BROOKLYN WEATHER: What’s it gonna do today?  Check here for Brooklyn weather.

CITY NEWS: EIghteen suspects, some in New York City, charged with trafficking Russian military weapons. Read all about it at NY1

_City is revamping its high
school math curriculum, which will mean big changes in the way that
math is taught in New York City high schools. Read all about it at NY1

_Some public schools to hand out physical fitness report cards in an effort to stem childhood obesity. Read all about it at NY1

 _Tolls rise on all MTA bridges and tunnels: tolls on the Triborough,
Whitestone, the Throgs Neck and the Queen’s  Mid-town and Brooklyn
Battery Tunnels have gone up 50 cents from $4.0 to $4.50. Read all about it at NY1

_From WNYC RadioThe city has a new
weapon in its never-ending battle against rats a federally funded
institute to teach the craft of rodent eradication. Plans for the
Rodent Integrated Pest Control Academy were announced at a hearing
before the City Council’s health committee yesterday. The academy will
train exterminators from the Health Department and other city agencies.
A three-year, 600-thousand dollar grant from the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention will fund the school. Among the skills
to be taught will be the proper placement of rat poison which one
health official says has to be inserted deep inside rat holes otherwise
the rats "will throw the bait back out." Those rats!

BROOKLYN BEAT:   The MTA threatens to sue the owner of F Line Bagels, a small corner shop on Smith and Ninth Street underneath the F-train, if he doesn’t remove all subway decoration in the shop. Faried Assad, the owner, spent over $1000.
on the MTA’s own website buying subway memorabelia to decorate the
store. Assad received a Cease and Desist letter from the MTA that
informed him that the F-train logo is a registered trademark. The
letter gave him until March 16th to respond. 

_Brooklyn Democratic leader faces corruption charges. Read all about it at NY1

IT’S WEDNESDAY At the Brooklyn Academy of Music, "Play Without Words" a DANCE-THEATER PIECE by Matthew Bourne. Starts March 15th through the 29th.

_One of the illustrators of the the "American Splendor" comic book series will be doing a presentation at Barnes and Noble on Seventh Avenue on Wednesday night. Details are sketchy. Call the store:  718-832-9066

WORTH TAKING A LOOK:  The SECOND GRADE
ART SHOW at Starbucks. Seventh Avenue between 1st and Garfield Place.
The children’s Romare Bearden-esque cityscape collages will be up all
month.

THIS SOUNDS COOL: BROOKLYN FREE SCHOOL
OPEN HOUSE on Saturday March 19th From 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the
school: 260 16th Street between 4th and 5th Avenues. Writes school
director, Alan Berger: "See first hand the only school in New York City
where students self direct their own learning and have an equal say in
running the school. brooklynfreeschool@msn.com

_Music for Aardvarks
founder, David Winestone sings ultra urban kid’s songs at PS 58 on
Carroll Street between Smith and Court Streets. Saturday 3/19 at 3 p.m.
$10. per person. Children under 2 free. Hear MFA classics like: "City
Kid," "Bagel," "I was Walking with my Mom Down Avenue A."

Saturday is FAMILY DAY AT THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM. Free admission and lots of fun activities for kids.

_It’s bagpipe time. BROOKLYN IRISH AMERICAN PARADE is Sunday. Parade starts at 1 p.m. at PPW and
15th Street. Marches down 15th Street to 7th Avenue and down 7th to Union Street and back over to
PPW.

_Composer and Park Slope resident, Louis Rosen and vocalist Capathia
Jenkins perform a SONG CYCLE based on the work of Maya Angelou. This
Sunday at Joe’s Pub at 6 p.m. (see Hand-Picked below).

NEW SNEAKERS: On Saturday March 19th: THE BROOKLYN HALF-MARATHON starts on the Coney Island boardwalk  at 8 a.m. Run or come cheer your friends and neighbors.

Here’s the 13.1 mile course for the Brooklyn-Half: Start on the Coney Island Boardwalk at West Second
Street. Head west on the boardwalk to a turnaround at 36th Street, and
then return east. Exit the boardwalk at West 10th Street and continue
east on Surf Avenue. Turn left/north onto Ocean Parkway to Prospect
Expressway to Park Circle. Enter Prospect Park at Park Circle and head
east on South Lake Drive. Continue around the northern end of the park,
returning south on West Drive. Turn left/east onto Hill Drive and
left/north onto East Drive. Turn left/west on Central Drive to the
finish.

If you’re not familiar with the names of the roads in the park, check the map at www.prospectpark.org

HEAR/SAY: "I told him, I said, ‘You know what, we’re from Brooklyn. We’re born
and raised here, man. We’ve been using the train forever. And us, as
Brooklynites, you know, we should have a little bit of fringe benefits,
you know?’ I told him, Give us a break over here."  – Faried Assad, whose shop F-Line Bagels may be sued by the MTA.