The Dust Bowl - Fort Greene Park 2013

Here we go again. Same dust, different year. 
At the the NYT Local, time stands still: 

2009 vs. 2013.

SIGN THE PETITION NOW!

For further reading check out my friend's "Fort Greene Soccer" blog which proposes the creation of a soccer field at underused Commodore Barry Park, which is .6 of a mile from Fort Greene Park. Great idea. As far as I have heard however, the problem is that the FGP soccer players do not want a "real" NYC soccer field in the area, because they would then have to adhere to the Parks Dept's system of having to sign up and reserve use of City-maintained athletic fields. They believe they should be exempt. They want to play soccer wherever they want, whenever they want. This reservation system is standard practice, covering everything from the Tennis Courts in Fort Greene Park to ball fields in Central Park. 

Verizon Landlines and DSL suck

Jim Gerace
Verizon President - New York Region
140 West Street
New York, New York 10007

September 3, 2011 

DEAR SIRS:

I am writing this as I sit home all day and wait for my SECOND REPAIR APPOINTMENT for my local DSL service. It has been a month since I can maintain a connection to the internet. 

I need to tell you how far your company has fallen. Your service sucks. Since I moved to Fort Greene Brooklyn in 1998 your landlines have only deteriorated from a bad situation (with constant noise on the line), to NO CONNECTION AT ALL. My backyard is a mess of wires, a fact I have pointed out to every single repair person who has ever been here (Note: there is a lot more on this later), and yet you constantly blame MY IN-HOUSE WIRING for the problems I have experienced since 1998. And you want to charge me $150 minimum to come here and check out my wiring! AND It is at least a :15 minute wait to talk to anyone about anything (except as a new customer). 

On August 3 my DSL went out. I can connect only in short periods, and have to restart everything 20 times a day.  (Did I mention that I am an independent web developer and designer who depends on internet access to be employed?) I unfortunately called the first day of your selfish strike, which has only further damaged your credibility. I suffered for weeks until my first ”available” appointment last Monday August 29 from 10am to 2PM. I took off from a job and waited home all day, and spent at least :40 minutes on hold on two phone calls just to find out if the day I HAD TAKEN OFF FROM WORK was a total waste of time & money, or not. (It was.)

At 6:30PM a Verizon technician named Shawn arrived. He went into my backyard, and using the switch box he determined that there are indeed problems on the line. Your office had told me repeatedly that there was no trouble on the line. 

He then asked ME FOR A LADDER TO CLIMB MY FENCE INTO THE WEED-CHOKED, INACCESSIBLE NEXT DOOR YARD WHICH HOUSES YOUR MAIN TELEPHONE BOX FOR MY BLOCK. He nearly broke my fence climbing over and back. 

This ladder/fence operation occurs every time ANY PROBLEM OCCURS ON OUR TWO BLOCKS - TO ANY CUSTOMER. The lady next door never lets anyone in and I have been constantly bothered FOR YEARS with your technicians wanting to climb over my fence. And I have to supply the ladder (or two ladders, which one would need to NOT DAMAGE MY FENCE - which was not constructed to hold the weight of 200 pound man). 

I want something done about this. A PUBLIC UTILTY POLE SHOULD NOT BE LOCATED IN A LOCATION WHICH IS NOT ACCESSIBLE, NOR MAINTAINED. (I am referring to #40 South Oxford Street next door). I want to be paid for access every time a Verizon worker goes through my private home and borrows two ladders from me from this point forward (and why don’t your service-people have their own damn ladders?). 

And more importantly, why has nothing been done about the deteriorating mess back there, seeing as how I mention my extreme displeasure about the situation EVERY SINGLE TIME A VERIZON SERVICEPERSON APPEARS AT MY DOOR ASKING FOR ACCESS!? This whole section of Brooklyn has shoddy, antiquated lines probably from the 1920s. Yet you have sunken not a dime into repairing this “infrastructure.” 

IT IS NO WONDER THAT YOUR LOCAL LANDLINE BUSINESS IS FALLING OFF IN DROVES AS PEOPLE LIKE ME DUMP THEIR LANDLINES. In many cases this switch is not a question of price - but of extremely poor quality service. You and all your people will soon be out of a job if something is not done immediately to improve this situation.

AS FOR MY DSL: My first visit was a total waste of time. After waiting all day Shawn did not repair my DSL. It worked for an hour and then went out again. And he did not even wait around to check it or test it before he ran off to another appointment (at 7PM!) I have never dealt with a more inept major firm.

I am writing this on Saturday September 3, my second full day of waiting for a repairperson, and it is now almost 5PM and no one has come. My window was 8 am to 6 pm. 

