Good point Hipster. And I'll bet you can find some fifi wine bars if you look around.

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at May 14, 2009 10:25 AM in response to Can Ditmas Park Save The Middle Class?

Hmmm. Maybe the whole urban/suburban distinction is all relative. My coworker lives up near Columbus Circle and says he's always regarded the Village and other nabes in lower Manhattan as "suburbs".

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at May 14, 2009 10:22 AM in response to Can Ditmas Park Save The Middle Class?

"...well when generations of americans referred to queens and brooklyn as "the country" and most manhattanites do as well, it's suburbia."

The country???? Brooklyn??? I mean, if you go back far enough I guess this was all just countryside, but the same is true of Manhattan...or Paris for that matter. And yes, some Manhattanites may refer to the outer boroughs as "suburbs" with some derision, but that's high school stuff.

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at May 14, 2009 10:17 AM in response to Can Ditmas Park Save The Middle Class?

Rob, soon you'll be arguing that even Manhattan is not the city! But seriously, I guess I just don't grasp your city/suburbia distinction.

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at May 14, 2009 10:04 AM in response to Can Ditmas Park Save The Middle Class?

"Ditmas park is as suburban as it gets....yeah maybe it's nyc by name and legalese, but um, sorry brooklyn and queens were always a suburb of manhattan."

This reaction surprises me. When I think of the suburbs, I think of repetitious, cookie cutter housing, strip malls, a general lack of cultural diversity, lack of good public transportation, etc. Yet Ditmas Park has beautiful, interesting houses, no strip malls, is arguably the most culturally diverse neighborhood in Brooklyn, and the B and Q lines run straight through it. If that's "as suburban as it gets", sign me up!

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at May 14, 2009 9:51 AM in response to Can Ditmas Park Save The Middle Class?

Yeah, right. Markowitz is nothing but a shill and a traitor to this boro. Maybe he should apply to be Bruce Ratner's boy Friday.

Here's hoping he keeps his fat, traitorous ass out of Crown Heights.

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at May 5, 2009 5:55 PM in response to At the Roundtable...

I think the role played on this blog by various "antagonists" is quite interesting. When The What figured so prominently in that magazine article a while back, it spoke volumes. And before that it was the PLG Troll being interviewed on WABC radio.

By the way, I'm pretty sure that the guy who interviewed the PLG Troll was George Weber, the fellow who was killed not long ago after he arranged some sort of rendezvous via Craigslist.

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at April 2, 2009 9:20 PM in response to Brownstoner Monthly Traffic Tops 1.5 Million Pageviews

I have been thinking about the “let’s talk about commenting thread”. I didn’t like the rancorous tone that it took. Like anyone else, I have my own preferences when it comes to hot-button issues like guest commenting, ignore functions, the OT and so on, but frankly all of these preferences are far outweighed by the simple desire that people not go at each other. This entire enterprise is diminished when people take up hateful, dismissive attitudes toward those with differing opinions.

Mr. B, you built this site and have nurtured it along in exemplary fashion. You have a more comprehensive view of the enterprise than any of us. So, I'd be comfortable if you simply called the shots without soliciting the kind of feedback you received last week. Or, alternatively, seek feedback but in some more casual way (emailing random groups of posters? surveys?). I don't think anyone benefits from threads like the "let's talk about commenting" thread, though.

Those are just my feelings on the matter. If there are better ways to assess the situation, I'm sure someone will come along to point 'em out!

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at March 31, 2009 12:22 PM in response to Open Thread

I can't remember Skittles very well. It's been a long time since I 'indulged'. However, I don't recall any chocolate. They're made up of some other kind of candy that's difficult to describe once you get beyond "sweet", "sugary", etc.

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at March 30, 2009 3:09 PM in response to Open Thread

Few walks of life are as full of smoke and mirrors as the "job search". I always hated job seeking. Haven't done it in a long, long time, but I'm still young enough that it might happen yet, especially in this economy.

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at March 30, 2009 12:46 PM in response to Open Thread

I agree with those who say that the registration requirement has hurt the site, but there's no point dwelling on that now. Lifting the registration requirement is NOT ON THE TABLE according to Mr. B. So why flog a dead horse?

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at March 28, 2009 3:53 PM in response to Let's Talk About Commenting

Well said, Heather, and very true. This site is pretty cool. And I think most everyone here agrees with you about that. They just want to make sure the best features of the site are preserved.

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at March 27, 2009 7:38 PM in response to Let's Talk About Commenting

It's clear from the comments here that something needs to be done. I hate the idea of moderation, but even I can see that it is needed here. An ignore button may be the way to go. Could it have negative effects on the site's 'dialogue'? Perhaps, but we're here today because the site's dialogue is already in trouble. So, I say it's worth a shot.

Limiting the number of posts a person makes might also be a good idea. If you're posting more than 20 times a day to this site, you're making a personal, psychological use of this site that is probably not healthy for you and that is certainly not promoting dialogue and clear thinking on the site.

I also agree with some earlier posters that, if some of these measures were combined with the reinstatement of guest commenting, that could be the best possible outcome for the site overall.

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at March 27, 2009 4:10 PM in response to Let's Talk About Commenting

It's depressing that some people still think that rape is about sexual attraction rather than violence.

