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June 30, 2009
Open Thread: Do The Right Thing Edition
The 20th anniversary of the release of Spike Lee's ground-breaking movie Do The Right Thing, which dealt with a day in the life of a block in Bed Stuy, and in so doing brought the multi-layered issues of gentrification race coexistence and conflict in the inner city to a broader national audience. Two decades later, how much has changed and how much remains the same?
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Ohhhhh, this is gonna be good.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 9:15 AM
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT??????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The What (500+ posts! Count me out)
Someday this insanity is gonna end...
Posted by: Return of The What at June 30, 2009 9:16 AM
More importantly....
June 30 (Bloomberg) -- Home prices in 20 major U.S.
metropolitan areas fell in April at a slower pace than forecast, a sign the plunge in real-estate values is abating.
The S&P/Case-Shiller home-price index decreased 18.1
percent from a year earlier following an 18.7 percent drop in March. The measure declined 19 percent in January, the most since the data began in 2001.
Price declines are likely to keep moderating as demand
steadies and distressed properties account for a smaller share of transactions.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 9:17 AM
I saw it. But at a loss at how it brought 'gentrification issue to a fore'.
Racial relations in a tense city, yes, but not because of gentrification, not in that neighborhood then.
Posted by: Petebklyn at June 30, 2009 9:21 AM
Seriously, unlike UWS Harlem and other places I've seen not only in NYC but also in Chicago, Bed Stuy appeared to me, when I first started looking, as a neighborhood that was "gentrified" from within. The use of the "g word" connotes a move into a neighborhood by "outsiders," usually of different class/race/nationality and the displacement of those that had been there.
This is not what I experienced when I first started looking in Bed Stuy. The majority of the streets and blocks seem populated by multi generation families that have been there for many years. Yes, I do see a flow of younger hipsters and business people to & from the train every morning and evening. But they pale in size as compared to those families who are the anchors for each and every street there.
Each and every block in Bed Stuy that takes pride in itself and maintains a fantastic appearance is largely due to those people who have been there for many, many years. That's also what makes it a very safe neighborhood and one where you know your neighbors and say hello to them each and every time you pass by.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 9:23 AM
oh question. is this a new thing? it's the third time this summer ive seen this happen. women dangling babies over sewers and letting them pee. i was like OMG that is f'ing disgusting but then i was like ugh i guess i let the dogs pee everywhere so it isnt much difference, at least they are going in the sewers. but ive never seen this before and ive only noticed it in park slope! is it that people arent using diapers anymore or something?
oh and yesterday on facebook there was a link that you put in your zip code and it tells you how many sex offenders are in it. 11215 has 702 sex offenders living within it :-/ they even showed mugshot pictures of most of these people!
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 9:25 AM
oh i said three times i saw this happen, sorry that was an exaggeration, i saw it happen twice. still weird tho. what if it catches on?
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 9:26 AM
On Brian Lehrer yesterday, there was a big discussion about how the movie brought the issue of inner-city gentrification to a national audience...they played the scene where a white guy is taken to task for buying a brownstone on the block.
Posted by: brownstoner at June 30, 2009 9:28 AM
Born and raised in Brooklyn. My grandparents used to let me go in the drain in the backyard. On the street somehow seems a little low class though...
Posted by: Joe from Brooklyn at June 30, 2009 9:29 AM
neither groundbreaking nor about gentrification. an enjoyable good movie, yes.
Posted by: goldie at June 30, 2009 9:30 AM
a white guy buying a house in a black neighborhood is NOT gentrification. that's like saying a piece of construction paper is art.
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 9:31 AM
forgot that part bstoner, i stand corrected, guess gentrification meant something else 'back then', if one guy moves in.
Posted by: goldie at June 30, 2009 9:31 AM
Do the right thing was just as much sbout white flight as it was about gentrification. What it's REALLY about IMHO is a block of bed-stuy as a microcasm of The urban U.S. in the 20th Century.
Posted by: Joe from Brooklyn at June 30, 2009 9:33 AM
hmmm,I don't even remember that scene. Still from what I remember not the issue of the film.
more like non-black owned businesses in 'ghetto'. the white pizza parlor and asian .
Posted by: Petebklyn at June 30, 2009 9:34 AM
If we are going to define "gentrification" as a "white guy buying a house in a black neighborhood" then fine. But I think that is much too narrow. Hell, the latin residents are gentrifying Canarsie as we speak!!!
When I first moved to an area of greater Lincoln Park in Chicago in 1980, "gentrification" had already spread to the western edges by the mid 1970s. It begins at different times in different cities.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 9:34 AM
"never saw the movie. is it good?
*rob*"
i hope you are kidding???? are you a philistine or just stupid????
Posted by: rob makes me sad at June 30, 2009 9:35 AM
oh wow someone had to make a ghostie nic to say something nasty. yeah big deal, i didnt see some random movie. jeez.
sorry if that makes you so sad. it's more sad you couldnt say it with your regular nic!
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 9:38 AM
I think the part of the movie I remember most is when "Mookie(Spike Lee) takes Sal to task on why he doesn't have any pictures of famous Black people up on his wall in the pizza place in an all Black neighborhood.
It's a good movie that really makes you think about race relations between all the different races.
Posted by: gemini10 at June 30, 2009 9:39 AM
Mookie kind of starts out as the protaginist but gives in to the emotional tribalism stemming from the deadly episode between Radio Raheem and the police. At the end the stubborness of the two men (Mookie and the Pizza place owner) makes everyone a loser. No pizza for the block, no store for the pizzeria owner.
Posted by: Joe from Brooklyn at June 30, 2009 9:46 AM
It's called "elimination communication," Rob, and no, it ain't pretty.
The school of thought behind it is, in more enlightened cultures, (like in the third-world where they have open sewers), babies never use diapers. And isn't that eco-friendly? And so, there is an entire subculture of crunchy parenting that relies upon listening for baby's "signals" that they are ready to go and then holding them over the toilet, sink or gutter when nature calls until they do go or your arms get really tired.
Posted by: Heather at June 30, 2009 9:48 AM
i think a better movie that deals with issues of race and class is The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love.
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 9:48 AM
I loved the movie. Visually beautiful, great dialogue, a great cast. At once a highly stylized fable and grittily realistic, it spoke to and about simmering anger, frustration and tension in the City, particularly in many predominantly African-American neighborhoods. The movie was totally in your face and beautifully elegiac at the same time.
Gentrification was just one of many themes Spike was playing with. Anger at the police, racial and cultural stereotyping and misunderstanding and the role class has in that, big philosphical questions of whether Malcolm or Martin pointed the better way forward for African American, all while portraying a particular time, place and feel.
I remember the white guy with the Brownstone was wearing a Celtics jersey, yet said he was born in Brooklyn. And with that line, all the folks arguing with him just threw their hands up in the air in a wonderfully choreographed moment. But he was a bit character.
Posted by: slopefarm at June 30, 2009 9:50 AM
I never saw the movie either. Was finishing the equivalent of 8th grade 3000 miles from BedStuy when it came out.
Enjoying the interesting discussion so far though - thanks.
Posted by: etson at June 30, 2009 9:50 AM
It's called DVD.
Posted by: Joe from Brooklyn at June 30, 2009 9:52 AM
Yes, Heather, we have apparently imported this from China where you would see it all the time. Babies are never sick and never spread any disease so it's OK. If i saw it I would tell the parent that it's not done in a civilized culture just as I told someone I once saw in an office blow his nose into the bathroom sink.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 9:52 AM
I need to rent it again. The first and only time I saw it was in 1991 when I was living in Chicgo but at that time residing in Hong Kong. I got you beat etson, I was 9,000 miles away.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 9:55 AM
Exactly, dibs. I'm sure China's 30% of the population having Hep B or something is just a plot by big pharma to sell more Hep B vaccines.
Or, at least if I lived in Park Slope that is what I would think.
Posted by: Heather at June 30, 2009 9:56 AM
Heather:
are you serious?
Posted by: gemini10 at June 30, 2009 9:56 AM
That it exists, gemini? Oh, yes. Google it.
That I believe in it?
I would think after all this time, you could answer that... but, uh maybe not, so GOD NO. It is crazy. These people scare me.
Posted by: Heather at June 30, 2009 9:58 AM
When Do the Right Thing came out I was with my parents taking a dump in a sewer on Nostrand Ave.
Posted by: Joe from Brooklyn at June 30, 2009 9:58 AM
Everyone should have the full spectrum of hepatitis vaccines, no matter what you think of big pharma. Apparently Park Slope is as dangerous to visit as parts of Asia without sanitary facilities. Who are these people that you PSers have allowed to move into your neighborhood????
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 9:59 AM
Ahhhh, Do The Right Thing! I remember NY Magazine published a rather hysterical article by Joe Klein about how the movie would cause riots! Mayhem! Truculent po' folk throwing shade at the checkout counter! Idiots.
Posted by: bridges at June 30, 2009 9:59 AM
I did like "subculture of crunchy parenting."
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 10:01 AM
Haha, thanks. They are the extreme crunchy parents. It's a pretty safe assumption to make that if you see someone holding a diaperless infant over a sewer to poo they would also be the type that would not vaccinate.
Posted by: Heather at June 30, 2009 10:04 AM
Mr. B., had you considered this topic to be a thread separate from the OT??? I think it certainly could have stood on its own and generated a couple hundred hits. You are cannibalizing the OT.
The OT should never be one's own personal soap box. It should remain "Open" as its name says. This too represents the further downfall of this blog that many have pointed to since the removal of guest posting. :)
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 10:04 AM
I didn't like it.
I thought it was over simplistic and preachy. There were some good scenes in it, of course, including gem's pizza parlor scene, and there were some great performances, but it is not my favorite movie. I actually liked Crooklyn better, it was more a slice of life of real people, and much more believable. I do give Spike his props for a successful mainstream movie with an inner city theme, but it annoyed me no end that from that moment on, at least for a couple of years, he became the Voice Of The Black Community. He is ONE of the voices, but not the only one, but at the time, everytime anything happened with black people in the mix, the press, tv, magazines would ask Spike what he thought, like he was the authority. It went to his head.
Spike likes archetypes in a lot of his preachier movie making. His main characters always have some historical pivotal event happen to them so that he can have them explain why black people think or do such and such. So you have the Angry Black Man, the Tragic Drug Addict, the Clueless White Man, the Shrill Latina, the Strong Black Woman, the White Male Bigot, etc, etc. His better movies just have the characters do what they do, which explains their historic or personal motivations. His less successful movies always give me the impression that he feels he is obligated to give too much history, backstory or context to explain the plot. That said, his documentary on Katrina was a powerful piece of filmwork, and probably the best thing he ever did.
