Ocean Parkway bicycle parade 1896 draws thousands

On the sunny and cool afternoon of June 17, 1896, a parade was held in Brooklyn celebrating the opening of the Ocean Parkway cycle path. At one p.m. sharp, the inimitable sound of ten thousand approaching bicycles filled the air. Spearheading this procession was the noted rider Charles H. Luscomb of the Thirteenth Regiment, accompanied by a military entourage of three hundred militiamen. They were swiftly followed by the uniformed personnel of more than thirty cycling clubs drawn from across the region, including the Amsterdam Wheelmen and the Ninth Ward Pioneer Corps. Next came the serried ranks of the League of American Wheelmen, the largest cycling organization in the country with more than 100,000 members. Concluding this cavalcade were thousands of “unattached” cyclists ranging from gaily-bedecked children to fashionable couples, whisking their way down the boulevard on their “silent steeds,” past the undeveloped meadows of central Brooklyn until finally reaching the sun, surf and sand of Coney Island.

For the rest of the story: http://narrative.ly/on-two-wheels/cycles-of-fashion/

Walking up Ocean Parkway just as it began snowing

Snow removal for dummies

Post by Allan Shweky.

On Ocean Parkway snowing once, twice thrice.....

Post by The view from Ocean Parkway.

Hospital’s Plan to Expand Angers Many in Park Slope

Hospital’s Plan to Expand Angers Many in Park Slope, Brooklyn - NYTimes.com
by Vivian Yee, Feb. 11, 2014

As Brooklyn residents in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Cobble Hill clamor to keep their flailing community hospitals open, a different kind of opposition has arisen in Park Slope, where the financially robust New York Methodist Hospital is embroiled in a battle over its plan to open an outpatient care center next to its main campus in the heart of the neighborhood.

Methodist’s proposed expansion would dwarf the gracious brownstones that surround it with a glassy facade more reminiscent of an office park than a historic district, residents say, adding that it would saddle the surrounding streets with too much traffic. But the controversy is erupting amid a debate over health care in Brooklyn, as Interfaith Medical Center in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Long Island College Hospital in Cobble Hill teeter on the verge of shutdowns.


Methodist has the right to build an outpatient center but is seeking a zoning variance from the city’s Board of Standards and Appeals to move forward with a design for the center that would both be more palatable to the neighborhood and better satisfy the hospital’s needs.

Despite protests from residents who questioned the need for the new building, the board’s members seemed sympathetic to the hospital’s plan at a hearing on Tuesday, though they asked the hospital to consider shortening the building from its proposed height of 150 feet. “We’re not going to apologize for the fact that we’ve been very, very successful” despite the challenges that have set back other Brooklyn hospitals, Lauren Yedvab, a senior vice president at the hospital, told the board on Tuesday. The number of people seeking inpatient care at Methodist rose by 99 percent over the past 10 years, she said.

The proposed building would be more than 350,000 square feet and would attract more than 100,000 additional outpatient visits a year. Methodist executives say they are keeping pace with an industrywide shift from inpatient to outpatient services, which require fewer resources. In response to community concerns, the hospital has already shaved a bit of height from the proposed building and shifted some of its bulk toward blocks where its height would be less out of place. But a coalition of residents says the changes are not nearly enough.

“It’s going to loom over our neighborhood one way or the other,” said Daniel Kummer, chairman of the community board. Others were less measured. Stuart Klein, the leader of Preserve Park Slope, called the proposed building “a monstrosity.”

Some residents are asking why Methodist must build in that space — requiring the demolition of 16 buildings, including some brownstones — instead of one more accessible to patients from underserved areas.

“If LICH goes down and Interfaith goes down, then people in those neighborhoods will not gain health care by having Methodist bigger,” said Bennett Kleinberg, who lives by the hospital. “Park Slope over the last decade has become an extremely affluent neighborhood, and Methodist has become one of the biggest beneficiaries of that ascension. Now they’re showing dramatic disrespect for the neighborhood that has brought them to this point.”

But Ms. Yedvab emphasized that Methodist already serves patients from lower-income neighborhoods like Flatbush and Crown Heights, an assertion backed by a representative of a Brooklyn-based social services nonprofit who told the board members that many lower-income patients go to Methodist. Hospital executives say the center’s site next to the main campus would create a more efficient, seamless experience for patients and staff members than if it were in a different neighborhood.

Husband gives sick wife life-saving kidney transplant for Valentine’s Day

Husband gives sick wife life-saving kidney transplant for Valentine’s Day - NY Daily News

Richard Mach, 62, gave his wife, Joy Mach, the ultimate Valentine’s Day gift when he donated his kidney to her. The transplant means Joy, who suffers from Crohn’s disease, will likely avoid ever having to undergo painful dialysis treatments.

