Category Archives: Scoop Du Jour_Weather. News. Events.

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.

Secrets_2

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

CITY NEWS: The city’s Third and Fifth graders taking a crucial standardized test in English that determines academic promotion.

_Cyclists gathered near the Manhattan Bridge to honor one of their own. Noah Burdnick of Transportations Alternatives was seriously injured on March 28th when he was investigating safety issues on the bride and he had to swerve out of the way of a gigantic pot hole. Although he was wearing a helmet, he sustained serious head injuries. Bikers gathered to demad safer biking conditions.

_April 15 is not only tax day. It’s also the 90th anniversary of Billie Holiday’s birthday and WKCR 89.9 FM is playing her music for 15 days straight or 360 hours from April 1 until April 15. Check out the web broadcast.

_NYC to recognize same sex unions performed in other states. This means that same sex couples could get married in Toronto and be recognized as married in New York City, even though same sex marriage is not allowed here.

BROOKLYN BEAT:  One-time Park Slope resident, Andrea Dworkin, the feminist writer and anti-pornography campaigner, died on Saturday at her home in Washington. She was 58. Ms. Dworkin died in her sleep. Her husband, John Stoltenberg, said that Ms. Dworkin had suffered from several chronic illnesses in recent years. A familiar sight on Seventh Avenue in denim overalls, Ms. Dworkin was for decades active on the lecture circuit, at antipornography rallies and "take back the night" marches.

_April 11-20th is Brooklyn Restaurant Week, designed to showcase the diverse eating options in this fair borough. Participating restaurants are offering a 19.99 prix fix for a 3-course meal.  A good chance to try places you’ve been meaning to try.

_State legislators propose bill to provide affordable housing on Williamsburg, Greenpoint waterfront.

_The non-profit Fifth Avenue Committee, which has campaigned against landlords trying to evict low income renters, can’t afford space on Fifth Avenue anymore. They are moving to the other side of Fourth Avenue and Degraw Street. Victims of the street’s gentrification, they will still be advocates for affordable housing in Park Slope.

_Brooklyn community groups are protesting a proposed high-rise condo that would block the view of the Statue of Liberty and the NYC skyline from historic Battle Hill in Green-Wood Cemetery.

_Judith Zuk, 53, the president of the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens is retiring at the end of June. There’s a profile of her in today’s New York Daily News. During her 15 tenure she oversaw the renovation of the Japanese Tea House, Lily Pond Terrace, the Rock Garden, the Fragrance Garden, the Francis Milner Children’s Garden and the Rose Arc Pool, and opened the Discovery Garden.

_Brooklyn Assemblyman William Colton introduced  a bill called "Terri’s Law," that would make it illegal in New York to remove a feeding tube. Read all about in at New York 1.

Thursday morning, a man climbed up a fire escape to the window of a 9-year old girl’s bedroom, with the intent of kidnapping her robbing the apartment. The girl said, "Who are you?" and the man said "Nobody," and ran away.  He has not been found. Helicopters flew over Third Street and news and police vehicles were in the vicinity of the apartment building just up from 6th Avenue on Third Street all day. According to the New York Daily News,which has an article about the attempted robbery in today’s edition, burglaries have become increasingly rare in Park Slope, where the number of break-ins has dropped by 17% this year compared with the same period in 2004. Burglaries are also down 17% citywide, police statistics show.

_There have been a number of muggings between President and Ninth Street in Park Slope. The victims are women who are talking on their cell phones. The suspect surprises them from behind, puts his hand over their mouth and asks for money. According to the police, he hasn’t hurt anyone; he just takes the cash and runs. The most recent incident was on Tuesday at 4 p.m. on President Street on or near 8th Avenue.  If you have any information, please call the 78th Precint Pct.,  re: Pattern 29. 718-636-6484.

IT’S TUESDAY: "Step up to the plate" and experience the diverse menus of  Brooklyn’s world-class restaurants April 11-20, 2005. $19.55 prix fixe, in the spirit of the world champion Brooklyn Dodgers. "Three courses, no attitude on the side."  Click here to see the list of participating restaurants

_Container gardening workshop at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. 6:30 – 8 p.m. Call the Garden to register.

"Brooklyn Jewish Film Festival at BAM. 30 Lafayette Street.

THIS SOUNDS COOL:  UniverSoul Circus is in town. You can smell the elephants from the park’s roadway. Performance schedules,

_Too Cool for Shul: Festival of Contemporary Jewish Music. Various artists at The BAMCafe.3 Weekends in April.

_April 20-24 the Brooklyn Underground Film Festival is coming to the Brooklyn Lyceum. A rare screening of Indianna Jones: The Adaptation is on April 23rd. You’ve probably heard about  the kids who made the shot-for-shot copy of Raiders back in the ’80s. Well, this is it. And it’s a rare screening. at 9:15 p.m. 227 Fourth Avenue at Union Street.

_Brooklyn Reading Works. Curated by Louise G. Crawford.  APRIL 28 at 8 p.m. Pamela Katz reads: And Speaking of Love (Aufbau-Verlag) "a compelling and beautifully rendered novel about the astonishing life of Lotte Lenya," and poet Michelle Madigan Somerville reads from Wisegal (Ten Pell Books) and newer work: "A multilingual hardrock reverie…going upside your head to whisper whipsmart secrets about cracked-out big-city survival.

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.

Secrets_2

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

CITY NEWS: April 15 is not only tax
day. It’s also the 90th anniversary of Billie Holiday’s birthday and
WKCR 89.9 FM is playing her music for 15 days straight or 360 hours from April 1 until April 15. Check out the web broadcast.

_NYC to recognize same sex unions performed in other states. This
means that same sex couples could get married in Toronto and be
recognized as married in New York City, even though same sex marriage
is not allowed here.

BROOKLYN BEAT: State legislators propose bill to provide affordable housing on Williamsburg, Greenpoint waterfront.

_The non-profit Fifth Avenue Committee, which has campaigned against
landlords trying to evict low income renters, can’t afford space on
Fifth Avenue anymore. They are moving to the other side of Fourth
Avenue and Degraw Street. Victims of the street’s gentrification, they
will still be advocates for affordable housing in Park Slope.

_Brooklyn community groups are protesting a proposed high-rise condo
that would block the view of the Statue of Liberty and the NYC skyline
from historic Battle Hill in Green-Wood Cemetery.

_Judith Zuk, 53, the president of the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens is
retiring at the end of June. There’s a profile of her in today’s New York Daily News.
During her 15 tenure she oversaw the renovation of the Japanese Tea
House, Lily Pond Terrace, the Rock Garden, the Fragrance Garden, the
Francis Milner Children’s Garden and the Rose Arc Pool, and opened the
Discovery Garden.

_Brooklyn Assemblyman
William Colton introduced  a bill called "Terri’s Law," that would make
it illegal in New York to remove a feeding tube. Read all about in at New York 1.

Thursday morning, a man climbed up a fire escape to the window of a 9-year old girl’s
bedroom, with the intent of kidnapping her
robbing the apartment. The girl said, "Who are you?" and the man said
"Nobody," and ran away.  He has not been found. Helicopters flew over
Third Street and news
and police vehicles were in the vicinity of the apartment building just
up from 6th Avenue on Third Street all day. According to the New York Daily News,which has an article about the attempted robbery in today’s edition, burglaries have become increasingly rare in Park Slope, where the
number of break-ins has dropped by 17% this year compared with the same
period in 2004. Burglaries are also down 17% citywide, police
statistics show.

_There have been a number of muggings between President and Ninth
Street
in Park Slope. The victims are women who are talking on their cell
phones. The suspect surprises them from behind, puts his hand over
their mouth and asks for money. According to the police, he hasn’t hurt
anyone; he just takes the cash and runs. The most recent incident was
on Tuesday at 4
p.m. on President Street on or near 8th Avenue.  If you have any
information, please call the 78th Precint Pct.,  re: Pattern 29.
718-636-6484.

IT’S MONDAY: "Step up to the plate" and experience the diverse menus
of  Brooklyn’s world-class restaurants April 11-20, 2005. $19.55 prix fixe, in
the spirit of the world champion Brooklyn Dodgers. "Three courses, no
attitude on the side."  Click here to see the list of participating restaurants

"Brooklyn Jewish Film Festival at BAM. 30 Lafayette Street.

THIS SOUNDS COOL:  

_Too Cool for Shul: Festival of Contemporary Jewish Music. Various artists at The BAMCafe.3 Weekends in April.

_April 20-24 the Brooklyn Underground Film Festival is coming
to the Brooklyn Lyceum. A rare screening of Indianna Jones: The
Adaptation is on April 23rd. You’ve probably heard about  the kids who
made the shot-for-shot copy of Raiders back in the ’80s. Well, this is
it. And it’s a rare screening. at 9:15 p.m. 227 Fourth Avenue at Union
Street.

_Brooklyn Reading Works. Curated by Louise G. Crawford.  APRIL 28 at 8 p.m. Pamela Katz reads: And Speaking of Love (Aufbau-Verlag) "a compelling and beautifully rendered novel about the astonishing life of Lotte Lenya," and poet Michelle Madigan Somerville reads from Wisegal
(Ten Pell Books) and newer work: "A multilingual hardrock
reverie…going upside your head to whisper whipsmart secrets about
cracked-out big-city survival.

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.

Secrets_2

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

OTBKB SCOOP: At 2 a.m.
Thursday morning, a man climbed up a fire escape to the window of a 9-year old girl’s
bedroom, with the intent of kidnapping her
robbing the apartment. The girl said, "Who are you?" and the man said
"Nobody," and ran away.  He has not been found. Helicopters flew over
Third Street and news
and police vehicles were in the vicinity of the apartment building just
up from 6th Avenue on Third Street all day. According to the New York Daily News,which has an article about the attempted robbery in today’s edition, burglaries have become increasingly rare in Park Slope, where the
number of break-ins has dropped by 17% this year compared with the same
period in 2004. Burglaries are also down 17% citywide, police
statistics show.

CITY NEWS: April 15 is not only tax
day. It’s also the 90th anniversary of Billie Holiday’s birthday and
WKCR 89.9 FM is playing her music for 15 days straight or 360 hours.

_NYC to recognize same sex unions performed in other states. This
means that same sex couples could get married in Toronto and be
recognized as married in New York City, even though same sex marriage
is not allowed here.

_A, B, C and D train service is back to normal after a subway tunnel fire Thursday afternoon.

_The MTA has decided NOT to
close subway booths. According to New York 1, the 169 booths  set to be
closed will remain open but the attendants will still be out in the
station acting as customer service representatives. Subway booths will
remain accessible to the clerks so that they can use the phone to call
police or fix metro card problems.

_The federal government issued report saying that the city’s bridges are structurally inadequate or obsolete.

_Children age seven and younger must be buckled into a car seat in New York State. This is up from age four.

BROOKLYN BEAT: State legislators propose bill to provide affordable housing on Williamsburg, Greenpoint waterfront.

_The non-profit Fifth Avenue Committee, which has campaigned against landlords trying to evict low income renters, can’t afford space on Fifth Avenue anymore. They are moving to the other side of Fourth Avenue and Degraw Street. Victims of the street’s gentrification, they will still be advocates for affordable housing in Park Slope.

_In Greenpoint Brooklyn, home of  the city’s largest Polish community,
mourners gathered at a park near the St. Stanislaus Church on Driggs
Avenue to watch the funeral of the Pope. St. Stanislaus Church on
Driggs Avenue, on a large screen television.

_Brooklyn community groups are protesting a proposed high-rise condo
that would block the view of the Statue of Liberty and the NYC skyline
from historic Battle Hill in Green-Wood Cemetery.

_Judith Zuk, 53, the president of the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens is
retiring at the end of June. There’s a profile of her in today’s New York Daily News.
During her 15 tenure she oversaw the renovation of the Japanese Tea
House, Lily Pond Terrace, the Rock Garden, the Fragrance Garden, the
Francis Milner Children’s Garden and the Rose Arc Pool, and opened the
Discovery Garden.

_Brooklyn Assemblyman
William Colton introduced  a bill called "Terri’s Law," that would make
it illegal in New York to remove a feeding tube. Read all about in at New York 1.

_There have been a number of muggings between President and Ninth
Street
in Park Slope. The victims are women who are talking on their cell
phones. The suspect surprises them from behind, puts his hand over
their mouth and asks for money. According to the police, he hasn’t hurt
anyone; he just takes the cash and runs. The most recent incident was
on Tuesday at 4
p.m. on President Street on or near 8th Avenue.  If you have any
information, please call the 78th Precint Pct.,  re: Pattern 29.
718-636-6484.

IT’S SUNDAY:  Residents of South South Park Slope near Green-wood Cemetery are taking
action against developers that are rapidly transforming their
neighborhood into condoville. On Sunday April 9th,
10th at 1 p.m. there’s a march to save the character and history of
this neighborhood.  March in
support of what the organizers are calling "contextual development in
the South Sourth Slope and display a "Not for Sale" sign. The march is
assembling at 15th St. & 7th Ave. at 1 p.m. and people will march
to the memorial in the cemetery to protest the proliferation of large
multi-story apartment buildings and to promote responsible housing and
construction. If people want more info go to the South South Slope Web site

_Around the World in 80 Days at Puppetworks. Weekends at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m.
338 Sixth Avenue at 4th Street.

_The first Park Slope Kids Music Festival. This Sunday at Southpaw:
Wendy Gesanliter, John Carlin and Uncle Rock. Refreshments available.
4/10 at 11 a.m. 125 Fifth Avenue. $12 for kids, $6 for kids 2 and up.
Under that: free. concertforkids.com

_Frank London, trumpeter for the Klezmatics, leads kids at the Eldridge Street Synogogue
through a lesson on traditional Jewish melodies. Plus a tour of the
1887 synogogue and egg creams. 4/10 at 11 a.m. Reservations required.
12 Eldridge Street, near Canal Street. 212-219-0888 or
eldridgestreet.org. Admission is $8.

"Brooklyn Jewish Film Festival at BAM. 30 Lafayette Street.

_The National Ballet of Canada at BAM. "The Contract" a work
loosely based on the Pied Piper of Hamlin. 7:30

_Too Cool for Shul: Festival of Contemporary Jewish Music. Various artists at The BAMCafe.3 Weekends in April.

THIS SOUNDS COOL: "Step up to the plate" and experience the diverse menus
of  Brooklyn’s world-class restaurants April 11-20, 2005. $19.55 prix fixe, in
the spirit of the world champion Brooklyn Dodgers. "Three courses, no
attitude on the side."  Click here to see the list of participating restaurants

_April 20-24 the Brooklyn Underground Film Festival is coming
to the Brooklyn Lyceum. A rare screening of Indianna Jones: The
Adaptation is on April 23rd. You’ve probably heard about  the kids who
made the shot-for-shot copy of Raiders back in the ’80s. Well, this is
it. And it’s a rare screening. at 9:15 p.m. 227 Fourth Avenue at Union
Street.

_Brooklyn Reading Works. Curated by Louise G. Crawford.  APRIL 28 at 8 p.m. Pamela Katz reads: And Speaking of Love (Aufbau-Verlag) "a compelling and beautifully rendered novel about the astonishing life of Lotte Lenya," and poet Michelle Madigan Somerville reads from Wisegal
(Ten Pell Books) and newer work: "A multilingual hardrock
reverie…going upside your head to whisper whipsmart secrets about
cracked-out big-city survival.

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.

Secrets_2

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

OTBKB SCOOP: At 2 a.m.
Thursday morning, a man climbed up a fire escape to the window of a 9-year old girl’s
bedroom, with the intent of kidnapping her robbing the apartment. The girl said, "Who are you?" and the man said "Nobody," and ran away.  He has not been found. Helicopters flew over Third Street and news
and police vehicles were in the vicinity of the apartment building just
up from 6th Avenue on Third Street all day. According to the New York Daily News,which has an article about the attempted robbery in today’s edition, burglaries have become increasingly rare in Park Slope, where the
number of break-ins has dropped by 17% this year compared with the same
period in 2004. Burglaries are also down 17% citywide, police
statistics show.