Posted by: Montrose Morris at June 30, 2009 10:06 AM
Well, at least one thing hasn't changed. White guys (Dave) are buying brownstones in primarily black neighborhoods, infuriating some black people (The What). Slopefarm is right - the movie was about racism across NYCs' communities, and also about gentrification, police vs. black community, absentee black fathers, respective ethnic icons and the cultural boiler room that was (and is) Brooklyn. I think the players have changed, since those days, but not much else.
Posted by: East New York at June 30, 2009 10:07 AM
i think he is just either placating or baiting the what. either reason just seems ridiculous to me, but a lot of things in life seem ridiculous to me, so who knows.
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 10:09 AM
An undercover investigation of the "seedy world of vegan restaurants" in LA - how vegan are they, really? This takes obsession with food sources to new levels:
http://www.quarrygirl.com/2009/06/28/undercover-investigation-of-la-area-vegan-restaurants/
(cue Rob comment about vegan farts)
Posted by: sixyearsandcounting at June 30, 2009 10:10 AM
Oh, and Dave, I agree with you completely as to your earlier post regarding the generations of Bed Stuyers who've held the neighborhood together over the years. Too many people think Mookie's little corner of the 'hood is all there is to BS, that's just not so.
Posted by: Montrose Morris at June 30, 2009 10:13 AM
I don't see many movies but DTRT to me is one of the best ever. I had never seen a more visually vibrant movie when it came out, and the dialogue and the "bits" were great. And, maybe just because I was still young enough, the ending was shocking and sad.
Posted by: jawbreaker at June 30, 2009 10:14 AM
HAHAHAHHAHAH 6years.
the thought of vegans getting tricked into buying overpriced non vegan food warms the cockles of my heart!
thanks for that :)
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 10:14 AM
I guess I'm part vegan. Does that make me bicarnivore??
I enjoy many vegetables but please, how does one really live life without a foie gras appetizer, a rare veal chop, bacon infused bourbon and a nice slice of cheesecake.
I even grow some of my own vegetables. Organic products are the biggest rip off ever foisted upon the American public. I bet there's a lot of public baby peeing going on in front of Park Slope Food Co-op.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 10:15 AM
Fair enough, DIBS. No more cannibalization--we promise!
Posted by: brownstoner at June 30, 2009 10:20 AM
Then again, the kids-peeing-in-the-gutter topic seems to be thriving regardless!
Posted by: brownstoner at June 30, 2009 10:20 AM
You got that right DIBS, the Co-op crowd are exactly the same crowd who I see letting their kids pee all over the place. I've seen it a lot lately.
Posted by: jawbreaker at June 30, 2009 10:21 AM
Not to worry, Jon. I threw in a little harmless Park Slope bashing as well. :)
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 10:22 AM
Rob Makes Me Sad - That has to be the stupidest quote of the year.
Posted by: Arkady at June 30, 2009 10:23 AM
Arkady, what do you expect from some lame lurker who can't even come up with their own login?
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 10:25 AM
youve seen it a lot too jawbreaker? hahah gross i guess these arent isolated incidences. funk that, next time i gotta go im not looking for a starbucks bathroom. why bother? ill just pop a squat and save the environment!
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 10:26 AM
The fake login is also the stupidest one ever.
Posted by: Arkady at June 30, 2009 10:27 AM
Enough is enough. Those of us in the the Slope's vinyl siding district need to secede, lest we be tainted with the uncouth practices of our wealthier and more architecturally-endowed neighbors. From now on, I live in North Greenwood Heights, or was that Windsor Terrace West, or Gowanus Delta Heights? I'll have to change my Brownstoner login, too, I guess.
Posted by: slopefarm at June 30, 2009 10:29 AM
Was a great movie - but wasn't about gentrification, even a bit.....and frankly I am glad that (for the most part) history has left that era behind. NYC was a very unpleasant place for lots of reasons back then and the movie captured allot of it. Now it makes a great historical piece.
I think the best scene - and in an ironic way, sums up the movie now 20yrs later - is the scene where Mookie and Vito argue about who is better Clemens or Gooden. Now knowing the fate of both of them sort of puts the whole time into perspective to me.
Posted by: fsrg at June 30, 2009 10:31 AM
I was married at the time and we went to see the movie. My ex and I pretty much agreed the Spike Lee was a brilliant movie maker- but what both of us took away from it, more than the political or cultural or gentrification issues was how trapped people seemed to be within their own value systems and bridging that gap was a tragic and terrifying process.
People seem to think if they extended a hand or opened their minds to another group, they would somehow lose their own identity. It was one of the underlying pressures we faced as a biracial couple because while you may be able to deal with it internally, society tries to tell you, you can't Someone white told me I wasn't a Jew anymore because of my marriage. I'm sure you can imagine my answer.
In a way it harks back to gem's question as to what her children would call themselves- Black or White- because society likes to simplify people into one thing or another. This is where I always found Spike Lee so brilliant- he takes some fairly stereotypical characters and ideas and forces you to rethink what you believe about them, without really changing them. But certainly making them more "human." I thought the Pawnbroker did something similar, but in a totally different way- but in that case the lead character changed, forcing us to do so as well.
Spike Lee has never gotten his just due as a director. That's a real shame.
Posted by: bxgrl at June 30, 2009 10:35 AM
I think Randi is back as ......... Who wants to take an educated guess?
Posted by: Kensingtonian at June 30, 2009 10:35 AM
"Muthafuck gentrification!" - Buggin' Out
***Bid half off peak comps***
Posted by: Brownstones Half Off at June 30, 2009 10:38 AM
BHO, when are brownstones ever going to reach 50% off peak comps???
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 10:41 AM
Slopefarm - here here!!!
Heather - I'm still trippin on the Les bebes peepee(ing) in the gutters in Park Slope. Does this go on in front of Connecticut Muffin? ha!
Wow - I mean I see the points why one would allow their kid to do that, but still...hahahah! -crunchy parents indeed!
MM - I too thought Spike's Katrina documentary was one of his best works. I think you are right that in the 90', Spike through the media did become the voice of Black NY'ers. I just wished he would have stopped using his nutty sister in EVERY film he made!
Posted by: gemini10 at June 30, 2009 10:41 AM
"BHO, when are brownstones ever going to reach 50% off peak comps???"
When NY Case-Shiller YOY approaches zero, if not before. You want the exact date, time and weather?
***Bid half off peak comps***
Posted by: Brownstones Half Off at June 30, 2009 10:53 AM
Or, then again, maybe they won't. The housing market and the case Schiller data in particular is a braod representation of many areas. Not all things behave the same way. Brownstones in Brookly will be one of those things that will be have differently from the nation as a whole, NV, FL and the greater New York area.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 10:57 AM
remember when john savage- aka white guy is wearing a bird jersey? now it's ok for black people/brooklyn ites to dig the celtics. tho i NEVER will.
i saw it when it first came out.
spike drives me freaking nuts but on this one? nailed it. and for all you rosie haters? come on? she's great in it!
Posted by: ramona at June 30, 2009 10:57 AM
I belong to the Park Slope Food Coop and have yet to see gutter-peeing. I will keep my eyes peeled...
Posted by: Joe from Brooklyn at June 30, 2009 11:12 AM
I must address both wildly divergent topics of this thread! The only reason "elimination communication" exists in the modern Western world where we do have diapers of all kinds cloth and disposable is for certain parents to show off to everybody how extra special and committed they are as parents. It's an extreme in the hyper competitive parenting culture. I'd heard about it but can't believe people are actually doing it.
Everybody always fixates on the sociopolitical aspects of Spike Lee's films but I admire the films themselves. The performances he gets and his cinematic innovations. The look, style, the music. His are the best original scores and soundtracks. The ending of DTRT that was such an outrage to many was the only way that story and character arc could have ended the way it was all set up. It was perfect.
Posted by: traditionalmod at June 30, 2009 11:14 AM
traditionalmod- Spike Lee is nothing if not a master storyteller. Like Greek tragedies- the character has some fatal flaw that speeds them toward an almost foregone conclusion. What killed me in DTRT was that feeling if only someone could put on the brakes- and you knew the characters had the ability to stop, but then everything sweeps them up again into a perfect storm.
Posted by: bxgrl at June 30, 2009 11:17 AM
hmmm now i really want to see this movie!
and re: elimination communication (i cant believe there is an actual term for it, but then again i cant believe there is such a thing called watersports either). both times i saw this happen it was on 4th avenue. so at LEAST it wasnt in the presence of people eating outside and stuff. let's just hope it doesnt catch on above 4th :-/
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 11:19 AM
"...Elvis was a hero to most
But he never meant sh*t to me you see..."
Posted by: DitmasSnark at June 30, 2009 11:21 AM
So true, bxgrl, Mookie is certainly a flawed hero ala the Greek tragedies. I also think of opera in connection with Spike Lee's storytelling.
Posted by: traditionalmod at June 30, 2009 11:23 AM
Bxgrl - agreed on your points
when watching this movie, all you kept asking was why a particular character is just making the situation worse? Every character was escalating the tension just a little bit until it all culminated to the death of a young man and the store being burned down.
Posted by: gemini10 at June 30, 2009 11:23 AM
"Not all things behave the same way. Brownstones in Brookly will be one of those things that will be have differently from the nation as a whole, NV, FL and the greater New York area."
I asked you this question in the 5-times sold Bed Stuy thread: Why everything up +200% peak/trough - burbs, condos, coops, brownstones? Because they DO BEHAVE THE SAME WAY. Not exactly but close enough.
'This time (or this borough) is different' - The same thing was said about dotcom shares. Classic head-fake. We 'leave our feet' everytime.
***Bid half off peak comps***
Posted by: Brownstones Half Off at June 30, 2009 11:24 AM
"now it's ok for black people/brooklyn ites to dig the celtics."
No, it's not.
Posted by: East New York at June 30, 2009 11:24 AM
:( oh thanks for giving away the ending hahhaha
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 11:25 AM
Hey I don't hate Rosie, just her voice. If she keeps quiet she's great.
Posted by: dittoburg at June 30, 2009 11:25 AM
You're right, ENY. Nobody in NYC digs the Celtics. It's been a long time since I've heard such crazy talk on the OT.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 11:26 AM
Heather - do you dig the Celtics?
