tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80462307319115178502009-11-26T09:29:17.965-05:00The View from My BlockKiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00680280062855724326kipsive@gmail.comBlogger1253125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8046230731911517850.post-15668030943521954302009-11-26T09:23:00.001-05:002009-11-26T09:24:37.253-05:00

I'll be out of town for a few days due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Wishing you fellowship, laughter and good food in abundance. I'll be back in the city on Saturday, so please check back then. As always, thank you for reading my blog.

Kiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00680280062855724326kipsive@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8046230731911517850.post-60458724208598684392009-11-25T22:49:00.002-05:002009-11-25T22:53:01.419-05:00

The theme of December's "Love Wanted" pet adoption event in Bay Ridge will be "Home for the Holidays". The event will take place rain or shine on Saturday, December 12 from 11:30 AM to 4:30 AM at Salem Church, 450 67th Street (between 4th and 5th Avenues). ID, proof of address and an adoption fee are required. Animals are provided courtesy of  North Shore Animal League and NYC Animal Care and

Kiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00680280062855724326kipsive@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8046230731911517850.post-21406288828858443542009-11-25T22:35:00.003-05:002009-11-25T23:07:28.847-05:00

As reported by the New York Times, New York's highest appellate court has ruled that the state can seize private property in downtown Brooklyn for Bruce Ratner's proposed 22-acre $4.9 billion Atlantic Yards development. The New York Court of Appeals, by a 6 to 1 vote, ruled that the state can use eminent domain to take businesses, public property and private residences and transfer it to private

Kiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00680280062855724326kipsive@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8046230731911517850.post-72538566078560545592009-11-25T21:25:00.001-05:002009-11-25T22:59:37.559-05:00

In an address to the people of New York State today, Governor David Paterson called for executive authority to close the state's current budget deficit. Emergency legislation – the Executive Authority Option – submitted by Paterson today would grant him one-time authority to administratively close a 3.2 billion gap in the 2009-10 budget. The State's unprecedented fiscal crisis, caused in part

Kiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00680280062855724326kipsive@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8046230731911517850.post-61312982853270006982009-11-24T21:50:00.001-05:002009-11-24T21:51:55.151-05:00

The Observer reports that Rupert Murdoch, the 800-pound gorilla of the communications industry, has put his big hairy foot down in the Brooklyn blogosphere. After including the Post-owned Brooklyn Paper in its Brooklyn edition last month, the Post has now added The Brooklyn Blog to its website. Reporter Rich Calder, a Carroll Gardens resident who has covered Brooklyn topics such as Coney Island

Kiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00680280062855724326kipsive@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8046230731911517850.post-22122454112279416892009-11-24T20:46:00.002-05:002009-11-24T20:47:57.181-05:00

According to the New York Times, food stamp use at the city's Greenmarkets has more than doubled in the past year, due largely to better publicity and the availability of more markets. In some low-income neighborhoods, food stamps make up 70 to 80% of Greenmarket sales. There are now 23 Greenmarkets in the city, but Poe Park Market in the South Bronx and the Greenmarket at 175th Street and

Kiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00680280062855724326kipsive@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8046230731911517850.post-28477712749524504732009-11-23T20:46:00.009-05:002009-11-24T19:45:13.333-05:00

According to a recently-published report by non-partisan think-tank Fiscal Policy Center, two distinct recessions have emerged in New York City.  Despite signs of an earlier-than-expected recovery for Wall Street, there has been no let up in the recession gripping the rest of the city. And the disconnect between Wall Street and Main Street NYC is growing.  In the city's outer boroughs and

Kiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00680280062855724326kipsive@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8046230731911517850.post-57969170115414725272009-11-22T23:00:00.064-05:002009-11-25T20:34:33.067-05:00

This week, State Senator Marty Golden (R-C,22nd District) announced a holiday drive to support American troops deployed overseas.    The holidays provide a great opportunity show the troops some love and appreciation.   Suggested donations include: tube socks (green/black); tan and green t-shirts; unscented baby powder; games (dominos, checkers, chess); lip balm; batteries; long

Kiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00680280062855724326kipsive@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8046230731911517850.post-65988379246552474942009-11-22T22:26:00.003-05:002009-11-22T22:29:28.360-05:00

