Major Fire at 6805 Third Avenue

There was a major fire last night in the apartment house at the southeast corner of 68th Street and Third Avenue. The building appears intact, but I think that all or nearly all the windows on the street side were smashed in. The building appears empty and smoke damaged, including the Sunnydale Farms store on the corner.

I couldn't take a photo this morning but will try to do so this evening.

There was an army of media trucks there at 7am today. A woman reporter from WABC said that everyone got out.

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From Brooklyn Paper

From NY1

WPIX Eleven reports that there were 14 injuries, including 12 firefighters.

Very good video from WABC Channel 7

Photos in NY Post

The fire took place from around 1130 - 2am last night.

There are reports of " severe " damage to the building.

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I feel very bad for the residents, and for what appears to be the loss of the Sunnydale Farms deli. For decades, that store has been a clean, friendly place with good prices. The Korean owners were constantly tinkering with the place, trying to make it just a bit nicer and better. I hope that they can reestablish the business soon. I shopped there maybe twice a week, and was there this past Tuesday night.

Why I'm Leaving the Republican Party

These days, the Republican Party doesn't stand for very much. And I don't like some of the things that it stands for.

Today, a bill sponsored by South Dakota's Republican Senator John Thune came within two votes of largely overriding state laws restricting the right to carry concealed firearms. Basically, someone who had the right to " carry " in North Carolina would by virtue of this law be given the right to carry that concealed weapon even when visiting states like my own state of New York. A state which requires, but rarely grants, permits in order to carry hidden firearms.

New York has had sensible restrictions on weapons since 1911, when the Sulliaan Law was passed. They're a major reason why New York City is the safest big city in America, and why New York State has lower violent crime rates than the large states with loose rules on who can carry a firearm in public.

These laws are immensely popular around here, among both Democrats and Republicans.

Today, Senator Thune essentially pulled a gun on the populations of New York, New Jersey, California, Massachusetts and a number of other states. The Republicans talk a good game about local control and states rights, but, here, the citizenry in the Northeast / West Coast / urban Midwest were told that their views don't count at all.

Senator McCain shamed himself by voting for this bill. Senator Spector, the new Democrat from Pennsylvania voted against it. Specter may have been the deciding vote on this, as some Democratic senators - Reed, Feingold, probably voted against their conscience for tactical and political reasons. But, no doubt about it - this was a Republican shot at the heart of responsible gun control and the right of states to reflect the wishes on this issue.

States like New York would no longer have any real right to tailor gun laws to local needs. They could presumably have controls on their own citizens, but not on the millions of out of state residents who pass through. That's ludicrous and irresponsible.

This is one of the more divisive issues in America now. You might think that a good solution would have Texas values prevail in Texas, while the values of New York apply in New York. Not according to the Republican Party. The views of urban America on these matters are not to be taken into account.

The Sullivan Law has been around for nearly a century, and now they decide to go after it.

I've had some serious problems with the Republican Party over the past decade, over budgetary and some other issues. But here, they're attacking my rights and the rights of my city and state to maintain the level of safety we've enjoyed.
Since the Republicans appararently don't stand for much, and since they don't respect my rights, I'm going to fire a shot right back at them. In tomorrow morning's mail will be a signed " change of party " form to the NY Board of Elections. I'm leaving the Republican Party. I won't be going to the Democrats - there's nothing there for me. As soon as the paperwork is processed, I will officially be an " independent " - allied to no party.




To paraphrase what President Reagan said about the Democrats: I didn't leave the Republicans. The Republican Party left me.

I Resign!

I resigned from an organization today. Details and reasons why to be provided by 10pm Brooklyn Standard Time tonight.

Speculation invited.

Over and out.

The R Train is Not the Dirtiest Subway Line!

R Train: Bat Signal, originally uploaded by specmotors.

A recent survey by the borderline useless Straphangers Campaign atated that the 7 train was the cleanest line , while the R train was the dirtiest line in the system.

The survey was done by means of 2200 observations made by 29 volunteers from September-December 2008. They checked exactly 100 subway cars on each line Astonishingly, litter was not one of the things that was measured!