Posted by: dittoburg at June 30, 2009 11:30 AM
DIBS--would be interesting to hear you address what BHO is saying about everything being up so why wouldn't it go down about the same amount. I vacillate between thinking that there is something unique about the brownstone market to thinking that the Case Shiller NYC area reading is pretty accurate.
Posted by: wasder at June 30, 2009 11:33 AM
So the Open Thread is no longer just open? It's got a tpic attached to it like every other thread?
Boo....
Posted by: TownhouseLady at June 30, 2009 11:34 AM
Gemini and Bxgrl, I think it was successfully set up in the film that it was the extreme heat that made everybody contribute to the tensions and exhibit bad judgment.
Posted by: traditionalmod at June 30, 2009 11:35 AM
Now, here's a worthy goal!
"I hope that when I die, people say about me, 'Boy, that guy sure owed me a lot of money.'" - Jack Handey
Posted by: East New York at June 30, 2009 11:37 AM
THL, I think it is OT but Mr. B is trying to shepherd us.
Posted by: dittoburg at June 30, 2009 11:37 AM
Excellent quote ENY!
Posted by: dittoburg at June 30, 2009 11:39 AM
Dittoburg, Mr. B trying to shepherd us would be like herding cats. There. I said it. CATS.
Posted by: sixyearsandcounting at June 30, 2009 11:41 AM
Ditto - I agree w/ 11:37 but it certainly was provocative today & I'm amazed at the civilized level of discourse (so far.)
Posted by: Arkady at June 30, 2009 11:42 AM
Uh oh, always only two degrees of separation between the OT and cats.
Posted by: dittoburg at June 30, 2009 11:43 AM
wasder, each time we see the Douglas Elliman data for the quarter it has shown us that brownstone Brooklyn has not been behaving at all like any of the Case Schiller data. I do not believe that brownstones are immune from price cutting, all I have to believe to refute BHO is that they won't fall 50% from peak comps which the data so far supports. If the Case Schiller data is showing that we've reached an inflection point with the numbers gettting "less worse" then we're not going to see the type of price cuts that BHO expects, that's all.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 11:46 AM
That's what I thought, ditto!
Posted by: East New York at June 30, 2009 11:48 AM
I agree with Montrose on this one. Crooklyn was much better (for all the reasons she stated)
Besides- The movie Crooklyn had in my opinion one of the all time best movie soundtracks. 2 Discs of musical brilliance. I still listen to them with regularity.
Vol. 1
Crooklyn - The Crooklyn Dodgers
Respect Yourself - The Staple Singers
Everyday People - Sly & The Family Stone
Pusher Man - Curtis Mayfield
Thin Line Between Love and Hate - The Persuaders
El Pito (I'll Never Go Back to Georgia) - Joe Cuba
ABC - The Jackson 5
Oh Girl - The Chi-Lites
Mighty Love - The Spinners
Mr. Big Stuff - Jean Knight
Ooh Child - The Five Stairsteps
Pass the Peas - The JB's
Time Has Come Today - The Chambers Brothers
People Make the World Go Round - Marc Dorsey
Vol 2
People Make the World Go Round - The Stylistics
Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours - Stevie Wonder
Bra - Cymande
I'm Stone in Love with You - The Stylistics
Everybody Is a Star - Sly & the Family Stone
Never Can Say Goodbye - The Jackson 5
Soul Power - James Brown
Soul Makossa - Manu Dibango
La-La (Means I Love You) - The Delfonics
I'll Take You There - The Staple Singers
Puerto Rico - Eddie Palmieri
Theme from Shaft - Isaac Hayes
Tears of a Clown - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
I Can See Clearly Now - Johnny Nash
Posted by: TownhouseLady at June 30, 2009 11:49 AM
More to your point, wasder, I think that areas outside of the five boroughs and, for the most part, the rest of the country, had been moving up more slowly for many years. They did not have the "city problems" of crime & blighted neighborhoods that existed here in NYC. In the seventies and eighties it was a great time for urban real estate in Chicago. Not so much here. So NYC, and brooklyn in particular had a lot of catch up that occurreed in the late nineties and continued into 2000-2007. Things in Boston and all around that area were moving quite nicely from 1990 onwards. It didn't really start here until 1998 - 1999.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 11:52 AM
THL - YES!
one of my favorite soundtracks was both Crooklyn soundtracks
I remember gettin down to "Ill never go back to Georgia"
Posted by: gemini10 at June 30, 2009 11:53 AM
Not only was it a great performance but Rosie Perez has the 2nd greatest breast shots in movie history in DTRT (2nd only to Jamie Lee Curtis.Trading Places)
Posted by: fsrg at June 30, 2009 11:54 AM
DIBS - will you stop talking about brownstones. Whaddya think this place is.
Posted by: dittoburg at June 30, 2009 11:56 AM
Gem- Soon as I hear the whistle I smile.
Posted by: TownhouseLady at June 30, 2009 11:57 AM
"Crooklyn was much better (for all the reasons she stated)"
That's funny. I honestly thought Crooklyn was just plain boring. I do agree Crooklyn was more about "real" people that "Do the Right Thing." But I couldn't even watch all of Crooklyn...after an hour or so, I was like "Who cares?" That's just me, though.
Posted by: East New York at June 30, 2009 11:59 AM
Gem,
Here it is...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdHu26Hb9Co
Posted by: TownhouseLady at June 30, 2009 11:59 AM
I think Mr. B has long given up on sheperding us. He suffers from a case of wishful thinking maybe :-)
Posted by: bxgrl at June 30, 2009 11:59 AM
ditto, we'll get to the sex talk later. Somebody already mentioned Rosie Perez's boobs so we're on the right track.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 12:00 PM
THL - come to think of it -"Ill Never go back to Georgia" are the only words sung in that song, right?
Posted by: gemini10 at June 30, 2009 12:00 PM
I wonder if Crooklyn appealed to women.
ENY: my husband says the same thing . He's like "Crooklyn" was pretty much my life growing up in BK. Why do I want to see it reflected in a movie?
Posted by: gemini10 at June 30, 2009 12:02 PM
THL - ha - correction I meant English!!!!
ok am listening to it now - good one!
Posted by: gemini10 at June 30, 2009 12:03 PM
There are couple more thrown in but they are in Spanish and I can't discern them. It's almost as though Joe Cuba 'raps' a little over the song. But pretty much I'll Never Go Back to Georgia are the only words.
There's definitely something about dancing...bailar.
Posted by: TownhouseLady at June 30, 2009 12:04 PM
Re elimination communication: I agree that it's totally bullshit (no pun intended) but c'mon, guys, you never took a leak between 2 parked cars or in a corner where 2 buildings meet? My guess is that the baby pee is a lot less stinky, plus it's going down the sewer. Not a medium for Hep B transmission.
For slightly older kids, what are you going to do? It's not like there are tons of public restrooms in NYC, and when they gotta go, they gotta go!
Posted by: rf at June 30, 2009 12:04 PM
I'll tell you one thing. My eyes pour over ever detail in that garden apartment they had!!
Posted by: TownhouseLady at June 30, 2009 12:06 PM
rf...about 6 of us PLUSAs had an impromptu get together at Mezcal restaurant on Atlantic Ave about 3 weeks ago on a Saturday. As we were sipping our margharitas, a man acrosss the street was taking a pee next to his car.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 12:07 PM
I think it's clear both Rosie Perez and Jamie Lee Curtis have great breasts. If it's not, it should be.
Anyone notice something missing from the last two "ROTD" threads?
Posted by: East New York at June 30, 2009 12:09 PM
On the pee topic. When my Goddaughter was out of diapers and for the most part completely potty trained one day out of nowhere she stops dead on the sidewalk starts crying "I have to go I have to go!!!" She's panicky and so upset that she might wet herself. There were NO bathrooms around, we were walking from the subway and in a completely residential part. No shops. So yeah, I went between two cars with her. Poor thing was so embarrassed but what are you going to do? Let her pee in her pants?
Posted by: TownhouseLady at June 30, 2009 12:10 PM
I'm more of an ass man.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 12:10 PM
"ENY: my husband says the same thing. He's like "Crooklyn" was pretty much my life growing up in BK. Why do I want to see it reflected in a movie?"
Yeah! At the time, I was like, "There are about 4-5 people like this on my block! I don't need to go to a movie to experience this." Again, that's just me.
Posted by: East New York at June 30, 2009 12:12 PM
"If the Case Schiller data is showing that we've reached an inflection point with the numbers gettting "less worse" then we're not going to see the type of price cuts that BHO expects, that's all."
I hear you DIBS and obviously hope that what you are saying pans out. Certainly I have also been of the mindset that prices will fall significantly but not to the 50% threshold. BHO, what say you?
Posted by: wasder at June 30, 2009 12:12 PM
Somehow, being the father of in-toilet-training toddler, toddler pee is not high on the list of things I am concerned about. Are people finding it offensive? Or just smelly?
Posted by: wasder at June 30, 2009 12:14 PM
"So yeah, I went between two cars with her."
Don't worry about it, THL. I did that just the other day.
Posted by: East New York at June 30, 2009 12:15 PM
Has the baby been eating pureed asparagus????
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 12:16 PM
"each time we see the Douglas Elliman data for the quarter it has shown us that brownstone Brooklyn has not been behaving at all like any of the Case Schiller data"
Clinton Hill (-15% just like the index at that time) and Bed Stuy (worse than the index) have. The "blue chip" hoods that skew the average will only catch up.
"all I have to believe to refute BHO is that they won't fall 50% from peak comps which the data so far supports"
Per snapshot (so far), not per trend/projection.
"If the Case Schiller data is showing that we've reached an inflection point with the numbers gettting 'less worse' then we're not going to see the type of price cuts that BHO expects, that's all."
But it's NOT showing that. The monthly YOY is deeper than ever for this cycle. That means prices are dropping faster. The verdict will be in when it approaches zero. Threshold when it even changes direction towards zero.
"I think that areas outside of the five boroughs and, for the most part, the rest of the country, had been moving up more slowly for many years"
You can't decouble the boroughs from the Tri-State market at large. People priced out of Manhattan and Brooklyn (and even parts of Queens) moved out to the burbs and priced-out/displaced residents there. One market. One index reading.
Cheap/EZ credit did not start in 1998-99. Even the dynamics of that time (driven by the tech boom) were not on pace to take us to +200%. So yes, the city became more desirable, but only at prices inline with longterm fundamentals (income, rents, etc.), not a short term credit OD.
