RightRides

RRlogoYesterday upon learning the horrible news about the rape which came to pass at Nassau Avenue and Diamond Street earlier this week I posted it here on New York Shitty to make you, dear readers, aware. Later in the day I was reminded (by buddy d of pointgreen) of a service unescorted women (and many more— as I learned) out late at night can and should use. It is called RightRides and I am going to dedicate this post to giving you the 411 about this organization.

To get the ball rolling, here’s an excerpt from their “About” page to give you a general idea of their mission:

The mission of RightRides For Women’s Safety, Inc. is to build safer communities by ending gender-based harassment and sexual assault. We work towards this by community organizing and offering direct service, safety education and advocacy programs.

In our RightRides program, we offer women, LGBTQ and gender nonconforming individuals a free, late-night ride home to ensure their safe commute to or through high-risk areas.

In our Safe Walk program, we offer walking escorts for any one who doesn’t want to walk alone.

We are also a founding member of New Yorkers for Safe Transit, which will pursue coalition building and policy change work to increase safety in mass transit…

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Very simple: if you are out and about Friday and/or Saturday night (11:59 p.m. – 3:00 a.m.) and am in need of a safe ride (or escort) home you call either of these two telephone numbers

  • (718) 964-7781
  • (888) 215-7233 (SAFE)

and they will dispatch a driver to pick you up. CAVEAT/POSSIBLE CATCH: your person and destination must be within their “service area”. Follow are their service maps for Friday and Saturday.

RRmap

SATURDAY

RRsat

As you can see I have not included the key for this map. This is because it is too extensive for me to screencap and publish here. You can view this map (along with the key) by clicking on the above image or clicking here.

HOW CAN I HELP?

RightRides welcomes donations, fund raising events and volunteers. You can learn more about how you can help this wonderful organization by clicking here. On that note, the peeps at RightRides will be hosting a series of fund raisers at the Parkside Lounge starting this evening at 8:00 p.m.

flier

Professor Von Awesome’s Traveling Caravan of Cautionary Warnings
October 23, 24, 30, and 31, 2009 starting at 8:00 p.m.
Cost of admission: $15.00 (a portion of the proceeds go to Rightrides)
Parkside Lounge
317 East Houston Street
New York, New York 10002

In closing (and for those who are interested) you can receive a quarterly e-newsletter from RightRides by clicking here.

Stay safe!

Miss Heather

Brooklyn Photo du Jour: No Standing St. Nick!

November 27, 2008 ·
Filed under: Clinton Hill, Navy Yard 

From Franklin Avenue.

Miss Heather

Brooklyn Photos du Jour: The Writing On The Wall

November 19, 2008 ·
Filed under: Clinton Hill, Dog Shit Signage, Greenpoint Magic, Navy Yard, Queens, Williamsburg 

This angry missive to one “Mayor Moo Moo” hails from Steuben Street and comes courtesy of “B.O.M.B.”: Brooklyn’s Other Museum of Brooklyn (whose web site appears to currently be parked). You can see more of their missives (and believe you me they have a lot to say) by checking out my photo set on flickr.

And while I’m at it, clean up after your damned dogs already! Sheesh.

Miss Heather

P.S.: On a related note some of you might find this web site interesting. Someone should erect a site like this counting the days until IDT Energy* figures out that everyone and their damned dog knows about the scam they’re running. Any takers?

*Those of you who have had the pleasure of interfacing with these people (as I have) please contact your duly elected officials and make them aware of this scam. For those of you who live in/around Greenpoint, Williamsburg and the Navy Yard (and beyond— for example, the 12th district includes much of the Lower East Side and a substantial chunk of Queens) the following information should be helpful:

U.S. Representative Nydia Velazquez, here’s a map of her district:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:New_York_District_12_109th_US_Congress.png

New York Representative Joseph Lentol, here’s a map of his district:

http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=050&sh=map

Brooklyn Photos du Jour: Battle At The Navy Yard!

November 18, 2008 ·
Filed under: Navy Yard 

Yesterday I found this nifty if a bit worse for wear work by Swoon Gaia* while walking down Flushing Avenue. I noticed something at the bottom right-hand corner of the doorway so I went in for a closer look…

to find a battle in progress! This has to be one of the oddest —and yet kind of cute —-finds I have made in some time. Anyone know the story behind this? If so please share!

Miss Heather

*See comments.

Brooklyn Boobification Photos du Jour: Navy Yard Style

November 17, 2008 ·
Filed under: Boobification, Clinton Hill, Navy Yard 

Today I decided on a lark to knock around the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Sensing that there may be opportunities for boobification present at this location I packed the girls and hit the road. My instincts were on target.

Steuben Playground

Nestled next to the BQE between Flushing Avenue and (what else?) Steuben Street this park is named after a Prussian army officer and who was a general in the American Revolution: Baron Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustus von Steuben. He made a number of contributions to the Continental Army but follows (courtesy of US History dot org) is my personal favorite:

Another program developed by Steuben was camp sanitation. He established a standards of sanitation and camp layouts that would still be standard a century and a half later. There had previously been no set arrangement of tents and huts. Men relieved themselves where they wished and when an animal died, it was stripped of its meat and the rest was left to rot where it lay. Stueben laid out a plan to have rows for command, officers and enlisted men. Kitchens and latrines were on opposite sides of the camp, with latrines on the downhill side. There was the familiar arrangement of company and regimental streets.

I know what you’re thinking:

If this man advanced what it is now known as the “don’t shit where you eat” policy, why are there two boars gracing the park which bears his name?

Here’s the answer per the New York City Parks Department:

In 2000, Steuben Playground underwent a comprehensive $938,000 reconstruction funded by Council Member Mary Pinkett. The improvements included the replacement of an asphalt ballfield with picnic tables and a horticultural area. The park’s open grass area was landscaped, the handball wall and court were reconstructed, new basketball backstops were added, and new exercise equipment was installed. In addition to the two new pieces of boar-shaped animal play sculptures, a new steel fence was added around the jogging area, new concrete game tables were installed, and two animal art sculptures of boars were added. The wild boar, native to Europe, is a reminder of the foreign origins of a great American military leader.

For the record these boars already have teats (go and see for yourself). But for $938,000 they didn’t seem “grand enough” so I augmented them. The cost: $0.00.

Hall Street at Park Avenue

All things considered there wasn’t too much that tickled my titular fancy. However, this bus shelter for the B61 made the grade.

This Bebe advertisement has been getting on my nerves for some time. So I finally decided to boobify this fine specimen gracing a B61 bus stop next to the BQE. My act of art-making was met with the approval of a young man shooting hoops at adjacent Washington Hall Park: he gave me two enthusiastic thumbs up.

Washington Hall Park

When all else fails playgrounds never cease to provide ample fodder for boobification. Just take this seal. Methinks I will have to swing by here next summer with a retrofitted solo tit and get some lactation going.

Unbeknownst to me a parks employee watched me execute this one. He didn’t seem upset in the least. In fact I think he found it amusing.

And this, dear readers, concludes my latest installment of Brooklyn boobification!

Miss Heather

  • NYS Flickr Pool

    AbandonedThe One CrewWalking the Dog in the SnowSnowy Seagulls
  • Ads