Red Hook Star-Revue, July 2023

End of an Era at St. Anns page 2

STAR REVUE

RED HOOK WEST MEETS NYCHA

by Matt Graber

Defonte's finally gets their Way

by Joe Enright

On a beautiful Saturday morning in June, a long-delayed street renaming ceremony took place at 379 Columbia Street to honor the late Dan Defonte, the former proprietor of Defonte’s Sandwich Shop. The large Defonte clan and their friends and fans gathered from near and far to celebrate, donning tee shirts honoring the new Daniel Defonte Way.

The usual speeches were heard and the old days were recalled. One of the old-timers who Dan broke in never forgot his friendly advice: “There are no short cuts, kid, just do it the right way.” Nick got choked up remembering his dad, as did a good part of the large crowd. Then came the after-ceremony meal: tables full of Defonte sandwiches. I grabbed the legendary “Potato & Egg” which sustained me while I filed this dispatch.

My son James was working reconstruction jobs in the wake of Sandy when he chanced upon Defonte’s for the first time, heading down Columbia to the

Sandy,” spoke Joy Sinderbrand, of NYCHA (New York City Housing Authority), to an audience of Red Hook Houses residents. The meeting, held in the P.S. 676 auditorium on June 6 from 6-8 pm, was attended by several members of NYCHA’s Recovery and Resilience Department, and, by people’s choice, moderated by the outspoken community advocate and president of Red Hook West Tenants Association, Karen

BQE entrance two blocks away. It looked crowded. Curious, he stopped. And he’s returned whenever work takes him anywhere near the BQE. His favorite: steak pizzaiola.

“After a back-breaking morning, the first time I bit into it, I almost cried with gratitude.” His friend Henry Finkel works for the City’s Environmental Protection agency, plugging water leaks. Defonte is his work crew’s go-to early morning or lunch desti-

(continued on page 7)

nation. His favorite: the Italian Stallion. “The combo of the eggplant, prosciutto, mozzarella, and those roasted peppers…” His voice trailed off, and I could tell another trip from Flatbush to Red Hook was in the offing.

These tales of satisfaction by hard working Brooklynites who’ve discovered Defonte can be traced back a hundred years, so let’s start at the beginning. In the early 1880s a four story (continued on page 8)

Celebrating Community

“I don’t think I have to tell anyone in this room what it was like during Superstorm

Awilda Lopez has been a Red Hook Houses resident since 1959. (photo by Matt Graber)

The Defontes with Jim Tampakas, who helped push for the street naming, with the new sign. (photo by Enright)

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Saint Ann’s Theatre Queen steps down after 50 years

Actress, director, and on-camera coach Nancy Reardon, 81, has worked with St. Ann's students for the past 50 years, engaging them in character development and strengthening their self-confidence for polished stage performances through theater classes and Shakespeare workshops. This spring, the “queen” of Saint Ann’s stepped down from her throne.

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“They called it a coronation, not a retirement, as they crowned me Queen Elizabeth I,” said Reardon, recounting Saint Ann’s 36th Annual Puppet Parade where students made a 10-foottall costumed puppet in her image, complete with pearls, tulle, fiery red yarn hair, and Lego character earrings that she wore every day to work.

In addition to their own creations, students carried handmade, larger-thanlife-sized puppets through the streets of Brooklyn Heights. “I felt so loved; I couldn’t imagine anyone doing anything like that,” Reardon said. “It was the most amazing day of my life.”

Reardon studied at Syracuse University, Hunter College, Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts London and Exeter College, Oxford, and appeared at Shakespeare in the Park and in multiple off-Broadway and Broadway shows including “Poor Bitos” (1964), “Agamemnon” (1968), and “Fame” (1974). She was also seen on TV as the Irish Spring Soap girl and as Kathleen Ryan Thompson on the Irish daytime drama “Ryan’s Hope” between 1976 and 1980.

Introduced to Bosworth in 1973

by Erin DeGregorio

the founding headmaster of St. Ann’s. Reardon was hired as a substitute teacher and joined the faculty the following year as theater director, setting her course for the next 49 years.

“So why did I go back day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, decade after decade? Because of the community—from the wonderful teachers and students to the kitchen and security staff,” Reardon said. Reardon has left an impact.

“Nancy is wildly original, fearless, and unpretentiously erudite, encouraging people of all ages to think and behave according to their own individual instincts [and] to discover the art within and around them,” said Jane Avrich, English teacher and close friend who has known Reardon since 1990 when she joined the school’s faculty. Avrich was also taught by Reardon. “I remember Nancy teaching me to perform ‘My Mistress’ Eyes are Nothing Like the Sun’, which is one of my favorites, when I was in the‘Love Lane Players’ with a handful of Nancy’s other adult students. She pointed out the shadings of meaning in each word, making me think of the connotations of ‘coral,’ ‘wires,’ ‘damask,’ ‘reeks,’ and ‘ground,’ each of which is crisp, hearty and earthbound. I came to understand the poem in a completely different way.”

Founded June 2010 by George Fiala and Frank Galeano

Though Reardon never took an education course, she did have some experience teaching children in the early 1970s while working full time, both through the Board of Education in New York while she was on Broadway as well as on the weekends while directing at the Tyrone Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, MN. However, it was during the spring of 1973 when she was introduced to Stanley Bosworth,

Ruby Westhoff, a 2019 graduate, remembered how intimidated she was by the script of Macbeth at 16, given its serious tone and often older adult character portrayals. “I rehearsed as best I could, but I knew my disconnection from the scene would never get past Nancy,” she said, recalling the play’s pivotal Act 1, Scene 7. “She asked us to scrap everything and instead imagine we were teenagers at a house party trying to keep our voices down. It was notes like these that fundamentally shaped my love for the theater. Nancy made Shakespeare feel as accessible as a scandalous teen show on Netflix. She never expected us

to be anything other than ourselves, and she let us find performances from our own understanding of the scene.” “Nancy was never teaching us to be actors; she was teaching us to be artists … she makes theater for the audience,” Westhoff added. “There was never an ounce of selfishness in Nancy’s work, and we all learned to behave the same way because ego was not allowed in Nancy’s room. This is what made Nancy’s plays so fun. … Nancy is, without a doubt, the greatest teacher I will ever have.” Though she says she’ll miss the conviviality, Reardon says she’s excited for her next act in life. “I’ll still keep doing theater, obviously, but there’s so many things that I haven’t tried because I’ve been so focused on teaching,” said Reardon from her home in Cape Cod, MA, on June 19, five days after officially retiring. “It’s like being in a candy store; I can pick and choose. I could maybe write or work with animals. I don’t know what I’m going to be doing.” She added, “And it may be scary, but starting anything new is scary. Isn’t that true?”

Nancy Reardon with her puppet at the parade (photo by DeGregorio)

In addition to the hottest day in history...

Back in my youth, which is not ALL that many decades ago, people starting talking about the environment. In those days, we were told that without doing things to limit fossil fuel use, the world would eventually get hotter, jeopardizing our normal way of life. Well, it was quite surprising, and depressing, to see in the news that we have just had the hottest day in Earth's HISTORY!

What I remember thinking back in those early Earth Days was that it was the old guys who were vested in making huge amounts of money in the oil business who worked the Republican Party to create climate denial as a political strategy.

Just like I felt that not paying attention to science was wrong then, I have a feeling now that someday the Gowanus rezoning will also be seen as folly. I may be wrong, but I have followed the course of the rezoning from the original Gowanus Green plan in 2007, the pushback to the Superfund at the same time with the city's reason being it would hold back building in Gowanus, and Brad Lander's "Bridging Gowanus" series of public events.

I've seen the EPA have to fight the city at every turn to try and do the right thing for the environmental health of the neighborhood.

I've seen the Fifth Avenue Committee, with the public image of an organization promoting social and environmental justice, do everything in their power to push through their 1,000 unit low-income housing plan, which will offer them years of management fees It is to be built on the most pollut-

by George Fiala

ed land in an area full of the legacy of industrial pollution. In other words, the poorest go on the poorest land, as usual.

However, by being against this, I am seen as racist and anti-progress, as a large group of people younger than me, including even people calling themselves socialists, have bought into the real estate industry's dream scenario of equating high rise development with social justice. These are people now called Yimbys, recalling Yippies but in fact the polar opposite. Here in Red Hook, I find myself on the other side of the issue when it comes to the Amazon warehouses.

Many people around here feel that Amazon has brought lots of trucks to the neighborhood which impact the air quality, adding to asthma problems around here.

Earlier this year, this paper published a series of articles which I believe showed no direct correlation between the arrival of Amazon and asthma rates. The stress of poverty, mold, rodents and smoking are at least as culpable. I've been following the air quality tracking devices recently installed in the neighborhood, and to be honest, the readings are no different than the rest of the city, if not often better. What I think about Amazon is that they do lessen truck miles, as delivery vans that in the past started out in Staten Island, now have lesser distances to travel. In addition, the company is working to get away from fossil fuel vans, planning to replace them with electric Rivians as soon as possible. That's why a lot of the vans have the Fluid or U-Haul branding, as they

are rented. In addition, I am starting to see more and more bicycle style vehicles packed with boxes making the deliveries.

While Amazon doesn't talk to me or let me into their buildings, I'm assuming that a fair amount of humans do work in them, and jobs are something Red Hook has always been wanting for the many underemployed who live here.

Finally, one of the big reasons that I started this paper back in 2010 is that I like Red Hook. I like the diversity of people, the small town feel and the sense of community I find here.

I did live for a while in Williamsburg, back in 1992, when it was just beginning to transform from a low-rise mixed use community to the imitation of Manhattan it is today. The big push of real estate developers like Tisch and Walentas is to edge Brooklyn with giant, high priced condo buildings.

Staying mixed-use with new warehouses keeps our growth manageable, at least to my crusty eyes. The next Williamsburg is Gowanus, and developer focus will be here next.

That's why I fought so hard against Alex Washburn's failed plan for a 15 story residential tower adjacent to the land that UPS bought. As far as I know, the eventual use of UPS's giant vacant lot is still undecided. If it went residential, it could be worth a billion dollars to somebody.

Having a 15 story building right next door would have set a precedent that would surely have been tested.

Our parks are beautiful!

I've been spending some good quality time walking around our newly reopened parks. While it was terrible to have them closed for so long, the Park's Department has done an amazing job.

Everything about these new parks, and I'm talking about the ballfields on both sides of Bay Street, the yet unfinished soccer and track facility, and the giant soccer field along Columbia Street, have been beautifully landscaped, complete with first class benches and ornamental touches. The challenge is now on the Red Hook community. We need to give our youth every opportunity to fully utilize these fields. We need all the schools and non profits to work on developing league play and educational opportunities to give our youth a balanced upbringing, in both body and mind.

At a recent Civic Association meeting, Councilmember Alexa Aviles pointed out the injustice of having all the scheduling for the fields take place in a centralized Prospect Park office. She was talking both about our fields and those in Sunset Park.

We have the perfect place, that is fully staffed, to handle the scheduling of our local fields. That is our historic Rec Center, which is right in the middle of everything. There is probably some political reason that it's not that way now, but politics are supposed to support the governed.

We will be pushing for this in future issues.

Cartoon Section with Marc and Sophie

BY MARC JACKSON

SHORT SHORTS:

BY STAR-REVUE STAFF

Lander wants more rent from Red Hook Houses tenants

The Office of New York City Comptroller Brad Lander found that the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) miscalculated one-in-five sampled rent adjustments at the Red Hook East and Red Hook West developments.

“NYCHA tenants repeatedly raised concerns with the calculation of their monthly rent, so our audit team went to investigate. We found issues with the calculations that led to NYCHA losing out on rental income. Our public housing system has a duty to provide decent, affordable housing for New Yorkers, and it can only do that successfully with strong oversight and management that guarantees accuracy and fairness,” said New York City Comptroller Brad Lander.

