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

CITY NEWS: From today’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:   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 yours truly. Residents said that the underground fire had been smoking for most of the weekend.

_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 SUNDAY: DAN ZANES sings sea shantys, songs collected by Carl Sandburg poems and MORE at the Kane Street Synogogue. Sunday March 13. 3 p.m.Go here for information about Dan Zanes and info about the show.

_Films for all ages at the BAMkids Film Festival. All day.

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. March 15 – 29th. 

NEW SNEAKERS: 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

Registration for the BROOKLYN HALF-MARATHON  on March 19th is now open.

HEAR/SAY: "Sun, sun, sun, here it comes.’ George Harrison

BROOKLYN WEATHER: In case you didn’t notice, it snowed last night. Windy and chilly. AND SUNNY. High temp: 40 degrees. More Brooklyn weather here.

CITY NEWS: 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.

_Teacher’s Union warns of prolonged contract battle. Read about it in the Daily News.

BROOKLYN BEAT:   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 SATURDAY: PS
321’s WINTER CARNIVAL. Games for the kids and amazing
craft projects. Hair braiding, great food and MORE. The kids’ll love it
and so will you until the noise level hurts.  Seventh Avenue between 1st and 2nd Streets.

_MAKING BROOKLYN BLOOM 2005. Saturday March 12th: Brooklyn
GreenBridge’s 24th annual community spring gardneing kick-off day.
Workshops, displays, and notable speakers. Learn Practical tips. Free
and no registration required. But you must arrive by 10 a.m. at the
Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

_BOLLYWOOD MOVIES suitable for kids and adults at the Brooklyn Museum!

_BAMkids Film Festival. Today and tomorrow. See Hand-Picked below.

_South Slope’s Big Nose Full Body wine shop:  a PINOT/MERLOT FACE OFF. From France, a
Pinot Noir from Burgundy and a Merlot from Bordeaux.  382 Seventh Avenue. 4 – 6 p.m. Saturday March 12th.

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: DAN ZANES sings sea shantys, Carl Sandburg poems and more at the Kane Street Synogogue. Sunday March 13. 3 p.m.Go here for information about Dan Zanes and info about the show.

NEW SNEAKERS: 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

Registration for the BROOKLYN HALF-MARATHON  on March 19th is now open.

HEAR/SAY: "I wanted to be sitting with her in Brooklyn. Dear would be there. She
would pull shut the blackout curtains. I would tell them how the war
would end and no bombs would ever fall on Brooklyn. I would sit beside
her and listen to Frank Sinatra. I would call him "the Voice."  Richard McCann. From his story "Shelters" featured in Ploughshares (pshares.org).

BROOKLYN WEATHER: Passing rain. High 41 degrees 

CITY NEWS: Bill Clinton is recuperating from surgery to remove fluid and scar tissue, complications from his quadruple bypass operation six months ago. Read all about it in The Daily News.

_Teacher’s Union warns of prolonged contract battle.Read about it in the Daily News.

BROOKLYN BEAT:  Jury convicts two Brooklyn men of funding Palestinean terror group.    This and more Brooklyn news at the New York 1 web site.

IT’S FRIDAY:   SLEEP AT THE AQUARIUM. Kids 6 – 12, and one parent are invited to spend the night with the
fish at the NY Aquarium (in Coney Island). $145. 7 p.m. until 10 a.m.
Saturday. West Eighth Street and Surf Avenue. (718) 265 – FISH.

CARNIVALE: PS 321’s WINTER CARNIVAL is on Saturday! Games for the kids and amazing craft projects. Hair braiding, great food and MORE. The kids’ll love it and so will you until the noise level hurts.  Seventh Avenue between 2nd and 1st Street.

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: This Saturday afternoon: BOLLYWOOD MOVIES suitable for kids and adults at the Brooklyn Musuem!

_DAN ZANES sings sea shantys, Carl Sandburg poems and more at the Kane Street Synogogue. Sunday March 13. 3 p.m.Go here for information about Dan Zanes and info about the show.