***Bid half off peak comps***
Posted by: Brownstones Half Off at June 30, 2009 12:22 PM
Time will tell, BHO. I'm certain that you won'r get a brownstone for 50% off peak comps. Anywhere in brooklyn. I can tell you what peak comps were in Bed Stuy in 2007 and similar properties will not be selling for $350-450,000. They don't even sell that low in Ocean Hill or Bushwick for a fully renovated brownstone with all the architectural detail now.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 12:27 PM
gem- you asked if any women liked Crooklyn- Montrose is a woman. :-)
Posted by: bxgrl at June 30, 2009 12:31 PM
Ok here is a description of EC - but I fail to see how "going in the sewer" fits into this (although I train my dogs to go in the same manner so maybe its an extension of that!):
"Here's how elimination communication works: In the first months of life, parents learn baby's approximate elimination body clock (infants consistently go after nursing and sleeping) as well as the subtle signals that indicate a spontaneous need to go.
By taking baby to visit the potty and associating potty time with a designated sound, hand signal or word, parents help the child go on cue and, later, communicate a need to go.
Grown-ups aid in the execution until the child develops the skills for potty independence, which often happens before 24 months.
Of course, there are "misses." But most families use backup diapers, undoing the dry diaper at potty time and doing it up again after. One diaper may stay dry all day."
Posted by: fsrg at June 30, 2009 12:32 PM
Thanks to greedy developers, half of my block is under contruction (leveled)
One night walking home I saw a grown woman with her SUV parked infront of a sewer taking a dump on the deserted part of my street.
Posted by: dirty_hipster at June 30, 2009 12:33 PM
Guess I should not have just clicked on this thread again while eating my lunch.
Posted by: etson at June 30, 2009 12:35 PM
"Time will tell"
The only thing we agree on. Brownstones in Park Slope were going for 350-450 in the 90's, during a time when the economy was much more healthy. Because of inflation, I'm not saying they will go all the way back there. Just half off. That's still 1-2M. 350-450 will be cake in Stuy. There's about a factor of 3 between Park Slope and Bed Stuy. And average Park Slope brownstone is fast approaching the 1.5M mark. I'm talking East of 5th and North of 9th.
"I vacillate between thinking that there is something unique about the brownstone market to thinking that the Case Shiller NYC area reading is pretty accurate."
You're starting to see the light, wasder. Come down. Join Team Bear. Stack and cop another brownstone (Italianate in Bed Stuy?) after the smoke clears.
***Bid half off peak comps***
Posted by: Brownstones Half Off at June 30, 2009 12:38 PM
Agreed. etson.
Posted by: bxgrl at June 30, 2009 12:39 PM
Bxgrl -yes I knew MM was a woman thats why I made that comment :) notice ENY and my husband thought it was boring....
Posted by: gemini10 at June 30, 2009 12:40 PM
Sorry, BHO, it ain't gonna happen. You aren't going to be able to pick up fully renovated thre storey brownstones in decent sections of Bed Stuy for $136-175 psf. That was my comp base I spoke about above.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 12:46 PM
"You're starting to see the light, wasder. Come down. Join Team Bear. Stack and cop another brownstone (Italianate in Bed Stuy?) after the smoke clears."
I have always seen the light BHO. Even before I bought I was realistic about the direction home prices were going. It is all a matter of degree. You are predicting a level of decline that is quite a bit more extreme than what i expect or what I can gather, limited as it is, from other sources. But as you know I am not one to say it couldn't happen. I don't need another house though, that's for sure.
Posted by: wasder at June 30, 2009 12:50 PM
And the specific thing about Bed Stuy is that it has gotten so much nicer and attractive with more services. That factor of 3 thing won't exist any longer, which was my reason for buying there. The disparity between Bed Stuy brownstones and thos 1-3 miles away, essentially 3 - 4 subway stops was a discount that was unsustainable.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 12:53 PM
I saw "Do the Right Thing" last summer at a film festival, I was curious as hell. I recall at the end where it has two quotes, one from MLK and one from Malcolm X. I feel it is rather dated as the whole black-white race relations issue has evolved so, so far. So many people still act like it's only yesterday that segregation was defeated. Today's generations simply do not care about the tired old dichotomy; race relations to them are on a whole other level.
Posted by: infinitejester at June 30, 2009 12:53 PM
"(2nd only to Jamie Lee Curtis.Trading Places)"
Not so fast, ever see Blame It on Rio?
Posted by: infinitejester at June 30, 2009 12:58 PM
do NOT try Wendy's new asian chicken!!! it's pretty icky, imagine the worst chinese food you can eat. and im a big fan of wendy's!! Wendy herself was there handing it out though! :)
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 1:08 PM
"Wendy herself was there handing it out though! :)"
You sure that wasn't just some female impersonator?? Wendy Thomas is 48 years old and I bet she's not out shlepping burgers in Park Slope.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 1:11 PM
no it was a female impersonator and i lol'd cuz she was asian, and it was asian chicken they were promoting. her wig was terrible though. it was totally made of yarn
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 1:16 PM
oh and dave, this is the wendy's in soho, not parkslope. (is there one in parkslope?) believe it or not, i do work :-/
haha
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 1:17 PM
dave how the hell do you know so much about Wendy Thomas' life? waaaait a second. are YOU Dave Thomas!? is that where you get your fortunes from!?!?
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 1:19 PM
dave how the hell do you know so much about Wendy Thomas' life? waaaait a second. are YOU Dave Thomas!? is that where you get your fortunes from!?!?
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 1:19 PM
I think the caricature of Wendy does have a yarn wig. But Asian??? What's next, an Asian Santa Claus??? :)
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 1:20 PM
Dave Thomas was my dad. He's dead. I'm Dave Jr. Wendy is the wicked b*&tch stepsister.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 1:21 PM
Do you all know that Arby's is owned by Wendy's???
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 1:33 PM
*Chuckle* LOL DIBS
Posted by: Joe from Brooklyn at June 30, 2009 1:33 PM
infinitejester - didnt but a quick image search tells me while nice - not even close to Trading Places or DTRT
Posted by: fsrg at June 30, 2009 1:36 PM
Well' technically not. Both Wendy's and Arby's are owned by Triarc Corp. The Thomas family, myself included, have nothing to do with it anymore.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 1:36 PM
I've seen plenty of NY'ers wear Paul Pierce Celtic's shirt...I think has something to do with gangs.
Posted by: Art Salt at June 30, 2009 1:43 PM
Hola fellow PLUSAs :) What's the good news for today?
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 1:43 PM
Snappy, how's tricks??? Maybe you ought to add some expertise to the Curb Cut thread.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 1:44 PM
"Today's generations simply do not care about the tired old dichotomy; race relations to them are on a whole other level."
I just don't know how to think about this, IJ. You and I can both only speak as white people and while on some levels you're right, I think, calling it "tired old" doesn't really addresses the issue, because there's still a lot of tired old dichotomy out there. The way we dance around it has changed, but the fact it, we're still dancing around essentially the same issue now as we did then.
Segregation was an expression of racism- eliminating segregation didn't eliminate racism. Affirmative action was meant to address institutionalized racism but unless you can reach people within the core of their hearts and minds, all we've accomplished is force people to change much of the public discourse, but not the private one.
Now we throw around terms like "reverse racism"- that only tells me how far we have to go. Obama's election was a ray of hope. When you look around and see how much of our leadership includes African Americans, Hispanics, people from other countries- I am elated and hopeful, but for people to assume the worst of the past is behind us? I'm still hesitant- I've seen and heard too much. Just look at what the Republicans have been doing- "Obama, the Magic Negro?", making an issue of his birth and middle name? And so many other examples- I just would love to say we've left the tired old dichotomy behind, but I'd be lying.
Posted by: bxgrl at June 30, 2009 1:44 PM
tricks? sorry, my brain is totally fried today
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 1:47 PM
It's just a saying. It means how are you?? Don't read anything subliminal into it, unlike MY tricks.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 1:48 PM
"I've seen plenty of NY'ers wear Paul Pierce Celtic's shirt...I think has something to do with gangs."
I think it's more fashion. Guys who know nothing about basketball wear that jersey. I'm not saying some gangsters don't wear them, but overall it's a fashion thing with much of today's sports apparel.
Posted by: East New York at June 30, 2009 1:50 PM
LOL Dave...Maybe if I had one of your type of 'tricks' I'd smile more often :)
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 1:51 PM
I used to run around all summer long with a plain white t-shirt and jeans. Then I was told that that was 'standard thug wear.' :( I hate wearing items of clothing with some designer's name prominently featured. I am no walking billboard for anyone dagnabit!
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 1:53 PM
Bxgrl,
Obama's supporters evaluate him based on his race far more than do his opponents. You just did for one.
Posted by: etson at June 30, 2009 1:53 PM
Snappy, not sure of it was "thug wear" but it certainly wasn't lady-like. You should have been in pink dresses having tea parties like that little girl in the popcorn commercial...which is a really funny commercial....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_Xl2TdzgI4
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 1:56 PM
Ha! I wear skirts, etc...but a pink dress is something you will never catch me in!!!!
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 1:59 PM
Um, you CAN get a brownstone for half off in Ocean Hill and Bushwick. They are foreclosures, however, and most have SERIOUS problems and need a construction loan or full cash. Serious problems as in no plumbing, no roof, etc. Not every one. But most. But if you want only a normal place (not a nice renovation) you can get it for 40 percent off. That's pretty good, I think.
Posted by: mopar at June 30, 2009 2:02 PM
Oh Dave, now that is funny!!
Posted by: TownhouseLady at June 30, 2009 2:04 PM
I don't know what "normal" unrenovated went for in Bed Stuy. I was only talking nicely renovated....those won't be going for $136-175 psf. Unlike BHO, who likes to look at averages and lump everything together, I will only compare apples to apples. The devil is always in the details.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 2:06 PM
Bxgrl - "I am elated and hopeful, but for people to assume the worst of the past is behind us? I'm still hesitant- I've seen and heard too much."
Umm Things may be far from perfect (but better than almost anywhere else) BUT I would say no matter how you look at it the worst of America's racist past is behind us - unless there is some slave market around that we are all unaware of.
Posted by: fsrg at June 30, 2009 2:07 PM
ugh i feel like im having pre-mature early summer heatstroke. and im sitting in the air conditioning. anyone else wish fall would just get here already?