I just called the dispatch phone number again for the second time today (the first was at 1:29 pm) and was told that a repairperson had come out and determined that it was a “CABLE” problem shortly after noon. BUT NO ONE TOLD ME THIS DESPITE MY LATER PHONE CALL!  And your people just told me I should have been informed of this then, and I did not not have to wait at home all day!? Thanks for nothing. My window was 8 am to 6 pm. I expect MUCH MORE from a supposedly-reputable company like yours. And as far as I know NOTHING HAS BEEN REPAIRED.  If my DSL is not fixed by 8PM I am canceling my lines and getting a Cable Modem -- like every other sensible person I know!

And I expect more then just a simple month credit for my pain and suffering from your inept service and subsequent screw-ups. I wasted two full days, waiting. Time Warner gives an additional month free for missing an appointment time slot. You missed TWO. I also want my backyard situation resolved immediately. I want all the excess sloppy wiring removed and I want that Utility Pole moved and my fence repaired. I also want a free upgrade to Business Level, or at at least three months credit to my current DSL account.

I can promise you that: if another company offered a landline service here I would be using them. And if this DSL issue is not resolved completely to my satisfaction I will surely be dumping ALL MY VERIZON SERVICES - something I apparently should have done a long time ago.

Thank you for your time in reading this letter. 

In closing I ask you: what is an appropriate amount of time a long-time customer should have to wait for repair to their service? And what is an acceptible waiting period for a repairmen to arrive at a scheduled appointment? Four hours? One full day? Two full days? (MY TIME is obviously worth NOTHING to you and your company.)

Sincerely,

 Abbot Weissman

Verizon customer since Bell Atlantic in 1983.
Verizon DSL customer since Bell Atlantic first offered it (2000?).
Home Phone and DSL/Fax Line
Moved to current address in 1998.
First job ticket # from August 4, 2011: nyhm631947

Cc: Lowell C. McAdam, President and Chief Executive Officer;
Ivan G. Seidenberg, Chairman of the Board;
Anthony J. Melone, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer

The Fort Greene Park Conservancy

To All -
I have been involved with the Fort Greene Park Conservancy as a volunteer since 1999. Utilizing my background in public relations, graphics and journalism, my efforts enabled the Conservancy grow from a local gardening club in the 1990s to the organization it is today.
In 1999-2000 I created the Fort Greene Park Conservancy website. I wrote or edited the website’s content, newsletters, press releases, articles and upcoming events. The graphics and historical images came from me. I promoted the organization with custom banner ads; coordinated the advertising space; instituted the “Donate Now” PayPal buttons. I wrote, designed and hosted the Centennial2008.org website. I set up the FGPC Flickr site, the Facebook pages, and the Twitter accounts; and coordinated the Constant Contact email service. I acted as the press liaison, fulfilling requests for images and historical information. In addition I have worked on every Halloween Festival and fundraiser since 2000.
Last month I was both surprised and disappointed to learn that the future of the Fort Greene Park website had been determined without any input or involvement from me. It appears the new Board had made this decision without even contacting me or giving me the opportunity to submit my own proposal for the site’s future. I had been lobbying for a complete FGPC website redesign for many years, similar to my recent work on the new Fort Greene Association website.
Effective immediately I will no longer be involved in any manner with the Fort Greene Park Conservancy. I have already begun the transfer and cancellation of the web hosting. I wish to do this in a time frame that is convenient for me, rather than wait until the board gets around to inform me of their plans. Any current FGPC website content that is to be reused must be approved by me, and attributed to me. The use of, or transfer of any other content – either created by me, archived, and/or owned by me – will be at my discretion.
The new board of the Conservancy seems to have little regard for the community residents who built the organization and their efforts. In my opinion, any non-profit community group that treats their longtime volunteers in such a way is not worthy of community support. I will no longer support the Conservancy and urge others to do the same.
Sincerely,
Abbot Weissman

Cirkus Cirkör and Inside Out take Brooklyn.

The Swedish traveling troupe, Cirkus Cirkör had their US debut at BAM in Brooklyn last weekend. Experiencing this "Little Circus That Could" was a relevation, not unlike discovering a diamond in the ruff. Their inspired mini-extravaganza, Inside Out, proved to be a genuinely original, hip, artsy Rock n' Roll Circus, with a fabulous ensemble of performers - including multi-talented aerialists, jugglers, acrobats, mimes, contortionists, clowns and musicians.

Going deeper and darker than their more-well-known competition, Cirkus Cirkör’s highly creative and compelling production featured recurring themes about the realities of life - and death - and how one must face their own fears to really live. When combined with the troupe's creative less-is-more, “let’s put on a show!” DIY theatre vibe, Inside Out was an exciting, uplifting, life-affirming experience - both visually and emotionally – set to the driving rhythms of Irya's Playground, a great, real Swedish rock band -- who could have been a fabulous show by themselves.