_MAKING BROOKLYN BLOOM 2005. Saturday March 12th: Brooklyn GreenBridge’s 24th annual community spring gardneing kick-off day. Workshops, displays, and notable speakers. Learn Practical tips. Free and no registration required. But you must arrive by 10 a.m. at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

NEW SNEAKERS: 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

Registration for the BROOKLYN HALF-MARATHON  on March 19th is now open.

TASTINGS: At the South Slope’s Big Nose Full Body wine shop:  a PINOT/MERLOT FACE OFF. From France, a
Pinot Noir from Burgundy and a Merlot from Bordeaux.  382 Seventh Avenue. 4 – 6 p.m. Saturday March 12th. " 

HEAR/SAY: "I believe in music as a shared family experience. Not that kids have
their music and adults theirs. I hope to inspire people to go out and
make their own music. It’s easy, it’s fun, and we can all do it
together.

BROOKLYN WEATHER: Chilly. Clouds and sun. High temp is 36 degrees 

CITY NEWS: New York City’s 311 Information Hotline celebrates it second anniversary. Since it began in 2003, the hotline has received 18 million calls. The most popular topics include heat and hot water complaints. 

  _It appears that the knitted poncho that Marthat Stewart wore as she left prison on Friday is all the rage. "There is so much demand for that poncho. Everyone wants to make it," says "Stitch and Bitch" author, Debbie Stoller.  The poncho was a going away present from a fellow inmate who knits 12 hours a day. She told Martha: "Wear it in good health."  This and more city news is in the Daily News.

BROOKLYN BEAT: Drunk driver hits crowd at school. A man charged with drunk driving after he plowed into a group of people outside PS 10 in Park Slope Tuesday morning, police said. A mother, her son and two other children were injured in the accident, just before 9 a.m. Witnesses say the driver, Jose Gonzalez was trying to pull out of a parking space when he backed into the small group. None of the injuries is considered serious.   This and more Brooklyn news at Brooklyn Bomb Shelter.

IT’S THURSDAY: Tonight: "Eat Drink and Be Literary:"
Dinner and a Reading at the BAM Cafe. Author Walter Mosley and moderator
Wendy Wasserstein. $38. includes dinner and wine. 6:30 p.m. 30
Lafayette Avenue (718) 636-4100. It may be sold out. But please check the box office.

CLEAN YOUR CLOSETS FOR A GOOD CAUSE: Comb your closets and
toy bins for the PS 321 Winter Carnival rummage Sale. Children’s
clothing, toys, games — must be in good condition. Collection bins
will be in the main lobby at PS 321 beginning Monday 3/7.

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: The New York Public Library has opened a digital gallery of images.
Check it out: the NYPL Digital Gallery provides access to over 275,000
images digitized from   primary sources and printed rarities in the
collections of The New York Public   Library, including illuminated
  manuscripts, historical maps,
vintage posters,
rare prints and
photographs,
  illustrated books, 
printed ephemera, and more.

NEW SNEAKERS: 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

Registration for the Brooklyn Half-marathon on March 19th is now open.

TASTINGS: At the South Slope’s Big Nose Full Body wine shop:  a Pinot/Merlot face off Part Deux. From France, a
Pinot Noir from Burgundy and a Merlot from Bordeaux.  382 Seventh Avenue. 4 – 6 p.m. Saturday March 12th.

HEAR/SAY:    "Business wasn’t brisk, but it paid the rent and utilities. And
all day long I could do the thing I loved best

BROOKLYN WEATHER: Icy conditions on the sidewalks and streets. Cold and windy. High termperature 30 degrees. Feels cold out there.

CITY NEWS: US scolds  city officials and Coast Guard for Staten Island ferry crash. Read all about it.

BROOKLYN BEAT: "An out-of-control van drove up on a sidewalk, outside a school, hitting five people, including children at 8:30 a.m. this morning outside PS 10 at Prospect and 7th Avenues. The
driver of the van, say witnesses, had just dropped off his son in front
of the school and when pulling away, ran into a parked car, yet
proceeded up toward the corner. The van slammed into five people, four children and one adult, before hitting a fence on the perimeter of the school. The driver, 45-year-old, Jose Gonzalez of Brooklyn, was charged with driving while in toxicated. For more check out Brooklyn Bomb Shelter

_Brooklyn Babysitter charged in murder of toddler.  Read all about it.