Brooklyn Sings! Madison, Midwood & Murrow To Hold First-Ever Inter-Sing Competition » Sheepshead Bay News Blog

Sheepshead Bites » Blog Archive BK Sings! Madison, Midwood & Murrow To Hold First-Ever Inter-Sing Competition » Sheepshead Bay News Blog

Photo by Erica Sherman

Three major Southern Brooklyn high schools are banding together to hold the first-ever inter-SING! competition, called Brooklyn Sings!, to benefit the American Cancer Society.

As any Brooklyn public high school graduate knows, SING! competitions can dominate school culture, bringing in students at every level to plan and produce a musical-production based on a different theme each year. The grades compete against each other for bragging rights.

What many may not know is that SING!, now a phenomenon at high schools across the greater New York City area, is a distinctly Southern Brooklyn creation, first established at Midwood High School in 1947 by music teacher Bella Tillis. The 1989 film Sing is based on the Brooklyn traditions, and SING! alumni include Barbra Streisand, Paul Simon, Tim Robbins, Paul Reiser and Neil Diamond.

Midwood, Madison and Murrow are all well-known for their grandiose productions that can involve hundreds of students.

Brooklyn Sings!, the inter-school event, is being created to benefit the American Cancer Society. It was conceived by the Bergen Beach, Mill Basin and Marine Park Relay for Life team and one of its organizers, Joe Gillette.

“Our Relay for Life team is so thankful to each of these amazing schools for taking on BROOKLYN SINGS!  We know this event will be great for all the talented students, the schools and the community as a whole as we all unite and give of ourselves for a worthy cause,” Gillete said in a press release. “We encourage anyone who wants to get involved with our Relay for Life organization to join us as we strive to make a difference in our schools and community.”

“SING began in Midwood in 1947.  Mrs. Belle Tillis (who passed away last year 15 days shy of her 100th birthday) is credited with bringing SING to Midwood,” said Midwood Principal Michael McDonnell. “For the last 60 + years, our student body has sung, danced and acted their way towards winning the annual SING competition.  In fact the organizers of all the schools’ SINGs were Midwood students who had participated in Midwood SING.  So it is with great honor and responsibility that along with the help of Relay for Life, we get to “throw down the gauntlet” to our neighboring schools.”

Anyone interested in supporting one of the school’s fundraising efforts for the ACS can make a tax deductible donation by visiting the team page of their favorite school.

For Midwood visit http://main.acsevents.org/goto/midwoodsings;
For Madison visit http://main.acsevents.org/goto/madisonsings
For Murrow visit http://main.acsevents.org/goto/murrowsings

The event will be held March 8 at 6 p.m. at Edward R. Murrow High School (1600 Avenue L). Tickets will be sold through each school, and go one sale February 24.

Related:

Bella Tillis taught at Midwood for 30 years

Brooklyn Daily Eagle

The Brooklyn teacher who started the tradition of “Sing!,” an annual student-produced satirical musical comedy that became a tradition in New York City high schools, recently died 15 days short of her 100th birthday.For her story click here.

City Council mostly a no-show to hear the other side of the sick-pay bill

Small business advocates argue against sick-pay bill to sparse City Council crowd - NY Daily News

Eighteen Council members were present to hear Mayor de Blasio's top aides tout the legislation, which would require businesses with five or more employees to provide sick days to workers. When it was time for the business groups to voice their concerns, however, the crowd had dwindled down to a handful of lawmakers.

After Storm, 100% Attendance Is Not 100% Accurate

After Storm, 100% Attendance Is Not 100% Accurate - NYTimes.com

"Thursday’s citywide attendance rate, released by the Department of Education, was 44.65 percent, one of the lowest on record. The number seemed to add gravity to the question of whether Mayor Bill de Blasio and the schools chancellor, Carmen Fariña, should have kept the schools open.
But the discrepancies raised another question: Just how many children did go to school?"

Culture of the streets resist change

At 96th Street and Broadway this week,
 officers curbed jaywalkers and directed cars.
But jaywalking resumed when the police left.
 Nicole Bengiveno/The New York Times

@NYTMetro: Vow to End Traffic Deaths vs. Reality of City Streets http://nyti.ms/1duT6L6
Shared via TweetCaster

posted from Bloggeroid

De Blasio speaks on bishop's release: 'I made an inquiry,' did not ask for him to be let go

De Blasio speaks on bishop's release: 'I made an inquiry,' did not ask for him to be let go  - NY Daily News

“It’s very simple. I received a report ... I made an inquiry,”

New Yorkers Slog to School, Work in Snowstorm

New Yorkers Slog to School, Work in Snowstorm - Metropolis - WSJ
By Mara Gay and Jackie Bischof

Winter-weary New Yorkers trudged to work and school Thursday as yet another snowstorm battered the region.

