Oy Vey Rockaway

Working Artists Enliven Labor Day Weekend

Posted on September 5, 2011 by rockviv

It’s that holiday celebrating American workers–the ones who make the cars and run the hospitals, plus the creative geniuses who draw and write and paint. We’ve still got plenty of those, even if fewer of us have actual paying jobs.

Board Member Dan Guarino Contributes his Singing Talents at the RAA Show on Sunday

On this weekend dedicated to workers, don’t forget local artists–those in the community who create for a living, or just for the fun of it. It IS work. It takes great dedication and passion to perfect one’s craft, and many artists never expect to achieve commercial success. They may hope to make a living, and contribute something exceptional for posterity. They often suffer the slings and arrows of setbacks repeatedly, without giving up. They do it for the love of the art form, and to achieve a sense of personal satisfaction. Sometimes they do crazy things to get noticed.

Gary Russo's Charisma Will Warm Your Heart. Photo courtesy of Dan Guarino.

Take Rockaway Artists Alliance member Gary Russo, a/k/a “The Subway Sinatra,” who decided to set up his karaoke machine during lunch hour at the Second Avenue subway construction site where he makes a living. Complete with his hard hat, he belted out a few tunes every day, and catapulted within a week from singing in the shower to gigs on Good Morning America, Access Hollywood, and at the famous Manhattan music venue, The Blue Note. As you can imagine, he’s also a sensation on You Tube.

Apryl Singing With the Group, "Hudson's Hope," on July 4, 2011

Gary performed a free concert from the bow of the magnificent paddle-wheel houseboat, Elena, Queen of Arts, at the pier in Sheepshead Bay on Sunday, September 4, 2011, at 7:30 p.m. He was joined by fellow RAA member Apryl Green, a talented torch singer in her own right, who has a local children’s entertainment group called The Silly Dilly Band. The captain of the Elena, Jan Nebozenko, also an RAA member, filmed the concert duo, who pleased a crowd of onlookers along Emmons Avenue, free of charge, for over an hour. From Gary’s now-classic rendition of Summer Wind, to Apryl’s passionate performance of At Last, it was a perfect end to the summer for me.

Over the Labor Day weekend, RAA also welcomed the community to a fun exhibit at their Studio 7 Gallery in Ft. Tilden, showing that the local group is quite capable of “wowing them” in two boroughs, at the same time! The show was curated by RAA board member Sophia Skeans, principal of Art Adventures and More, who has built the Annual “Paint Out” on the Rockaway boardwalk into a cherished local tradition.

Local History Buffs, L to R: Eddie and Dorothy Sullivan and Dean Georges, with Sophia Skeans

With the help of many friends, neighbors, and colleagues from RAA, Sophia assembled a stunning collection of artworks and artifacts documenting the history of local lifeguards, surfing, and beach culture, which was displayed on September 3, 4 and 5, with a lavish reception on Sunday from 5 – 9 p.m.

Surf scenes by local artist Reid were on display; there was also a television showing a documentary about Rockaway’s surfing pioneers. Local collectors and history buffs Dean Georges and Eddie and Dorothy Sullivan loaned items for the show. Everyone seemed to get a kick out of the classic film footage shot here on the peninsula, and many also appreciated having the chance to mingle with neighbors and remember the old days. All in all, the crowds at Ft. Tilden seemed to be just as happy as the onlookers in Sheepshead Bay.

Surf Scenes by Local Artist Reid in the Background as Attendees Enjoy the Music

The first day of September was also a milestone for Rock Viv and Oy Vey Rockaway–we’re celebrating the anniversary of a year in operation. Thanks to all my friends, neighbors and colleagues who have supported me and complimented my efforts. Hopefully, the future will bring bigger and even better things for us!

Posted in The Arts and Entertainment | Tagged community, Gary Russo, Lifeguards and Surfing, music, recreation, Rockaway, Rockaway Artists Alliance, Subway Sinatra, The Arts | Leave a comment

A Paean to Irene

Posted on August 29, 2011 by rockviv

Come and Sit a Spell...But Maybe Not Here! Beach 94 Street & Shorefront Parkway

That Hurricane Irene was some bi-polar storm! Carefree teens tubing down the Saw Mill River Parkway on Sunday afternoon contrasted with kayakers in distress pulled from the Hudson River on Saturday night. The mood of the city swung like a pendulum, from the panicked evacuation mode on Friday and Saturday to the almost gleeful abandon of Sunday afternoon.

By 2 p.m. on Sunday, strolling sightseers frolicked on the beaches and boardwalks of Long Beach and Rockaway Park, not far from where the storm’s weakened eye had passed just six hours before. Jetskiiers, canoeists and rafters chugged along Norton Drive in Bayswater.

Frolicking in the Mess Left by Irene at the Skatepark

One child and his caretaker even ventured into the mess left at the Rockaway Beach skatepark, as if it were a playground. At least he didn’t have to share it with skateboarders, who as a group seemed a bit more prudent than the cyclists, a few of whom could be seen on news cameras, still riding nonchalantly around the streets of Manhattan on Saturday evening as the rain bands of the storm began to approach.

Irene "Decorated" the Whaleamena Display with Loose Trash

How many Rockawayites evacuated? No one can say for sure. I would estimate, based on a spot survey of the ten to twelve households I have closest contact with, that the evacuation rate for residents was about 50%. There’s no doubt that plenty of people stayed behind. Many probably believed the rosy predictions (I chuckled when I heard them called “Chamber of Commerce weather reports”) that the winds would top out at 40 mph, with a storm surge of no more than 2 feet. What is most important is that the exodus that DID occur was orderly and efficient.