BLOGS IN THE NEWS: The White House approved
a press pass for a blogger on Monday legitimizing blogging as a form of journalism. Other blogger news: A lawsuit filed in
California by Apple Computer is drawing courts into
the question of whether bloggers should be considered journalists and
whether they have to reveal their sources.

IT’S WEDNESDAY: On the Subject of War." Smack Mellon Studios. 56 Water St between Dock and Main Sts, Dumbo (718-834-8761). Subway: A to High St; F to York St. Wed-Sun 1-6pm. This show is dedicated to the late Susan Sontag, who considered in her writing the dilemma of depicting war in the arts, this show includes work from anonymous WWII photographers and Eve Sussman’s video

BROOKLYN WEATHER: Winter weather again. Rain changing to snow in the morning. High 45 degrees and then it gets much colder. And slippery.

CITY NEWS: Last night, 2000 volunteers participated in a midnight count of the city’s street homeless and for the first time the count included Queens, which is considered to have the largest homeless population. The city’s Department of Homeless Services says the project helps them plan better how to assist the homeless in the city.

_A study published in "Public Health"  says suburbanites are more likely to report chronic health problems, like high blood
pressure, arthritis, headaches, migraines and breathing problems than
people who lived in the city.

BROOKLYN BEAT: At Brooklyn College, a
protest against lack of diversity in the Fire Department is planned
prior to the graduation ceremony for new cadets also at Brooklyn
College.

_Come on! State Senator
Marty Golden along with some Brooklyn residents called for the removal
of  posters advertising Showtime’s new series, "The L Word" on city bus
shelters. The ad features nine of the show’s characters in the nude.
"We have community standards," says Golden. "And I don’t think they are
being met." 

_Forest City Ratner just cleared another major hurdle. The New York Times reported last week that "the city and the state have signed an agreement with the developer W
C. Ratner to build a new home for the Nets basketball team and at least
4,500 apartments as part of a $2.5 billion project at the Atlantic
Yards in Brooklyn."

_Have you been wondering what that crazy/cool looking trapezoidal
structure on top of the  building right next to the Manhattan Bridge
is? Dubbed the Jetsons building, it is
the work of a 32-year-old architect named Dedy Blaustein; a
rooftop addition to the building that houses the architecture firm
Scarano and Associates. And there’s even cool LED lighting with
thousands of color combinations.  It’s Brooklyn’s answer to the Empire State
Building. 

BLOGS IN THE NEWS: The White House approved
a press pass for a blogger. Other blogger news: A lawsuit filed in
California by Apple Computer is drawing courts into
the question of whether bloggers should be considered journalists and
whether they have to reveal their sources.

IT’S TUESDAY: Writers Jonathan Lethem and Colson Whitehead take part in "Reading on
the 4th Floor," a reading series with proceeds beneifiting the creation
of a new school library at PS 107. $10. 7:30 p.m. 1301 Eighth Ave.

CLEAN YOUR CLOSETS FOR A GOOD CAUSE: Comb your closets and
toy bins for the PS 321 Winter Carnival rummage Sale. Children’s
clothing, toys, games — must be in good condition. Collection bins
will be in the main lobby at PS 321 beginning Monday 3/7.

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.

_Check out Brooklyn Bomb Shelter, the Reader’s Digest of real Brooklyn news.

_Check out Daily Heights about life in Prospect Heights

THIS SOUNDS COOL: The Fourth Annual Planet XX: Women in Music
in honor of Women’s History month. BAMcaf

BROOKLYN: Sun with clouds. High 40 degrees.

THIS JUST IN: The White House approved a press pass for a blogger. Other blogger news: A lawsuit filed in California by Apple Computer is drawing courts into
the question of whether bloggers should be considered journalists and whether they have to reveal their sources.  