CITY NEWS: April 15 is not only tax day. It’s also the 90th anniversary of Billie Holiday’s birthday and WKCR 89.9 FM is playing her music for 15 days straight or 360 hours.

_NYC to recognize same sex unions performed in other states. This means that same sex couples could get married in Toronto and be recognized as married in New York City, even though same sex marriage is not allowed here.

_A, B, C and D train service is back to normal after a subway tunnel fire Thursday afternoon.

_The MTA has decided NOT to
close subway booths. According to New York 1, the 169 booths  set to be
closed will remain open but the attendants will still be out in the
station acting as customer service representatives. Subway booths will
remain accessible to the clerks so that they can use the phone to call
police or fix metro card problems.

_The federal government issued report saying that the city’s bridges are structurally inadequate or obsolete.

_Children age seven and younger must be buckled into a car seat in New York State. This is up from age four.

BROOKLYN BEAT: State legislators propose bill to provide affordable housing on Brooklyn waterfront.

_In Greenpoint Brooklyn, home of  the city’s largest Polish community,
mourners gathered at a park near the St. Stanislaus Church on Driggs
Avenue to watch the funeral of the Pope. St. Stanislaus Church on
Driggs Avenue, on a large screen television.

_Brooklyn community groups are protesting a proposed high-rise condo that would block the view of the Statue of Liberty and the NYC skyline from historic Battle Hill in Green-Wood Cemetery.

_Judith Zuk, 53, the president of the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens is retiring at the end of June. There’s a profile of her in today’s New York Daily News. During her 15 tenure she oversaw the renovation of the Japanese Tea House, Lily Pond Terrace, the Rock Garden, the Fragrance Garden, the Francis Milner Children’s Garden and the Rose Arc Pool, and opened the Discovery Garden.

_There was a fatal accident on the Belt Parkway at 4 a.m. Thursday morning.

_Brooklyn Assemblyman
William Colton introduced  a bill called "Terri’s Law," that would make
it illegal in New York to remove a feeding tube. Read all about in at New York 1.

_Senator Charles Schumer is asking the government to reopen the
investigation into the Rockaway crash of American Airlines Flight 587 Read all about at New York 1.

_Packages of pound cake sold at the T&H Supermarket on 86th
Street in Brooklyn were recalled because a milk ingredient was not
listed on the package. It could lead to a serious or fatal reaction in
someone allergic to milk. Read all about in at New York 1.

_Last Monday night the City Council held
its first public meeting on the city’s Greenpoint-Williamsburg
waterfront rezoning plan. Much of the crowd, which didn’t fit in the
room, held its own rally outside on the steps of City Hall, and the
majority of the people there wanted the plan thrown out.

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.

Secrets_2

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

 OTBKB SCOOP: At 2 a.m.
Thursday morning, a man climbed up a fire escape to the window of a 9-year old girl’s
bedroom, with the intent of kidnapping her robbing the apartment. The girl said, "Who are you?" and the man said "Nobody," and ran away.  He has not been found. Helicopters flew over Third Street and news
and police vehicles were in the vicinity of the apartment building just
up from 6th Avenue on Third Street all day. According to the New York Daily News,which has an article about the attempted robbery in today’s edition, burglaries have become increasingly rare in Park Slope, where the
number of break-ins has dropped by 17% this year compared with the same
period in 2004. Burglaries are also down 17% citywide, police
statistics show.

CITY NEWS: NYC to recognize same sex unions performed in other states. This means that same sex couples could get married in Toronto and be recognized as married in New York City, even though same sex marriage is not allowed here.

_A, B, C and D train service is back to normal after a subway tunnel fire Thursday afternoon.

_The MTA has decided NOT to
close subway booths. According to New York 1, the 169 booths  set to be
closed will remain open but the attendants will still be out in the
station acting as customer service representatives. Subway booths will
remain accessible to the clerks so that they can use the phone to call
police or fix metro card problems.

_The federal government issued report saying that the city’s bridges are structurally inadequate or obsolete.

_Children age seven and younger must be buckled into a car seat in New York State. This is up from age four.

BROOKLYN BEAT: In Greenpoint Brooklyn, home of  the city’s largest Polish community,
mourners gathered at a park near the St. Stanislaus Church on Driggs
Avenue to watch the funeral of the Pope. St. Stanislaus Church on
Driggs Avenue, on a large screen television.

_Brooklyn community groups are protesting a proposed high-rise condo that would block the view of the Statue of Liberty and the NYC skyline from historic Battle Hill in Green-Wood Cemetery.

_Judith Zuk, 53, the president of the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens is retiring at the end of June. There’s a profile of her in today’s New York Daily News. During her 15 tenure she oversaw the renovation of the Japanese Tea House, Lily Pond Terrace, the Rock Garden, the Fragrance Garden, the Francis Milner Children’s Garden and the Rose Arc Pool, and opened the Discovery Garden.

_There was a fatal accident on the Belt Parkway at 4 a.m. Thursday morning.

_Brooklyn Assemblyman
William Colton introduced  a bill called "Terri’s Law," that would make
it illegal in New York to remove a feeding tube. Read all about in at New York 1.

_Senator Charles Schumer is asking the government to reopen the
investigation into the Rockaway crash of American Airlines Flight 587 Read all about in at New York 1.

_Packages of pound cake sold at the T&H Supermarket on 86th
Street in Brooklyn were recalled because a milk ingredient was not
listed on the package. It could lead to a serious or fatal reaction in
someone allergic to milk. Read all about in at New York 1.

_Last Monday night the City Council held
its first public meeting on the city’s Greenpoint-Williamsburg
waterfront rezoning plan. Much of the crowd, which didn’t fit in the
room, held its own rally outside on the steps of City Hall, and the
majority of the people there wanted the plan thrown out.

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.

Secrets_2

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

CHANGE YOUR CLOCKS: Daylight savings time
for New York (EST, GMT -7:00) began on Sunday. You were supposed to set your clocks
ahead (spring forward) one hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 3,  2005. DO IT NOW.

CITY NEWS:  A
federal engineering study of the collapse of the World Trade Center,
released Tuesday, highlights flaws in assumptions about evacuating
skyscrapers and responding to emergencies.

_A missing man was discovered Tuesday
inside a stuck elevator in the Bronx apartment building where he was
headed to deliver food four days ago. Ming Kung Chen, 35, was taken to
Montefiore Medical Center to be treated for dehydration.

_The MTA has decided NOT to
close subway booths. According to New York 1, the 169 booths  set to be
closed will remain open but the attendants will still be out in the
station acting as customer service representatives. Subway booths will
remain accessible to the clerks so that they can use the phone to call
police or fix metro card problems.

_The federal government issued report saying that the city’s bridges are structurally inadequate or obsolete.

_Children age seven and younger must be buckled into a car seat in New York State. This is up from age four.

BROOKLYN BEAT:  Brooklyn Assemblyman William Colton introduced  a bill called "Terri’s Law," that would make it illegal in New York to remove a feeding tube

_Senator Charles Schumer is asking the government to reopen the  investigation into the Rockaway crash of American Airlines Flight 587.

_Packages of pound cake sold at the T&H Supermarket on 86th Street in Brooklyn were recalled because a milk ingredient was not listed on the package. It could lead to a serious or fatal reaction in someone allergic to milk.

_Monday night the City Council held
its first public meeting on the city’s Greenpoint-Williamsburg
waterfront rezoning plan. Much of the crowd, which didn’t fit in the
room, held its own rally outside on the steps of City Hall, and the
majority of the people there wanted the plan thrown out.

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.

Secrets_2

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

CHANGE YOUR CLOCKS: Daylight savings time
for New York (EST, GMT -7:00) began on Sunday. You were supposed to set your clocks
ahead (spring forward) one hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 3,  2005. DO IT NOW.

CITY NEWS:  A
federal engineering study of the collapse of the World Trade Center,
released Tuesday, highlights flaws in assumptions about evacuating
skyscrapers and responding to emergencies.

_A missing man was discovered Tuesday inside a stuck elevator in the Bronx apartment building where he was headed to deliver food four days ago. Ming Kung Chen, 35, was taken to Montefiore Medical Center to be treated for dehydration.

_The MTA has decided NOT to
close subway booths. According to New York 1, the 169 booths  set to be
closed will remain open but the attendants will still be out in the
station acting as customer service representatives. Subway booths will
remain accessible to the clerks so that they can use the phone to call
police or fix metro card problems.

_The federal government issued report saying that the city’s bridges are structurally inadequate or obsolete.

_As of last Sunday, children age seven and younger must be buckled into a car seat in New York State. This is up from age four.

BROOKLYN BEAT:  The City Council held its first public meeting on the city’s Greenpoint-Williamsburg waterfront rezoning plan. Much of the crowd, which didn’t fit in the room, held its own rally outside on the steps of City Hall, and the majority of the people there wanted the plan thrown out.

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.

Secrets_2

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

CHANGE YOUR CLOCKS: Daylight savings time
for New York (EST, GMT -7:00) began on Sunday. You were supposed to set your clocks
ahead (spring forward) one hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 3,  2005. DO IT NOW.

CITY NEWS: The MTA has decided NOT to
close subway booths. According to New York 1, the 169 booths  set to be
closed will remain open but the attendants will still be out in the
station acting as customer service representatives. Subway booths will
remain accessible to the clerks so that they can use the phone to call
police or fix metro card problems.

_The federal government issued report saying that the city’s bridges are structurally inadequate or obsolete.

_As of last Sunday, children age seven and younger must be buckled into a car seat in New York State. This is up from age four.

BROOKLYN BEAT:  Jury selection began today in the Crown Heights malpractice trial. The family of Yankel Rosenblum’s is accusing Kings County Hospital of botching up  emergency care of Rosenblum who was injured during riots.

_Greenpoint, Brooklyn, the city’s largest Polish community, mourned the death of the first Polish Pope at the St. Stanislaus Church.

_Tafare Berryman, a promising college basketball player from Brooklyn was shot dead outside a nightclub in Long Island.

_The New York Times reported on Saturday that Bruce C. Ratner has purchased two properties owned by a rival developer, thus removing a potential
obstacle for his $2.5 billion sports and housing project for the
Atlantic Yards. He paid $44 million to Leviev Boymelgreen for the two
properties that Mr. Boymelgreen bought for $20 million in August 2004.

_A rash of muggings at
MS 51 by students from other middle schools resulted in a meeting
between school parents and the 78th pct.

_When more than 500
District 15 fifth graders received the news that they
were not admitted to any of their three top choices for middle school,
City Council Member Bill DiBlasio pressed Chancellor
Klein at an Education Committee hearing, invited colleagues who also
represent District 15 to follow up by letter, and joined parents at a
Community Education Council meeting. ‘This situation should have been
anticipated and avoided through better planning and communication,’ he
said.  ‘I’ve been working with my colleagues to ensure as many students
as possible have their choices honored this year and that the process
is improved next year. " From
a press release distributed by Councilman DiBlasio’s office.

_Brooklyn now has a city program aimed at treating sexual assault
victims very quickly in the hopes of increasing the odds of catching
the attackers. This program, which includes a response team with
specially trained forensic examiners, and rape crisis counselors to
treat every victim within one hour of their arrival at the hospital.
started in the Bronx and now includes Brooklyn.

_There have been a number of muggings between President and Ninth
Street
in Park Slope. The victims are women who are talking on their cell
phones. The suspect surprises them from behind, puts his hand over
their mouth and asks for money. According to the police, he hasn’t hurt
anyone; he just takes the cash and runs. The most recent incident was
on Tuesday at 4
p.m. on President Street on or near 8th Avenue.  If you have any
information, please call the 78th Precint Pct.,  re: Pattern 29.
718-636-6484.

IT’S TUESDAY: Broolyn luminaries Paul Auster and Siri Husvedt read at PS 107 as part of Readings on the Fourth Floor, a fundraising event for the school’s library. 1301  8th Avenue. At 7:30 pm.

_The National Ballet of Canada at BAM in "The Contract" a work loosely based on the Pied Piper of Hamlin. 7:30

_Park Slope Poetry Project, Ryn Gargulinski reads followed by an open mic.  St. John, St Matthew Emanuel Church. 283 Prospect Avenue. 7:30 – 10 p.m

_Opening night of the Brooklyn Jewish Film Festival. BAM 30 Lafayette Avenue.

THIS SOUNDS COOL: Jack Rabbit’s tri and swim classes start this week. Where would we be
without Jack Rabbit to help us get our bodies in SHAPE. And it feels so
goooooooood.  Go to Jackrbt.com and find a class for YOU.

_The first Park Slope Kids Music Festival. This Sunday at Southpaw:
Wendy Gesanliter, John Carlin and Uncle Rock. Refreshments available.
4/10 at 11 a.m. 125 Fifth Avenue. $12 for kids, $6 for kids 2 and up.
Under that: free. concertforkids.com

Frank London, who plays trumpet in the Klezmatics, leads kids at the Eldridge Street Synogogue through a lesson on traditional Jewish melodies. Plus a tour of the 1887 synogogue and egg creams. 4/10 at 11 a.m. Reservations required. 12 Eldridge Street, near Canal Street. 212-219-0888 or eldridgestreet.org. Admission is $8.

_Around the World in 80 Days at Puppetworks. Weekends at 12: 30 and 2:30 p.m.
338 Sixth Avenue at 4th Street.

_Too Cool for Shul: Festival of Contemporary Jewish Music. Various artists at the BAM Cafe. Weekends in April.

Brooklyn Reading Works. Fiction. Memoir Poetry. Curated by Louise G. Crawford.  APRIL 28 at 8 p.m. Pamela Katz reads: And Speaking of Love (Aufbau-Verlag)
a novel that evokes the life and loves of Lotte Lenya and Kurt Weill, and poet Michelle Madigan Somerville reads from Wisegal
(Ten Pell Books) and newer work: "A multilingual hardrock
reverie…going upside your head to whisper whipsmart secrets about
cracked-out big-city survival.

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.

Secrets_2

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

CHANGE YOUR CLOCKS: Daylight savings time
for New York (EST, GMT -7:00) began on Sunday. You were supposed to set your clocks
ahead (spring forward) one hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 3,  2005. DO IT NOW.

CITY NEWS: The MTA has decided NOT to close subway booths. According to New York 1, the 169 booths  set to be closed will remain open but the attendants will still be out in the station acting as customer service representatives. Subway booths will remain accessible to the clerks so that they can use the phone to call police or fix metro card problems.

_The federal government issued report saying that the city’s bridges are structurally inadequate or obsolete.

As of last Sunday, children age seven and younger must be buckled into a car seat in New York State. This is up from age four.

BROOKLYN BEAT:  Residents of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, the city’s largest Polish community, mourned the death of the first Polish Pope.

_Tafare Berryman, a promising college basketball player from Brooklyn was shot dead outside a nightclub in Long Island.

_The New York Times reported on Saturday that Bruce C. Ratner bought two properties owned by a rival developer, thus removing a potential obstacle for his $2.5 billion sports and housing project for the Atlantic Yards. He paid $44 million to Leviev Boymelgreen for the two properties that Mr. Boymelgreen paid $20 million in August 2004.

_A rash of muggings at
MS 51 by students from other middle schools resulted in a meeting
between school parents and the 78th pct.

