of Hoyt and Schermerhorn streets, offering bipeds a bit of space in the bustling neighborhood.

The $5,000 project brings a 17-foot by 70-foot walking and sitting area to the front of the main entrance to the Hoyt–Schermerhorn G and A/C train station — protected from traffic and newly painted cycling routes by a row of potted plants.

“It’s some much-needed room to breath on a very crowded sidewalk in Downtown Brooklyn,” said Wiley Norvell, a spokesman for Transportation Alternatives, the pedestrian and bike advocacy group. “Previously, this is space that was sitting under parked cars the entire day while pedestrians squeezed onto a few feet of sidewalk. Now that’s really turned on its head.”

The project — which reclaimed a chunk of sidewalk space often covered by parked police cars — started ahead of the expected November launch date and will be completed in the coming weeks when workers install two benches in the piazza, according to the Department of Transportation.

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BOERUM HILL: Teachers learn write from wrong at this cursive class

By Damiano Beltrami — Fri, 6 Nov 2009 14:22:48 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Damiano Beltrami

for The Brooklyn Paper

A group of Brooklyn teachers went back to school this week for some vital retraining. Computer skills? New Math? No, good old-fashioned handwriting.

About 70 educators attended a workshop at Boerum Hill’s PS 261 on Pacific Street on Tuesday organized by Handwriting Without Tears, a national group that hopes to keep handwriting from becoming a lost art in an age of standardized testing and emphasis on keyboard skills.

“Let’s learn pencil grasp,” shouted the workshop leader, Diane Eldridge, starting off with that most-basic of skills because, she said, she recently saw a child holding a pencil as if it were a Stone Age tool.

Several teachers nodded knowingly. Others stared at the chalk with puzzled faces. A couple, looking slightly embarrassed, glanced down at their pens to see if, they too, were guilty of the offense.

Eldridge told teachers that the key is preparing to hold a pen properly.

“Writing is like scuba diving,” she said. “Before jumping into the ocean, you need to jump into a pool.”

During the workshop, teachers were asked to bang wooden sticks, clap their hands and sing — all strategies for preparing kids for the act of writing.

“Pick up a crayon, this is easy to do. I just tell my fingers what to do,” sang Eldridge. “My thumb is bent, pointer points to the tip, tall man uses his side, I tuck my last two fingers in and take them for a ride.”

All this fun, games and re-education doesn’t come cheaply — PS 261 Principal Zipporiah Mills spent $17,000 this year to get her staff up to speed on teaching cursive writing — but parents definitely approve.

“It’s a lost art,” said Klara Carames, co-president of the Parent Teacher Association at PS 261. “Nobody teaches cursive anymore, and I’m glad the school is offering this program.”

At the end of the workshop, the happiest students were indeed the teachers themselves.

Claudia Rivera, a 30-year-old special education teacher at PS 261, had entered the room typing quickly on the keyboard of her Blackberry. When she left, she was drawing a neat capital “D” on a mini-blackboard.

She looked like she had re-adjusted to the ancient tool called chalk.

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BROOKLYN HEIGHTS: Bank robbery on DeKalb

By Will Yakowicz — Wed, 4 Nov 2009 00:49:45 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Will Yakowicz

The Brooklyn Paper

Stuck up

A low-key robber got away with hundreds of dollars from a Chase bank branch on DeKalb Avenue after slipping the teller a note on Oct. 26.

The victim told police that the thug approached her window at around 3:45 pm and handed her the note demanding money. Fearing for her life, she gave the crook an unknown amount of unmarked bills in an envelope — but did not slip in a dye pack. The crook fled on foot.

Senseless violence

Police arrested a violent man for smashing a glass vase over a stranger’s face while he was sitting in the lobby of his Bergen Street apartment on Oct. 29.

The 67-year-old victim was sitting on a couch inside the building, which is between Third and Fourth avenues, at around 9 am when a drunk man walked into the room, picked up a glass vase from the coffee table and smashed it over his face.

The victim suffered a six-inch cut down his face. He told police that he had never seen the thug before.

Best friends

A mild-mannered perp convinced an old lady in an Atlantic Avenue store that he knew her before he sneakily stole her wallet out of her tote bag on Oct. 31.

The 92-year-old victim told police that the crook approached her at about 10:30 am in the store on the corner of Third Avenue and said, “I know you.”

She was skeptical of the man at first, but thought nothing of it until she noticed that her wallet was missing. The perp got away with $300 and a credit card.

Unsweet 16

Three subway thugs beat up a 16-year-old and stole her wallet as she was waiting for a train at the Borough Hall station on Oct. 26.

The young gal said she was waiting for the 3 train at around 5 pm when three grey-and-red-running-jacket-wearing hoodlums jumped her from behind and smashed her with their fists in her head and stomach. The crooks got away with $8 and her student ID.

Cool hand crook

An ice-cold thug pushed in an air conditioner at a Joralemon Street apartment and stole a hearty amount of electronics on Oct 30.

The crook pushed in the A/C in the unit, which is between Clinton and Henry streets, and also tossed the 27-year-old victim’s bicycle on the bed.

The victim said he came home at 5:45 pm and noticed the mess. Closer inspection revealed that the crook had taken off with his Apple laptop, iPhone, a sound dock, a Playstation and 20 video games.

Bumpy ride

A criminal took advantage of the bumpy ride on the B54 bus and stole a woman’s bag and wallet somewhere between Broadway and Jay Street on Oct. 30.

The 56-year old victim said she didn’t feel a thing during the Friday afternoon bus ride. She told cops that she noticed her purse was missing at around 1:40 pm and canceled her credit cards. The crook got away with $10 and a Metrocard with $69 on it.

No sidekick

Three thugs jumped a 15-year-old boy from behind and stole his Sidekick cellphone out of his hand inside the Urban Assembly School on Flatbush Avenue on Oct. 28.

The victim told police that one of the schoolyard bullies snatched his cellphone while the other two punched him in the face and body at around 11:50 am.

Office crook

An office bound crook stole a co-worker’s bag off her desk in a Nevins Street building on Oct. 29.

The 28-year-old victim said she left her bag on her desk while she went to a meeting at around 1:30 pm inside the building near Flatbush Avenue. When she returned, she discovered that a thief had taken $500, credit cards, IDs, an expensive set of pens, and $200 worth of gems.

Bike be gone!