CITY NEWS: Proposed stadium may bring the Super Bowl to town. Joy.

_A study published in "Public Health"  says suburbanites are more likely to report chronic health problems, like high blood
pressure, arthritis, headaches, migraines and breathing problems than
people who lived in the city.

BROOKLYN BEAT: At Brooklyn College, a protest against lack of diversity in the Fire Department is planned prior to the graduation ceremony for new cadets also at Brooklyn College.

_Come on! State Senator
Marty Golden along with some Brooklyn residents called for the removal
of  posters advertising Showtime’s new series, "The L Word" on city bus
shelters. The ad features nine of the show’s characters in the nude.
"We have community standards," says Golden. "And I don’t think they are
being met." 

_Forest City Ratner just cleared another major hurdle. The New York Times reports today that "the city and the state have signed an agreement with the developer W
C. Ratner to build a new home for the Nets basketball team and at least
4,500 apartments as part of a $2.5 billion project at the Atlantic
Yards in Brooklyn." See Monday below.

_Jackie Robinson, former Brooklyn Dodger second
baseman and the first black player in Major League Baseball, was given a
posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor last week. Read all about it.

_Have you been wondering what that crazy/cool looking trapezoidal
structure on top of the  building right next to the Manhattan Bridge
is? Well, you ain’t the only one. Dubbed the Jetsons building, it is
the work of a 32-year-old architect named Dedy Blaustein; a
rooftop addition to the building that houses the architecture firm
Scarano and Associates. And there’s even cool LED lighting with
thousands of color combinations.  It’s Brooklyn’s answer to the Empire State
Building. 

MONDAY:  Hear what the Ratner project could mean to Brooklyn in terms of displacement of residents, impact on schools, police and fire services, and transportation issues. P.S. 9. 80 Underhill Avenue (between St. Marks Ave. and Bergen St.); Invited officials: Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz; Councilmember Letitia James

_This evening and every Monday at Barbes through March: the Traveling Cinema Series takes a look at the American labor movement through documentary and fiction film.
"Harlan County USA," Barbara Koppels’ award-winning film, is at 7:30 p.m. 276 Ninth Street at Sixth Avenue.

_Times Square Centennial Film Festival: From the Streets and Stage to
the Screen. Tonight and every Monday through mid-April at the Loews State Theater. 1540
Broadway. On 3/7: "Midnight Cowboy" 1:20, 7 p.m., "Fame" 4:00 and 9:30
p.m. On 3/14 "Vanya on 42nd Street" and "All About Eve."  For movie titles, times and information.

WORTH TAKING A LOOK AT:  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.

_Check out Brooklyn Bomb Shelter, the Reader’s Digest of real Brooklyn news.

_Check out The Brooklyn Rail. for critical perpectives on arts, politics, and culture. Especially the piece by Patricial Spears Jones.

_Check out Daily Heights about life in Prospect Heights

THIS SOUNDS COOL: The Fourth Annual Planet XX: Women in Music
in honor of Women’s History month. BAMcaf

BROOKLYN WEATHER: Partly sunny in the morning. CLoudy and chance of drizzles in the afternoon.   More Brooklyn weather here.

CITY NEWS:  The Plaza Hotel, home of the spunky Eloise, will be no more. After April 30th, construction will begin to turn the legendary hotel into condos and malls with a far smaller hotel on the West 58th Street side. Will wonders never cease.

_This just in from The New York Times: A study published in "Public Health"  says suburbanites are more likely to report chronic health problems, like high blood
pressure, arthritis, headaches, migraines and breathing problems than
people who lived in the city.

_Martha Stewart left prison Friday after a five month vacation stay.

_The New York Public Library has opened a digital gallery of images.
Check it out: the NYPL Digital Gallery provides access to over 275,000
images digitized from   primary sources and printed rarities in the
collections of The New York Public   Library, including illuminated
  manuscripts, historical maps,
vintage posters,
rare prints and
photographs,
  illustrated books, 
printed ephemera, and more.