Irya Gmeyner, the band's captivating lead singer (who is originally from Britain), sounds like a younger, energized Marianne Faithful. Dressed like a classy 1960s Las Vegas showgirl with a Fender Telecaster slung around her neck, she definitely hits the high notes, as does the hard-driving yet understated group of seasoned, pro musicians. Cirkus Cirkör’s trained troupe of skilled circus professionals were equally fun, charismatic and a joy to behold - still maintaining a personable, down-to-earth energy - like people you would like to hang out with and know.

If you ever enjoyed Cirque de Soleil and wish you could go back in time and see them before they got so corporate slick, expensive, new age-y and full of themselves – you will fall in love with Cirkus Cirkör - like much of the audience did last weekend at BAM. Hopefully someone will have the good sense to book them for at least two weeks next year.

DO COMPANIES REALLY READ THEIR EMAIL? New Series. (Garmin)

As a former Garmin owner I received a recent email from them about their new products. I finally decided to take my name off their list. While on the Garmin website I saw they had an email address for users to submit stories and testimonials about how Garmin products have affected their lives (stories@garmin.com). Inspired, I sent off a short email of what was on my mind in relation to their company.

MY EMAIL SUBMISSION:

I just removed my name from your email database for the following reason: In early 2007 I bought a $500 Garmin unit. I used it a few times until it was stolen when my car window was smashed the day before Christmas in 2008. I immediately called Garmin and asked to have the unit DEACTIVATED. I had registered it properly and upgraded the software so you had access to all the unit's specs. The person I spoke with told me you do not do that even if I could prove it was my Garmin that got stolen. I offered to provide the Police Report and any other paperwork associated with the break-in (i.e. window repair insurance forms etc....) You said NO.

I now have an IPhone which I use for directions. I can see the traffic with Google Maps for free and can get turn by turn instructions from other software. AND IF I EVER HAVE MY IPHONE STOLEN I CAN DEACTIVATE THE ENTIRE UNIT WITHIN MINUTES - making it useless. In addition I can locate the phone via GPS if it is turned on with Location Services activated.

I was incredibly disappointed. I was not only being victimized by the theft but by your company's wimpy response. I will probably never buy anther Garmin product and I wish you luck. Abby Weissman

THE GARMIN COMPANY'S EMAIL RESPONSE:

Thank you for your faith in Garmin products and for taking the time to share your story with us. By submitting this comment to stories@garmin.com, you grant permission to Garmin to publish your name, story and/or testimonial, along with any associated photographs or digital images, on Garmin’s blogs, in Garmin’s internal newsletters, in Garmin’s marketing materials, in Garmin’s annual report to its shareholders and on Garmin’s website. If you do not want Garmin to publish your name, story and/or testimonial for these purposes, then you must promptly reply to this email and request that Garmin not publish your name, story and/or testimonial for these purposes.

It's All About The Park.

If one doesn't agree with someone else's opinion, attack their ideas, not the person. Otherwise nothing constructive can transpire. Hours before my Michael Jackson Block Party editorial was posted on the NY Times "Local" blog, the NYC Police Department and the NYC Parks Department had already reached similar conclusions to mine and were working to move the event to a much larger, more appropriate location in Prospect Park.

As always, my main motivation and concern is the present-day, run-down and decrepit condition of historic Fort Greene Park. For the past 10 years I have been a volunteer member of the Fort Greene Park Conservancy - the non-profit community group dedicated to the restoration and renewal of Fort Greene Park.

To me this was never about race or class. It was about the park. In my mind Michael Jackson's music transcends all national boundaries beyond race, appealing to a broad cross-section of fans of all colors and all ages from all over the world. I apologize if I offended anybody, especially the Jackson Family and friends.

30 years ago most people were afraid to even go into Fort Greene Park. Nowadays, the park is host to a wide variety of free community events for all age groups. The Conservancy and other groups present a variety of special events throughout the year, including live music, theatrical performances, films, readings, dance parties like Soul Summit, the annual Halloween Celebration. and more. There's also tennis courts, basketball courts, two playgrounds, a picnic barbeque area, and historical exhibits at the newly-restored Visitors Center near the monument. On weekends and select weekdays there are nature walks and talks about local history by the Urban Park Rangers.

Bob Dylan in Concert - November 21, 2008

Outside the Palace Theatre on that cold November night last fall, a raging financial storm was brewing; threatening to destroy practically everything in its path. But inside the former gilded movie palace, the legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan gave an uplifting and exhilarating performance, one which was billed as an exclusive "Fans Only" show for die-hard members of his fan club & website, bobdylan.com. Although I have seen him perform a number of times over the years as a younger man, that night I had no idea what to expect. I am pleased to report that, despite the audience's somber mood upon arrival, Bob Dylan and Company delivered us from evil, for at least two hours, with a blazingly hot show, blasting away our blues with their home-brewed mix of loud, raucous, good old American guitar-based rock n' roll.