I chose to remove to the home of friends in Westfield, New Jersey, which seemed logical, given its distance from the shore. When I left shortly after rush hour on Friday, I expected the worst. Instead, I arrived at Westfield in just about an hour and 15 minutes, all tolls were waived due to the emergency (woo-hoo!), and I hardly had to tap my brakes as I proceeded across Staten Island and into Union County. Even if some are carping that the evacuation effort was overblown and expensive, both of which are probably true, you have to admit that it was great practice. The kind of practice that may come in handy some day, if a bigger disaster strikes.

Guess Which Business Was Among the First to Re-Open on Sunday...Hanging Pots and All!

It’s hard to estimate how many tourists came for the show. People are pretty crazy these days.

When I returned to the Rock, I heard of a hurricane party or two that had taken place.

Ironically, the oceanfront was not the problem for much of New Jersey, where I was camped out. It was the rain, stupid! The next town over, Cranford, turned into a lake. So did many of the parking lots, basketball courts, and roads. Virtually everyone in that part of New Jersey ended up losing power by the middle of the night on Saturday, and some of the main arteries in the county were blocked by fallen trees or huge ponds of storm water by the morning.

The Wrack Line Left by Irene, 400 Block of Beach 130 Street

After the television went bye-bye at the home where I was staying, I spent the night listening to storm reports on a crank-powered radio, to drown out the sound of the wind and the huge trees swaying outside. It was a godsend that the CBS affiliate station in NYC was broadcasting on one of ESPN’s AM frequencies. I also enjoyed listening to the coverage on 101.9 FM, which bills itself as “New York’s First 24-Hour All-News FM Radio Station.”

By high tide at 8 a.m. on Sunday, I called my children (who had stayed on the Rock with their Dad), to hear about what they were observing.

Sandbags Break the Symmetry of Windows, Doors and Railings

I learned that most of the west end of Rockaway never lost power, even though there were reports of water splashing waist-high on Newport Avenue near Beach 129 Street at high tide on Sunday, and a few blocks that have recurring localized problems with their transformers did lose their electricity.

Tree Down, Beach 140 and RBB

So, after the storm’s eye had passed to the north, at about noon on Sunday, I decided to re-evacuate from New Jersey back to the Rock. Lots of detours around flooded streets were required, but I made it back in about two hours. I then joined legions of others (both locals and visitors) for a “photo tour” of the west end of the peninsula.

I saw that there were plenty of tree limbs on the streets (three large ones on my block seemed to be on the high side of the average). The plane trees and those new Atlantic cedars on the Rockaway Beach Boulevard malls in the west end endured the best of the tall vegetation; there are always problems with the pear trees, for some reason.

The Roxbury Parking Lake. Great if You're Parking a Boat!

Sections of the boardwalk supports (and even a few of the benches and railings) were lost in the 90’s and near Beach 102 Street. The skatepark was filled with mud and other debris. All in all, the west end of the peninsula survived in pretty good shape. But you have to admit it–Hurricane Irene was some wake-up call!

Posted in The Built World, The Land We Share, Water and waterways | Tagged Hurricane Irene, local news, NYC, Rockaway, weather events | Leave a comment

It’s Showtime!

Posted on August 25, 2011 by rockviv

Well, we’ve been talking about it and preparing ever since Mayor Bloomberg decided to devote millions of dollars to his plaNYC initiatives in 2007. An actual serious emergency that could require evacuation of millions from low-lying areas of New York City.

Mother Nature is playing her part, and she’s being a real diva about it! As an opening act, she served us over 7 inches of rain last week that super-saturated the soil. That’s an unusually abundant rainfall for this part of the planet…

Then, that 5.8 earthquake rattled the entire East Coast at 1:51 p.m. on Tuesday, August 23, with smaller aftershocks (in the 3.0 range) continuing on Wednesday and early this morning. We have not experienced such a strong quake here in over 100 years.

Now that the backup performers are off the stage (but don’t forget, their effects can linger), the spotlight’s on Hurricane Irene, which may stop by the city on Sunday morning for a visit. Oh well, we ARE doing everything to encourage tourism, aren’t we? Like good locals, we hope Irene does not turn into a nasty “down for the day” visitor. Please mind your manners and go somewhere way out on Long Island if you decide to stop. We hear the Hamptons are great this time of year!

Let’s not forget about the additional parts of the ensemble booked for us by the forces of nature. This Sunday, the Moon and Sun are aligned on the same side of the Earth, so we have a “new” moon. At those times, the gravitational pull of the sun adds to that of the Moon, causing maximum tides.

Given these chance occurrences, there is the potential for significant coastal flooding from the expected storm surge this weekend (even if Irene is downgraded to a tropical storm, or only grazes us). The ground is quite saturated from last week’s rain, and that means the bay is full, as well. The excess water in this storm is going to flood the streets of Rockaway quite badly, I predict. That means the evacuation routes will be flooded, too. It happened in 1991 during the “Halloween Nor’easter.” It happened again in 1992 during the big, early-December, Nor’easter. If you don’t have insurance coverage for damage to your vehicle, better move it to higher ground. And in this case, I don’t think that the center median on Cross Bay Boulevard in Broad Channel will do! Another good place NOT to park your car is in front of PS 106 in Far Rockaway, notorious as the lowest ground on the peninsula.

As if all of this were not enough to worry about, we’ve got that knotty, unknown detail of unprecedented seismic activities coinciding with the storm. How many times do you get a hurricane preceded by an earthquake? Those of us who experienced Hurricane Gloria in September 1985 will remember that a surprising, early-morning Saturday earthquake followed it, in October. The order has been reversed in 2011.