_When more than 500
District 15 fifth graders received the news that they
were not admitted to any of their three top choices for middle school,
City Council Member Bill DiBlasio pressed Chancellor
Klein at an Education Committee hearing, invited colleagues who also
represent District 15 to follow up by letter, and joined parents at a
Community Education Council meeting. ‘This situation should have been
anticipated and avoided through better planning and communication,’ he
said.  ‘I’ve been working with my colleagues to ensure as many students
as possible have their choices honored this year and that the process
is improved next year. " From
a press release distributed by Councilman DiBlasio’s office.

_Brooklyn now has a city program aimed at treating sexual assault
victims very quickly in the hopes of increasing the odds of catching
the attackers. This program, which includes a response team with
specially trained forensic examiners, and rape crisis counselors to
treat every victim within one hour of their arrival at the hospital.
started in the Bronx and now includes Brooklyn.

_There have been a number of muggings between President and Ninth
Street
in Park Slope. The victims are women who are talking on their cell
phones. The suspect surprises them from behind, puts his hand over
their mouth and asks for money. According to the police, he hasn’t hurt
anyone; he just takes the cash and runs. The most recent incident was
on Tuesday at 4
p.m. on President Street on or near 8th Avenue.  If you have any
information, please call the 78th Precint Pct.,  re: Pattern 29.
718-636-6484.

IT’S MONDAY: The BAMCinematek presents: "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf "The Graduate," "Carnal
Knowledge," "Angels in America, "Wit," and more.

THIS SOUNDS COOL: Around the World in 80 Days at Puppetworks. Weekends at 12: 30 and 2:30 p.m.
338 Sixth Avenue at 4th Street.

_Too Cool for Shul: Festival of Contemporary Jewish Music. Various artists at the BAM Cafe. Weekends in April.

 
WORTH TAKING A LOOK:  OTBKB Daily Pix
photographer, Hugh Crawford, has a show of portrait work on view at Fou
Le Chakra 411 Seventh Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets until May
16th.

_ In the documentary, "Let’s Get Real" kids speak out about
bullying, name calling, and other root causes of violence in school. The
film explores a variety of issues that lead to taunting and bullying including
racial differences, perceived sexual orientation, learning
disabilities, sexual harassment and others. A panel discussion will
follow the screening on April 16th at The ImaginAsian Theater 239 East
59th Street in Manhattan between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. 10:00 am until noon. The film is appropriate for kids ages
10 and up. Reservations necessary: urbina9@aol.com

HERE/SAY:
"New York is city of conversations overheard, of people at the next
restaurant table (micrometers away) checking your watch, of people
reading the stories in your newspaper on the subway train."  – Willian
Geist

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.

Secrets_2

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

SPRING FORWARD TODAY: Daylight savings time
for New York (EST, GMT -7:00) takes place TODAY. Set your clocks
ahead (spring forward) one hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 3,  2005.

CITY NEWS: Man hit by a subway at at the West 4th Street Station in Greenwich Village.

_MTA picks Jets Stadium for the West Side Rail Yards.

_Court of Appeals declines to hear two gay marriage cases, a major
setback to those who believe that marriage should be open to gay and
lesbian couples.

_The right to distribute leaflets in front of schools is upheld by a
Federal District Court. Under
the settlement, reached earlier this month, the New York Civil Liberties Union,
which represented the group, the Ya-Ya Network, and lawyers for the
city agreed that the department would instruct police officers that a
state law against loitering near schools and colleges "does not apply
to First Amendment activity."

The Police
Department issued a one-page directive to all precincts on March 21
instructing police officers not to enforce the loitering law against
First Amendment activity, including "the holding of signs, placards and
leaflets, chanting and singing."

_New York University will
limit student’s access to balconies in two
dormitories. The school also installed a plexiglass guard wall in the
school’s main library. This is all part of the school’s efforts to
prevent
student suicides. Last year there were five such deaths.

_iPods are getting stolen on the subway pushing up city’s subway crime rate, which is up for the first time in years.

_City to get hybrid buses instead of those powered by natural gas.

_As of last Sunday, children age seven and younger must be buckled into a car seat in New York State. This is up from age four.

BROOKLYN BEAT:
  A rash of muggings at MS 51 by students from other middle schools resulted in a meeting between school parents and the 78th pct.
_When more than 500
District 15 fifth graders received the news that they
were not admitted to any of their three top choices for middle school,
City Council Member Bill DiBlasio pressed Chancellor
Klein at an Education Committee hearing, invited colleagues who also
represent District 15 to follow up by letter, and joined parents at a
Community Education Council meeting. ‘This situation should have been
anticipated and avoided through better planning and communication,’ he
said.  ‘I’ve been working with my colleagues to ensure as many students
as possible have their choices honored this year and that the process
is improved next year. " From
a press release distributed by Councilman DiBlasio’s office.

_A Brooklyn yellow cab driver was shot in the back by a passenger at
Pierrepont Street and Hicks in Brooklyn Heights at 8:45 p.m. on
Thursday night. The driver, who is recovering from the incident, was
completely surprised by the attack. The suspect is a white male in his
twenties.

_According to the 78th Pct. there was a bank robbery in the South
Slope (bank and date not specified) this week.  On Thursday, a police
helicopter was hovering over the neighborhood searching for the perp.
More news to come as soon as there is some.

<>

_A delivery man on bicycle was killed after being hit by a truck on 75th Street and Sixth Avenue in Bay Ridge.

_Brooklyn now has a city program aimed at treating sexual assault
victims very quickly in the hopes of increasing the odds of catching
the attackers. This program, which includes a response team with
specially trained forensic examiners, and rape crisis counselors to
treat every victim within one hour of their arrival at the hospital.
started in the Bronx and now includes Brooklyn.

_There have been a number of muggings between President and Ninth
Street
in Park Slope. The victims are women who are talking on their cell
phones. The suspect surprises them from behind, puts his hand over
their mouth and asks for money. According to the police, he hasn’t hurt
anyone; he just takes the cash and runs. The most recent incident was
on Tuesday at 4
p.m. on President Street on or near 8th Avenue.  If you have any
information, please call the 78th Precint Pct.,  re: Pattern 29.
718-636-6484.

_New performance spaces for dance are flourishing in Brooklyn
neighborhoods like Ft. Greene, Bushwick, and Williamsburg. Last year,
more than a third of the audience that came to see events at the
Brooklyn Arts Exchange on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope came from
Manhattan.

IT’S SUNDAY: Baseball legends of the Green-Wood Cemetary. Tour gathers at the main entrance at 1 p.m. 5th Avenue and 25th Street. Admission: $10. Who’s Afraid of Mike Nichols Film Series.  March 31 – April 19th.

The BAMCinematek presents: "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf "The Graduate," "Carnal
Knowledge," "Angels in America, "Wit," and more.

_"Play Without Words," a dance-theater piece by Matthew Bourne, said to be one of the most
important contemporary choreographers in Britain. SUNDAY at 2 p.m. BAM.

Around the World in 80 DaysAt Puppetworks. SUNDAY at 12: 30 and 2:30 p.m.
338 Sixth Avenue at 4th Street.

_Too Cool for Shul: Festival of Contemporary Jewish Music. Various artists at the BAM Cafe. Weekends in April.

_Sunday is Recycle Your Electronics Day at Grand Army Plaza.
11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Bring your old computers. Bring your friends. Help
load the truck. You can bring: working and non-working computers,
servers, fax machines, scanners, TV’s, radios, CD players, etc.
Donations will go to Per Scholas, an organization that gives electronic
equipment and training to South Bronx residents in need.
_Self-Care Fair at the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture.
Food, health products, musical meditation, relaxation, chair massages,
and more. On Sunday from 2 p.m. until 9 p.m. at 53 Prospect Park West.

_Forsythia Day at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. Sunday all day.  

WORTH TAKING A LOOK:
 
OTBKB Daily Pix
photographer, Hugh Crawford, has a show of portrait work on view at Fou
Le Chakra 411 Seventh Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets until May
16th.

_ In the documentary, "Let’s Get Real" kids speak out about
bullying, name calling, and other root causes of violence in school. The
film explores a variety of issues that lead to taunting and bullying including
racial differences, perceived sexual orientation, learning
disabilities, sexual harassment and others. A panel discussion will
follow the screening on April 16th at The ImaginAsian Theater 239 East
59th Street in Manhattan between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. 10:00 am until noon. The film is appropriate for kids ages
10 and up. Reservations necessary: urbina9@aol.com

HERE/SAY:

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.

Secrets_2

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

SPRING FORWARD ON SUNDAY: Daylight savings time
for New York (EST, GMT -7:00) takes place NEXT weekend. Set your clocks
ahead (spring forward) one hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 3,  2005.

CITY NEWS: Man hit by subway at at the West 4th Street Station in Greenwich Village.

_MTA picks Jets Stadium for the West Side Rail Yards.

_Court of Appeals declines to hear two gay marriage cases, a major
setback to those who believe that marriage should be open to gay and
lesbian couples.

_Study finds that New York City has the longest average commute to
work in the nation. The average time in the five boroughs is 38 minutes
compared to 24 minutes nationwide. Staten Islanders seem to have it the
worst. 

_The right to distribute leaflets in front of schools is upheld by a
Federal District Court. Under
the settlement, reached earlier this month, the New York Civil Liberties Union,
which represented the group, the Ya-Ya Network, and lawyers for the
city agreed that the department would instruct police officers that a
state law against loitering near schools and colleges "does not apply
to First Amendment activity."

The Police
Department issued a one-page directive to all precincts on March 21
instructing police officers not to enforce the loitering law against
First Amendment activity, including "the holding of signs, placards and
leaflets, chanting and singing."

_New York University will
limit student’s access to balconies in two
dormitories. The school also installed a plexiglass guard wall in the
school’s main library. This is all part of the school’s efforts to
prevent
student suicides. Last year there were five such deaths.

_iPods are getting stolen on the subway pushing up city’s subway crime rate, which is up for the first time in years.

_City to get hybrid buses instead of those powered by natural gas.

_Mayor kicks off major pot hole repair  blitz attempting to fix damage caused by winter storms.

_As of last Sunday, children age seven and younger must be buckled into a car seat in New York State. This is up from age four.

_There’s a growing blog community of New York City public school teachers. MildlyMelancholy, Judysmoh, and others are sites where teachers can openly vent about what they really think and feel about their jobs.

BROOKLYN BEAT:  "When more than 500
District 15 fifth graders received the disappointing news that they
were not admitted to any of their three top choices for middle school,
City Council Member Bill DiBlasio pressed Chancellor
Klein at an Education Committee hearing, invited colleagues who also
represent District 15 to follow up by letter, and joined parents at a
Community Education Council meeting. ‘This situation should have been
anticipated and avoided through better planning and communication,’ he
said.  ‘I’ve been working with my colleagues to ensure as many students
as possible have their choices honored this year and that the process
is improved next year.  I’ve spoken to the Chancellor and
Superintendent and now the DOE is expanding capacity at choice schools,
reevaluating student applications, creating wait lists, and
communicating with parents about next steps in the application
process.  Also, it must be a DOE priority to address the resource
issues that lead other schools to be perceived as less desirable." From
a press release distributed by Councilman’s DiBlasio’s office.

_A Brooklyn yellow cab driver was shot in the back by a passenger at
Pierrepont Street and Hicks in Brooklyn Heights at 8:45 p.m. on
Thursday night. The driver, who is recovering from the incident, was
completely surprised by the attack. The suspect is a white male in his
twenties.

 

 

_According to the 78th Pct. there was a bank robbery in the South
Slope (bank and date not specified) this week.  On Thursday, a police
helicopter was hovering over the neighborhood searching for the perp.
More news to come as soon as there is some.

_A delivery man on bicycle was killed after being hit by a truck on 75th Street and Sixth Avenue in Bay Ridge.

_Brooklyn now has a city program aimed at treating sexual assault
victims very quickly in the hopes of increasing the odds of catching
the attackers. This program, which includes a response team with
specially trained forensic examiners, and rape crisis counselors to
treat every victim within one hour of their arrival at the hospital.
started in the Bronx and now includes Brooklyn.

_There have been a number of muggings between President and Ninth
Street
in Park Slope. The victims are women who are talking on their cell
phones. The suspect surprises them from behind, puts his hand over
their mouth and asks for money. According to the police, he hasn’t hurt
anyone; he just takes the cash and runs. The most recent incident was
on Tuesday at 4
p.m. on President Street on or near 8th Avenue.  If you have any
information, please call the 78th Precint Pct.,  re: Pattern 29.
718-636-6484.

_New performance spaces for dance are flourishing in Brooklyn
neighborhoods like Ft. Greene, Bushwick, and Williamsburg. Last year,
more than a third of the audience that came to see events at the
Brooklyn Arts Exchange on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope came from
Manhattan.

THIS WEEKEND:

_ Valentines. Portraits by Hugh Crawford at Fou Le Chakra. Opening 3 p.m. 4/2. 411 Seventh Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets.

<>

Who’s Afraid of Mike Nichols Film Series.  March 31 – April 19th. This BAMCinematek presents: "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf "The Graduate," "Carnal
Knowledge," "Angels in America, "Wit," and more.

_"Play Without Words," a dance-theater piece by Matthew Bourne, said to be one of the most
important contemporary choreographers in Britain. FRIDAY and SATURDAY AT 8 p.m. SUNDAY at 2 p.m. BAM.

_Too Cool for Shul: Festival of Contemporary Jewish Music. Various artists at the BAM Cafe. Weekends in April.

_First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum. April 2nd. 6:30 –
8:30: Use oil pastels to creat your own Basquiat-inspired symbol on
canvas.  At 7 p.m. there’s a public reading of Whitman’s Leaves of
Grass followed by a musical setting of the poems by members of the
Brooklyn Philharmonic. Then it’s time to do some LATIN DANCING in the
Rotunda.

_Sunday is Recycle Your Electronics Day at Grand Army Plaza.
11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Bring your old computers. Bring your friends. Help
load the truck. You can bring: working and non-working computers,
servers, fax machines, scanners, TV’s, radios, CD players, etc.
Donations will go to Per Scholas, an organization that gives electronic
equipment and training to South Bronx residents in need.

_Self-Care Fair at the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture.
Food, health products, musical meditation, relaxation, chair massages,
and more. On Sunday from 2 p.m. until 9 p.m. at 53 Prospect Park West.

_Forsythia Day at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. Sunday all day.  

WORTH TAKING A LOOK:
 
OTBKB Daily Pix
photographer, Hugh Crawford, has a show of portrait work on view at Fou
Le Chakra 411 Seventh Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets until May
16th.

_ In the documentary, "Let’s Get Real" kids speak out about
bullying, name calling, and other root causes of violence in school. The
film explores a variety of issues that lead to taunting and bullying including
racial differences, perceived sexual orientation, learning
disabilities, sexual harassment and others. A panel discussion will
follow the screening on April 16th at The ImaginAsian Theater 239 East
59th Street in Manhattan between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. 10:00 am until noon. The film is appropriate for kids ages
10 and up. Reservations necessary: urbina9@aol.com

HERE/SAY:

"And she opens the door of her cadillac,
I step in back,
and we’re gone.
She turns me on –
There are very huge stars, man, in the sky,
and from somewhere very far off someone hands
me a slice of apple pie" – Robert Creely 1926 – 2005
   

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.

Secrets_2

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

FYI: April Fool’s Day; watch out for silly pranks.

SPRING FORWARD THIS WEEKEND: Though Europe switched over on Sunday, daylight savings time
for New York (EST, GMT -7:00) takes place NEXT weekend. Set your clocks
ahead (spring forward) one hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 3,  2005.

CITY NEWS: MTA picks Jets Stadium for the West Side Rail Yards.

_Court of Appeals declines to hear two gay marriage cases, a major setback to those who believe that marriage should be open to gay and lesbian couples.

_Study finds that New York City has the longest average commute to work in the nation. The average time in the five boroughs is 38 minutes compared to 24 minutes nationwide. Staten Islanders seem to have it the worst. 