The band''s inspired musical arrangements came straight from the DNA of American rock n' roll, ranging from hard-driven rockabilly, country western swing and raunchy electric rhythm & blues. In his latest self-styled incarnation, Bob looked more cheerful and animated than he's been in years, dressed like an upbeat mariachi Leonard Cohen in a borrowed country star's Nudie suit. Throughout the show Dylan mostly played the electric organ, as he has been doing lately, snarling his thought-provoking lyrics in a standing position. On a few cuts he played some spirited guitar, showing that he's still got it, throwing in some classic blues harmonica on other cuts. Overall Dylan seemed transformed,..... re-born and rejuvenated, as a growling, stalking, Muddy Waters-esque frontman, backed by the best searing electric blues band you could find anywhere. Standing at the organ he churned out thick smoky R&B riffs, appropriately drenched in the classic Hammond organ "Leslie" sound. (He had a small Leslie tone cabinet hooked up).

By the middle of the show I had a major epiphany about Dylan and his half-century musical output, which put to rest the longstanding "which Dylan is the best Dylan?" debate which has dogged my personal relationship with the man's new work for decades: From my perspective that evening, there is no best Dylan. Nor is there any point in debating the merits of the "old" Dylan versus the middle period; versus the new; or of comparing his classic '60s work to his later music. It's all good, as they say.

Dylan's newer (last-ten-years-or-so) music, especially if experienced in a live performance setting, is as rich, thought provoking, and relevant as any time period, and stands on its own - even with the huge shadow of his earlier work. Comparisons are pointless and irrelevant. One must live in the NOW, like Bob himself must try to do,.. and don't look back. At this show his newer songs outshone the older ones by a leaps and bounds; some even taking on powerful new relevance and meaning for our troubled times.

I got the chills when he snarled the powerful refrain: "I used to care, but things have changed" (from 2000's "Things Have Changed), as loud spontaneous cheers of recognition arose from the crowd. But the audience's roar was not just for the song – it was more for the searing sentiment; as if Dylan's dark words were channelling our pain and anger, and gave definition to the sense of betrayal we all felt that night – reeling from the near-collapse of our entire financial system. It was especially powerful because earlier that same day the banking giant Citibank nearly bit the dust. Similar emotions of impending doom were evoked in other works, such as Dylan's searing rendition of "The Levee's Gonna Break" from 2007's excellent "Modern Times." Another "newer Dylan" standout was the poignant love song, "Make You Feel My Love" from 1997's "Time Out Of Mind."

By the show's end I had done a 180 degree turn, as if I was hearing and seeing the older/newer Dylan as Dylan for the first time. I even wished that Bob had focused solely on his new work, and performed fewer, if any, of his "classics." He doesn't have to. In my opinion, I do not need to hear an updated version of "Like A Rolling Stone." Bob Dylan is not, has never been, and probably never will be a "golden oldies" act. And furthermore, since Dylan routinely performs his old stuff with totally different arrangements anyway, he might as well be doing new songs (which paradoxically he already does, in essence, with the old classics...? maybe.). Lucky for me, the concert focused more on his stellar later work, like "Modern Times," "Time Out of Mind," and "Love and Theft" -- all fine recordings that all ""old-school" Dylan-ites should check out and embrace.

If you have not yet been there, also check out Bob's classy website, BobDylan.com, The site is a successful compendium of his long career, which is equal parts scholarly archive, part news and PR, and part web 2.0 e-commerce and social networking site. Like Bob, the site has its feet planted solidly in both the past and the present; chock full of song lyrics, set lists, a comprehensive discography and more. Click on any song title and watch the retro record spin as you listen to it. And read the user's reviews and comments from this show in the Tour Archives (including mine).

Also, the concert's venue, the United Palace theatre, is a spectacular treat and worth a trip uptown in itself. Like Dylan, the theater has lived a number of lives. Starting as a grand, gilded RKO movie palace in the golden 1920s, and dressed in the latest garish neo-Moorish and Egyptian styles of the day, it survived the Depression and World War Two only to be nearly done in by the advent of Television. Ironically It was saved from the wrecking ball in the 1950s by Harlem's "Pray for Cash" TV-evangelist, Reverend Ike and his church, which still owns the building. This mainstay of the Washington Heights neighborhood recently became available for rent to concert promoters, and it Is truly a unique evocative venue in which to see any performer – especially an American legend like Bob Dylan.