As reported by the Daily News, commercial landlords in Brooklyn who were eager to cash in on the real estate boom a couple of years ago jacked up rents on their long-time tenants in order to drive them out -- thinking that gentrification couldn't be far behind. Then the real estate bubble burst, leaving the borough littered with empty storefronts and ruined small businesses, many of them

Kiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00680280062855724326kipsive@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8046230731911517850.post-13475201651413230642009-11-22T14:27:00.004-05:002009-11-23T21:11:02.934-05:00

Cleaning out your closet?  The organization "Dress for Success" is sponsoring a clothing drive at the Bay Ridge office of State Assembly Member Janele Hyer-Spencer (D-District 60) at 7606 Fifth Avenue in Bay Ridge on Tuesday, November 24th, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Call the office at (718) 492-2462 for more information about the drive.

Kiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00680280062855724326kipsive@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8046230731911517850.post-62844894073337527162009-11-22T00:00:00.019-05:002009-11-24T20:29:16.215-05:00

Jerry Sanchez, a 37-year-old resident of Bedford Park in the Bronx who works as an exterminator, walked into the first car of a northbound D train at Rockefeller Center on Saturday at around 2 AM and demanded that another passenger move his bag from the seat where Sanchez wanted to sit. When the man, 36-year-old Dwight Johnson, refused to move his bag, the two reportedly argued.  According to

Kiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00680280062855724326kipsive@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8046230731911517850.post-12270781256149836152009-11-21T10:07:00.039-05:002009-11-24T20:49:58.901-05:00

A reminder from Reverend Billy and the Church of Life after Shopping that November 27, otherwise known as "Black Friday" is alternatively observed as "Buy Nothing Day". Buy Nothing Day, a protest against greed and compulsive over-consumption, will be observed in New York City and around the world next Friday. Stay tuned for further details about Buy Nothing Day events here in the city. Black

Kiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00680280062855724326kipsive@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8046230731911517850.post-9881251015068819282009-11-21T00:36:00.013-05:002009-11-24T22:20:06.978-05:00

The New York Times reports that the city's Planning Department has proposed anti-curb-cut regulations that could change the streetscape in neighborhoods like Bay Ridge. Zoning regulations now allow some residents to make curb cuts, but in recent years there have been more complaints against them -- because they eliminate parking spaces on the street and because they look tacky. Josephine

Kiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00680280062855724326kipsive@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8046230731911517850.post-14686658413660771292009-11-19T23:31:00.004-05:002009-11-22T23:29:59.511-05:00

According to a report published by the advocacy organization Transportation for America,  pedestrians make up a very high percentage of all traffic deaths in New York City. The New York metropolitan area, with an average 316 pedestrian deaths a year in 2007 and 2008, has the highest absolute number of pedestrian deaths of any metropolitan area in the U.S. The percentage of pedestrians killed by

Kiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00680280062855724326kipsive@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8046230731911517850.post-13134229537090641082009-11-18T23:40:00.000-05:002009-11-18T23:40:11.733-05:00

Via Gothamist, the blogger at Pardon Me For Asking has found an old map showing both Red and Yellow Hook in Brooklyn. As people out this way know, Yellow Hook, the original Dutch name for this area based on the color of the soil, was changed to Bay Ridge after a yellow fever epidemic in the 19th century. The post from Gothamist.

Kiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00680280062855724326kipsive@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8046230731911517850.post-89870891756335047402009-11-18T23:05:00.001-05:002009-11-18T23:15:12.877-05:00

Inevitably, computerized instruction has come to New York City's schools. This past summer, New York City schools chancellor Joel Klein piloted an individualized software-based learning program that Time Magazine calls "one of the 50 best inventions of 2009". Each day, students using the School of One software program are given a personalized lesson plan — a "daily playlist" if you will  —

Kiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00680280062855724326kipsive@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8046230731911517850.post-37756628053212199672009-11-17T23:20:00.005-05:002009-11-17T23:40:47.129-05:00

The Second Annual Brooklyn Lyceum Holiday Craft Market will bring together more than 60 local artisans on the final shopping weekend before Christmas. Handcrafted merchandise will include hats, tees, jewelry, soaps, pillows, plush toys, greeting cards, prints, ceramics, sweets, stocking stuffers, clocks, household goods and more.  Because so many crafters applied for space this year, the Market

Kiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00680280062855724326kipsive@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8046230731911517850.post-69320550173346212962009-11-17T22:39:00.013-05:002009-11-25T20:29:20.481-05:00

As reported here earlier this month, the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) held a public hearing in lower Manhattan on November 10 on its proposal to permit hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking) for natural gas in the heart of New York City's water supply. The following account was filed by one of the people who attended the hearing. "When I arrived at 5:30pm, there was

Kiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00680280062855724326kipsive@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8046230731911517850.post-75442462094316998062009-11-16T22:16:00.001-05:002009-11-16T22:28:19.550-05:00

The Brooklyn Lyceum's monthly writers series, First Sundays, continues on Sunday, December 6 at 7 PM with a presentation by photographer Vivian Cherry, a former Broadway hoofer who has been shooting New York City street scenes since the 1940s.   Admission is free.   Cherry's photos of the Lower East Side, the Third Avenue El and Hell’s Kitchen reside in the collections of The Museum of Modern

Kiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00680280062855724326kipsive@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8046230731911517850.post-56596294923264502982009-11-15T20:24:00.002-05:002009-11-16T19:40:01.018-05:00

The Daily News reports (as picked up by Queens Crap) that, according to statistics from the city's Department of Buildings, the number of stalled construction projects in Brooklyn has surged 42% since this summer, to a total of 245. Brooklyn has half of the city's 527 stalled sites, making it the five-borough leader. In once red-hot neighborhoods like Greenpoint, Borough Park and Williamsburg,

Kiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00680280062855724326kipsive@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8046230731911517850.post-7448670315604805422009-11-15T13:21:00.004-05:002009-11-16T22:32:37.883-05:00

The Narrows Community Theater will present an original musical revue, "Another Christmas, Another Revue, on three December dates at three locations in Bay Ridge:   December 5 at 8:00 PM at Salem Lutheran Church, 450 67th Street;  December 6 at 3:00 PM at St. Patrick's Auditorium, 97th Street and Fourth Avenue; and  December 13 at 2:00 PM at Our Lady of Angels, 74th Street and 4th Avenue.   The

Kiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00680280062855724326kipsive@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8046230731911517850.post-46626483859778465692009-11-15T09:12:00.010-05:002009-11-19T23:48:43.195-05:00

When the Brooklyn Paper polled 6 state Senators in its coverage area back in April about whether they would support the gay marriage bill recently shelved by the Senate, all but one strongly supported the bill. The lone holdout?  Marty Golden (R-Bay Ridge), who has repeatedly invoked the mantra of the Religious Right that “marriage is between a man and a woman.” The Senate, after being shamed

Kiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00680280062855724326kipsive@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8046230731911517850.post-22547177529437166232009-11-13T23:05:00.005-05:002009-11-24T22:23:32.141-05:00

As reported by New York Magazine, there are more than 100 co-housing communities in the U.S., but, until recently, there had yet to be one in New York City.    Co-housing is not a commune, nor is it a kibbutz, and it's also not for hippies -- at least not poor ones -- New York City's first co-housing venture will have to come up with $16 million to buy and renovate an old mattress factory on

Kiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00680280062855724326kipsive@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8046230731911517850.post-87071482444808546052009-11-13T21:34:00.003-05:002009-11-14T10:10:37.461-05:00

According to an e-mail blast today from the Bay Ridge Food Co-op, its steering committee, which has been working to build the co-op's membership base, will deliver an organizational report at the Co-op's next general meeting on December 8.  The Co-op has completed a market research survey report, to be mailed out over the coming week, which is expected to give a clearer picture of the

Kiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00680280062855724326kipsive@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8046230731911517850.post-43602525957246800482009-11-12T20:47:00.002-05:002009-11-12T20:52:40.536-05:00

The Daily News reports that New York State's "Doomsday Budget" scenario threatens core services like homeless shelters, domestic violence centers, probation centers and libraries. If the state continues spending and revenues continue falling at the present rate, the state will "drive off the cliff" in December unless Albany comes up with a plan to close a $3.2 billion gap in the budget. By

Kiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00680280062855724326kipsive@gmail.com