STAR REVUE
Christmas in Sweden
Sweden is a place of plenty of holiday celebrations. My American friends usually say midsummer with the fertility pole and the wacky dances when I tell them about Swedish holidays, but to me — and I’d wager few Swedes would argue against this — no holiday is as anticipated as Christmas. Further, I would argue that Swedish Christmas is unlike any other Christmas in the world.
It all really begins on the first day of December. That’s when Swedish Television 1 (SVT1), the primary public service broadcast channel, airs the first episode of the year’s Christmas serial. Every year, the audience — young children before they’re off for school, for the most part, but adults watch, too — get to follow a new wintery Christmas tale in 24 parts. Sometimes, the story revolves around saving the holiday, or the snow, or Santa Claus, but some of the most popular editions have only been tangen-
WALKING WITH COFFEE
by R.J. Cirillo Election Reflections
It was a sunny Saturday in late November 2020, when the election was called for Joe Biden. People took to the streets of Brooklyn in jubilation. It was like an American Bastille day, with people going by in cars waving and beeping horns. Fast forward to November 5, 204. The election was
called for Trump after midnight. The next morning in Windsor Terrace the mood on the street was subdued, and traffic was light. When I got my coffee to go in Connecticut Muffin, I saw several people sitting with their laptops closed, staring out the window. Maybe there was joy somewhere, like Texas or Idaho, but not in this neck of the woods. I entered Prospect Park sipping a 12 oz Americano for my daily walk around the lake. A woman walking towards me was having an angry blue tooth conversation. Just as she passed, she raised her arms and yelled into the cool morning air, “I can’t….I can’t…. I
by Oscar Fock
tially related to Christmas. The most popular of them all, The Mystery at Greveholm, revolves around a family spending the holidays at the Greveholm castle, which turns out to be haunted. Accompanying the TV series is always a regular advent calendar made of paper.
Saint Lucy
Fast-forward to Dec. 13, Saint Lucy’s Day. Originally commemorating Lucia of Syracuse, this Christian feast day is most widely celebrated in Italy, the island nation Saint Lucia, and Scandinavia, including, of course, Sweden. We call her “Sankta Lucia,” and on the morning of Dec. 13, many schools, preschools, retirement homes and churches host a procession led by a young woman dressed in a white gown (Lucia of Syracuse, who became a martyr in the early fourth century, was said to have been a virgin), with a crown of burning candles. Every year, there is a national competition — as
can’t live in this country anymore!”. I could truly say, to quote old Bill Clinton, “I feel your pain”. This column usually consists of an interview/conversation between a local millennial and a boomer (myself). This month I felt the travesty of the next four years had to be dealt with. I was somewhat surprised when NO ONE WOULD GO ON THE RECORD talking about the election. Here are a few quotes that will remain anonymous: “The expression ‘I don’t have a fuck left to give’ is my current mantra “ “Today, I am ashamed to be an American.”
well as local competitions across the country — where people can vote for the woman they think should be Sankta Lucia in the national procession and in their home municipalities. (This display of religion and patriarchal values may surprise some readers, given that many view Sweden as a bastion of secularity and gender equality.) This quite sexist (and racist, as traditionally, only white, blonde women have been able to take on the role of Lucia) routine has received criticism, and it is now more common that schools have one or multiple Lucias, with no restrictions on ethnicity and hair color (or, in a few rare cases, gender). Accompanying Lucia, are women also dressed in white gowns carrying candle sticks, young men in white gowns and cone-shaped hats called star boys (stjärngossar in Swedish), and sometimes nissar (creatures of Nordic mythology, which, for all intents and purposes, look like gnomes) and gingerbread men (usu-
(continued on page 10)
“I will NEVER say his name!”
(continued on page 17)
481 Van Brunt Street, 11AR
Brooklyn, NY 11231 (917) 652-9128
www.star-revue.com gbrook8344@gmail.com
Editor & PublishEr
George Fiala
rEPortErs Nathan Weiser
Brian Abate
Oscar Fock
Katherine Rivard
FEaturEs Kelsey Sobel
inquirEr Lisa Gitlin
CulturE Roderick Thomas
ovErsEas man Dario Muccilli
insights Joe Enright
musiC Kurt Gottschalk
Jazz George Grella
Film Dante A. Ciampaglia
books Michael Quinn
Cartoons Marc Jackson
Sophie Furman
WEbmastEr Tariq Manon
CraFts Marie & Sage Hueston
dEsign George Fiala
Merry Band of Contributors
Ranaan Geberer
Howard Graubard
Nino Pantano
R.J. Cirillo
FOR EDITORIAL, ADVERTISING OR EMPLOYMENT INQUIRIES, email gbrook@pipeline.com
The Red Hook Star-Revue is published every month.
Founded June 2010 by George Fiala and Frank Galeano
The attack of the Chinese mitten crabs
On Sept. 15, a driver in Brooklyn was stopped by the police after running a red light. In an unexpected turn of events, the officers found 29 Chinese mitten crabs, a crustacean considered one of the world’s most invasive species (it’s number 34 on the Global Invasive Species Database), while searching the vehicle. Environmental Conservation Police Officers were called to the scene and issued a ticket to the crab smuggler.
Chinese mitten crabs are native to freshwater and estuarine habitats along the east coast of Asia but are primarily found in Northeastern China. Recognizable by their furry, mitten-looking claws, the critters range between three and ten centi meters in size as adults. While con sidered invasive in North America and Europe, the shellfish has tra ditionally been viewed as a highvalued aquatic delicacy in China. Today, it’s illegal to possess, sell, purchase, transport or import mit ten crabs in New York State. How ever, trafficking of large quantities through air cargo and small quantities through parcels and checked luggage remains a persistent problem. In the U.S., the crabs can sell for between $15 and $30, depending on size and sex. While it is rare to find live mitten crabs sold on the open market, smugglers often use apps to sell their furry products.
by Oscar Fock
large population in the New York area would spell bad news. In Europe, the crabs have already done $80 million in damage along the Danube River, the continent’s second-longest river. The hairy-clawed shellfish burrows into river banks, which can cause them to fall in, damaging pilings and destabilizing dams, said Dr. Hudson.
ecosystems. They are a natural repository for crayfish plague — a fungal disease behind mass mortalities of crayfish species in Europe and Asia and responsible for one of the most severe wildlife pandemics ever reported — as well as “an array of potential pathogens,” according to a 2019 research paper co-authored by Hudson.
According to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), there is also evidence from Europe and California of mitten crabs interfering with commercial and recreational fisheries and disrupting industries by blocking the cooling systems of power plants.
“When we’re thinking about trying to maintain fisheries that are important, we have a few crustaceans that are pretty important in the Northeast. Blue crabs and lobsters come to mind, that already have other things that they’re dealing with when it comes to disease. So, adding one more thing on top of that, and adding to the fact that we have some native species that are already in critical condition the Northeast, from a species conservation standpoint, that’s a concern,” he continued.
The crabs can also out-compete native species for food and habitat. Disrupting freshwater ecosystems, as these crustaceans can do, can have far-reaching consequences, noted Dr. Hudson. And not just for the animals and plants themselves; ecosystem complexity is good for humans, too.
“We think that that’s one of the major invasion trajectories. But they have been invasive in Europe for over 100 years, so they could certainly be coming in via ballast water as well,” said Dr. David Hudson, founder, CEO and research scientist at Remote Ecologist, a non-profit organization working to expand conservation science.
Dr. Hudson, a crustacean biologist, has spent much of his academic career studying invasive species in the Americas, including Chinese mitten crabs in the Long Island Sound. Invasive species aren’t always detrimental to their new ecosystems or to humans. But in the case of the Chinese mitten crab, a permanent and
So far, the current population in the northeastern U.S. has not gained enough of a foothold to cause the kind of damage seen in Europe, but if it’s not kept in check, that can change.
“It is an established population in the sense that it seems to be persisting,” explained Dr. Hudson. “We’ve seen what’s happened in other freshwater systems. The Hudson River is a major waterway, as is the Connecticut River, as are some of the smaller rivers in Connecticut where we have quite a bit of industry. This is a concern for maritime trades.”
The crabs can not only cause trouble for humans, but also wreak havoc on
“When complexity and structure — like sea grass, marsh grass, oyster reefs — decline,” he said, “then we’re going to see a decline in the ecosystem services that those things provide, like filtration and, therefore, water quality.”
DEC has several recommendations for how New Yorkers can help protect the state from introducing more Chinese mitten crabs into our waterways. They include cleaning, draining and drying watercraft and equipment before visiting other waterbodies, inspecting and removing debris and mud from boats, trailers and equipment, and learning to identify the furry critters. If you think you have caught one, DEC advises, do not release it back into the water. Instead, take photos of it from all sides, then freeze it and contact authorities.
A possible scenario
Ithink it's fair to say that not too many people really know what's going to happen in this country after January 19. Some people probably feel that we will become an upstanding Christian nation again, others feel that they will become rich again because we will not be spending money on stupid things like NATO and defending Ukraine and the United Nations and paying money to China and Canada for goods they sell us.
Others probably think that they won't have to look at advertisements in languages other than English, and all radio stations will revert to English and religious programs to the Christian faith. A whole bunch of people in various places will expect that the good Lord will smile down upon our little country for choosing to be led by one of HIS children.
Many will be expect that their friends and family will no longer be able to look at what they consider the deep state media, as outlets like the NY Times and the Washington Post and CNN are put out of business in favor of Fox News and the NY Post and Joe Rogan.
And probably there are some who will expect to be led by someone who gets them, who understands that women and others need to be put back in the place they belong, (kitchen/factory/ jail) and who will entertain them with bro humor.
A menu of possibilities
There is another example, available right now for everyone to see, about what may be in this country's future. I remember reading around a decade or so ago, probably in Foreign Affairs
magaine, about how we need not worry about Russian on the world stage, as their economy had shrunk to basically smaller than California's and that they were no longer a world power.
I'm sure if I saw it, Vladimir Putin saw it as well. Putin took over a country that had gone through a rough time in the 1990's. The Soviet Union had shrunk to being just Russia, lost much
of their sphere of influence and the cash that went with it (namely places like Poland, Hungary, East Germany and Czechoslovakia) and unlike Europe after WW 2, was not a beneficiary of anything like a Marshall Plan (the one thing I fault Bill Clinton for not creating for our one-time enemy).
Corruption was way up in the 1990's, as former party leaders finagled ownership of state assets and became oligarchs. Once that class assumed their assets, they needed assurance of a government that wouldn't ever try to re-apportion it to the masses.
As Yeltsin deteriorated, Putin was basically handed over the government. Things started slowly, but then, the year after 9/11, Putin orchestrated terrorist incidents, including the supposed takeover of a Moscow movie theater by Islamic terrorists (for more information about this read Masha Gessen's 2012 biography of Putin). Instilling fear in the population, he slowly kept increasing his power. While at first he seemed to allow the Russian people a little more free-
dom, including press freedom, red flags started to appear. Opponents of the state were being poisoned; after one term out of office (because of term limits) he took over again and changed the rules; press freedoms started eroding, and per capita GDP, after reaching a high in 2015, began declining rapidly.
If there is one thing that can bring down a government, it is a bad economy. If there is one thing that can boost it up, it's a holy war.
Putin has been talking up a return to the Russian Empire ever since his return to power in 2012. He orchestrated a Russia-friendly puppet government in neighboring Belarus. He tried the same in Ukraine, but Ukrainians resisted and threw out the Yanukovich government in 2013. It was the next year that Russia invaded and Crimea and other parts of Ukraine. I'm sure that the same economic reasons that underpinned the Iron Curtain (namely profits going to Moscow), was a big part of Putin's lust for Belarus and Ukraine. He knows that as long as there's money for his people, his perch at the top is assured. What worries me is what happens here when Trump's stock market crashes. It will be interesting to watch.
Another year in the can
I didn't realize how fast this year has gone by until just now, when out of curiosity I went back in the archive to see what I wrote last December. Most of it is still very fresh in my mind. Including this:
To me, looking at a newspaper is an adventure. You never know what's going to be on the next page. It's maybe a little more daring than your social network feed in that there may be something that you didn't realize you wanted to know.
I'm not saying there's anything wrong with social networks. I'm always looking there as well. But as I mention, it's a self curated
source of information. You follow only your interests. Just like picking the kind of news you follow on TV. By being either an MSNBC or a Fox News watcher, you can avoid news that might bother you.