I ride the NY subway more than most people, at all hours. While I have a lot of complaints about the R train, as to most people, the simple fact is that it is not dirtier than other train lines by any objective measurement. Try riding the A train to Kennedy Airport at 5am some day and then you'll see some dirty subway cars.

The sample was too small to be meaningful. And as it did not include litter, what was measured didn't make sense.

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Speaking of the R train, I've noticed a lot of really old cars being used on the R line over the past couple of weeks. Including lots of the R 42 models which haven't been seen much on the R until recently.

These now old trains will all be " retired " soon. They were widely used on the " RR " back in 1970. ( See the nice graffiti on the pole )

Baracklyn Cyclones - Phantom Meets Barack Obama

Minor league baseball is great fun - you see good athletes who hope to play in the big leagues some day in a small arena setting. For much less money than the thieving major leagues would charge you.

But its a lot more than that. The minor leagues are fun . The low cost regime allows for the stands to be jam packed with families and young kids. There are loads of activities designed for those kids, and their parents.

And the teams will do anything for the sake of fun. Tonight, the Brooklyn Cyclones, who play their games beneath Coney Island's Parachute Jump, made the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of fun. They re-named their team for one night in honor of the election of Barack Obama. They became the the Baracklyn Cyclones

And the world was amazed when Barack Obama himself arrived at Keyspan Park to throw out the first ball. He made it a point to seek out the Phantom. Here, we shook hands after some extended policy discussions on Iran or one of them countries that begins with an I. It was like Nixon traveling to China, but I'm not sure who the Nixon is in this situation.

Barack Obama was not the only celebrity to attend the Cyclones game tonight. King Henry himself was there, from England or Bensonhurst, or one of them foreign places. Here, he says hello to Angelina, Bobby, and Keri, as we move from left to right.

Tonight's tickets cost $5 each. For that, we all had the best time. They announced Keri's birthday on the PA system, and she so loved that. If you're in the Brooklyn-centric universe, I highly recommend a trip to see the Brooklyn Cyclones

If you're in the US or Canada but not in near Brooklyn, I recommend that you attend a minor league game near you. It's good, it's very good, and I intend to see the Cyclones again this year.

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Baracklyn Cyclone night as reported by Brooklyn Eagle
and
NY Daily News
and
the Staten Island Advance which reports that some Brooklyn fans hated the "gimmick"

Canadian Invasion - Fleet Week, May 2009

( click on image to enlarge )
My nephew Bobby and I went to the Phillies- Yankees game on Saturday, May 23. I went to get him at grandma's house in NJ. We parked the car near Tottenville, Staten Island, and went to traveled to Yankee Stadium by the Staten Island Railway, Staten Island Ferry, and the No. 4 train.

As we passed the Stapleton SIR station, we saw a cluster of navy ships, in for the annual friendly Fleet Week invasion.




On the ferry, we met up with Jordan Payne, from Prince Edward Island, and Renee Blais, and Philippe, both from Quebec, from the Halifax-based HMCS Fredericton, one of those ships off Staten Island.

Gents, hope that you had a good time in the Big Apple. Come again.

Is Verizon FIOS In Bay Ridge Already?

I saw a Verizon truck just now, and I asked the employee ( Rick ) if FIOS was going to be coming to Bay Ridge anytime soon. He said that the lines were already being installed along 71st Street, and that you could expect it to be available in much of the neighborhood by the end of the summer.

This fiber optic technology offers the fastest internet connections available in the US, and, I am told, the best TV images.

Plus, Verizon includes the BBC World 24 News Channel, which neither Time Warner nor the satellite TV companies have chosen to offer. That's a big deal to a news junkie like me.

I love my Directv, but when FIOS comes to 68th Street, I expect to switch.
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More than one year after the construction ended, the incompetent Bloomberg Administration has removed the No Parking signs on Senator St, by Bay Ridge High School. In another city, this could have been done in a week. In Bloomberg's New York, it takes more than a year to execute the removal of a " No Parking " sign.