Its official; seventeen year veteran Yankee catcher Jorge Posada is to retire from baseball this year. Although the 40 year old Posada will be sorely missed, many believe it is the right decision for him:

“It’s upsetting but he’s a lifetime Yankee,” said Boris Fridkin, 29, an accountant from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn.

“It’s the best decision he could have made.”

Jorge Posada

Another fan, Humberto Perea, said that Posada was probably “One of the top catchers of all time.”

“I’m going to miss him,” said Perea, a purchasing agent from Borough Park. “Now we have to worry about who’s next. We’ve never had to worry about who’s playing catcher.”

Posada was never anything but a Yankee, which also makes a lot of fans feel nostalgic for him already.

“I’m so happy he retired as a Yankee. I couldn’t picture him playing for another team,” said Lorraine Orlando, a 43-year-old administrative assistant from Kensington, Brooklyn.

“He’s such a part of the Yankees, not seeing him in the lineup or hearing his name announced in the starting lineup is going to be weird.”

Kensington Composting and Native Plants Garden Transforms Vacant Lot

When Louise Bruce moved into Kensington last spring, she saw an ugly vacant lot strewn with garbage at the corner of East 8th Street and Newkirk Avenue. Not one to let things lie, Bruce asked permission to develop the lot, which ultimately proved to be a wonderful way to help her neighbors and herself.

Today the lot has been transformed into an oasis of beauty and environmental awareness as a home to a garden of native plants and a compost center.

Brooklyn Native Plant Garden

Composting is a wonderful way to reduce trash output, but also to create a highly usable soil-like substance which is like a magic fertilizer for plants. People in the neighborhood bring their organic trash, like banana peels, coffee grounds and  potato skins, to a pile in the lot. There the trash is transformed through natural processes into "compost" to be used to grow plants.

"In essence, it becomes really rich plant food," said garden volunteer Kate Grace-Mitchell. "New York City pays something like one million dollars a day to truck out garbage, a large percentage of which can be composted right here in our backyards."

Grace-Mitchell explained the importance of having a garden with native plants.

"If we don't have native plant gardens providing habitats for native insects, which pollinate our plants, our food gardens are useless. We'd love to educate the community about the importance of these less obvious things," said Grace-Mitchell. "And of course, create a nice aesthetic too."

Compost can be brought to the garden on Sundays and Thrusdays from 3pm to 6pm, and the residents are thrilled to have it.

"I've been looking for a place to compost forever," said resident Laura Helton, beaming as she dumped three large freezer bags full of compost material into a large, not-too-smelly bin. "I've been dragging my frozen kitchen scraps to Union Square for three years now."

Visit the Living Torah Museum in Kensington

Terracotta Incense Burner

For those who are steeped in the study of the Bible (Torah) the Living Torah Museum brings to life objects which are mentioned but are often difficult to imagine due to the immense amount of time which has elapsed since the events described in the Bible took place.

On exhibit are many authentic ancient artifacts from the Biblical period; there are also items which are mentioned in later works from Jewish history, such as the Mishnah and the Talmud. There is also a display of the 39 special categories of activities which are prohibited on the Sabbath, illustrated in a way to make them easier to understand, with an explanation of how they were performed in ancient Israel at the time of the wandering in the desert of Sinai and the conquest of the land of Israel.

An additional exhibit depicts several of the leaders throughout Jewish history who have made an impact on the Jewish people felt even to the present day.

Located at 1601 41st street in the heart of Borough Park, Brooklyn.
For more information call (718) 851-3215 ‎

Namaste Yoga in Kensington

Namaste Yoga in Kensington

Looking for a dance or yoga class close to home? There is no reason to look any further than Namaste Yoga of Kensington at 482 Coney Island Avenue. They are the first neighborhood yoga studio in Kensington, welcoming patrons to come and gain self-confidence while improving physical and mental health.

Namaste Yoga was founded by Wilhyn Larsen, a former corporate executive. She has over twenty years of experience in the arts, and brings her talent to this unique dance studio.

The studio offers a wide variety of dance classes for every level and interest, including: Belly Dance, Zumba, Pilates, Tai Chi, Cardio Dance, Turbo Kick, classes for kids, and more.

Pricing is competitive and there are often discounts and specials available. Call 347-533-6226 for more information.

Kensington Man Found Slain in Pennsylvania

Cafe Owner Joshua Rubin from Kensington

Joshua Rubin, the 30-year-old owner of The Whisk Bakery Café in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, was found on November 1st in a woods right outside of Allentown, Pennsylvania. It took until this past week to identify the remains as that of Rubin.

