Boos And Brews

When standing in line at the British consulate it is vitally important to bring compelling reading material along. I settled for the NY Times instead, and after handing the national news section to Cutesome was left with the Metro Section. There I chanced upon this article on the Atlantic Yards project, headlined, "Forced to Move, Some Find Greener Grass".

The article, like the headline, is a painfully, awkwardly, fair piece on the people who've been tempted or coerced into leaving apartments to make way for this stupid basketball arena that only a few greedy non-politicians want. The emphasis towards the end of that last sentence, of course, is mine. It points out that people have made a fair amount of money from the process, as if the boom in prices in the area is not the central reason why this state-funded arena is a colossal waste of tax money.

I'll leave the details of the piece to Mr. Oder, but will pause to mention the weirdness of a piece that was, if not suggested, then certainly only made possible, by the efforts of the developer's PR people. See, the people who get bought out have to sign a gag order that prevents them from talking abut the project ever again. Unless the developer lets them, as part of a charm offensive in the New York Times. And let us also remember that the people who have moved are dependent on the developer coming through with promised rent support and an apartment at the new complex.

I'm going to make an outrageously over the top and disproportionate comparison here, but the whole process sounds like those demented stage-managed TV appearances Saddam Hussein made with the Western hostages in 1990, before the first Gulf War. In particular this moment where Saddam turned to a young hostage, this boy called Stuart, ruffled his hair, and asked him if he was getting his milk. Abjectly creepy.

Calling a blameless, if outspoken, local brewer "unabashedly evil". Comparing a real estate developer's actions to those of Saddam Hussein. Who sez this stadium opponent lacks perspective?

Gus Gus - "Acid Milk"
Buy "This Is Normal" here. If you don't it's like you gassed a town, you b*stards

Oh, and a quick note on the way that Freddy's should replace the Brooklyn lager. Find out which US state has the best record on eminent domain, and then pick a great-tasting amber lager from there. There must be a few eminent domain people that can help....