Well, I was wrong in at least one thing. It turns out that I was pretty unaware of the importance of podcasts, Youtube videos, Tik Tok and other social media outlets. I was amazed after the election when I watched CNN's Donie O'Sullivan ask a number of 20 something guys in Manhattan where they got their news. He asked this of course was because so much of that particular voting category voted Republican, something kind of unexpected. They all mentioned either Tik Tok, Joe Rogan and other podcasts. None of them ever read newspapers or even watched TV news.
I kind of consider myself a journalist, with an ethic that considers the good of society before the good of myself. A quick search on the web says it better than I am:
Some aspects of a journalist's job are not subject to any kind of law but are just as important. Journalists must strive to present an accurate, well-balanced explanation of the stories they cover. For example, they have an obligation to present all sides of an issue, and to conduct extensive research and talk to several sources knowledgeable about the subject. If they present only popular opinion, or if they conduct minimal research without fully exploring the subject, they don't give readers and viewers the information they need to understand the implications of the event or issue. Journalists must also be honest with the people they interview, telling them before talking to them what the article is about and that they plan to quote them in the piece.
I'm not sure how many people read the newspapers I produce, but it brings me a lot of satisfaction to be still doing it on paper in this electronic age.
I thank you for reading and and to all a HAPPY NEW YEAR, and lets hope all goes well during 2025 (our 15th year of publication, by the way).
Cartoon Section with Marc and Sophie
BY MARC JACKSON
FUNNY SIDE UP
Publisher George Fiala
The school is grateful for their passionate educators, enthusiastic learners and supportive families.
PAVE and C-Town
near the school.
Remembering Wako
Turkey turkey
Red Hook's Harbor Middle School held their annual community Thanksgiving potluck on Monday, November 25 in the school cafeteria.
One of the two special stations during the potluck was the 8th grade sustainable cooking elective organizing a Navajo fry bread station in honor of Indigenous Peoples Month.
The other special station was a Thank a Teacher table where the students and parents could write thank you notes to their teachers and place the envelopes into a mailbox. The letters were delivered the day after on Tuesday.
Teachers, staff and students contributed dishes and desserts to the community Thanksgiving potluck. The school PTA also ordered extra food.
Parent Coordinator Marie Hueston touts the annual event as a great way for the entire Harbor Middle School community to come together to share a meal.
In an effort to give back to its school community leading up to Thanksgiving, PAVE Academy Charter School held a turkey drive to help those in need.
PAVE partnered with CTown Supermarkets, which is located just down the block from PAVE on Mill Street, to provide about 80 families in the school with a free turkey for Thanksgiving. The turkeys were given out on November 21 and 22.
According to Meg Brown, who is CTown's director of operations, they handed them out on that Thursday and Friday since that is when the school had parent teacher conferences so all the families were in the building anyway on those days.
The partnership in making the turkey drive a success was a collaborative effort. “They donated some and we purchased some, We partnered together. The parents of one of our students actually owns C-Town, and they are on our block, so we have known CTown for years and years,” Brown said. To help the school decide who they would give the turkeys to they sent out a survey to the families asking them who was in need and who would like a free turkey for Thanksgiving. They have had about 80 families participate the last few years.
Brown added that it has been wonderful partnering with CTown this year. PAVE enjoys developing deeper relationships with stores and organizations in the Red Hook community
“We have strong ties to the Miccio, to RHI and to Pioneer Works,” Brown said. “C-Town is an important part of the community, so it is always wonderful to partner with any organization or business and support them.”
PAVE also did a coat drive on the same days as the turkey drive to help those in need get warm clothing as the temperatures drop. National Grid sent PAVE 100 coats. They also had hats, scarves and mittens that they distributed to families.
PAVE Academy will be having their Winter Showcase on Thursday, December 12. Students in all grades from Kindergarten up through 8th grade will be performing musical acts, dance, STEP and cheer. Artwork will also be on display during the PAVE Winter Showcase.
Park Slope Windsor Terrace Artists Winter Salon at BWAC
Seventeen artists in the Park Slope Windsor Terrace collective invite you to view their artwork in a variety of mediums — painting, prints, photography, collage and paper relief — during the weekends of December 7 & 8, December 14 & 15, and December 21 & 22, at 1:00 to 6:00 PM each day.
Come for the art in the salon on the SECOND floor! Also visit the Red Hook Holiday Market on the first floor. The BWAC exhibition space is in a historic warehouse at 481 Van Brunt Street in the lively Red Hook neighborhood, filled with restaurants (BBQ and seafood), microbreweries and a great view of New York Bay and the Statue of Liberty.
Also come for the opening party on December 8 from 3:00 to 6:00 PM and celebrate the beginning of the holiday season with the artists. Original art makes a great holiday gift!
Find Sanctuary in the City
On November 12th, Red Hook lost a friend and neighbor, Hideo Wako. Known simply as Wako to most, he was a master woodworker and culinary mastermind. Over many years, he shared those talents, along with his generosity, kindness, and so many wonderful moments of revelry. He will be missed deeply.
On Sunday, December 8th at 2 pm, all are welcome to join in celebrating his life at Sunny’s Bar. Please feel free to bring a dish or memory to share.
From Alexa Aviles' office
District 38 Council Member Alexa Aviles’ office purchased and distributed more than 1,200 turkeys throughout the district. She thanked City Harvest, Redemption Church, and the Center for Family Life who all made sure that families received not only turkeys but all of the fixings.
Aviles also provided an update on the “City of Yes,” which is Mayor Eric Adams’ rezoning scheme.
“Through the ‘City of Yes,’ the Mayor has failed to create a sufficient plan for affordable housing in New York,” Aviles said. “Thankfully, through the new ‘City for All’ plan, the Council has committed to making critical investments in expanding and preserving affordability while enhancing the necessary infrastructure for our neighborhoods.
“I am proud to have worked alongside my colleagues to negotiate an additional $2 billion in funding committed to maintaining our parks and public infrastructure, $2 billion allocated to affordable housing preservation and development, and $200 million to reduce the New York City Housing Authority’s vacancy rates. This plan will
(continued on next page)
SHORT SHORTS:
By Nathan and Brian
(continued from previous page)
bring us one step closer to making our city more livable for working-class families.”
Local politicians including Aviles and District 52 Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon have said many times that the City’s housing crisis is really an affordable housing crisis.
Additionally, Aviles’ office is partnering with Raising Health to collect toy donations for kids ages 3-10. Those interested in donating should stop by her office at 4417 4th Ave. at any time before December 12. Community Board 7 is hosting a separate toy drive for children under 18 and those interested in donating should drop off toys before December 18 at 4201 4th Ave.
Aviles’ office also celebrated the opening of a hydroponics lab at PS 676, The Harbor Middle School with a ribboncutting ceremony.
“With funding provided by our office, we were delighted to celebrate the partnership with NY Sun Works and the talented students of Harbor Middle School in Red Hook who largely manage an impressive Hydroponics classroom,” Aviles said.
Soccer back in the Hook
Meet the highest-level soccer team in Brooklyn: Red Hook Football Club. The club won back-to-back promotions last spring and this fall to compete in the fourth division of U.S. Soccer. They play on the ball fields in Red Hook for home games and aim to become a fully professional soccer team with a stadium in the neighborhood. Red Hook Football Club is building a team with social justice rooted in their culture, operational processes, and strategy. They believe sports can be a powerful catalyst for building community and improving people’s lives. Their message is “Let’s do this together.”
Those interested in becoming part of the club’s committee or its supporters group should email redhookfc@ gmail.com. Community members can also support the club on its Instagram page: redhookfc.
S. Hanif comes to town
Local residents and politicians gathered on the corner of Columbia St. and Kane St. to protest the concretecrushing facility next to the intersection on November 26. Approximately 50 people attended despite the rainy weather.
“The message is clear and enough is enough and we need this to be shut down,” said District 39 CM Shahana Hanif. “Right after this press conference, we’re sending a letter signed by Congress Member Goldman, Senator Gounardes, Assembly Member Simon, myself, and CB 6 DM M. Racioppo demanding that this facility be shut down by the end of this year.”
“Whoever decided that this belonged here should be fired,” said John Leyva, a local leader from 63 Tiffany Place.
“They didn’t have the foresight to say there are people right across the street, what about them? We’ve had so many windy and dry days and the dust is flying all over the place.”
Local dancer
This winter, Sasi Shrobe-Joseph is performing as Marie, the lead role in “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker.” The 13-year-old lives in Red Hook and started dancing here.
“My sister was very involved with the Joffrey Ballet before she passed away and Sasi is actually named after her,” said Chandrika, Sasi’s mother. “She’s taken her namesake to the next level and my sister would be smiling down. My husband and I never pushed her to do this but she always liked it right from the start.
“It’s also nice being in Red Hook. I think Red Hook has a lot to do with arts and it’s where she began to dance so it has been a great fit.”
Landing the role of Marie in The Nutcracker is extra special for Sasi because her best friend Stella Tompkins will also be performing as Marie this year. They will switch off every other performance.
It has been a long journey and a lot of dedication for Sasi which has culminated in her performing as the star of Nutcracker this year.
For more information about Sasi, you can read about her in the Brooklyn Paper
Aviles’ brings on new staff
District 38 Council Member Alex Aviles announced that two new members are joining her team: Cate Byrne and Winnie Marion.
Byrne, a 2024 Albert Vann Legislative Fellow, is a recent graduate of Bard’s Center for Environmental Policy, where she received her MS in Climate Science and Policy in May, 2024. Her interests stem from her desire to work at the intersection of social and environmental justice issues. She completed her master’s thesis on equitable adaptation options for sea level rise within socially vulnerable communities. Before beginning this fellowship, Cate previously worked as a graduate intern with Partners for Climate Action Hudson Valley.
Marion is Aviles’ new Communications Director. She is a resident of Bay Ridge and worked in the New York State government, where she was the Communications Associate for Assembly Member Marcela Mitaynes and the Campaign Manager for Assembly Member Phara Forrest. She has a Master’s in Public Administration from NYU’s School of Public Service. Those with communications requests can reach out to her at wmarion@nyc.council.gov.
Additionally, Aviles will have office hours at Red Hook Initiative on December 11 from 10 am to 3 pm.
Group designed to protect Gowanus residents downplays gentrification in progress
On Nov. 14, the Gowanus Oversight Task Force — a community-based group tracking the 56 commitments that were part of the Gowanus rezoning — convened for the fourth time this year, this time to share with the public information about the Gowanus Business Improvement District (BID) and
by Oscar Fock
the city’s plans for green spaces in the neighborhood.
The Gowanus Rezoning Points of Agreement includes a commitment to create a Gowanus Waterfront Business Improvement District. A BID is a “geographical area where local stakeholders oversee and fund the maintenance, improvement, and promotion of their commercial district,” and supplements the city’s regular work. In Gowanus, the BID would focus on “stewardship, access, and public programming of open spaces, including new and existing waterfront esplanades, public parks, and streetscapes,” according to point 28 in the agreement.
From the city’s side, the work is led by the Department of Small Business Services (SBS), with the Department of City Planning helping in a limited role. SBS’s role is to oversee, strengthen and grow the BID, explained Leslie Velasquez, director of BID Development and Legislation at SBS.
Planning for the Gowanus BID began in 2021, and the project entered the outreach phase in October 2024, said Velasquez.
Presenting to the audience were also members of the BID steering committee, including Andrea Parker, executive director of the Gowanus Canal Conservancy. There is a need for ongoing investment and oversight to meet the needs of Gowanus, she argued. “Maintenance of our public spaces in New York City is sorely underfunded,” Parker said. To that end, the BID will serve an important role, for example as an advocate for public restrooms, cleaner streets and access to the canal.
The BID will also support flood mitigation and climate resilience efforts in the neighborhood, according to Parker.
Resources not specified
Grace Freedman, co-chair of the community group Fourth on Fourth Avenue and part of the BID steering committee, also argued for the benefits of the BID, going as far as saying it can bring critical resources to
"Of the speakers from the committee, two came from advocacy groups and two were developers, perhaps an indication of what the BID will focus on if it gets past the legislative stage."
Gowanus. ”There’s been a lot of development in this area, there’s been a lot of pain for neighborhood residents with that development, but it’s a really great opportunity to finally bring more attention and resources to this area. It’s very difficult in the city to get those resources and a BID is one of those ways, and I think it’s a fantastic opportunity to invest in greening, public art and small businesses,” she said.