New York City Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña announced late Wednesday that school would be open Thursday despite a forecast of heavy snow accumulation in the region. After-school programs and field trips were canceled.

Related: After storm 100% attendance is not 100% accurate

While some working parents were relieved, the decision was met with resistance from others, who were anxious about getting their children to school safely.
“It’s not good for the kids to walk in the streets,” said Samar Baghadidi, a mother of four who was headed to Public School 2 in Astoria. Her 10-year-old son Adham Amin said, “The schools should be closed.”
“I believe that people should go to work and go to school, but this is really ridiculous and unsafe,” said Marguerite Camaiore, an attorney from Queens whose 11-year-old twins attend Most Precious Blood School in Astoria, which runs on the city public school schedule. “People haven’t had a chance to shovel, it’s still coming down so much, it’s hard to walk, it’s hard to see where the sidewalk is.”

Parents, Teachers and Political Allies Blast Mayor for Not Closing Schools

Parents, Teachers and Political Allies Blast Mayor for Not Closing Schools - NY1 (video)

(Excerpt)
Then, in the middle of the most tense news conference de Blasio has faced since taking office, his schools chancellor made her first public blunder.
“By the way, just coming down here, it has totally stopped snowing. It is absolutely a beautiful day out there right now,” said Chancellor Carmen Fariña.
That was at 11 a.m., just as snow was turning to rain. complicating rather than clearing conditions in many parts of the city. The comment only seemed to fuel the backlash, much of which came through social media, including a critical Facebook page with more than 20,000 "likes" by the end of the school day.

Large Gifts From Nation’s Wealthiest Surged in 2013

Large Gifts From Nation’s Wealthiest Surged in 2013, Study Finds | News | PND

Should politiciams demonize those who pay the most in taxes and are the most charitable.

You car speed can trigger a selfie-Speed camera on Ocean Parkway

We all knew they were coming but what do they actually look like? Found one on Ocean Parkway and Avenue U today.  It's the Speed Camera. Didn't get a chance to check out all of the 5 mile Ocean Parkway route for any others but this was the only one from Avenue Z to Avenue M...so far.

So if you want to get a close up view come down to Gravesend.  And if you're driving it will get a nice close-up of view of you if you are caught going 10 miles over the 30 mph speed limit.  But drive smart and safe by keeping at the 30 mph speed limit for Ocean Parkway.  Don't know if that will be reduced in the future but Ocean Parkway has been getting quite  a lot of attention lately.

My question is the choice of locations to install these cameras.  Inmy Facebook post (Sept, 1, 2013) I questioned an earlier study regarding this possible location.  I highlighted that post so it is pinned to the top of The View from Ocean Parkway timeline.

Sharing the bike path...a civilized option.

I can't remember how long the snow has been sticking around...like a guest that has overstayed his welcome. When was first snowfall that lies buried beneath subsequent generations of different shades of gray and white?  It just refuses to depart and another round is expected tonight.  Too many street corners are not passable and navigating the least hazardous route is an unpredictable challenge.  Who cannot feel bad for our senior neighbors who must circle the block to avoid the uncharted crosswalks. So which city agency is responsible for cleaning the corners.  I expect to be told that since alternate-site-parking has not been restored that project is on hold.  Really.  Don't remember the DOT every cleaning around the curb cuts and storm sewers that now are no where to be found.
So I wasn't completely surprised that the Parks Department, who is responsible for the Ocean Parkway malls, chose to clear only the bike path on the west mall.  The pedestrian side remains snow-covered and impassable.  (It still seems that bike riders are prioritized over the walking public as bike lanes are quickly cleared throughout the city but every intersection is untouched waiting for a warm sun to melt it away)
So now we all have to get along in order to deal with the present reality on Ocean Parkway.  With only the larger path open, bike riders and pedestrians must respect each other's need for personal space.  No one can claim any exclusive rights. Walkers and joggers should stay to the right and avoid blocking the entire path and bicycle riders must slow down and truly obey the traffic signals.  As of now the bike path must serve the walking and riding needs of everyone and if these two groups should converge on one another, everyone should just be immensely patient.  The going is tough for all. Make friendly eye contact.  Acknowledge each other.  Don't be an asshole.
Today I was driving up one-way East 3rd street when a car stopped and blocked the road.  An elderly woman exited the car on the passenger side because there were mounds of slick, uneven ice waiting on the driver's side. The driver helped the woman cross over the ice very carefully until she was safely on the solid dry sidewalk.  A line of cars waited. No one leaned on their horn.  I think we all knew a similar situation could also affect us or our families under these conditions. It was nice to see that.patient waiting is still a civilized option.-Allan Shweky