I just got an email from Public Advocate Bill de Blasio’s office about the Times Square bomb of which I knew nothing about until this morning.

Last night a crude car bomb made of propane, gasoline and fireworks was discovered in a smoking Nissan Pathfinder in Times Square, which prompted the evacuation of thousands. There was no explosion though the bomb had started to detonate. A t-shirt vendor noticed smoke coming from the car and notified the police.

Midtown from 43rd Street to 48th Street, and from Sixth to Eighth Avenues — was closed for much of the evening after the Pathfinder was discovered just off Broadway on 45th Street. Several theaters, stores and the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel were evacuated.

Here is Bill de Blasio’s statement:

“Last night we were reminded of the unique danger our City still faces and the skill and courage of our police force that keeps us safe.  I applaud Commissioner Kelly and the NYPD for acting swiftly to evacuate and protect Time Square.  I have full confidence in the ability of the NYPD and the FBI to swiftly investigate and apprehend whomever is responsible for this attempted attack.”

Brooklyn Heights residents are mad as hell about the constant noise from sightseeing and other  helicopters flying over their picturesque neighborhood. Now the City is finally doing something about it.

The Stop the Chop campaing, a concerted effort by the community and State Senator Daniel Squadron’s office has brought results. A ban on sightseeing helicopers began on Friday, April 30th.

The new plan will:

–eliminate up to 30 percent of sightseeing flights.

–eliminate all birds-eye tours of the Brooklyn Bridge and other borough attractions.

–not allow helicopters to fly below 1,500 feet.

“This solution was a quick effort to deal with the problem,” said State Sen. Daniel Squadron told the Brooklyn Paper. “It is absolutely a good faith effort, but it’s now up to elected officials to keep a close watch on the progress and make sure the plan has the desired effect.”

Still, yesterday a reporter from the Brooklyn Heights Blog was disappointed to see (and hear) a low-flying chopper overhead. There’s even a video at their site:

As your correspondent prepared for his customary morning walk, a loud clattering sound came from the direction of the harbor. This, on the morning after the helicopter noise deal was announced? Reaching the Promenade, I saw a U.S. Marine Corps V-22 Osprey twin tilt-rotor aircraft lifting off from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport. I looked up as a flight of northbound geese passed, and saw another Osprey circling Governors Island. The Osprey that had lifted off quickly returned to the Heliport and touched down again, its rotors drawing up a huge amount of spray. After about fifteen minutes of maneuvering, the Ospreys headed south and disappeared.

Learn how to blog in a hands-on workshop covering technical, creative and conceptual issues. In this class we will discuss blog design, how to write a great blog post, top-ten tips for new bloggers, search engine optimization, social networking platforms and more. You don’t need to know a thing about blogging. All you need is the desire to blog!

At BAX on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope on Wednesdays | May 5, 12, 19, 26 | 7:30 – 9:30 PM

$50 for workshop | No drop-ins

To register call 718-832-0018

Yesterday Tadashi Nakamura demonstrated martial arts technique at the Sakura Matsuri festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. He is the founder and chairman of the World Seido Karate Organization. A world-renowned karateka, Nakamura is a ninth dan (degree) black belt with over fifty years of experience in practicing and teaching in the martial arts. An expert in the use of oriental weapons, Nakamura has given numerous martial arts lectures and demonstrations in many countries around the world.

A new session of my How to Blog class starts this Wednesday at BAX and continues for four sessions. I have to say it’s a great class because it attracts great people (i.e. YOU). I teach according to what the participants want and need. If you wanna learn the blogging ABCs I’m your gal. If you wanna talk design we can talk design. If you wanna learn about writing we do writing. If you wanna learn some techy stuff we do that, too. It’s all about who’s in the class and what works for the group.

Last session I had two women from the new Moms in Babeland blog and a knitter who has a book coming out in October. For the last class I had guest designer, Peg Patterson, discuss design for the web. She will be returning for the 4th class of this series, too. I may have another guest speaker as well.

$50 for workshop | No drop-ins

May 5, 12, 19, 26

Learn how to blog in a hands-on workshop covering technical, creative and conceptual issues. In this class we will discuss blog design, how to write a great blog post, top-ten tips for new bloggers, search engine optimization, social networking platforms and more. You don’t need to know a thing about blogging. All you need is the desire to blog!

Louise Crawford runs Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn and is the Smartmom columnist for the Brooklyn Paper. She produces the annual Brooklyn Blogfest and Brooklyn Reading Works, a montly literary reading series at the Old Stone House in Park Slope. A freelance writer her work has appeared in Newsweek, the Associated Press and BKLYN Magazine. She has taught How to Blog workshops at BAX, Adelphi University, Baruch College and at Writers-at-the-Beach in Rehobeth, Delaware.

