Brooklyn

Champions Out Of Brooklyn

August 7, 2014 by DAVID SACK

Deep in the heart of Brooklyn, there is a basketball team that has been a consistent champion, and you’ve probably never heard of them.

The men’s basketball program at LIU-Brooklyn won three Northeast Conference Championships in a row from 2011-2013, and earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament as well.

LIU plays their home games at the relatively new Steinberg Wellness Center, where the team moved after playing for decades at the old Brooklyn Paramount Theater. The sparkling new gym played a big part in LIU’s success according to Nelson Castillo, a writer for Blackbirds Hoops Journal, which undoubtedly has the most in-depth coverage of LIU basketball. “Once they were able to move to their current home, they were able to consistently land quality players and help build a program that can stay competitive year after year,” Castillo said.

Castillo also believes that the few home games that LIU gets to play every year in the even newer Barclays Center draws fans and recruits as well.

Once LIU was able to attract quality players from outside New York, they were on their way to a dynasty.

One of these quality players was Jason Brickman, the star point guard who anchored all three championships, and played his last game in an LIU uniform this year. Brickman came all the way from San Antonio, as part of a Texas pipeline that was built by former LIU coach Jim Ferry, and has continued under current head coach Jack Perri. The pipeline also brought in other important players such as Julian Boyd, Kenny Onyechi, and EJ Reed.

Speaking about his recruiting trip that he went on five years ago, Brickman said that he was “excited to be in New York,” and also stated “Brooklyn is a great area that is continuing to grow and get more popular.” There is no doubt that as Brooklyn and more specifically Fort Greene has grown, the program at LIU has grown.

In his 4 years at LIU, Brickman dazzled on the court, making assist after assist, and by his senior year, the basketball world knew he had a chance for 1,000 career assists. Despite the team’s disappointing 2013-2014 season, Brickman became the 4^th player in NCAA history to accomplish the feat.

Even though the last game of the season had no meaning for LIU, as they were buried in 9^th place in the Northeast Conference and mathematically eliminated from qualifying for the NEC Tournament, the Steinberg Wellness Center was packed as many basketball fans wanted to see Brickman attempt to get assist number 1,000. He walked off the court one last time to a standing ovation, and after the game many fans lined up on the court to meet Brickman.

“I had no idea there were so many people who came to watch me reach the milestone of 1,000 assists. Even though we lost the game it felt like we had just won a championship,” said Brickman. Brickman garnered national attention for the feat, receiving congratulations from all over the country from the likes of commentators such as Jay Bilas.

Brickman’s impressive four years at LIU have led to a spot on a professional team in Russia, Dynamo Moscow.

And while Brickman and his teammates are grateful to the Brooklyn fans, the fans of Brooklyn feel the same way about the team.

Phil Butleman, a Brooklyn resident and fan of the LIU basketball team has “had the pleasure of watching this team win three consecutive NEC championships.” Butleman also likes the “great view” of the game at the Steinberg Wellness Center, as well as the close proximity to Junior’s Restaurant.

Right now the connection between the fans and the team is very strong, as the team has been among the lead leaders in attendance according to an article written by Castillo on his blog. But coming off a tough 9-20 season, and without the attraction of Brickman, it will be interesting to see if LIU can continue to draw large crowds this season. Castillo says that for the connection with the fans to grow, that the team will have to stay “consistent and competitive year after year.”

Why Does the Gunman Shoot?

August 7, 2013 by LOUIS CASTILLO

When one is informed of tragic events that happen on a world scale one may ask himself thought-provoking questions about how this could happen. Some may say that evil is the creation of God. Another would disagree, likening it to the actuality of dark and cold. But consider this. Acts of violence cannot only be attributed to the absence of God but also to inclinations within the human condition. In other words, the human race has the inclination to do something wrong whether it be to cheat on a test or to go so far as to commit an act of violence. The presence of God is what prevents one from committing a wrong thing.

When arguing the validity of God and Christianity some would say that God created everything. In addition to that, some may even imply that, if God created everything, then God created evil since evil exists. Therefore according to the principal that our actions define who we are then, God is evil.

Coming to this conclusion is logical but the flaws in this logic must be exposed. Liken this to the existence of cold. One may say that cold indeed exists simply based on the reason that they have felt cold. In fact cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in actually the absence of heat. Everybody and every object is susceptible to examination when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero is the total absence of heat; all matter becomes incapable of reaction at that temperature. In actuality heat, on Earth, can never be absent. Rather it can vary in its intensity.

One may also believe darkness exists based on what they have experienced. Once again this empirical evidence is baseless and invalid. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. We can study light , but not darkness. We can use Newton’s prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color.

You cannot measure darkness. How can one know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present.

Now ask yourself does evil exist? Evil in fact does not exist, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of Jah. God did not create evil. Evil is not like faith or love that exist just as light and heat do. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God’s love in his heart. It’s like the cold that comes when there is no warmth or the darkness that comes when there is no illumination.