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 2:10 PM
I'm with you on that Rob. With this humidity, no matter what I do to my hair, by noon I look like Cousin It and I spend the rest of the day pushing my hair out of my eyes.
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 2:13 PM
Agreed, Dave, you sure can't get a nicely brownstone in Bed Stuy or Bushwick for half off. No way! In fact, I've never seen a "nicely renovated" brownstone in Bushwick.
Posted by: mopar at June 30, 2009 2:20 PM
I recall DTRT as a great film. I haven't seen it in a while, and am looking forward to seeing it again (Mr. B neglected to mention that part of the re-release is a BluRay edition). And I also found Crooklyn to be boring.
The movie was about a lot of things, to me it was especially about the contradictions of urban living and race relations (the aforementioned scene where the white supposed gentrifier is from Brooklyn). I think Spike also went out of his way to be scrupulously fair, to show all sides of an issue. To poke fun equally, like the white guy who ran over that dude's sneaker with his bike.
Even the cops, the scene with the white guy who gets his Caddy convertible sprayed and expects the cops to lock up the kids, but they just laugh at him. And in the end, the death of Radio Raheem, seemed to me that in part Spike was asking a question that remains unanswered; how exactly _do_ you restrain a 300lb person with a mental problem without killing him?
Yeah, and that Rosie Perez love scene was HOT.
Rob, did you say you ain't white? And you haven't seen a Spike Lee joint?
Posted by: denton at June 30, 2009 2:23 PM
wow i was just reading that coffee at that new place grumpy is 6.50! has the world gone batpoop bananas?
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 2:25 PM
ROB - YES YES YES!
I LOATHE summer in the city
I don't mind if it's 80, but if you add 80% humidity I hate it!
Posted by: gemini10 at June 30, 2009 2:26 PM
I may be giving up on Brooklyn real estate entirely and buying a 200 acre farm in Vermont. How do you like them apples? (it has an orchard, among other things.) I would keep renting in Brooklyn for the foreseeable future and would spend weekends at the farm. I just see no point in wasting my time figuring out when to jump into a completely overpriced market. When will it correct? Later this year? Next? 5 years from now? It's sort of like owning equities in the summer of 2008 - you knew there was a cliff out there, but for whatever reason you hadn't reached it yet. So fuck it I say. I'll be a happy renter with a farm.
(the farm would set me back less than a 3 bedroom apartment in the slope)
Posted by: lechacal at June 30, 2009 2:31 PM
one of the things i miss about where i lived in harlem is that right across the street were the spray mist showers and the sprinklers that was both for kids and adults, none of the "you cant come in this park or sprinkler if youre an adult without a kid" bullcrap. plus the fire hydrants were always open. tho if youre not careful and pay attention you can get hosed in the face and head pretty hard by the kids in the hydrants. (i had ringing in my ear for like an hour the one time ahahah). but the sprinklers and spray mist showers would be perfect on a day like today.
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 2:32 PM
Hey, L. First, the farm could be equally over-priced, but of course less on an absolute basis.
I hope you have thought about what it will take in time and money to maintain a place like that. What will you do with it in the winter? Disconnect everything? Or heat it all season?
Watch the taxes.
Posted by: denton at June 30, 2009 2:35 PM
"that new place grumpy"
It went rooftop bananas years ago Rob, when it became clear that brownstone Brooklyn could support 5,000 or so coffee shops.
Posted by: East New York at June 30, 2009 2:35 PM
lechacal....how long of a drive is it to where you are looking? Bucks County PA might be a much shorter drive. The taxes in Pa are pretty reasonable. I don't know about VT. My colleague here has a place up there on a lake (don't know which one) and he's got a 4 hour drive.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 2:36 PM
i did lol reading on another board at someone saying something along the lines of "well now that brooklyn is becoming filled with sophisticated coffee drinkers, certain blocks can sustain [myriad] shops just like seattle." - kid you not! lol
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 2:39 PM
denton -- I lived on this farm for much of my adolescence. I have a lot of dirt under my fingernails and know what I'm doing.
There would be full-time residents on the property (a couple of wings of the farmhouse are standalone rental properties).
Property taxes would be minimal for various reasons.
And I would be paying the "friends and family" rate. ;)
Posted by: lechacal at June 30, 2009 2:39 PM
DIBS: 3:15 from the slope with zero traffic. More than 5 on a Friday evening. Located in Guilford, near Brattleboro in the southeastern corner of VT. Drive Hutch --> 684 --> 84 --> 91 to get there.
Posted by: lechacal at June 30, 2009 2:41 PM
I take Amtrak to Philly and get there in 1 hour and 20 minutes. You could get a real nice large townhouse in Philly for well under $1MM. My drive from Philly to Bucks Co is exactly 60 minutes from Philly. It would be 30 minutes from the Trenton, NJ stop.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 2:45 PM
Why are you guys complaining? Enjoy the sun! At least it's not raining.
Posted by: East New York at June 30, 2009 2:46 PM
And i forgot to add, the Amtrak trip is one of the more relaxing parts of my week, which a drive in a car, given my personality, would not be, especially if it was 3-5 hours with traffic.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 2:47 PM
BHO, you and the other members of Team bear really need to listen to the comments being made by Mssrs. Case and Schiller....
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aIbMtWW6cVO4
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 2:49 PM
When "Do The Right Thing" came out I had just graduated from suburban Washington DC high school.
I don't know if it was shame, guilt or fear motivated them, but it was comical watching the white theater members hauling ass to their cars once the movie finished. I had never seen white folks collectively so scared.
I remember playing "Fight the Power", "Rebel without a Pause" and "Bring the Noise" for like 3 weeks straight after the movie.(Until my cassette got all jammed up in the player).
Posted by: Colonel Steve Austin at June 30, 2009 2:49 PM
"I don't know if it was shame, guilt or fear motivated them, but it was comical watching the white theater members hauling ass to their cars once the movie finished. I had never seen white folks collectively so scared."
ROFL! I now have to explain to the people walking past my office why I'm cracking up!!!
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 2:52 PM
"Rebel without a Pause"
That was a particularly good one.
Posted by: East New York at June 30, 2009 2:54 PM
"I don't know if it was shame, guilt or fear motivated them, but it was comical watching the white theater members hauling ass to their cars once the movie finished. I had never seen white folks collectively so scared."
Maybe it was all the pumped up Brothers looking to throw a garbage can through a window??????
Posted by: fsrg at June 30, 2009 2:55 PM
"DIBS: 3:15 from the slope with zero traffic."
Hope you pack a radar detector. Beautiful area though.
Posted by: slopefarm at June 30, 2009 2:59 PM
Hey, Snappy! How's your leg?
Posted by: Arkady at June 30, 2009 3:01 PM
Hey Rob - if you're bored, lots of obnoxious Euro tourists in front of Balthazar right now blocking the sidewalk while looking really confused.
Posted by: dirty_hipster at June 30, 2009 3:04 PM
is there someone famous inside? im about to take a smoke/coffee break anyway.
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 3:10 PM
Hey Snappy! Yes, how is the footie?
What's with the topics in the OT? Will we be discussing Iraq being returned to the Iraqis tomorrow?! Wha.....
Posted by: cobblehiller at June 30, 2009 3:21 PM
Arkady...Hiya! I'm getting around better now. I may be able to do without the cane by next week, but the faux shoe and foot wrap remains for a while longer. I'm currently rolling my foot across a tennis ball (supposed to be a good form of therapy to help stretch out and exercise the tendon.) Who knew tennis balls cost so much! No one seems to sell them in sets less than 12. I got fed up, went to Petland Discounts, and bought two tennis ball dog toys for a total of $2.00 - Hot damn!
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 3:21 PM
not that i could see rob - they just decided the middle of the sidewalk on spring st was the ideal spot to stop and read their guide books.
Posted by: dirty_hipster at June 30, 2009 3:21 PM
Speaking of movies I saw "Up" the other night. Very good.
Posted by: infinitejester at June 30, 2009 3:23 PM
name says it all
Posted by: rob makes me sad at June 30, 2009 3:23 PM
totally random
does the Ctown on 9th street in PS sell roasted chickens?
Posted by: gemini10 at June 30, 2009 3:24 PM
randi returns, even lamer and more pathetic than before.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 3:24 PM
etson- I don't evaluate him except on the basis of what he does. How you could have possibly read anything else into what I wrote is beyond me. What I do appreciate is his historic place. But regarding Republicans vs dems- you might be right. It seems that the Republican party isn't going to evaluate him at all- they wrote him off the day after the election.
Posted by: bxgrl at June 30, 2009 3:24 PM
Recipe Question -
Does anyone know if pork belly cooks up well on a coal bbq? i've only made it a few times, but slow roasted it.
parents are having a bbq this weekend and wanna bring some sausages and stuff for the grill from marlow and daughters
Posted by: dirty_hipster at June 30, 2009 3:25 PM
Hey Cobble :) How goes it?
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 3:28 PM
Gem, I've never seen roasted chickens there but that doesn't mean they dont have any...I'll be there tonight coincidentally! I'm out of cereal :(
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 3:29 PM
Speaking of grocery stores...who do you complain to when a store consistently sells expired items and goes as far as wiping off expiration dates so that you can't tell it's expired? Is that the Dept. of Consumer Affairs?
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 3:33 PM
insert - ah ok thanks
I will try
am making quesadillas tonight but wanted to just buy a roasted chicken so it's a bit quicker than making roasted chicken breast from scratch
which cereal?
Posted by: gemini10 at June 30, 2009 3:33 PM
Pretty good Snappy, recovering from spending the early 1/2 of the day in Surrogate Court with some elderly friends of mine. INSANE. 5 attorneys literally standing around doing nothing in a hallway waiting for a public administrator to show up—ours was snagged by another judge for some reason and we had to wait for a new one to show up. It took 5 hours for a 1 hour hearing. We got there at 9am and finished at 2pm. Massive waste of everyones time! How do you stand it?
Posted by: cobblehiller at June 30, 2009 3:34 PM
gemini I agree with Snappy, never seen them there. Union Market does tho.
Posted by: infinitejester at June 30, 2009 3:34 PM
"obnoxious Euro tourists in front of Balthazar right now blocking the sidewalk while looking really confused"
The very DEFINITION of that word I like to use! But, after last week's racial strife here I think I'll retire it for a while.
Posted by: East New York at June 30, 2009 3:35 PM
"who do you complain to when a store consistently sells expired items and goes as far as wiping off expiration dates so that you can't tell it's expired?"