The primary thing standing in the way of the BID is that it must receive enough support from property owners and commercial tenants. If it doesn’t get at least 51% support, the project can’t proceed. ”Our goal is to get to 51% by next summer so that the BID can enter the legislative phase,” Parker said.
Of the speakers from the committee, two came from advocacy groups and two were developers, perhaps an indication of what the BID will focus on if it gets past the legislative stage.
Following the presentation on the Business Improvement District plan, representatives took questions from the audience. Gowanus Dredgers
Captain Gary Francis queried the committee about adding more points of egress to the canal, especially in light of the 69-year-old man who had been found dead in the canal earlier that day. No definitive answer was provided, but Parker said that floating docks and more access to the water from private properties are things the BID is looking at.
Another audience member asked about the risks of gentrification and pricing current tenants out of the neighborhood when the new developments come online and the waterfront becomes more attractive. City representatives could not say definitively that that won’t happen, but noted that during the pandemic, small businesses in commercial districts fared better than neighborhoods that didn’t have BIDs in place. (No data or source was provided supporting this claim, and we could not independently verify it.) Parker added that rents for affordable housing units can’t be raised because of the introduction of a BID.
Politico hogs the mike
Council Member Shahana Hanif attended the meeting as an audience member, and asked about obstacles and jobs. While she received a response to both her questions, it was unclear why an elected official heavily involved in the BID process was given space and time to ask questions at the expense of the community members whose questions went unanswered.
The Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of Environmental Protection also presented on the future of public green space in Gowanus. No real news was shared with the audience, including on the development of Public Place. Elizabeth Ernish, project administrator with the parks department, called the park that’s scheduled to be built as part of the Gowanus Green redevelopment, ”Our big moment on the Gowanus Canal,” but did not have an update on when construction would begin. (She hoped they could start designing the park in 2025, but that will depend on other parts of the project.)
EPA update
by Oscar Fock
In our last issue, we detailed the goings-on at 688-700 Court Street, a site contaminated with several toxic chemicals and metals that might soon be cleaned up. However, although briefly detailed in that article, the answer to who’s who in this toxic saga is far from simple and requires further explanation.
The current owner of the site is a commercial real estate firm called Pearl Realty NY, through the entity 688 Court Realty LLC. Pearl Realty is not the party responsible for the remediation of the contamination on and around 688-700 Court Street. The responsible party is instead the German specialty chemicals company Lanxess.
But let’s jump back in time for a moment. Use of the site goes back to the early 20th century and includes several kinds of industries. It began in 1904 as Milliken Brothers Iron Works, which at the time was one of the world’s largest steel manufactur-
ers. Later, in 1939, it became a lumber yard and a marine canvas supply business, and remained that way until 1958 when chemical manufacturing began.
Since the late 1940s, Argus Chemical Corporation had operated a chemical plant on the adjacent site 633 Court Street, but in 1958 they moved operations to 688 Court Street. There, the company made, among other things, metallic-organic soaps and salts, phosphates and epoxy plasticizers, a substance that makes materials softer and more flexible.
Argus was acquired by Witco Corporation in 1966, which contained operations into the 1990s. Witco merged with Crompton & Knowles in 1999 to become Crompton Corporation and took over ownership of the site.
In 2002, Crompton Corporation entered into an Order of Consent with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to investigate and remediate the contamination at 688 Court Street.
But Crompton didn’t exist for long; in 2005, it merged with Great Lakes Chemical Corporation to become
Chemtura. Chemtura, then, assumed ownership of the site and responsibility for the cleanup.
While Chemtura tried to get out of its responsibility in 2009 by filing for bankruptcy, DEC instead issued a Notice of Violation to the chemical company, as it had allegedly had failed to adhere to the schedule outlined in the 2002 consent order.
Chemtura agreed to follow a new, amended consent order issued in 2010, and worked with DEC to come up with a plan for the remediation.
In 2017, however, Chemtura was acquired by Lanxess, which, as per the law, also acquired the responsibility for the cleanup of 688 Court Street. Since then, the German chemical
Tcompany has conducted several investigations to identify the extent of the contamination. Yet, over 20 years since it was first decided that the site was going to be cleaned up, not a shovel has broken ground, and as it stands there is no clear timeline for when remediation will begin. Lanxess has stated that it hopes that work will begin in early 2025, but that hinges on that the work plan receives approval from the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA expects to deliver a decision sometime next year, but according to spokesperson Stephen McBay, the timeline for a decision such as this varies.
Red Hook Business Alliance returns to BWAC
by Brian Abate
he Red Hook Holiday Market will take place on December 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, and 22 from 1-6 pm. The Holiday Market is presented by the Red Hook Business Alliance and Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition (BWAC) and will take place at BWAC, 481 Van Brunt St. Door #7A.
The Red Hook Business Alliance was founded in 2019 by Susan Povich and Victoria Alexander to represent manufacturers, retailers, restaurants, bars, non-profits, artists, and professionals throughout the neighborhood. Carly Baker-Rice is currently the program manager and executive director.
“This is our second year being in one large space,” said Baker-Rice. “Conceptually, the reason we do an event like this is it helps more than one sector. We don’t represent or support just retail businesses, but also manufacturers, freelancers, home-based businesses, and artists as well. You’ll see people from all of these different sectors at the Holiday Market including some who have other jobs and do this on the side.
“We’re also bringing people to Red Hook as foot traffic with the hope that they’re also going to go to some stores. There’s also a chance for them to stay and get food in the neighborhood too. It’s a lot tougher to get people down here in the cold weather, and this is the most powerful reason to get people here in the winter.”
The Holiday Market is self-funded and the money that comes in from booth fees is used for marketing.
“We have everybody’s email who has applied before, we put up flyers, use Instagram, and we use a Google Form to collect information, which is how people apply to be in the event,” Baker-Rice said. “We want to make sure
there is a good mix of things in the event and that it is handmade or vintage. This is intended to be a maker-type event and participants pick which dates they want to be here.”
Shopping online has continued to take away business from markets.
“This year we’re going to have an area where people can buy Red Hook products online,” Baker-Rice said. “There are businesses that aren’t able to staff a vending booth for the weekend but they sell things online. One of the big ways that we can increase the number of people shopping locally is by demonstrating that it’s just as easy to buy something online from a local business as it is to buy online from nonlocal companies.
Another change at the Holiday Market this year is there will be packing and shipping at BWAC.
“On the last weekend Cobble Hill Variety will be on-site to do packing and shipping before shoppers leave the building,” Baker-Rice said. “We’re trying to make shopping local as easy as possible. We’re also putting up a gift guide online.”
“The best part is seeing some of the same people coming back year after year and then seeing others who are doing it for the first time,” Baker-Rice said. “I’ve seen artists who just want-
ed to do one day since they’ve never done a market before and now I see them on Instagram and they’re doing great and selling in stores in Brooklyn which is so cool. It’s giving people
a chance to see what happens and be an entrepreneur but in a lower-cost way than some of the bigger holiday markets.”
Last year's market was the first time at BWAC.
688-700 Court Street (Google street view)
Holiday Eating Out Guide
compiled by Brian Abate
Jamit Bistro is open Monday and Tuesday from 10 am to 5 pm and Wednesday-Friday from 10 am – 7 pm. The restaurant will be closed on Christmas. 367 Columbia Street, (347) 599-0941.
Wraptor Restaurant and Bar is open seven days a week from 10 am to 2 pm and they will be open on Christmas. There will be some specials, however, it has not yet been decided what the specials will be on Christmas but their calamari and bacon cheeseburgers are favorites. 358 Columbia Street (347) 457-6333.
Mazzat is open Sunday-Thursday from 11:30 am to 11 pm and Friday-Saturday from 11:30 am to midnight. The restaurant will be closed on Christmas. Lunch specials Monday-Friday from 11:30 am to 4 pm and happy hour is daily from 4-7 pm. 208 Columbia Street (718) 852-1652.
Red Hook Lobster Pound is open Sunday-Thursday from noon to 9 pm and Friday-Saturday from noon to 10 pm. The restaurant will be closed on Christmas. Happy hour is MondayFriday from 4-6 pm. 284 Van Brunt Street (718) 858-7650.
Hometown Bar-B-Que is open Sunday-Thursday from noon to 10 pm, Friday-Saturday from noon to 11 pm, and closed on Monday. Hometown will be closed on Christmas. 454 Van Brunt Street (347) 294-4644.
Bar Mario is open Monday-Thursday from 4:30-10:30 pm, Friday from 4:3011 pm, Saturday from 2-11 pm, and Sunday from 2-10 pm. The restaurant will be open for its normal hours on Christmas Eve but closed on Christmas Day. 365 Van Brunt Street (631) 616-5695.
Brooklyn Crab is open Wednesday-Sunday from noon to 10 pm. The restaurant will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. 24 Reed Street (718) 643-2722.
Edward Lunch & Restaurant is open every day from 3 am to 7 pm. Edward’s will be open on Christmas and they will have some specials but they have not determined what they will be yet. 56 Lorraine Street (718) 260-8284.
Petite Crevette is open TuesdayThursday from 4-9:30 pm, Friday-Saturday 4-10 pm, Sunday from 4-9 pm, and closed on Monday. The restau-
rant will be open on Christmas Day but closed on Christmas Eve. 144 Union Street (718) 855-2632.
Mex Carroll’s Diner is open seven days a week from 7 am to 10 pm. The diner will close at 3 pm on Christmas Eve and will be closed on Christmas Day. 192 Carroll Street (718) 8552632.
The House of Pizza & Calzone is open Monday-Thursday from 11 am to 9 pm, Friday-Saturday from 11 am to 10 pm, and Sunday from noon to 8 pm. The pizzeria will close early at 4 or 5 pm on Christmas Eve and will be closed on Christmas Day. 132 Union Street (718) 624-9107.
Mark’s Red Hook Pizza is open seven days a week from 10:15 am to 10 pm. The pizzeria will be open on Christmas Eve and closed on Christmas Day. 326 Van Brunt Street (718) 624-0690.
Alma is open Sunday-Thursday from 4 pm to 1 am, Friday from 4 pm to 2 am, and Saturday from 1 pm to 2 am. The restaurant will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. 187 Columbia Street (718) 422-7500.
The Good Fork is open Tuesday–Fri-
day from 4:00 pm to midnight and Saturday-Sunday from noon to midnight. It has not yet been decided if the pub will be open on Christmas Eve but it will be closed on Christmas Day. 391 Van Brunt Street (347) 786-9896. Brooklyn Ice House is open seven days a week from noon to 4 am. It has not yet been decided if the bar will be open on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. 318 Van Brunt Street (718) 2221865.
Red Hook Tavern is open Monday - Thursday from 5-9:30 pm and Friday-Saturday from noon to 2:45 pm and 5-9:30 pm. The restaurant will be open on Christmas Eve but closed on Christmas Day. Van Brunt St.
Risha Gorig's red chairs hang above Manhattan
Union Square Partnership (USP) has installed the The Space Between Us (TSBU), above Manhattan's Union Square Park. It will hang through May 2025. Red Hook's Multimedia Artist, Composer, Filmmaker, and Sculptor Risha Gorig brings TSBU to Union Square, elevating the reciprocal act of conversation above the cacophony of the city. TSBU is presented by NYC Parks’ Art in the Parks program and USP. Gorig’s art takes an ethereal and whimsical approach to sad and dark themes, making complex topics more easily approachable. Pink and curiously floating 15 feet in the air, TSBU consists of twin chairs rising above the surrounding area, artistically representing public discourse. New Yorkers may recognize TSBU as it was previously shown at the Fulton Ferry Landing at Brooklyn Bridge Park in 2000. At that time, the work highlighted the divides within the country and the gap between the working class and financial power.
Union Square is a historic place for people to gather together and advocate for conversation and transformation. The space between TSBU’s twin chairs, however, is no longer divided; instead, the art now features a meaningful opening with the capacity for grace and generative change. Gorig sees TBSU as a powerful metaphor, cutting through
the city’s noise and society’s urgent need for deeper dialogue.
“It brings me great excitement to unveil The Space Between Us in Union Square, particularly with the neighborhood’s legacy as a vibrant hub where people from all walks of life converge,” said Gorig.
“From the Climate Clock directly behind TSBU to the chess matches that take place daily, New York City embodies a noticeable, consistent cycle of give-and-take that extends beyond its boundaries. When this cycle is interrupted, the flow of progress falters. This reality makes The Space Between Us even more relevant today than it was 25 years ago, serving as a poignant reminder of our essential need for communication.”