_The right to distribute leaflets in front of schools is upheld by a
Federal District Court. Under
the settlement, reached earlier this month, the New York Civil Liberties Union,
which represented the group, the Ya-Ya Network, and lawyers for the
city agreed that the department would instruct police officers that a
state law against loitering near schools and colleges "does not apply
to First Amendment activity."

The Police
Department issued a one-page directive to all precincts on March 21
instructing police officers not to enforce the loitering law against
First Amendment activity, including "the holding of signs, placards and
leaflets, chanting and singing."

_New York University will
limit student’s access to balconies in two
dormitories. The school also installed a plexiglass guard wall in the
school’s main library. This is all part of the school’s efforts to
prevent
student suicides. Last year there were five such deaths.

_iPods are getting stolen on the subway pushing up city’s subway crime rate, which is up for the first time in years.

_City to get hybrid buses instead of those powered by natural gas.

_Mayor kicks off major pot hole repair  blitz attempting to fix damage caused by winter storms.

_As of last Sunday, children age seven and younger must be buckled into a car seat in New York State. This is up from age four.

_There’s a growing blog community of New York City public school teachers. MildlyMelancholy, Judysmoh, and others are sites where teachers can openly vent about what they really think and feel about their jobs.

BROOKLYN BEAT:  "When more than 500 District 15 fifth graders received the disappointing news that they were not admitted to any of their three top choices for middle school, City Council Member Bill DiBlasio immediately appealed to the Department of Education to remedy the situation.  He pressed Chancellor Klein at an Education Committee hearing, invited colleagues who also represent District 15 to follow up by letter, and joined parents at a Community Education Council meeting. ‘This situation should have been anticipated and avoided through better planning and communication,’ he said.  ‘I’ve been working with my colleagues to ensure as many students as possible have their choices honored this year and that the process is improved next year.  I’ve spoken to the Chancellor and Superintendent and now the DOE is expanding capacity at choice schools, reevaluating student applications, creating wait lists, and communicating with parents about next steps in the application process.  Also, it must be a DOE priority to address the resource issues that lead other schools to be perceived as less desirable." From a press release from Councilman’s DiBlasio’s office.

_A Brooklyn yellow cab driver was shot in the back by a passenger at Pierrepont Street and Hicks in Brooklyn Heights at 8:45 p.m. on Thursday night. The driver, who is recovering from the incident, was completely surprised by the attack. The suspect is a white male in his twenties.

 

 

_According to the 78th Pct. there was a bank robbery in the South Slope (bank and date not specified) this week.  On Thursday, a police helicopter was hovering over the neighborhood searching for the perp. More news to come as soon as there is some.

_A delivery man on bicycle was killed after being hit by a truck on 75th Street and Sixth Avenue in Bay Ridge.

_Brooklyn now has a city program aimed at treating sexual assault victims very quickly in the hopes of increasing the odds of catching the attackers. This program, which includes a response team with specially trained forensic examiners, and rape crisis counselors to treat every victim within one hour of their arrival at the hospital. started in the Bronx and now includes Brooklyn.

_There have been a number of muggings between President and Ninth Street
in Park Slope. The victims are women who are talking on their cell
phones. The suspect surprises them from behind, puts his hand over
their mouth and asks for money. According to the police, he hasn’t hurt anyone; he just takes the cash and runs. The most recent incident was on Tuesday at 4
p.m. on President Street on or near 8th Avenue.  If you have any
information, please call the 78th Precint Pct.,  re: Pattern 29.
718-636-6484.

_New performance spaces for dance are flourishing in Brooklyn neighborhoods like Ft. Greene, Bushwick, and Williamsburg. Last year, more than a third of the audience that came to see events at the Brooklyn Arts Exchange on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope came from Manhattan.

THIS WEEKEND:  Pianist Anthony Coleman plays the music of Jelly Roll Morton at Barbes on FRIDAY night. April 1. 7 p.m. And at 10 p.m.: The Wiyos, a band that combines Django Reinhardt, Gershwin, Doc Watson, Fats Waller and vaudeville.

_Who’s Afraid of Mike Nichols Film Series.  March 31 – April 19th. This BAMCinematek presents: "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf "The Graduate," "Carnal
Knowledge," "Angels in America, "Wit," and more.

_"Play Without Words," a dance-theater piece by Matthew Bourne, said to be one of the most
important contemporary choreographers in Britain. FRIDAY and SATURDAY AT 8 p.m. SUNDAY at 2 p.m. BAM.

_ Valentines. Portraits by Hugh Crawford at Fou Le Chakra. Opening 3 p.m. 4/2. 411 Seventh Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets.

_Too Cool for Shul: Festival of Contemporary Jewish Music. Various artists at the BAM Cafe. Weekends in April.

_First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum. April 2nd. 6:30 –
8:30: Use oil pastels to creat your own Basquiat-inspired symbol on
canvas.  At 7 p.m. there’s a public reading of Whitman’s Leaves of
Grass followed by a musical setting of the poems by members of the
Brooklyn Philharmonic. Then it’s time to do some LATIN DANCING in the
Rotunda.

_Sunday is Recycle Your Electronics Day at Grand Army Plaza. 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Bring your old computers. Bring your friends. Help load the truck. You can bring: working and non-working computers, servers, fax machines, scanners, TV’s, radios, CD players, etc. Donations will go to Per Scholas, an organization that gives electronic equipment and training to South Bronx residents in need.

_Self-Care Fair at the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture. Food, health products, musical meditation, relaxation, chair massages, and more. On Sunday from 2 p.m. until 9 p.m. at 53 Prospect Park West.

_Forsythia Day at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. Sunday all day.
 

WORTH TAKING A LOOK:  OTBKB Daily Pix photographer, Hugh Crawford, has a show of portrait work on view at Fou Le Chakra 411 Seventh Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets until May 16th.

_ In the documentary, "Let’s Get Real" kids speak out about
bullying, name calling, and other root causes of violence in school. The
film explores a variety of issues that lead to taunting and bullying including
racial differences, perceived sexual orientation, learning
disabilities, sexual harassment and others. A panel discussion will
follow the screening on April 16th at The ImaginAsian Theater 239 East
59th Street in Manhattan between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. 10:00 am until noon. The film is appropriate for kids ages
10 and up. Reservations necessary: urbina9@aol.com

HERE/SAY: "
Calling somebody else fat won’t make you any skinnier. Calling someone
stupid doesn’t make you any smarter. And ruining Regina George’s life
definitely didn’t make me any happier. All you can do in life is try to
solve the problem in front of you."
– From the 2004 film, "Mean Girls."

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.

Secrets_2

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

SPRING FORWARD NEXT WEEK: Though Europe switched over on Sunday, daylight savings time
for New York (EST, GMT -7:00) takes place NEXT weekend. Set your clocks
ahead (spring forward) one hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 3,  2005.

CITY NEWS: The right to distribute leaflets in front of schools is upheld by a
Federal Court. A group was seeking to stop army recruiters from setting
up tables in front of school. Under
the settlement, reached earlier this month in Federal District Court in
Manhattan, and dated March 16, the New York Civil Liberties Union,
which represented the group, the Ya-Ya Network, and lawyers for the
city agreed that the department would instruct police officers that a
state law against loitering near schools and colleges "does not apply
to First Amendment activity."

The Police
Department issued a one-page directive to all precincts on March 21
instructing police officers not to enforce the loitering law against
First Amendment activity, including "the holding of signs, placards and
leaflets, chanting and singing."

_New York University will
limit student’s access to balconies in two
dormitories. The school also installed a plexiglass guard wall in the
school’s main library. This is all part of the school’s effort to
prevent
student suicides. Last year there were five such deaths.

_iPods are getting stolen on the subway pushing up city’s subway crime rate, which is up for the first time in years.

_City to get hybrid buses instead of those powered by natural gas.

_Mayor kicks off major pot hole repair  blitz attempting to fix damage caused by winter storms.

_As of Sunday, children age seven and younger must be buckled into a car seat in New York State. This is up from age four.

_There’s a growing blog community of New York City public school teachers. MildlyMelancholy, Judysmoh, and others are sites where teachers can openly vent about what they really think and feel about their jobs.

BROOKLYN BEAT:  OTBKB has word that there have been a number of muggings between President and Ninth Street in Park Slope. The victims are women who are talking on their cell phones. The suspect surprises them from behind, puts his hand over their mouth and asks for money. Apparently he hasn’ t hurt anyone. He just takes the cash and runs. There was an incident on Tuesday at 4 p.m. on President Street on or near 8th Avenue.  If you have any information, please call the 78th Precint Pct.,  re: Pattern 29. 718-636-6484.

_The Department of
Education has instructed high-demand middle schools in District 15 to
admit 20-40 additional applicants. Parents were outraged when in-demand
middle schools rejected 550 qualified applicants."

_New York wants to reclaim the movie and TV production that’s been
going to Candada and other lower-priced shooting locations by offering
tax credits and other incentives. The city is hoping that the recently
completed Steiner Studios in the Brooklyn Navy Yard will attract movie
and television producers.

_ Workers at the Vox Pop Coffee Shop ("Books, Coffee, Demoracy") on Cortylou Avenue in Ditmas Park unanimously joined the
Industrial Workers of the World last week. The employees join a growing
movement of NYC retail workers, including Starbucks baristas, who are
striving to increase union membership in the industry. Check out the Vox Pop web site.
"Play without Words," a dance-theater piece by Matthew Bourne, the
most important contemporary choreographer in Britian. 8 p.m. at BAM.

IT’S THURSDAY 3/31: Park Slope author James Grant reads from his book: "John Adams: Party
of One."
Old Stone House, JJ Byrne Park. Third Street between Fourth
and Fifth Avenue. 7 p.m.

Who’s Afraid of Mike Nichols Film Series.  March 31 – April 19th. This BAMCinematek program
includes: "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf "The Graduate," "Carnal
Knowledge," "Angels in America, "Wit," and more. This Thursday, March
31 at 7 p.m. Q & A with Nichols following "The Graduate."  

"Play without Words," a dance-theater piece by Matthew Bourne, said to be one of the most
important contemporary choreographers in Britian. 8 p.m. at BAM.

THIS SOUNDS COOL: Valentines. Portraits by Hugh Crawford at Fou Le Chakra. Opening 3 p.m. 4/2. 411 Seventh Avenue

_Pianist Anthony Coleman plays the music of Jelly Roll Morton at Barbes on Friday night. April 1. 7 p.m. And at 10 p.m.: The Wiyos, a band that combines Django Reinhardt, Gershwin, Doc Watson, Fats Waller and vaudeville.

_First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum. April 2nd. 6:30 –
8:30: Use oil pastels to creat your own Basquiat-inspired symbol on
canvas.  At 7 p.m. there’s a public reading of Whitman’s Leaves of
Grass followed by a musical setting of the poems by members of the
Brooklyn Philharmonic. Then it’s time to do some LATIN DANCING in the
Rotunda.

<>

WORTH TAKING A LOOK:  In the documentary, "Let’s Get Real" kids speak out about
bullying, name calling, and other root causes of violence in school. The
film explores a variety of issues that lead to taunting and bullying including
racial differences, perceived sexual orientation, learning
disabilities, sexual harassment and others. A panel discussion will
follow the screening on April 16th at The ImaginAsian Theater 239 East
59th Street in Manhattan between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. 10:00 am until noon. The film is appropriate for kids ages
10 and up. Reservations necessary: urbina9@aol.com

HERE/SAY:
"

Calling somebody else fat won’t make you any skinnier. Calling someone
stupid doesn’t make you any smarter. And ruining Regina George’s life
definitely didn’t make me any happier. All you can do in life is try to
solve the problem in front of you." From the 2004 film "Mean Girls."

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.

Secrets_2

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

SPRING FORWARD NEXT WEEK: Though Europe switched over on Sunday, daylight savings time
for New York (EST, GMT -7:00) takes place NEXT weekend. Set your clocks
ahead (spring forward) one hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 3, 2005.

CITY NEWS: New York University will limit student’s access to balconies in two
dormitories. The school also installed a plexiglass guard wall in the school’s main library. This is all part of the school’s effort to prevent
student suicides. Last year there were five such deaths.

_iPods are getting stolen on the subway pushing up city’s subway crime rate. 

_City to get hybrid buses instead of those powered by natural gas.

_Mayor kicks off major pot hole repair  blitz attempting to fix damage caused by winter storms.

_As of Sunday, children age seven and younger must be buckled into a car seat in New York State. This is up from age four.

_There’s a growing blog community of New York City public school teachers. MildlyMelancholy, Judysmoh, and others are sites where teachers can openly vent about what they really think and feel about their jobs.

_NYPD arrested 37 protesters,
members of Critical Mass, a group that celebrates cycling and other
non-polluting forms of transportation. Those arrested were charged with
parading without a permit. The city is going to court to demand that
these cyclists get a permit for their month protest. Earlier this year
a Federal judge said permits weren’t necessary.

_The City’s Department of Education sent out
test prep guides to NYC teachers filled with wrong answers, typos and
grammatical mistakes. The first big typo was right on the cover:
Mathematics Planning for the Forth Grade. "Tweed has no problem with
excessively criticizing teachers for failing to meet its picayune
mandates, but then it produces a test prep manual riddled with errors
and misspellings," said Weingarten, president of the United Federation
of Teachers. " The hypocrisy is stunning."

BROOKLYN BEAT: _The Department of
Education has instructed high-demand middle schools in District 15 to
admit 20-40 additional applicants. Parents were outraged when in-demand
middle schools rejected 550 qualified applicants."

_New York wants to reclaim the movie and TV production that’s been
going to Candada and other lower-priced shooting locations by offering
tax credits and other incentives. The city is hoping that the recently
completed Steiner Studios in the Brooklyn Navy Yard will attract movie
and television producers.

_ Workers at the Vox Pop Coffee Shop ("Books, Coffee, Demoracy") on Cortylou Avenue in Ditmas Park unanimously joined the
Industrial Workers of the World last week. The employees join a growing
movement of NYC retail workers, including Starbucks baristas, who are
striving to increase union membership in the industry. Check out the Vox Pop web site.   "Play without Words," a dance-theater piece by Matthew Bourne, the most important contemporary choreographer in Britian. 8 p.m. at BAM.

IT’S WEDNESDAY 3/30:  "Play without Words," a dance-theater piece by Matthew Bourne, said to be one of the most
important contemporary choreographers in Britian. 8 p.m. at BAM.

THIS SOUNDS COOL: "Who’s Afraid of Mike
Nichols?"
film series. March 31 – April 19th. This BAMCinematek program
includes: "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf "The Graduate," "Carnal
Knowledge," "Angels in America, "Wit," and more. This Thursday, March
31 at 7 p.m. Q & A with Nichols following "The Graduate."

Pianist Anthony Coleman plays the music of Jelly Roll Morton at Barbes on Friday night. April 1. 7 p.m. And at 10 p.m.: The Wiyos, a band that combines Django Reinhardt, Gershwin, Doc Watson, Fats Waller and vaudeville.

_First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum. April 2nd. 6:30 – 8:30: Use oil pastels to creat your own Basquiat-inspired symbol on canvas.  At 7 p.m. there’s a public reading of Whitman’s Leaves of Grass followed by a musical setting of the poems by members of the Brooklyn Philharmonic. Then it’s time to do some LATIN DANCING in the Rotunda.

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.
HERE/SAY: "We love those who know the worst of us and don’t turn their faces away." Walker Percy 

 

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.

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

SPRING FORWARD NEXT WEEK: Though Europe switched over on Sunday, daylight savings time
for New York (EST, GMT -7:00) takes place NEXT weekend. Set your clocks
ahead (spring forward) one hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 3, 2005.