A pedal-pushing crook rode away with an expensive bike that had been parked on State Street near Flatbush Avenue on Oct. 26.

The bike-riding victim, who is not, oddly enough, the editor of this newspaper, told police that her $1,100 bike was only parked outside from 9 pm to 11 pm.

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CARROLL GARDENS: Court Street vandals

By Gersh Kuntzman — Wed, 4 Nov 2009 00:49:39 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Gersh Kuntzman

The Brooklyn Paper

Sign of the time

Vandals ran wild on Court Street early on Oct. 30, tossing a metal sign through the back window of a car parked at the corner of Union Street (see photo).

Police believe that the 2 am vandalism was part of the teens’ pre-Halloween activities.

“It was mischief night, that’s for sure,” said a police source.

The owner of the car was contacted, but no arrests have been made.

Geezer squeezer

A 47-year-old man was arrested after bashing a 63-year-old man with a dresser drawer that he picked up on Union Street on Oct. 31.

Cops said that the two men were on the block between Columbia and Hicks streets at around 5 pm when they got into a verbal dispute that quickly turned physical.

The younger man picked up the drawer and used it to batter the older man.

Cops later collared him and charged him with assault.

Imelda style

Thieves broke into a Van Brunt Street shoe store overnight on Oct. 25 and swiped 30 pairs of fancy Timberland boots.

The owner of the store, which is near King Street, told cops that he closed up the outlet at 9:45 pm and returned 10 hours later to find that the front door was broken and $1,800 in footware had been taken.

The thugs also stole an Apple desktop computer.

Bicycle thief

A thief took two bikes from the lobby of a Van Brunt Street building overnight on Oct. 22, getting away with one really fancy cycle and one old beater.

The victim told cops that he’d left the two bicycles unlocked in the common area of the building, which is between Wolcott and Dikeman streets, at around 8 pm, but both were gone by 7 am the next morning.

There was no sign of forced entry, a possible indication that someone in the building may have swiped the wheels.

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PARK SLOPE: This teller is a crook!

By Simon McCormack — Wed, 4 Nov 2009 00:49:41 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Simon McCormack

The Brooklyn Paper

Inside job

A bank teller helped herself to nearly $25,000 in someone else’s hard-earned cash by closing out a customer’s accounts at the Seventh Avenue branch.

Cops say that the crime occurred between Sept. 16 and Oct. 27, when the victim, who lives in Manhattan, noticed that four certificates of deposit had been closed — and a total of $24,849 missing.

A cursory investigation revealed that the wanted man had put the money into an account set up by an accomplice at the Chase bank branch at Carroll Street.

In an unrelated crime, a college student had her wallet swiped inside a Citibank branch one block away on Oct. 22.

The victim told cops that she was in the bank at around 2:30 pm when a pickpocket swiped the billfold while she was chatting with a friend.

The thief got $300 and various cards.

Burg mania

At least five apartments and businesses were busted into last week. Here are the gristly details:

• The lock on a construction site on Carroll Street was clipped and thousands of dollars in tools and copper were stolen overnight on Oct. 22. A worker told cops that he’d left the job site, which is between Fourth and Fifth avenues, at around 6 pm and did not return until 7 the next morning.

• A hole in the wall gang made quick work of a 14th Street apartment sometime between Oct. 23 and Oct. 26, cutting an opening through some drywall to steal a laptop and other equipment. The resident of the unit, which is between Third and Fourth avenues, told cops that he also lost a Banana Republic raincoat in the theft.

• A thief climbed into an open kitchen window and went to work on an apartment between Fourth and Fifth avenues during the day on Oct. 27. The vandal swiped a laptop and two cameras from the residence.

• A small-talking criminal broke into a Third Avenue apartment — and then may have stopped for a chat on the way out on Oct. 27. A neighbor of the victim told police that she spoke with a man who did not live in the building at around 2 pm, around the time that the burglary of two laptops is believed to have occurred.

• A nefarious video game fan broke into a Fifth Avenue apartment during the day on Oct. 30. The gamer grabbed a Playstation and other electronic equipment and fled the unit, which is between Union and President streets.

Hot wheels

At least three cars were stolen this week. Here’s a rundown of the missing autos:

• Honda Civic drivers got one more reason to fear for the safety of their vehicles when yet another was swiped off President Street overnight on Oct. 28. The victim told cops that he’d left the car between Prospect Park West and Carroll Street in the early evening. But as readers of the police blotter know, old Civics are popular with car thieves.

• A bleary eyed man awoke to find his Chrysler Towncar missing from its parking spot on Degraw Street between Fourth and Fifth avenues on Oct. 29.

• A sportsman had his Plymouth Voyager boosted sometime between Oct. 28 and Oct. 30. The car was carrying the victim’s tennis rackets and fishing rod when it was wrested from its spot on Sixth Avenue between Second and Third streets.

Two thug chuck

Two perps were nabbed after trying to mug a man in front of PS 107 at the corner of Eighth Avenue and 13th Street on Oct. 29.

The would-be victim told cops that he was on the corner at about 11:10 pm when one man approached from behind and choked him while the other rifled his pockets.

For some reason, the perps fled without taking anything — but cops later collared them. After a positive ID from the victim, the thugs were booked.

— Simon McCormack

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WILLIAMSBURG: Drive-by murder

By Sabrina Jaszi — Wed, 4 Nov 2009 00:49:43 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Sabrina Jaszi

The Brooklyn Paper

Dead on delivery

A man was killed in a drive-by shooting on Lorimer Street on Nov. 3 — the sixth murder in the confines of the 90th Precinct this year.

According to police, the victim was in his car between Ten Eyck and Maujer streets at about 2:30 pm when a gunman rolled up and shot through the window of his own car into the victim’s car.

The bullet didn’t kill the victim instantly. As the murderous driver sped away, the wounded man stumbled to a nearby delivery truck driver, who called police.

Police tried to revive the victim on the scene, but failed.

“He was bleeding from his back and the cops were pumping his chest,” said one witness.

At this point last year, there had been only four murders in the precinct, which covers the south part of Williamsburg and much of Bushwick.

— Sabrina Jaszi

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DINING: They’re all Thai’d up in Brooklyn’s Little Bangkok

By Leigh Remizowski — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:50:31 EST

Note: More media content is available for this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Leigh Remizowski

for The Brooklyn Paper

What will become of Brooklyn’s Little Bangkok?