BROOKLYN BEAT: Come on! State Senator Marty Golden along with some Brooklyn residents called for the removal of  posters advertising Showtime’s new series, "The L Word" on city bus shelters. The ad features nine of the show’s characters in the nude. "We have community standards," says Golden. "And I don’t think they are being met." 

_Forest City Ratner just cleared another major hurdle. The New York Times reports today that "the city and the state have signed an agreement with the developer W
C. Ratner to build a new home for the Nets basketball team and at least
4,500 apartments as part of a $2.5 billion project at the Atlantic
Yards in Brooklyn." See Monday below.

_Jackie Robinson, former Brooklyn Dodger second
baseman and the first black player in Major League Baseball, was given a
posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor earlier in the week. Read all about it.

_Have you been wondering what that crazy/cool looking trapezoidal
structure on top of the  building right next to the Manhattan Bridge
is? Well, you ain’t the only one. Dubbed the Jetsons building, it is
the work of a 32-year-old architect named Dedy Blaustein; a
rooftop addition to the building that houses the architecture firm
Scarano and Associates. And there’s even cool LED lighting with
thousands of color combinations.  It’s Brooklyn’s answer to the Empire State
Building.

TODAY: Join Council Member Letitia
James and Senator Velmanette Montgomery in response to the recent
"Memorandum of Understanding" on Atlantic Yards:

City Hall Steps, Manhattan; Today (Sunday), March 6, 2005, 2 pm

WHO: Council Member James, Senator Montgomery,
Congressman Major Owens, Council Member Charles Barron, Pratt Area
Community Council, Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, Downtown Brooklyn
Leadership Coalition, Bob Law, Darnell Canada of Rebuild, Brooklyn
Vision, Prospect Heights Action Coalition

HOW TO GET THERE: 4, 5, 6 or J, M, Z trains to
Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall; 2, 3 train to Park Place;
N, R to City Hall; A, C to Fulton. Entrances are on Broadway at Warren,
and at Center Street & Brooklyn Bridge. You will need to go through
a security checkpoint.

SUNDAY: Wildman Steve Brill hosts his "Wild Food and Ecology Tour" of Prospect
Park. Meet at Grand Army Place entrance to Prospect Park. 11:45 a.m. $5
for kids under 12, $10 for adults. 

"The End of the Moon." Last performance of Laurie Anderson’s one woman with violin show at BAM. 2 p.m. Information here.

_The Wooster Group at St. Ann’s Warehouse performing "House/Lights." Through April. 8 p.m.

MONDAY:  Hear what the Ratner project could mean to Brooklyn in terms of

displacement of residents, impact on schools, police and fire services, and transportation issues.

Monday, March 7, 7:00 PM; P.S. 9, 80 Underhill Avenue (between St. Marks Ave. and Bergen St.); Invited officials: Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz; Councilmember Letitia James

WORTH TAKING A LOOK AT:  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.

_Check out Brooklyn Bomb Shelter, the Reader’s Digest of real Brooklyn news.

_Check out The Brooklyn Rail. for critical perpectives on arts, politics, and culture. Especially the piece by Patricial Spears Jones.

_Check out Daily Heights about life in Prospect Heights

THIS SOUNDS COOL: The Fourth Annual Planet XX: Women in Music
in honor of Women’s History month. BAMcaf

BROOKLYN WEATHER: Sunny and a little warmer than yesterday.   More Brooklyn weather here.

CITY NEWS:  This just in from The New York Times. A study published in "Public Health"  says suburbanites are more likely to report chronic health problems, like high blood
pressure, arthritis, headaches, migraines and breathing problems than
people who lived in the city (for more, see today’s Postcard from the Slope).

_Martha Stewart left prison Friday after a five month vacation stay.

_The New York Public Library has opened a digital gallery of images.
Check it out: the NYPL Digital Gallery provides access to over 275,000
images digitized from   primary sources and printed rarities in the
collections of The New York Public   Library, including illuminated
  manuscripts, historical maps,
vintage posters,
rare prints and
photographs,
  illustrated books, 
printed ephemera, and more.