His body had been burned after being shot and killed by a bullet wound to the head.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Mikhail Plotkin, 56, a salesman at an electronics store on the same block as the cafe.

“He was a little strange, but otherwise, he was a nice kid. I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.”

Rubin was last seen leaving his home on October 31st, and his credit card was used just a few days later at the Woodbury Commons mall in Orange County, New York.

Friends and loved ones put up flyers to help locate their friend, but there efforts did not lead to any clues or further information about what happened.

Kensington Woman to Compete in the Third Annual Latke Recipe Contest

Dori Fern will be competing in the Third Annual Latke Festival this coming Monday against 14 other chefs, all of whom are professionals. Dori won Edible Brooklyn’s reader recipe contest for her Double-Happiness Latkes topped with Five-Spice Duck Confit, which succeeded against 60 other submissions.

According to Edible East End editor and publisher of Edible Manhattan and Edible Brooklyn Brian Halwell, the decision to choose Fern’s recipe above the others was not easy:

“People were stretching the very definition or notion of what ingredients go into a potato pancake,” says Halweil. “We had people put in all sorts of spices and flavorings and herbs into them and using different sorts of potatoes and mixing in different root crops.”

Fern’s recipe won because it put the latkes at the center of the eating experience:

Frying Potato Latkes

“She captured not just the locavore sentiment that’s part of the magazine, but a creativeness that elevates latkes from a side dish to something that’s the focus on the meal.”

The Latke Festival is co-sponsored by Great Performances and Edible Brooklyn and will take place on Monday at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Participatory Government Continues in Kensington

This past autumn New York City began a brave new experiment designed to bring citizens back into the process of democratic government and to encourage participation and autonomy. The program, known as the Participatory Budgeting Project gives people the opportunity to suggest ways they would like to see their tax dollars spent, and then to vote on those grass-roots ideas.

There were hundreds of people on hand from the four districts whose Council members are involved over the past few months who attended public assemblies to discuss their ideas on what to do with about $1 million in capital funds for each district. There are volunteer committees now debating the proposals, and voting on these proposals is expected to take place this spring.

The four Council members involved in this exciting project are Brad Lander of the 39th district which includes Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Park Slope and parts of Kensington and Borough Park; Jumaane Williams of the 45th district including Flatbush, Midwood and parts of Canarsi; Melissa Mark-Viverito of the 8th district in Harlem and the South Bronx; and Eric Ulrich the 32nd district Council member representing southwest Queens.

Brad Lander had this to say about the project:

“We are excited to put budgeting power directly in the hands of the people. Not only will next year’s budget be more democratic as a result, it will also be more effective because our constituents know best where money needs to go in our community.”

When asked what he felt was the quirkiest idea, Mr. Lander said, “Make a Gowanus Canal gondola, aptly called “The Gowandola;” create dumpster pools for hot summer days like they had on Manhattan’s East Side on Saturdays in 2010, and which first popped up in the Gowanus neighborhood.”

Lander felt the boldest idea was to create “A community center to bring together the diverse neighborhoods that make up Kensington, Brooklyn. To make the idea feasible within the $1 million budget limitation, committee members are looking for rooms in libraries or other public spaces that can be remodeled to be mini-community centers.”

Christmas Trees for Sale in Brooklyn

There are many places to pick from to get a Christmas tree in the area:

•    Eighth Avenue Fundraiser—Park Slope resident Tim Foley will give $10 to any of 14 area schools when someone purchases a tree from him. “I’m about doing the right thing for the neighborhood and its public schools,” Foley said, who is a father to three children who go to schools in the area, PS 230, MS 51 and Brooklyn Tech. “It’s a pay-it-forward mentality.” Last year Foley raised $2,600, and this year, together with his other tree stand on Smith and Butler Streets; he hopes to raise $6,000 to $7,000.

Trees For Sale in Brooklyn

•    In Front of CVS on Ninth Street—This stand has garnered the reputation of having the largest trees available. Louis Rondin and Nichola Dubois are French Canadians who bring their trees south from Nova Scotia, selling their trees round-the-clock, in French.

•    Wind Swept Farm on Union Street—These Christmas trees, from Barton, Vermont, are organically grown, and cost $10 a foot, until you get to 8 feet, when the price goes up to $15 a foot. They have other tree stands around Brooklyn and also sell maple syrup and wreaths from Vermont.