Many fans of cheap Thai food — and some of the numerous purveyors of it — have been asking the same question ever since the neighborhood’s groundbreaking Southeast Asian pioneer, Planet Thailand, closed in August.

The restaurant, which opened in 1997, claimed it was chased out by rising rents — but intense competition and a declining number of starving artists were more likely the deciding factors.

After all, there are four Thai and three Asian fusion restaurants in a three-block span around Bedford Avenue and North Sixth Street — all of whom followed Planet Thailand.

“Back then, the area was populated by students, and Planet Thailand was new, small, cheap and good,” said Nancy Ralph, director of the New York Food Museum. “[It was] the first alternative to local Polish food, which was also cheap and good.”

But the closure of Planet Thailand has at least one restaurateur doubtful whether Williamsburgers’ love of reasonably priced, large-portioned curry and pad Thai can go on forever.

“We’re struggling,” said Tom Malipol, a manager at Noodle Studio, which is on North Fifth Street, but a block away from most of its competition. “There are too many Thai restaurants in the area. It’s very hard.”

Indeed, Mudjalin Jones, a waitress at Tai Thai on Bedford Avenue agreed, “We all share customers.”

And customers may have too many options.

In addition to Noodle Studio and Tai Thai, there’s also SEA Thai on North Sixth Street — which is basically next door to Tacu Tacu.

There’s also Wild Ginger, a pan-Asian vegan café that opened in 2006, and Red Bowl — a primarily Chinese restaurant with several Thai options — that in 2007. Both are directly next door to Tai Thai.

For now, everyone is holding on, thanks to “tourists and hipsters,” said Jones, but Don Supakorn, a manager at Sea, is bullish on the Planet Thailand-less future. He says he does an “overwhelming” amount of business thanks to his after-hours nightclub.

“On the weekends, Sea gets extremely packed,” agreed Steven Tan, manager at Tacu Tacu, which also transforms into a bar at night. “They help the neighborhood by bringing people in.”

But business can’t be that good, or else Planet Thailand would not have abandoned the neighborhood it helped create.

In a particularly ironic move, the restaurant actually reopened in Manhattan as Planet Thailand 212 — yet still marketing its Brooklyn cred.

“We kept the Williamsburg aesthetic and affordable prices,” said owner Anna Popermhen.

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FORT GREENE: Cakeman Raven is burglarized!

By Sabrina Jaszi — Tue, 3 Nov 2009 00:08:51 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Sabrina Jaszi

for The Brooklyn Paper

Take the cake

A nighttime burglar got into Cakeman Raven’s bakery on Fulton Street and stole a TV on Oct. 25.

The owners left the premises at 10:25 pm, but when they came in to start baking at around 8:30 am the next day, they saw that the thief had broken into the upstairs back door and taken the television, worth $2,000.

Deconstruction

Three thieves fleeced a truck parked on a construction site as a worker looked on from above on Oct. 29.

The witness was working on the second floor of the building-to-be, located on Adelphi Street near the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, when he saw three men skulking around a vehicle parked below at around 4 pm.

Shortly after, he saw the thieving trio loading tools worth $1,200 into a gold van. The brave worker ran down to stop them, but one of the thugs pushed him back as another stepped on the gas and sped off.

Case cracked

Cops cuffed a crackhead who choked a woman and stole her purse on Oct. 29.

The victim was walking to the train on St. James Place near Greene Avenue at around 7:20 pm when she felt a pair of arms encircle her neck in a strangle hold. She passed out, and when she came to, her Valentino purse, which contained $70, was gone. When police found their suspect later on, he was in possession of his crack pipe, but not the woman’s purse.

Pratt attack A thug robbed a Pratt student on the corner of Waverly and Greene Avenues on Oct. 29.

The victim was walking home from class at 1:15 am when the perp approached and said, “Give me your money or I’ll shoot you.”

She knew that the weapon was simulated, but her fear was real. She relinquished her camera, phone and credit cards.

Crime fiction

An Adelphi Street prowler entered a woman’s house as she was sleeping on the morning of Halloween, but got a scare when she awoke.

The victim had fallen asleep while reading in the kitchen of her apartment near DeKalb Avenue. At around 6 am, she awoke to the sound of someone tramping through the rooms.

“Who are you and what are you doing?” she asked.

“Give me your money,” responded the stranger, at which point the woman started smacking him with the previously uninteresting novel.

“Get out of here,” she yelled. And the thug ran off.

Robbing wraith

A Halloween joyrider stole a woman’s old Cadillac Deville.

The victim left her clunker on Washington Park at around 7:15 pm on Halloween night. She returned just 45 minutes later, but the thief had made off with his treat.

School of spooks

On Halloween night a marauder wreaked havoc on an Adelphi Street elementary school, tearing through it like a ghost.

The custodian called police at 2:30 am to report that an intruder had smashed the glass of a rear cafeteria door in the Ronald Edmonds Learning Center, but the troublemaker hadn’t taken a thing.

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FORT GREENE: Ripping the roof

By Sabrina Jaszi — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:07:16 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Sabrina Jaszi

for The Brooklyn Paper

Through the roof

Fort Greene drivers, beware! An Escalade-inclined thief is emptying cars from sunroof to floor.

As costumed kids roamed the streets on Halloween, the thief decided to grab a few treats of his own. He found his first target around 6 pm, a black Escalade parked on Hudson Avenue near Fulton Street. After smashing its sunroof, the thug reached in and grabbed the stereo and navigation system, as well as the expensive leather wheel seat covers — $2,200 worth of goods in all.

The next day, the felon smashed the skylight of an identical car, this time on Greene Avenue near Cambridge Place, where a driver had parked his company at around midnight. By the next morning, the car’s glass top was shattered and stereo and navigation system — worth $5,000 — had been removed.

The thief cooled it for a few days, but by Nov. 6 he was back on Greene Avenue. By moonlight, the perp broke the sunroof — of a Jeep this time. The next morning, when the car’s owner returned to the parking spot near Clermont Avenue, there was a hole where the sunroof had been and the navigation console was gone.

The thief struck one more time on Nov. 7 — and this time, his target was another Cadillac Escalade that had been parked at noon on the corner of Gates and Waverly avenues. The thief got a stereo worth $3000, a Louis Vuitton bag and a pair of Gucci sneakers.

Jacket jacker

Cops cuffed a teenager who tried to shake down a woman at the corner of Emerson Place on Nov. 3.