At the risk of being tagged the “Chicken Little” of the Northeast, I’m really concerned about these natural occurrences. I’m no scientist, but I have read up on this subject in some depth. I fear that additional dangers are being dismissed, because nobody wants to alarm us about the risk of tsunami waves. The mainstream media doesn’t cover these issues in much depth, and the word limits of such social media vehicles as Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr almost ensure the spread of superficial, conclusory rumors. I think prudent people who live in coastal areas need to be aware of all the risks so they can intelligently assess the situation and make appropriate plans and preparations.

To learn more about this subject, I highly recommend that readers take a look at the webpage of the National Weather Service office in Philadelphia/Mt. Holly. Here’s the address: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/phi/reports/tsunami.htm

This document contains a lot of historical data on various significant weather events, including the September 21, 1938 hurricane known as the “Long Island Express.” That storm tracked due north along the Jersey coast, striking Long Island at mid-afternoon, after torrential rains had super-saturated the soil during the previous week. The storm then moved quickly into New England. After the storm was long gone, at 5:30 p.m., three waves in excess of between 30-50 feet washed over the coast of New Jersey, passing completely over the barrier islands and causing major destructive damage and loss of life. Since the storm had been gone for some time, people in New Jersey had begun to walk out near the shore to assess the damage, which added to the casualties.

In addition to the outside risk that we will experience catastrophic waves as the storm system plays out, another factor to be considered is the geology of the coastline. There is a real risk that portions of the battered undersea shelf could break off in the face of a 100-year storm’s arrival. Scientists from Woods Hole and Lamont Doherty recently studied the underwater canyons off the coast of Virginia and North Carolina and released a report that concluded that there were large, unstable, depressions in the ocean floor associated with previous natural gas eruptions. Here is the link to a summary of their findings: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/05/02/tech/main191003.shtml

If you research this a bit further, you will find, as I did, that highly porous layers of rock have been noted off the Jersey shore, as well. Because battering and breaking of such unstable geologic structures could generate a significant wave quite quickly, our present warning systems are inadequate to protect residents of the coast. This adds an additional risk factor to the equation.

I’ve got my “Go Bag” packed already. Those who don’t know what I’m talking about can find out the details on how to prepare at http://www.nyc.gov. Sign up for the text alerts that will be issued if evacuation is ordered. Oh, and if you drive to Aqueduct as the evacuation signs on the peninsula direct, you will be bused to another location, according to today’s news reports. It’s much better to find a friend or relative who can house you.

One last reminder–when you drive over the bridge to evacuate, be sure you pay your toll!

Text copyright Vivian R. Carter 2011.

Posted in Creatures of the Planet (Non-Human), New York City Government, The Land We Share, Water and waterways | Tagged Hurricane Irene, local news, Rockaway, tsunami, weather events | 2 Comments

You Can’t Even Say “Speed Kills” Anymore

Posted on August 20, 2011 by rockviv

The aftermath--the car back to where it started--sort of.

Some force on the planet was clearly at work, other than the combustion engine of the late model Infiniti G37 hard-top convertible coupe–the car that helped save three lives today. At about 8 a.m. on Saturday, August 20, the young woman driving this car (with a Florida license plate), traveling westbound on Newport Avenue in Belle Harbor, apparently skidded and lost control just east of the busy intersection of Newport and Beach 129 Street. The vehicle smacked into the brick retaining wall of the home on the northwest corner of Beach 128 Street, and then flipped onto its hard-top, which folds into the trunk when it’s in convertible mode. Fortunately for the driver and passengers, the top was not down.

The impact of the crash and the flip onto its lid was enough to shred this two-ton, $50,000 car into pieces. It was quite an amazing thing to see and hear. The witnesses closest to the scene (I was there within a minute or so of the impact), said that it was strictly a one-car mishap–there were no other cars nearby at the moment of the crash except one traveling northbound on Beach 128 Street, sitting at the stop sign waiting to cross Newport. That driver got quite an eyeful!

Firefighters lift the car during the rescue effort.

The young woman driver and her two male passengers were removed from the car by firefighters. Alive. It took over a half-hour to get the last passenger out. I noticed when they removed the driver that she was not wearing shoes. My father always warned his children that it’s unsafe to drive a car (or ride a bike) in bare feet (or flip-flops). Guess he was right about that. At least the driver was wearing a seat belt.

I never dreamed you could escape a crash like this alive.

Reminder to neighbors and visitors–the New York City speed limit on residential streets is 30 m.p.h. Let’s all try to respect it. Following the lead of other places like Canada and England that have lower speed limits, New York City is testing pilot projects to reduce the speed limit to 20 m.p.h., which I personally favor. If there are more accidents like the one this morning, you can expect increasing pressure for such changes. The site of this unfortunate crash is one of the busiest bus stops on the west end, weekdays.

It’s a good thing it was a Saturday.

Posted in New York City Government, The World of Human Beings | Tagged Belle Harbor Auto Accident, local news, Rockaway, transportation | Leave a comment

My Short-Lived Run for Office

Posted on August 2, 2011 by rockviv

It lasted for a mere 20 days in July. For less than three weeks, it was a chance to upset the apple cart, to offer a fresh new choice to voters in Southeast Queens. Even a chance to make a point about the importance of accurate local news reporting. When it ended, the only upturned apple cart was my own. Don’t let the rule book hit you on the way out!