Hey, you're a lawyer....SUE them!! AHA HAH HAHAAHAHAHHAHAHA HA HAHHHA HA!
I'm sorry Snappy, I had to do that. I'm OK now.
Posted by: East New York at June 30, 2009 3:41 PM
Surrogate's Court is almost as bad as housing or small claims court....makes me wanna saw off my fingers with a rusty butter knife :( Luckily I don't do Trusts & Estates anymore so I havent' had to deal with that for a long time.
Gem...I'm a plain jane when it comes to my cereal...I buy raisin bran, cheerios and wheat chex.
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 3:42 PM
LOL ENY :) I should have expected that!
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 3:43 PM
DH- I found this:
http://cooking4theweek.blogspot.com/2008/08/grilled-pork-belly.html
and this
http://www.eatabeet.com/2009/06/05/grilled-pork-belly/
Posted by: TownhouseLady at June 30, 2009 3:43 PM
Who the hell is doing that, Snappy?? Even the bodegas don't stoop that low.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 3:43 PM
"Does anyone know if pork belly cooks up well on a coal bbq? i've only made it a few times, but slow roasted it."
slow roast it then you can put it in one of those grill basket things like you would use for a whole fish and grill it for 30 minutes. that way you get the outside crispy but it is tender throughout.
Posted by: rob makes me sad at June 30, 2009 3:44 PM
"makes me wanna saw off my fingers with a rusty butter knife"
Yeah, that or poke myself in the eye with a fork, either way....same difference.
It's bad alright, and we were in Queens, the attorneys were saying Brooklyn is WORSE! I cannot begin to imagine...
Posted by: cobblehiller at June 30, 2009 3:48 PM
Dave, I don't wanna publish the name of the store on this blog, but believe me, this particular store does it. They even have cereal on their shelves that expired in 2007. Considering that cereal usually has an expiration date about 3-4 years from when you actually buy it, I actually think they are buying discounted old stuff from some distributor. The same goes for some of their milk and yogurt. I've also seen oranges in that store with spots that are darker than me (for those of you who haven't met me, just trust me when I say you don't want fruit that's my shade!)
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 3:48 PM
ugh just got back from outside. it's T&T city out there!
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 3:48 PM
quote:
I buy raisin bran, cheerios and wheat chex.
damn girl, you must be as regular as they come!
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 3:49 PM
(and im meant regular as in a B.M. not your personality)
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 3:50 PM
I'd call 311 and anyone else that would listen it's a health and safety issue. I'd also call get local media in on the deal too. You can send anonymous tips.
Posted by: TownhouseLady at June 30, 2009 3:50 PM
Snappy, what if you were to just take a few expired items up to the store manager for a discussion?
Posted by: cobblehiller at June 30, 2009 3:51 PM
rob- LOL!!!
Posted by: bxgrl at June 30, 2009 3:52 PM
Brooklyn Surrogate's Court had actually gotten a little bit better...they were after me for a while to start accepting Guardianship cases but the thought of spending the rest of my life there was not so appealing.
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 3:53 PM
Is this store independent or part of a national chain? If national/regional contact the HQ.
Posted by: TownhouseLady at June 30, 2009 3:54 PM
what is all this talk about dates on food? what are you guys talking about? hahah jk. jeez i never really pay attention to the dates on food, i guess i should. honestly tho i usually eat food the same day i buy it.
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 3:54 PM
cobble...here's how it would go"
Snappy: Could you please explain why you continue to stock these expired items?
Clerk: Eh?
Snappy: These, they expired four months ago.
Clerk: Is good.
Snappy: it's against the law.
Clerk: Is good
Snappy: You need to remove these from the shelves.
Clerk: Lady, f*&ck off.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 3:55 PM
LOL Rob! I am, eh, ahem, regular, thank you!
Cobble, I've pointed it out to them several times and they just put it back on the shelves. I even snuck and marked a few things and went back a month later and sure enough it was there on the shelf again. They know what they are doing and they are doing it intentionally. That's why I wanna report them. I guess 311 is the best way to go. Although the people who answer the 311 phones (from my experience anyway) are total nimrods.
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 3:55 PM
LOL Dave!!!
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 3:57 PM
It's not a chain store so there are no HQ :(
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 3:57 PM
Snappy...I think you should openly name them here and on any other Brookyln site since they are so arrogant.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 3:57 PM
> cobble...here's how it would go
DIBS is correct. I've had that exact conversation.
Posted by: DitmasSnark at June 30, 2009 4:00 PM
You need to go to the Dept of Health and report them, not Consumer Affairs.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 4:00 PM
Snappy, this was a Kinship hearing after a relative of my friends passed away without a will and the whole thing is in Probate!! This has put the fear of g*d into me...Everyone needs a will. Write it now!! Or you or your whoevers will be in HELL for quite a long time. My brain is boggled by it all. You are a smart cookie to RUN AWAY from that MADNESS!!
Report the supermarket, I bet they're getting the stuff on some fell off a truck type thing deal. Now I'm gonna have to check all my groceries! Aaaiiieeee! Another thing to worry about! ; )
Posted by: cobblehiller at June 30, 2009 4:01 PM
Dave, I'll do so after I make an official complaint...being a lawyer I'm extremely cautious about lambasting someone by name before due time! Maybe the end result of my complaints will be a story B'Stoner picks up about this store being sanctioned or shut down...we'll see!
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 4:02 PM
Rob - what's T&T again? I remember we all tried figuring it out one day - I said Trinidad and Tobago
insert - I love those- but love others. My favs are Honey Bunches of Oats and Cinnomon Life. Oh and Golden Grahams!
Posted by: gemini10 at June 30, 2009 4:03 PM
Hey! Is DitmasSnark = Snarkslope?? Did Snark move!
Posted by: cobblehiller at June 30, 2009 4:05 PM
Sorry to make you worry Cobble! But I am an avid date checker. Even in the stores that I generally trust I find myself looking at the dates just in case. If I can't find a date, I don't buy it.
Oh, Lordy! Yes, everyone needs a will no matter what. Intestacy leaves behind the biggest mess ever. And when you write your will, be sure to use witnesses who have nothing to gain from the will itself. It was so disgusting to watch grown men and women literally punch each other out because so-and-so 'twisted Uncle Jed's arm into leaving him the car and house' and was also a witness to the will signing.
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 4:06 PM
"nimrods"
I love that word.
"I even snuck and marked a few things and went back a month later and sure enough it was there on the shelf again."
Wow...you did your own investigation! Did you wear a disguise? That was gutsy.
Posted by: East New York at June 30, 2009 4:06 PM
Can anyone tell me what nimrod means? Where did that word come from (any relation to the dead Babylonian guy?)
Posted by: bxgrl at June 30, 2009 4:08 PM
I had a statistics professor in grad school whose name was Nimrod Meguido.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 4:09 PM
LOL ENY...I my curiosity got the better of me and I just couldn't help checking things out on my own. I had one of those mini sharpies that come on a keychain and I snuck and made a small mark on the bottom of certain boxes of cereal, yogurt cups, cheese and milk. They were all still there at least one month later, the yogurt remained for 3 months.
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 4:09 PM
Yes, he was Israeli (referencing the "dead babylonian guy")
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 4:10 PM
Bxgirl, I think it did come from King Nimrod from Babylonia
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 4:10 PM
Snappy, I'm a worrier by nature, and a hypochondriac to boot! These are just the two newest things I have to obsess on till the next one comes along!! ; )
You could start one of those "7 on Your Side" type things! Or, you can sic them on the store!
Posted by: cobblehiller at June 30, 2009 4:11 PM
If they don't care that this stuff isn't moving off the shelves (as would be indicative of your sleuthing) then the store is obviously a front for something else.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 4:12 PM
thanks THL/ "sad rob" !!!
Posted by: dirty_hipster at June 30, 2009 4:12 PM
Re wills:
I have been meaning to write one.
Anyone have any good recommendations for a lawyer to draw one up?
Also, do I need to write two if I intend to leave stuff to relatives in the UK?
Thanks.
Posted by: etson at June 30, 2009 4:14 PM
Hmmm....7 On Your Side....Never thought of that...that could be a good way to get it done. I have a feeling that reporting it to the city would be a very slow process. And, some stores don't give a rat's patootie about fines. However, if they are shamed in public, that could do the trick.
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 4:14 PM
I dont actually think it's a front for anything...I just think they are super cheapos who wanna make a buck by selling highly priced expired goods they got at a deep discount because of it's expiration date.
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 4:16 PM
Wouldn't NYC be the modern equivalent of The Tower of Babel??? I hope that's not racist. Should I have used the "B word?"
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 4:16 PM
I'm with Dave. I thin the most lucrative products are not found on the shelves.
Posted by: TownhouseLady at June 30, 2009 4:16 PM
Etson...Call Peter Gray on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights...I can't recall his number, but the addy is 189 Montague Street, 8th Floor. He is the best in the business and a very very nice guy to boot.
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 4:17 PM
thin = think
Usually those stores don't really stock too many perishables though. More of a chips, candy, soda/beer and canned goods kinda market.
Posted by: TownhouseLady at June 30, 2009 4:18 PM
My lawyer does estates. And for any of you gays out there, he has done a lot of research in that area as well.
David Fainkich
david@dfainkich.com
718-840-5860
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 4:18 PM
Oh, crapsticks! If they are selling something other than expired food and drink I'll just die! If it is in fact a front, then it's a damned good one.
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 4:18 PM
As you may imagine, gay estates are particularly troublesome upon the death of one person when there is a partner but no will. The family gets everything. You need PofA and Healthcare PofA. Oftentimes you will be denied visitation rights when there's hospitalization without the latter.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 4:20 PM
couldn't be Israeli, dave. He was a grandson of Ham :-)
Posted by: bxgrl at June 30, 2009 4:20 PM
Thanks Snappy and DIBS.
Hoping it is v.premature!! But like cobble said it's something that one should have.
Posted by: etson at June 30, 2009 4:23 PM
Tomorrow is Canada Day. Biff must be on a bender.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 4:26 PM
ugh i feel so bad for my friend she just told me that the woman she has been renting a house from for the last TWENTY YEARS has given her two months to get out. she's freaking out.
and my will would probably go along the lines of
i hearby bequeef the following
-four, 200 DVD binders of porn, all genres to xxx
-3000+ video games and old systems to xxx
okay, seriously, other than a couple of bean bags and some used street furniture and paintings and books, i dont have anyone else lol.
hey randi, does my obituary make you :~(
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 4:27 PM
"The disparity between Bed Stuy brownstones and thos 1-3 miles away, essentially 3 - 4 subway stops was a discount that was unsustainable."