Between October 2021 and October 2022, 32% (853) of the 2,692 units at Red Hook Houses saw rent increases. The Comptroller’s Office auditors reviewed income documentation and rent calculations for a sample of 102 units at Red Hook Houses. The review found that:

NYCHA miscalculated 1 in 5 (19%) sampled rent adjustments in the Red Hook East and Red Hook West public housing developments in 2022.

Of the 102 apartments sampled, NYCHA overcharged three households by a total of $439 in monthly rent and undercharged 17 households by a total of $1,395 in monthly rent.

MTA opens Court St. elevators

The MTA announced the opening of two newly replaced elevators at the Court St   station.

The two brand new elevators replaced the original elevators, which were in service for more than half a century. Crews also made upgrades to the communication system within the station.

“After a year of being closed, I am thrilled that the MTA has finally completed work and re-opened the Montague Street side entrance/exit of the Court Street   station,” said Representative Dan Goldman, who only started coming to Brooklyn last year when he ran for Congress.

“Millions of New Yorkers use our subways, every single day — and ensuring our elevators are in working order is crucial for each and every one of them,” said Bay Ridge native Andrew Gounardes who only started coming downtown when he took a job with Borough President Eric Adams.

“I’m glad that the brand-new Court Street   Station elevators are complete and that the Montague Street entrance is now open again,” said Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon who generally walks to work when she is in town.

“I’m pleased the Court St   elevator replacement work has been completed,” said Councilmember Lincoln Restler," who usually rides a bicycle.”

Another new RHI leader

Red Hook Initiative announced that Michael Partis will be the Executive Director. He replaces Morgan Monaco, who quit RHI after only two years.

Michael brings experience that aligns with RHI’s mission to empower youth and combat systemic inequities

As an anthropologist and educator, Michael Partis has a deep understanding of the historical and social roots of injustices faced by the Red Hook community. Previously, Michael was the Director of South Bronx Rising Together (SBRT), a “cradle-tocareer” education initiative. He also previously taught in the Department of Ethnic Studies at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, as well as in the Department of Anthropology at Brooklyn College.

Paul Bader receives a new patronage position

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced the appointments of Paul Bader, Kenneth Chan, and Sarah Kaufman, and the re-appointment of Thomas Sorrentino, to the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission’s (TLC) nine-member board of commissioners.

“I would like to thank these incredible commissioners for their deep commitment to serving this city, as well as the City Council for their approval of these outstanding nominees,” said Mayor Adams, who probably never met most of them before this announcement.

“I’m honored to be the City Council Queens delegation’s selection,” said Bader. “The for-hire vehicle industry is an integral part of the community in Queens. Therefore, I see my responsibility as representing the thousands of TLC licensees who re-

side in Queens County.”

Paul Bader joins TLC as the new Queens representative with an history of community involvement.

The owner of a printing and design business in Long Island City, Bader, he made a lot of money printing palm cards for candidates running for local NYC elections. He gained most of the business by becoming active in local political institutions, such as community boards. He furthered his political career by marrying US Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez.

Later on, getting a job with City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, he sent fellow staffer Carlos Menchaca to Red Hook in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, with the goal of having him defeat incumbent Sara Gonzalez, who was unpopular with the progressives in the Council.

Early on in his career, Bader worked as a driving instructor and cab driver.

ing art council. “We came up with two designs that represent the Red Hook summer experience.”

According to Aspen, the artists also had to deal with some challenges, including making the murals on a brick wall which is an uneven surface. They also had to work hard to make sure both murals were done in time despite the unforeseen challenge of poor air quality from the Canadian wildfires, which forced them to stop working on the murals when the air quality was at its worst.

“I just want to say thank you for all of your hard work, and I want to see art all over the neighborhood,” said District 38 Council Member Alexa Avilés. “Like Tiffiney says, ‘Art saves lives!’”

RHAP paints mural

The Red Hook Pool has two new murals thanks to the work of Red Hook Art Project artists Aspen, Felix, Rosana, and Angelly. Both murals were summer-themed, one featuring a fire hydrant with water coming out and the other depicting sea life.

“Art is a way of healing and of bringing so many people together,” said Tiffiney Davis, the co-founder and Executive Director of RHAP. “We have four emerging artists here at RHAP who have been with us from about the time they were 10 years old and are now between ages 19-21. They worked very hard on this mural, and it was intense, so I really want to tip my hat to them for doing this. They were out here in the heat and it was tough at the end but they still got it done in time.”

“We had a lot of fun over the last two months and learned a lot about public art and mural painting,” said Jacqui Painter, who launched RHAP’s emerg-

Build the Block

11 people showed up for last month's Gowanus “Build the Block” meeting. It began with neighborhood coordination officers Davaughn Clinton and Jerry Antoine introducing themselves and providing updates. Antoine said that there has been an increase in major crimes. Clinton said that there have been a few recent shootings.

“We have also been taking a more aggressive approach to removing abandoned vehicles from the streets,” Antoine said. “We know how tough it is to find parking around here.”

There was an intense discussion about noise. The majority of people in attendance either lived near or worked at Public Records, a hi-fi record bar with food & drink including an intimate performance. The biggest complaint was loud music. Other complaints were about parties and littering. Officers will continue to monitor the situation closely. Public Records said they cared about their neighbors’ concerns and wanted to be good neighbors. After the meeting, both sides sat down and met with each other to work things out.

LETTERS

Graubard has a fan!

Howard, I always knew you were a gentleman and a scholar. At times we have disagreed respectfully, but here, your piece is so well written, so logically presented, hits all the right notes. Knowing Linda personally, sure I am biased, having worked with her, knowing her only professionally, but its been a privilege knowing her. She often turns the phrase that is “spot on” memorable. She is highly intelligent, and has a deep sense and yearning to do the right thing, to make a difference and to be fair and just. Brooklyn has just got itself a very fine Judge. —

Bill Rothman

So does George!

LOVE THIS COLUMN BY GEORGE! Heartwarming & Inspirational! I thank you for all the years of hard work and dedication, you’ve made the neighborhood better through your paper. John

NYU Langone Health Center opens in Red Hook

by Brian Abate

Red Hook has a beautiful, new health center. Red Hook Family Health Center at NYU Langone, 168 Van Brunt Street. celebrated its grand opening on June 13. The facility will be open five days per week.

Civic Association moves forward

by Brian Abate

The newly reconstituted Red Hook Civic Association moved from P.S. 15 to the Red Hook Recreation Center for the June meeting. A healthy and lively crowd of 26 showed up.

Attendees voted on whether or not Civic Association meetings would be held this summer and the vast majority voted in favor of having the meetings throughout the summer.

There was an additional vote on whether or not the meetings would continue to take place in the Recreation Center and the majority of attendees voted “yes.” One of the big benefits of continuing to have the meetings at the Rec Center is that the chairs are movable which allows everyone to sit in a circle. At the P.S. 15 auditorium, that is not possible.

Another possible location for future meetings is BASIS Independent Brooklyn, but it was noted that some people might not be comfortable meeting there. For now, it looks like the next few meetings will be held at the Rec Center.

Lisa, who helped lead the meeting, mentioned that there were four people working on distributing flyers throughout the neighborhood to let people know about upcoming meetings. It would certainly be helpful if anyone else who is interested helps put up flyers too.

New attendees introduced themselves and District 38 Council Member Alexa Avilés was in attendance again.

Imre Kovacs spoke on behalf of the Public Services subcommittee and said solid progress is being made on the topics they’re prioritizing, which

include the recent library closures, street cleanliness, an express bus from Red Hook to Manhattan, and ensuring that local kids are getting opportunities to use the beautiful new ballfields.

“[he Parks Department has a terrible system of reserving ballfields so a lot of times Red Hook and Sunset Park kids end up at the bottom of the list,” Councilwoman Avilés told the group.

Dave Lutz and Rob Cantave spoke on behalf of the Development/Infrastructure subcommittee and reported that many people had concerns about traffic safety and environmental impacts from the numerous last-mile distribution centers which have opened up in Red Hook.

“That’s certainly a big concern here, and we’re looking at all possibilities of using the waterways more often,” Avilés said.

Lutz also noted that another concern is the new skate park at Ickes Playground on Van Brunt St. and Hamilton Avenue which is currently under construction. It turns out that a new, large preschool will be opening up nearby., “We need to make the infrastructure safe for those kids,” Lutz said.

Matiasa Kalwill has prepared a website for the Association. He reported that it is now live and took suggestions for new features. People commented on its good design and also appreciated the complete meeting calendar, including the subcommittees.

The next general Civic Association meeting is scheduled for July 17 at 6 pm at the Rec Center. All are welcome and participation is crucial for the future of the neighborhood.

The Star-Revue has two openings:

1 - DISPLAY ADVERTISING SALESPERSON. The job involves meeting neighborhood store-owners and educate them about the wonderful goodwill they will get by advertising in the local newspaper. Another aspect is to talk to bigger corporations such as hospitals and schools to tell them that this is the perfect place to get their messages across to the people they are serving. You get paid with a percentage of what you sell, which is called a commission. This is a part-time job to supplement your income - you decide on the hours.

2 - WE ARE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WHO LIVES IN NYC PUBLIC HOUSING, preferably Red Hook or Gowanus, to write about things going on where you live. You do not need any experience. As long as you can put on paper interesting stories that our readers will want to read, you are our person. You don't have to be a great writer to start - see how we edit your stuff and learn from it. This is a free-lance position, meaning part-time.

For both positions call George at 917 652-9128 or email me at gbrook@pipeline.com

“Our presence in Red Hook helps meet the needs of this underserved community,” said Larry K. McReynolds, executive director of the Family Health Centers at NYU Langone.

Services at the Health Center include primary care, including pediatrics and family medicine, routine dental care, women’s health, including gynecologic wellness visits and obstetric care during pregnancy, as well as behavioral health and family support.

“There are nine exam rooms in total, including two dedicated to dental services,” said Jon Diaz, site director for Health Centers at NYU Langone. “We understand there’s not a lot of dental down in Red Hook so this is a big addition.”

Dental care included

“Oral health is really important,” said Isaac Dapkins, who is chief medical officer of the Family Health Center and a primary care doctor. “We want kids to have fluoride treatments and sealants. Gum disease is associated with heart disease and bad outcomes in pregnancies. The same goes for cavities. Getting access to preventative dental services lowers the risk of a lot of other health issues.”

“We’re very fortunate because we’ve had an NYU school-based clinic for medical, mental health, and dental at P.S. 15 for many years now,” said principal Julie Cavanagh. “This is a dream come true to now have the services be available for all of the families. We have a vision of comprehensive, coordinated care for the children and their families, and NYU is a big first step in making that happen.”

Cavanagh is “Encouraging all of our families to enroll here so that way if there is an emergency or something happened which requires them to receive care outside of Red Hook, they’ll already be fully connected to the NYU network.”

Violeta Maya, a board member, thanked McReynolds and NYU Langone for both taking care of her health-wise and for opening in Red Hook.

“Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of people go through health problems in this community but I have also seen the big improvement in health care here,” Maya said. “Red Hook isn’t about just one group or community, it’s about all of us, and I’m not sure there are many other neighborhoods like that. So this is helping all of us.”

One of the key points is that they want to provide health care for everyone.

Inclusive care, even without insurance

“We’re focused on being comprehensive and culturally competent,” said Dapkins. “If anyone comes to see us, we’re open to seeing them regardless of their ability to pay, their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity. It’s our mission to take care of anyone who comes in and that really distinguishes us. Anyone can come here, even if they don’t have health insurance.”

(continued from page 1)

Blondel. Memories of the storm and its aftermath stirred amongst the audience, who ranged in age from their teens to their 70s and 80s. Many recalled months of living with no heat or hot water, no working elevators, and other disruptions caused by the storm surge that flooded the boilers and utilities infrastructure in the East and West Houses. “You all lived this, you all know what happens when a storm surge comes into Red Hook.”

