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The Other Brothers
Originally uploaded by Gringcorp.

No, there hasn't been any earthly reason for the poor rate of posting of late. There's been plenty to mull over, plenty to discuss, and plenty upon which to pontificate. I've just been in a slight funk. Not in enough of a funk to stop commenting, applying for jobs, or even writing columns for good old Sugarzine.

Things that have happened recently, about which I feel guilty for not writing, many of them Atlantic Yards-related:

1) So Marty Markowitz is not really a very nice man after all. Well, I knew that, you knew that, and presumably now only the truly high watching NY1 in the morning will now not know that.
2) There have been a couple of recent reminders that the "Great Brooklyn Brewery" has not brought Mr. Hindy to his knees. And some sneering. Let's just say it again. There's something profoundly disturbing about a small-scale brewer with strong community ties cheering on the destruction of that community. And our little effort to deny ourselves the pleasure of his wares was a reminder that many in this community don't like that. Considering how little the broader polity of New York know about the project it's unsurprising that the boycott has stayed local. (Bonus Hindy fact: he was a moonshiner in Saudi Arabia when he was posted there as a reporter. The authorities used to blame them for bomb attacks on expats before it became rather obvious that the place was riddled with Islamic militants)
3) Leveraged buyouts! Hedge funds! Lists of obscenely rich people posing as serious financial journalism. I have a feeling that the weirdest thing about this gilded age is not that it caused Tom Wolfe to lose his touch, but that there hasn't so far been a nasty little backlash. Globalisation and increased job insecurity don't explain this all.
4) Amy Winehouse. All of Elvis' worst traits. In a girl from North London. Which means some additional ones as well.
5) Brooklyn real estate. I've been horrendously immersed in this subject. Let me just say. Sometimes there is an Atlantic Yards effect, sometimes there isn't.

Right now I'm mulling taking this blog legit, or starting another one, and focusing more on business writing. If you think that's because I want to use it as a shop window, you'd be damn right. We'll see.