Mixed Reviews on Kensington Aerobics and Fitness

The Kensington Aerobics and Fitness facility located on Caton Avenue (between 2^nd and 3^rd Streets) has been getting some extremely mixed reviews with some loving it and others feeling it is not such a good deal.  However, on doing a comparative price investigation, it does seem that the deal being offered at the center really is pretty unbeatable.  It is true that some of the cardio machines are not always in working order and on the gym’s upper level it is not suitable for taller people to use machinery there due to its low ceiling, but other than that, one really can get a great workout in.

People can always find something to complain about and one of the gripes is the music.  Yet really this shouldn’t be such a big deal since exercisers can also bring their own music on headphones.  Another criticism is that there is no option for a trial membership but one can get a pretty good idea of what is available by checking it out first. As well, at $420 a year, that’s pretty impressive.

Some people enjoy a relaxing sauna after a workout too but that has been (not-so-strategically) placed in the men’s locker room and some complain it does not really heat up adequately.

In addition, there are various classes available such as: abs, Pilates, spinning and more.  there is no swimming pool but the hours are great too – Monday through Thursday, 5 am ‘til 12 midnight; Friday ‘til 10pm and Saturday and Sunday from 8am ‘til 8pm).

Children of Deceased Kensington Woman Say It Took Seven Days to Tell Them Mom Died in Hospital

The son and daughter of an elderly woman, Catherine Hawa, say it took New York Community Hospital seven days to inform them of their mother’s demise.

Catherine Hawa with Family 1966

The brother and sister, Michael and Jeanette Hawa say their mother passed away on November 16th, but they were only informed of that fact on November 23rd. Jeanette says that she was preparing to visit her mother at the Midwood hospital when she received a call from someone at the hospital telling her that her mother was dead and had already been in the morgue for seven days.

Michael says that he also received a call from a hospital staff worker on the same day, telling him that his mother was dead, but offering no explanation for the delay.

“I really don’t know why we didn’t call you,” he said she told him.

Born in Indianapolis, Catherine moved to Brooklyn when she married Edward Hawa in 1946. Hawa was a well-known figure at the McCrory’s department store in downtown Brooklyn where she sold greeting cards.

Hawa lived in Kensington until the time of her death at the age of 89, on East 5th Street, and was involved in several neighborhood groups like the Friends of Kensington, a fundraising organization for the Kensington Library, of which she was the president.

Councilman Greenfield Requests MTA to Not Disrupt Friday Train Service in Brooklyn

David Greenfield

Councilman David G. Greenfield of the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Midwood, Boro Park and Bensonhurst requested that the Metropolitan Transit Authority minimize upcoming service changes to his constituents which would have caused major inconveniences.

The changes also would be highly disruptive to Kensington and Flatbush residents, with a special concern for the two Fridays of December 2nd and December 9th. The service changes are due to the construction which is now in progress along the Q line, which is forcing the trains to skip over the subway stations which pass through the heart of Brooklyn’s highly concentrated Jewish populations.

The MTA had originally planned the disruptions for 10am until 3pm on the two above mentioned Fridays, skipping several of the Q line’s regular stops, including Cortelyou Road, Avenue H, Avenue J, and Avenue M. This would have meant a major inconvenience for Orthodox Jews who begin their Sabbath observance at 4:11pm for the next two weeks.

The MTA responded favorably to Councilman Greenfield’s request, and residents can expect usual service on the effected trains until further notice.

Kensington Man Loses Musical Parrot

Calling all Brooklynites! Keep on the lookout for a 25 year old female parrot who will sing harmony with you, and even dance. Going by the name “Captain,” the yellow and green Amazon parrot was sitting on the shoulder of her owner, Allen Kirson, while he was biking down Ocean Parkway in Kensington last Friday when she suddenly decided to take flight.

Kirson is worried that because Captain had her wings clipped, she will not be able to escape from marauding cats and other dangers of the Brooklyn jungle-like neighborhood of Kensington.

Captain is a talented bird who has performed with Kirson at children’s hospitals and homes for senior citizens.

“She was a ham,” Kirson told 1010 WINS’ Steve Sandberg. “If I played my harmonica she would almost always start singing along with that. But her real love was singing harmony — she has perfect pitch.”

If you see Captain, please call the following number: 347-350-5914

Bikers Bearing Gifts Ride from Kensington to Coney Island

For the twenty-third time in its history, Bikers for Brooklyn hosted a toy giveaway in the holiday spirit of helping the less fortunate.