“With a rich history rooted in the power of free expression, Union Square is an evergreen site for dialogue and civic engagement.
The product of artist parents Myra and Alfred Gorig, Risha Gorig grew up in Munich, Germany. Gorig works in various mediums, such as largescale painting, kinetic outdoor sculpture, video, music, and performance. Gorig has performed and shown her work throughout the Manhattan area and Germany, and is collected by the Wurzburg Museum. Debuting her artwork to Union Square, TSBU will be on view for millions of New York-
ers and visitors, including 370,000 who pass through the Union Square neighborhood each day.
“Throughout New York City’s history, our public parks have served as vital town squares, providing a space for expression, protest, and exchange. ‘The Space Between Us’ both pays homage to Union Square’s rich legacy of public dialogue and encourages visitors to engage deeply with one another,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “At Parks, we’re committed to enhancing our shared public spaces with world-class art, and I’m grateful to Risha Gorig and our partners at Union Square Partnership for making this inspirational installation possible.”
Together with City partners, USP works to reimagine public spaces with bold and beautiful artwork that reflects community priorities and local context. Union Square Park has been a venue for renowned works of public art in recent years, from sculptures (in partnership with NYC Parks) including NYC Legend by Swedish artist Alexander Klingspor in collaboration with Mollbrinks Gallery, Unity on Union Square: Love-Ego=LOV created by Manhattan-based sculptor and performance artist Pasha Radetzki, the critically-acclaimed Confront Art’s SEEINJUSTICE series, and New York City artist MIDABI’s The Only Other to street murals by Afro-Do-
minican artist Talisa Almonte, Spanish artist Vanesa Álvarez, Sunset Park artist Ji Yong Kim, and the renown street artists GERALUZ and WERC (in partnership with NYC DOT Art).
Gorig has performed throughout the NYC area in places like (2012) Dixon Place, Knitting Factory, (2010) The Gowanus Canal art space, Site specific at (2008) Foley Square in Manhattan, (2000) Fulton Park in Dumbo, and many (2000-2008) galleries and (2011-2013) music venues.
On a blustery, nasty Saturday night I needed to talk to people indoors. So I went to Sunny’s Bar. Where else? The question of the month: How do you feel about New York City?
Grayson, longtime bartender: As a New Yorker I think it’s the greatest city in the world. And I like our corner of the town here; it’s nice that you can have your small town and your big city all in one. There’s something for everybody. No matter how weird it is, you can find it here!
Niamh and her partner Tom, Londoners visiting New York: Naimh: It’s probably a good question to ask because we’ve only been here a few days. There’s like a nostalgia about this city. Something from the old movies. It doesn’t feel like anything you get in England. It’s different from anywhere else I’ve ever visited.
You found your way all the way to Red Hook! Did you ferry? We walked! We started in Manhattan, walked across the Brooklyn Bridge all the way to here, and just stumbled across this place by chance. Well you got lucky! This is a coolest neighborhood and this is definitely one of the coolest bars in all of New York City!
Tom: I’m a big food and drink person. That's a big reason we came here. Your pizza slices and hamburgers are the best. We went to Hamburger America in the West Village and had a double patty smashburger. It was phenomenal!
Elle & Kendall:
Elle: I love it here. I’ve been here for 12 years, and I’m finally at the point where, this is just where I’m gonna be. I can romanticize about leaving and
going elsewhere as much as I want, but I’m always going to come back to New York… There’s a part of me here that I can’t escape.
One wonderful thing about this city is that you can be a New Yorker and not be born here. And you’re a New Yorker. Yes, definitely. I’m from Boston. I came for college. I go to the New School, where I met my friend Kendall over here.
I happen to be an alumnus!
Growing up in the U.K. I was exposed to a lot of American TV, so I had a sense of familiarity with the U.S. even before I come here. I love it here! If I were in a relationship with New York, I would still be very much in love. I wouldn’t be looking to have
PEOPLE OF RED HOOK by Lisa
No way!
Gitlin
Where we talk to anyone. This month we hung out at Sunny's.
It has an amazing history. Tell me one more thing that generates that warm feeling you have about the city. Everything. Architecture. The people. The music. There’s something for everyone. Everyone compares New York with Boston.
Oh my God. They are so different. New Yorkers are so much more open.
Kendall: I love this city. You can be anyone you want to be. Everyone embraces what you have to say, your individual spirit. The city gives me so much to work with. There’s always something to do. If you really want to live your life, it makes sense to let New York take you on a journey.
Bed Stuy residents Keli, his husband, James, and Kathy, visiting from London: Kathy: James and I are here celebrating our birthdays, which are two days apart. My birthday is November 16th and James turned 40 on the 18th of November.
Forty! That’s a big one! Happy birthday guys. So how do you feel about New York City?
tem is like the national religion. No matter what your political position, everyone loves the NHS.
To Keli: Where did you meet James?
We met nine or ten years ago, at Manhattan's Nowhere Bar on 14th Street. We had mutual friends, one was British, one was American. And the American friend brought a contingency of Americans, and the British friend brought a contingency of Brits, which included James and Kathy, who were in the U.S. celebrating their thirtieth birthday, and that’s how we met. When they went back to the U.K James and I continued to see each other on trips. And eventually we got married. What are your feelings about New York City?
I’m originally from Western Texas. The middle of the desert. There’s a lot of sky. A lot of land. It’s the desert. It’s hot.
I’m from a place called Monahans which is literally in the middle of nowhere. It’s part of the Permian Basin, which is the largest oil field and the largest producer of oil in the world. My mom is white and my dad is Mexican-American.
Yes. I am very aware that I’m “white passing.” But my identity is not (of a white person). Your identity is not apparent to people just looking at you. So you also feel invisible in your own neighborhood. Right. The marginalization continues there. It’s very difficult for me to find a community in New York. On top of how hard it is to find work here. To find a career path. You’re here for safety, but you can’t feel safe when you can’t survive economically. That’s right.
an affair! I have a friend in Long Island who gets excited talking about the cobbled streets in London, and the red double-decker buses, and I’m, like, oh, all right, the cobbled streets and the bloody double-decker buses! And he says, oh, how boring when I talk about the yellow taxis and riding the subway, but I still get all excited by those things. I still find this city very exciting. But more broadly, in a serious way, there are some differences between here and the U.K. The biggest differences are with health care and guns. It still amazes me that the cops in England don’t carry guns! Yes. In the U.K. the police have to be in special units to carry guns. And with health care, if I were to break my arm in England, I would go to hospital and I would say, this is my post code, and I’m registered with this G.P., and they would treat me, and I wouldn’t pay anything.
You’re contrasting this with our health care system, which is totally broken.
Yes. There are very conservative right-wing people in the U.K., but the health care sys-
New York City is very chaotic, in comparison to the freedom, the open spaces, the beauty of where I’m from. It’s very intense. That ease of spirit, of soul, doesn’t exist here for me. It’s a very expensive city. It’s harder to make it. But at the same time I’m queer. So that means I’m here also for safety. In Texas I am not safe. It is dangerous for me to be there, even amongst my family, which is very conservative. So it seems like I am having to pay for safety. And because of that I resent being here. But where else would I go? I’ve been here for almost 13 years. Where were you before?
I was in Washington, DC. I was going to school there, to George Washington University.
I lived in DC! DC is the weirdest city in the whole country. Yes, DC is bizarre. But living in New York is extremely stressful. I feel very marginalized here, very “othered,” because my identity as a MexicanAmerican isn’t recognized here. And you add an intersectional identity to this, someone who is also American, and there are too many layers. If I go to a Mexican community in Sunset Park, or Flushing, they don’t know who I am. I speak perfect Spanish, with my grandparents’ accent. And they’re always surprised. They’re like, “Oh, you speak really good Spanish.”
You live in Bed Stuy which is traditionally a very Black community. Does that affect your experience as a MexicanAmerican?
James: You know they say, if you can make it here you can make it anywhere. For me it’s like a double-edged sword. Everything I like about New York is also what I don’t like. Like, everything is coming at you at all times, and you have no choice but to move forward. Whether it’s emotionally or physically, like when you’re on the sidewalk, you just have to keep going. And a lot of New York has that mentality, just keep moving. But I think also when outsiders raise issues with the city, like hey, it doesn’t have to be this way – like, there doesn’t have to be mounds of trash on the sidewalk, or whatever – people that have been born and raised here, who are so proud of the being New Yorkers, they’re like, you just don’t get it. People say this to you? That’s ridiculous.
Well, they don’t say it to me personally, But you know, like in the comments section on the Gothamist, or on Reddit… Well, you younger guys spend more time than I do reading comments online. People make vile comments online. That’s not how most people are in person. You’re right. And I do love things about this city. I love that it’s so diverse. Each neighborhood has its own heartbeat. But I think sometimes people move here with a certain idea of how it might be, from watching movies, TV, or whatever, and they get a bit of a reality check.
Did that happen to you?
Well, I’m from Manchester which is basically like a second city to London. So the pace of everything here was a slight shock. Applying for jobs. The dog-eat-dog nature of things once you get a job. You meet people at parties and one of the first things they say is, what do you do? And some people might say, this is what I do, it reflects my passion. But to a lot of people, that question about work is not really relevant.
I agree. New Yorkers sometimes put too much emphasis on work.
ally boys dressed up in all-brown outfits with white details, like gingerbread cookies with frosting). The procession participants sing Swedish Christmas carols and hand out gingerbread cookies and saffron buns (we call them lussekatter or lussebullar).
But wait! We missed Advent. While the season of Advent is hardly unique for Sweden, it is, I dare say, uncommon for Swedish families not to put up Advent lights at home. A four-part candlestick, the Advent candles are lit one by one, starting on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. The windows of government buildings are usually also adorned with advent candles, bringing light to the dark Swedish winter. We’re getting close to the main event: Christmas Eve (yes, we celebrate on Dec. 24, not Dec. 25). But, dear reader, we must first make a pit stop on the night before the big day. In Sweden, Dec. 23 is known as dagen före dopparedagen, roughly translated to the day before the dipping day. The word dopparedagen stems from the Christmas Eve practice of dipping bread in broth made from the Christmas ham (which, to be fair, I don’t know if anyone actually does anymore).
On the eve of Christmas Eve, Swedes decorate their Christmas trees (if they haven’t already. I’m decidedly in the camp of doing it early, because, after all, a tricked-out tree is fabulous) and eat baked ham on crispbread. Many families also turn on the TV for Stay Up Night; historically, people stayed up the night before Christmas to get
the last details ready, but nowadays, many Swedes instead gather to play bingo on TV4 (a sort of quasi-public service channel).
Time for bed. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve.
Now, Christmas Eve in Sweden is both a highly individual and highly communal celebration. Let me, therefore, invite you into my family’s home for a moment. The morning begins, just like in many American homes, with Christmas stockings hanging from the mantel. Once the stocking stuffers have been thoroughly examined, my father gets up on the footrest of our couch, which, for a few minutes every Christmas morning, becomes an impromptu stage. Musician and singer all his life, including many years in an all-men’s choir, he possesses an immensely powerful yet flexible and controlled voice. He turns on the Swedish version of “O Holy Night” and sings along (or tries to, as he’s never bothered to learn the lyrics properly — but hey, it’s the effort that counts!).
Visiting the beyonders
After breakfast, we make our way to the cemetery to wish our buried relatives a merry Christmas. It is an intimate and emotional tradition, and has grown even more so as I’ve grown older and more of my close relatives have left us.
It is after lunch that individual turns into communal. Because that’s when, at precisely 3:05 p.m. about three million people in Sweden (quite a significant number in a country with a population of just over 10 million) sit down to watch Disney’s From All of Us to All
“New Bar & Grill in the Red Hook neighborhood. Me and my wife had the pleasure of dining in for the evening. Atmosphere is super chill. Clean and the music was spot on. The TV had ESPN on, another plus in my book. Food was seasoned well and was fresh and hot. I recommend the calamari A1 and the bacon cheese burger. We will definitely stop by again to try some of their other dishes.
Thank you for the hospitality.”
of You on SVT1. Known in Sweden as Donald Duck and His Friends Wish You a Merry Christmas, it is the start of Public Service’s Christmas Eve programming (which, every year, is led by a new Swedish celebrity who sits in a comfortable armchair and welcomes viewers by lighting a lone candle).