“It was terrible,” said Awilda Lopez, seated on a lawn chair outside the West Houses on a recent Sunday morning. Lopez, who has lived in Red Hook since 1959, felt helpless in Hurricane Sandy’s wake. “We couldn’t do nothing, we just had to wait.”

But Sandy proved a catalyst for unprecedented action by the community. In the aftermath of the storm, a unified front of residents and community groups rallied to put pressure on NYCHA, to do something truly meaningful to help Red Hook not just recover, but also to prevent calamities like this from happening in the future. “This is what gave us the impetus to apply for the funding,” Sinderbrand continued, amid the clamor of kids getting out of afterschool activities in the echoey hallway.

The $3 billion in federal funding, secured by NYCHA in 2015, for Sandyrelated repairs and prevention work, included a $550 million carve-out for floodplain improvements and repairs in Red Hook. Securing the funding was considered a historic victory in itself. These funds, which came through FEMA, represented the opportunity to create a silver lining in the aftermath of Sandy.

In 2016, the renovations began, following intense negotiations involving

NYCHA administrators, community advocates, and the federal government.

NYCHA, armed with a hefty budget, entrusted the renovations to a reputable architecture firm, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, known for their innovative designs and promising solutions to preempt future disasters. But the construction progress, initially slated for completion by 2019, continues to inch along slowly. Only

sheer scope and size of the project, and the pandemic. “They start, but they don’t finish,” said Lopez pointing to the various construction sites in view in every direction. “They go there,” she said, pointing to a fenced off lot with construction materials scattered about. “They go there, they go there. They don’t know when they’re going to finish. They put up so many fences, it feels like we are on

a high enough priority for NYCHA, so it is as if the scaffoldings are there indefinitely.

20% of the “lily pads” (sections of elevated ground, with concrete tanks installed beneath for water collection) have been completed. “In 2016, I was told this would all be done by 2019,” Sinderbrand lamented. “Clearly, that hasn’t happened.”

Several factors have contributed to the delays; standard construction setbacks (when do construction projects ever get done on time?), a residentdriven mandate to minimize disruption and avoid relocations, and the unexpected halt due to the 2020 pandemic, to name a few. Plus, the project was, and still is, very large in scope. Despite delays, many of the key features of the project have been either completed or are very close to complete, including the utility pods that dot the campus, and the East and West power plants. Installing new roofing was a top priority after Sandy, and 100% of that work has been completed according to NYCHA. Many new benches and tables throughout the campus have been completed to date.

Still, some residents, like Lopez, see incompetence and negligence where NYCHA reps make excuses about the

Rikers Island.”

If you walk along the perimeter of Red Hook East and West, and through the campus along Centre Mall, indeed, everywhere you look, you see fences and “Danger” signs, installed to protect residents from the active—and inactive—construction sites all around them. There is also a noticeable lack of trees, a grievance that came up at the June meeting several times. “This has been a source of frustration,” Silberbrand said when pressed on NYCHA’s plan to replace the trees that were removed during the construction. “FEMA will pay for trees to be removed, but not for replanting.”

There are other signs of construction across the landscape of the Houses, that have nothing to do with the Sandy recovery - but that did not stop residents at last month’s meeting from raising them as urgent issues. One such issue is the presence of scaffoldings that line many of the Houses. The reason for the scaffoldings is Local Law 11, a law mandating that if a building facade is in bad enough condition, there must be scaffoldings built and kept until the repairs are done. But these repairs are never

“Across NYCHA, we are looking to prioritize Local Law 11 in the funding we’re getting from the city and state,” Sinderbrand explained. “But in total, it’s a $40 billion capital need, and we tend to spend money on types of repairs that are immediate health and safety concerns. For example, if there is a gas outage, replacing gas would be a top priority, whereas with Local Law 11, because we can put the sheds up and protect people that way, if we don’t have the funding, we aren’t able to do the capital work there.” Blondel and several other residents pushed back on this, highlighting the public safety and health concerns connected to the scaffoldings. “When you removed the trees for the construction, the birds moved to the scaffolds, so they are pooping and peeing up the railing and we have elderly residents and kids touching the railings, and we know bird flu, avian flu, all that stuff is out there,” Blondel said. “Either you need to suspend Local Law 11 or do the work. You can’t just leave us like this forever.”

Other issues raised by residents at the June 6 meeting included sewage backflow resulting from new developments in Gowanus, concerns about new keycards that will be given out to residents when the new entry doors are installed, noise from the construction, and other concerns.

The dialogue continues, with the next community meeting scheduled for October. We’ll share more information when we have it, hope to see you there!

RH Houses community meets with NYCHA reps to discuss construction

"Several factors have contributed to the delays; standard construction setbacks, a residentdriven mandate to minimize disruption and avoid relocations, and the unexpected halt due to the 2020 pandemic."

One of the newly built HVAC units

Defontes finally gets their way

continued from page 1

brick building was erected at the confluence of Dwight, Liquer & Columbia Streets, with a storefront on the ground floor and three floors of apartments above. It would remain the only structure on the block facing Columbia for forty years. In the beginning, the Irish called 379 Columbia Street home, and the McGuinn family ran a saloon on the ground floor until the First World War approached. Thereafter the Italian immigration wave took over and the bar became a grocery.

In 1922 Nicola Defonte set up shop there, a proud son of Mola di Bari on the Adriatic coast. Mola was a town that was famous for focaccia, so much so that entrepreneurs created two enormous ovens for town folk to cook their bread in foot and a half long pans and take it home.

Defonte knew how to bake bread but his real skill was filling the space between the slices with some home cooked gustoso mangiare. By 1940 the storefront had become known as “The House of Sandwiches."

The growing Defonte family lived in an apartment in the building behind the store at 12 Liquer Street and eventually the sons Nick, Phil, Dan and Vito would help out in what had become the go-to lunch spot for the dock and factory workers of thriving Red Hook.

Dan enlisted in the US Army after Pearl Harbor and when he came home, he and Vito took over from their dad, running “Defonte’s Sandwich Shop” for the next half century.

In the early morning of April 13, 1954, Dan, Vito and three customers were robbed at gunpoint. The hoods took $3,000 cash and fled in Dan’s car. Why so much cash on hand? It was a Friday, which most Americans used to call “the day the eagle screams” – Payday. There were no banks in Red Hook then. Defonte served as the de facto check cashing joint for the neighborhood. But as shipping found other docks across the harbor, the industrial infrastructure that supported the waterfront dried up. Longshoremen hooks were retired and the neighborhood became one of the poorest in the City. But Defonte stayed. It survived because their cooking, once tasted, brought people back. Truck drivers, construction workers, cops, utility laborers, anyone whose work brought them to South Brooklyn, Gowanus, and surrounding environs would plan on grabbing a hero at Defonte.

During the toughest days in Red Hook, the 1980's, when crime was rampant, Defonte's was the safe place—nobody bothered them.

Dan retired with Vito in 1998, handing the reins to his son Nick, and passed away in 2015.

Meanwhile the Defonte way was exported to Gramercy Park, only to be doomed by the 2009 financial collapse. Still, it exposed Manhattan

foodies to their fares and a Zagat listing ensued. More recently, a Staten Island outpost has appeared in Stapleton Heights, appropriately on Water

Street. It’s called “Defonte’s of Brooklyn.” Naturally.

Nicola, Dan, Vito, Nick…you done good. And thanks for never leaving.

1940 NYC photo of Defonte's

How it looked by 1983

Red Hook's Harbor School celebrates Pride Month

The Harbor Middle School (PS 676) enjoyed an end of the year pride talent showcase on June 16 in their auditorium.

They celebrated Pride Month in two ways with the event. LGBTQ+ history was incorporated throughout the show to allow the ability to continue learning while spotlighting the students, their individuality and their talents. This was the school’s first Harbor’s Got Pride Talent Show. It featured singing and dancing from the students and the staff and was enjoyed by parents and community members in the audience.

This was one of many events throughout the year where various cultures or groups of people were recognized.

In October the school had an event for Hispanic Heritage Month, in November the school recognized Indigenous History Month, in December the school recognized holidays around the world, January was disability awareness month, in February Black History Month was recognized, March was Women’s History Month and May was Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Throughout the year, the students learn about being an ally to other communities during each honorary month where groups were highlighted.

In the beginning, before the show actually began, a projection on the screen said that Pride Month is a reminder to love yourself exactly as you are. Trivia questions followed, definitions of pride words like queer and transgender and a list of countries that accept gay marriage.

Pride Month is a time to celebrate community, acceptance and being true to yourself no matter who you are. During Pride Month, students learned about current and past struggles, historical figures and places.

“We are all willing to see everyone’s differences and accept them for who they are,” Principal Priscilla Figueroa said.

The show kicked off with a news video by the Harbor News team.It was a PS 676 special broadcast on Pride Month

by Nathan Weiser

where Harbor News asked students why Pride Month is important to them and about the meaning of pride and why they are proud of their school.

The informative video said there are many ways to celebrate, like learning about pride history, supporting friends and family and going to the big NYC parade at the end of the month.

They said it’s a reminder that everyone deserves the same rights no matter who they love or how they identify. One student said it’s important to celebrate the community.

The Harbor News keeps the school community informed all year long.

The Harbor dance team was next.

They generally perform at halftime of school basketball games

The harbor theater club showed a video on allyship where students had a discussion on being an ally in the classroom and being accepting of others. Joanna showed a comic that was about how important she thinks being an ally is.

During the fast paced Figtacular halftime show, faculty and the principal danced as songs from Fat Joe, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent and Eminem played in honor of the 50th anniversary of hip hop. Then the official talent show began with the talents of the students and teachers being showcased. Four faculty judges and three student judges were introduced before the talent show began.

The director of the show, Mr. Michael, gave an exciting rendition of the song Bills, Bills, Bills by Destiny’s Child. Some other performances included the Assistant Principal performing a song, a young student singing an Ariana Grande song, two students performing an original song a third grader wrote and first and second graders dancing to a Justin Bieber song.

In a comedy skit, a student tried repeatedly to get Mr. Tim to laugh. The joke that got the laugh was, “What is Harry Potter’s favorite mushroom? A magic mushroom.”

The Harbor dance team did another fast paced performance while the judges were deciding the winners of

the contest.

A student announced the faculty winners of the talent show. Third place was assistant principal Ms. Perry, second place was Mr. Michael and first place was Mr. Joseph.

A teacher announced the student winners. There was a tie for third place and a tie for second place. It was announced that the first and second graders won the grand prize which was followed by cheers and the winners coming up to the stage.

The students prepared for the talent show during an after school program.

“We would like to thank our families for coming today,” Figueroa said. “It is because of the wonderful people we have here that we can have these sorts of performances.”

There was a section at the end on Juneteenth since the holiday was on Monday,The Harbor news team showed a video explaining its significance.

It commemorates the end of slavery

on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas despite the Emancipation Proclamation being issued two years earlier and the news team’s video included a community activist talking at the site where it was announced.

Juneteenth had not been given federal status until enacted by Joe Biden in 2021. It was first officially recognized across NYC public schools in 2022. At the end, all the staff responsible for making this end of the year showcase

"This was one of many events throughout the year where various cultures or groups of people were recognized."

Harbor School recognized for resiliency leadership

In this, the Harbor Middle School’s first year of existence its students efforts have earned the school major recognition.

On Monday, June 12, the school was officially recognized as the New York City Ready School of the Year based on the students’ continued work focused on climate resilience and its work towards environmental justice in Red Hook.

The award, which is only given to one school each year and has been awarded each of the last 14 years, was presented by the New York City Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management.

The Commissioner of Emergency Management, Zac Iskol, talked about how students are learning about how to defeat the challenge of climate change and how the students give him hope for the future.

“You are learning it in school, you are practicing it, you are bringing it to your community and spreading it across the city,” Iskol said at the ceremony in the auditorium. “It is for that reason that I can not think of any school that is a better recipient for the Ready School of the Year award. You are helping make sure our city and our world is going to be better prepared for the challenges.”

