Congratulations to everyone who participated in last night's gala 2008 Brooklyn Blogfest. The event was an indisputable success, drawing over 250 talented bloggers and their fans to the comfy confines of the Brooklyn Lyceum for a night of presentations, networking, and, of course, libations.
The event's organizer Louise Crawford of Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn deserves the lion's share of the credit for pulling off the largest borough Blogfest ever without a hitch. Special thanks also goes to Louise's stellar team, which included Eleanor Traubman (Creative Times), Adrian Kinloch (Brit in Brooklyn) and Petra Symister (Bed-Stuy Blog), and a host of other talented Brooklynites who donated their services to bring the blogosphere together under one roof.
Despite being given the somewhat harrowing task of handling the evening's video projections (even after I admitted that I am technologically incompetent), I enjoyed myself immensely. Among the individuals I had the pleasure of talking with were local blog giant Bob Guskind (Gowanus Lounge), 2009 City Council candidate and Brooklyn Streets, Carroll Gardens blogger Gary Reilly, the always delightful Katia Kelly of Pardon Me For Asking, Brooklyn Independent TV host Megan Donis, and Brooklyn Paper editor-in-chief Gersh Kuntzman.
Another highlight of Blogfest for me was getting to spend time perusing the work of Brooklyn's wonderfully talented photobloggers. Below is the video I produced for last night's Blogfest entitled "A Photoblog Tribute to Brooklyn". Please feel free to pass it on liberally to help celebrate our borough's prodigious and prolific photographers.
Showing posts with label The Gowanus Lounge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Gowanus Lounge. Show all posts
Friday, May 9, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
The Optimist Hosts "A Walk Around The Blog" on Brooklyn Independent Television
Apparently it's been on for a week, but it was only yesterday afternoon that I saw the latest segment of "A Walk Around The Blog" from Brooklyn Independent Television. If you haven't seen the show, it's probably because it's new to Time Warner Cable Channel 56 and Cablevision Channel 69.
Each episode a different borough blogger leads a short stroll through an area of Brooklyn life. I had the honor of being selected as the show's third host, following in the esteemed footsteps of Robert Guskind of The Gowanus Lounge and Robin Lester of Clinton Hill Blog.
Each episode a different borough blogger leads a short stroll through an area of Brooklyn life. I had the honor of being selected as the show's third host, following in the esteemed footsteps of Robert Guskind of The Gowanus Lounge and Robin Lester of Clinton Hill Blog.
For my segment, I chose to focus on the proposed Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway, a sweeping 14-mile park project that would stretch along the entire length of the East River from Bay Ridge to Greenpoint. In the video I interview Milton Puryear, co-founder of the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative, the organization spearheading the push for this ambitious, eco-friendly expanse.
With the Greenway borough residents would finally be able to access a waterfront we lost long ago to commercial and industrial interests. In place of powerplants and other eyesores, pedestrians, bicyclists and families would have an ambitious multi-use green space to enjoy much like the series of wonderful parks which now span the West Side of Manhattan. I hope my "Walk Around the Blog" will inspire you to advocate on behalf of the Greenway.
For more information how you can donate your time and money to the not-for-profit Brooklyn Greenway Initiative, check out the organization's website. To tune into "A Walk Around the Blog", check your local cable listings or go to the show's blip.tv site.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
The 475 Kent Catastrophe
The Gowanus Lounge has provided excellent coverage of the suffering the residents of 475 Kent Avenue in South Williamsburg have had to endure since they were forcibly evacuated from their homes by City officials earlier this week because of a whole host of building violations at 475 which were potentially jeopardizing their lives.
Since the tenants of 475 Kent were ordered from their homes this past Sunday on a particularly cold night, The Gowanus Lounge has reported the dramatic travails from the point of view of the affected tenants, including a filmmaker named Phillip Anderson who hid out in his apartment with his dog while cops went down the building's hallways pounding on its doors to make sure the residents complied.