FILM

Exit Through the Gift Shop, Greenberg, Kick Ass and The Ghost Writer at BAM, as well as films by The Perverse Poet: João César Monteiro is, along with Manoel de Oliveira (whose films he occasionally acted in), one of the giants of Portuguese cinema. Born into a family that was fervently anti-fascist and anti-clerical, his work is deeply polemic in its criticism of repression within Portuguese society, yet also madly entertaining with its sexually explicit humor and intense disregard for conventional filmmaking. His body of work reveals a mind that was boundlessly intellectual, uncompromisingly nonconformist, refreshingly funny, and more than a little creepy.

THEATER

The Creditors at BAM. Directed by Alan Rickman, this fiercely modern battle of the sexes comes to BAM following a sold-out run at London’s Donmar Warehouse (RED, Jude Law’s Hamlet, Frost/Nixon). A darkly comic tale of vengeance, jealousy, and psychological warfare, Creditors unfolds as a young husband (Tom Burke, in his New York debut), anxiously awaiting the return of his new wife (Olivier Award-nominee Anna Chancellor), falls under the sway of a mysterious stranger (Tony Award-winner Owen Teale).

MUSIC:

Sunday starting at 1PM: The Bell House and Gowanus Music Club present an all-ages show on Sunday afternoon, May 2nd at 1 pm. This show represents the culmination of their 12 week program at the rock school, and also includes two adult rock bands! They will be showcasing nine bands from 1 – 5 pm, with each band doing a short set to showcase their talents. This will be a diverse and fun afternoon for kids and adults alike. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for kids under the age of 18.

Sunday at The Bell House at 6PM: Bad Teeth (myspace.com/badteethmusic) (mems: Mighty Handful, Crayons, Calamus), Red Dwarf (first show feat. members of Le Rug), Large Lady (myspace.com/largeladynyc) (mems. Radiates, Mother Courage), Slam Down Birthday Cake (myspace.com/slamdownbirthdaycake) (mems. Banzai, Fiasco, Phfat Raskals), Snuffy (myspace.com/snuffynewyork) (mems. of the best band ever)
$8

ART

Target First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum! Thousands of visitors enjoy free programs of art and entertainment each month from 5 to 11 p.m. All evening long, the Museum Café serves a wide selection of sandwiches, salads, and beverages, and a cash bar offers wine and beer. Parking is a flat rate of $4 starting at 5 p.m. All other Saturdays, the Museum closes at 6 p.m.

Saturday, May 1st and Sunday May 2nd, 2010 from 12–6 pm: Screwball Spaces, Gowanus Canal’s newest addition of artists’ studios in Red Hook, Brooklyn, opens its doors to the public for a rare glimpse into the work spaces of New York’s contemporary artists.

Saturday May 1st, 6-8PM: What happens when an artist goes into the studio without a plan? No Plans For Today. Fun Times Gallery. 257 3rd Avenue. Brooklyn, NY Opening Reception. Curated by Vicki Sher.

SHOPPING

May 1&2 from 11AM until 5PM: Spring Food and Craft Market at the Brooklyn Lyceum: Heighten your senses and usher in Spring with style.  Expanding into both 4,000 square foot levels of the Brooklyn Lyceum –  former NYC Public Bath #7 – we announce our heady new creation! The Lyceum Spring Food and Craft Market will include all manner of “Handmade” to mean both Crafts and Edibles, as well as fun workshops for all ages. Our Market will feature over 100 talented vendors, both local and from cities like Chicago, DC, Boston, and Portland.

Bike lane or no bike lane on Prospect Park West was the topic of discussion at the Community Board 6 Transportation hearing last Thursday at the library at Grand Army Plaza. The Brooklyn Paper filed this report:

City officials shot back at opponents of the controversial Prospect Park West bike lane on Thursday, saying that the two-way protected bike path is all about making Park Slope’s notorious speedway safer.

The bike lane, which would run from Grand Army Plaza to Bartel Pritchard Square and require the removal of one lane of southbound car traffic, has enraged some residents because it would require the removal of 22 parking spaces, result in more congestion from double-parked cars and create a potential hazard for pedestrians not accustomed to looking out for cyclists heading in two directions.

But the city defended its decision, saying that the lane would make Prospect Park West safer — for everyone.

“We prioritize safety above other types of considerations,” said Josh Benson, director of the Department of Transportation’s bicycle program. “Speeding is a problem on that stretch, and we’re going to keep people safe.”

Brought to you by the Feldman Family from their weather tower in Park Slope.

Have you been thinking about volunteering in Brooklyn?

Brooklyn Community Board 6 with the staff of the offices of Assembly Member Jim Brennan, Assembly Member Joan Millman and New York Methodist Hospital, has been busy at work planning their third Community Volunteer Fair.

On May 13th, from 6:00pm to 8:30pm, over 90 organizations which depend on volunteers – organizations that address the youth, the elderly, housing, the arts, the environment and our community – will gather at the brand new Park Slope Armory Recreation Center, on 15th Street between 7th/8th Avenues, to make themselves available to meet people interested in volunteering their time and talent.

At each of their past events in 2005 and 2008, we saw over 500 visitors come through the door.  Countless successful matches were made between enthusiastic volunteers and organizations in need.