The victim was near Willoughby Avenue at around 4:30 pm when the thug approached and asked that famous fake question, “What time is it?”

Before she could answer, he began reaching into her jacket pockets in search of her cellphone. He didn’t find it though, and ended up fleeing. Police brought him in shortly after.

Picked clean

A burglar with keys or a knack for lock-picking took a woman’s valuables from her Greene Avenue apartment on Nov. 4.

The victim told cops that she had double-locked her door before she left for work at 8:20 am, but during the day, a trespasser visited her home which is near Adelphi Street.

A neighbor texted her to tell her that her door was open, and when she returned home around 8 pm, the unwanted visitor had lugged off a big-screen TV and $260.

Pursenapper

A shopping center prowler lifted a woman’s purse from the stroller that she was pushing through the Atlantic Terminal Mall on Nov. 4.

The victim was ready to spend at around 6 pm, but she stepped away from her stroller for just a moment, and when she returned, the handbag, which contained a Blackberry, was gone.

Luckily the baby was still there.

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SMARTMOM: Smartmom wants to have The Talk with OSFO

By Louise Crawford — Tue, 3 Nov 2009 00:08:54 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Louise Crawford

for The Brooklyn Paper

Last week, Smartmom did what any smart mom would do to find out how to talk to her daughter about sex: She went to Babeland.

Only in Brooklyn can a store that sells sex toys with more hot colored vibrators, gelatinous looking dildos and S&M gear than you can count become the go-to place for parents to learn how to raise sex-positive kids.

And boy was Smartmom ready for The Talk. In fact, Smartmom knew she was long overdue for that ongoing conversation with the Oh So Feisty One about their bodies, their selves (to paraphrase the landmark book that gave Smartmom all of her info back in the 1970s).

But how do you talk the talk if your daughter refuses to talk back?

Needless to say, Smartmom was stressing. She was full of ideas about what she wanted to talk to OSFO about, but it was so much harder than she ever imagined.

Expert Amy Levine, who runs the Sex Ed Solutions class, got things started by asking the standing-room-only group of 30 or so parents, parents-to-be, non-parents, sex educators, doulas and interested persons to answer this question on a file card:

What do you wish your parents had told you about sex?

The big answer? Anything. They wished their parents had told them anything — beyond the basic birds and bees speech — about sex. But the answers ran the gamut: that sex isn’t shameful; that you don’t need to be in love to have sex; that sex includes self-love; that’s it’s something enjoyable and fun. Sexetera.

Smartmom had a long list of questions for Amy, who looked right back at Smartmom, who was probably looking a tad anxious.

“So what are the bases?” Smartmom asked. She was a little embarrassed, mostly because Smartmom was a late bloomer. She didn’t kiss a boy until Halloween night in 11th grade (actually she kissed three boys that night!). And she didn’t have her first boyfriend until a few months later.

The entire crowd jumped in to answer Smartmom’s questions. Talk about a supportive group.

“First base is kissing, second base is feeling up under the girl’s shirt,” Levine started.

“Third base is oral sex,” added a school health educator volunteered. “And a home run is…”

“That’s intercourse,” someone else shouted out.

Phew. Smartmom had her terminology in order. Now she could proceed.

“So what are the kids in middle school actually doing?”

Here Levine had an excellent suggestion. “Why don’t you ask your daughter that? We think we know everything but we don’t. Tell your daughter, ‘You’re the expert. What are your friends doing?’ In that way, you give her the power.”

OK. Smartmom jotted that down. She liked the sound of that.

“But how do you set boundaries?” Smartmom asked nervously. “How do you help her not feel pressured?”

There were some good suggestions from the crowd.

“Have a discussion about how you decide what’s right for you. And it doesn’t just have to be about sex. It can be about peer pressure, drugs, stealing, homework.” That seemed like an interesting idea.

Someone else suggested asking OSFO, “What makes a girl a slut these day?” Smartmom wasn’t sure about the wording on that one.

That came from the same person who said she taught her daughter to call her vulva her “crotch.”

“It’s what I call it, so why not?” she explained.” Fair enough.

Another person suggested that Smartmom should just teach OSFO how to say no and save face. Smartmom wrote that idea down, too.

Finally, Levine, a strong believer in having age-appropriate books around the house, suggested that Smartmom make sure to have some resources on hand.

“We have, ‘It’s So Amazing’ and ‘The Care and Keeping of You,” Smartmom shouted out.

“She’s way too old for those,” Levine told Smartmom.

“Get ‘Changing Bodies, Changing Lives,” Levine said. “It’s kind of the ‘Our Bodies, Our Selves’ for tweens and teens now.”

Ah, “Our Bodies, Our Selves,” Smartmom thought longingly of that book by the Boston Women’s Health Collective that was such a crucial part of her life from high school through her early 20s. Heck, that’s how Smartmom learned about vaginal self-exams, STDs, cystitis and assertiveness training.

Smartmom walked home from Babeland armed with all kinds of interesting strategies for talking to OSFO. She actually had to restrain herself from blurting out something as soon as she reached the apartment. It would be so easy to blow it. She knew she’d have to wait for a “teachable moment” as Levine calls them.

But Smartmom couldn’t wait. The very next morning during breakfast, Smartmom asked OSFO, “How are things going with …”

OSFO didn’t even let Smartmom finish her sentence. She stormed out of the dining room and slammed her bedroom door. Smartmom only saw her again when she was leaving for school.

“Have a great day,” Smartmom said, realizing that she’d botched yet another chance to have that much-needed talk with her little girl.

What she really wanted to say was this: “I trust you and believe that you’ll make good choices, I just want to tell you a few things …”

But she never got anywhere near that. Later that day, she ordered “Changing Bodies, Changing Lives” from the bookstore. As soon as she gets it, she’ll put it on the dining room table.

Maybe Smartmom should put a note inside it.

Or maybe she’ll just put in this week’s column.

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LETTERS: And from the old-style mailbag…

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 17:17:57 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

The Brooklyn Paper

To the editor,

I watched your video report about Ben Muessig’s departure from The Brooklyn Paper (“Muessig, crackerjack reporter, is now dead to us!” online, Oct. 30) and felt that it was a huge blow to The Paper and all of Brooklyn.

With Ben departing to the blogosphere, who will cover such cutting-edge topics as animal sacrifices, feral cats and raccoon invasions in our neighborhood?