_A temporary art museum is to open at Pier 54 in Greenwich Village.
The Nomadic Museum is made up of 148 multi-colored shipping
containers.  Inside is a multi-media exhibit by photographer, Gregory
Colbert.   

_For those who don’t already know, a MTA fair hike went into effect last weekend.
The price of a $70 Metrocard rocketed up to $76. A weekly pass from
$21 to $24. The cost of a single ride remains: $2.00. Read all about it.

_A survey about the preferences of food deliverers featured in the
New York Time’s revealed that "New York’s delivery rules are pretty
basic:
Watch your dog. Have your money ready. Tip well, and do it in cash. And
wear your nicest boxers."

BROOKLYN BEAT: Forest City Ratner just cleared another major hurdle. The New York Times reports today that "the city and the state have signed an agreement with the developer Bruce
C. Ratner to build a new home for the Nets basketball team and at least
4,500 apartments as part of a $2.5 billion project at the Atlantic
Yards in Brooklyn." See Monday below.

_Jackie Robinson, former Brooklyn Dodger second
baseman and the first black player in Major League Baseball, was given a
posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor earlier in the week. Read all about it.

_Have you been wondering what that crazy/cool looking trapezoidal
structure on top of the  building right next to the Manhattan Bridge
is? Well, you ain’t the only one. Dubbed the Jetsons building, it is
the work of a 32-year-old architect named Dedy Blaustein; a
rooftop addition to the building that houses the architecture firm
Scarano and Associates. And there’s even cool LED lighting with
thousands of color combinations.  It’s Brooklyn’s answer to the Empire State
Building. 

SATURDAY: Early morning get-together for dogs and their owners in Longs Meadow, Prospect Park. 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Free.

Miriam Cohen, author of "No Good in Art" "Will I have a Friend?"
and "Down in the Subway" reads for kids and adults and answers
questions about writing at Freebird Books. 123 Columbia Street. 11 a.m.
Free

_First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum. The museum is free and open
until 11 p.m.  There’s a one-act play about growing old in 1970’s
Brooklyn, short films, and "Weimar Cabaret" performed by members of the
Brooklyn Philarmonic. Dancing begins at 9 p.m. in the rotunda. Cha cha
cha. 200 Eastern Parkway.

_Dance Don’t Destroy Brooklyn. Fundraiser and dance party in Williamsburg at Galapagos Artspace. 70 North 6th Street. Between Kent and Wythe, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY 11211.

_"The End of the Moon." Laurie Anderson’s one woman with violin show at BAM. Tickets and Schedule here.

_The Wooster Group at St. Ann’s Warehouse performing "House/Lights." 8 p.m.

TASTINGS: "Sideways" face down. Pinot
Noir from Castle Rock in Monterey goes against Merlot from Waterstone
in Carneros. Make up your mind which you like best. Saturday 3/5. Big
Nose Full Body. 382 Seventh Avenue between 11th and 12th Streets. 4-6
p.m.

_And on Saturday 3/12: Pinot/Merlot face off Part Deux. From France, a
Pinot Noir from Burgundy and a Merlot from Bordeaux. Same time, same
place as above.

MONDAY:  Hear what the Ratner project could mean to Brooklyn in terms of:

• displacement of residents
• impact on schools, police and fire services
• effect on small businesses
• transportation issues

The presentation will also include a discussion of the project’s
claimed community benefits as well as its financial impact to city and
state taxpayers." Monday, March 7, 7:00 PM; P.S. 9, 80 Underhill Avenue (between St. Marks Ave. and Bergen St.); Invited officials: Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz; Councilmember Letitia James

WORTH TAKING A LOOK AT:  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.

_Design Sponge’s DIY
Contest, the best in do-it-yourself design. Design Sponge, who lives in
Williamsburg, knows ALL about great furniture, housewares, paper
products, graphic design, jewelry and MORE.

_Check out The Brooklyn Rail. Critical perpectives on arts, politics, and culture. Especially the piece by Patricial Spears Jones.