The ride took place on November 19 and began in the Kensington neighborhood of Brooklyn. They biked to their final destination, the Coney Island community Day Care center on West 27th Street, where the over 100 participants handed out gifts to the children there.

George Barker, the president of the biker’s club, explained that they hold this special event on the eve of the holidays to help give something back to kids in under-served New York City communities.

The 100 riders, including several dressed as Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus, made an imposing site riding down the streets of Brooklyn on their way to deliver board games, sports equipment, stuffed animals and more.
The enthusiastic Coney Island residents were appreciative of the kind gesture.

“My son’s very happy,” said Shieshia Taylor, whose 4 year old was pleased with his new toy truck — and the chance to sit on Santa’s lap. “I didn’t know [bike clubs] did things like that.”

Shenanigans Pub in Kensington Fun Night Spot

Great bartenders, cheap drinks all night long, karaoke and even a barbecue in the back, makes Shenanigans Pub at 802 Caton Avenue a unique place to relax and have a great evening out.

As Kensington continues its climb into the realm of gentrification, places like Shenanigans Pub will become more popular. This is just one more place which makes Kensington an awesome place to live.

For more information call 718-633-3689.

Brooklyn Bike Patrol Gearing Up for Beefed Up Service

Jay "Rocket" Ruiz of BPP

As the Southbound F and G subway line service interruption in Kensington begins, extra patrolling by the volunteer Brooklyn Bike Patrol is getting into gear.

As was mentioned in an earlier blog post, the Metropolitan Transit Authority, (MTA) will be suspending service of its southbound F and G trains at the 15th Street-Prospect Park and the Forth Hamilton stations. Service was curtailed on November 14th, and will continue until May of next year.

The closing down of service at these stations means that people will have to get off the train either before or after the closed stations, lengthening their travel time above ground, where several attacks on women have  taken place, spreading fear in the neighborhood.

Augmenting the increase in police patrols in the neighborhood is the Brooklyn Bike Patrol, whose president Jay “Rocket” Ruiz has stated that his volunteer organization will be at the F/G Seventh Avenue Station beginning last Monday night to make sure women will get home safe.

Before the suspension of service began Ruiz stated, “We are going to be out here tonight, we will be out here all week,” Ruiz said on Monday, explaining that BBP will be paying close attention to the F/G suspension.

“We will actually be out here all year long, until service is resumed at these stations.”

Beginning at 8pm each evening, Ruiz and 11 additional volunteers will be there on their bikes to escort women safely home.  Women can call for an escort or they can contact BPP using e-mail, Facebook or Twitter and get volunteer to accompany her home from any of 25 different subway stations in the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Park Slope, Kensington, Sunset Park, Carroll Gardens, Prospect Heights, and now, Fort Greene-Clinton Hill.

Keep these numbers handy:

•    Tel: 718-744-7592
•    E-mail: brooklynbikepatrol@gmail.com
•    Facebook: facebook.com/BROOKLYNBIKEPATROL
•    Twitter: @BKbikepatrol
•    Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 8 p.m. to midnight
•    Friday through Saturday, 8 p.m. to 3:30 a.m.

Kensington Man Survives Brighton Beach Building Collapse

Oleksandr Kushch of Kensington described last week how he was knocked unconscious when the steel skeleton of the condo complex he was helping construct collapsed and woke up several moments later under a pile of rubble.

Oleksandr Kushch

Kushch, 26, explained that he was using a buffer to smooth out freshly poured concrete on the fourth floor of the partly constructed building when the accident happened.

“When I woke up, I saw all the metal beams. Everything was on top of me,” he said while recovering at his home in Kensington.

“Oh my god, I was buried,” Kushch continued. “I started digging myself out. I don’t know how I got out. ... I have two small children. I had to get out.”

One floor below two other construction workers were also injured, and one of them, Ivan Lendel, a Ukrainian immigrant, died later from his wounds.

Preliminary investigations by city officials are guessing that the building collapsed because the concrete was poured on the top floors before the bottom floors were completely fortified.

Kushch himself did not notice any problems with the way the construction was being conducted.

“I’ve worked in a lot of places in nine years. This is the way we’ve always done it. It’s easier to bring the machines down than up,” he said.

“The building was all metal, not wood. It should have held. It should have been strong,” he added.

Kensington Residents in for a Ride on F and G Lines Beginning Monday

Kensington residents should take note that beginning this coming week there will be more than the usual inconveniences of traveling the city by subways.