We love Ben and he’s not dead to us — but then again, we live across the street from a cemetery.

Ben, you will be missed, well, until we turn on our laptop.

Aaron Brashear, Greenwood Heights

The writer was recently named “the mayor of Greenwood Heights” by The Brooklyn Paper.

Editor’s note: A video tribute to reporter Ben Muessig is posted on BrooklynPaper.com.

Town haul

To the editor,

I just read the column by “The Politicrasher” about Rep. Mike McMahon’s recent health care forum (“On health care, McMahon too conservative for Bay Ridge!” Oct. 23). The article is basically a lie.

This gathering was not a “Town Hall meeting” — in fact, it was secret and by invitation only. People did not know about it except those informed by McMahon.

When he had a real town hall, in Staten Island, it was packed with people opposed to Obamacare. McMahon will get a similar response in Bay Ridge if he has a real town hall.

Owing to the exclusive and selected group in attendance, it was generally supportive of Obamacare. As such, I consider “The Politicrasher” to be a propagandist. And McMahon is a disingenuous fence-sitter.

Bay Ridge is opposed to Obamacare. Let McMahon announce a real town hall in a big auditorium and we will show you.

Thomas Hilton, Bay Ridge

Post haste

To the editor,

I was appalled read in your own paper that you would be distributed inside the New York Post every Friday (“It’s Post time,” Oct. 30). Unless there will be other places to get The Brooklyn Paper, I won’t be reading you any longer. Most of the people I know wouldn’t be caught dead wrapping fish in the New York Post, let alone reading it.

Gersh has found a good home.

Sue Yellin, Downtown

Editor’s note: We have found that the New York Post, like most newspapers, is actually bad for wrapping fish.

Tree-son

To the editor,

I have a lot of sympathy for Richard Mahany’s situation (“GINK-GO AWAY! Stinky conifer gives geezer reason for tree-son,” Oct. 23). I would like volunteer myself to help him cleaning up the ginkgo fruits. In return, I hope I can keep those ginkgo nuts and save the 70-year-old tree from being chopped down.

The ginkgo is one of the prehistoric trees that still survive. It is native to China, but it also has been in existence here in the United States for a few million years. In China and many other Asian countries, gingko trees are thought sacred. They are often planted near temples. Ginkgo nuts are considered a delicacy. Over the past few thousand years, they incorporated those mushy, brown, cherry-sized ginkgo nuts into their cuisine.

In China, gingko nuts appear in any dish with the name “eight-jeweled.” They also found medicinal uses for the leaves, pulp and nuts. Traditional Chinese medicine uses ginkgo nut for treatment of lung diseases, such as asthma and coughs. They are also used to treat frequent urination and involuntary discharge of urine.

Some also consider them to have aphrodisiac qualities and potentially helpful in memory retention.

The ginkgo nuts are not popular here in the United States. The little treasure’s smell may have prevented Americans from eating them.

The term “stink to high heaven” may have come from the ginkgo tree.Jin Sin, Cobble Hill

Word up

To the editor,

I read, with pleasure, each new edition of the Brooklyn Paper, but for quite a while, now I have taken umbrage at the sexual wordplay you are using in your headlines, such as in your recent article on the F train (“What the F? Train troubles are trumpeted,” Oct. 16) or the real estate article about the most expensive apartment in that clock tower building in DUMBO (“Clock tease! Walentas’s $25M dream,” Oct. 23).

Why do you think it’s OK to use such cheap, sexual wordplay?

These are just the most recent ones; there have been many more. Lots of different people, including kids, read this otherwise great paper, and these kinds of headlines just ruin it for me.

Please reconsider these headlines. There are other, more creative and clever ways of titling.

Does anyone else agree?

Bob Milnes, Park Slope

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SMARTMOM: Smartmom becomes Joni Mitchell — her life is a circle game

By Louise Crawford — Mon, 9 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Louise Crawford

for The Brooklyn Paper

Joni Mitchell wrote that life is a circle game and that “we can’t return, we can only look behind …”

But Smartmom has found that you can return when you have an adorable 5-year old niece who gives you ample opportunities to re-experience many of the pleasures of having a kindergartener without any of the headaches.

This comes at just the right time for Smartmom, who feels like an empty nester because her son is attending Gap Year University (OK, so his dorm room is his childhood bedroom) and her 12-year-old daughter has suddenly entered the “leave me alone” phase of adolescence.

Neither of them wants to spend much time with Smartmom.

But Ducky seems more than willing to be with Smartmom (or, more accurately, Smartaunt). In fact, once a week Smartmom picks her up at PS 321, takes her to her after-school art class at Bernette Rudolph’s Third Street studio, and hangs out with her at the apartment until dinner.

Smartmom is thrilled to have a reason to enter the hallowed halls of PS 321 again without feeling like a stalker. Thanks to Ducky, she actually has a legitimate reason to be there.

Smartmom loves to enter Ducky’s kindergarten classroom, where she spots Ducky sitting in her coat and backpack waiting at her desk. When Ducky eyes Smartmom she jumps up and runs to her.

Kiss, kiss. Hug. Hug. What joy!

Smartmom can still remember when Teen Spirit and OSFO were young enough to do that. Not anymore do they jump up and run to Smartmom when they see her coming.

Before going to Ducky’s art class, the two usually spend time in the playground, where Smartmom helps Ducky practice her routines on the parallel bars.

Later they go to the ices lady, who stands in front of the school.

Most of all, Smartmom appreciates that Ducky actually listens to what Smartmom has to say.

When Ducky hands Smartmom her backpack and asks her to hold it, Smartmom just tells her to hold it herself. And guess what? Ducky puts it back on.

When Smartmom tells her it’s time to leave the playground Ducky listens. Sure, she’d like to spend more time running around, but she does as Smartmom says.

It’s been a long time since either of Smartmom’s children listened quite so attentively.

When they get to the art class, Smartmom can even pretend that Ducky is her daughter. Smartmom looks exactly like her identical twin sister Diaper Diva anyway.

In these ways and more, Smartmom’s Tuesdays with Ducky have been a win-win.

Halloween this year was also a special day to be with Ducky. Smartmom was feeling a tad blue because she knew that OSFO had plans with her friends that night and wouldn’t be trick-or-treating or going to the parade with Smartmom. And Teen Spirit had tickets to see Weezer at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan.