CITY NEWS: City to get hybrid buses instead of those powered by natural gas.

_On Monday night in the rain, Ringling Brothers Circus elephants snarled up traffic as they came out of the Midtown tunnel and crossed 34th Street to Madison Square Garden for their annual crosstown walk.

_Mayor kicks off major pot hole repair  blitz attempting to fix damage caused by winter storms.

_As of Sunday, children age seven and younger must be buckled into a car seat in New York State. This is up from age four.

_There’s a growing blog community of New York City public school teachers. MildlyMelancholy, Judysmoh, and others are sites where teachers can openly vent about what they really think and feel about their jobs.

_NYPD arrested 37 protesters,
members of Critical Mass, a group that celebrates cycling and other
non-polluting forms of transportation. Those arrested were charged with
parading without a permit. The city is going to court to demand that
these cyclists get a permit for their month protest. Earlier this year
a Federal judge said permits weren’t necessary.

_The City’s Department of Education sent out
test prep guides to NYC teachers filled with wrong answers, typos and
grammatical mistakes. The first big typo was right on the cover:
Mathematics Planning for the Forth Grade. "Tweed has no problem with
excessively criticizing teachers for failing to meet its picayune
mandates, but then it produces a test prep manual riddled with errors
and misspellings," said Weingarten, president of the United Federation
of Teachers. " The hypocrisy is stunning."

BROOKLYN BEAT: Tenants of a burned out Brooklyn apartment building are suing the city saying that the FDNY was late to arrive to the blaze where two people died and that the fire hydrants were frozen.

-The Department of
Education has instructed high-demand middle schools in District 15 to
admit 20-40 additional applicants. Parents were outraged when in-demand
middle schools rejected 550 qualified applicants."

_New York wants to reclaim the movie and TV production that’s been
going to Candada and other lower-priced shooting locations by offering
tax credits and other incentives. The city is hoping that the recently
completed Steiner Studios in the Brooklyn Navy Yard will attract movie
and television producers.

_ Workers at the Vox Pop Coffee Shop ("Books, Coffee, Demoracy") on Cortylou Avenue in Ditmas Park unanimously joined the
Industrial Workers of the World last week. The employees join a growing
movement of NYC retail workers, including Starbucks baristas, who are
striving to increase union membership in the industry. Check out the Vox Pop web site.

Jury selection has been postponed in the $10 million malpractice case by the Brooklyn family of Yankel Rosenblum against Kings County Hospital.

IT’S TUESDAY 3/29:  When there’s nothing going on in the Slope, there’s always Barbes for some fun. Enjoy a SLAVIC SOUL PARTY! Matt Moran leads one of the best Balkan Brass Band anywhere.  

THIS SOUNDS COOL: "Who’s fraid of Mike
N ichols?" film series. March 31 – April 19th. This BAMCinematek program
includes: "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf "The Graduate," "Carnal
Knowledge," "Angels in America, "Wit," and more. This Thursday, March
31 at 7 p.m. Q & A with Nichols following "The Graduate.

Do you have any old super 8 reels lying around. Stuff you found and never saw. Buried family footage. Barbes is having a SUPER 8 EXTRAVAGANZA on April 14th.  Show up  anything you have providing it’s under 5 minutes long. Show up, sign up before the show or email them at super8@barbesbrooklyn.com

_5th Annual Brooklyn Jewish Film Festival. April 5 – 10. Stand up and Laugh: New and Classic Jewish Comedies at BAM.

Jean Luc Godard Festival at BAM a chance to discover and rediscover the masterpieces. April 21-26.

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.

HERE/SAY:  "Pretty women wonder where my secret lies, I’m not cute or built to suit
a model’s fashion size, But when I start to tell them, They think I’m
telling lies. I say, It”s in the reach of my arms, The span of my
hips, The stride of my steps. The curl of my lips. I’m a woman,
Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman. That’s me." Maya Angelou 

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.

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

SPRING FORWARD NEXT WEEK: Though Europe switched over on Sunday, daylight savings time
for New York (EST, GMT -7:00) takes place NEXT weekend. Set your clocks
ahead (spring forward) one hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 3, 2005.

CITY NEWS: As of Sunday, children age seven and younger must be buckled into a car seat in New York State. This is up from age four.

_There’s a growing blog community of New York City public school teachers. MildlyMelancholy, Judymoh, and others are sites where teachers can openly vent about what they really think and feel about their jobs.

_NYPD arrested 37 protesters,
members of Critical Mass, a group that celebrates cycling and other
non-polluting forms of transportation. Those arrested were charged with
parading without a permit. The city is going to court to demand that
these cyclists get a permit for their month protest. Earlier this year
a Federal judge said permits weren’t necessary.

_Friday March 25th marked the
anniversary of two tragic fires: the Happy Land Social Club fire in the
Bronx and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.

_Thieves make off with $5 million in diamond heist at a diamond exchanges on West 47th Street.

_The City’s Department of Education sent out
test prep guides to NYC teachers filled with wrong answers, typos and
grammatical mistakes. The first big typo was right on the cover:
Mathematics Planning for the Forth Grade. "Tweed has no problem with
excessively criticizing teachers for failing to meet its picayune
mandates, but then it produces a test prep manual riddled with errors
and misspellings," said Weingarten, president of the United Federation
of Teachers. " The hypocrisy is stunning."

BROOKLYN BEAT: The Department of Education has instructed high-demand middle schools in District 15 to admit 20-40 additional applicants. Parents were outraged when in-demand middle schools rejected 550 qualified applicants."

_New York wants to reclaim the movie and TV production that’s been going to Candada and other lower-priced shooting locations by offering tax credits and other incentives. The city is hoping that the recently completed Steiner Studios in the Brooklyn Navy Yard will attract movie and television producers.

_ Workers at the Vox Pop Coffee Shop ("Books, Coffee, Demoracy") on Cortylou Avenue in Ditmas Park unanimously joined the
Industrial Workers of the World last week. The employees join a growing
movement of NYC retail workers, including Starbucks baristas, who are
striving to increase union membership in the industry. Check out the Vox Pop web site.

Early Saturday morning, an 85 year old retired Russian physicist was
run down by a car at Bay Avenue and Cropsey Avenue, an intersection
that is said to be one of the city’s worst. The elderly man had just
finished his daily four mile morning walk.  He died Saturday morning at
Coney Island Hospital.

IT’S MONDAY 3/28: Barbes presents "The Three Penny Opera (1931) at 7 p.m. 376 9th Street near 6th Avenue. Live music begins at 9 p.m.

THIS SOUNDS COOL: "Who’s fraid of Mike Nichols?" film series. March 31 – April 19th. This BAMCinematek program includes: "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe," "The Graduate," "Carnal Knowledge," "Angels in America, "Wit," and more. This Thursday, March 31 at 7 p.m. Q & A with Nichols following "The Graduate."

<>

5th Annual Brooklyn Jewish Film Festival. April 5 – 10. Stand up and Laugh: New and Classic Jewish Comedies at BAM.

Jean Luc Godard Festival at BAM a chance to discover and rediscover the masterpieces. April 21-26.

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. 

HERE/SAY:  "A story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end… but not necessarily in that order." Jean-Luc Godard

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.

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

SPRING FORWARD NEXT WEEK: Though Europe switched over early this morning, daylight savings time
for New York (EST, GMT -7:00) takes place NEXT weekend. Set your clocks
ahead (spring forward) one hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 3, 2005.

CITY NEWS: NYPD arrested 37 protesters, members of Critical Mass, a group that celebrates cycling and other non-polluting forms of transportation. Those arrested were charged with parading without a permit. The city is going to court to demand that these cyclists get a permit for their month protest. Earlier this year a Federal judge said permits weren’t necessary.

_Friday March 25th marked the
anniversary of two tragic fires: the Happy Land Social Club fire in the
Bronx and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.

_Thieves make off with $5 million in diamond heist at a diamond exchanges on West 47th Street.

_The City’s Department of Education sent out
test prep guides to NYC teachers filled with wrong answers, typos and
grammatical mistakes. The first big typo was right on the cover:
Mathematics Planning for the Forth Grade. "Tweed has no problem with
excessively criticizing teachers for failing to meet its picayune
mandates, but then it produces a test prep manual riddled with errors
and misspellings," said Weingarten, president of the United Federation
of Teachers. " The hypocrisy is stunning."

BROOKLYN BEAT: Workers at the Vox Pop Coffee Shop ("Books, Coffee, Demoracy") on Cortylou Avenue in Ditmas Park unanimously joined the
Industrial Workers of the World last week. The employees join a growing
movement of NYC retail workers, including Starbucks baristas, who are
striving to increase union membership in the industry. Check out the Vox Pop web site.

Early Saturday morning, an 85 year old retired Russian physicist was run down by a car at Bay Avenue and Cropsey Avenue, an intersection that is said to be one of the city’s worst. The elderly man had just finished his daily four mile morning walk.  He died Saturday morning at Coney Island Hospital.

_Brooklyn woman was mauled by her son’s pit bull.  The dogs were tranquilized and taken to An Animal Care Center.  Her arm was seriously wounded.

_Brooklyn Rebbe Naftali
Halberstam, who continued his father’s efforts to rebuild the Bobov
sect of Hasidism that was nearly eradicated by the Holocaust, died on
Thursday. The Bobov practice an ecstatic form of Judaism that centers
on a religious leader and an individual’s direct relationship with G-d.
The sect originated in Galicia, now southeastern Poland.

_  A teenager was stabbed in the stomach by an older man on the
Northbound R platform at the Ninth Street subway station in Park Slope.
Apparently the two were having an agrument. The teenager was taken to
Lutheran Hospital. Read all about it at New York 1.

_Brooklyn receives $1 million to spruce up Fulton Street.
Congresswoman Nydia Valazquez was able to secure the money from the
Transportation Appropriations Bill and a local developer.  Improvements
include better lighting, signage, sidewalks, and landscaping. Read all about it at New York 1.

IT’S EASTER/PURIM SUNDAY: Purim Festival at the Brookyn Lyceum. Sunday March 27th. Music by Golem and Jonathan Bayer.  3 p.m.

_"Play Without Words," a dance theater  piece by Matthew Bourne at BAM. Tonight through Saturday. 2 p.m.

_Catpathia Jenkins and Park Slope resident Louis Rosen perform their
song-cycle based on the work of Maya Angelou at Joe’s Pub. Sunday 7 pm.

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: Mike Nichols answers
questions following a screening of "The Graduate" as part of BAM’s
"Who’s Afraid of Mike Nichols?" film series. Thursday March 31 at 7 p.m.

HERE/SAY:  He allowed himself to be swayed by his conviction that human beings are not born once and for all on the day their mothers gave birth to them, but that life obliges them over and over again to give birth to themselves." -Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 
Love in the Time of Cholera.

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather News. Stuff to Do.

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

CITY NEWS: Friday March 25th marked the anniversary of two tragic fires: the Happy Land Social Club fire in the Bronx and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.

_Thieves make off with $5 million in diamond heist in city’s diamond district.

_The City’s Department of Education sent out test prep guides to NYC teachers filled with wrong answers, typos and grammatical mistakes. The first big typo was right on the cover: Mathematics Planning for the Forth Grade. "Tweed has no problem with excessively criticizing teachers for failing to meet its picayune mandates, but then it produces a test prep manual riddled with errors and misspellings," said Weingarten, president of the United Federation of Teachers. " The hypocrisy is stunning."

BROOKLYN BEAT: Brooklyn Rebbe Naftali Halberstam, who continued his father’s efforts to rebuild the Bobov sect of Hasidism that was nearly eradicated by the Holocaust, died on Thursday. The Bobov practice an ecstatic form of Judaism that centers on a religious leader and an individual’s direct relationship with G-d. The sect originated in Galicia, now southeastern Poland.

_  A teenager was stabbed in the stomach by an older man on the Northbound R platform at the Ninth Street subway station in Park Slope. Apparently the two were having an agrument. The teenager was taken to Lutheran Hospital. Read all about it at New York 1.

_Brooklyn receives $1 million to spruce up Fulton Street. Congresswoman Nydia Valazquez was able to secure the money from the Transportation Appropriations Bill and a local developer.  Improvements include better lighting, signage, sidewalks, and landscaping. Read all about it at New York 1.

IT’S SATURDAY: The Gallery Players present: "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)." 199 14th Street. 8 p.m. Great for older kids.

_The Brooklyn Philarmonic presents "Kurt Weill Goes Brooklyn" Ute Lemper is vocal soloist. At BAM 30 Lafayette Avenue. Saturday. 8 p.m.

_"Play Without Words," a dance theater  piece by Matthew Bourne at BAM. Tonight through Saturday. 8 p.m.

ON SUNDAY: Purim Festival at the Brookyn Lyceum. Sunday March 27th. Music by Golem and Jonathan Bayer. (see hand-picked below).

Catpathia Jenkins and Park Slope resident Louis Rosen perform their song-cycle based on the work of Maya Angelou at Joe’s Pub. Sunday 6 pm.

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: Mike Nichols answers questions following a screening of "The Graduate" as part of BAM’s "Who’s Afraid of Mike Nichols?" film series. Thursday March 31 at 7 p.m.

HERE/SAY: "They need to worry and betray time with urgencies false and otherwise, purely anxious and whiny, their souls really won’t be at peace unless they can latch on to an established and proven worry and having once found it they assume facial expressions to fit and go with it, which is, you see, unhappiness, and all the time it all flies by them and they know it and that too worries them no end."  ~Jack Kerouac

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.

Secrets_2

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

FYI: It’s Good Friday. There is no school today. No alternate-side-of-the-street-parking either.

CITY NEWS: Court orders FDNY to release 9/11 audio tapes. Read all about it at New York 1.

_The remains of three more World Trade Center victims were identified this week. They may be the last until new technology is developed. Read all about it at New York 1.

_The City’s Department of Education sent out test prep guides to NYC teachers filled with wrong answers, typos and grammatical mistakes. The first big typo was right on the cover: Mathematics Planning for the Forth Grade. "Tweed has no problem with excessively criticizing teachers for failing to meet its picayune mandates, but then it produces a test prep manual riddled with errors and misspellings," said Weingarten, president of the United Federation of Teachers. " The hypocrisy is stunning."

BROOKLYN BEAT: A teenager was stabbed in the stomach by an older man on the Northbound R platform at the Ninth Street subway station in Park Slope. Apparently the two were having an agrument. The teenager was taken to Lutheran Hospital. Read all about it at New York 1.

_Two students have accused a teacher at Brooklyn Tech High School of sexual harassment. Read all about it at New York 1. Read all about it at New York 1.

_A tree fell on elevated subway tracks in the Bronx and cut off #4 subway service in Bronx on Wednesday evening. Read all about it at New York 1.

_City Council tries to block conversion of Plaza Hotel.

_FDNY to implement new procedures for safety ropes. This comes after a fatal fire in January in which two firefighters were killed and four others were seriously injured when they jumped out a fourth story window.

Grand Rebbe Naftuli Halberstam, a highly respected Brooklyn Hasidic leader was laid to rest in a cemetery in New Jersey. Thousands attended his Brooklyn funeral. Read all about it at New York 1.

_Brooklyn receives $1 million to spruce up Fulton Street. Congresswoman Nydia Valazquez was able to secure the money from the Transportation Appropriations Bill and a local developer.  Improvements include better lighting, signage, sidewalks, and landscaping. Read all about it at New York 1.

_Brooklyn woman suing the Daily News for its Scratch ‘n Win fiasco. The woman was led to believe that she won $100,000 in prizes. Sunday the news informed its readers of a misprint. "Our dreams were shattered. Our high was brought down to an extreme low," said Stewart.

_A sanitation worker was shot while working on a Brooklyn Street. He was wounded by a richocheting bullet during an argument with a gun between two men on the street. Another man was wounded as well.