Commuters of Kensington as well as Windsor Terrace will no longer be able to take the F and G trains to Fort Hamilton and 15th St/Prospect Park until this coming spring.  The F and G trains will not be able to stop at those above mentioned stations due to ongoing work on the Culver Viaduct, which caused previous delays for northbound trains which were forced to skip those stations for five months at the beginning of this past year.

The closures will affect about 11,000 commuters. But those commuters should feel safer as, according to Brad Lander’s office the NYPD will be dedicating extra manpower to protecting the area, “particularly during the darker evening hours,” because of the well-known recent surge in sexual attacks.

Despite Lawyers' Protests Levi Aron’s Trial Will Take Place in Brooklyn

Despite the protests of Levi Aron’s lawyers, the court decided on Tuesday to allow the accused murderer of the eight year old Leiby Kletzky of Boro Park to be conducted in Brooklyn.

Aron’s lawyers tried to move the trial venue to the Bronx or Suffolk County, complaining that the enormous media coverage and “propaganda campaign” orchestrated by District Attorney Charles Hynes along with the police department, had caused any prospective jurors from the area to be biased towards their client.

“The DA’s office and the police have fallen all over themselves to poison the public’s mind against the defendant,” said Howard Greenberg, one of Aron’s lawyers. “I wanted to try this case in Brooklyn in front of 12 fiercely independent jurors.”

Aron’s lawyers contend that Aron is crazy and that the confession which Aron, a Kensington resident, scrawled on a piece of paper was forced from him shortly after he was arrested in July.

Pretrial motions will take place on December 21st with the defendant appearing in court, but the trial itself, including the opening arguments are not scheduled to begin until early in 2012.

Levi Aron is accused of kidnapping, killing and then butchering the eight-year-old Hasidic Brooklyn boy in July.

Blind Man Saves Himself After Tumbling Onto Train Tracks

An as yet unidentified blind man, was standing on the subway platform at the Church Avenue/McDonald Avenue Station in the Kensington section of Brooklyn, when he stepped off the platform as the G train was approaching the station.

Witnesses said the man, appearing to be in his 60s, believed the train had already arrived at the station and thought he was about to enter it, when he mistakenly stepped off the platform instead. With only seconds to spare, the man rolled away from the oncoming train and found a space under the platform to escape the train’s crushing wheels.

The incident happened at about 7am on Tuesday. Soon after the man was pulled back onto the platform by emergency responders, where witnesses noticed that the man seemed to be doing fine. He was then taken to Maimonides Medical Center, but his condition has not yet been disclosed.

One man who saw the accident, a construction worker said, “I am sure he was scared out of his mind. But I do not think he had even a cut or a bruise. He is extremely lucky.”

Kensington Resident Cari Jackson Organizes Rally for Paid Sick Leave Legislation

Many New Yorkers are not aware that a huge percentage of employees in the private-sector workforce are not entitled to paid sick leave. In order to bring a solution to this problem, Kensington resident Cari Jackson, along with several others, organized a rally in mid-October, demanding legislation which would give workers in New York between five to seven accrued paid sick days each year.

More Than You Think

The estimated number of private-sector workers in New York is about 1 million, or 37%.

“Many people aren’t aware of how many New Yorkers don’t have paid sick time,” said Cari Jackson.  “A million don’t have it, and even if you do, many can’t use it if their kids get sick — that puts a real burden on parents.”

Shelved Legislation

Christine C. Quinn

New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn introduced a measure in 2009 addressing this issue, but she chose to shelve it temporarily in the hopes that with an improvement in the economy the law’s chances of passing would improve. Others believe that the postponement of pushing ahead with the legislation was a way to please the business community to pave the way to a successful mayoral bid in 2013.

Public Health Issue, Too

Supporters of the legislation add that the issue is not just economic, but affects the public health of New Yorkers as well. When faced with the choice of staying home and losing money, or going to work sick, most people will go to work which poses a threat to everyone else in the work place. In addition, when workers are not able to stay home with sick children they will send their sick kids to school to avoid having their pay docked.

Good Business or Bad?

Business leaders are opposed to the sick leave legislation, stating that it could be an extra burden on business during difficult economic times. However the Bureau of Labor Statistics have data which shows that paid sick leave, on average, makes up only 1 percent of all payroll costs. Supporters of the law say this is not much of a burden for businesses to bear.

“We had to mandate a minimum wage and minimum age for work, and we have to mandate this,” Jackson later explained. “If you don’t offer paid sick time it’s just pure greed. Businesses have a responsibility to ensure the health of their employees.”