Events were set in motion by Governor Andrew Cuomo’s pre-Independence Day declaration of a Special Election to fill the vacant New York State Assembly position in District 23, formerly held by Audrey Pheffer. Alarmed by what I see as the increasing corporatist tilt of both major political parties, and the news media’s apparent complicity in maintaining the status quo, I had switched my allegiance to the Green Party during summer 2010. You know—the Greens are Ralph Nader’s people, labeled by corporatists as “tree huggers” or “peaceniks.” I happen to love trees and peace on Earth, but many in our society are afraid to declare their love of these things unless it’s Christmas-time and the words can help jingle the cash registers at Macy’s. It seems hard to think of more divisive topics than global warming and war, unless you start talking about unions and bike lanes. In trying to restore grass-roots democracy and build a united constituency for change in America, the Greens have their work cut out for them!

A Favorite Quotation Banner from the Clearwater Festival

My impression is that the Green Party is populated with thoughtful, idealistic, independent thinkers who are not put off by confronting the most difficult issues that divide us, and that is why I joined up. The party’s attempt to address the complexities of achieving peace in the Middle East sets them at odds with both Anthony Weiner and Former Mayor Ed Koch. Koch, as you may have heard, recently endorsed Republican businessman Bob Turner to replace Weiner, encouraging voters in the 9^th Congressional District to use their all-important franchise to send a message opposing President Obama’s Middle East policy. Sorry, Ed, but you are pretty much out of touch. The Middle East is important, but I’d hazard a guess that it’s not number one on most voters’ minds these days. Domestic issues like paying the rent, avoiding foreclosure, finding a job and a cheap gallon of gas take up much more of our attention these days.

Back to summer, 2010, when I helped carry petitions around Brooklyn and Queens for the Green Party’s slate of candidates. In the fall election, I joined almost 60,000 New Yorkers who voted for the Green gubernatorial candidate, Howie Hawkins, a decidedly non-corporate type. This outcome guaranteed the party an official ballot line in any upcoming elections. Shh! Keep it a secret, and don’t tell the local newspapers. News of ground-breaking changes sometimes just never filters down to the people who need to know.

When Pheffer vacated her position in May, 2011, that meant the Green Party had an opportunity to run a candidate for the seat. Four news articles in The Wave, on April 29, May 6, May 27 and June 3 (three of these appeared on the front page), specifically and incorrectly stated that only five parties had ballot status in New York elections, followed by the all-important editorial of July 8, which repeated the error by failing to include the Green Party as the sixth ballot status party. I decided to take positive action to address my frustrations.

T-Shirts Seen at 2011 Clearwater Festival

I completed a voluminous candidate questionnaire stating why I was qualified to represent the 23^rd District in the Assembly, and submitted it to the Executive Committee of the Green Party at the end of May. Given the timing, the 10-page package could have been subtitled: “Why I Want to Run for the Assembly on My Summer Vacation.”

On Wednesday, July 6, the Green Party Nominating Committee met and selected me to run for the position. A new 10-page package of paperwork winged its way to the Board of Elections in the City of New York, and was received and date-stamped, on time, by July 11.

The whole thing ended two weeks later, on July 26, when I received a simple, one-page form letter from the Board of Elections, which said:

“Dear Candidate Vivian R. Carter: At the hearings on nominations held 7/26/2011, please be advised that the following will not appear on the ballot for the Special. Assembly 23…09/13/2011 since the certificate did not comply with the New York State Election Law and/or the Rules of the Board of Elections.”

Putting grammar and syntax aside, I got the message. My candidacy was dead. Fatally flawed. In terms familiar only to lawyers and Latin scholars, the Board of Elections had found a “Prima Facie defect…not subject to a cure.”

I won’t bore you with all the details, an arcane thing having to do with addresses on the forms that didn’t match. Suffice it to say that many others have been tripped up on this point before. Any candidate (particularly one with a primary and secondary address) needs to become quite familiar with these rules, plus many others, before attempting a run for office.

The Annual Statements of Financial Disclosure required by the New York State Legislative Ethics Commission specifically speak about an individual’s “primary or secondary personal residence,” and we all know that virtually all U.S.office-holders need to maintain two living spaces, one where the constituents reside and another where the legislative body sits while in session. Box 7 on New York’s recently-revised voter registration form asks for “the address where you live,” and Box 8 permits you to fill in “the address where you receive mail.” Post office boxes are allowed for the latter, but not the former. You can’t sleep in a post office box. If this recession sticks around a while longer, someone may try. After all, it only costs about $100 a year!

A voter can choose where he or she wants to register to vote, and one court case upheld a person’s choice to vote at a residence where he had slept only once in 7 years. If you have a summer home, you may choose to register to vote there. Same if you are a college student. You can register to vote using your dormitory room address, as I did back in 1976 so I could vote for Abner Mikva, former U.S. Congressman from Illinois, who later went on to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and served as White House Counsel for President Bill Clinton.

You can maintain any number of residences, but must choose only one for voting purposes. Then, if you decide to run for office, that’s the address that must go on ALL the papers. Make sure you get it right.

The biggest thrill of my short-lived run for office: seeing my name transliterated into Chinese characters, while being offered the heady choice of whether to select a different version of how it should appear on the ballot. Although my 15-year-old daughter had just completed a nine-month study of the Chinese language, she dismissed my request to review it, chiding me that “it takes years to learn how to write Chinese characters!”

Almost Made it Onto the Ballot!

The low point: receiving a large, official-looking Kraft envelope in the mail, containing a letter from the Legislative Ethics Commission advising me that I had until August 2 to file a quite substantial financial disclosure form, or I could be subject to civil or criminal penalties. It seemed to have been postmarked the same day the Board of Elections had sent me the form declaring my candidacy deader than a doornail.