The actions of men are those that come from overwhelming inclinations that stem from the human condition. When one does things that seem to defy our nurtured reasoning, that is evidence of the natural inclination of man. Philosophers like Thomas Hobbes and Kongfuzi believed that humans all have a sense of evil within them that must be contained in one way or another. Kongfuzi believed that men should understand the order of respect and mutual respect. He felt that if all men understood those levels of subjugation, evil would have no place and if those who have liberating powers, like fathers and leaders of countries, practiced ultimate benevolence evil would have nowhere to take root.

Thomas Hobbes on the other hand expressed his radical conservativism towards the autocratic subjugation of peoples whether it be brutish or benevolent. To Hobbes all humans were evil and needed to be subject to a higher power. He once said, “The condition of man…is a condition of war of everyone against everyone.” Hobbes implies that men do what they want within the confines of their own material gain. He felt men create a “social contract” between one another so that they may be able to coexist without mutilating one another because that is their natural tendency.

To both of these philosophers of old evil is the constant and goodness is simply a catalyst. However, evil is not the constant. Goodness, kindness and benevolence are the constant but, like heat, vary in intensity. One may ask oneself that if we have this “social contract” why do men kill other men? Well to simply answer, it is the absence of God.

In 2010, America suffered a homicide total of 12,966, 67.5 percent of those homicides were firearm related. This is an ever-so-often occurring issue in America. We hear about these events and then wonder how does God allow these things. Why are they happening? The fear of God is not in the hearts of the men who commit them. They kill for pleasure and even as a quick fix to their own problems. They have disregarded Hobbes’ “social contract” and Kongfuzi’s hierarchy of respects. Evil has outshined the light of goodness.

How can politics solve a problem that is simply more than just crime? This issue is not about how many guns are in the nation. This issue is not about how many bullets are in a clip. This issue is not about some conspiracy to disarm the nation. This issue is an issue within the fabric of humanity and has been and will always be. A man will kill when he feels he wants to. The only way to control this is by regaining the goodness we were born with. We regain it through God.

Neighborhood Changes as Barclays Center Moves In

August 7, 2013 by AVA CHAMBERS

Prospect Heights and Park Slope locals believe the opening of the multipurpose arena, the Barclays Center, has been a key factor in the significant changes in their neighborhoods, especially in restaurant population.

“We were all pretty much expecting the Barclays Center to completely change everything around here. We expected loud, uncontrollable crowds that would be constantly around here, disturbing the peace that you can usually find in this neighborhood,” said Melissa Clark, who lives just three blocks from the center. “But I think most of the worries people had have been proven wrong. If anything it feels as if the center has changed the living in this neighborhood, but in good and bad ways..

Most residents share Clark’s view. A series of interviews found that most locals find the biggest change in the surrounding neighborhood has come in the restaurant population.

“Everyone always really liked the restaurants in this neighborhood even before the Barclays Center moved in, but now that it’s here it feels like there are just a bunch more small cafes, restaurants and even chain restaurants filling up all of the empty spaces,” said John Herrera, a neighbor of Clark’s.

According to locals, in the past year the number of restaurants lining the few blocks up Flatbush Avenue, just south of the Barclays Center has doubled. They also have been going through continuous change. While some places stay for a long time, clearly profiting off the increase in business, others disappear almost as quickly as they came and their place is filled up almost instantly by another organic coffee shop or tasteful eatery.

“The restaurants can be good and bad because there’s more business in the neighborhood, but everything seems a little more crowded and busy which I think some people were afraid of,” commented Rachel Urquhart, a Prospect Heights resident.

The residents also have taken note of the new presence of certain chain establishments, such as the all-famous Starbucks Coffee shop, and the increase in certain eateries, such as burger joints, probably because of the need to cater to the crowds attracted by the Barclays Center.

“It is really convenient having a Starbucks just up the street now, but I think everyone can tell that it gives the neighborhood a totally different feel,” commented Herrera. He, like others who commented on the matter, thinks that the presence of something like Starbucks make it seem that the neighborhood is shifting from its previous loyalty to local independent cafes and coffee shops.

The change hasn’t only been in restaurant population and type. Locals speculate that businesses keep popping up and then disappearing because the rent drives them out, and yet the location continues to attract business owners. Many local Brooklyn newspapers have run articles focusing on the increase of rent after the arrival of the Barclays Center and how that has affected certain shop owners in the surrounding are

The increase in rent causes smaller businesses, which can’t afford the increase in rent, to leave the area and therefore creates space for more chain establishments to move into the neighborhood. Locals have said that the change from small to large businesses in the neighborhood and the new crowds brought by the Barclays Center have created a significantly different atmosphere for those living in the surrounding areas.

“I always felt like this was a very family orientated neighborhood. It was super quiet, and all the local places really felt like local places. I think now there are just more people here coming from all over the place, wanting to see the Barclays Center. Tourists, you know?” said Clark. “And the crowds you get at night after a big show has happened or a game, they are only looking for a bar to drink in after, which is not something we all would have expected to have here before the center moved in.”

Despite the fact that residents claim the neighborhood wasn’t a bar and late night partying scene before the Barclays Center arrived, there has been a clear demand for those venues now that the center is in action. Certain places have been fighting to get liquor licenses that extend later into the night. Community boards have been challenging these attempts because they fear the streets will end up being filled with late night drinkers and partiers. More importantly they also hope to regulate the number of drivers under the influence.