Blank Street goes brick-and-mortar on Bedford
TREASURE
ings that became garbage that
could become landfi lls.”
This debris is now — and
has been since the 1980s, Sicherman
said — coming up from
underneath the soil and drifting
towards the bay, which, if
radioactive, can potentially
expose visitors to the toxic
material if they wash up along
the shore, according to the National
COURIER L 30 IFE, FEBRUARY 5-11, 2021
Parks Service.
But the radiation exposure
should be of low-risk for most
visitors, a spokesperson previously
told Brooklyn Paper.
“There is a low potential for
exposure to radiation from
passive walking at the site,”
said Daphne Yun.
Over 100 people have
signed the petition as of last
week, which Sicherman said
she soon plans to send to the
appropriate agencies but suspects
she has some time as
these cleanups can sometimes
take over a decade.
“These Superfund projects
take 20 years, so I don’t feel
like I am in some kind of gigantic
rush,” Sicherman said.
Sicherman fi rst became
interested in the debris-rich
waterway when conducting
research for her book, “Brooklyn’s
Barren Island: A Forgotten
History,” which tells the
story of the outcast island off
of Brooklyn’s southeast shore,
where dead horse carcasses
were converted into different
industrial products and whose
waterway along the western
shore was nicknamed Dead
Horse Bay.
BY CARSEN HOLADAY
Blank Street is putting
down roots on Bedford Avenue.
Williamsburg’s Blank
Street, a city-based sustainable
coffee brand, is opening
its fi rst retail location at 186
Bedford Ave., adjacent to the
Bedford Avenue L train station.
There, Blank Street —
fi rst launched with batterypowered
carts at the iconic
1960s Wythe Avenue Diner —
plans to continue its sustainable
efforts to better the planet
and local community.
Founders Vinay Menda
and Issam Freiha were determined
from the start to create
a local commerce that recognized
the importance of quality,
eco-friendly products.
From compostable cups and
lids, minimalist spaces, and
branded merchandise from recycled
materials, the specialty
coffee brand’s work towards
an eco-friendly footprint is
impressive. Even the used coffee
grounds have a purpose
in the bi-weekly deliveries to
Domino Park’s composting
program.
“Our coffee carts are zeroemission
because we believe
that greatness can be achieved
without making the earth pay
the price,” reads a post on
Blank Street’s Instagram.
Along with going green,
Blank Street supports their
neighbors’ businesses by
serving their high quality
products on the menu. Signature
coffee and espresso
are from renowned Brooklyn
Roaster, Parlor Coffee Roasters.
The breakfast tacos are
made and delivered daily
by King David Tacos. Blank
Street’s pastries are supplied
by Pain d’Avignon, which has
supplied Michelin starred
restaurants for over 25 years,
and King Street Baking Co.
Since starting up six
months ago, Blank Street has
hosted a series of pop-ups in
their outdoor space on Wythe
Avenue in order to support local
businesses and customers
during the coronavirus pandemic.
This series will continue
as they plan to partner
with Brooklyn’s Stolen Magnolia
to offer fl ower bouquet
bundles that can be ordered
in advance. There will be a
fl ower bar pop-up on Feb. 13
and 14 for last-minute shoppers.
Showing close attention to
detail, 186 Bedford Ave. has a
convenient subway sign with
live MTA notifi cations so that
customers can plan if they
have time to grab a coffee before
catching the L train. Customers
can opt for contactless
orders in advance through the
Blank Street app, as well as receive
updates on specials and
events. Additionally, all food
is available to order ahead on
the mobile app, and any customer
using the app for the
fi rst time will receive a free
cup of any coffee.
BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELLDOMENECH
Brooklyn College will
introduce a course on the
COVID-19 pandemic during
the spring semester, nearly
one year after the city’s fi rst
coronavirus case.
The class — taught by lecturer
Jolanta Kruszelnicka
from the college’s Health and
Nutrition Sciences Department
— will cover a new pandemic
related topic every
week. Students will be start
off by learning about the history
of pandemics and their
causes, according to assistant
professor, Enrique Pouget.
In one lesson, students will
study the 19th century cholera
pandemic in London, which
began after a mother washed
her sick baby’s diaper and
dumped the virus-laden water
close to a town well, according
to English physician John
Snow.
At the time, most medical
professionals believed that the
disease was airborne, and rejected
Snow’s theory that cholera
spread through contaminated
drinking water. But
once Snow cut off access to the
soiled water by removing the
well’s pump handle, the outbreak
stopped.
The medical fi eld’s initial
reaction to Snow’s hypothesis
has had its parallels during
the COVID-19 pandemic,
Pouget noted.
“This reminds me of how
many scientists were slow to
recognize that the coronavirus
is transmitted mainly
through aerosols because
their paradigm was that these
types of viruses were spread
mainly through droplets and
surfaces,” he said.
The course will also dissect
parallels between COVID-19
and early attempts to eradicate
smallpox. In Asia, scientists
developed an early form
of inoculation against smallpox
called “variolation,” in
which dried smallpox scabs
were blown into a patient’s
nose. But some western physicians
were reluctant to use the
method given its area of origin,
according to Pouget.
Throughout the semester
long course, students will
learn the fundamentals of data
analysis and public health policy,
and will critique national
responses to the virus and the
vaccine’s rollout. The goal of
the course is to help students
understand governmental
failures and successes in handling
the pandemic and give
students the tools to help their
communities recover.
“No matter what your major
is, I feel like having the opportunity
to take a COVID-19
class would be benefi cial,”
said Brooklyn College student
Jonas Johnson, who hopes to
use the course to help educate
family and friends about the
virus and dispel fears about
the vaccine.
Something brewing
Brooklyn College off ers class on COVID
BROOKLYN
A historic moment
Sustainable coffee brand Blank Street is opening up its fi rst brick-andmortar
store on Bedford Avenue, not far from the L train.
Blank Street
Brooklyn College will offer a class about the COVID-19 pandemic that
will analyze the history of pandemics and critique the government’s response.
Brooklyn College
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