I felt like I had just stepped through the looking glass and into Wonderland.

Posted in New York State Government | Tagged Bob Turner, Congressman Anthony Weiner, Former Mayor Ed Koch, Green Party, leadership, politics, Rockaway | Leave a comment

Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

Posted on July 19, 2011 by rockviv

I couldn’t resist featuring the stunning hydrangeas of Rockaway Park in the header photo this week. These bushes are located in the gardens that surround the apartment building at the north end of Memorial Circle (Rock. Beach Blvd. between Beach 120 and Beach 121 Streets), and I always look forward to seeing them reappear each July. Since these type of blooms are special, they sell for a strong price in florists’ shops. The display at this particular building is so impressive that in 2004, the NYPD reportedly caught a pair of brothers from Port Jervis trying to filch huge quantities of blooms from the property. The charges said they were caught red-handed, clipping multiple stems and loading them into a van.

Rockaway Park's Touch of High Culture

The headline for this post is the title of a popular American folk song from the 1950’s that has been recorded in many languages by a long list of performers around the world–from Peter, Paul & Mary; The Kingston Trio; and Johnny Rivers; to Pete Seeger, who wrote the first three verses. The opening lines ask: “Where have all the flowers gone? Long time passing…where have all the flowers gone?…Girls have picked them, every one.” Additional verses of the song lament losing all the young girls (“taken husbands, every one”) and young men (“gone for soldiers, every one”).

This is clearly a metaphor about the passing of special things, like youth and flowers. On a literal level, we see a succession of blooming flowers in our coastal environment, from March through October. The perennial flowering plants start with crocuses peeking through the snow, followed by daffodils and tulips, forsythias, lilies of the valley, lilacs, day lilies, peonies, hydrangeas, seaside roses, hybrid roses, and Rose of Sharon, with a succession of annuals like marigolds, geraniums, petunias, zinnias, and impatiens taking over the garden in the hotter months, until September rolls around and the ever-popular chrysanthemums begin to predominate. Plus all along the highways of New York (and other states), numerous varieties of colorful flowering weeds and wildflowers bloom, from spring through fall.

The wildflowers along America’s highways are the legacy of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s wife, Lady Bird, known as “The Environmental First Lady,” who made this her signature contribution in the mid-1960’s. The Highway Beautification Act of 1965 regulated the billboards and junkyards that had become a fast-growing blight on the scenery of the United States, and it was Mrs. Johnson’s idea to fill the spaces with flowers instead.

The Dalle de Verre Dome at Tribute Park, Beach 116 Street and the Bay

Of course, it took Rockaway a while to catch up to the national trends. If 9/11 had not occurred, we might still have an ugly, used car junkyard in the spot now graced by Tribute Park. We still haven’t figured out how to get rid of the unsightly billboards that detract from our scenic views of the bay. Local artist Patrick Clark, who designed and fabricated the unique curved, faceted, Dalle de Verre dome, mosaic sundial, and other artistic elements at Rockaway’s three 9/11 tribute parks, tried to advocate a vision similar to Mrs. Johnson’s here in Rockaway. He didn’t have the power of the White House or wide backing from the community, so the corporate junkyard dogs squelched his efforts. Rockaway Park’s memorial now shares its bay front location with a pharmacy parking lot, a huge billboard, and an automobile service station. At least Duane Reade fixed the grammatical error on the billboard eventually…

Some other special things have passed out of our presence this summer. Tracking the words of Seeger’s song, one could ask: “Where Have All the Leaders Gone? Lost Their Power, Every One…” On September 13, residents of portions of the peninsula, Brooklyn, and mainland Queens will be headed to an important special election, to replace our U.S. Congressman and N.Y. State Assemblymember. How often does that happen? Since Audrey Pheffer was in office for over two decades and Anthony Weiner served for 12, the answer is–not that often!

It’s been a pretty dismal couple of years for local elected officials–not just Weiner and Pheffer, but Greg Meeks, James Sanders, and Malcolm Smith are all on the ropes in one way or another. Our very powerful U.S. Senator, Charles Schumer, a career politician for 38 straight years, would stop traffic if he ever showed up here on the peninsula. I’ve never seen him even ONCE in the 17 years I’ve lived here. Some of the old timers speak of how he used to come here when he was just a Congressman, in the mid 1990’s. This out-of-touch, “double Ivy” (Harvard-Harvard), insider of the Beltway, darling of the Wall Street crowd, no doubt played a powerful role in determining Weiner’s fate, and blessing the Democratic Party’s candidates of the moment served up to Rockaway voters.

In my view, this is the time for all of us to get involved in some serious reform efforts. I received an interesting item in my email over the weekend, the proposed “Congressional Reform Act of 2011” supposedly generated by a retired judge in Arizona. I am passing it along to my readers, as a positive proposal that might have a chance of improving our democracy. However, I am of the opinion that the annual pay raise suggested in point 5 may be overly-generous in guaranteeing a minimum of 3% or CPI, whichever is lower. Why not do what the private sector does, and tie pay to performance? Pass a prudent budget with fair tax rates that’s not loaded with pork, and you get your annual increase. Otherwise, you get zero, or we cut your pay rate by 1% for each month of delay. Now that would get results!

If you agree that this proposal is interesting, please share it with your contacts. Click to see the page here. Congressional Reform Act 2011

Maybe a ground-swell of local interest in this proposal will at least get Schumer to show up when we name a Rockaway ball field after him.

