Celebrating Community
Earlier this week, former Assemblymember Joe Ferris, who was my predecessor Jim Brennan’s predecessor, passed away. He was 85. Ferris was elected to the Assembly in 1974 and served for 10 years until Jim was elected in 1984. Joe Ferris had a profound impact on the politics of Brooklyn and New York City and was a fierce advocate for independence […]
After 36 years with Senator Velmanette Montgomery, Red Hook will have a new voice in the New York State Legislature’s upper chamber in 2021. With little doubt that the Democratic primary on June 23 will also determine the victor in November’s general election, the open seat in Senate District 25 – rarely challenged by a significant opponent under Montgomery, who […]
It is no surprise that, due to the financial crisis imposed by COVID-19 upon the municipal budget, Mayor Bill de Blasio is reconsidering advancing his $2.7 billion Brooklyn Queens Connector streetcar project known as BQX. There was never a guarantee that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) would pay for 50 per cent of the cost. Dreams of Amazon doing the […]
Whatever the Chinese government may say, there is not a country with better weapons to face the outbreak, but only countries with better or worse transparency. As never before, sharing information among governments is vital to save lives, and it is a demonstration of solidarity by far bigger than sending medical equipment – which is clearly useful but is not […]
When I announced my campaign for District Leader in Assembly District 51, my goal was to bring the T.E.A. to Kings County Democratic Committee: Transparency, Equity, and Accountability. We hear far too often about the self-serving narcissism and general lack of leadership from our President. But this is a problem at all levels of government, and when it comes to […]
To flatten the curve of the coronavirus, all New York City movie theaters are indefinitely closed, and New Yorkers are urged to stay indoors except when absolutely necessary. For those who miss being able to venture all around Brooklyn, here are four easy-to-find, contemporary films set in the borough’s neighborhoods that don’t typically get featured in cinema all too much. […]
With all new releases on hold and movie theaters closed indefinitely, the film industry is in a dire place. But delays are nothing new to Hollywood. Here are four films, delayed in their own time, that can help make sense of your new life under quarantine. Ad Astra When Disney executives purchased 20th Century Fox in 2018, they found they […]
When Urban Recovery at 411 Van Brunt Street first opened its doors on January 7, 2019 nobody really knew what to expect. Rumors swirled and critics, well, were critics. Now after a little over year of operation, it’s time to review Urban Recovery. I have a special relationship with UR. since I was a patient there for 5 weeks in […]
Giorgio (the name is fictitious for his privacy) is a nurse who works for a hospital in northern Italy, and last week he got infected. He is now one of the 69,176 coronavirus cases in the country. He probably got infected while he was working, and he knew it after the swab he did tested positive. “They called me the […]
Everyone knows Jimmy Stewart couldn’t ever play anything but Jimmy Stewart. He never lost the mid-Pennsylvania drawl that’s given rise to thousands of impressions, poor and expert alike (mine’s alright, but see Dana Carvey for a particularly good one). And his narrow, six-foot-three frame lent him a loping, awkward on-screen presence that is a far cry from the preternatural wit […]