On Halloween morning, Smartmom, Diaper Diva and Ducky, who was dressed as a very elegant Lady Bug, walked to the Farmer’s Market at Grand Army Plaza, where there was a jug band and a puppeteer entertaining children with a Humpty Dumpty puppet.

The trio continued into Prospect Park where they waited on an incredibly long line to do the Spook Walk.

At first, the three of them enjoyed seeing all the witches, ghouls and vampires that were splayed around the woodsy area of the park.

But then Ducky got really scared. And the vampire who popped out of a cardboard coffin really freaked Smartmom out, too. Luckily there was a good fairy standing on the sidelines, who was quite adept at comforting the children.

“Would you like to hug this teddy bear,” she asked Ducky sweetly.

“Are you a psychologist?” Smartmom asked the good fairy later.

“No, I’m a high school student,”

“You’re very good at this,” Smartmom told her.

Ducky told Smartmom that she NEVER wanted do the Spook Walk ever again. And Smartmom couldn’t blame her. They hurried out of the Spook Walk area and Ducky felt much better when they were back on the Park Drive heading for home.

When Smartmom got home she reflected on her Halloween with Ducky and the circle game. Her own children were “going round and round on the carousel of time.” They were too old for Halloween the way it used to be and were now leading more independent lives.

This was hard to face. It made Smartmom feel old and sad because she has great memories of all the Halloweens they’d spent together. Visions of Teen Spirit as Quisp, Tin Tin and a “boy in a rainstorm” flashed before her eyes as did images of OSFO dressed as just about every Disney princess you can imagine.

That’s why Smartmom was so grateful to Ducky. It was fun to be her aunt this Halloween, especially at this stage when her own children seem to be moving on.

Next weekend, she’s going to take Ducky to the Prospect Park Carousel so they can watch “the painted ponies go up and down.”

Ducky is going to love it.

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ELECTION: Campaign tricks no treat for former candidate

By Aaron Short — Tue, 3 Nov 2009 00:08:50 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Aaron Short

Community Newspaper Group

Vandals attacked the Conselyea Street home of former City Council candidate Gerry Esposito just days after the Community Board 1 district manager endorsed an insurgent candidate against the incumbent he tried to defeat.

Esposito, who finished behind Councilwoman Diana Reyna (D–Bushwick) in the September party primary, woke up on Oct. 30 to find several plant beds broken and garbage pails upended.

Eight days earlier, Esposito had endorsed his former political rival, Maritza Davila, to unseat Reyna in Tuesday’s general election.

Esposito had several Davila posters on his fence at the time of the vandalism. Scores of Reyna fliers were strewn about the front yard, a witness said. Esposito declined to comment.

Antonio Reynoso, a spokesman for the Reyna campaign, said that he did not think his volunteers were responsible for the vandalism.

“We definitely don’t encourage things like that,” he said. “We don’t tear down posters. We just put posters next to other posters. I don’t even think my people know who Gerry is.”

Police from the 94th Precinct are investigating the matter.

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WILLIAMSBURG: Criminals are going holiday shopping

By Will Yakowicz — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:07:11 EDT

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Will Yakowicz

The Brooklyn Paper

Burglars are going holiday shopping early this year in Williamsburg and Bushwick, with burglaries up 22 percent this year — and 36 percent over the last two years — in the neighborhoods’ 90th Precinct

Cops say that the crooks are jacking small, mobile, and expensive items that are easy to carry so that the thieves avoid looking conspicuous. The booty stolen over the last year has been mostly jewelry, laptops, iPods, and cameras.

So far this year, there have been 384 reported burglaries, up from 315 through the same date last year.

Overall, major crime is down 9.6 percent throughout the precinct, including a 25-percent drop in robbery.

The cause for the boost in breakins is partly the recession, but mostly tenants’ laziness, said Thomas Brown, the precinct’s crime prevention officer.

“We’re seeing unlocked doors, windows, and air conditioners being removed to gain access to a person’s home,” said Brown. “No matter how long you’ll be gone, lock your doors and windows.”

Tenants maybe “lazy,” but crooks can be creative. Last week, one thief used a hot dog cart to boost him through a window.

Many others have used the fire escape.

“You need to be detailed oriented,” Brown said. “If you see a Dumpster under your fire escape, move it. You need to protect your house yourself.”

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ART: This artist can certainly ‘type’

By Sabrina Jaszi — Wed, 4 Nov 2009 17:16:27 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Sabrina Jaszi

for The Brooklyn Paper

Making a tintype is as time-consuming as it is painstaking. But one digital photographer says she’s fallen in love with the Civil War-era process.

“I spend so much time staring at my computer, so when I get home, I want to make something tactile and beautiful,” said the artist, Melitte Buchman.

Her modern tintypes are finding buyers at Swallow Gallery, which stocks them next to vintage ones.

“Looking at a [modern tintype], you feel like you’ve fallen out of the present,” said Urte Tylaite, who works at Swallow.

The artist’s first tintype was of her computer mouse. Portraits followed, even though the chemical process tends to make skin look leathery. Also, subjects often appear stiff since they must hold still for up to 10 seconds while the picture — a direct positive — is being formed on a thin piece of iron.

Still, Buchman thinks that tintypes are worth their weight in gold.

“When tintype portraits were first made, people had never seen themselves before. Modern tintypes retain that sense of discovery.”

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CARTOON: Roofus: Bloomy bought this election

By Cristian Fleming — Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Cristian Fleming

for The Brooklyn Paper

Our cartoonist, Roofus, continues his assault on Mayor Bloomberg.

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BAY RIDGE: Big school computer heist

By Thomas Tracy — Wed, 4 Nov 2009 00:49:44 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Thomas Tracy

Community Newspaper Group

Laptop looting

More than two dozen laptop computers were swiped from IS 259 on Fort Hamilton Parkway in what police described as a well-thought-out heist between Oct. 26 and Oct. 29.

Whoever entered the school, which is at 73rd Street, knew that the building is under construction and that a rooftop door would be secured only with duct tape.

Once inside the building, the thief broke into a fourth-floor room where he swiped the 32 laptops before exiting to the roof and leaving the duct tape the way he found it.

Fire fiends

Cops are investigating two recent burglaries in which thieves scaled fire escapes to get to their victim’s homes.

A sixth-floor resident of a Shore Road building near 88th Street told police that someone entered his apartment between 7 am and 11 am on Oct. 27, taking advantage to an unlocked fire escape window.

The thug got a gold diamond ring and two Timex watches.

