Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Performing small clean air acts...plus: introducing Jerry Kann and remembering Irving Berlin
The other night in the comments section, I mentioned something about a Community Board (CB) meeting I attended...so here’s the lowdown. It isn’t anything radical and it all starts, oddly enough, with the hookah:
Behind my building, two Middle Eastern restaurants have opened backyard cafes. The noise goes till four in the morning and the water pipes are filling our apartments—and lungs—with toxic smoke (http://tinyurl.com/dkjzg).
Let’s recap: No sleep. Can’t breathe.
So, a group of my neighbors asked me to draft a petition and our little movement has slowly grown. So far, the primary upside of this entire experience has been the energy they’ve displayed. I wish I could say we’ve found an agreeable solution but politicians, city agencies, and the police have done nothing to help us. We’re not seeking vengeance...just compromise. It looked hopeless until the CB meeting on Tuesday night. For some unexplained reason, Fox 5 News, New York 1 News, and ABC Eyewitness News were present...along with some local print outlets. I ended up giving interviews galore and saw my mug plastered on TV. This public airing of our situation may be our last best chance to settle it. I’m off to another local meeting tonight.
Anyone have suggestions for how to handle such a noise/smoke issue?
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At Tuesday’s meeting, I ran into Green Party candidate for City Council, Astoria’s Jerry Kann...and thought I’d tell you about him:
Among many things, Jerry
... advocates granting local voting rights to non-citizens with green cards—as I have since my first run in 2001.
... supports the complete abolition of the Rockefeller Drug Laws in New York State.
... supports the move toward making it legal for same-sex couples to get married in New York City and New York State.
... calls for a complete revamping of the Rent Guidelines Board,
And much more…
Those who can make a contribution to his campaign or offer any help, should contact Jerry ASAP: . Tell him Mickey Z. sent you.
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On this date in 1989, Irving Berlin died. Here’s how he got his start:
There once was a dive called Callahan’s Dance Hall Saloon on the Bowery where two young men by the name of Yoelson worked as singing waiters. They eventually changed their name to Jolson and the younger of the two was Al. Callahan’s main competition was called Nigger Mike Saulter’s. To counter the popular Jolson brothers, Nigger Mike (who was Jewish) hired a young man named Izzy Baline who would later change his name to Irving Berlin. Who knew?
When Berlin died, I heard this joke:
Q. What’s Irving Berlin doing now?
A. De-composing
Copyright © 2005-2007 Mickey Z.