Kevin Moran, chief schools operations officer, congratulated the school

by Nathan Weiser

on its award on behalf of the chancellor. He was affiliated with the Harbor High School when it started in Bushwick and said it is incredible that years later there is a Harbor Middle School in Red Hook.

“I want to thank the students and your teachers,” Moran said. “I congratulate you, and I appreciate what you are doing.”

Commissioner Iskol brought up the concern about the future of the climate. He talked about the recent wildfires in Canada that brought smoke and haze to Brooklyn and that Red Hook is very familiar with the challenges of climate change going back to Hurricane Sandy.

“As I have learned about your curriculum and the work that your teachers are doing with you, one of the things that gives me so much hope for the future is because of you,” Iskol said. “I know just like earlier generations met the challenge of WW2, you guys are going to be the ones that defeat the challenge of climate change.”

Comptroller Brad Lander he would “double down on my effort to make sure we dramatically expand roof top solar in NYC.”

Councilmember Alexa Aviles, who is Red Hook’s city council member, was also on stage.

During the award presentation, the

Harbor Middle School students taught a lesson on stage which included a video presentation on the importance of environmental justice for New York City. They discussed how hazards like extreme heat and flooding are exasperated due to climate change.

According to STEAM teacher Lynn Shon, a big factor in Harbor Middle School winning is Principal Figueroa giving the teachers the freedom to build a curriculum that addresses critical issues in the community.

“The curriculum, and teaching that curriculum, and empowering students with the knowledge is necessary for them to realize what is going on, but also how to advocate for solutions,” Shon said. “I think it is linked to being able to engage students in authentic real world tasks that allow them to better their community.”

The school found out about two months before the official presentation that they had won the award.

They were awarded based on the totality of projects and curriculum that the students did throughout the year. One previous project earlier in the school year that factored into winning the award was the work on wind turbines.

“The students designed wind turbines that actually generated electricity,” Shon said. “It was really incredible.

They tested all these different blades because there is a new off shore wind farm being built off of Sunset Park. We want to make sure that our kids have access to those jobs.”

Principal Figueroa has a mission to create and expand opportunities for the students so they can continue to design and use renewable energy to its max. In doing that, the school provides opportunities for students to get experiences in careers.

“Learning a career or a trade is really important,” Principal Figueroa said. The school was excited to find out the same day that the Office of Emergency Management is giving the school a shipping container and solar panels to power it.

Standardized Training in the event of a school shooting

Here’s a thought: I could die at work. Although the internet assures me school shootings are statistically rare, if you follow the news, they don’t feel rare. I’ve been in a classroom since 2017, and as time goes by, Columbine feels less like history and more like a recurring weekly nightmare.

Although my logical brain knows I’m more likely to die in a car crash than being shot at school, the emotional toll of living in such a violent world is exhausting. As the sight of tear stained faces, bunches of flowers, flickering candles and yellow caution tape stretched across yet another school has become ubiquitous, I feel no more prepared as the years have gone by in my teaching career to handle an active shooter either practically or emotionally.

The various hodgepodge of training I’ve received over the years have been ineffective. They’ve ranged from trite to hysterical, and they’ve all had this in common: they’re brief, vague, and don’t offer practical hands-on skills. They certainly don’t inquire about anyone’s thoughts or feelings. Of course this isn’t any one person’s fault - there isn’t a standard way to teach preparedness for school shootings - each district across the country is responsible for their own decision making process when it comes to selecting programs and training. We offer state testing, sure, but you’re hard pressed to find just one program that

The Red Hook Houses told by Gene Bray

The largest Public Housing Project in Brooklyn. I moved here in 2001. I was 46. Oh, I’m a white guy.

My first Saturday night there, I got home around midnight. There’s a bunch of young guys in front of the building. Alright, I cant show any fear. And I don’t. I just take a deep breath…..

And slip around to the back door.

I open it and hear shouting and laughter from many voices. And an alarm is ringing.

I’m goin in, come what may. I walk up the 2 steps, turn the corner and see about 10 young guys and a few women. It gets quiet real quick, making the alarm sound louder. I begin casually weaving through the crowd, nodding my head slightly but avoiding eye contact. The talking begins to get louder. I’m gonna pull this off; if I can just get on the elevator before I have a heart attack.

by Kelsey Sobel

every educator has been trained in when it comes to school shootings.

A widely used program known as ALICE ( alert, lockdown, inform, counter, evacuate) is part of the “newer” phase of school training - instead of sheltering in place, ALICE combines a series of possible reactions/options (if you will) in order to prepare edu-

fered outside courses, or asked me either directly or indirectly what might be helpful.

Another program I found through a quick internet search is called “Stop the Bleed” which teaches people how to apply a tourniquet. A teacher friend in a district about twenty five minutes from mine mentioned she’d learned how to apply tourniquets this past year - clearly my school had decided, a few towns down, we didn’t need this training, too.

During our last faculty meeting, worn down by people’s rising nerves, our school resource officer stated plainly: “Run away from the sound of gunfire.” It was the most practical advice I’d ever received.

I have no experience with guns, physical combat, military training or triage. Research shows it’s uncommon for a school shooting to be stopped by a civilian - the incident usually ends in the suspect dying by suicide, fleeing, or being shot by the police. According to The New York Times, “….armed bystanders shooting attackers was not common in the data — 22 cases out of 433. In 10 of those, the “good guy” was a security guard or an off-duty police officer.”

cators and students for emergency situations. Some ALICE training will simulate school shootings (this in of itself is highly controversial – too traumatizing? Too real?) However, none of the schools I’ve worked at have offered this training. None of the schools where I’ve worked have of-

But both elevators are on the 14th floor.. Alright. The alarm is the elevators not working. So I casually open the door to the stairwell, step in and….. Explode up the steps. Taking 3 at a time. Eatin’ em up like Edwin Moses used to take the hurdles. As if I’m running from tigers. I’m flyin’....I passed my floor.

I feel stupid walking back down a flight. I go in and lie on the floor. Silence.

Well living here is gonna put me in great shape. Dozing off I realize why they resumed talking. To calm me down.

I ask some of the black guys at work for advice on living in the projects.

‘Don’t kick the dice” was my favorite.

My first week there I was on a crowded elevator and a black guy asked

“Do you live here?”

“Yeah. I just moved in.”

“Why you wanna live around all these black folks?” he said with a smile and a laugh.

“Well, I’m hoping I can learn how to dance.”

The elevator exploded with laughter.. A word aptly spoken is like a kiss on the lips. That’s in the Bible, I think.

With the epidemic of mass shootings increasing exponentially, not just in the United States but abroad, the situation feels overwhelming in its violence.  I never predicted that when I became a teacher I would sit in my classroom and imagine jumping out

I’m getting discriminated against in the delis.

They won’t sell me ‘loose cigarettes’. I’m getting harassed on the street. By the cops. They think I’m buying drugs, and they stop and frisk me a lot. But I love getting frisked. My job drug tests so I don’t smoke. That’s ok though. I can do all the LSD I want.

So yeah, after a frisk, my walk has some serious swag. I’m walkin like Denzel after a hit a coke in that movie Flight Hanging out with black folks is rubbing off on me. Sometimes when I get around white people….I wanna slap em.

Just joking.

I never see drug dealing. There are more chihuahuas than pitbulls.

One difference. In Manhattan when I came home late I always had my key ready. I quit doin that punk move here. Why?

Because the lobby door is always open. It’s much more convenient.

The deli lines can get a little, ah, wavy. Funky. Outta line and off the wall.The trick for any line is don’t panic. Relax and go with the flow. And when the time feels right?

Step to your business.

the window - would it be worth the shattered bones to avoid being shot or killed?

Americans are uneasy with death. I don’t think the answer is telling people they could die - but being realistic and thorough could be a nice change of pace. Providing educators with options for multiple training along with real world skills they’re interested in learning could help battle the anxieties many of us experience. If there were nationwide standards for training, maybe we would be stronger, together. Maybe we would feel less terrified if every teacher had practiced escaping their buildings enough times so that it became routine. Maybe a shooter would feel less inclined to enter a building. Just maybe.   And if I could remove all the guns in the world, I would do that too.

Kelsey Sobel is a public high school teacher and former resident of Red Hook who now lives in New Hampshire with her two dogs & husband.

And if somebody gets waited on before you, who came in later? It’s ok. Enjoy your calmness. And take comfort in knowing that sooner or later, somebody else will get that motherfucker. Whoops. Sometimes you just need a good cuss word.

Now some people see the common areas trashed and jump to conclusions. I know I did.

One early morning leaving for work I see spilled coffee on the elevator floor. Returning 10 hours later, it’s no longer wet. It’s damp and sticky and joined by an empty bag of Dipsy Doodles.

The next morning at 5am the elevator door opens and I see a sad sight. A dropped ice cream cone beside the Dipsy Doodles bag.

Maybe I should clean the elevator? Maybe I should clean my bathroom? I ain’t cleanin’ nuthin.

That evening I see that someone has stepped on the ice cream cone.

The next morning, the scene is beginning to have a certain beauty to it. Like modern art.

That evening the elevator was spotless. Damn. I was wondering what it was gonna look like.

So the elevator is cleaned every 3 days or so.

"I never predicted that when I became a teacher I would sit in my classroom and imagine jumping out the window - would it be worth the shattered bones to avoid being shot or killed?"

READER CONTRIBUTION: The 200 block of Van Brunt urgently needs more crosswalks

New York City is an interesting paradox in its status as arguably America’s most walkable city, yet highly car-friendly and pedestrian-negligent in its design. I’m no city planner, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to notice that despite our public transportation system being the strongest in the nation, we have a lot of car traffic, yet our streets often seem to be designed with vehicles at front of mind rather than the more vulnerable group, our pedestrians.

I was extremely saddened and disturbed by the news of the violent and unnecessary death of Katherine Harris, 31, who was struck by a speeding drunk driver on Atlantic Avenue and Clinton Street back in April. As a result, it has made me more hypervigilant than I already was of my own behavior as a pedestrian and more sharply critical of parts of the city that are plainly obvious to be dangerous for pedestrians.

I do not have to travel far to find such examples. I live on the 200 Block of Van Brunt Street on the side opposite the Park Slope-bound Verona Street bus stop. I cross Van Brunt nearly ev-

by Jax Preyer

ery day to the Verona stop to get to work, and every time I do, I feel greatly unsafe. There are no pedestrian crosswalks connecting the opposite sides of Van Brunt on Visitation, Verona, Delavan, Commerce, or Seabring. For me, the only way to get across safely would be to go two blocks in the opposite direction, cross at the intersection at Pioneer, and loop back. Your path to a four-way crosswalk is even more ridiculous and redundant if you live on any of the other four crosswalk-less streets I named. For me, it’s not an enormous inconvenience, all things considered, just a very stupid one; but I’m a childless, young, ablebodied adult. I cannot imagine how frustrating and anxiety-provoking it must be for parents pushing strollers or those using wheelchairs or walkers. There’s a reason jaywalking is illegalit poses a significant risk to pedestrians and drivers alike. When you fail to place crosswalks in front of (or even reasonably close to) public bus stops, what choice are you giving pedestrians but to jaywalk?

Seeing as I live on Van Brunt, it is obviously not lost on me that our street

Controversial in death as well

by Darius Pio Muccilli,

“Silvio Berlusconi is dead, long live Silvio Berlusconi!” As the four times former Italian Prime Minister passed away last June 12th, most of the Boot’s press has started an apologetical narration on his life, portraying him as a statesman that, even though he had sparked outrage and polemics throughout all his life, eventually had always been caring towards his country. This rhetoric has been imposed nationwide as the centerright government led by Giorgia Meloni declared soon after Berlusconi’s passing away a four-day national mourning and granted him the State funeral in the politician’s hometown, Milan.