Posted in Meet Your Fellow Man, Planet Earth, The Arts and Entertainment, The Land We Share, U.S. Government, Water and waterways | Tagged community, Congressman Anthony Weiner, Democratic Party, Jamaica Bay, Republican Party, Rockaway, Senator Charles Schumer, The Arts | Leave a comment

Is Independence a Fiction in Bloombergville?

Posted on July 4, 2011 by rockviv

View of Rockaway boardwalk from The Seavon Condominium, Beach 119 Street

Independence Day is one of those American holidays celebrated with disparate emotions among the populace. Are you part of the investor class or a wage earner? Wage earners live for the weekends, particularly the three-day ones. Those of us who enjoy weekends don’t even think to applaud organized labor, the much-maligned establishment that bargained to achieve such regular lulls in our work schedules. The investor class budgets “free time” instead. We all look at the world through different lenses.

For many, this holiday is a time for eating outdoors at a BBQ. We used to call them “picnics,” and during my youth, they were “company picnics,” with the entire bill footed by my father’s employer. For others, the “church picnic” was paid for by your house of worship. In the early 1990’s, my family started calling the July 4th outing a “family reunion,” and we all chipped in to share the cost.

Depending on your circumstances, travel to far-flung family reunions may be a luxury long ago abandoned, due to higher air fares and fees, and gasoline prices. So, I trekked to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island for some “face time” with my teen-aged daughter last weekend, where we met relatives visiting from Ohio and Pennsylvania. We felt fortunate to avoid a hefty bridge toll and/or parking fee, and were able to enjoy the entire day of activities (plus some snacks) for less than $50 because it was Sunday, when you can park for free on the streets of downtown Brooklyn, then grab a quick subway ride to lower Manhattan. Sometimes, I count my lucky stars that my kid is a history wonk with a strong interest in her immigrant ancestors; she’s completely satisfied by such an outing.

Rock Viv with Bloombergville Demonstrators, June 2011

This year’s Fourth of July celebration carries emotional baggage for many. The “jobless recovery” has continued the enrichment of the few at the expense of the many. Those of us who are struggling to make a living in the actual free-market world, fear continued income volatility like the plague. I consider myself neither a wage earner nor part of the investor class, a group which often seems to be insulated from risk. I don’t punch a time-clock or receive a regular weekly salary; I’m a self-employed commissioned advertising salesperson. Like many others, my life has become a game of watching the bills go up, and figuring out how to put off a few expenses into the following month. Avoid taking vacations; put off buying clothes and household furnishings. Since I can write off the substantial cost of operating my car, a tax refund helped me get through a few months. But my fortunes are highly dependent on tangible market perceptions. The spring advertising bubble is almost evaporating into the summer funk. Do people still pick up The Wave and read it in the summer months? I try to remain positive about that.

My thinking has been illuminated after reading a recent Mother Jones piece by Kevin Drum entitled: “Why the Democratic Party Abandoned the Middle Class.” Drum explains the past three decades as a continued struggle for the soul of the progressive movement, replayed as a battle between mainstream, middle-American, mostly white union activists and the New Left that arose in the 1960’s (associated with struggles for peace, civil rights and environmental regulation).

There is still a major disconnect between these two wings of the Democratic Party. Today, the right and center portions of the New Left are being partially co-opted into Mayor Bloomberg’s version of the “Independence” Party, if through no other means than the two-pronged, lavish spending of PlaNYC funds to stimulate green programs, and the elegant refurbishment of public school buildings as the new abodes for the charter school movement, untethered from union control, of course. What’s unclear is whether there will be high standards at such new schools, and whether the community will have a say in their management. We also have no sense yet of how much of the public funds invested in green infrastructure projects (through PlaNYC and federal stimulus funds) are expensive, wasteful gimmicks.

President Obama’s most reliable support in the upcoming election should surely come from the same voters in the Democratic Party who have been co-opted by Bloomberg. Locally, the Mayor and the U.S. Interior Department have become cozy partners for the revitalization of Floyd Bennett Field, and the last remaining, thorn-in-the-side community advocate, Congressman Anthony Weiner, is now out of the way. Will the Mayor and the Interior Department include community members in the process, as private corporate investors and out-of-town recreation advocates with grant money seek to host festivals and concerts, build windmills and solar panels and expand campsites and bike lanes? Probably not.

Their objectives may not differ so much from the desires of those of us who live here, but grass-roots democracy is a farce when community meetings are mere window dressing for the finished product, devised in private meetings among the players with money and power. After all, what politician is going to bother seeking real input from residents living on a peninsula where the median annual income is less than $30,000?

Drum believes the central task of the new decade for progressives is to “rebuild the infrastructure of economic populism.” But when it comes to the health of grass-roots democracy and how to revitalize it, the 300-pound gorilla in the room is the question of power. The two major parties hold the power of corporate money, and control of the mainstream media. They use these tools to serve their constituency, that is, the people and entities with money and power. There is very little difference between Democrats and Republicans, in my view.

Enjoy Independence Day, but remember–we’re not as free as we think we are.