From All of Us to All of You original-
has aired; in recent years, however, some clips — in particular “Santa’s Workshop” — have been modified so that blatantly racist and antisemitic caricatures no longer are shown to millions of viewers.
A four-part candlestick, the Advent candles are lit one by one, starting on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. The windows of government buildings are usually also adorned with advent candles, bringing light to the dark Swedish winter.
ly aired on ABC and is an animated Christmas special featuring some of our most beloved Disney characters, “Santa’s Workshop” and previews of upcoming Disney movies. Jiminy Cricket acts as the host, along with Mickey Mouse and Tinker Bell, and the show is essentially one long compilation of Disney shorts and clips from classic movies like Cinderella, Robin Hood, Lady and the Tramp and The Jungle Book.
The first time it was shown in Sweden was in 1960, during a time when SVT1 was the country’s only television channel. Since then, it has aired without interruption every Christmas Eve and is nowadays one of the most viewed programs of the year. The show has not changed much over the six-and-a-half decades it
I still sit down at 3:05 p.m. to watch Kalle (Donald, for Donald Duck, in Swedish), which it is often called, as do my younger sister; we’re still young enough to be considered children at Christmas, and, therefore, don’t have to help out that much with the food. Admittedly, it isn’t quite as funny now as when I was younger, but there is something uniquely comforting to be greeted by Jiminy Cricket and his magic wand. (And the short of Donald Duck as a photographer in the jungle is still, objectively, hilarious.)
Not all families do this, but we eat Christmas dinner after Kalle. Potatoes, Swedish meatballs, sausages, pickled herring, salads, bread, ham, cured salmon, beer and schnapps aplenty, my family and our close relatives usually sit down around 4 or 4:30 p.m. for a couple of hours of dinner. As someone who’s celebrated a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner, I would say the two are reasonably similar.
After that, at 7 p.m., it’s time for Sagan om Karl-Bertil Jonssons Julafton (in English: The Tale of Karl-Bertil Jonsson’s Christmas Eve), an animated short film about the teenager Karl Bertil Jonsson who, inspired by Robin Hood, steals packages from the wealthy and give out to the poor people of Stockholm’s slum. Karl-Bertil, as most of us call it, is also hugely among all age groups, and quotes from KarlBertil and his father (one of the wealthy people from who his son steals a package) make the rounds throughout December in our household.
Conversations continue late into the night, before we enjoy a few days of hefty sales on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
And there you have it: A very Swedish Christmas. Did I get you in the holiday spirit?
A new mother finds community in struggle
by Kelsey Sobel
My son, Baker, was born on October 17th, 2024 at 4:02 am. He cried for the first hour and a half of his life, clearing his lungs, held firmly and safely against my chest. When I first saw him, I recognized him immediately. I’d dreamed of being a mother since I turned thirty, and five years later, becoming a parent has been, by far, the most transformative experience of my life - simultaneously alien and familiar on a primal level.
In the first two weeks of Baker’s life, we experienced days on end of crystal clear skies, unseasonably warm weather and brilliantly colored leaves drifting to the ground. My husband and I got to know our new baby amongst the changing of seasons, wrapped in our cozy cocoon of new parenthood. We slept, ate, snuggled and stared at our new baby in awe of what we’d created. Becoming a parent is universal and individual, as aware as one is that the experience is not unique; it doesn’t prepare you for the rush of emotions that feel singularly important. I felt my senses and perceptions of what it means to be human elevated to a completely different level of consciousness. Primarily I felt a deep sense of gratitude, well being and joy despite the physical wear
and tear of pregnancy, birth and sleep deprivation.
Despite all of the joy, my son and I immediately found ourselves on a rocky road to breastfeeding. Feeding my child wasn’t something I’d spent hours thinking about before his arrival - in fact I’d spent almost no time at all contemplating what appeared to be a straightforward process. When you have a newborn you quickly realize most of your time is spent thinking about exactly that: feeding. I’d read books on pregnancy and childbirth, assuming that when he arrived he would latch instantly and away we’d go. Without going into the history of breastfeeding in American culture, there is a clear double standard - “breast is best” however society will not necessarily support you if this is your vision of being a mother. The pressure to breastfeed is strong - and the pressure I put on myself was even stronger. The pressure to do right by my son, to provide the necessary nutrients and antibodies to set him up for a healthy life meant I, like so many mothers, would do nearly anything to achieve this goal.
Like many smart women before me, I intuitively reached out to my community of female friends for support and encouragement. Friends soon
recommended I talk to other friends. We exchanged hundreds of texts, Face Times, check ins, during all hours of the night and over the course of many days. The patience and love from this expanding group and network of women allowed me to stay committed to solving the puzzle of breastfeeding.
Many friends were protective, making declarative statements like: “a fed baby is a happy baby.” My husband constantly reassured me that if we had to switch to formula, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. To me, feeding my infant son formula meant defeat. It meant there was something lacking in my ability to mother my son. Although I was able to recognize this as irrational, it didn’t stop me from wallowing in this head space. I reached out to doctors, lactation consultants, and breastfeeding support groups. Several women manually manipulated my breast tissue into my son’s tiny screaming mouth. I took long walks with Baker and wondered why my baby wasn’t interested in the most fundamental of baby activities: sucking. As time went on, several key pieces of information revealed themselves. As Baker grew we became aware he was suffering from a tongue tie which inhibited his ability to draw
milk from the breast. We released the tie and two days later he was happily latched.
The more I talked to my particular of women, the more I realized what a struggle breastfeeding can be. My struggle is the same struggle as any other experienced by a new mother. The details are irrelevant. The emotions are the same. I realized I was not alone. Despite my sadness, frustration and confusion, I formed a newfound respect for my immediate community - the care, love and encouragement received for both me and Baker gave me the ability to keep moving forward.
I’ve been a mother for one month and the profound lessons I’ve learned both about myself and women in general have swept me off my feet. In a world in which the rights of women hang at a precarious balance, I’m reminded that all is not lost. No matter what government intervention we endure, the wisdom, strength, guidance and sheer determination of mothers is ancient and indestructible. I know that as long as the knowledge mothers possess is shared, I can trust in the inherent goodness of the world my son is entering.
The Craft Corner
TURN PLASTIC BOTTLE CAPS INTO CUTE HOLIDAY ORNAMENTS!
by Marie Hueston and Sage Hueston
As soon as Thanksgiving is over, we can’t wait to start decorating for the holidays! If you’re the same, try this easy ornament craft made from plastic bottle caps. Then hang your ornaments on a tree or in your window! Here’s how to get started.
What you’ll need. In addition to your caps, you’ll need a hotglue gun, Sharpie or acrylic paint, paintbrush, and scraps of yarn or ribbon. You’ll also need a pair of scissors.
Sort your caps. We had mostly white caps, so we decided to make a snowman with a small, medium and large cap, and a snowflake using seven similar sized caps: one in the center with the other six all the way around it. (If you had a lot of green caps, you can glue them into a circle for a tiny wreath!) Use hot glue to adhere the caps.
Decorate your ornaments. For our snowman, we used a black Sharpie to create coal
eyes, nose, mouth and buttons. Then we cut a small piece of red yarn and glued it on to make a scarf. For our snowflake, we used pink acrylic paint to add wintry details.
Add a loop to hang your crafts. Choose a scrap of ribbon or yarn that matches the colors or theme of your ornament. Form a small loop and glue it into place on the back of your ornament. Enjoy your ornaments!
Happy Holidays!
January Preview: Start saving corks from wine or champagne bottles to make fun figurines.
Eventual Ukrainian reconstruction cannot ignore Russian Ukrainians
On October 21st, almost 150 (mostly Ukrainian) intellectuals signed an open letter to UNESCO encouraging the international organization to ask President Zelensky to defer some decisions about Odessa’s World Heritage sites until the end of the war. Odessa, in southern Ukraine, is a multicultural city with a strong Russianspeaking component. There has been pressure to remove historical sites connected to Russian, for obvious reasons. Other measures directed against the memory of historic Russian Odessans sparked outrage. People such as Ivan Bunin, an anti-Soviet Nobel laureate; Konstantin Paustovsky, a writer who refused to be a member of the Communist Party; Alexander Pushkin who was exiled to Odesa for antitsarist activities; and Odesa’s most famous writer Isaac Babel who perished in Stalin’s purges.
‘Odessa is the most European and international city of Ukraine, built by Ukrainians, Italians, Greeks, French, Austro-Hungarians, and also Russians,’ says Ugo Poletti, an Italian entrepreneur who is also a signatory of the letter and the editor of the second largest English newspaper of the country, The Odessa Journal. ‘The 2023 law on decolonization, passed by the Ukrainian Parliament, promoted an exten-
by Dario Pio Muccilli, Star-Revue EU correspondent
" If two years ago speaking about peace was considered treason, today it is normal and allowed."
sive derussification of landmarks and toponyms, creating huge problems in Odessa. The prevailing governmental attitude is to deny everything that happened before the independence of the country. It is a top-down policy which lacks community input.
In Odessa a large majority of citizens who speak Russian has historically been deeply tied to its heritage. Nevertheless, the population cohesively condemned Russian invasion in 2022, and thousands of Russian-speaking Odessans currently serve in the Ukrainian Army. When the war will end, the danger is that these people will feel betrayed and humiliated by a policy preventing them from living their culture and language.
In other words, the danger behind the derussification process is that, as soon as a peace treaty is signed, a civ-
il war may erupt between the ethnic Ukrainians, mostly based in the Galicia region, and the Russian Ukrainians of the southern and eastern regions. Similar situations started wars in Yugoslavia and Kosovo as well as, going far back in the past, most national conflicts in Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Civil war?
‘A new social conflict is going to unfold, with the worst case being a civil war,’ says Poletti, ‘Even without a linguistic cleansing Ukrainian would eventually become the prevailing tongue, but today the attitude is too extreme: whoever speaks Russian would be found and punished.’ A similar denial of protection to bilingualism would hinder Ukraine’s accession to the EU, which considers the guarantee of minority rights as a pillar. Similarly, the specter of political and ethnic chaos would prevent necessary foreign investment.
Reconstruction is not only an economic challenge but also a political one. Many public officials in Kyiv are influenced by the most nationalist interest groups, ignoring the presence of Russians who account for 22% of the population. That is why, according to Poletti, after the war is ended ‘Zelensky should disappear as Churchill did, preserving his image as the Savior
of the Nation, without exploiting that fame to keep power. Lots of Ukrainians are losing confidence in his abilities to govern the country in daily issues: disorganization, corruption and inefficiency are still features of the public administration. Moreover, Zelensky’s public stance is too linked to war rhetoric and people will probably desire an impactful image change.’
Indeed, according to US Gallup’s polls more than half of the Ukrainians (52%) think Kyiv should negotiate a quick end to the conflict, renouncing to the regions under Moscow’s control. After last summer’s military advance failed, there are no sparks of hope to turn the tide of the war.
‘Those who want a negotiate are proud of how Ukraine fought but see how they are losing ground. The minority sees any sort of negotiation as a surrender, they are more radicalized and influential on politics.
Nevertheless, if two years ago speaking about peace was considered treason, today it is normal and allowed,’ argues Poletti, ‘but many corrupt groups advocate a continuation of the conflict for the sake of their own interests. There have been scandals concerned military recruitment officials asking for bribes to ignore potential soldiers. In Odesa some of them have
(continued on next page)
A government is not a business
by Dario Pio Muccilli, Star-Revue EU correspondent
Trump’s wish to appoint Musk and Ramaswamy as head and deputy of a ‘Department of Government Efficiency’, aka DOGE, was the big news of the postresults. Trump said, “Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures.’
In other words, Musk and Ramaswamy will be in charge of what in political science is called Public Administration Reform. Their appointment is in line with a long-standing orientation of the Republican towards small government and business-like practices in the public sector. US Scholars like Karen Mossberger, Caroline Tolbert, and Ramona McNeal have argued that the GOP, due to their wealthier electorate, not only privilege private over public, but also push for a digitalisation of the public services. In this regard, it does not come as a surprise that the tech-tycoon was chosen to run the DOGE.
"Politics: Who Gets What, When, How," was a 1936 seminal book on political elites. In this case the ‘who’ is Musk and the ‘what’ will probably be the dismantling of US federal bureaucracy, mostly at the street- and essential-level, and its replacement with digital and automated services that would be gently provided by Musk and his bunch of tech-friends.