_Check out Daily Heights about life in Prospect Heights

THIS SOUNDS COOL: The Fourth Annual Planet XX: Women in Music
in honor of Women’s History month. BAMcaf

BROOKLYN WEATHER: Sunny and cold. Snow flurries on Saturday. Maybe.  More Brooklyn weather here.

CITY NEWS:  Martha Stewart leaves prison today after a five month vacation stay.

_The Madrid bombing suspect is said to have had
pictures of Grand Central Station on his computer. But there is no
information about a specific plot to bomb Grand Central.

_The New York Public Library has opened a digital gallery of images. Check it out: the NYPL Digital Gallery provides access to over 275,000 images digitized from
  primary sources and printed rarities in the collections of The New York Public
  Library, including illuminated
  manuscripts, historical maps,
vintage posters,
rare prints and
photographs,
  illustrated books, 
printed ephemera, and more.

_A temporary art museum is to open at Pier 54 in Greenwich Village.
The Nomadic Museum is made up of 148 multi-colored shipping
containers.  Inside is a multi-media exhibit by photographer, Gregory
Colbert.   

_For those who don’t already know, a MTA fair hike went into effect last weekend.
The price of a $70 Metrocard rocketed up to $76. A weekly pass from
$21 to $24. The cost of a single ride remains: $2.00. Read all about it.

_A survey about the preferences of food deliverers featured in the
New York Time’s revealed that "New York’s delivery rules are pretty
basic:
Watch your dog. Have your money ready. Tip well, and do it in cash. And
wear your nicest boxers."

BROOKLYN BEAT: Jackie Robinson, former Brooklyn Dodger second
baseman and the first black player in Major League Baseball, was given a
posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor earlier in the week. Read all about it.

_Have you been wondering what that crazy/cool looking trapezoidal
structure on top of the  building right next to the Manhattan Bridge
is? Well, you ain’t the only one. Dubbed the Jetsons building, it is
the work of a 32-year-old architect named Dedy Blaustein; a
rooftop addition to the building that houses the architecture firm
Scarano and Associates. And there’s even cool LED lighting with
thousands of color combinations.  It’s Brooklyn’s answer to the Empire State
Building. 

FRIDAY: Second Grade Art Show at Starbucks. Seventh Avenue between 1st and Garfield. Opening party from 5-6 p.m. Show will be up for all of March.

_"The End of the Moon." Laurie Anderson’s one woman with violin show at BAM. Tickets and Schedule here.

_The Wooster Group at St. Ann’s Warehouse performing "House/Lights." 8 p.m.

SATURDAY: Early morning get-together for dogs and their owners in Longs Meadow, Prospect Park. 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Free.

_Miriam Cohen, author of "No Good in Art" "Will I have a Friend?"
and "Down in the Subway" reads for kids and adults and answers
questions about writing at Freebird Books. 123 Columbia Street. 11 a.m.
Free

_First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum. The museum is free and open
until 11 p.m.  There’s a one-act play about growing old in 1970’s
Brooklyn, short films, and "Weimar Cabaret" performed by members of the
Brooklyn Philarmonic. Dancing begins at 9 p.m. in the rotunda. Cha cha
cha. 200 Eastern Parkway.

_Dance Don’t Destroy Brooklyn. Fundraiser and dance party in Williamsburg at Galapagos Artspace. 70 North 6th Street. Between Kent and Wythe, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY 11211.

TASTINGS: "Sideways" face down. Pinot Noir from Castle Rock in Monterey goes against Merlot from Waterstone in Carneros. Make up your mind which you like best. Saturday 3/5. Big Nose Full Body. 382 Seventh Avenue between 11th and 12th Streets. 4-6 p.m.

_And on Saturday 3/12: Pinot/Merlot face off Part Deux. From France, a Pinot Noir from Burgundy and a Merlot from Bordeaux. Same time, same place as above.

WORTH TAKING A LOOK AT:  Design Sponge’s DIY
Contest, the best in do-it-yourself design. Design Sponge, who lives in
Williamsburg, knows ALL about great furniture, housewares, paper
products, graphic design, jewelry and MORE.