Unsustainable over multiple cycles. We're talking about this cycle. You can still "get it" (gunplay or pockets dug) in Bed Stuy.
"BHO, you and the other members of Team bear really need to listen to the comments being made by Mssrs. Case and Schiller....
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aIbMtWW6cVO4
"
I've listened. They're only referring to the change from March to April of the 20-city index which is heavily skewed by cities that have already posted 50% losses or worse. Only 8 of these 20 cities have shown price increases (1.2% max): Dallas, Denver, Cleveland, the District of Columbia, San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta and Seattle. Where's NY Metro? I'll tell you where it is - the Bed Stuy 5 times thread.
All that doesn't matter though. We've already had blips, slight month-to-month increases even here in NY. Let's talk rolling year-over-year change. That's going nowhere but down. The powers that be have gotten to Carl and Bob and are making them spin their own numbers (like they have with Roubini). Cash rules. But on multiple occasions, both Roubini and Shiller have claimed that things were worse than they thought (Shiller last month). The YOY perspective of their numbers does not lie.
You people only imply the relevance of Case-Shiller with brownstone Brooklyn when skewed upwards, month-to-month, with the 20-city average. A false glimmer of hope.
Where are you when the specific NY Metro index shows price hemorhhaging?
***Bid half off peak comps***
Posted by: Brownstones Half Off at June 30, 2009 4:28 PM
Etson, if you decide to go see Peter Gray let me know. I'll email you and give you my full real name so you can let him know I referred you to him.
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 4:31 PM
"i hearby bequeef"
ROFL I won't even get into a discussion on queefs...good heavens Rob, I'm dying laughing over here!
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 4:32 PM
Yeah, BHO, someone's manipulating Case & Schiller.
Why do the nutcases always resort to conspiracy theory when the data isn't going their way???????
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 4:34 PM
Thanks Snappy. I have written down his name. I do not think I will get to it before weekend, but will try to sort it out next week. I will post on here before I go. Appreciate the help!
Posted by: etson at June 30, 2009 4:34 PM
Snappy - I've had good luck w/ 311 - maybe ask about being put through to consumer affairs. I've had no luck getting 7 On Your Side on my side.
Posted by: Arkady at June 30, 2009 4:37 PM
"hey randi, does my obituary make you :~("
wtf are you talking about? i really signed off, but have been forced to return in order to defend my legacy.
Posted by: Return of Randolph at June 30, 2009 4:37 PM
Oooh...are my foodies still out there? I need a rec. for a good and authentic Italian Balsamic Vinegar. My good friend brought me some back from Italy last summer and now I've used it all up :( Any good ideas of brands I could order via Fresh Direct or find at Trader Joe's or Fairway? Those are the only stores I can really see myself going to with my foot this way.
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 4:39 PM
and, yes, i am definately PLUSA of the day, week and month.
Posted by: Return of Randolph at June 30, 2009 4:40 PM
Randolph, dont let folks run you out of here! Stick around and try to have some fun like the rest of us.
Arkady...I guess 7 is picky about whose side they'll get on? :) I'm gonna call 311 when I get home from work today.
It suddenly looks like all hell is gonna break loose outside...so dark so fast!
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 4:41 PM
Fairway has good, reasonably-priced Balsamic - can't remember the name but it's a mid-range one: not the cheapest & not the most expensive. May even have been their house brand. I'm using some a friend brought so I don't have it to check. (CostCo also has a remarkably good house brand one, too.)
Posted by: Arkady at June 30, 2009 4:43 PM
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar (not necessary but I like it)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
3/4 cup olive oil
salt/pepper
or
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
I like to make it the day before so the flavors meld.
Posted by: TownhouseLady at June 30, 2009 4:44 PM
It's not going to rain - I decided it was going to & didn't water plants - that means it won't.
Posted by: Arkady at June 30, 2009 4:45 PM
Snappy, IMO it hinges on the oil. Make sure yours is fresh. Taste it plain if it tastes 'off' to you get a new bottle.
Posted by: TownhouseLady at June 30, 2009 4:46 PM
THL- oooohhhhhh. I am going to try those! I love balsamic vinegar.
Posted by: bxgrl at June 30, 2009 4:47 PM
Fini is great and can be found many places, moderately priced. It comes in a six sided bottle with a narrow neck.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 4:47 PM
I like the first recipe THL...I may try that. I've been howling since my bottle of the good stuff straight from Italy was used up recently. I'm kind of afraid that other brands I try just won't live up to it.
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 4:47 PM
How many people have gotten pissed off and said "I'm never posting here again!" only to come back days later? Pretty funny.
Posted by: East New York at June 30, 2009 4:48 PM
Ugh oh...We have some big kinda scary rumbles of thunder going on here.
Posted by: TownhouseLady at June 30, 2009 4:49 PM
> Hey! Is DitmasSnark = Snarkslope?? Did Snark move!
T'is true, my dear cobbles, t'is true.
Posted by: DitmasSnark at June 30, 2009 4:49 PM
True Arkady...I have an umbrella in my bag so it probably will wait until the day I leave it at home.
THL, I will have to check my oil. I have a huge bottle of I think it's Bertolli or something like that.
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 4:50 PM
Ha ha, first Randi is a women, now a men (as per the profile). So Dave, it's back to Randi being a tranny for now.
Posted by: Kensingtonian at June 30, 2009 4:50 PM
My new favorite kick is the white balsamic....I could chug it out the bottle.
Kinda expensive, I only use it when I don't want something getting stained from the regular balsamic like a hot potato salad.
Posted by: TownhouseLady at June 30, 2009 4:50 PM
Damn, it's raining. I was hoping to grill up some burgers.
I'm going to have to pull out the Foreman grill instead.
Posted by: TownhouseLady at June 30, 2009 4:51 PM
THERE IS A HUGE STORM HEADED OUR WAY.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 4:51 PM
I've never heard of white balsamic...what brand do you use? Does it taste the same?
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 4:53 PM
Snark, welcome to the hood, eventhough I am a few blocks off from Ditmas Park. Will you be joining sixyears and myself at Sycamore at some point?
Posted by: Kensingtonian at June 30, 2009 4:53 PM
"Yeah, BHO, someone's manipulating Case & Schiller.
Why do the nutcases always resort to conspiracy theory when the data isn't going their way???????"
They only refer to short term month-to-month change while on national TV (the ultimate popular opinion controller). And even then, NYC didn't make the cut. What about the long term YOY change? They don't wanna talk about that. That IS going my way - down, down, down (as is month-to-month here in NYC). But yes, conspiracy theory is pure rhetoric if you can't prove it - I'll give you that (even though I "KNOW" those guys are paid off to spin their numbers). Doesn't matter though - I know how to decode the spin (that's what it is).
Go'head. Get the last word.
***Bid half off peak comps***
Posted by: Brownstones Half Off at June 30, 2009 4:54 PM
You aint kidding Dave!! The trees over here are swaying in the wind like you wouldn't believe.
You guys have about 10 minutes before it gets to you.
Posted by: TownhouseLady at June 30, 2009 4:54 PM
"THERE IS A HUGE STORM HEADED OUR WAY."
Duh. It's called HALF OFF!
***Bid half off peak comps***
Posted by: Brownstones Half Off at June 30, 2009 4:55 PM
think I saw BRG look alike in virginia.
big hair - checked
caddy - checked, nice pimped out one too
NYS places - checked
well dressed & with some attitude kind of look - checked
I know it wasn't her but I was itching to scream "Yo, BRG!!!!!!!"
Posted by: more4less at June 30, 2009 4:55 PM
ARGH! I FORGOT TO TAKE MY MAHI MAHI OUT OF THE FREEZER!!!! No dinner for me :(
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 4:55 PM
Dry as a bone in north Slope - blue sky over to the south.
Posted by: Arkady at June 30, 2009 4:55 PM
> THERE IS A HUGE STORM HEADED OUR WAY.
"Someday a real rain will come..."
Posted by: DitmasSnark at June 30, 2009 4:56 PM
It's a little less sweet Snappy, made from white grapes.
Gotta go shut windows.
Torrential downpour!!!!
Posted by: TownhouseLady at June 30, 2009 4:56 PM
don't know if it's half off or not but I'm hoping to buy a nice house (2400+ sq ft) in the prime BK hoods for 900k or lower
Posted by: more4less at June 30, 2009 4:57 PM
> Snark, welcome to the hood...
Thanks, Kensingtonian. I am also often in Kensington since the bf lives over there. I've been to Sycamore once so far. Nice place.
Posted by: DitmasSnark at June 30, 2009 4:57 PM
looks pretty dark here in Clinton Hill
Posted by: more4less at June 30, 2009 4:58 PM
Crap on a stick. Two windows in my apartment are open enough to let in rain....how is the Greenwood Heights area looking so far? Anyone? Anyone? Buehler? :)
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 4:58 PM
HA! i didnt realize ditmassnark was snarkslope in the tiny sandwich thread
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 4:58 PM
radar looks like the worst is headed to us at 7pm
Posted by: Return of Randolph at June 30, 2009 5:01 PM
Cobble Hill very windy and darkening skies by the minute.
Posted by: cobblehiller at June 30, 2009 5:02 PM
7pm start on the rain? Hmmm...I could potentially make it home by then. It's amazing how slippery a cane is on wet pavement :(
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 5:03 PM
"T'is true, my dear cobbles, t'is true."
Hooray for you! Hope it went smoothly and you are happily ensconced in the new digs!
Posted by: cobblehiller at June 30, 2009 5:03 PM
THL, I make a recipe like the second, but still use 3:1 oil/vin. I use Costco's house balsamic as well, like Arkady says. I think connoisseurs would sniff at it, but it's thick, iow, it's really balsamic in nature. And cheap. Sometimes throw in some blue cheese.
Snappy, I'm not sure about this, but I think there are two classes of expiration dates. One is covered under the law, one is not. Milk and perishables are covered. Some stuff is not. Lately some mfgrs have decided to put 'freshness dates' on stuff that would last a hundred years, soda for example.
Posted by: denton at June 30, 2009 5:05 PM
grrr no umbrella and leaving in about 15 minutes. im sure ill be soaked by the time i get home.
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 5:06 PM
Darkness on the Slope...