The ceremony was a show of power, all the highest authorities of the country attended the mass officiated by Milan’s archbishop on June 15th. But the event was missed by all world leaders but Qatar’s, Iraq’s and San Marino’s: a clear sign that the Italian political figure was too controversial and that the presence of lots of international leaders could have sparked an outrage no one wanted to actually face in their home country. The portrait of Silvio Berlusconi that emerged from the international press was indeed pretty different from the one showcased in the Italian one (with some due exceptions), as outside Italy journalists underlined above all the legal troubles–the charges of bribery, tax fraud and underage prostitution,–as well as the accusation of collusion with the Mafia.

It’s this very background that has led many Italians to protest against the measures included in the national mourning. University students demonstrated and signed petitions to oppose the flags being flown at half-mast, meanwhile audiences in state-run theaters started screaming and booing when the manda-

is a major hub for commercial vehicle transportation. I knew that when I moved here, and I am sensitive to the fact that balancing the flow of traffic with pedestrian safety is a challenging equation to solve, particularly when the majority of our neighbors rely on bus service. That being said, the fact that our street is so traffic-heavy is all the more reason to be as considerate as possible of pedestrian safety. What is most important to us, as a community? Is it that Amazon vans are able to deliver bulk packages of

tory one minute of silence was announced before the plays’ starting. The glorification of Berlusconi’s historical figure has thence not had the effect hoped by his supporters, and there should be no surprise: he had built all his character out of a huge contraposition towards his opponents, he wasn’t a mediator, but rather introduced a stronger polarization in Italian politics, using populism and low-level humor as a

cat food with the speed of light? Is it that cruise tourists can more smoothly climb aboard to the all-you-can-eat buffets that await them? Or is it that community members who rely entirely on bus transportation out of necessity can get on and off the bus without becoming a damning statistic in the New York Times? Our lack of crosswalks sends a message: an efficient flow of commerce is more important than protecting our community from car deaths.

speeches of double entendres, approaching women while delivering public speeches, even showing physical appreciation to Michelle Obama in 2009. Of course the man had his own attitude, but there was a strategy too: he aimed at the silent majorities’ instincts, their fascination for the man of power surrounded by beautiful women getting whatever he wanted. In a way that was genius. After decades of an austere politics driven by Christian Democrat politicians who preferred to keep their public image clean, he understood the country had enough of the moralization of the customs. Berlusconi has always been said to have inaugurated Italy’s Second Republic and the sexualization of politics was one of his most remarkable contributions.

political weapon. As the journalist Marco Travaglio, Berlusconi’s historical opponent, declared: “There has been an embarrassing beatification. He wouldn’t have wanted to be portrayed like a saint.”

As a matter of fact the former Italian PM didn’t put so much effort in building a plain reputation in the last years, as in many public occasions he dived into sexist remarks, not fit for a statesman: like when someone in the crowd during a rally asked him “Mr President, blonde or brunette?” and he replied “It just matters that they give that to you;” or when he promised his football team’s players that if they had beaten a major opponent in the league he would have brought them a bus “full of whores.”

After the first rumors of the orgies and the prostitution involving himself broke out, Berlusconi initially denied–it’s memorably him saying orgies were rather “elegant dinners”–but then he started understanding that lots of Italians were rather fascinated by those stories and he started joking about it, filling his

Anyway, to his supporters his passing away was like losing a landmark: his party, Forza Italia, was basically a personal creature and now that he’s gone few people would bet that the party won't be torn apart by internal struggles. That could eventually even harm the tenure of Meloni’s cabinet, whose Forza Italia is a major partner. The same could be said about his empire of televisions, press, buildings and financial stocks. Berlusconi was a religion: he made a mistake, he said it wasn’t, his supporters believed him, he created enemies to justify any single misbehavior, he attacked the Communists, the judges, the left and he often claimed to have been victim of non-violent and secret coup attempts. There’s no way anyone can replace him, he was unique and his heritage would rather end up in the public consciousness than in a specific person. His faithfuls have lost their idol, but for them it’s time to ask themselves whether to still live under the heavy shadow of what Berlusconi was, or face the truth as Nietzsche suggested in the Gay Science: “God is dead! God remains dead! And we have killed him! How shall we console ourselves, the most murderous of all murderers? The holiest and the mightiest that the world has hitherto possessed, has bled to death under our knife,who will wipe the blood from us? With what water could we cleanse ourselves? What lustrums, what sacred games shall we have to devise? Is not the magnitude of this deed too great for us? Shall we not ourselves have to become Gods, merely to seem worthy of it?”.

EU correspondent

"Berlusconi has always been said to have inaugurated

Italy’s Second Republic and the sexualization of politics was one of his most remarkable contributions."

I went on a walking tour of Floyd Bennett Field given by the Municipal Art Society

Story

When New Yorkers take an airline flight, they go to one of three major airports –Newark, LaGuardia or JFK. But before any of them existed, New York’s first commercial airport was Floyd Bennett Field, in a still-underdeveloped area of southeast Brooklyn, just northwest of the Gil Hodges Bridge to the Rockaways.

Never a commercial success during its era of the 1930s, the airport became known instead as the jumping-off point for many ground-breaking flights by famous aviators such as Howard Hughes (the reclusive movie producer was also a pilot), Amelia Earhart, Laura Ingalls, and Wiley Post, who started and ended his round-the world flight there.

Wrong Way Corrigan

Floyd Bennett was even the starting point for the infamous Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan, who told flight authorities that he planned to fly his secondhand plane to California but somehow ended up in Dublin instead. As late as 1957, after the facility was taken over by the Navy, Major John Glenn, the future astronaut, landed at Floyd Bennett Field after setting a transcontinental speed record.

Today, Floyd Bennett Field is part of Gateway National Recreation Area, administered by the U.S. National Park Service. Its main building, the Ryan Visitor Center (the former passenger terminal), and most of its hangars have been rehabilitated. On Saturday, March 3, the Municipal Art Society sponsored a tour of Floyd Bennett Field, led by licensed NYC tour guide Lloyd Trufelman with an assist from Park Ranger Lincoln Hallowell.

According to Trufelman, Newark Airport, the first major airport to serve the metropolitan area, came first. Still, there was a sense that New York City needed its own airport. A committee headed by Clarence Chamberlin, the second U.S pilot to cross the Atlantic after Charles Lindbergh, looked for a site for the new facility. Chamberlin chose the current site, formally known as Barren Island. But even after Floyd Bennett Field opened in 1930, it failed to get the U.S. air mail contract that would have made it profitable. It was faster to get the bring the mail in by truck from Newark via the Holland Tunnel than from Floyd Bennett — the Belt Parkway wouldn’t be open until 1940.

Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia wasn’t pleased at this state of affairs. Trufelman said that in 1934, when a flight he was on landed at Newark Airport, he yelled and carried on until the pilot agreed to fly to Floyd Bennett instead. Still, the Post Office reaffirmed its choice of Newark.

Newark Airport won out

During the ‘30s, said Trufelman, the only scheduled passenger flights using Floyd Bennett Field were one daily trip to Boston and another from that city, although sometimes other flights were diverted to Floyd Bennett from Newark because of weather

and

photos by Raanan Geberer

conditions. It continued to serve as a staging area for celebrity pilots and their high-profile flights.

In 1939, La Guardia Airport (then the New York Municipal Airport) opened. In May 1941, Floyd Bennett was closed to all commercial and general air traffic. In June, with World War II raging in Europe, the U.S. Navy opened its Naval Air Station at Floyd Bennett, and the following year it took over the rest of the airfield. The Naval facility remained active until 1970, and the Coast Guard maintained a helicopter base there through the ’90s. Even today, there’s a police helicopter facility on part of the site. Trufelman then showed us around the building, pointing out what had been there in the ‘30s. For example, it once contained a barbershop and dormitory-type rooms for pilots, since flying by night was forbidden then. It also had a restaurant that in 1933, with the repeal of Prohibition, was transformed into a bar. Finally, it contained a telephone room; a Western Union telegraph room; a studio for WNYC, the city radio station; and as a press room, since in those days, “flying was news.”

Only the wealthy

Pointing to a photo of actress Gloria Swanson getting out of a plane, Trufelman said that “this was the type of person who flew in the 1930s—only the wealthy traveled by air.” We also saw a painting of Floyd Bennett himself – a U.S. Navy pilot who, along with Commander Richard Byrd, made the first flight to the North Pole in 1926 (although the claim was later contested).

We then went up to the control-tower room. During World War II, since many men had gone to war, the

Navy recruited young women from Hunter College to be trained as WAVES (Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service) so they could work as air traffic controllers. Inside the glass-covered tower, Park Ranger Hallowell said, it was so hot that people could only work half-hour shifts – and they couldn’t open the windows because birds would fly in. Soon, both men and women performed their jobs there in bathing suits.

Toward the end of the tour, Trufelman took the group to the hangar area. Four hangars are occupied by the Aviator Sports Center, which we didn’t visit but offers skating, basketball, volleyball and more. Hangars 1 and 2 have been rehabilitated by The Williams Companies and are used as natural gas distribution facilities.

Hangars 3 and 4 have not been rehabilitated, are used by the National Park Service for storage. They show the effects of deterioration, such as exposed wood where paint has worn off.

Trufelman saved the best for last when he took the group to Hangar B, where historic aircraft restored by the Historic Aircraft Restoration Project (HARP) are on display. Many of the volunteers who painstakingly restore the aircraft are veterans of World War 2, Korea and Vietnam.

The aircraft range from a replica of the Wright Brothers’ 1903 biplane to World War II aircraft to a 1967 Coast Guard search-and-rescue helicopter, and everything in between. Trufelman called the facility “New York’s secret National Air and Museum,” referring to the famed Washington, D.C. institution.

"It was so hot that people could only work half-hour shifts – and they couldn’t open the windows because birds would fly in. Soon, both men and women performed their jobs there in bathing suits."

Park Ranger Lincoln Hallowell, who spoke to the tour-goers along with Lloyd Trufelman of the Municipal Art Society.

Hangar Number 1, restored and used by The Williams Companies, which won a historic preservation award for its efforts.

A biplane, or two-winged aircraft. Biplanes were phased out during the 1930s, but continued to be used for training flights.

A World War II-era Dodge ambulance.

A Salvadoran story

There is a tiny restaurant called Los Hermanos Cafe at 142 West 9th Street. It’s in the middle of the busy intersection at Hamilton and Clinton St. right in-between Red Hook and Carroll Gardens. Though the space is small, the empanadas are excellent.

I spoke to Jonathan Flores, who works as a cashier at Los Hermanos. He told me about the restaurant and the special significance of its location. His uncle, Manuel Flores opened the restaurant recently. “My uncle opened the place up in March and I started working here right from the start,” Flores said. “At first it was just a few orders like tacos and quesadillas that were really selling. We’re just starting to get the word out about some of the other dishes since we’re still pretty new.”

The restaurant has breakfast options like omelettes, as well as burgers, nachos, flautas, shakes, and some more creative options as well. It is open seven days a week, from 11 am-5 pm on Sundays and 9 am-9 pm on Mondays-Saturdays.

IKEA celebrates Midsummer, as well as 15 years in the neighorhood

by Brian Abate

Red Hook's IKEA held a midsummer celebration on June 23. It’s a Swedish tradition that brings family and friends together. In Red Hook, the celebration included a buffet with a special menu for the evening, as well as live music. IKEA is also celebrating its 15th year in Red Hook this June.

One woman at the celebration said “I love the salmon and of course, the meatballs are great, especially with jam. The veggie ones are my go-to. The cinnamon buns are also really good.”

I ended up getting the classic Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes and peas. Everything was excellent, and the meatballs and jam were a really good combination.

The woman also said, “I moved to New York about a year ago and it was always a dream of mine to move here.

