Global Warming

A couple of cherry and plum trees in Brooklyn Botanic Garden blossomed prematurely. I took these pictures last Saturday, January 6th.

This reminded me of the article that I’ve seen in the Fantastic Story Magazine for Winter 1953, in fact the same magazine from which I liberated the masthead of my website.



Dr. Bartlett’s company is still in business and “this theory about the more carbon dioxide the warmer” is still around too.

Stupid Real Estate Tricks II

How many questions does it take to make a real estate agent to disclose a sewage treatment plant 10 blocks away?
Let’s see:
1) Are there any facilities in the neighborhood that I should know about?
nope.
2) How is the air quality around here?
nope.
3) How far is the fecy processing plant?
bingo.

Damn weasels.

The plant, officially called “Coney Island Water Pollution Control Plant” but universally known as “The Stinky” is located on Knapp Street between Ave X and ave Y, across from “Funtime USA” arcade. The arcade is there partly because the zoning laws for coin operated businesses are very tough. Mayor La Guardia banned all coin op machines, especially pinballs, claiming that they are controlled by mafia and rot the minds of young people. Now pinball is legal, but the zoning laws are still tough.

Anyways, the plant has this distinctive fence. A quote from the fence designer’s page: "... Wavewall in Green was designed to soften and landscape this industrial complex situated in a residential area. The problems of a large sewage treatment plant in a residential area are obvious. "

So, the fence even has a name, “Wavewall in Green”. Hmm, I can see that.

The fence is really well designed, actually. It’s cheap, very hard to climb, graffiti repellent and not bad looking at all. To bad it doesn’t neutralize the smell.

The quote "Directly influenced by the function of this site" made me laugh though.

Anyways, this is why I am afraid of looking for a house in New Jersey or Staten Island. If you don’t know the neighborhood, you can get reeeally screwed.