_A student at Brooklyn’s New Utrecht High School was shot by a gun that went off in his book bag during an English class.

2500 runners ran the Brooklyn Half-Marathon from the world-famous Coney Island boarwalk to the Nevermeade in Prospect Park. Ivan Marionda, age 29, from New York City,  won the race in 1:10:37. THe top female runner was Michelle Bleakley, age 37, in 1:20:58. Thomas Deaver, age 29, a wheelchair runner, finished the race in 1:41:28.

_English ex-pats love Brooklyn says the City section in the New York Times. Mini Coopers, Fish and Chips joints and British accents are cited as proof that there’s a British invasion of brownstone Brooklyn. Interesting fact: the Park Slope zipcode has one of the largest numbers of Mini Cooper owners in the country. The owner of  Curry Source, an Indian "takeaway" in Boerum Hill, told the Times’ reporter: "Brooklyn is America without tears."

IT’S FRIDAY:  All sorts of eggsperiments for the kids at the Audubon Center in Prospect Park. Egg arts, egg crafts, and egg games. Noon until 4 p.m.

"The Misfits," the John Huston masterwork. Screenplay by Arthur Miller. Starring Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift, Clark Gable and Thelma Ritter. Playing at the Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Branch.6 p.m. and it’s free.

_A Good Friday candlelight procession led by the Bishop of Brooklyn and Queens. Bring a candle. Starts at Shallow Junior High School, 65th Street and 16th Avenue. 8 p.m.

"Play Without Words," a dance theater  piece by Matthew Bourne at BAM. Tonight through Saturday. 8 p.m.

THIS WEEKEND: Purim Festival at the Brookyn Lyceum. Sunday March 27th. Music by Golem and Jonathan Bayer. (see hand-picked below).

The Gallery Players present: "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)." 199 14th Street. 8 p.m. Great for older kids.

The Brooklyn Philarmonic presents "Kurt Weill Goes Brooklyn" Ute Lemper is vocal soloist. At BAM 30 Lafayette Avenue. Saturday. 8 p.m.

Catpathia Jenkins and Park Slope resident Louis Rosen perform their song-cycle based on the work of Maya Angelou at Joe’s Pub. Sunday 6 pm.

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: From the New York Times: "Sears Beverley Road, an Art Deco cathedral of commerce christened by the soon-to-be-first-lady Eleanor Roosevelt in 1932, has seen better days. The Macy’s-size display windows that faced Bedford Avenue and Beverley Road have long since been cemented over. The Munchbox is not exactly a beauty spot, either. The plants in gold hangers are plastic, the fluorescent lighting somehow both harsh and dim, the feeling of windowlessness palpable. But where else in this land can you dive into a generous plate of allspice-laced snapper beneath corporate-morale-building signs urging the meeting of sales quotas ("Can You Bring Home the Gold?") and framed letters from satisfied vacuum-cleaner customers?  And on the PA system: ‘Attention all customers, attention all Sears associates. Our Sears cafeteria is now open for lunch. We have boneless stewed snapper fish, stewed chicken, callaloo and saltfish, a delicious homemade cowfoot soup.’ The Sears cafeteria is open to the public.

HERE/SAY: "To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting."   – e.e. cummings, 1955

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.

Secrets_2

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

FYI: 8th grade students and parents will be finding out today what public
high school they got into. At MS 51, the letters are being handed to
students during last period. Good Luck to all. It’s been a long ride… 

CITY NEWS: The remains of three more World Trade Center victims identified. They may be the last until new technology is developed.

_ A tree fell on elevated subway tracks in the Bronx and cuts off #4 subway service in Bronx on Wednesday evening.

_City Council tries to block conversion of Plaza Hotel

_FDNY to implement new procedures for safety ropes. This comes after
a fatal fire in January in which two firefighters were killed and four
others were seriously injured when they jumped out a fourth story
window.

_Bobby Short, classy and cosmopolitan jazz singer and pianist, who
frequently graced the keys of the Cafe Carlyle died of Leukemia on Monday

_Transportation Altenatives, an advocacy group for New Yorkers,
gives the city passing if not great grades for its performance as a
city hospitable to bikers.

_212, the area code with so much cache, will soon be available on cell phones. But who cares? 718 is way cooler.

_On Saturday, activists protested the Iraq
War on its second anniversary on the streets of New York and Brooklyn.
Three men and five women were arrested in front of a military recruiting station at 41 Flatbush Avenue. Read all about at Brooklyn Bomb Shelter. Tens of thousands protest across Europe.

_Report says one-third of city’s fourth graders are in danger of failing. Read all about it at NY1

_NYPD named nation’s best dressed police force. Read all about it at NY1

_New York’s favorite hawks, Pale Male and Lola, are expecting at least two little hawks.

 BROOKLYN BEAT: Two students have accused a teacher at Brooklyn Tech High School of sexual harassment.

_Brooklyn receives $1 million to spruce up Fulton Street. Congresswoman
Nydia Valazquez was able to secure the money from the Transportation
Appropriations Bill and a local developer.  Improvements include better
lighting, signage, sidewalks, and landscaping.

_Brooklyn woman suing the Daily News for its Scratch ‘n Win fiasco.
The woman was led to believe that she won $100,000 in prizes. Sunday
the news informed its readers of a misprint. "Our dreams were
shattered. Our high was brought down to an extreme low," said Stewart.

_A sanitation worker was shot while working on a Brooklyn Street. He was
wounded by a richocheting bullet during an argument with a gun between
two men on the street. Another man was wounded as well.

_A student at Brooklyn’s New Utrecht High School was shot by a gun that went off in his book bag during an English class.

_Mayor Mike Bloomberg joined marchers at the Brooklyn Irish American parade in the rain.

_Coney Island’s Astroland opened on Sunday, two weeks earlier than
usual. Visitors will arrive from the newly renovated Stillwell Avenue
train station. Coney Island draws more than a million visitors per
day in nice weather.

_More than a 130 new buildings are being planned in Williamsburg and
Greenpoint, as well as large-scale development on the waterfront.

_Over 2500 runners ran the Brooklyn Half-Marathon from the world-famous
Coney Island boarwalk to the Nevermeade in Prospect Park. Ivan
Marionda, age 29, from New York City,  won the race in 1:10:37. THe top
female runner was Michelle Bleakley, age 37, in 1:20:58. Thomas Deaver,
age 29, a wheelchair runner, finished the race in 1:41:28.

_English ex-pats love Brooklyn says the City section in the New
York Times. Mini Coopers, Fish and Chips joints and British accents are
cited as proof that there’s a British invasion of brownstone Brooklyn.
Interesting fact: the Park Slope zipcode has one of the largest numbers
of Mini Cooper owners in the country. The owner of  Curry Source, an
Indian "takeaway" in Boerum Hill, told the Times’ reporter: "Brooklyn
is America without tears."

_Barrier installed at exit ramp at the Verrazano Bridge after accident. Read all about it at NY1

_ Marty Markowitz writes in response
to a recent New Yorker cover: "Marcellus Hall’s illusletters tration  of Adam and Eve
being cast out of Manhattan by the hand of God is to be commended for
its prominent placement of the Brooklyn Bridge, the world’s most
beautiful. I am concerned, however, that my copy of the issue may have
been missing a second panel, in which the couple realize that what
awaits them on the other side of the bridge is not a dark cloud of doom
but the promised land itself. High rents might push some residents out
of Manhattan, but we Brooklynites welcome these emigres with open arms
to our better quality of life, our unrivalled diversity, and maybe even
a nice brownstone. Just as Saul Steinberg’s famous westward view from
Ninth Avenue exaggerated Manhattanites’ perspective in 1976, your East
River scene in 2005 misleads by rendering gloom where  there should be
a glow; crossing the bridge is actually a blessing in disguise.
Besides, what better than the hand of God to direct you toward the most
divine bagels and lox?"

_From an article called, "School Auction as Economic
Indicator," in today’s New York Times: "The Berkeley Carroll School in
Brooklyn combines the groovy independent film vibe –the "Sopranos"
star Steve Muscemi offered a tour of the set – with local color. One
family paid $4,000 to have lunch with Marty Markowitz at Bamonte’s in
Williamsburg. "The place is quintessential Brooklyn," said Henry
Trevor, an assistant head of school." At Packer, someone paid $100. for
a gift certificate to a company "dedicated to the spreading of sexual
enlightenment throught the promulgation of chosen playthings."

IT’S THURSDAY: "Play Without Words," a dance theater  piece by Matthew Bourne at BAM. Tonight through Saturday. 8 p.m.

_Cook’s Companion hosts its annual series of spring wine tasting nights with a tasting of South African wine. 197 Atlantic Avenue. 7 p.m.

_Debra Schultz, the author of "Going South: Jewish Women During the Civil Rights Movement"  will be reading at the Grand Army Plaza branch of the Public Library  this evening at 7 p.m.

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: Purim Festival at the Brookyn Lyceum. Sunday March 27th. Music by Golem and Jonathan Bayer. (see hand-picked below).

Catpathia Jenkins and Park Slope resident Louis Rosen perform their
song-cycle based on the work of Maya Angelou at Joe’s Pub. March 27th.
6 pm.

_From th New York Times: "Sears Beverley Road, an Art Deco cathedral of commerce christened by
the soon-to-be-first-lady Eleanor Roosevelt in 1932, has seen better
days. The Macy’s-size display windows that faced Bedford Avenue and
Beverley Road have long since been cemented over. The Munchbox is not
exactly a beauty spot, either. The plants in gold hangers are plastic,
the fluorescent lighting somehow both harsh and dim, the feeling of
windowlessness palpable. But where else in this land can you dive
into a generous plate of allspice-laced snapper beneath corporate-morale-building signs urging the meeting of sales quotas
("Can You Bring Home the Gold?") and framed letters from satisfied
vacuum-cleaner customers?  And on the PA system: ‘Attention
all customers, attention all Sears associates. Our Sears cafeteria is now open for
lunch. We have boneless stewed snapper fish, stewed chicken, callaloo
and saltfish, a delicious homemade cowfoot soup.’ The Sears cafeteria is open to the public.

HERE/SAY:
"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and
day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which
any human being can fight; and never stop fighting."   – e.e. cummings, 1955

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.

Secrets_2

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

CITY NEWS: Subway service was back to normal after a fire at the Atlantic Avenue Station disrupted Tuesday’s morning rush hour.

_Two polls show that Ferrer is leading in mayoral race against Bloomberg.

_FDNY to implement new procedures for safety ropes. This comes after
a fatal fire in January in which two firefighters were killed and four
others were seriously injured when they jumped out a fourth story
window.

_Bobby Short, classy and cosmopolitan jazz singer and pianist, who
frequently graced the keys of the Cafe Carlyle died of Leukemia
yesterday.

_Transportation Altenatives, an advocacy group for New Yorkers,
gives the city passing if not great grades for its performance as a
city hospitable to bikers.

_212, the area code with so much cache, will soon be available on cell phones. But who cares? 718 is way cooler.

_On Saturday, activists protested the Iraq
War on its second anniversary on the streets of New York and Brooklyn.
Three men and five women were arrested in front of a military recruiting station at 41 Flatbush Avenue. Read all about at Brooklyn Bomb Shelter. Tens of thousands protest across Europe.

_Report says one-third of city’s fourth graders are in danger of failing. Read all about it at NY1

_NYPD named nation’s best dressed police force. Read all about it at NY1

_New York’s favorite hawks, Pale Male and Lola, are expecting at least two little hawks.

 BROOKLYN BEAT:
Brooklyn receives $1 million to spruce up Fulton Street. Congresswoman Nydia Valazquez was able to secure the money from the Transportation Appropriations Bill and a local developer.  Improvements include better lighting, signage, sidewalks, and landscaping.

_Brooklyn woman suing the Daily News for its Scratch ‘n Win fiasco. The woman was led to believe that she won $100,000 in prizes. Sunday the news informed its readers of a misprint. "Our dreams were shattered. Our high was brought down to an extreme low," said Stewart.

_A sanitation worker was shot while working on a Brooklyn Street. He was
wounded by a richocheting bullet during an argument with a gun between
two men on the street. Another man was wounded as well.

_A student at Brooklyn’s New Utrecht High School was shot by a gun that went off in his book bag during an English class.

_Mayor Mike Bloomberg joined marchers at the Brooklyn Irish American parade in the rain.

_Coney Island’s Astroland opened on Sunday, two weeks earlier than
usual. Visitors will arrive from the newly renovated Stillwell Avenue
train station. Coney Island draws more than a million visitors per
day in nice weather.

_More than a 130 new buildings are being planned in Williamsburg and
Greenpoint, as well as large-scale development on the waterfront.

_Over 2500 runners ran the Brooklyn Half-Marathon from the world-famous
Coney Island boarwalk to the Nevermeade in Prospect Park. Ivan
Marionda, age 29, from New York City,  won the race in 1:10:37. THe top
female runner was Michelle Bleakley, age 37, in 1:20:58. Thomas Deaver,
age 29, a wheelchair runner, finished the race in 1:41:28.

_English ex-pats love Brooklyn says the City section in the New
York Times. Mini Coopers, Fish and Chips joints and British accents are
cited as proof that there’s a British invasion of brownstone Brooklyn.
Interesting fact: the Park Slope zipcode has one of the largest numbers
of Mini Cooper owners in the country. The owner of  Curry Source, an
Indian "takeaway" in Boerum Hill, told the Times’ reporter: "Brooklyn
is America without tears."

_Barrier installed at exit ramp at the Verrazano Bridge after accident. Read all about it at NY1

_Brooklyn rapper Lil’ Kim guilty of perjury in connection with 2001 murder. Read all about it at NY1

_City is facing $10 million in lawsuits from cyclists who say their
broken bones were caused by injuries caused by the bumps on the
Williamsburg Bridge. City officials are taking a closer look at this
problem. Read all about it at NY1

_ Marty Markowitz writes in response
to a recent New Yorker cover: "Marcellus Hall’s illusletters tration  of Adam and Eve
being cast out of Manhattan by the hand of God is to be commended for
its prominent placement of the Brooklyn Bridge, the world’s most
beautiful. I am concerned, however, that my copy of the issue may have
been missing a second panel, in which the couple realize that what
awaits them on the other side of the bridge is not a dark cloud of doom
but the promised land itself. High rents might push some residents out
of Manhattan, but we Brooklynites welcome these emigres with open arms
to our better quality of life, our unrivalled diversity, and maybe even
a nice brownstone. Just as Saul Steinberg’s famous westward view from
Ninth Avenue exaggerated Manhattanites’ perspective in 1976, your East
River scene in 2005 misleads by rendering gloom where  there should be
a glow; crossing the bridge is actually a blessing in disguise.
Besides, what better than the hand of God to direct you toward the most
divine bagels and lox?"

_From an article called, "School Auction as Economic
Indicator," in today’s New York Times: "The Berkeley Carroll School in
Brooklyn combines the groovy independent film vibe –the "Sopranos"
star Steve Muscemi offered a tour of the set – with local color. One
family paid $4,000 to have lunch with Marty Markowitz at Bamonte’s in
Williamsburg. "The place is quintessential Brooklyn," said Henry
Trevor, an assistant head of school." At Packer, someone paid $100. for
a gift certificate to a company "dedicated to the spreading of sexual
enlightenment throught the promulgation of chosen playthings."

IT’S WEDNESDAY: Liquid Language performance of poetry and open-mic at the Seventh Avenue Barnes and Noble.

"Play Without Words," a dance theater  piece by Matthew Bourne at BAM. Tonight through Saturday. 8 p.m.

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: Purim Festival at the Brookyn Lyceum. Sunday March 27th. Music by Golem and Jonathan Bayer. (see hand-picked below).