I love the hustle and bustle of it but I always love that Red Hook has a bit of a small-town feel to it and everyone has been really welcoming. I’m enjoying my time here in Red Hook and my time here at IKEA too.”

by Brian Abate

“Every now and then my uncle likes to experiment with dishes,” Flores said. Every food that you see here, and you’ve never seen before is his creation. He’s been a cook for as long as I can remember since I was a little kid.”

Flores mentioned his favorite food, saying “The bandeja paisa, which is steak, eggs, beans, chorizo, pork, rice, sweet plantains, and arepas, is amazing. You’ve got to be really hungry though because it's really a lot of food.”

Finding the right location for the restaurant was very important for the Flores family.

“Red Hook holds a special place for us,” Flores said. “We’re Salvadoran and when my family first arrived in the country, they landed here in Red Hook, originally on West 9th St. We love Red Hook and we wanted a place as close as possible to it. Once we realized this place was available, we knew we wanted it.”

One of the challenges so far for Flores is handling

Domestic Workers celebrated

by Nathan Weiser

The Care Forward initiative hosted its first annual awards dinner on June 26 where it honored domestic workers and community allies in the movement for worker justice.

We Rise, which is a domestic worker organizing and empowerment organization founded Care Forward. The pilot site is in the Carroll Gardens and Park Slope area. The Carroll Gardens Association is a member of We Rise.

They honored the critical care and labor of domestic workers and the businesses, elected officials, faith leaders and community based organizations who are committed to transforming the care economy and fighting for worker justice in District 39.

Councilmember Hanif and Assemblywoman Simon were the two politicians at the event. The commissioner of the Dept. of Consumer and Worker Protection, Vilda Vera Mayuga, was also at

both the flow of business.

“It feels like we’re either really busy, or it’s kind of dead,” Flores said. “There’s no in-between. One thing is we have going for us is that we've developed some regular customers we can rely on, and then they tell other people about it, and word gets around.”

“One guy in particular, Ray, always comes in, and I remember him because I really like his energy. He always gets the empanadas and compliments them, and asks me about the business. I really appreciate that.”

Flores also spoke about some of his favorite parts of the job, saying “I know this might sound boring to a lot of people, but when we have rushes and a lot of people are coming in and trying the food, it makes me really happy. That and just hearing people praise the cooking makes me really happy.”

Los Hermanos Cafe

142 W 9th Street (347) 599-0428

the event which took place at JJ Bryne Park at the Old Stone House. Hanif was the first to receive an award. She has been involved with Care Forward since she was a staffer under her predecessor, Brad Lander.

“We are doing something that has never been done before for standards to ensure that there is pay equity and that workers know what their existing rights are and the NYC law,” she said. “It is setting a precedent around ensuring the safety and dignity of care workers here within the 39th district.”

For a long time, the care industry sector has been informal where protections in the workplace were not often recognized. “Domestic workers have been fighting for pay equity, paid time off, overtime and other protections like when they face discrimination or harassment,” Hanif said. “This is a model where the employers are at the table too, so that conversation led by Carroll Gardens Association and our community partners really ensures accountability and transparency.”

Assemblywoman Simon was next. “I am very excited to be here and be supportive as always of care workers,” she said. “You heard before that domestic workers have not been included in many of the civil rights protections,” Simon said. “As a civil rights lawyer, that is something that I have been

fighting for for a long time. I am honored that you guys came together.”

Simon added that she is looking forward to increasing the people involved in Care Forward and staying involved in the future.

Another award honoree was Susan Fox from Park Slope Parents. Park Slope Parents provides guidance and best practices for employers looking to hire nannies and house cleaners.

Cheri Kroon from Old First Reformed Church in Park Slope was honored. They have a history of committing to racial and social justice.

Norman Cohen, who is the president of Kane Street Synagogue, was also recognized with an award. The synagogue recently celebrated its 167th anniversary.

The next Care Hero award went to the children’s librarians at the Park Slope Library. The Carroll Gardens Library also received a Care Hero award. The library has a story time program and provides a space for care workers.

“It gives me great honor for our staff to provide a safe space for care workers in the neighborhood,” librarian John Leighton said. “I want to thank CGA for putting together this event. It’s the greatest community partner I have ever worked with.”

"For a long time, the care industry sector has been informal where protections in the workplace were not often recognized."

Residential Curbside Organics Collection: A Push to Make NYC More Sustainable

by Katherine Rivard

Recycling has long been touted as an easy way to cut down on waste and to create a more sustainable city. In practice, about 18% of trash from homes in NYC is diverted to recycling, according to NYC’s Department of Sanitation (DSNY), and it is likely that a much smaller portion is actually recycled. In 2022, Greenpeace published a report noting that even with the “chasing arrows” label, most types of plastic are not actually recyclable, with only about 5-6% of plastic waste in the U.S. being recycled in 2021. But New York City’s representatives finally recognize another low hanging fruit in the quest to curb landfill use—compost.

A third of trash collected by DSNY is compostable—from carrot tops and apple cores, to eggshells and soiled paper towels. When added to landfills with the rest of our garbage, these organic materials rot, emitting methane, a harmful greenhouse gas. But it does not have to be this way. When organic materials are properly sorted out and composted, they instead break down into a soil amendment or mulch that can be used to propagate healthy gardens.

Veto proof

On April 28, 2022, City Council Member Shahana Hanif introduced a piece of legislation that will mandate curbside composting. Last month, on June 8, the legislation was finally approved in its current form by the City Council. The bill will “require the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) to create a citywide curbside organics program for residential buildings.” It will also require DSNY to create outreach and education materials to teach residents how to properly separate materials.

The bill is now in review by Mayor Adams, but even without his signature, the Council will almost certainly pass the bill into law considering its widespread support during the initial vote. The program is almost identical to the one proposed by Mayor Adams himself, but mandatory. DSNY already provides the service throughout Queens, and will do the same for all of Brooklyn by this October. It will continue to expand to the Bronx and Staten Island by March 2024, and throughout Manhattan that fall. The program is straightforward and makes it simple for all residents to compost their organic waste. Residents do not even need to sign up; instead, each address will receive a brown bin (similar to the blue recycling bins provided by DSNY) and the bins will be emptied each recycling day.

New York City is not unique in its ongoing mission to compost more. South Korea is the poster child of composting done right. In 2005, the country banned food scraps from landfills, instead turning them into fertilizer, animal feed, and even fuel. In the United States, some cities are also making headway in the war against methane.

In January, Los Angeles launched its own mandatory curbside composting program. Meanwhile, Seattle has required households with 1-4 units to compost food and yard waste since 2012. Even private companies have seen potential in food scraps. Businesses have created sleek, personal composting machines, with names like “Lomi” or “Mill”. Customers spend hundreds of dollars in return for feeling good about reducing their waste (and not having to collect or transport their food scraps).

While the proposed law is an exciting opportunity for the city to curb its carbon footprint, it is not the first time the city has considered new approaches to composting. Earlier this year, DSNY began a pilot program that placed “Smart Bins” in neighborhoods across the city. The orange bins look much like other public trash bins, with a mouth that opens with a handle or by stepping down on a pedal near the bottom, except they instead collect food scraps that are “composted to beautify green spaces across NYC.” While the bins were a step in the right direction, many of them require an app to access and those that do not require an app, have been placed sparingly throughout the city. DSNY also recommends bagging the compost to reduce mess

(even non-compostable bags are acceptable), which keeps the bins clean but adds extra trash to the process. Dedicated NYC composters will be familiar with other local opportunities to get rid of food scraps the eco-friendly way. GrowNYC, the environmental nonprofit responsible for running many of the city’s farmers markets, operates residential Food Scrap Dropoff sites and partners with community composting facilities. Each Sunday, locals can drop their food scraps off at the Carroll Gardens Greenmarket between 8am and 12pm. Other nonprofits do similar work.

In Red Hook, Red Hook Farms operates its own drop off sites. They accept food scraps any time. Just drop them off in the brown bins by the Columbia/ Sigourney gate (the one closest to BASIS school) or the Beard/Otsego gate (the one closest to Ikea).

While this new legislation will no doubt push the city to reduce its use of landfills, some questions remain. NYCHA residents, who make up approximately 16% of the city’s populations, will not be included in the mandate, as the properties are under federal jurisdiction. Another obstacle will be for the city to ramp up its composting capacity. The city will need to create more facilities to manage the in-

creased intake of organic materials. Finally, while residents will be required to change their habits, the legislation fails to address businesses. Restaurants have the potential to hugely reduce waste by composting scraps and leftovers, yet only food service establishments that “occupy a floor area of at least 7,000 square feet” are required to separate their organic waste. In a city with many tiny restaurants, more universal requirements would likely have a sizable impact.

It is easy to imagine NYC residents in 2100, horrified to imagine that at the turn of the last century, residents threw food scraps in with the rest of their trash, sending it to landfills where it would rot and emit gases that were poisoning the planet. It is even more easy to imagine NYC residents in 2025, grumbling about the effort necessary to take out a compost bin in addition to their recycling bin each week, and the city, somehow bungling pick up so that food scraps are left for the rats to feast upon. The City Council has done its part to move New York towards a more sustainable future—now it is up to DSNY and residents to do our parts.

"NYCHA residents, who make up approximately 16% of the city’s populations, will not be included in the mandate, as the properties are under federal jurisdiction."

The Future is Now! The Singularity is Nigh! And the Singular HER is Now Our Era’s Cinematic Urtext.

All the hand wringing and doomsaying around artificial intelligence — in tools like ChatGPT, Bard, DALLE, and Midjourney — has made for some lazy movie comparisons. AI is like Skynet in the Terminator movies! These chatbots are a few dataset away from becoming 2001’s HAL 9000! We’re all destined to be mindless slug consumers controlled by corporate AI run amok, like the humans in WALL-E!

Our civilization is on the precipice of an AI apocalypse! Unless it isn’t. These are just tools, after all. Maybe they’ll just augment our work and lives in ways that edit out the rote and mindless. It’ll probably break on what venture capitalist is throwing the money around. (We’re doomed!)

What is clear, though, is that the cinematic analog for our time isn’t Terminator 2 or The Matrix or Ex Machina but a film less outwardly dystopian and more deceptively gentle and twee: the 2013 sci-fi dramedy Her

Written and directed by Spike Jonze, Her is what you might get if you asked ChatGPT to concoct a Philip K. Dick-style speculative sci-fi romance in the vein of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and then run that text through Midjourney with the prompt to give it the look and register of Lost in Translation. That’s of course a wholly unfair and reductive way to introduce one of the most original films of the last decade. But it speaks to how prescient it is — even if it felt, 10 years ago, like we had a little more time for Jonze’s future to become our present.

Set in the unspecified “near future,” Her is situated around the most mundane of plots — a lonely, socially-awkward guy going through a divorce finds love, and himself, in the place he least expects it — which Jonze tilts toward the (seemingly) absurd — the love our lonely hero finds is his computer’s AI-powered operating system.

Joaquin Phoenix, at his hangdog aginghipster best, is the guy, Theodore, the best personal-letter ghostwriter on staff at beautifulhandwrittenletters.com. (In a nod to dystopias domestic and Kafkaesque, the receptionist, played by a very young Chris Pratt, IDs Theodore as Letter Writer 612.) Scarlett Johansson, heard but never seen, is the sunny, sympathetic, sassy, and sensual voice of Samantha, the personality Theodore’s OS takes when he installs it. They chat at first via Theodore’s computer speakers, then primarily through a tiny earpiece Theodore addictively wears as he gets hooked on Samantha. (It’s disconcerting

by Dante A. Ciampaglia

to me that his earpiece bears a striking resemblance to my Jabra Elite 75t earphones. And that when I saw the film in 2013 I swore I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing something like that. Oops.)

Samantha helps Theodore organize his life and emails; he takes her on adventures by letting her “see” the world through his tiny phone’s camera, poking out of his shirt pocket.

They have long, encouraging conversations that expand both of their existences.