I however keep an umbrella here, my shoes have never tasted rain though so not happy if they do.
Posted by: infinitejester at June 30, 2009 5:09 PM
Denton, sometimes I like it to bite sharper.
I can vouch for the Costco brand. My folks have gotten it for me before. I shop at BJ's and while almost everything I've tried in the BJ's brand (Berkley and Jenson) line is great that dressing is not. Too sweet.
Posted by: TownhouseLady at June 30, 2009 5:11 PM
I didn't know that Denton. Would the cereal be covered? My biggest concerns with that particular store was the cheese, milk and yogurt. The cereal part was just plain annoying!
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 5:13 PM
I love a vinegary dressing so I use more vinegar. MM told me to try Olive oil and lemon juice too.
Really dark over here- I''m watching the clouds skating by and the big tree out front is slapping my window pane. More worried about the enormous very old locust out back. That dropped a big branch @ 2 years ago, for no reason.
Posted by: bxgrl at June 30, 2009 5:17 PM
It's mine.
Posted by: infinitejester at June 30, 2009 5:18 PM
Damn it bxgrl! Lol.
Posted by: infinitejester at June 30, 2009 5:18 PM
It's a shame everyone is saying the Costco one is good. Costco is on my permanent Rat Bastard list. I refuse to go back there.
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 5:20 PM
sorry, IJ ! How can I make it up to you? :~)
Posted by: bxgrl at June 30, 2009 5:22 PM
Bxgrl, I was outside on Sunday. Gorgeous day! Out of nowhere a huge branch. no joke it was over 6 feet long (taller than my husband) about 4 inches in diameter. It shot down from the ginormous oak tree like a spear and crashed into the glass table.
It didn't break, It reverberated visibly but didn't break I was stunned.
The poor kittens took off like a shot. We were out back sawing planks of wood and that didn't scare them off but the branch did.
Posted by: TownhouseLady at June 30, 2009 5:22 PM
Snappy, what did Costco do to you?
Posted by: denton at June 30, 2009 5:24 PM
My college roommate was Greek and everything she made was marinated in olive oil, lemon juice, fresh oregano (lots) and onion. Her dad owned two diners and a catering hall in Chicago and he used to bring us the oregano from his garden.
Insanely good on pork chops.
Posted by: TownhouseLady at June 30, 2009 5:26 PM
Wow, THL- you were lucky. Mm was in front of her bedroom window when there was a huge CRACK!! and one very large overhanging branch crashed down and into the backyard next door. The locust tree is very old and quite a bit taller than the building. I think its beginning to die so she's going to have to get someone to look at it. Anyone have any recommendations for a tree expert?
Posted by: bxgrl at June 30, 2009 5:29 PM
Yeah, Snappy, what's the deal about CostCo?
Posted by: Arkady at June 30, 2009 5:29 PM
Prospect Tree - excellent & very knowledgeable.
Posted by: Arkady at June 30, 2009 5:30 PM
"I didn't know that Denton. Would the cereal be covered? My biggest concerns with that particular store was the cheese, milk and yogurt. The cereal part was just plain annoying!"
Absolutely milk would be covered. If I recall from way back in my supermarket days, milk was the only thing that had be dated with a freshness code that was the actual date. Everything else had a freshness code that was, yup, a code. Easy to decipher, but not a real date. Some of the other dates I think are just marketing. They used to bury the date, now they hope you see it so you can throw it out and buy more.
Posted by: denton at June 30, 2009 5:30 PM
The one in Sunset Park...horrible...they have no one to gather the buggies so you have to roam through that huge parking lot and find/fight for your own (for $50 membership, I shouldn't be roaming a lot trying to find my own buggy), nothing in the store had a price on it and no one who worked there could tell me a price, instead they said, just take it to the register and when you go to pay you'll find out the price. Considering the fact that I had to carry everything I was buying by hand because after 30 minutes I gave up on finding a damned buggy, I was not about to lug sh!t around the store and in the line just to find that I wasn't willing to pay x price. Then I waited in a super long line (they only had 3 lines open and all 3 lines were at least 45 people deep while other 'workers' stood around chatting). When I finally paid for my stuff (All I bought was a box of tampons and a pack of CD-RWs) they refused to give me a bag to put it in. I had to find a manager who then claimed that they don't have any bags in the whole store. After I pitched a world class fit, they suddenly 'found' some bags and gave me one. I went home that day and had to take an anti-anxiety pill to calm myself down!
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 5:31 PM
BG, call the BBG. (hey, I like that!)
They have a number of arborists they can hook you up with.
Posted by: denton at June 30, 2009 5:32 PM
"They used to bury the date, now they hope you see it so you can throw it out and buy more."
Yeah, I saw it on a box of pasta. Gimme a break.
Posted by: TownhouseLady at June 30, 2009 5:33 PM
You have to check whether it says, "Use by", "Best by" or "Sell by".
Posted by: Arkady at June 30, 2009 5:33 PM
Oh, and their selection sucked in terms of different brand offerings...they only had toothpaste gel...yuckola!
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 5:36 PM
Sanppy - Sounds like an awful experience but the one on 3rd Av & 39th St is better. They don't have bags but you can find boxes (I take old Key Food bags when I go.) Service staff are pleasant & helpful. I take visitors from UK there as a tourist delight. Prices are generally good except Hellmann's which is better on loss-leader at Key or Pathmark.
Posted by: Arkady at June 30, 2009 5:37 PM
Sam's has wider selection of brands, it's true.
Posted by: Arkady at June 30, 2009 5:38 PM
Arkady...that's the one I'm talking about!
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 5:39 PM
Balsamic reduction is good over newly scraped slice of reggiano.
red wine vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, chopped shallot, dash of salt.
Posted by: dittoburg at June 30, 2009 5:41 PM
snappy, it's raining everywhere now. too late for you to make it home to close the windows
Posted by: more4less at June 30, 2009 5:42 PM
Snappy,
Most of those types of warehouse stores offer limited brands. They can't carry every brand or it would increase their overhead, then no discount.
None of them offer bags either. It's literally is warehouse shopping.
Posted by: TownhouseLady at June 30, 2009 5:42 PM
Ah, well, I guess the rain will just have to enjoy the soiree in my bedroom and kitchen.
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 5:43 PM
I've been to other Costcos that had bags :( And they werent stingy with them! I know they can't have every brand, but it sure was disappointing to not find any toothpaste or toilet paper I could live with. It was a sad day :(
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 5:44 PM
But Sams is part of Walmart. Walmart Corp. is like the Japanese beetle. Once it gets into the neighborhood everything dies around it.
I avoid them.
Posted by: TownhouseLady at June 30, 2009 5:44 PM
Hey Dave:
Just saw this and thought of you. Check out the answer to her second to last question...
http://brooklynbased.net/everything/the-home-buying-guru/
Posted by: 11217 at June 30, 2009 5:45 PM
Nite all...I'm gonna run...er, limp on home now...what will I watch now that RHWONJ is over? Argh! HGTV reruns, here I come! Keep dry everyone :)
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at June 30, 2009 5:45 PM
It's barely enough to moisten the ground here - just blotches of drops on the pavement - so far....
Posted by: Arkady at June 30, 2009 5:45 PM
snappy, why even go to these warehouse clubs if you don't have a car and/or a ton of mouths to feed. everytime people go there, they end up buying more than can be lugged home by hand.
Posted by: more4less at June 30, 2009 5:47 PM
Sky is definitely lighter than 10 mins ago in midtown but it's still raining.
Posted by: etson at June 30, 2009 5:48 PM
Hey- thanks denton! I'll check on that.I wonder if they give discounts for initial similarity? :-)
etson- any thunder and lightning? Nothing here but water.
My windows are open so the rain blew in and freaked out my pooor half blind cat. She just fell off the sill- I feel so bad. I have to now pick her up and make much of her.
Posted by: bxgrl at June 30, 2009 5:59 PM
No thunder or lightening here but I may have spoken too soon - starting to look worse again.
I have to go out to a dinner from work - forgot my umbrella & had to borrow a colleague's very small spare.
Posted by: etson at June 30, 2009 6:03 PM
snappy, I think you need to give them another chance, and work within their parameters. Costco actually pays their people well and I've never had a problem when shopping. But there are certain expectations on both sides.
Like m4l says, you need to go with a car or a friend with one, and you need to buy a lot of stuff for the lines to make sense. Drop me a line and we'll take u next time.
They're not a supermarket, so they don't do bags, per m4l. We bring a bunch of Lands End canvas thingies. Also, you have to be flexible in what you expect to find. They won't always have the brand you bought last time. That's part of the fun.
The expectation is that you will save a lot of money if you buy a lot of stuff, bring your own bags, and be flexible in your shopping.
Posted by: denton at June 30, 2009 6:04 PM
Go home just before it started.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 6:06 PM
> Hope it went smoothly and you are happily ensconced in the new digs!
Thanks! I had good movers (one was pretty hot actually, but I digress) and I am very happily ensconced.
Posted by: DitmasSnark at June 30, 2009 6:07 PM
> i didnt realize ditmassnark was snarkslope in the tiny sandwich thread
Yeah, that was me. I'm going to try to be nicer as my Mid-Year's Resolution, starting tomorrow...
Posted by: DitmasSnark at June 30, 2009 6:09 PM
I loved Crooklyn, but I loved Summer of Sam too.
Posted by: Heather at June 30, 2009 6:12 PM
I too thought Summer of Sam was very good.
Posted by: East New York at June 30, 2009 6:15 PM
ditmasSnark- Nooooooooooo!Then we have to call you ditmasSnore.
Posted by: bxgrl at June 30, 2009 6:15 PM
I loved Summer of Sam.
Arrrgggghhhhhhh...Extra is going to do something where they show you what MJ would have looked like now if he had remained "black." I thought he was always pretty good looking before he changed. But that's just my taste.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 30, 2009 6:15 PM
"one was pretty hot actually, but I digress"
Wheee! I'm guessing that made the pain in the hiney that is referred to as 'moving' a little sweeter! ; )
Posted by: cobblehiller at June 30, 2009 6:34 PM
omfg snark, i forgot about mid year resolutions! and this comes from someone who celebrates 1/4 , 1/2 , and 3/4 birthdays! my 1/2 bday is aug 9th! soon woowoo!
got drenched coming home. it felt nice tho. at least i wont have to shower tonight. ha jk about that .;) im not that skankalicious.
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 30, 2009 6:40 PM
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