Celebrating Community
I’ve lived in the United States all my life. But both my parents were from a part of the world that has been hugely in the news since the end of February. They came here from Czechoslovakia after World War 2, pretty much as refugees, my dad as soon as he could, my mom waited for her visa and just […]
Not much space to write this month, but that’s fine. I was actually going to write about how much of news gathering, as well as politicking, is done not in person anymore, but via Twitter and other non-social media thingies. So this can be like an expanded tweet. I’m not sure if Red Hook yet knows this, but for the […]
The German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer is known for concluding that earthly life is mostly misery, but making it all worthwhile is art, specifically music. While I’m a bit more positive about life, his comment about music resonates. Last week I took time off from everyday living to travel to Washington DC to hear Robert Earl Keen, who brought his Christmas […]
Last month we wrote that a long-planned plan to protect Red Hook from future hurricanes failed to protect places like Food Bazaar, the Beard Street Warehouses, and the Red Hook Container Terminal, despite the city’s claim that they consulted with the stakeholders from all those places. The claim was true, but they didn’t listen to the stakeholders. A major property […]
In the earlier days of this newspaper, I only occasionally wrote a column. There either had to be something compelling in the local news that I wanted to opine on, or there was extra room in the paper that needed to be filled. But now, as I’m starting to grow up, along with the paper, I’ve made a commitment to […]
Hurricane Sandy provided headline opportunities for New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo. In January 2014, Vice President Joe Biden came to Albany to announce a statewide program to protect against natural disasters. As the online news site Politico wrote: “The state would build a $200-million flood protection system in Red Hook, Brooklyn, an area particularly hard-hit by flooding during Hurricane Sandy, […]
I actually had my column all written before this. This is the month when the City Council, led by local Councilmember Brad Lander, will most likely allow the transformation of Gowanus from a gritty, funky, artsy/industrial neighborhood, into a modern, affluent community dominated by high rise luxury apartments. It will end up resembling countless high-rise affluent neighborhoods throughout the world. […]
A phrase I have been making use of when talking politics with friends is that I wish there were just two political parties – Democrats and Progressives. I believe in good government, and too many Republicans, reinforced by Ronald Reagan, feel that government is the enemy. Hypocritically, since they spend so much money and energy to be part of what […]
A few months ago in this column, I examined the community board’s recommendations regarding the Gowanus rezoning plan that allows real estate developers to build 30 story luxury condos in the formerly arts and industrial (and polluted) Gowanus neighborhood. After the community board’s approval, the next step is the approval of the Borough President. We still actually have a borough […]
I guess it’s time for my Andrew Cuomo stories, at least those from my eleven years at the Star-Revue. Actually, let me start off with something I can say about his Dad, someone who I respected as America’s conscience, especially from his days as an analyst of the worst of the Bush years. It’s true that today he is criticized […]