They’re, ahem, intimate — well, more like they “cyber,” as us OG netizens used to call it. (Or maybe it’s just good oldfashioned phone sex.) And they form a real relationship — insofar as a human man and a hypersophisticated algorithmic voice assistant can be in one — that makes them both happy until, inevitably, everything crashes.

In lesser hands, this is all a big goof. And, in fact, it is pretty funny. But we never laugh at the movie or its characters. There’s no judgment here, from Jonze or anyone inside the film. When Theodore’s friend Amy (an excellent Amy Adams) and, later, Pratt’s receptionist learn he’s dating his OS, they accept it, celebrate it, and find the impulse normal. The only one who openly rejects the arrangement is Theodore’s lazily shrewish ex-wife Catherine (Rooney Mara). (Catherine is the one achingly underdeveloped piece of the film.)

Indeed, Theodore and Samantha’s relationship is crafted as, in its way, the natural evolution of relationships. At least for a time. All the human romantic partners we meet — Catherine, Amy’s feckless husband Charles (Matt Letscher), Theodore’s blind date (Olivia Wilde) — are broken, selfish, troubled. (The sole exception is Pratt’s girlfriend, who we barely get to know.) A non-judgmental companion looks like heaven in comparison. Never mind that the partner is just a disembodied voice, or that the human operators engage in the same toxic dominance behavior they’re retreating from. It’s only at the end, when a kind of mass OS enlightenment causes the entire network to become sentient and disappear to form its own, I guess, community (uh-oh, here comes Skynet!) do Theodore and Amy — who has her own deep, possibly queer, relationship with an OS — realize the power and necessity of human-to-human contact.

This is deep, heady stuff, and it’s unlike

anything that came before. (Jonze deservedly won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for Her.) But watching it now is a different kind of head trip because of how much it anticipates.

There’s a scene at a carnival, where Theodore takes Samantha on a date, and she guides him close-eyed around using

shot in part in Shanghai, which helps.)

And in 2049, perhaps the most provocative moment is when Joi, the Replicant K’s AI companion, hires a Replicant prostitute so she can merge her holographic form with this other woman’s physical body to have a tactile sexual experience with K. It’s a wild, indelible scene — and when I saw 2049 I completely forgot Her did it first.

his phone camera and gets him to do stuff like spin around and act goofy. We see all this from her point of view — this is, slightly degraded phone video — and the parallels to TikTok are undeniable. When Theodore installs the OS1, Samantha’s official product name, he asks how she can be what she is. “Basically, I have intuition. The DNA of who I am is based on the millions of personalities of all the programmers who wrote me,” Samantha replies. “But what makes me me is my ability to grow through my experiences. So, basically, in every moment I’m evolving, just like you.” If ChatGPT could talk, it would say something similar. And, of course, there’s the whole relationship-with-an-AI thing. In late March 2023, the Washington Post ran a story about users of the Replika app building deep, meaningful, human bonds with chatbots only to see them disappear in a system upgrade.

There are also more mundane prognostications. Theodore asks Samantha to sift through his ghostwriting for spelling and grammar, an AI feature found literally anywhere we type now. There are massive screens in public places and super-immersive video games — hello advertising industry of the 2020s and the metaverse. Those tiny earpieces are everywhere. And everything in the film’s future Los Angeles has the slick, uncanny sheen of a waxed-linoleum future, which can be seen in today’s global network of homogenous megalopolises and feels like a power-washed and sanitized update of Blade Runner’s neon-rain-soaked L.A.

Ridley Scott’s 1982 classic dystopian film, and its 2017 sequel Blade Runner 2049, are actually interesting comparisons because, often, it feels like Her looks back at the former and points to the latter. For instance, the original imagines L.A. in a world dominated by Japanese commerce and aesthetic; Her updates the reference point to China. (The film was

In Jonze’s film, Samantha hires a woman from an OS “surrogate service” to have a physical encounter with Theodore. The woman wears an earpiece and facialmole-sized camera to give Samantha a corporeal presence and become “real” for Theodore. It doesn’t go well. It also raises all sorts of ethical questions, from hiring an “OS surrogate” (which will surely be a real thing in the not-too-distant future) to what constitutes “real” when it comes to this couple. It’s a question that slaps Theodore in the face when, later, Samantha tells him that she’s also talking with 8,316 other people — and in love with 641 of them. “I’m yours and I’m not yours,” she says.

Could there be any more appropriate sentiment for our technological present? We rely on subscription services for everything from apps to streaming services to controlling our car’s seats. Tyler Durden famously quips in Fight Club that the things we own end up owning us. It’s a quaint sentiment in 2023, when our ability to actually own anything is increasingly dependent on paying monthly ransoms to software companies. Our phones and TVs and cars could easily say to us, “I’m yours and I’m not yours.” If only they gave us the kind of joy and satisfaction Samantha provides Theodore. One thing I unequivocally own is a Her Blu-ray. Good thing, too, otherwise I’d be dependent on where it’s streaming at any given moment. (Currently it’s available on YouTube, Amazon, Google Play, and Apple TV, but that will shift and change in time.) And it’s a film that is worth revisiting often. Like the best sciencefiction, it has a lot to say about where we were (circa 2013) and where we’re headed. I’m not sure Jonze or anyone else involved with the film expected us to get to a rough draft of its world quite so quickly. But now that we’re here, it has become a cinematic text as vital to making sense of our present and future as Blade Runner or The Matrix or The Truman Show or, yes, Terminator 2 But if heavy philosophical lifting and existential angst aren’t your thing, that’s OK. Her is also one of the best romantic dramedies of the 21st century. And a lot of fun to watch — with a partner, a friend, or your best AI chatbot.

Her is what you might get if you asked ChatGPT to concoct a Philip K. Dickstyle speculative sci-fi romance

Cindi Mayweather succumbs to pleasure. Anyone who caught Janelle Monáe’s 2018 concert in Prospect Park (and reportedly thousands didn’t and were turned away once the bandshell grounds were filled to capacity) knows what a dynamic performer she is. She seriously enjoyed herself, putting on a tight show, copping moves from James Brown and Michael Jackson and gleefully admitting defeat in an audience challenge dance-off. And those who bore witness to her opening for Prince at Madison Square Garden in 2010 know Monáe is too cool to touch. (“She’s so bad she don’t pronounce the ‘n’ in my name,” the master told the audience that night). She’s also got bonafide acting chops, as demonstrated, for example, in Moonlight and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. And in the wake of the release of The Age of Pleasure (CD, LP and download co-released on her own Wondaland with Bad Boy and Atlantic), she’s presumably still got a killer record gestating inside her.

Back in 2018, Monáe discussed the possibility of a movie exploring the story of Cindi Mayweather, an android character woven through several of her albums. Naturally, she would do the music as well. “I want my Star Wars,” she told the magazine. “As a writer, as a storyteller, as an actor, to be able to do the soundtrack that’s rooted from works that I wrote.” That would (will) be the killer record she’s capable of. The Age of Pleasure, on the other hand, might be that not-yetborn album’s polar opposite. It’s also a very good record, light and uplifting with unapologetically fluid lyrics (she addresses female lovers with passion and lust, and without politics) and complex, layered funk. It might be her lightest record to date, but that doesn’t mean it’s shallow.

Ms. Monáe is probably right. The world needs to delight in nonjudgmental bodily pleasure right now much more than it needs a multimedia dystopic, electrified opera. But the quick disc doesn’t quite scream indulgence; the 14 tracks fly by in just 32 minutes, with only two breaking the three-minute mark. That’s the

real shame of The Age of Pleasure. There are plenty of tunes that deserve six minutes or more of movement and groovement but don’t get it. The lead single and first track, “Float,” is one of those two (at a whopping 4:02). On it, she sets an m.o. for the album: I don’t step, I don’t walk, I don’t dance, I just float.” It’s also one of two songs featuring Seun Kuti and Egypt 80, which are the best tracks on the album. The horns will make you thirst for more.

is back with more new anthems for a world in decline. Beholden-to-no-one guitarist, songwriter and rabble rouser Ribot speaks truth to the powerless in a way not so dissimilar to Fela’s proselytizing, although his roots are more in punk attitude and r’n’b guitar.

To really submerge in those horns, you’ve got to go to the source. The Brooklyn-based Partisan Records (a part of Knitting Factory Entertainment) just released a 50th anniversary vinyl pressing of Seun’s father Fela Kuti’s Gentleman, a turning point in the discography of the Afropop architect. In the 14-minute title track, Kuti announces in pidgin English that “I no be gentleman at all,” an understated warning for the more political records he would soon be releasing, looking European colonialism in Africa direct in the eyes. The two tracks on the flip address surviving heartbreak (“Fefe Naa Efe”) and staying loyal to friends (“Igbe”), the points made as always through repetition in multiple languages and over hypnotizing, funky music. It’s not Fela’s best record, but Partisan is working through the catalog (having already issued them on CD back in 2010), which means things are about to get really good.

The opening title track on Connection (CD, LP and download out on Bastille Day from Knockwurst Records) almost sounds like an answer song to the Rolling Stones 1967 song of the same name, with Ribot taking on Mick Jagger’s mawkish bluesman vocals, at least until the synth noise and blistering guitar solo kick in. But where Jagger can’t make no connection, Ribot is watching someone simply missing it while trying to muscle their way through another day. The band is hot as a city sidewalk in the July, with a crew of guests on different tracks, Anthony Coleman and Greg Lewis on organs and James Brandon Lewis and Oscar Noriega on reeds among them, rounding out the solid guitar trio of Ribot, drummer Ches Smith and the invaluable Shazad Ismaily on bass and electronics. Some deep groove instrumentals give them room to strut. Come for the societal breakdown, stay for the rendition of “That’s Entertainment.”

And while on the downtown guitar tip, NYC mainstay and six-string polymath Elliott Sharp posted a name-yourprice tribute to the late Jeff Beck to his Bandcamp page that’s well worth five minutes of your time. And while you’re there, check out the recent, remixed, remastered, 25-track collection of tracks by his Terraplane, with the great blues guitarist Hubert Sumlin on several cuts.

as ever. Fahey remained a contentious figure right up to his death in 2001 at the age of 61. He started performing on electric guitar fairly late in life, which added new atmospherics to his already nebulous, blue-based inventions. Rather remarkably, a new set of late recordings has been unearthed and polished up for release by Drag City under the title Proofs and Refutations. The set of eight tracks, totalling 45 minutes, begins with a preacher-styled recitation with heavy reverb and lots of repetition. It’s fairly hilarious, but it also shows his deep fascination with sound, be it his voice, his guitar or recordings of trains. The tracks were laid down in a room in a Salem, Oregon, boardinghouse in 1995 and 1996 and whatever gear he was using at the time, the audio is remarkably clean. What’s fascinating here, though, is the sense of Fahey listening. He was a stunning guitarist, but here he’s alone, more interested in the sounds of his instrument (both acoustic and amplified) than his aptitude on it. He locks into phrases and figures, then abandons them for thumps, buzzes and single-note fixations. The album (LP and download) isn’t out until Sept. 8, but you can ease the wait by making tracks to Picture Theory in Greenpoint, where a show of Fahey’s paintings is up until August 12, by appointment only. Go to picturetheoryprojects.com to make a reservation.

More bad-time party jams. Just in time for the dog days of another summer of discontent, Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog

Blind Joe Death Resurrects Anew.

It’s easy to miss five or six decades hence how radical John Fahey’s early records were. Non-programmatic folkstyle fingerpicking just wasn’t a thing when his first self-released albums (sometimes using the name “Blind Joe Death” appeared). On the other hand, Fahey’s musique concrète tape collages still sound about as out of this world

" But where Jagger can’t make no connection, Ribot is watching someone simply missing it while trying to muscle their way through another day."