I also don't see the point of this post unless it's an attempt to stoke class warfare. Mothers will always be mothers, kids will always be kids, and families will work through these issues just as they always have. There is literally nothing to see here.

Mr. B, last week you said you'd follow up with some suggestions about commenting and elevating the level of dialogue on the site? Well, we're all ears!

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at March 26, 2009 11:58 AM in response to Bushwick Projects and Environs Safe?

And it's an interesting question, though I think a lot of context has to be supplied before we can try to answer it. If a movie "glorifies" bad people by exaggerating or distorting the historical record in certain ways, then I think we can reasonably criticize it on those grounds. At the same time, it is true that bad people can sometimes have remarkable talents and accomplish incredible things, and I don't think anyone is wrong to capture this in a film or other artwork.

It's been a long time since I watched Bonnie and Clyde, but I don't recall thinking that the characters there were too over-the-top or the portrayal of them too one-sided or romantic. As I say, though, it's been a long time...

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at March 25, 2009 12:00 PM in response to More Mural Controversy

I didn't know O'Garro so I can't comment on what sort of person he was. Still, with murals of him appearing ten years after his death, he obviously endeared himself to some people. Was he a thug, a drug dealer, a dangerous man? I wouldn't be surprised, but that doesn't appear to be all he was. People living in the area today presumably aren't being compelled to commemmorate O'Garro. He meant something to them. This doesn't mean he was an angel and it's consistent with his having been, in some contexts, a villain. That's the way it goes.

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at March 25, 2009 11:06 AM in response to More Mural Controversy

Okay, gotcha. I think the registration requirement has hurt the site, but as Shrub would say, you are "the decider" :)

If you're going to continue requiring registation, though, you might as well make the most of it. If some posters have gotten too hateful, disruptive, etc., you could always make their posts subject to moderation. My guess is that 95% of their posts would still make it onto the site, but moderation would probably be enough, all by itself, to make them think twice before clicking on "Post".

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to listen.

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at March 22, 2009 3:04 PM in response to Brownstoner on Twitter

Yes, my coworkers update me two or three times a day on what's happening in the comments section of Curbed.

They used to talk about Brownstoner back in the day.

By "uptick in quality and style", I didn't mean to suggest that the site would be inundated with Hemingways. I do believe it would be a step up from where it is now, but I understand that's not saying much.

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at March 21, 2009 4:14 PM in response to Brownstoner on Twitter

Brownstoner I agree with your Twitter comment that it may be time to revisit your commenting policy. The comments on the site need fresh air and new life, and the only way you're going to get that is by lifting the registration requirement. Opening up the comments in this way would give you a huge leg up on some of the 'competition' out there and return this excellent site to its glory days. Yes, I know you open the floodgates to a lot of aggravation when you get rid of registration, but it's totally worth it for the uptick in quality and style.

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at March 21, 2009 12:03 PM in response to Brownstoner on Twitter

And did you mention that Marisa Tomei and Liev Schreiber might stop by?

Seriously dude, the Flea IS cool, but won't be for long unless you cool it with the celebrity name dropping. Go down that road and you're one short step away from having Billy Mays as your pitchman.

Just sayin'...

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at March 16, 2009 7:51 AM in response to Closing Bell: Dumbo Flea Gets 'Cool'

Is is asking too much that you show a tiny bit of respect by spelling this man's name correctly?

His name was Bob Guskind. He was a great guy and Brooklyn is diminished by his loss.

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at March 6, 2009 12:55 PM in response to Gowanus Lounge Is Back Online

Not sure what you mean, DarkandStormy. Freshdirect does go to Ditmas Park and has for some time. There are good restaurants, like Pomme de Terre on Newkirk and The Farm on Cortelyou. It's not that far from the city. The B train goes right through it and will get you into Manhattan faster than the F from Park Slope. Not that I really care, as I don't know anyone in Ditmas, but let's give credit where credit's due.

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at March 4, 2009 1:12 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 415 Argyle Road, #3J

Not long ago I called 311 to complain about the lack of sand on the pier. I had no idea this would happen.

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at February 3, 2009 4:23 PM in response to Closing Bell: Why is There Sand Being Dumped on the Pier?

Mr. B, you might consider no longer requiring registration on the site. The quality and quantity of dialogue on the site has dropped considerably with registration. No longer requiring registration would also give you an advantage over (what one might perceive to be) competing blogs.

Just sayin'....

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at January 13, 2009 4:13 PM in response to Brooklynites, Lend Us Your Ears (and Eyes)

It's great the way the level of discussion on this blog has risen since guest posting was eliminated.

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at August 22, 2008 1:53 PM in response to Return of the Stoop Pooper

Marty won't do anything until it's absolutely clear which way the wind is blowing. That's just the way he is. I'd complain about him, but since I voted for him I hardly feel entitled to complain. I will say that I regret that vote, though.

My hope is that the Row will be saved, but I'm still not optimistic.

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at July 18, 2008 11:07 AM in response to Pratties Have 'Cake-and-Eat-It' Design for Admiral's Row

"arguement"? Jesus.

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at July 17, 2008 9:26 AM in response to Thursday Links

The price will come down on this place sooner or later. It's just a matter of time. Someone will buy it then and it will prove a good investment.

Posted by: White and Proud in Crown Heights at July 17, 2008 7:54 AM in response to House of the Day: 1372 Dean Street