Posted in Business and Economics, Local Government-Rockaway Peninsula & Broad Channel, New York City Government, Philosophy, Religion and Philanthropy, The Arts and Entertainment, The Land We Share, U.S. Government, Water and waterways | Tagged community, Congressman Anthony Weiner, Democratic Party, developers, Gateway National Recreation Area, Jamaica Bay, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, NYC, NYC Parks & Recreation, recreation, The Arts, waterfront access | Leave a comment

Got Activism? Clearwater Festival 2011 Breaks Records

Posted on June 22, 2011 by rockviv

They say that rot is rampant in the social fabric, and all the heroes have died. A decade ago, columnist Russell Baker commented aptly that the few American heroes left in sports, politics and business all “came down with terminal feet of clay.” How apropos to recent events, except that in today’s world of social networking, the clay usually tends to turn up in a part of the human anatomy other than the feet! No matter what they say inside the Beltway, we’ll miss you (even your “clay parts”), Congressman Weiner! When it came to representing your district, they were made of steel…

Pete Seeger Wows All Generations

I’m happy to report that one hero is still standing tall on feet of iron. At 92 years of age, Pete Seeger continues to tower over the annual music and environmental festival celebrating the mighty river—The Great Hudson River Revival, which broke attendance records this past weekend in Westchester’s Croton Point Park. Singing and walking from tent to tent, from the opening to the closing blessing of the river, Seeger endured the heat in his trademark straw hat. And what a movement he has built!

Musical headliners like Suzanne Vega, Indigo Girls and Janis Ian propel the ticket sales, but as more than one of the performers commented, Seeger’s stealthy approach has always been to draw people in to the music first. Once people are singing, activism follows. The group can overcome any obstacle. It’s been a long-standing observation of philosophers since the founding of the Greek civilization that the ruling class should pay attention to music. Songs can be a powerful weapon of the working class.

Jay Ungar and Molly Mason's Group

But song and dance are so much more. They renew your connection to others, and to the need for cooperation. One of my favorite hang-outs at the festival is the World Dance Stage. It’s not Dancing With the Stars, or Rockaway’s version, Dancing Under the Stars. But regardless of whether it’s klezmer, salsa, zydeco, or square dance, it’s always a scene. It’s almost as much fun to watch as it is to join in! This weekend, there was even a Balkan brass band and Pakistani folk dancing. But the standout in this year’s dance tent selections, for me, was Jay Ungar and Molly Mason’s Swingology set, complete with pulsing fiddles and driving horn and trombone solos.

Klezmatics Kept it Fun in the Dance Tent!

A lot of really skilled dance couples seem to find their way up the Hudson for this event every year…

Jon Platt of WFUV Introduces Janis Ian

On the vocal side, Janis Ian’s voice is better than ever. She was introduced by one of my favorite radio DJs, Jon Platt of WFUV. Do you remember the song, At 17, with that memorable line about “those whose names were never called, when choosing sides for basketball?” Believe me, you would have weeped to hear Ian sing those words so poignantly on Saturday. “The Babysitter Song” an original heartfelt ballad by Dar Williams, was also a moving moment for many in the crowd. Another was Chris Smithers’ funny, bittersweet commentary on fatherhood, delivered with perfect acoustic simplicity, a tune called: “I Don’t Know.”

I snapped some photos and passed by during the major Rainbow Stage events, which included Drive By Truckers and Arlo Guthrie, as well as Ian, Vega and Indigo Girls. But I didn’t linger there too long. The only shade is under a big willow tree WAAY BACK, or in a verdant grove of trees covered with poison ivy on a hill that’s hard to the left of the stage.

Arlo Guthrie

I prefer the riverside Hudson Stage, which offers more options for shady relaxation. That’s where a lot of the more mellow folkies hold court during the festival.

The biggest surprise and treat for me was during one of my wanderings around near the Working Waterfront area on Sunday afternoon. After sampling the Klezmatics’ crowded Sloop Stage performance, I headed for a set called “Sunday Spirituals” with Marva P. Clark. As I found a place to stand at the rear of the tent, there was Seeger sitting right at my elbow, listening to the music. I quickly and instinctively snapped his photo, which I wasn’t really supposed to do without asking. Oops! If I had asked (as others did shortly thereafter), the answer was “no,” so I guess I’m not going to beat myself up over it. I got the picture. Seeger’s presence so inspired me that I joined Clark at the mike when she asked for volunteers from the audience.

Marva P. Clark's Sunday Spirituals at Circle of Song Tent

I figured, these are songs I sing in church all the time. At least I know the words… For the rest of my life, I can say that I sang FOR Pete Seeger, not just WITH him!

The medium is the message

Postcard Available at the Festival

Petitions were passed around like popcorn boxes in a crowded theater. Ban hydrofracking, close Indian Point, shut off corporate campaign contributions. The place is such a hotbed of activism, you could spend the entire weekend just walking around reading clever t-shirts, buttons and bumper stickers.

One of the most attention-getting items at the festival was the “Poop Van,” designed to graphically illustrate opposition to the Town of Rye’s Long Island Sound sewage dumping practices.

The Poop Van

Another traffic-stopper was put up by B4PEACE. It was a 12-foot high poster with facts and figures on the historic expenditure of money and human lives in U.S.military actions, graphically superimposed on a colorful star-spangled, red, white and blue outline of an erect penis. Makes you think.

B4PEACE Educational Display

Push pins show that many festival attendees live within 50 miles of Indian Point

Another simple, yet eye-catching tool was the Indian Point pin map, with a yellow string hanging from the plant’s location, marked with red dots representing each 10-mile interval of distance from the plant. The 50 mile dot falls out in the Atlantic Ocean, putting Rockaway within the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s recommended evacuation zone, in the event of an emergency. A display at the festival quoted Police Commissioner Ray Kelly’s response when asked by a Washington Post reporter about a proposed New York City evacuation drill in 2002. He said: “Evacuation—what evacuation? It can’t be done.” Scary, but true, no doubt.

Musician for a Cause (Or Two!)

On the food front, a new feature was the Artisanal Food and Farm Market, with home-made locally sourced ice cream from The Blue Pig, fresh brewed tea and brewing kits from Kombucha Brooklyn, and Marla’s Kale Kitchen, among others. Green Living Books had the most amazing display of inexpensively priced books on gardening, healthy cooking, sustainable living, and spirituality. Plus, there were the usual chances to see solar power systems up close, take a ride on an electric bike, or learn about green cleaning products.

