Summer Book Buddy

Summer is fast approaching and for some teens there is not much to do.
Why not Volunteer for:

Summer Book Buddy
	Learn new skills and be a role model for other kids If you're a teen volunteer (ages 12-18), you can help librarians read aloud to children and assist with all kinds of cool youth programs. Responsibilities Read aloud to children. Assist staff in the administration of the popular Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) program. Assist staff in planning, conducting, and evaluating children's programs like arts and crafts, drawing and painting, puzzles and games. Enter registration information for the Library's Summer Reading participants. Requirements 12-18 years old. Consent portion of Volunteer Application signed by parent or guardian before starting the assignment. A friendly manner and a strong commitment to working with children. Book Buddies are asked to make a minimum commitment of volunteering 2-3 hours a day, 2-3 days a week for at least 3 weeks during the summer. How to Apply 1. Go to your local library and request a Summer Book Buddy application. 2. Contact 718-230-2406 or e-mail at volunteer@brooklynpubliclibrary.org.

Free Concerts

THE KICK START YOUR SUMMER WITH THESE GREAT CONCERTS ON THE GRANITE STEPS OF CENTRAL LIBRARY!
EVERY SATURDAYS • 2 PM • CENTRAL LIBRARY STEPS • GRAND ARMY PLAZA
For more information go to http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/pdf/events/libraryrocks.pdf

clean up

You are invited to:
The FDC Flatbush Neighborhood Clean-up
Sat. May. 31, 2008

Spend the day doing something useful for our neighborhood. Bring your kids
and friends and lets make an outing of it.

The Clean-up is from -10:00 am-2:00 pm (only 4 hours!!!) on Saturday, May
31, 2008. We'll be painting over graffiti. Please join us. Come at 10 am
to 1616 Newkirk Avenue (FDC offices)

All are welcome.
(Whole day participation is not necessary) From 2:00pm - 3:00pm Party on
Newkirk Plaza to celebrate 100 years of the oldest outdoor commercial
pedestrian mall in the country.

Here are 3 easy things you can do:

1. Call your Neighborhood Association president and make sure they are
involved

2. Find out what areas your neighbors are painting or cleaning. Sign up
now to help paint over graffiti/tagged up eyesores in your neighborhood

3. Come out that day to 1616 Newkirk Avenue at 10 am,
Clean your lawn/sidewalk/curb. Need tools/paint? No problem, just Call FDC

Phone: 718 859-3800 or fax: 718 859-4632

Bags, gloves, paint, etc. can be picked up from the FDC office between
9am - 11am, same day.

Pass the word around!!
Rain or Shine, Flatbush will be cleaned!!!

This event is sponsored by the Flatbush Development Corporation; funded in
part by Assemblymembers Rhoda Jacobs and Jim Brennan. Free T-Shirts,
Garbage Bags and other clean-up supplies sponsored by Davis & Warshow Inc.
Donations and sponsorships are still being accepted.

For More Information, Contact:
Mannix Gordon
Director of Economic Development

Flatbush Development Corporation
1616 Newkirk Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11226
w: www.fdconline.org
e: mgordon@fdconline.org

Micro Loans

To help make entrepreneurial dreams a reality and to strengthen existing local businesses, BOC Capital Corp. now offers credit-related products for business development in NYC communities.

Founded in 2001, BOC Capital Corp., an affiliate of the Business Outreach Center (BOC) Network, is a not-for-profit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and a certified Community Development Entity (CDE) dedicated to providing micro-enterprise financing, with a special focus on small-business, women, minority and immigrant entrepreneurs.

To learn more call or visit their website http://www.bocnet.org/boc/micro_loan_program.html
(718) 625-1296

Job training

from Hatian Times
The Skills Training and Employment Project has expanded the Brooklyn Public Library's free job and educational resources. The program provides participants the opportunity to meet with career advisers, assess participants' needs and develop a plan. During training sessions, participants will prepare for career placement tests, improve English literacy skills and attending workshops in resume writing, interviewing and more. Workshops take place at the Central Library at Grand Army Plaza. After career planning sessions, participants may be referred to the Church Avenue Merchants Business Association (CAMBA), the Brooklyn Economic Development Corp., Workforce One, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce Good Help Program, the Brooklyn Educational Opportunity Center and the Fort Greene Business Outreach Center. For more information, call (718) 623-7000, ext. 1231, or visit http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/STEP/

