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THE LEDE: Good morning, Brooklyn! In today’s briefing, Mayor de Blasio’sand Chancellor Carmen Fariña’s plan to increase diversity in city schools is getting some rather diverse reactions. Then, we take a look at the booming real estate market in Bay Ridge, and go for a walk down memory lanewhile we’re there. We have two Facts of the Day for you — one fun, one not-so-fun. Plus, a not-so-new trend sweeps the gig economy in Brooklyn and NYC, and one Eagle writer honors a legendary basketball coach by sharing a memory from his first day in gym class at a Bay Ridge high school. In today’sStaff Picks, we recommend a podcast on the science behind the “six degrees of separation” and a light read on bizarre, old timey British party games. Enjoy this (finally!) sunny day!
      
IMPRINT: The cover of France’s Libération does not give the U.S.A. a vote of confidence.

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The Rundown
 

~DIVERSE REACTIONS TO ATTEMPTS AT DIVERSITY: This week, NYC Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña announced a plan to chip away at de facto segregation and increase diversity in city schools. The city angles to increase the number of racially representative schools and boost the number of inclusive schools that serve English Language Learners, among other goals…but critics say the plan does too little to make substantial changesto one of the nation’s most segregated school systems, and doesn’t take a strong enough stance in mandating changes. Meanwhile, Mayor de Blasio and the chancellor have been lying low, with no public appearances to explain or promote the plan. (via the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, the WSJ and Chalkbeat)   
 
~BOOMING BAY RIDGE: The bidding wars are on in Bay Ridge. Here’s the lowdown on pricing – and buying – trends for some of the neighborhood’s most notable homes, including the “Gingerbread House” on Narrows Ave. Plus, take a walk down memory lane with the owner of 75 81st Street, who fell in love with the interior of the home and didn’t change a thing. (via the Brooklyn Daily Eagle)  
 
~TROUBLING FACT OF THE DAY: A report from NYU’s Furman Centerfinds that ~1.7 million New Yorkers live in poverty. That’s more than the entire population of Philadelphia or Phoenix. In addition, 30 percent of children in NYC are poor, and attend lower-performing schools. The Furman Center’s faculty director Katherine O’Regan says one focus should be mixing up the dynamic of communities. “The policy proscriptive is really to change the mix,”she told WNYC. (via WNYC) 
 
~FUN FACT OF THE DAY: The New York seascape may be one of the most urbanized in the world, but it remains chock-full of full of whales, sharks, sturgeon and sea turtles, among other marine life. Check out a new mapmade by the Wildlife Conservation Society to see where our finned friends are swimming. (via the NYDN) 
 
~WHERE WOMEN WORK: The newest wave in the gig economy? Women’s clubs. Women-focused working spaces – such as New Women Space in East Williamsburg and the Wing’s Downtown Brooklyn location – are cropping up left and right in Brooklyn and beyond. But while ladies-only spaces are experiencing their 15 minutes, they’ve been around NYC since the 1800s, and there were over 5,000 women’s clubs nationwide in 1906. Read about the history and resurgence of ladies-only spaces. (via the Village Voice)         
 
~R.I.P. TO BROOKLYN’S LEGENDARY HOOPS COACH: Fort Hamilton High School basketball coach Kenneth J. Kern passed away last month, but his memory lives on for one writer here at the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Read about the writer’s first day of high school gym class, when he encountered Coach Kern for the first time and witnessed a very memorable incidentinvolving a football, a basketball hoop and lots of silence. (via the Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

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Staff Picks:
 

READ + LOOK: An illustrated guide to prison meals. Spoiler: they’re less than appetizing. (via The Marshall Project)  
 
READ + LOOK AGAIN: “A 19th-Century Illustrated Guide to Bizarre British Games, Including Hot Cockles and Hoodman’s Blind.” (via Hyperallergic)      
 
CULTURE: Every Thursday this month, the Brooklyn Museum will host a film series by local, black, queer artists.
 
LISTEN: The science behind “six degrees of separation.” (Yes, there isscience behind the theory). (via Undiscovered)    

 
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NATIONAL BULLETIN: James Comey will testify today about how POTUS pressured him for “loyalty”…Hawaii becomes the first state to defy Trump andpass laws committing the state to the Paris climate accord…Thetransgender bathroom debate is alive and well in Texas…Elected officials across the country use social media to block constituents who disagree with them, igniting debate over what constitutes First Amendment rights…“To Kill a Mockingbird” will become a graphic novel…And the life of Cher will hit Broadway in 2018. (via the AP, the NYT, ProPublica, the Guardian and Flavorwire) 
 
FOREIGN FLASH: Britain heads to the polls to decide whether to keep Prime Minister Theresa May…Homo sapien fossils discovered in a cave in Morocco tack on 100,000 years to the known history of human fossils…Where’s the newest booming film industry? Toronto…“Meet Turkey’s First – And Only – Queer Choir”…And a Myanmar military plane with over 100 passengers crashes into the ocean. (via the AP, WaPo, The Star, Roads and Kingdoms and the NYT) 
 

 ROYAL WATCH: “Prince Harry Has Touching Reunion with War Widow Who Stole a Kiss From Him in Australia.” (via People)

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BROOKLYN TONIGHT  
 

5:30pm – Kayaking at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Details.
 
6:30pm – The Queer Histories of Brooklyn’s Working Waterfront. Details.
 
7:00pm – Artists and the Archive: Raoul Peck on I Am Not Your Negro at Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Details.
 
7:00pm – A Woman’s Baseball Odyssey at Bergino Baseball Clubhouse.Details.
 
8:00pm – Brooklyn Ballet: Roots & New Ground at The Actors Fund Arts Center. Details.
 
8:00pm – Standard Time Comedy 1 Year Anniversary Show at Pacific Standard. Details.
 
8:30pm – Brooklyn Film Festival at Wythe Hotel. Details.
 
9:00pm – Outcast Cabaret: Summer Solstice Harbinger at Coney Island USA.Details.
 
9:00pm – Comedians You Should Know at The Gutter. Details.  
 
11:30pm – DJ Questlove Presents: Bowl Train at Brooklyn Bowl. Details.
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 ON THE PITCH: Here’s a look at the top 10 FIFA video game covers of all time. Which one is your favorite? (via ESPNFC)

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MILESTONES
 
Happy birthday to Scott Adams, Kathy Baker, Tim Berners-Lee, Barbara Pierce Bush, Bernie Casey, James Darren Lindsay Davenport, Griffin Dunne,Gabrielle Giffords, Julianna Margulies, Sara Paretsky, Boz Scaggs, Nancy Sinatra, Jerry Stiller, Keenaen Ivory Wayans, Dr. Andrew Weil and Kanye West!

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