The civil service
Two questions still remain, when and how? Albeit impetuous and fastmoving, Trump will still have to fight against the resilience of the federal civil servants. Even though, within the latter, most of the top-tier positions are subject to the spoils system and to a high level of politicization, there will still be pockets of resistance among those not commanding bureaucrats who cannot be fired, as well as among the few Democrats who will
UKRAINE
(continued from page 11)
bought houses and apartments worth millions of euros.
What’s next?
Choices about the internal politics of Ukraine will determine its future in the EU and its economic success. Episodes like the ones in Odesa are crucial knots where Ukrainians should determine what kind of future they want. In the country a post-Soviet mindset makes it uneasy to discuss the government’s choices and, indeed, the letter to UNESCO was a big subject of discussion, being one of the first major voices of opposition towards the current Zelensky administration. Nevertheless, according to Poletti, the postwar period could be an occasion for further democratization, as new elec-
The
‘deep state’ exists, but it is not necessarily a bad thing
briefly keep their job.
Quite often, businessmen like Musk, when assuming public office, fail to steer the bureaucracy as well as they managed to do with their company.
The two dimensions simply follow different rules, and although since the 1980s their paths have many times crossed, they are still not identical.
Beyond genius, a quality often recognized to Tesla’s owner, there is the need for patience, knowledge of government machinery, and also time for learning the language of the latter. The ‘deep state’ exists, but it is not necessarily a bad thing. It could be, when abusing its power, but it may contribute as well to the strengthening of the checks and balances which make a democracy.
How? Each issue is in itself neutral when kept at a theoretical level. Liberalism can work, Socialism too in the world of ideas. Implementation is not a piece of cake though. It is normal to imagine a smaller government. Every country in the world thought about that after the recession caused by the US choice to quit the gold standard in 1971 and the oil crisis two years later.
This tendency has even a name: New Public Management, born in England and widely promoted afterward by the international bureaucrats of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development based in Paris. Neither Trump, nor Musk invented anything. Not even Reagan.
But does Trump really want a smaller government? In his first presidential term debt rose roughly from 20 to 30 trillion dollars, mostly due to a lack of spending restraint. According to the nonpartisan US Budget Watch 2024, Trump’s electoral promises would in-
tions will be held. On the other hand, the derussification did indeed reduce the power of those oligarchs who have long exercised their control over the Parliament. Challenges are numerous, last but not least the new Trump’s administration which is perceived as a total incognita. ‘Kyiv has only contacts with the Democrats, and notably Zelensky refused to prosecute Hunter Biden when asked by Trump during the 2020 campaign. The feeling is that the tycoon will take his revenge,’ states Poletti, who is however confident that the worst won’t happen, ‘nothing of what I said should scare people from supporting the reconstruction in Ukraine both financially and culturally. The population cannot move on alone after the war ends, there is the need for a strong international cooperation fostering growth and peace among the different components of Ukrainian society.’
crease public debt by $7.75 trillion dollars by 2035, roughly double of what Harris' plans would have done.
That means that Trump intends to spend lots of money: not really a feature of small government and marketfree economy. The problem is thus simple: the DOGE will indeed cut some expenses, but only targeting the bureaucracy’s budget and not overall spending, which will instead rise. In other words, Trump and Musk’s plan is to cut the public capacity to manage funds while increasing the latter. Who will manage and oversee them instead? That is a question that Americans should ask themselves, acknowledging that vacuums do not exist in nature.
Eventually, there is another salient issue: the US is a role-model. Yes, New Public Management was born in the UK and elaborated in Paris’ international organization, but only after Reagan embraced it such a method became a worldwide phenomenon. If the DOGE will have success, other countries will follow its lead. The first ones will probably be the South Americans, where Trump-style poli-
ticians such as Brasil’s Bolsonaro and Argentina’s Milei already received a boost from the tycoon’s first Administration.
But the Europeans as well could do that for the sake of winning the favor of the Emperor and avoiding a tradewar. This could basically be the beginning of a new course of global reforms of the public sector, which sounds like a boring thing but it basically encompasses all the services that keep our day-to-day liveable and make it not the kingdom of the jungle. It’s healthcare, unemployment benefits, police, street cleaning, transportation, electricity, pandemic containment measures, et cetera.
Writing about Napoleon, the Italian writer Alessandro Manzoni stated "Was it true glory? To posterity the arduous judgment." Such a stoic attitude could fit the time of uncertainty that the world is living, but nevertheless the stakes are too high to postpone the judgment on an issue, the handling of the public wellbeing, which deserves the utmost care and attention.
Rather than Manzoni, we should keep in mind the ancient Latin question ‘Who will guard the guards themselves?’ and answer, firmly, ‘us’.
MUSIC:
Tits Up Brooklyn, by Medea Hoar
Ah, December is upon us and with it, colder winds, warm fireplace cuddles, and lots of festive gatherings. Starting off this season of joy was Smudgefest 2024 on November 23rd at Sunset Stoop, put on by a brand spanking new collaborative – The BK MUSES! So, before we delve deep into Smudgefest, let’s talk about these magical muses.
BK Muses is a Brooklyn-based artist’s collective with an edgy feminist perspective, who work tirelessly to promote each other’s work, with steering committee guiding the helm and comprised of four women of a certain age with decades of innovative experience. Their core values: inclusivity, creativity, charity and community support.
BK Muses started as a collaboration in the kitchen of Sharissa Reichert, long time punk rocker and a talented musician in her own right, along with several others including the vivacious Didi Champagne. Didi is a force of nature as a bassist, spoken word and visual artist. She, along with Sharissa, brought in Jeanne Fry, NYC based writer/singer/composer/model, a true renaissance woman, and Deb Noble, go-go dancer and head muse at Blue StingRaye Prod., to complete the quartet that embodies the BK Muses Steering committee.
BK Muses has given a voice to those feminists who may be overlooked by
today’s society: older, pissed off, and LOUDLY unapologetic about still raising their voices and some hell.
BK Muses Rock! Now, on to Smudgefest…..
Smudging is the process of burning sage in space that needs to have bad energy cleared out. And that’s what Smudgefest was all about – 9 amazing bands, playing not for fame or fortune, but for the collective positive energy that was created. The bands and solo musicians, in order of appearance: MILF & DILF (Sharissa Reichert)
Blueberry High Heels (Didi Champagne)
Stephanie M. Hall
PM Edition Ondine
Mimsey Mack Baikin
Love Conquers All Mojo Sky
Embarazada (Jeannie Fry)
In a span of seven hours on a sunny day in Brooklyn, paying no cover charge, everyone enjoyed pop, punk,
original music, raunchy rock and tender beautiful ballads. There was something for all musical tastes. The performers played their hearts out to an appreciative crowd that ebbed and flowed. The venue, Sunset Stoop was very accommodating and has a welcoming atmosphere. Can’t say enough good things about this venue across from the park. Nice stage, good backline and a workable sound system.
One of the highlights was all the fantastic merch for purchase, with proceeds going to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. BK Muses artists created pins, tshirts, a fanzine and … drumroll please…a CASSETTE Tape compilation including the BK Muses Smudgefest performers. Gotta love the OG vibe these ladies are putting out there. The best part of the entire Smudgefest, apart from the performances, was generating a $1,300 donation for the National Domestic Violence Hotline. The core values of BK Muses were front and center at Smudgefest. Look for more BK Muses events in 2025, yet 2024 still has more to offer.
This Month
December is such a great time for shows and gatherings, a time to celebrate each other and the comings, the goings and gettin’ it on of the past year. Lights are sparkling, music is in the air and in our ears. Brooklyn has a great scene in da’ Slope at Young Ethel’s, Prospect Bar & Grill, Barbes, Rullo’s, and, in the midst of the chill, a Hawaiian themed restaurant called Sweet Talk?! You betcha and they have live music every single Monday and a
yummy menu!! I now love Mondays. At Sweet Talk on Dec. 16 at 8 pm enjoy your vegan tacos and tropical cocktails while listening to a local trio aptly called Arcana. “Arcana” is defined as a mystery or a secret. But it’s no secret that these three talented men, Glenn Spivack, David Pybas and Calvin Bennett, have been making beautiful music together at local Brooklyn bluegrass jams and finally decided to team up on their own. Rethink your Monday nights and head to Sweet Talk for Arcana on December 16!
With that, I leave you, my lovelies. Until we meet again under the mistletoe, I shall remain your wordsmith muse, Medea Hoar.
#bkmuses
Sunset Stoop, 4114 5th Ave., Brooklyn Sweet Talk, 457 3rd Ave., Brooklyn Young Ethel’s, 506 5th Ave, Brooklyn Prospect Bar & Grill, 545 5th Ave., Brooklyn Rullo’s, 560 5th Ave., Brooklyn Barbes, 376 9th St., Brooklyn
& LANTERN BREWING
Jeannie Fry at Smudgefest
Community Opera is the cats meow
by George Fiala
Last spring I wrote in these pages about my discovery of Bay Ridge's Regina Opera Company. While I did grow up in a house where the Metropolitan Opera was on the radio every Saturday, that was not my cup of tea. The idea of dressing up and paying lots of money to hear a musical show was not my scene. I preferred outdoor rock concerts and the Fillmore.
But I did hear the music as it played on the radio, and now, many years later I have discovered the overwhelming skill that composers, singers and actors of the 18th and 19th century used to create masterpieces that have never stopped being appreciated.
The Regina Opera Company has been presenting full length operas, complete with orchestra, lighting, sets and costumes, since 1970. They began as a small group of dedicated singers who gave opera recitals, with piano accompaniment at the Regina Pacis-St. Rosalia Parish Youth Center in Borough Park/Dyker Heights. In 1976,they moved to a larger stage there and acquired an orchestra in 1982. In 2012, they moved to their present home, Our Lady of Perpetual Help School auditorium at 59th Street and Sixth Avenue, which is kind of between Bay Ridge and Brooklyn Chinatown.
Not only is it a great opera company, but for $25 or less you can take a seat of your choice, right behind the orchestra if you like with the stage right in
front of you, English translation unobtrusively shown way above the stage, and enjoy world class acting, singing and musicianship. Add in a couple of dollars for coffee and cookies and you are in a working man's heaven.
Their first production this year was Tosca, written by the Italian Giacomo Puccini, based on a play written by a Frenchman, Victorien Sardou in 1887.
Just like the Regina production I saw last spring, La Traviata, Tosca is another horribly sad tale of love and death. Omigod, were there ANY happy endings in the 19th century?
What happens is that a painter is finishing up a religious portrait in a church, when an escaped political prisoner (there's a war on, of course) runs into the church to hide. The painter gives him some food and a place to hide, and of course gets in trouble for this. It turns out that the chief of police lusts after the painter's girlfriend and uses this opportunity to jail and threaten to kill the painter unless his girlfriend (Tosca) gives herself up to him - that's a polite way to say allows him to rape her.
In the end, the evil police chief, the political prisoner, the painter and Tosca all end up dying, but before they go there is a lot of tremendous artistry happening.
Regina presents one opera for the fall season, and two in the spring, plus various concerts in between. There
were four performances of Tosca, plus two public rehearsals. The main roles are generally split between three performers. In other words, in the case of Tosca, her role was played by Tara Jamshidian for two performances, Audrey DuBois Harris for two, and Sara Beth Pearson for two.
To give you an idea of the caliber of what is being presented to you in a high school auditorium, DuBois Harris has performed for both Aretha Franklin and Barack Obama, and was Franklin's favorite soprano. She starred in the show I saw.
Sarah Beth Pearson has sung with the Metropolitan Opera as well as the Baltimore Opera and Washington National Opera. Tara Jamshidian is an up and coming singer who has already performed with the Metropolitan Opera Guild and the New Jersey Opera Theater.
Of course I had a wonderful afternoon at the opera, but I am not a very knowledgable critic (yet). I will say that at the spring performance of Lucia Di Lammermoor I was overwhelmed and moved by the performance of Makila Kirchner, a coloratura who played the title role. She was so good that she shone above sosome of the performers.
In Tosca, the performances were all uniformly good, although none were as spectacular as Lucia. I don't know whether that's because of the way
the plays are written, or these particular casts. Each performance had its own pluses.
Regina is dormant until their Winter Gala concert on February 2. Then comes I Pagliacci (that must be the one about a clown) in March, and back to Verdi's La Traviata in May (including on my birthday). Everything can be found on their website. If you are not an operagoer, do yourself a favor and experiment with Regina. It's not only a great afternoon of culture, but of community as well.
