Last month, I wrote about the recent Brooklyn Dems’ County Committee meeting, and related antics and fiascos, but one cannot understand where we are, and where we may go, without understanding where we were before. The modern era of the Brooklyn Democratic Party really started with 1961. Brooklyn’s Democratic Leader was then Joe Sharkey. He was not only County Leader, […]
Feature Story
The Record Shop is perfectly Red Hook, by Gene Bray
You see a permanent bench in front of a bizarre looking sculpture of guitars. A Sculpture-like apparition that might be unwelcome in some neighborhoods. It’s clear that anybody is welcome to sit at this crazy lookin spot. Anytime. At dawn there is usually all kinds of free stuff on it. By noon chairs appear. This is a place to relax […]
Valentines Day weddings dwindle during Covid by Erin DeGregorio
As New Yorkers near the one-year anniversary of the city’s first Covid case, they’ve showcased flexibility, persistency and creativity while making life work under new circumstances. For those who were engaged or soon-to-be married last year, wedding plans were postponed, rescheduled, or even advanced to an earlier date due to uncertainty. Wedding Reporter, a trade organization, reports that NYC […]
What’s it like to run a movie theater during a pandemic by Brian Abate and Elijah Hamilton
While the coronavirus pandemic has hurt most businesses in New York City, it has been especially tough on the theater industry. Cobble Hill Cinema, located on the corner of Court St. and Butler St. has been closed to the public since March. The theater, which a year ago was packed with customers, is now barely getting by. “Sadly, we had […]
Learning about the Maya in a Guatemalan Bistro
Eager to learn more about Mayan culture and history, my friend Eddie Deleon arranged a meeting with his friend Joel, a practicing Maya from Guatemala, at Ix Restaurant (pronounced eesh) on a Sunday afternoon. Eddie is a Guatemalan born photographer who now lives in Brooklyn. I met Eddie through my friend Juan Carlos Pinto, a Brooklyn based artist, who is […]
The future is Black, female, and Latina, interesting takes from 2020’s exit polls, by Roderick Thomas
2020…trash but still ironic The irony of 2020 also being synonymous with perfect vision is hard to miss, as last year was definitely illuminating – racial injustice, health care disparities, government unpreparedness, and the loss of several cultural icons. Then there was the presidential election, centered amidst an ongoing pandemic. The election spilled into 2021 as Georgia Senate runoffs took […]
Vaccine skeptics abound in Europe, by Dario Pio Muccilli
Since the beginning of December, leading physicians throughout all the hospitals and retirement houses in Europe have convened meetings to plan the upcoming COVID vaccination campaign, which started in Europe on December 27. The first vaccine allowed to be inoculated is Pfizer, but on January 6th also Moderna will be allowed by the European Medicines Agency as the FDA did […]
Hi-end audio is a suprise best seller as Covid keeps people home, by Micah Rubin
Satan worshipers, naked hoarders and a loaded handgun might sound like a workplace hazard. But for Red Hook’s Adam Wexler, these are just a few of the quirky characters encountered in the course of a day’s work. Wexler’s business is sound and simplification. He is the founder of Stereo Buyers, High End Audio Auctions and Resolution Audio Video NYC. Since […]
Political Commentary: The Return Of The Jedi, by Robert Manning
Long ago, in a galaxy far away, a band of aliens and quasi-rebels banded together to Tnegotiate terms of survival with the overlord of a nearby space station, the “IC”, – massive and imposing – that had parked itself permanently in their quaint little neighborhood. Now the Overlord, Kimballa II, from the imperious, if not ruthless Kimballian tribe, wanted to […]
Politics: THE PARTY’S OVER, by Howard Graubard
It is generally believed that Henry Kissinger, a man Republicans were happy to refer to as “Doctor,” even though he lacked any sort of medical degree, was responsible for the quote “Academic politics are so vicious precisely because the stakes are so small.” It’s such a great line, better even than his more famous “power is the ultimate aphrodisiac,” that […]