Seeger closes out the festival with a song at sunset.

The festival closed with Native American songs and prayers near the river at 8:15 p.m. on Sunday, June 19. I think I’ll be needing the inspiration to get me through the next several months, as the media and the machine politicians begin the process of slicing and dicing us into ethnic and interest groups, then telling us whom we should be voting for. Did you notice, they never tell us WHAT we should be voting for? For that, we need our heroes, like Pete…

Posted in Meet Your Fellow Man, New York State Government, Philosophy, Religion and Philanthropy, Planet Earth, The Arts and Entertainment, The Land We Share, Water and waterways | Tagged boating, community, Congressman Anthony Weiner, cooperation, Dance, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, The Arts | Leave a comment

It’s Spring–When a Boy’s Thoughts Turn to Baseball (Unless He’s Anthony Weiner)

Posted on June 6, 2011 by rockviv

At this time of year, I always realize how much I miss our family baseball years. When my son played Little League, for three months straight, our lives were structured by those dates scribbled on a sheet by the coaches. Could be 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, 11 a.m. on Sunday, or an afternoon game, but whenever the time arrived, everything else came in second. They played, we watched. Championship years and lean years.

My son’s 18, so that era is over. Wish a few more guys were paying attention to baseball these days, instead of Twitter and Facebook. Anthony–we hardly knew ye! Thought you were so squeaky clean. Rock Viv is not to be outdone by conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart. Here, exclusive to Oy Vey Rockaway, is a photo of Anthony Weiner’s ankles.

Weiner (at podium) is ready for beach tennis; Jon Gaska's in the local footwear of choice (flip-flops)

Snapped at the press conference held by the New York City Parks Department on Friday morning, shortly before the scandalous series of events engulfed the Congressman. Trying for 1,000 hits on this post. Be sure to pass the link along to friends. Tell them it’s a 2 for 1 bonus–you also get Jon Gaska’s toes! If we didn’t laugh, I guess we’d have to be crying, like Weiner did at the press conference today.

National Grid's Team

Back to baseball, and softball. What glorious weather we’re experiencing here in the Northeastern United States. No better time to get out to a ballfield! So, that’s exactly what I did. On Tuesday, May 31, as a member of Rockaway Artists’ Alliance, I volunteered for a cool photography gig for charity. Dan Guarino, Vice President of RAA, also stepped up. We took pictures as Belle Harbor resident Joe Turrigiano and a large group of National Grid staff members headed to the Brooklyn Cyclones’ home ballpark, MCU Field in Coney Island, and took the field to face off against the “One Hit Wonders” of WPLJ Radio, in a fundraising softball game with proceeds benefiting the Junior Achievement program.

Remember J.A.?” It’s been a fixture of Middle America, teaching high school students how to start and run their own companies for over 95 years. I was a big-time J.A. operative in 1974, crafting stainless steel scraps from Allegheny Ludlum Steel Mill into a decorative mobile for the holidays. We never got to the part where we sold the items for a profit. Guess that’s why I have such a limited business sensibility…

WPLJ Team, "The One Hit Wonders"

Both teams were enthusiastic and capable, but the WPLJ team got slaughtered by the heavy hitters of National Grid. It was a lovely family event, with many young children of the National Grid employees present for the game.

The Dunk Tanks

Then, back on the Rock on Saturday, June 4, more family fun was hosted by the Rockaway Little League at a fabulous fundraiser. Very well-attended as such events usually are, and offering many varieties of diversion—from free, live music by neighborhood favorites The Grayriders, to a twin dunking tank which featured several local characters on the platform, including Vince Castellano of Community Board 14; Noreen Ellis, President of Rockaway Civic Association, and others. All for a good cause. They should have invited Weiner to throw out the first pitch. You know what they say–think about baseball…

Posted in The Arts and Entertainment, The World of Human Beings, U.S. Government | Tagged Congressman Anthony Weiner, local news, NYC Parks & Recreation, recreation, Rockaway | 2 Comments

“The Long Gray Weather Has Ended…”

Posted on May 28, 2011 by rockviv

Msgr. James Spengler Delivers the Invocation--Rockaway Beach Opening Day--May 27, 2011

God our creator and redeemer, we marvel at the beauty that surrounds us.

The long gray weather has ended. The sky is blue now, the sand is golden and the ocean is a sparkling green.

The faces here today are black and white, red and yellow. Your sky, your ocean, the sand we lie on, is for everyone.

The beach is open, swimming is permitted. The rich and poor can come. There are no restrictions, no stickers or passes, no membership cards.

We marvel at this great beach and we say, thank you, Lord.

We ask you to watch over us, young and old.

Protect us from harm that rough water can bring. Watch over our lifeguards and security men and women.

May all who come for enjoyment and pleasure obey the rules, especially the time when it is not safe to swim—rough waters and strong currents, no lifeguards on duty, going out too far into the deep.

This is not our last prayer. We’ll thank you often, for the great beach and ocean and we’ll ask you to watch over all who will use this wonderful place you have given to us all.

———————-

Invocation Delivered at Rockaway Beach Opening Day Ceremony, Friday, May 27, 2011, by Msgr. James Spengler, St. Rose of Lima R.C. Church. Reprinted with permission of the author.

Audience at Rockaway Beach Opening Day Ceremony--May 27, 2011

Posted in Philosophy, Religion and Philanthropy, Water and waterways | Tagged recreation, Rockaway | 2 Comments