A happy moment in Puccini's Tosca.
BOOK SERIAL: Fishes, Purple, Tiny... by Bob Racioppo
Last Month
After dropping out of college, Zac tells his parents that he will look for a job. His father says he has a connection to get a doorman's job, which eventually accepts. He calls up the new girl, Vera, and she invites him to a party at Pratt. After it's over they drive home.
29 – A quick bite in Sunset Park It was after 2 AM when they were in the Falcon, passing through Sunset Park on the way to Bay Ridge.
“Hey, you hungry?”
“Yes, I am.”
“The White Hut on 55th Street has good burgers.”
“The White Hut, not White Castle?”
“White Castle is in Bay Ridge, in Sunset Park we got the White Hut.”
“OK sure.”
She pulled into a spot. The White Hut was a small corner store eatery done up in white porcelain and fluorescent light, an all night beacon glowing “Hopperish” in the Brooklyn night.
A counter featured ten swiveling seats, three booths lined the wall opposite. Zak ordered burgers and took one of the booths with Vera.
“So how’d you like the party.”
“The party?” He looked hard into her eyes.
“Yeah.”
“The party… was great.”
The door opened and a large swaying figure entered. Zak muttered “Oh shit,” and lowered his head into his hands. Denny Flynn, known neighborhood glue sniffer who would sometimes hang with the 46th Street crew, was stoned as usual.
“What’s the matter? asked Vera. This guy’s bad news,” and keeping his head down, “maybe he won’t see me.”
Flyn ordered food at the counter.
“Gimme a burger, gimme two burgers, no make it three burgers.”
The short-order cook gave him a tired night-shift look saying “So what is it now, one two or three?”
“Ya know… make it two.”
The cook walked back to the flattop grill. Denny gazed around and noticed Zak.
“Hey it’s the Woz! Hey Woz, you’re out late.”
He wobbled over to their table.
“Hey Denny what’s up?”
The short order brought Zak and
Vera’s burgers to the counter. Zak got up and got the food.
“Was up at the Stone House on 53rd.. you know that joint?”
Zak was back with the food. “Sure, 53rd and Fifth.”
“So I’m in there, just drinkin’ beer, playing the jukebox, hearin’ my songs, and these Ricans come in. They got like a bag of quarters and start playin’ this ‘Spic’ music…”
Zak and Vera are trying to eat with Denny hovering over their table and babbling on.
“So all this oyo com ova shit is going through my head and I’m like fuck this.”
Zak saw the short order cook coming down the counter saying “hey, here you go,” to Flynn.
Zak thought they might be catching a break, but they weren’t. Denny turned quickly, “Oh yeah, my burgers!” but in doing so slipped backwards onto the table sending the cokes and burgers flying. Vera shrieked, Zak jumped up, pulled her out of the booth and out the front door, leaving Denny sprawled out and the short-order just shaking his head.
Back in the Falcon Zak kept saying he was sorry. Vera kept saying not to worry about it and laughing. By the time they crossed under the Gowanus into Bay Ridge they were both laughing.
30 – The Lost Weekend
Zak woke up Saturday morning to a weekend dominated by thoughts of Monday’s job interview. His suit had to be drycleaned and pressed up at Dave’s Tailor Shop on Fifth Avenue.
“And tell Dave it has to be ready by tonight” said his mother.
“Ready by tonight.”
“And your father said you need to get a haircut, so go over to Ralph’s after you drop the suit off.”
“Yes mom.”
“And they’re not going to hire a hippie to be a doorman, so tell him to make it short.”
“My hair’s not that long.”
“It’s too bushy and wild, you gotta look neat for this job.”
“OK… neat.”
Dave’s tailor shop was right next to the drugstore. After dropping off his suit he called Vera, hoping he could see her tonight and get his mind off Monday morning. She was glad to hear from him but had a bunch of class projects to finish and a family christening to attend on Sunday. She could see him Monday after class. Sure, he’d
see her then, but that wouldn’t get help him get through the weekend.
Ralph’s barbershop on 39th and 5th was a narrow tiled storefront with a turning red and white striped barber pole outside. Zak had been going to Ralph all his life. Saturdays in Sunset Park were busy haircut days. He sat on an aluminum chair and waited. There were magazines – LIFE, Look, Sports Illustrated, which he could thumb through but he just sat and thought about the interview. Maybe they wouldn’t hire him, maybe he could fuck it up. Word would get back to his parents through Ski if he did anything obvious.
“Zak,” called Ralph, “ready for ya. Haven’t seen you in a while. You hippie kids are killing my business,” he said with a laugh. Zak was in the barber chair now. Ralph, a short man, cranked it down a bit to reach his head. He began snipping away with comb and scissor.
“Whoa… hold on!”
“What?”
“Just wait, here’s what I want. Just a trim, make it neat on the sides, not too much off the top.”
“Sure, I gotcha.”
The barber went to work. He spun the chair working on the sides of Zak’s head. After a few turns he held up a mirror to show the results.
“What the fuck did you do!” Zak almost screamed.
The sides of his head were trimmed down to almost nothing, while the top was barely touched.
“This is nuts… I look like a circus clown!”
“Well you said…”
“Fix it, even it out.. fuck, I’m gonna look like an asshole.”
Ralph fixed it, evened it out. Zak left the shop with what you called a “crew cut,” in 1969 a goddamned “crew cut.”
Zak went back to 451 pissed off, walked by his mother in the kitchen.
“Hey wait, lemme see.”
He turned to her with a scowl.
“Beautiful, you can see your face.”
“Yeah, right.”
“When will the suit be ready.”
“Later.”
He went to his room, started to put on a record, caught a glimpse of himself in the dresser mirror, and didn’t. He tried to lay down but his anger wouldn’t let hm. There was one place he could go and maybe tamp it down, Frankie Nods’ cellar.
Going out through the kitchen his mother said
“Don’t forget to pick up the suit.”
“Oh yeah, I need some cash.”
She gave him a five.
Zak crossed the street to the cellar and gave the special knock. Knock….. knock knock,,,, knock knock knock.
Frankie opened the door and didn’t recognize him at first.
“Woz, that you?”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“Holy shit, what’d you get drafted?”
“No, not yet. Any weed around?”
“Sure, c’mon back.”
In the back room joints had just been rolled and were laid out on an album cover. Benny Gooch and Bobby Brady, already stoned, stared at his haircut.
“Wow,” said Benny. “You ain’t gone straight or something.”
“No… I got this job interview.”
After a bit more staring Benny handed him a joint.
“Here, light up.”
The black light was on, Zak fully toked up now leaned back and studied the Day-Glo horoscope sex poster, all these positions, might come in handy. With his anger in temporary remission Zak joined in the stoned conversations about the moon landing that summer. Was it real, or done on a Hollywood soundstage? Bobby Brady swore it was fake saying “The flag was wavin’ in the breeze, there ain’t no air on the fuckin’ moon!”
Benny said no way it was fake ‘cause he “saw it live on TV.”
Procol Harum’s “Whiter Shade of Pale” was on the stereo, Zak’s comment was “Who knows what’s real?” followed by Benny saying “yeah, man, maybe we’re just somebody’s dream… like God’s dream.”
A few hours of crazy pothead talk and it was time to pick up the suit. That was real to Zak, and this new haircut was also real.
“I gotta go guys, let me chip in for the weed.”
They wouldn’t let him, they loved getting people stoned.
Continued Next Month
Author Bob Racioppo is a founding member of the Shirts, a New York-based American punk band that was one of the seminal CBGB bands. After signing a record deal they toured the US and Europe. In addition to music, Robert is an accomplished fine artist. This is his first novel. He grew up in Sunset Park and now lives in Windsor Terrace. To order a copy of the full book ($15) text 917 652-9128 with your address.
Smart, simple pleasures. On Only the Void Stands Between Us (LP and download released last month by Silver Current Records), Julie Beth Napolin sings of distance and intimacy. She sings quizzically of a fire coming to burn, it seems, those who don’t deserve to survive, and she sings very directly about praying for the living and the dead. In other realms, Napolin teaches and writes about sound and literature, but on her debut solo album, her heart is bare on her sleeve. It’s a ruminative album; Napolin waxes philosophical without issuing a treatise. She takes three of the tracks alone, accompanying herself with guitar and adding flute to the cryptic “Sawdust,” in which she seems to be losing someone to apocalyptic obsessions. The other four feature a handful of guests—including Tom Carter (Charalambides) on guitar and David First (the Notekillers) on synth, but the album is built around Napolin’s present and haunting voice. The closing “Heaven and Earth,” begins with a three-line incantation and carries on for close to 10 minutes with variations on a simple guitar progression, landing somewhere between her time with San Francisco’s Citay and later recordings by high priestess Patti Smith—strong but small within the void.
People estranged. The first words poet Johnny Coley speaks on his Mister Sweet Whisper (LP and download out last month from Mississippi Records) are “People like me, it was my dream when I was young that I would find people like me.” The setting isn’t his Alabama home but Victorian London, although it feels universal. “The creatures I encounter treat me as equally monstrous. We deploy elaborate, unspoken civility.” Coley’s previous album, 2002’s Landscape Man, was edgier in performance and production, for no better nor worse. With easy, bluesy guitar and ringing keyboards, Mister Sweet Whisper sounds something like a deep south Doors, vamping behind the drawl of his sto-
rytelling. It’s a bigger band, though, with sax and vibraphone, and the text isn’t so bloated and grandiose. Coley tells extemporaneous tales with a humility born of alienation that, ironically, invites you in; We’re together in our loneliness. At 74, he speaks with a weary wisdom and an understated humor. In the final “Dancin Like an Assassin,” he finds himself unwittingly employed as a nude dancer at a nightclub, observing his surroundings and the revelry of the patrons while downplaying the unlikely scenario, eventually coming to enjoy his new job. Coley is easy to listen to and easy to like. The Landscape Man was someone with whom you could kill a fifth. Mister Whisper is someone I’d gladly join for too much coffee.
To Glitch is Human. The best way to listen Human Error is to put the mood before the backstory. The 11 instrumental tracks on the self-titled debut (cassette and download from Astral Spirits last month) are heavily syncopated, largely computer-generated and joyful through and through. It’s conceived as an album for youth and comes off like an updating of Gershon Kingsley’s 1969 “Pop Corn”—made famous by Hot Butter in 1972—or Bruce Haack’s 1967 The Way-Out Record for Children. (Haack performed his electronic music for its target audience on a 1968 episode of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood that’s well worth a quick search.)
Human Error is the work of Jeremy Barnes (Neutral Milk Hotel, A Hawk and a Hacksaw) and was developed while teaching music to incarcerated teens at the New Mexico Youth Diagnostic Development Center in Albuquerque and to young refugees relocated from Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Tanzania. While his target audience might be a bit older than Haack’s, there’s a similar aesthetic and spirit at play. The music is computer-based
because that’s what youth in the detention center have access to. Barnes relies heavily on sequenced patterns and digital sounds, not aiming to sound like acoustic instruments. The compositions and recordings began in a detention cell with mattresses propped up as sound isolation booths, and were later fleshed out (somewhat literally) in Barnes’s home studio. The final results aren’t intended to depict the harsh conditions of detention centers or the trials of fleeing a homeland in turmoil, they’re meant to show how music can uplift. And in so doing, it does.
Readymade pop for cosmopolitan travelers. Vincent Bertholet brings a world of influence under his little orchestra’s tent. Coming out of Geneva’s punk and squat scenes with streetsmarts and rebellious spirits, Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp works from a foundation of Afropop rhythms and brass with gritty distorted guitars shooting above. Ventre unique (CD, LP and download jointly released last month by Les Disques Bongo Joe and Red Wig) is the ensemble’s sixth album, with Bertholet being the only constant member. The orchestra here includes bugle and trombone; viola, cello and Bertholet’s bass; and pairs of guitar, marimba and drums. Three singers, plus all of the instrumentalists adding vocals, gives the infectious and furious album a strong collective feeling.