Racial Steering Real Estate Broker From City Habitat

Tracey Boudine
City Habitat
It has been brought to my attention that one of the most racially insensitive real Estate Brokers is non other then the senior associate broker from New York City Habit. Her name is Tracey Boudine. Ms. Boudine has been using code words and racial steering tactics for a long time. Some of her tactics may have also run contrary against Civil Rights laws and Fair Housing Laws. For example in this ad she specifically mentions Vox Pop, Cafes, and Bars, but fails to mention any other establishments. While in this ad for a Co-op in Prospect Park Lefferts garden she again mentions all the "new" places but fails to mention any other establishments. This can be deemed a bias ad because if you mention one set of business and not others then it can be construed to be showing a preference for the type of individuals that would frequent such establishments. For example to advertise that an apartment is near a Catholic Church would be discrimination against non catholics. Her advertisements specifically mentions certain business establishment while conveniently leaving out other amenities that lets say a recent family from south America, the Caribbean or someone who is disable and may be interested in. In essence Ms. Boudine is saying we don't want your kind, unless you fit into a specific demographic I'm trying to steer.

Volunteers

The Brooklyn Public Library is seeking volunteers to help adults learn to read and write. Prospective participants can attend one literacy volunteer information sessions and learn how to become a volunteer literacy tutor. The program will train volunteers to tutor adults, ages 17 and older, who never learned to read and write. For information, contact www.brooklynlibrary.org/adult—literacy.jsp or call (718) 832-3560, Ext. 2 or 7

FHF-Full Force

Our next inductee into the Flatbush Hall of Fame is non other then Flatbush's own Full Force. The six men R & B, producers and actors are one of a kind which is very unlikely to be seen again. You may remember Full Force from the House party movies. With memorable lines like "I smell..." And "were gonna kick freaking...". But they are the producers and song writers behind some of the greatest hits in music. Including the hip hop classic that they did with UTFO (also from Flatbush) Roxanne Roxanne. Full Force also assembled, produced and wrote for Lisa Lisa and the cult jam. In this video you can see them as the background dancers and singers. For more about Full Force go to their official website here. For all these reasons Full Force are the next Inductees into the Flatbush Hall of Fame.

This is not a free country

The police are officially the Gustapo. There is no difference. In this sickening story by the daily news. This cop assaulted a traffic agent for giving his girlfriend a ticket. After Governor Paterson sign a law making it a felony to assault a traffic agent, the cop was put on modified duty and not charged with a felony. On top of that the traffic agent was the one that ended up being arrested for doing his job.

Out of control

This cop mouthed of to a police chief after the chief identified himself as such. The cop only got discipline and not fired. Boy if I ever mouthed of to my boss I'll be fired on the spot. hmm

NYPD AT IT AGAIN

New York's finest at it again. This time it was a minor's right that was violated in the worst possible way. What will be the defense for the PBA this time? More on this story here.

FHF-Special Ed

The next inductee into the Flatbush Hall of Fame is non other than legendary rapper Special Ed. At the golden era of hip hop in the early 90's, Special Ed was one of the most creative lyricist and performer in Hip Hop. His metaphors and delivery were second to none. Special Ed uses his charm, creative delivery and flow to describe the sights and sounds of Flatbush throughout his career. His Biography is all too well known and personifies Flatbush. Born in Brooklyn, to Jamaican parents, Special Ed was the youngest of 5. Thoughout his music one cannot help but notice the influence that Flatbush Brought. In addition to his performing career, Special Ed owns and runs Dolla Cab Lab, a recording studio in Brooklyn. The studio's name is inspired by non other than the Dollar vans that run though Flatbush. The choice of Dolla Cab Lab was name because Ed believes that the Dollar Vans offers an alternate choice of public transportation just as Ed's "Lab," opens doors for local talent. The Lab reflects his ambition to remain close to his neighborhood while boosting his career, and to make music independent of interference from heavy-handed label executives. The studio makes use of a 32-track digital recording set-up and is frequented by talented young artists who look to Special Ed for not only creative guidance, but also business know-how. For all These reasons Special Ed is our next inductee into the Flatbush Hall of Fame. This Video (a true classic that is one of the greatest hip hop videos of all time) shows Special Ed kicking major ass Flatbush style. This is when Hip Hop was truly great. It should be news to Special Ed that according to certain Real Estate Brokers that the "creative types" are NOW starting to move into Flatbush.