Catpathia Jenkins and Park Slope resident Louis Rosen perform their
song-cycle based on the work of Maya Angelou at Joe’s Pub. March 27th.
6 pm.

_From th New York Times: "Sears Beverley Road, an Art Deco cathedral of commerce christened by
the soon-to-be-first-lady Eleanor Roosevelt in 1932, has seen better
days. The Macy’s-size display windows that faced Bedford Avenue and
Beverley Road have long since been cemented over. The Munchbox is not
exactly a beauty spot, either. The plants in gold hangers are plastic,
the fluorescent lighting somehow both harsh and dim, the feeling of
windowlessness palpable. But where else in this land can you dive
into a generous plate of allspice-laced snapper beneath corporate-morale-building signs urging the meeting of sales quotas
("Can You Bring Home the Gold?") and framed letters from satisfied
vacuum-cleaner customers?  And on the PA system: ‘Attention
all customers, attention all Sears associates. Our Sears cafeteria is now open for
lunch. We have boneless stewed snapper fish, stewed chicken, callaloo
and saltfish, a delicious homemade cowfoot soup.’ The Sears cafeteria is open to the public.

HERE/SAY: "I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired." Fannie Lou Hammer, Civil Rights Activist

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.

Secrets_2

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

CITY NEWS: SUBWAY SERVICE RESUMES AFTER TRACK FIRE IN BROOKLYN. A fire at the Atlantic Avenue Station disrupted the morning rush hour. At 11:00 on Tuesday – the 2,3,4,5 lines seem to be running.

_Two polls show that Ferrer is leading in mayoral race against Bloomberg.

_FDNY to implement new procedures for safety ropes. This comes after a fatal fire in January in which two firefighters were killed and four others were seriously injured when they jumped out a fourth story window.

_Bobby Short, classy and cosmopolitan jazz singer and pianist, who frequently graced the keys of the Cafe Carlyle died of Leukemia yesterday.

_Transportation Altenatives, an advocacy group for New Yorkers, gives the city passing if not great grades for its performance as a city hospitable to bikers.

_212, the area code with so much cache, will soon be available on cell phones. But who cares? 718 is way cooler.

_On Saturday, activists protested the Iraq
War on its second anniversary on the streets of New York and Brooklyn.
Three men and five women were arrested in front of a military recruiting station at 41 Flatbush Avenue. Read all about at Brooklyn Bomb Shelter. Tens of thousands protest across Europe.

_Report says one-third of city’s fourth graders are in danger of failing. Read all about it at NY1

_NYPD named nation’s best dressed police force. Read all about it at NY1

_New York’s favorite hawks, Pale Male and Lola, are expecting at least two little hawks.

 BROOKLYN BEAT:  A sanitation worker was shot while working on a Brooklyn Street. He was wounded by a richocheting bullet during an argument with a gun between two men on the street. Another man was wounded as well.

_A student at Brooklyn’s New Utrecht High School was shot by a gun that went off in his book bag during an English class.

_Mayor Mike Bloomberg joined marchers at the Brooklyn Irish American parade in the rain.

_Coney Island’s Astroland opened on Sunday, two weeks earlier than
usual. Visitors will arrive from the newly renovated Stillwell Avenue
train station. Coney Island draws more than a million visitors per
day in nice weather.

_More than a 130 new buildings are being planned in Williamsburg and
Greenpoint, as well as large-scale development on the waterfront.

_Over 2500 runners ran the Brooklyn Half-Marathon from the world-famous
Coney Island boarwalk to the Nevermeade in Prospect Park. Ivan
Marionda, age 29, from New York City,  won the race in 1:10:37. THe top
female runner was Michelle Bleakley, age 37, in 1:20:58. Thomas Deaver,
age 29, a wheelchair runner, finished the race in 1:41:28.

_English ex-pats love Brooklyn says the City section in the New
York Times. Mini Coopers, Fish and Chips joints and British accents are
cited as proof that there’s a British invasion of brownstone Brooklyn.
Interesting fact: the Park Slope zipcode has one of the largest numbers
of Mini Cooper owners in the country. The owner of  Curry Source, an
Indian "takeaway" in Boerum Hill, told the Times’ reporter: "Brooklyn
is America without tears."

_Barrier installed at exit ramp at the Verrazano Bridge after accident. Read all about it at NY1

_Brooklyn rapper Lil’ Kim guilty of perjury in connection with 2001 murder. Read all about it at NY1

_City is facing $10 million in lawsuits from cyclists who say their
broken bones were caused by injuries caused by the bumps on the
Williamsburg Bridge. City officials are taking a closer look at this
problem. Read all about it at NY1

_ Marty Markowitz writes in response
to a recent New Yorker cover: "Marcellus Hall’s illusletters tration  of Adam and Eve
being cast out of Manhattan by the hand of God is to be commended for
its prominent placement of the Brooklyn Bridge, the world’s most
beautiful. I am concerned, however, that my copy of the issue may have
been missing a second panel, in which the couple realize that what
awaits them on the other side of the bridge is not a dark cloud of doom
but the promised land itself. High rents might push some residents out
of Manhattan, but we Brooklynites welcome these emigres with open arms
to our better quality of life, our unrivalled diversity, and maybe even
a nice brownstone. Just as Saul Steinberg’s famous westward view from
Ninth Avenue exaggerated Manhattanites’ perspective in 1976, your East
River scene in 2005 misleads by rendering gloom where  there should be
a glow; crossing the bridge is actually a blessing in disguise.
Besides, what better than the hand of God to direct you toward the most
divine bagels and lox?"

_From an article called, "School Auction as Economic
Indicator," in today’s New York Times: "The Berkeley Carroll School in
Brooklyn combines the groovy independent film vibe –the "Sopranos"
star Steve Muscemi offered a tour of the set – with local color. One
family paid $4,000 to have lunch with Marty Markowitz at Bamonte’s in
Williamsburg. "The place is quintessential Brooklyn," said Henry
Trevor, an assistant head of school." At Packer, someone paid $100. for
a gift certificate to a company "dedicated to the spreading of sexual
enlightenment throught the promulgation of chosen playthings."

IT’S TUESDAY: At the Brooklyn Botanic Garden tonight a workshop in informal flower
arrangements. Learn how to arrange flowers in interesting containers
found around the house. 6 p.m. at the Garden.

"Play Without Words," a dance theater  piece by Matthew Bourne at BAM. Tonight through Saturday. 8 p.m.

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: Purim Festival at the Brookyn Lyceum. Sunday March 27th. Music by Golem and Jonathan Bayer. (see hand-picked below).

Catpathia Jenkins and Park Slope resident Louis Rosen perform their
song-cycle based on the work of Maya Angelou at Joe’s Pub. March 27th.
6 pm.

_From th New York Times: "Sears Beverley Road, an Art Deco cathedral of commerce christened by
the soon-to-be-first-lady Eleanor Roosevelt in 1932, has seen better
days. The Macy’s-size display windows that faced Bedford Avenue and
Beverley Road have long since been cemented over. The Munchbox is not
exactly a beauty spot, either. The plants in gold hangers are plastic,
the fluorescent lighting somehow both harsh and dim, the feeling of
windowlessness palpable. But where else in this land can you dive
into a generous plate of allspice-laced snapper beneath corporate-morale-building signs urging the meeting of sales quotas
("Can You Bring Home the Gold?") and framed letters from satisfied
vacuum-cleaner customers?  And on the PA system: ‘Attention
all customers, attention all Sears associates. Our Sears cafeteria is now open for
lunch. We have boneless stewed snapper fish, stewed chicken, callaloo
and saltfish, a delicious homemade cowfoot soup.’ The Sears cafeteria is open to the public.

<>
<>

HERE/SAY:


"When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.
Here was a machine of precision and balance for the convenience of
man.  And (unlike subsequent inventions for man’s convenience) the more
he used it, the fitter his body became.  Here, for once, was a product
of man’s brain that was entirely beneficial to those who used it, and
of no harm or irritation to others.  Progress should have stopped when
man invented the bicycle." Elizabeth West, Hovel in the Hills

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News Stuff to Do.

CITY NEWS: On Saturday, activists protested the Iraq
War on its second anniversary on the streets of New York and Brooklyn.
Three men and five women were arrested in front of a military recruiting station at 41 Flatbush Avenue. Read all about at Brooklyn Bomb Shelter. Tens of thousands protest across Europe

_212, the area code with so much cache, will soon be available on cell phones. But who cares? 718 is way cooler.

_Report says one-third of city’s fourth graders are in danger of failing. Read all about it at NY1

_NYPD named nation’s best dressed police force. Read all about it at NY1

_New York’s favorite hawks, Pale Male and Lola, are expecting at least two little hawks.

 BROOKLYN BEAT:
Mayor Mike Bloomberg joined marchers at the Brooklyn Irish American parade in the rain.

_Coney Island’s Astroland opened on Sunday, two weeks earlier than usual. Visitors will arrive from the newly renovated Stillwell Avenue train station. Coney Island can draw more than a million visitors per day in nice weather.

_More than a 130 new buildings are being planned in Williamsburg and Greenpoint, as well as large-scale development on the waterfront.

_Over 2500 runners ran the Brooklyn Half-Marathon from the world-famous
Coney Island boarwalk to the Nevermeade in Prospect Park. Ivan
Marionda, age 29, from New York City,  won the race in 1:10:37. THe top
female runner was Michelle Bleakley, age 37, in 1:20:58. Thomas Deaver,
age 29, a wheelchair runner, finished the race in 1:41:28.

_English ex-pats love Brooklyn says today’s City section in the New
York Times. Mini Coopers, Fish and Chips joints and British accents are
cited as proof that there’s a British invasion of brownstone Brooklyn.
Interesting fact: the Park Slope zipcode has one of the largest numbers
of Mini Cooper owners in the country. The owner of  Curry Source, an
Indian "takeaway" in Boerum Hill, told the Times’ reporter: "Brooklyn
is America without tears."

_Barrier installed at exit ramp at the Verrazano Bridge after accident. Read all about it at NY1

_Brooklyn rapper Lil’ Kim guilty of perjury in connection with 2001 murder. Read all about it at NY1

_City is facing $10 million in lawsuits from cyclists who say their
broken bones were caused by injuries caused by the bumps on the
Williamsburg Bridge. City officials are taking a closer look at this
problem. Read all about it at NY1

_ Marty Markowitz, the
president of the borough of Brooklyn, got his two cents into the New
Yorker this week. On the letters to the editor page he writes in response
to a recent cover: "Marcellus Hall’s illusletters tration  of Adam and Eve
being cast out of Manhattan by the hand of God is to be commended for
its prominent placement of the Brooklyn Bridge, the world’s most
beautiful. I am concerned, however, that my copy of the issue may have
been missing a second panel, in which the couple realize that what
awaits them on the other side of the bridge is not a dark cloud of doom
but the promised land itself. High rents might push some residents out
of Manhattan, but we Brooklynites welcome these emigres with open arms
to our better quality of life, our unrivalled diversity, and maybe even
a nice brownstone. Just as Saul Steinberg’s famous westward view from
Ninth Avenue exaggerated Manhattanites’ perspective in 1976, your East
River scene in 2005 misleads by rendering gloom where  there should be
a glow; crossing the bridge is actually a blessing in disguise.
Besides, what better than the hand of God to direct you toward the most
divine bagels and lox?"

_From an article called, "School Auction as Economic
Indicator," in today’s New York Times: "The Berkeley Carroll School in
Brooklyn combines the groovy independent film vibe –the "Sopranos"
star Steve Muscemi offered a tour of the set – with local color. One
family paid $4,000 to have lunch with Marty Markowitz at Bamonte’s in
Williamsburg. "The place is quintessential Brooklyn," said Henry
Trevor, an assistant head of school." At Packer, someone paid $100. for
a gift certificate to a company "dedicated to the spreading of sexual
enlightenment throught the promulgation of chosen playthings."

IT’S MONDAY: Learn how to better communicate with your child at this parenting workshop at Families First.  250 Baltic Street.  718-237-1862

_At Barbes" "Native Land," shown as part of their Traveling Cinema Series. 376 Ninth Street. 7 p.m. Live music at 9 p.m.

<>

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: Purim Festival at the Brookyn Lyceum. Sunday March 27th. Music by Golem and Jonathan Bayer. (see hand-picked below).

Catpathia Jenkins and Park Slope resident Louis Rosen perform their song-cycle based on the work of Maya Angelou at Joe’s Pub. March 27th. 6 pm.

HERE/SAY: "Brooklyn is America without tears." – the owner of Curry Source, an Indian takeaway in Boerum Hill.

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.

Secrets_2

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

CITY NEWS: Activists protested the Iraq War on its second anniversary in the streets of New York and Brooklyn. Tens of thousands protested across Europe

_212, the area code with so much cache, will soon be available on cell phones. But who cares? 718 is way cooler.

_Report says one-third of city’s fourth graders are in danger of failing. Read all about it at NY1

_NYPD named nation’s best dressed police force. Read all about it at NY1

_New York’s favorite hawks, Pale Male and Lola, are expecting at least two little hawks.

 BROOKLYN BEAT: Over 2500 runners ran the Brooklyn Half-Marathon from the world-famous Coney Island boarwalk to the Nevermeade in Prospect Park. Ivan Marionda, age 29, from New York City,  won the race in 1:10:37. THe top female runner was Michelle Bleakley, age 37, in 1:20:58. Thomas Deaver, age 29, a wheelchair runner, finished the race in 1:41:28.

_English ex-pats love Brooklyn says today’s City section in the New York Times. Mini Coopers, Fish and Chips joints and British accents are cited as proof that there’s a British invasion of brownstone Brooklyn.  Intersting fact: the Park Slope zipcode has one of the largest numbers of Mini Cooper owners in the country. The owner of  Curry Source, an Indian "takeaway" in Boerum Hill, told the Times’ reporter: "Brooklyn is America without tears."

_Barrier installed at exit ramp at the Verrazano Bridge after accident. Read all about it at NY1

_Brooklyn rapper Lil’ Kim guilty of perjury in connection with 2001 murder. Read all about it at NY1

_City is facing $10 million in lawsuits from cyclists who say their
broken bones were caused by injuries caused by the bumps on the
Williamsburg Bridge. City officials are taking a closer look at this
problem. Read all about it at NY1

_ Marty Markowitz, the
president of the borough of Brooklyn, got his two cents into the New
Yorker this week. On the letters to the editor page he writes in response
to a recent cover: "Marcellus Hall’s illusletters tration  of Adam and Eve
being cast out of Manhattan by the hand of God is to be commended for
its prominent placement of the Brooklyn Bridge, the world’s most
beautiful. I am concerned, however, that my copy of the issue may have
been missing a second panel, in which the couple realize that what
awaits them on the other side of the bridge is not a dark cloud of doom
but the promised land itself. High rents might push some residents out
of Manhattan, but we Brooklynites welcome these emigres with open arms
to our better quality of life, our unrivalled diversity, and maybe even
a nice brownstone. Just as Saul Steinberg’s famous westward view from
Ninth Avenue exaggerated Manhattanites’ perspective in 1976, your East
River scene in 2005 misleads by rendering gloom where  there should be
a glow; crossing the bridge is actually a blessing in disguise.
Besides, what better than the hand of God to direct you toward the most
divine bagels and lox?"

_From an article called, "School Auction as Economic
Indicator," in today’s New York Times: "The Berkeley Carroll School in
Brooklyn combines the groovy independent film vibe –the "Sopranos"
star Steve Muscemi offered a tour of the set – with local color. One
family paid $4,000 to have lunch with Marty Markowitz at Bamonte’s in
Williamsburg. "The place is quintessential Brooklyn," said Henry
Trevor, an assistant head of school." At Packer, someone paid $100. for
a gift certificate to a company "dedicated to the spreading of sexual
enlightenment throught the promulgation of chosen playthings."