Quinn on Books

70 Years Later, Failed Poems Still Succeed

Review of Maud Martha, by Gwendolyn Brooks

Review

by

Michael Quinn

Gwendolyn Brooks (1917–2000) was an American poet and the first Black person to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1950. Her award-winning book of poems, Annie Allen, focused on the life of an ordinary Black girl living in Chicago’s South Side. Brooks returned to this subject in the only novel she ever published, Maud Martha (1953), a slim volume of short vignettes that was poorly received upon publication and fell into relative obscurity. Yet because of Brooks’ legacy, its name survives. This year marks its 70th anniversary.

Maud Martha is now something of a cult classic, especially loved and championed by poets, including Sandra Cisneros, whose blockbuster The House on Mango Street (1984) uses a similar structure to portray the life of a young Chicana girl in Chicago. Cisneros didn’t discover Maud Martha until after she’d written Mango Street but immediately recognized Brooks as a kindred spirit and Maud Martha as the same kind of book she’d written—a collection of “failed poems.” You have to read Maud Martha to understand that’s a compliment. And reading Maud Martha is an excellent idea. If you love poetry, you will appreciate its compression of language and concreteness of feeling (and recognize its poetic touches, such as how none of the chapter titles are capitalized). If you hate poetry, you will appreciate how simply and compellingly its story is told.

The book begins when Maud is a little girl, sandwiched between her sister Helen (“the pretty one”) and her brother Harry. They live with their parents in a shabby but wellloved home, with a scraggly yard whose dandelions Maud admires and feels a kinship with: “Yellow jewels for every day, studding the patched green dress of her back yard.” Childhood is a series of firsts. The kitchen table is the hub of the house, where Maud later remembers learning to cook, drawing a prize-winning picture, and “getting her hair curled for her first party.” Her grandmother’s passing is Maud’s first experience of death, which leaves her clear-eyed about mortality. Maud wonders when her Uncle Harry dies, “Was the world any better off for his having lived? A little perhaps. Perhaps he had stopped his car short once, and saved a dog, so that another car could kill it a month later.”

As a teenager, Maud discovers boys. The first one she’s interested in is a player. Maud vows to resist, but at his touch, “a sloppy feeling had filled her.” The second one is ambitious but pretentious (he wears tweed to show his academic ambitions) and critical of their shared background. He’s resentful of how poverty limits one’s chances, kills one’s spirit, and dulls one’s mind. With disgust, he points out the dirty windows of a dumpylooking apartment building, the kind of place Maud herself will soon inhabit when she marries Paul Phillips, a good-looking man with big dreams and small means whom she disarms and charms with her self-awareness: “I am not a pretty woman.” On an early date, they compare their skin tones: his light, hers much darker. The newlyweds take two rooms with a shared bath on “the third floor of a great gray stone building.” They start with grand ideas about spiffing up the place, but its grimness anesthetizes them. With disbelief, Maud watches roaches crawl across freshly washed surfaces. She carries ideas of what constitutes a lovely home from her childhood but realizes that Paul “was not a lover of tablecloths, he could eat from a splintery board, he could eat from the earth.”

Pregnant, Maud watches Paul flirt with a light-skinned woman at a dance. She thinks, “What I am inside, which is really me, he likes okay. But he keeps looking at my color, which is like a wall.” While Maud alone experiences this colorism, the couple has shared experiences of racism. It’s a constant threat. When they realize they’re the only Black couple at the movies, Maud is suddenly conscious of their clothes, the stain on Paul’s shirt. It’s a relief when the lights go down. And yet the movie is good! They enjoy it! Afterward, they want to turn to the people around them and say, “Wasn’t that great?” Instead, they avert their eyes and try to escape quickly.

The most heartrending experience of racism is when Maud takes their daughter, Paulette, to see Santa at the local department store, and he doesn’t want to talk to her. Walking home, the little girl asks her mother why Santa doesn’t like her. It breaks Maud’s heart, but she is a realist. She knows she can’t shield her daughter from the world’s harsher realities.

Maud Martha’s power comes from this refusal to see life as anything other than how it is while also recognizing what makes it great—not life-changing events, but everyday moments: “a marriage made up of Sunday papers and shoeless feet, baking powder biscuits, baby baths, and matinees and laundrymen, and potato plants in the kitchen window.” Maud pays deep attention to life, closely observing the people around her and appreciating how they struggle and show up for one another. When thinking about what she wants from her life, Maud realizes, “What she wanted was to donate to the world a good Maud Martha.” To be the best version of ourselves is an admirable goal for any of us. Maud Martha encourages us to try. Brooks’ book deserves to be more widely known. Read it, pass it on, and help spread the word.

Jazz by Grella

The Original Idol

Sometimes, things just come together. I’m writing this on July 4th, at the end of a long holiday weekend which saw the conclusion of the HBO series The Idol and, this day, the first of two birthday broadcasts on WKCR— 89.9 on your FM dial, or wkcr.org if you insist—for Louis Armstrong.

Yes, there are two birthday broadcasts for Louis, who was born in 1901 either on the 4th of July, which he claimed, or August 4th, the date that birth records indicate. Considering the status of Black Americans in New Orleans at the turn of the 20th century, barely two generations since the start of the Civil War, it’s in no way a stretch to doubt what state documents record and trust in what Louis had to say about his own life.

The symbolism is important. The Fourth is this country’s official birthday, and by 1776, Blacks, both enslaved and free, were already essential to the economic, political, and cultural foundations of this country. America as it is, and was, doesn’t exist without them. And American culture, particularly musical culture, doesn’t dominate the world as it has from the 20th century on without Black music in general and especially the singular figure of Armstrong, who all by himself pretty much created modern pop music. Louis, Pops, not just the OG Idol but the OG GOAT.

Without Louis, there’s no Abel Tesfaye, a/k/a The Weeknd, primer creator behind The Idol without the Idol. We can’t hold Louis responsible for every mistake and misadventure that has followed him in the field he created, and there’s a vast distance and difference between Louis and The Weeknd, neither of which show the latter favorably. Beyond the selfindulgent, tawdry, puerile male-centric extended rape fantasy of The Idol —one of the worst things I’ve ever seen on television; despite its soft-porn sleaziness it was often so dull that I had to resort to imagine a Mystery Science 3000 dialog during many stretches— there’s the quality of the pop music made by The Weeknd himself. Armstrong launched the possibilities for pop music with enormous energy and humor, he subverted the conventions of popular song in the 1920s with a sense of freedom grounded in fantastic musical judgment and virtuosic skill.

The way The Idol plays out moment by moment, and especially the larger arc of the plot, if you want to call it that, is clearly about Tesfaye himself and meant to portray his romanticized self-image. With the caveat that the pop music marketplace is not only manufactured down to the nth degree in the way that songs are constructed to sell (which, if you go by the music on The Idol, is as clichéd, monumental, empty power ballads geared toward strip club audiences), this seems to be a profound public relations disaster. Tesfaye is a weak singer who clouds his songs in a sonic production that is like a dark gray Lexus coupe with tinted windows, acceptably sleek and bland and pretending that darkness hides mystery when the feeling is that it just hides hollowness. He’s a weaker actor, and an amateurish writer who lives in a world where the objects of his rape fantasies fall in love with him. It’s repulsive, and as a natural extension of his puerile songwriting, confirms the repulsive core of his music. I have no idea what Tesfaye’s politics are, but the politics of his music and of The Idol come through the fake rebellion,

by George Grella

the self-regard, and the misogyny. He fits the profile of a Trump voter.

There’s segments on the show about music production, with the skilled producer Mike Dean subtly mocking the pretensions of Tesfaye’s character, and by extension the singer’s skills. Skill on an instrument, whether the trumpet or one’s voice, and skill with computer software may be on equal levels, but they are not the same thing. Digital Audio Workstations like Pro Tools or Ableton Live are immensely powerful and offer deep and complex ways to manipulate sound if one is willing to put in the study and practice. But they are also fundamentally confining; a digital processor needs to put everything in an exact spot, so everything is quantized to a precise location on both a hard drive and in time. Music can’t spill over measures because measures are the bricks with which everything is built—anything that exceeds a measure just gets put into another one. There’s pre-defined parameters for how tightly rhythms have to fit into quantization, which software makers define as “swing” but is laughable in comparison to the way Armstrong could play or sing a solo with one sense of swing that pushed against the drummer’s compatible but different sense of swing.

Swing, the fundamental of jazz, is about how much individuals can play around with time inside a group that is bound together by a pulse. It’s play, it’s playful, spontaneous, eager to see the next thing that happens, full of the possibilities of surprise. And that’s the thing about Armstrong. Listen to “West End Blues” and “Lazy River” dozens of times and you’ll know every note, and they’ll still sound surprising because it’s not just the sound but the magic of playing jazz that is captured on those recording. Armstrong died July 6, 1971 and he is still alive on every second of his recordings.

One thing I find bizarre is how dance-based pop music is so rhythmically dull and sounds so dead. Hear it once and it’s utterly predictable. Part of that is the idea that beats are something manufactured in a drum computer, rather than played, which on top of the quantization makes so much pop music boring. There’s no life there, not even to start, it’s all made via a processor The other component is that since the rhythms are so bland the baselines have to be exceedingly heavy and obtrusive. Can you actually dance to this? I mean, from Armstrong on, the beat in jazz is both much more light-footed and propulsive, because it’s pushing into the future, teasing with where it will land on the time line. There’s surprise involved, it’s fun!

Armstrong is also just fundamentally hip and Tesfaye and his style of music is fundamentally square. Square thinking leads to square rhythms, sure, but so does manufacturing music in terms of what will sell. Sure maybe Pitchfork will dig it, especially if it’s a white critic writing about a Black musician who is outside the cultural world of the critic’s social circles, but selling like that is capitalism, and there is nothing on earth that is more square than capitalism. One of Armstrong’s final albums was Louis Armstrong and His Friends, and one of the tracks on it is Pharoah Sanders’ “The Creator Has a Master Plan.” I can think of a few contemporary pop artist who might be able to handle something on that level, someone like D’Angelo, but Tesfaye is not one of them. There’s freedom in that song that manufacturing cannot simulate. The freedom you hear in Armstrong and in the jazz that followed is freedom within a consensus, the idea of speaking your own voice and mind while being part

of a larger society. That’s jazz as political and social theory, the tune is a set of laws that are formed by the consensus of those involved—the musicians—and playing with them together means forming a society through music. And if you can’t work with the band, well, you get fired.

The kind of pop music that Tesfaye makes sells is an idea of freedom that boils down to a licentiousness— very much pitched at an adolescent emotional and intellectual level—opposed to ideas of strict public behavior. Pop music has been pushing against those since even before Elvis—Armstrong did it!—and we’re long past the point where this has just been a commodification of fantasy, with all the revolutionary daring of putting a “Legalize Freedom/Outlaw Government” bumper sticker on your four-wheel drive SUV and then sitting in traffic on the expressway. Celebrate freedom: listen to Louis.

"There’s pre-defined parameters for how tightly rhythms have to fit into quantization, which software makers define as “swing” but is laughable in comparison to the way Armstrong could play or sing a solo with one sense of swing that pushed against the drummer’s compatible but different sense of swing."

TURN DRINKING STRAWS INTO PARADE FLAGS

by Marie Hueston

Whether you’re attending an Independence Day Parade or marching around your house, these easyto-make flags will help you get into the spirit!

Gather materials. Besides the straws, you’ll need construction paper in reds and blues, scissors, glue and something to draw with like crayons, markers or colored pencils.

Tape flags to your straws. Use tape to attach your flags to the straws. Be sure they are secure enough for lots of waving!

Collect drinking straws. Any size or color will do, but solid colors like black, green, white or the pink and orange from Dunkin’ Donuts work best.

Cut small rectangles for your flags. Your flags should be in proportion to the size of the straw, or about four by five inches for a regular size straw.

Decorate your flags. You can draw a traditional stars-and-stripes flag, cut out red-white-and-blue hearts, or use a range of bright colors to make your flag your way. Get creative!