The day before, a thief broke into a fourth-floor apartment on 64th Street, taking a host of items, including a piggy bank.

The tenant said that he left for work his apartment at 6:30 am and returned 11 hours later to find several pieces of gold jewelry, as well as a PlayStation game console, a Bulova watch and that porcine bank missing.

As in the other crime, the thief had entered through the window off the fire escape.

Throttle thug

Cops arrested an 18-year-old hooligan for grabbing a woman by the neck during a brutish mugging on 79th Street on Oct. 28.

Police said that the 46-year-old victim was near 15th Avenue at 7:45 pm when the perp allegedly stopped her in her tracks, squeezed her neck, snagged the woman’s purse and ran off, leaving her with an injury to her head and wrist.

Cops caught their man a short time later, charging him with robbery and assault.

Cleaning disservice

A 37-year-old woman returned to her 73rd Street apartment last week to find her bed stripped of its sheets and several electronics and personal documents missing on Oct. 28.

The woman said that she left her home, which is near Seventh Avenue, at 10 am and returned about five hours later to discover that $5,000, three Albanian passports, a video camera, a laptop computer and some tax forms were missing.

Driveway detour

These days, cars aren’t even safe in their own driveways.

A brazen thief stole watches and electronics from a 51-year-old woman’s Honda Odyssey as it sat in her driveway on 96th Street near Marine Avenue between 7:30 pm on Oct. 26 and noon the next day.

The owner told cops that she had left the car unlocked, probably believing that her Honda was safe and sound in the driveway. It wasn’t; the thief got two gold watches, two silver watches, a Sirius radio, a radar detector, a pair of binoculars and about $20 in quarters.

Burgle bust

Cops nabbed a 25-year-old thief after he was spotted breaking into a home on Bay Ridge Avenue on Oct. 29.

Officials said that the man entered the home near 14th Avenue at 12:30 pm, but fled empty-handed. Still, he was later collared for the break-in.

Troubled teen

A 13-year-old area boy is having a trouble with cell phone-grabbing bullies.

The victim said that he was playing football with friends at a schoolyard on 16th Avenue near 65th Street at 2:50 pm on Oct. 29 when an older kid pushed him from behind and snatched the cell from his hand.

He also said it was not the first time that this had happened. Three weeks earlier, another bully followed him home and robbed him.

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THEATER: The Civilians have their eye on divorce

By Meredith Deliso — Wed, 4 Nov 2009 00:50:12 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Meredith Deliso

Community Newspaper Group

The latest production from The Civilians troupe, which has delved into the Atlantic Yards project and Evangelical Christians, now turns its eye on something really controversial: divorce.

“You Better Sit Down: Tales from My Parents’ Divorce” was conceived by actress Jennifer Morris (pictured) and centers on a lamp that always came between her divorced parents.

“I find it interesting, arguing about an inanimate object while all this stuff swirls around it,” said Morris. “That was the inspiration for the whole project.”

The final play includes dialogue culled from interviews that all four actors conducted with their parents — who are brought to life on stage by their children.

“It felt like a very personal inquiry when we have the children playing the parents,” said Anne Kauffman, one of the co-writers. “It’s an investigation of marriage from one generation to another.

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DINING: These guys are cocoa nuts

By Sabrina Jaszi — Fri, 6 Nov 2009 06:32:14 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Sabrina Jaszi

for The Brooklyn Paper

Amateur cooking contests — think last year’s Mac Off or last month’s chili contest — are all the rage. But now it’s time for dessert.

Fortunately, the increasingly eclectic Bell House will host a massive cook-off of all things cocoa: soufflés, ganache, cookies, drinks and moles cooked up by 15 to 25 cocoa-loving amateur cooks.

It’s a feast for chocolate fans — and for chefs. Spots are still available for competitors, but beware.

“Not everyone can handle the pressure,” warned Nick Suarez who co-organized the so-called Brooklyn Chocolate Experiment.

Stakes are high; the top chef will receive $150 and a $600 chocolate of the month subscription. The judge’s panel even has its own Simon Cowell: Andrew Knowlton, restaurant editor for Bon Appetit — the magazine that survived Conde Nast’s Gourmet coup.

“He can be intimidating,” said Suarez, “but we feel that adds to the competitive spirit.”

Suarez and co-organizer Theo Peck savor the competition along with the food. In fact, they were once cookoff rivals.

“It was either him or me winning, so we really started competing against each other at these events,” Suarez said. “Eventually he asked me if I wanted to start our own cookoff. We wanted bigger, better, more organization and larger prizes.”

The Brooklyn Chocolate Experiment is the third cookoff put on by the culinary comrades, and it won’t be the last. The pair says even sweeter things are in the works.

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MUSIC: This magic moment: Jay and the Americans are back!

By Simon McCormack — Wed, 4 Nov 2009 00:50:12 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Simon McCormack

for The Brooklyn Paper

The nostalgia-laced airwaves are full of hits from Jay and the Americans like “This Magic Moment,” “Walking In The Rain” and “Come A Little Bit Closer” — but on Nov. 14, the band will once again bring them to life in Brooklyn, where it all started 50 years ago.

Sandy Deanne, Marty Sanders and Howie Kane all hailed from in and around Flatbush, where legend has it that the only requirement for joining the band was owning a white dinner jacket and being able to carry a tune.

The group inked its first record deal in 1962 and over the next seven years recorded four songs, “She Cried,” “Come a Little Bit Closer,” “Cara Mia” and “This Magic Moment” that reached the top 10.

By 1973, tastes in popular music had changed and Jay and the Americans went the way of the ’60s themselves. But three years ago, Deanne, Sanders and Kane got back on the road, touring the oldies circuit — including the very same Our Lady of Grace auditorium in Gravesend where they performed more than 40 years ago.

“We jumped at the chance to come back home,” Deanne said.

This time, the booking will earn the band more than the $350 it received in 1964.

“The guy who booked us this time asked if we’d play for the same $350,” said Deanne, who respectfully rejected the offer. “We’ve had a lot of hits since then.”

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WEEKENDER: The weekender! Here’s what you should do on Saturday and Sunday

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 14:53:40 EST

Note: More media content is available for this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

The Brooklyn Paper

It’s that time of the week again — the weekend. So let The Weekender be your guide:

• Shopping for an apartment? Take the “Edge Challenge.” We did.