_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. 

IT’S SUNDAY: BROOKLYN IRISH AMERICAN PARADE is Sunday starts at 1 p.m. at PPW and
15th Street. They march down 15th Street to 7th Avenue and down 7th to Union Street and back over to
PPW. Expect traffice problems as Seventh Avenue is closed to cars and buses are re-routed. 

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

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

_THE WOOSTER GROUP performs House/Lights at Art at St. Anns.

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: Purim Festival at the Brookyn Lyceum. Sunday March 27th. Music by Golem and Jonathan Bayer. (see hand-picked below).

HERE/SAY: "Much as I like owning a Rolls-Royce, I could do
without it. What I could not do without is a typewriter, a supply of
yellow second sheets and the time to put them to good use." John O’Hara

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News Stuff to Do.

Secrets_2

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

CITY NEWS: Report says one-third of city’s fourth graders are in danger of failing. Read all about it at NY1

_NYPD named nation’s best dressed police force. Read all about it at NY1

_New York’s favorite hawks, Pale Male and Lola, are expecting at least two little hawks.

 BROOKLYN BEAT: Barrier installed at exit ramp at the Verrazano Bridge after accident. Read all about it at NY1

<>

_Brooklyn rapper Lil’ Kim guilty of perjury in connection with 2001 murder. Read all about it at NY1

_City is facing $10 million in lawsuits from cyclists who say their
broken bones were caused by injuries caused by the bumps on the
Williamsburg Bridge. City officials are taking a closer look at this
problem. Read all about it at NY1

_ Markowitz, the
president of the borough of Brooklyn, got his two cents into the New
Yorker this week. On letters to the editor page he writes in response
to a recent cover: "Marcellus Hall’s illustration  of Adam and Eve
being cast out of Manhattan by the hand of God is to be commended for
its prominent placement of the Brooklyn Bridge, the world’s most
beautiful. I am concerned, however, that my copy of the issue may have
been missing a second panel, in which the couple realize that what
awaits them on the other side of the bridge is not a dark cloud of doom
but the promised land itself. High rents might push some residents out
of Manhattan, but we Brooklynites welcome these emigres with open arms
to our better quality of life, our unrivalled diversity, and maybe even
a nice brownstone. Just as Saul Steinberg’s famous westward view from
Ninth Avenue exaggerated Manhattanites’ perspective in 1976, your East
River scene in 2005 misleads by rendering gloom where  there should be
a glow; crossing the bridge is actually a blessing in disguise.
Besides, what better than the hand of God to direct you toward the most
divine bagels and lox?"

_In an article called, "School Auction as Economic
Indicator," in today’s New York Times, "The Berkeley Carroll School in
Brooklyn combines the groovy independent film vibe –the "Sopranos"
star Steve Muscemi offered a tour of the set – with local color. One
family paid $4,000 to have lunch with Marty Markowitz at Bamonte’s in
Williamsburg. "The place is quintessential Brooklyn," said Henry
Trevor, an assistant head of school." At Packer, someone paid $100. for
a gift certificate to a company "dedicated to the spreading of sexual
enlightenment throught the promulgation of chosen playthings."

_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

THIS WEEKEND: THE BROOKLYN HALF-MARATHON starts on the Coney Island boardwalk  at 8 a.m. Run or come cheer your friends and neighbors. 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.

_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.

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

SUNDAY: 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. Tonight at Joe’s Pub at 6 p.m. (see Hand-Picked below).

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: Purim Festival at the Brookyn Lyceum. Sunday March 27th. Music by Golem and Jonathan Bayer. (see hand-picked below).

HERE/SAY:  "Begin conservatively, and don’t waste energy
weaving around others.  Your "chip time" will reflect when you cross
the start line – not when the gun goes off.  GO a few seconds slower
than projected race pace for the first 4-5 miles, gradually picking it
up if you feel good. Hold that pace until mile 10.  Once you’re in the
park, pace according to how you feel.  Don’t fall into the trap of
going out too fast.  I fully expect that you’ll feel relaxed and the
pace will seem easy for the first part of the race, but if you pick it
up too soon, you’ll pay for it later." J
on Cane, Coach of the Jack Rabbit Half-Marathon group.

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.

Secrets_2

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

CITY NEWS: NYPD named nation’s best dressed police force.

_New York’s favorite hawks, Pale Male and Lola, are expecting at least two little hawks.

_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 

BROOKLYN BEAT: Brooklyn rapper L’l Kim guilty of perjury in connection with 2001 murder. Read all about it at NY1

_City is facing $10 million in lawsuits from cyclists who say their
broken bones were caused by injuries caused by the bumps on the
Williamsburg Bridge. City officials are taking a closer look at this
problem. Read all about it at NY1

_ Markowitz, the
president of the borough of Brooklyn, got his two cents into the New
Yorker this week. On letters to the editor page he writes in response
to a recent cover: "Marcellus Hall’s illustration  of Adam and Eve
being cast out of Manhattan by the hand of God is to be commended for
its prominent placement of the Brooklyn Bridge, the world’s most
beautiful. I am concerned, however, that my copy of the issue may have
been missing a second panel, in which the couple realize that what
awaits them on the other side of the bridge is not a dark cloud of doom
but the promised land itself. High rents might push some residents out
of Manhattan, but we Brooklynites welcome these emigres with open arms
to our better quality of life, our unrivalled diversity, and maybe even
a nice brownstone. Just as Saul Steinberg’s famous westward view from
Ninth Avenue exaggerated Manhattanites’ perspective in 1976, your East
River scene in 2005 misleads by rendering gloom where  there should be
a glow; crossing the bridge is actually a blessing in disguise.
Besides, what better than the hand of God to direct you toward the most
divine bagels and lox?"

_In an article called, "School Auction as Economic
Indicator," in today’s New York Times, "The Berkeley Carroll School in
Brooklyn combines the groovy independent film vibe –the "Sopranos"
star Steve Muscemi offered a tour of the set – with local color. One
family paid $4,000 to have lunch with Marty Markowitz at Bamonte’s in
Williamsburg. "The place is quintessential Brooklyn," said Henry
Trevor, an assistant head of school." At Pakcer, someone paid $100. for
a gift certificate to a company "dedicated to the spreading of sexual
enlightenment throught the promulgation of chosen playthings."

_Bruce Ratner, the developer trying to bring the New Jersey Nets, a
stadium, and office complex to the Atlantic Yards made a $1 million
deposit at Carver Federal Savings Bank in the Atlantic Terminal Retail
Mall. The bank is the largest bank owned by Carribbean and African
Americans.

_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 FRIDAY: At the Brooklyn Academy of Music, "Play Without Words" a DANCE-THEATER PIECE by Matthew Bourne. Starts March 15th through the 29th.

JAZZY CHANTEUSE,
Jezra Kaye, will be performing at The (Very) Good Coffee House at 53
Prospect Park West (the Society for Ethical Culture). She will be
performing with a band that includes: Jerome Harris on guitar and Sonny
Barbetto on accordian. Friday 3/18 at 8 p.m. 10 bucks gets you in. All
proceeds benefit the Park Slope Food Coop.

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 WEEKEND: 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.

_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).

THIS SOUNDS COOL: Purim Festival at the Brookyn Lyceum. Sunday March 27th. Music by Golem and Jonathan Bayer. (see hand-picked below).

HERE/SAY:

 

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.

Secrets_2

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

CITY NEWS: SUBWAY SERVICE SUPPOSEDLY BACK TO NORMAL after yesterday when the service on the 4,5,and 6 subway lines was disrupted three times,  including power failures that fouled up both the morning AND the evening rush hour. Hundreds of thousands of commuters were forced to find other routes to and from work.   Read all about it at NY1

New York’s favorite hawks, Pale Male and Lola, are expecting at least two little hawks.

_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

BROOKLYN BEAT:   Marty Markowitz, the president of the borough of Brooklyn, got his two cents into the New Yorker this week. On letters to the editor page he writes in response to a recent cover: "Marcellus Hall’s illustration  of Adam and Eve being cast out of Manhattan by the hand of God is to be commended for its prominent placement of the Brooklyn Bridge, the world’s most beautiful. I am concerned, however, that my copy of the issue may have been missing a second panel, in which the couple realize that what awaits them on the other side of the bridge is not a dark cloud of doom but the promised land itself. High rents might push some residents out of Manhattan, but we Brooklynites welcome these emigres with open arms to our better quality of life, our unrivalled diversity, and maybe even a nice brownstone. Just as Saul Steinberg’s famous westward view from Ninth Avenue exaggerated Manhattanites’ perspective in 1976, your East River scene in 2005 misleads by rendering gloom where  there should be a glow; crossing the bridge is actually a blessing in disguise. Besides, what better than the hand of God to direct you toward the most divine bagels and lox?"

_According to an article called, "School Auction as Economic Indicator," in today’s New York Times, "The Berkeley Carroll School in Brooklyn combines the groovy independent film vibe –the "Sopranos" star Steve Muscemi offered a tour of the set – with local color. One family paid $4,000 to have lunch with Marty Markowitz at Bamonte’s in Williamsburg. "The place is quintessential Brooklyn," said Henry Trevor, an assistant head of school." At Pakcer, someone paid $100. for a gift certificate to a company "dedicated to the spreading of sexual enlightenment throught the promulgation of chosen playthings."

_Bruce Ratner, the developer trying to bring the New Jersey Nets, a
stadium, and office complex to the Atlantic Yards made a $1 million
deposit at Carver Federal Savings Bank in the Atlantic Terminal Retail
Mall. The bank is the largest bank owned by Carribbean and African
Americans.

_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 THURSDAY: At the Brooklyn Academy of Music, "Play Without Words" a DANCE-THEATER PIECE by Matthew Bourne. Starts March 15th through the 29th.

JEWISH AUTHORS SERIES presents Ophira Edut, contributing editor of "Yentl’s Revenge: The Next Wave of Jewish Feminism." Park Slope Jewish Center. Eighth Avenue and 14th Street. 7:30 p.m.

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: JAZZY CHANTEUSE, Jezra Kaye, will be performing at The (Very) Good Coffee House at 53 Prospect Park West (the Society for Ethical Culture). She will be performing with a band that includes: Jerome Harris on guitar and Sonny Barbetto on accordian. Friday 3/18 at 8 p.m. 10 bucks gets you in. All proceeds benefit the Park Slope Food Coop.

_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: "One
looks down from the Brooklyn Bridge on a spot of foam or a little lake
of gasoline or a broken splinter or an empty scow; the world goes by
upside down with pain and light devouring the innards, the sides of
flesh bursting, the spears pressing in against the cartilage, the very
armature of the body floating off into nothingness.
"
– Henry Miller in "Black Spring"

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.

Secrets_2

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.

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.

Secrets_2

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

CITY NEWS: 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.

_Jesse Jackson joined Plaza Hotel  employees in a rally to protest loss of jobs if hotel is turned into a condo. The city’s landmark preservation is scheduled to have hearings about preserving the Plaza’s famous interiors soon. The decision won’t stop the renovation but it might make it difficult for Elad Properties, which is spending $300 million, to go forward with the project. Read all about it at NY1

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

_Yesterday, Bill Clinton left hospital just four days after surgery.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 is suing the owner of F-Line, a small corner bagel shop on Smith and Ninth Street just underneath the F-train. 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. Assad told a NY1 reporter: "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." Love it!

_An alleged drunk driver flipped over the median on the Belt Parkway and killed another driver at 6 a.m. on Sunday morning. The driver was arrested and charged with DWI. Read all about it at NY1

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

_OTBKB Scoop: An underground electrical fire had residents of First Street between Eighth Avenue and the Park out on the street at 11 p.m. Saturday night. It sounded like loud drumming, but it was the smokey underground fire that was causing lights to flicker in many residences. Squad 1 and other local fire houses were on the scene within minutes of being called by OTBKB.

_Two former NYPD cops face extradition on mob activities. They were ordered Friday night back from Las Vegas to Brooklyn. Read all about it at Brooklyn Bomb Shelter

IT’S TUESDAY: "Fifty Years After the Brooklyn Eagle: How City Papers Cover Brooklyn," A FORUM AT BROOKLYN COLLEGE. In the Woody Tanger Auditorium, Brooklyn College Library. 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday afternnon.

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

_Learn how to MAKE A SCRAP BOOK using tools and techniques created just for this art form. 7 pm. Lion in the Sun Invitation Studio. 463 Fourth Street. Free.

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 music 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."

_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 Club 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

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HEAR/SAY: "I always loved running…it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs."   – Jesse Owens

SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News Stuff to Do.

Secrets_2

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

CITY NEWS: 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 $4.00 to $4.50.

_From WNYC RADIO: "The 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!

_From Sunday’s Daily News: "When confronted with the litmus test for politeness – giving up a
subway seat to a pregnant woman – New York straphangers passed with
flying colors. Each quest ended successfully with an unsolicited offer of a seat,
usually in a matter of seconds – except for the No. 7 line where our
volunteer had to wait three long minutes. The Daily News checked the courtesy of subway riders with the help of a
six-months pregnant mom from the Bronx, who boarded trains on the five
busiest lines during two rush hours last week."

_FDNY allocates $1.4 million to increase diversity in the department.

_Landmark Commission to determine the fate of the interior,
including the lobby and the Palm Court) of the Plaza Hotel. Good luck
Eloise.

_Rockefeller Center to re-open observation deck, which has been closed for 19 years.

BROOKLYN BEAT:   A alleged drunk driver flipped over the median on the Belt Parkway and killed another driver at 6 a.m. on Sunday morning. The driver was arrested and charged with DWI.

_Brooklyn Democratic leader faces corruption charges.

_OTBKB Scoop: An
underground electrical fire had residents of First Street between
Eighth Avenue and the Park out on the street at 11 p.m. Saturday night.
It sounded like loud drumming, but it was the smokey underground fire
that was causing lights to flicker in many residences. Squad 1 and
other local fire houses were on the scene within minutes of being
called by OTBKB.

_Two former NYPD cops face extradition on mob activities. They were ordered Friday night back from Las Vegas to Brooklyn. Read all about it at Brooklyn Bomb Shelter

IT’S MONDAY: Barbes presents "The Grapes of Wrath," as part of their Monday night Labor Film Series. 7 p.m. Live music follows. 9th Street at 6th Avenue.

_"The Role Anger Plays in Your Life as a Parent" is today’s Parents Talk at Families First. 250 Baltic Street. $15.
Pre-registration necessary. (718)237-1862. Go, god damn it!

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: "Fifty Years After the
Brooklyn Eagle: How City Papers Cover Brooklyn," a forum at Brooklyn
College. In the Woody Tanger Auditorium, Brooklyn College Library. 1:30
– 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday afternnon.

At BAM, "Play Without Words" a dance-theater piece by Matthew Bourne. Starts March 15th through the 29th. 

_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

_Composer and Park Slope resident, Louis Rosen and vocalist Capathia Jenkins perform their collaboration 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 boardwalk at Coney Island at 8 a.m. Run or come cheer your friends and neighbors.

_Jack Rabbit’s beginner and intermediate RUNNING WORKSHOPS are starting up in March. Great coaches, great people, great
motivation: the course will, without
a doubt, improve your running. Think about it. See Brooklyn Fitness on
the side panel.

Slope Sports sponsors a
weekly group run on Saturdays at 8:00  a.m. Meet at the Grand Army
Plaza entrance of Prospect Park. They will be running the
Bridge-to-Bridge Run, which goes over the Brooklyn Bride to Chinatown.
And back to Brooklyn by way of the Manhatttan Bridge. This scenic route
is approximately 9-10 miles

HEAR/SAY:

Jogging is very beneficial.  It’s good for your legs and your feet.
It’s also very good for the ground.  It makes it feel needed.  – Charles
Schulz, Peanuts