New Definition of "Homework" in the Bronx

Some lucky (or possibly unlucky, depending on how the students look at it) Bronx students will have the opportunity to essentially take their classroom home with them.

According to the New York Post's Yoav Gonen, nearly 600 students at PS 5 in Mott Haven will receive mini-laptops, as well as free wireless internet in their homes.

The laptops will serve as a useful resource for completing assignments, as well as collaborating with classmates and keeping in touch with teachers. New "child-centered" curricula are being developed to take full advantage of the new technology.

*Photo courtesy of Robert Kalfus/NY Post*

~ErLu

SoBro So Green

This piece by Tom Liddy from Monday's New York Post managed to slip past us somehow... But it is quite appropriate to highlight it now on the eve of "National Day of Action."

Bronxite Majora Carter, who is an environmental activist and founder of the nonprofit Sustainable South Bronx, has been nominated for a Post Liberty Medal in the Lifetime Achievement category.

Carter, who grew up in Hunts Point, has spearheaded numerous pushes for more green space and parks in the South Bronx, including the development of the South Bronx Greenway and Hunts Point Riverside Park.

The following is an except from the New York Post article:

Carter's vision for her neighborhood includes helping jobless residents escape poverty through "green-collar" jobs. "If you invest in people, the benefits will come in multiples," she said. [NY Post]

Congratulations on your many accomplishments Majora!

Show your support of green initiatives in the Bronx by participating in one of the "National Day of Action" events that are planned for tomorrow throughout the BoogieDown. They are listed in the below Events Reminder.

*Photo by Dan Brinzec from nypost.com*

~ErLu

From $40 for 4 Hours to $11 million... The Bronx is Booming

You know you've passed it before while waiting in traffic to get through the toll at the Whitestone Bridge and thought to yourself, "Holy good God, what goes on in that place?" But hopefully you've never actually gone in to try their $40 for four hours "fantasy room."

It's the Capri Whitestone Motel in the Ferry Point section of the East Bronx, and Lois Weiss of the New York Post is reporting that it's been sold for $11.675 million to Baywood Hotels of Maryland.

The city-owned Ferry Point Golf Course is right across the street and is currently undergoing (after much drama including allegedly mob-connected carting companies profiting from their gigs dumping dirt on the site) its transformation from an old landfill to a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, complete with a community park and waterfront promenade.

Clearly the business savvy honchos at Baywood Hotels smell a good business deal here which will put them front and center as the Ferry Point area undergoes revitalization.

~ErLu