• It’s your last chance to catch the big one before the Brooklyn Fish Derby award ceremony.

• Relive Ben Muessig’s stunning departure from The Brooklyn Paper.

• Catch “The New Electric Ballroom” at St. Ann’s Warehouse. The Butcher of Flatbush Avenue Extension raved.

• Gorge on steak and beer at the Brooklyn Beefsteak.

• The Brooklyn Museum’s new rock and roll photo exhibit is awesome, says our critic. Plus, on Saturday night, the joint is free!

• Eat some awesome merguez at Saul Bolton’s new place on Vanderbilt Avenue.

• Go see an exhibition of modern tintypes. They’re cool.

• There’s always the Brooklyn Flea in Fort Greene, and Artists and Fleas in Williamsburg on Saturday.

And as always, these and other great events are in our exclusive family calendar, our great nightlife calendar, and our matchless events calendar.

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THEATER: Youth in trouble? It’s great theater!

By Will Yakowicz — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:07:41 EST

See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.

By Will Yakowicz

The Brooklyn Paper

Sex, drugs and family dysfunction — it’s all fodder for the young playrights of Off The Hook, a teen playwriting troupe that presents its sixth annual production on Nov. 20 and 21.

This year’s mix includes short dramas about bullies and families, including one in which a boy runs away from his mother only to be befriended by a man on the street who turns out to be his father. In another play, two girls fighting for the same boy realize that they are friends and the boy is the enemy. In another, an underdog and his tormentor become best pals.

The plays are a “bare-bones production,” said Candice Sering, program director, but the dramas succeed because they all come straight from the students’ imaginations, honed by their lives in and around the hardscrabble neighborhood.

“[The shows are] unique to our neighborhood and true to Red Hook,” Sering said. “We are working with Red Hook youth with ears, eyes and minds tapped into Red Hook, playing for a Red Hook audience.”

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The Brooklyn Paper: Full articles

POLITICS: Bloomy bucks mean bupkis in Brooklyn

ELECTION: On Election Day, the ‘Oracle’ is a Bloomberg shill!

ELECTION: Jackie Robinson’s widow endorses the non-black, non-Brooklynite mayoral candidate

GREENPOINT: The billion-dollar bridge!

DUMBO: Panel says no to DUMBO dance club

Something’s fishy: Anglers reel ’em in as fish derby comes to a close

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS: City resists chopper command from Brooklyn Heights

DOWNTOWN: On the line for a not so free flu shot

WILLIAMSBURG WATERFRONT: Is this tower too big for Greenpoint?

PARK SLOPE: At the Armory, wait ‘til next year

WILLIAMSBURG WATERFRONT: Take the ‘Edge Challenge’

The Halloween Parade pictures you know you want

MCMAHON ON LINE 1: Rep. Mike says ‘no’ to Obama on health care

ELECTION: Who will win on Tuesday? These pols think they know

Fishermen lie — but how much?

BOERUM HILL: Heavenly battle turns to court of man

POLITICS: Brooklynite runs for Senate seat — in Idaho!

THE BUTCHER OF FLATBUSH AVE. EXTENSION: Irish import at St. Ann’s Warehouse is truly ‘Electric’

ELECTION: In Bushwick: Reyna beats Davila — and Vito!

Diana Reyna (D):

9,830 (60 percent)

Maritza Davila (WFP): 5,647 (35 percent)

ELECTION: In Park Slope: Lander triumphs again

Brad Lander (D): 15,279 (70 percent)Joe Nardiello (R): 3,650 (16.6 percent) David Pechefsky (G): 1,524 (7 percent)

WILLIAMSBURG WATERFRONT: A ‘Juicy’ story: Sugary drink maker to fund playground

MEAN STREETS: State promises to fix FDR Drive-Brooklyn Bridge ramp

ELECTION: In Williamsburg: Levin doesn’t even break a sweat

Steve Levin (D): 16,561 (91 percent)Elizabeth Tretter (C): 1,580 (8.8 percent)

EDITORIAL: Mike — fix this already

ELECTION: In Fort Greene: Tish James in a landslide

Letitia James (D): 18,463 (92.3 percent)Stuart Balberg (R): 1,547 (7.7 percent)

ELECTION: In Bay Ridge: Gentile beats off Capano

Vince Gentile (D): 13,217 (60 percent)Bob Capano (R): 8,911 (40 percent)

CLEANING THE GOWANUS: Teens make their Gowanus death masks

MUSIC: These superhero rockers saved rock and roll — in 2048!

DOWNTOWN: Is this Brooklyn’s craziest crib?

MUSIC: The algorhythm: Americans UK

MEAN STREETS: It’s plaza sweet on Schermerhorn Street

BOERUM HILL: Teachers learn write from wrong at this cursive class

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS: Bank robbery on DeKalb

Stuck up

Senseless violence

Best friends

Unsweet 16

Cool hand crook

Bumpy ride

No sidekick

Office crook

Bike be gone!

CARROLL GARDENS: Court Street vandals

Sign of the time

Geezer squeezer

Imelda style

Bicycle thief

PARK SLOPE: This teller is a crook!

WILLIAMSBURG: Drive-by murder

Dead on delivery

DINING: They’re all Thai’d up in Brooklyn’s Little Bangkok

FORT GREENE: Cakeman Raven is burglarized!

Take the cake

Deconstruction

Case cracked

Pratt attack A thug robbed a Pratt student on the corner of Waverly and Greene Avenues on Oct. 29.

Crime fiction

Robbing wraith

School of spooks

FORT GREENE: Ripping the roof

Through the roof

Jacket jacker

Picked clean

Pursenapper

SMARTMOM: Smartmom wants to have The Talk with OSFO

LETTERS: And from the old-style mailbag…

Town haul

Post haste

Tree-son

Word up

SMARTMOM: Smartmom becomes Joni Mitchell — her life is a circle game

ELECTION: Campaign tricks no treat for former candidate

Brad Lander (D): 15,279 (70 percent)
Joe Nardiello (R): 3,650 (16.6 percent)

David Pechefsky (G): 1,524 (7 percent)

Steve Levin (D): 16,561 (91 percent)
Elizabeth Tretter (C): 1,580 (8.8 percent)

Letitia James (D): 18,463 (92.3 percent)
Stuart Balberg (R): 1,547 (7.7 percent)

Vince Gentile (D): 13,217 (60 percent)
Bob Capano (R): 8,911 (40 percent)