Their previous We’re OK But We’re Lost Anyway was a pandemic project, steeped in desperation. This time around, the Bertholet and co. set out to find commonality and community—but that doesn’t mean they’re content with the world. The French lyrics to “Coagule (Octobre)” translate (in part) as “It’s a rather novel
form of sadness/the extinction of the species […] For the moment, we’re coagulating into a single womb, coalescing around a common dream.” Not a cheery message but at least we’re in this together. “Breath (Happy 5)” repeats (in English) over bright horns “I’ve been working so hard, I’ve been working so.” It’s not quite a chorus, more like a cry. And “Color,” the album’s advance track, revolves around a chant that “we” aren’t transparent or neutral while questioning the notion of a “right” skin color. Despite it all, Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp manages a small party with a little bit of a carnival going on. Somehow they manage something positive, a defiant optimism in spite of troubled times.
COFFEE
(continued from page 1)
B.R.- In a previous interview was raised that boomers are “Too old to Matter.” What’s your reaction to that.?
Joe Ford-I think that being a boomer, a person of this generation, there’s a certain productivity that was expected. There was an America that was on the rise. A lot of things were not told to us that we had to find out for ourselves. In 1968 when we started seeing the fire hoses and the Pettit bridge we began to realize how insulated those of us in the white middle class were, and how tough it was for others. So, our cavalier attitude hadn’t been confronted with defeat. Then I started seeing older guys on the block going off to Vietnam and coming back quite changed. I just missed getting drafted but Vietnam affected all of us. The Millennials have never been exposed to the horrors of war so it’s really easy to talk big and get radicalized. Saying stuff like “Well I’m a Libertarian and the government is spending too much money defending Ukraine. And in the South China Sea, we should reconsider our imperialist tendencies.”
I think some of today’s issues can be summed up in the words of the scientist Neil Degrasse Tyson who says: “ The problem in this world is that too many people know enough to think they’re right, but not enough to know they’re wrong.”
B.R.- Ok…..how’s the coffee here btw? Joe Ford- (taking a sip) A little weak. You can check out JOE FORD’s recording and production work @(SouthBrooklynSound.com/listen)
Quinn on Books
Salud to Small Business
Review of “New York Nico’s Guide to NYC,” by Nicolas Heller, with Jason Diamond; photography by Jeremy Cohen Review by Michael Quinn
For nearly a decade, I managed a Brooklyn mannequin factory. Everything was made by hand. The work was messy, and the tools were loud. The process demanded precision and speed. My job was to oversee production and act as a go-between for the mostly Latin workers and the boss—a white woman they called “The Lady.” Every December, just before we’d close for Christmas, we’d cover the lunchroom tables with red and green plastic tablecloths and order takeout. The guys would come from the showers in fresh clothes, their hair slicked back and faces flushed from shots of Hennessy. The Lady would make a speech, and everyone nodded along even though most didn’t understand a word she said. They got the gist. You just had to look around the room to see what she was saying: a small business is really a community of people depending on one another to make it work. We raised our plastic cups to drink to that. ¡Salud!
Small businesses, big characters
My time at the factory gave me a firsthand look at the challenges of running a small business. Manufacturing profit margins are extremely low, and unexpected costs — like hidden taxes, surprise inspections and broken boilers — can set you back even further.
Small business owners don’t persevere to make money; they do it because people depend on them. But a business only thrives with community support. That’s why someone like New York Nico is a godsend. Known as “the unofficial talent scout of New York City,” Nicolas Heller built an Instagram following by championing small businesses and the characters who run them. He has a fondness for old school places unique to the city. When he posts about one on social media, the crowds and cash often follow. These places function not only as places of commerce but as centers for their communities.
Some special spots close to home
Nico has collected 100 of his favorite spots in a new book. The illustrated hardcover is divided by borough and includes a lot of oldies and a few new goodies. Don’t expect anything too fancy. The Manhattan native describes himself as “a plate-of-eggs-at-a-diner guy rather than a cloth napkin one.” He gravitates toward places like barber shops, bookstores and bakeries.
Of special interest to readers of this paper are close-to-home spots like Defonte’s Sandwich Shop (379 Columbia Street) — where Nico recommends the potatoes, eggs and mozzarella on Italian bread paired with a Manhattan Special espresso soda — and Yesterday’s News (428 Court Street), a treasure trove of affordable antiques.
Small business hero
“New York Nico’s Guide to NYC” is written in a snappy voice and illustrated with little cartoons of New York City icons like coffee cups, pizza slices, pigeons and rats. Color photographs show Nico, in a gold chain and Yankees cap, with the owners of many of these places. They’re all beaming with what looks like genuine joy. And why not? Nico loves these places, and they love him.
Video (the internet) killed the radio star (mom & pop shop)
My favorite part of the factory’s Christmas lunch came at the end when we’d write everyone’s names on slips of paper and put them in an upside-down mannequin head. The Lady and I would raffle off all the gifts our suppliers had sent us — cookie tins, chocolate boxes, liquor bottles — so that everyone could leave with something.
By the end of these lunches, people were pretty tipsy. “You’re my family; you’re like my son, Mikey,” Rafael once said, kissing me on both cheeks before he shuffled out. He’d worked there the longest. He was like the elder of our tribe. So, it was awful to see him crying when the factory closed for good. Business had gotten bad and stayed bad, a reality many small businesses face when communities stop valuing what’s unique or handmade. That’s why someone like Nico, who shines a light on the charm and necessity of mom-and-pop shops, is a lifeline for places like ours once was.
Shop local
“New York Nico’s Guide to NYC” keeps things upbeat, but its message is clear: don’t take small businesses for granted. Even if a place feels like it’s been around forever, it doesn’t guarantee it will be here tomorrow. These places are special and rare and should be treasured as such. As Nico knows and shows, small businesses are one of the things that make this city great.
So why not make like Nico this holiday season and spread some joy around your neighborhood? Get two copies of his book — one for you and one as a gift for a friend — from your local bookstore. Then take a look at some of the places that advertise in this paper and ask yourself, When’s the last time I went there?
Have I ever been there? Then go!
Jazz by Grella Best Jazz Albums 2024
by George Grella
This is just one calendar year, which may be sufficient time in the pop music manufacturing industry to spot a trend, but is a far less meaningful span in music that wrestles with its own history—the old is constantly being renewed and incorporated with ideas from other genres—as jazz does, and that is so free of commercial pressures (unfortunately) that there’s no real popular and economic success to imitate. Still, after listening through jazz recording released this year, two consistent things stood out:
First, is how many piano trio albums came out, and how many good ones there were—the heavily promoted And Then Again from the Bill Charlap Trio on Blue Note doesn’t even make my extended list. There are five other trios among the extended number (a baker’s dozen) and more on the extended list, with honorable mentions, that you can find at my newsletter site, killyridols. substack.com.
This is notable. The piano trio in jazz history through the end of the last century was kind of a Platonic ideal, with fantastic realizations via Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, and even Cecil Taylor’s Feel Trio, but more imagined than present in the discography. This many excellent albums this year is historically significant, and collectively they cover an enormous range of thinking while also exploring new territory.
Second, this was an unbelievable year for archival releases. There were so many that were packed with superb music. That’s too much of an understatement: these albums have some of the greatest examples of jazz music ever put on record. At the very least, these releases brought tremendous music to listeners—much of which never before heard except in front of the listeners who happened to be there in the moment. At best, these were historically important and opened up new understanding of jazz history and traditions. This is a ranked list, but those rankings are a snapshot and can change through further listening. That being said, everything belongs here, and first on the list is an absolute, a stunning, glorious album from a musician, who, now in his seventh decade, is more compelling than ever.
There’s also the larger context of just what jazz is in 2024. An example of this question is through an album that’s not on here, even though it’s one of my favorites of the year: Ben Monder’s Planetarium on Sunnyside. This is three CDs of extended depth and gorgeousness from a musician who is important on the jazz scene. But though he plays
a standard, it’s so clearly to me a progrock album that I’m going to put it on another list (again you can find all my best-of-2024 lists across multiple genres at killyridols.substack.com).
Best New Releases
2024
Kahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, Open Me, A Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit (Spiritmuse): El’Zabar has for decades made the argument that Black Americans are constructing their own ethnic heritage in real-time, and this incredible album is yet more proof.
Keith Jarrett, The Old Country (ECM): More music from the Dear Head Inn live appearance, except better than the first release.
Alfredo Colón, Blood Burden (Out of Your Head Records): A blistering, creative, focussed album that in any other year would be the top pick.
Matthew Shipp, New Concepts in Piano Jazz Trio (ESP’-Disk): New concepts in piano jazz trio, and Shipp playing better than ever.
Patricia Brennan Septet, Breaking Stretch (Pyroclastic): Vibraphonist
Brennan finding a considerable voice as a composer and leader.
Tyshawn Sorey, The Susceptible Now (Pi Recordings): New concepts in piano jazz trio, deliberate and deep.
Nicole Mitchell and Ballaké Sissoko, Bamaka-Chicago Sound System (FPE Records): Beautiful meeting of the finest jazz flutist and the great kora player.
Tarbaby, You Think This America (Giant Step Arts): New concepts in piano jazz trio, subtle revisions on the tradition.
Joëlle Léandre, INFINITE REBEL (RogueArt): See my article in the September issue.
Lynne Arriale, Being Human (Challenge Records): No new concepts in this piano trio but absolutely phenomenal straight-ahead playing.
Miguel Zenón, Golden City (Miel Music): A powerful suite from a consistently great musician.
Steve Coleman, Polytropos - Of Many Turns (Pi Recordings): All live, full of both funk and intellect.
Darius Jones, Legend of e’Boi (Aum Fidelity): Slicing, searching, and invigorating.
Best Archival Releases 2024
I want to give credit to one man responsible for the bulk of the archival releases this year, the tireless and driven
independent producer Zev Feldman. Working for the labels Elemental, Resonance, and his own Deep Digs Music Group, in 2024 Feldman released significant and just plain wonderful music from: Sonny Rollins, Bill Evans, Sun Ra, Art Tatum, Rosetta Tharpe, Steve Lacy and Mal Waldron, Yusef Lateef, B.B. King, and Cannonball Adderley— that is a partial list. That is a larger and/or deeper slate than any label issuing new jazz albums this year, from the independents to the big corporate Blue Note and ECM. A best archival releases list that only had albums on these labels would be a fair and strong one.
and Armstrong.
Bobby Hutcherson, Classic Bobby Hutcherson Blue Note Sessions 19631970 (Mosaic): See my article in the August issue.
The essential criteria with this list is knowledge: does an archival recording add to our understand of jazz? That’s especially critical when it comes to familiar musicians with already extensive discographies. For example, Bill Evans in Norway is fantastic, arguably the finest live Evans recording now in print— yes, it’s that good—but does it tell us anything about Evans that we don’t already know? I can’t say it does, but it’s about the best Evans you’ll ever hear. I do weight on the side of historical significance, so that an album where the music is maybe less enjoyable that the Evans album—which is all but a few of all 2024 releases, but adds significantly to our historical understanding of the music will be rated a little higher. And so:
Charles Gayle/Milford Graves/William Parker, WEBO (Black Editions): This is the most historically significant jazz release of the year. It is no understatement that the label promoted it as “one of the great unrecorded bands in free jazz history.” From Graves’ personal tape library, this trio of monumental musicians played in public only seven times across nearly thirty years, and their legacy only existed in the memories of listeners fortunate enough to be there. This collects two of those nights, in June 1991. No concession for the music making, which is thrilling, and immensely important.
King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band, Centennial (Archeogroove): King Oliver ushered Louis Armstrong to the word, and thus changed the course of history. His recordings have been know for 100 years, this beautiful set has excellent remastering and a lavish and informative booklet. It also has two CDs that adds the music that influenced Oliver
Bill Evans, In Norway (Elemental): Yes, it’s that good.
Sonny Rollins, Freedom Weaver: The 1959 European Tour Recordings (Resonance): Like Evans, tremendous live appearances from Rollins.
Miles Davis Quintet 1963/64, The Bootleg Series, Voll. 8 (Sony Legacy): See my article in the November issue for the importance of this release.
Phil Haynes’ 4 Horns & What, The Complete American Recordings (Corner Store Jazz): A great band recovered from obscurity.
McCoy Tyner & Joe Henderson, Forces of Natures: Live at Slugs (Blue Note): Hard to believe this album is just now being released—and Feldman had a hand in this one too!
Art Tatum, Jewels in the Treasure Box (Resonance): Live gems from Tatum in a trio setting.
Sonny Rollins, A Night at the Village Vanguard: The Complete Masters (Blue Note): See my article in the May issue. Best for the holidays and for the future to all. Listen to more jazz, it’s one of the best things about America.
