We've seen five 9/11 murals today, and at least four of them were painted by the prolific Joe Indart.
Where children come to "play in the yellow submarine in the shade of a giant killer squid."
at Jordan's Lobster Dock on Shell Bank Creek
This thin stretch of sand and seaweed sits at the western end of Plum (sometimes spelled "Plumb") Beach, part of the Jamaica Bay Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area and a favorite spawning ground for horseshoe crabs (photos here). Plum Beach used to be Plum Island, but the creek separating it from the neighborhood of Sheepshead Bay was filled in around 1940 during the construction of the Belt Parkway. (Compare this aerial image from 1924 with this one from 2010. The creek in question is the winding waterway at left in the 1924 image.)
Back in the late 19th century, the federal government acquired part of the island with the intention of building a mortar battery, but that plan was foiled by the "quicksand character of the soil". In an attempt to make some profit off the land, the government awarded a lease in 1907 to a former judge by the name of Winfield Overton, who started charging rent to the numerous squatters who had colonized the island. When some of them refused to pay, he called in the Army to evict them.
Overton had plans to develop the biggest boxing club "east of Goldfield", and he began holding prize fights on the island in open defiance of state law, which he claimed did not apply to him since he was on federal land. But after catching wind of these fights, and learning that unlicensed drinking establishments had sprung up on the island, the Department of War decided to revoke Overton's lease and install a new regime, headed by ex-Alderman Frank J. Dotzler ("who weigh[ed] about 350 pounds in a bathing suit").
In May of 1909, after Overton proved reluctant to hand over the reins, Uncle Sam got involved again, and, for the second time in just over a year, an armed contingent of soldiers landed on the island, determined to protect the government's chosen leader. But Overton had left town before the troops showed up, and they were left to face down a foe of a different sort. Here's the Brooklyn Daily Eagle's report on the arrival of the boys from the 12th Infantry:
They brought along tents, a cook-stove, arms, ammunition, rations for thirty days, and a grim determination to meet the enemy and vanquish them. The gallant soldiers reckoned without their host, however, as the commissary department of the little army, in packing the supplies, had forgotten to put in a bale of fine wire netting, as a protection against the advance guard of the enemy.* Of course, it's actually the female mosquito that does all the biting.
The Plum Island mosquito is a peculiar breed. He* is used to fighting, and has tactics with which no solider of Uncle Sam is familiar. His drill has been sharpened by contact with the rough skins of the fishermen of Plum Island, and he welcomed the arrival of the soldiery as the sirens of the Bowery in Coney Island welcome a delegation of tars fresh from a long cruise. The mosquitoes were out for blood and they got it. . . .
It is hardly likely that Overton will put up any resistance when the soldiers start eviction proceedings, so that the boys of the Twelfth expect to enjoy a thirty days picnic, boating, bathing and fishing. Their vacation on Plum Island will be a good preparation for their trip to the Philippines, as the regiment to which they belong has been ordered to start for Manlin about the middle of June. If they survive the attacks of the mosquitoes they can face the Moros without a flinch.
This sign might be more effective, however, if it were facing traffic.
11 minutes until the start of the 2013 Self-Transcendence 3,100 Mile Race! For more info on the race, check out my posts from last year's contest, or, better yet, read this beautiful piece by Sam Shaw.
The leaderboard enjoys its last few moments of tranquility before the runners start rapidly accumulating miles.
There are three women in this year's race — the most ever, by a factor of three!
This humble, plant-filled sidewalk crack serves as the start/finish/lap line.
This block, bordering the Self-Transcendence 3100 racecourse to the south, is also hosting a race today: an annual Father's Day marathon that, like the 3100, is organized by the disciples of Sri Chinmoy. From my visit last year:
Unlike its famous branded November counterpart, this New York City marathon is a rather modest affair. The runners show up, quietly lap the block until they hit 26.2 miles, and then head home. There's no self-congratulatory fist-pumping at the finish line; the closest thing I saw was one girl who, after completing her last lap, stopped to pick up a bunch of plastic cups that had been knocked over and scattered on the ground nearby.
In reading about San Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Catholic saint from the Philippines, I learned that he was tortured to death in 17th-century Japan, hung upside-down from his feet. Is this bipedal sculpture (here's a closer look) standing outside the San Lorenzo Ruiz and Scalabrini Center a symbol of his martyrdom?
It's a symbol of his modern-day martyrdom, at least. It turns out that this was once a full-body statue of San Lorenzo, but the above-the-ankles portion was cut down and stolen back in 2008. When people offered to help replace the statue, the center's director turned them down, saying:
We are really overwhelmed by the generosity of the public. But we cannot accept the offer unless we see a miracle on what to do . . . The remaining feet will be preserved. We will make a decision later whether to replace it or not. It is not the money but the spirit. There’s a message that remind us that we should no longer complain. San Lorenzo was tortured to death upside down and had been used to suffering.
Some fool just left these sweet specs sitting on the curb. If the label on the side was any indication, said fool was between the ages of 2 and 4.
State Senator Smith, a Queens Democrat, was arrested a few months ago for allegedly attempting to bribe his way onto the Republican primary ballot for the upcoming mayoral election. As an NY Times article from April put it: "The arrest of State Senator Malcolm A. Smith on Tuesday followed a string of corruption cases involving elected officials in New York State that has helped burnish Albany’s reputation as an ethical cesspool."
The sign on the door reads: "State Senator Malcolm A. Smith's Theme of the Week: PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH".
As best I can tell, this former American Legion post is now some sort of event hall.
