A few more things to think on as the weekend comes to a close:
- East New York is not what it used to be. The Times takes a look at yet another aspect of the booming real estate market and dropping crime rate by exploring the once infamous neighborhood. Chew on these numbers: since '95 the average price of a house in East New York went from $122,524 to $351,561.
- The summer of bad luck for kids continues. Last night 11-year-old Brenda Fields of the Bronx was playing with a 10-year-old friend in his Brownsville, Brooklyn apartment. Details are still vague but the children were playing with a gun that they thought was a toy. They quickly learned the truth when the boy accidentally shot Brenda in the eye. The girls pregnant mother was down the street at a coin laundry. It is currently suspected the gun belonged to the boys 16-year-old brother. Brenda remains in critical condition.
- The always interesting concept of "subway reefs" have hit some bumps. Because of concerns over asbestos many states that were once more than happy to take New York's old "Redbird" trains and dump them in the ocean (so they could eventually become reefs) are now refusing them. Considering the fact that the MTA is set to install 660 new trains, the question of what to do with the old ones is about to get very interesting.
- State Senator Marty Golden got into a bit of a pickle yesterday. Driving his SUV in Brooklyn the former cop ran over a 74-year-old constituent named Harkli Zafiroulos. Golden promptly did the right thing though and comforted the woman as they waited for the paramedics. After giving his statement to the police (he had the right of way) he went to Lutheran Medical Center where Zafiroulos is, ostensibly to pray for her health.
- So the Chelsea Flea Market has finished moving. After decades in Chelsea, today marks the second day the market operates out of its new home on 39th between 9th and 10th Avenues. The move seems to have gone pretty easy and to make everything easier for customers there is a shuttle going from the old site to the new one. Newsday reports that everything seems to be in its right place (i.e. the vendors were all there and the shoppers seemed to have followed). Did you check out the new venue? What did you think?
- Despite concerns that the introduction of stricter standards would cause the number of minority students at CUNY schools to drop the actual result has been the opposite. Last year there were around 12,000 more black and hispanic students enrolled in the CUNY four-year colleges then there were when the policy was introduced in 1999.