Not another Up and coming article

In this AMNY article about Flatbush it talks all about the "wonderful" things that are happening. The article goes at length to talk about how Flatbush is an "up and coming" area. It even quotes one of the Real Estate brokers as saying that Flatbush is "better then it has ever been before." It's "an up and coming neighborhood". The one question I have is.. better for who? If something is UP and COMING then someone has to be DOWN and GOING. It might be better for the Landlords who will force families out of their rent stabilize apartments. The real estate agents that will undoubtedly make a killing of articles like this. But for the vast majority of the residents in Flatbush it is getting worst. It use to be a neighborhood for families of recent immigrants from the West Indies who came here for a better life for their children. These people worked hard all their life, some had shift jobs, some worked in factories,some drove taxi's and dollar vans, some worked 2 jobs just to make sure that their kids can go to college. It is an insult to the highest degree to call a neighborhood that they've lived in, paid rent, worked, raised kids as UP and COMING. It was always THERE. It was never DOWN. What will happen to the families coming after them? Will they be able to afford the doubling of rent in Flatbush? Discrimination by Landlords and Real Estate agents is at an all time high. As one agent puts it "more of the creative times are moving in" which is code for white people (doesn't really matter if they are creative or not, it's just code). The article talks about how Flatbush Avenue serves "Dominican, Spanish, West Indian, Jamaican and Haitian Populations" It's news to me that Jamaica and Haiti are not part of the West Indies or that we appently have allot of people from Spain that live in Flatbush. I suspect this person only wrote this article for a certain type of population. Why else would she detail shout out to all the Anchor Babies in Flatbush and only mention Fisherman's cove and cinco de mayo? How about Manna's Soul Food or LA Cabana which has been in Flatbush since the 80's. Or the countless West Indian Restaurants that serves better food that picket fence can only dream of ever serving. I have no idea if these real estate brokers have any special arrangements with these "Journalist" but the language that they use are eerily similar. This article did not come across as an in dept report on a neighborhood. It seemed more like an advertisement by local real estate establishments who are trying to push out and make a quick buck of the backs of hard working people who have endured and lived in this neighborhood for years.

Here we go again

In this code racial steering ad for an apartment in Flatbush, this broker made sure to mention all the usual suspects of a racial steering subtle ad that has been popping all over Faltbush lately. Of course the usual and perennial favorite Vox Pop is mention as well as Connecticut muffing, trailer park furniture and the great new Food Coop. Why no mention of Fisher Men Coves Jamaican restaurant, mana's soul food or even Cinco de mayo Mexican? I wonder who they are targeting for this particular apartment? hmm Excerpt of the ad:

DITMAS PARK/DORCHESTER RD: Email this ad or between 11AM and 7PM call broker directly at 646.642.4860. See it all weekend and every week day - evenings, too!

Steps to Q train subway at Cortelyou Rd, and community amenities that include Flatbush Food Co-op, VoxPop Cafe, Trailer Park Barn Furniture, Connecticut Muffin,a specialty wine merchant, and Zagat-rated The Farm on Adderley restaurant that's a brunch, lunch and happy hour favorite!

Let this inviting residential tree-lined location become your home. Classic prewar elevator building is quiet and well kept.

Cats ok. ZERO DOGS.

Tutors

For all parents who have kids that are struggling with homework, there is now live homework help from the Brooklyn Public Library. Your kids can get homework help from grades 4-12. For more information go to http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/homework_help.jsp

Power Up

Brooklyn Public Library has a competition for any anyone who wants to start a small business the description on their website says that you can enter "If you are 18 years of age or older, live in Brooklyn, are a legal resident or US citizen, and wish to start a business in Brooklyn." For more information go to www.brooklynpubliclibary.org

The Cortelyou Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library hosts an English Conversation Group for Adults at 6 p.m. Wednesdays at 1305 Cortelyou Road. For information, call (718) 693-7763.

Teens can train to be a "T4 Technology Volunteer" at the Brooklyn Public Library. Teens can get trained in advanced technology skills at the Summer Institute. They will attend eight days of four-hour training sessions in August. They will learn to master Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Publisher. To sign up, complete a volunteer application at any neighborhood library or online at www.brooklynpubliclibary.org.

Real News

Great piece on the dollar vans in Flatbush.

FHF-African Dude

The Fourth inductee into the Flatbush Hall of Fame is African Dude that sells Bootleg CD's and DVD's at that spot that shall go nameless. African dude has been selling hot CD'd on Flatbush for years. He is now a staple. A fixture in the Flatbush experience. He always has the latest DJ Clue, Big Mike and the newest hottest G unit radio mixtapes. As well as the latest Reggae hits. All for 2 for 5. Always looking out for po po, African dude that sells CD's has always had the hottest CD'S DVD's on the hottest block on Flatbush, at the spot all true Flatbush heads already know about. For all these reasons. African dude that sells 2 -4- 5 cd's is the 4th inductee into the Flatbush Hall of Fame.