In part, GL's insights can be attributed to the proactive stand the residents of 475 Kent have taken in bringing the case of their mistreatment to the public. They have had a website going all week to share information with the media and local elected officials, as well as with one another. The site's message board has helped coordinate the roughly 150 residents of 475 Kent, who as of this evening's latest news will all likely have to empty their apartments this weekend in a mass move without any inkling of when, if ever, they will be allowed to return.
Though Councilman David Yassky, who represent the districts in which 475 Kent stands, has made public statements in support of the displaced tenants, a number of the building's residents appear unsatisfied with the response of their local elected officials. GL quotes one resident's post on the 475 Kent website who argues:
"we need to start a coordinated effort to pressure our electeds to take this issue on. i am very encouraged by councilman yassky's statement from last night. now we need to get assemblyman lentol and our state senator, marty connor, who is facing a well financed primary fight, involved as well. one side note: connor is being challenged by a man named dan squadron. he's young, but he's pretty sharp. if he decides to make an issue out of this, which is a very smart thing for him to do, connor will absolutely have to address it as well."
As residents consult with lawyers to weigh their legal options, it will be interesting to see what will be the political ramifications, if any, of 475 Kent's mistreatment. Will Daniel Squadron try to assail State Senator Martin Connor's dedication to his constituents by accusing Connor of indifference to 475's struggle?
The Optimist hopes that our elected officials will be above such divisive political posturing and instead use their clout to ensure the residents of 475 can get back into their homes as soon as it is safely possible for them to do so.
Since the tenants of 475 Kent were ordered from their homes this past Sunday on a particularly cold night, The Gowanus Lounge has reported the dramatic travails from the point of view of the affected tenants, including a filmmaker named Phillip Anderson who hid out in his apartment with his dog while cops went down the building's hallways pounding on its doors to make sure the residents complied.
In part, GL's insights can be attributed to the proactive stand the residents of 475 Kent have taken in bringing the case of their mistreatment to the public. They have had a website going all week to share information with the media and local elected officials, as well as with one another. The site's message board has helped coordinate the roughly 150 residents of 475 Kent, who as of this evening's latest news will all likely have to empty their apartments this weekend in a mass move without any inkling of when, if ever, they will be allowed to return.
Though Councilman David Yassky, who represent the districts in which 475 Kent stands, has made public statements in support of the displaced tenants, a number of the building's residents appear unsatisfied with the response of their local elected officials. GL quotes one resident's post on the 475 Kent website who argues:
"we need to start a coordinated effort to pressure our electeds to take this issue on. i am very encouraged by councilman yassky's statement from last night. now we need to get assemblyman lentol and our state senator, marty connor, who is facing a well financed primary fight, involved as well. one side note: connor is being challenged by a man named dan squadron. he's young, but he's pretty sharp. if he decides to make an issue out of this, which is a very smart thing for him to do, connor will absolutely have to address it as well."
As residents consult with lawyers to weigh their legal options, it will be interesting to see what will be the political ramifications, if any, of 475 Kent's mistreatment. Will Daniel Squadron try to assail State Senator Martin Connor's dedication to his constituents by accusing Connor of indifference to 475's struggle?
The Optimist hopes that our elected officials will be above such divisive political posturing and instead use their clout to ensure the residents of 475 can get back into their homes as soon as it is safely possible for them to do so.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
The Finger Building Gets Thumbs Up
The Gowanus Lounge has the latest on the Williamsburg Finger Building saga and it doesn't look good for the neighborhood. Shame on the Bureau of Standards and Appeals for flipping Brooklynites the bird and letting this unsightly development at 144 N. 8th Street march on. Neighborhood activist Phil DePaolo maintains that the fight is not over against developer Mendel Brach and architect Robert Scarano, but prospects look bleak.
Gowanus Lounge Groundswell
Speaking of blogs, I want to thank Bob over at The Gowanus Lounge for helping to introduce The Brooklyn Optimist to the good people of our borough. If you are not already among the cognoscenti who depend upon The Gowanus Lounge, it is the preeminent location to learn the essentials of Brooklyn real estate. It should be daily reading for all of the Optimist's fellow optimists.
Don't worry. The Lounge smells far better than anything you might except with the name Gowanus in the title.
Don't worry. The Lounge smells far better than anything you might except with the name Gowanus in the title.
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