_Check out The Brooklyn Rail. Critical perpectives on arts, politics, and culture. Especially the piece by Patricial Spears Jones.

_Check out Daily Heights about life in Prospect Heights.

THIS SOUNDS COOL: The Fourth Annual Planet XX: Women in Music
in honor of Women’s History month. BAMcaf

BROOKLYN WEATHER: Periods of clouds and sun. High 34 degrees. More Brooklyn weather here.

CITY NEWS:  The Madrid bombing suspect is said to have had pictures of Grand Central Station on his computer. But there is no information about a specific plot to bomb Grand Central. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said that the information "is not particularly threatening." 191 people died in that incident on March 11, 2004.

_A temporary art museum is to open at Pier 54 in Greenwich Village. The Nomadic Museum is made up of 148 multi-colored shipping containers.  Inside is a multi-media exhibit by photographer, Gregory Colbert.   

_For those who don’t already know, a MTA fair hike went into effect last weekend.
The price of a $70 Metrocard rocketed up to $76. A weekly pass from
$21 to $24. The cost of a single ride remains: $2.00. Read all about it.

_A survey about the preferences of food deliverers featured in the New York Time’s revealed that "New York’s delivery rules are pretty basic:
Watch your dog. Have your money ready. Tip well, and do it in cash. And wear your nicest boxers."

BROOKLYN BEAT: Jackie Robinson, Brooklyn Dodger second baseman and the first black player in Major League Baseball was given a posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor yesterday. Read all about it.

_Have you been wondering what that crazy/cool looking trapezoidal
structure on top of the  building right next to the Manhattan Bridge
is? Well, you ain’t the only one. Dubbed the Jetsons building, it is
the work of a 32-year-old architect named Dedy Blaustein — it’s a
rooftop addition to the building that houses the architecture firm
Scarano and Associates. And there’s even cool LED lighting with
thousands of color combinations Brooklyn’s answer to the Empire State
Building. 

_Slope Kids Bash American Soldier, was
the headline in our local "Park Slope Paper." The article goes on to
say that sixth graders at MS 51 sent so-called "demoralizing letters"
to a soldier stationed near North Korea as part of a social studies
assignment. Several of the letters sent to Pfc. Rob Jacobs by students
"attacked soldier for participating in the war in Iraq." writes Park
Slope Paper reporter Jotham Sederstrom. Deputy Schools Chancellor
Carmen Farina said on Tuesday that she will personally issue an apology
to the New Jersey soldier and his family. The teacher, Alex Kunhardt,
was reprimanded by Principal Xavier Castelli, who said that he plans to
add a letter of reprimand to Kunhardt’s teacher’s file.

_Two con artists robbed the Park Slope Food Co-op of a money bag containing nearly $5,000 on February 16.

_The ASPCA arrested Hearts and Homes Animal Shelter founder Carmello
Salamone, who  is charged with overdriving, torturing, and injuring
animals and failure to provide proper sustenance for animals, says  the
district attorney’s office. He could face up to 11 years in prison. 

THURSDAY: The Mila Drumke Band. plays The Living Room. TONIGHT. 154 Ludlow Street between Rivington and Stanton. A friend writes: "She is the voice of the angels who sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" at David Fontana’s funeral service. She has a new CD coming out and she ROCKS." March 3. 8 p.m.

_"The End of the Moon." Laurie Anderson’s one woman with violin show at BAM. Tickets and Schedule here.

_The Wooster Group at St. Ann’s Warehouse performing "House/Lights." 8 p.m.

SATURDAY: Early morning get-together for dogs and their owners in Longs Meadow, Prospect Park. 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Free.

_Miriam Cohen, author of "No Good in Art" "Will I have a Friend?" and "Down in the Subway" reads for kids and adults and answers questions about writing at Freebird Books. 123 Columbia Street. 11 a.m. Free

_First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum. The museum is free and open until 11 p.m.  There’s a one-act play about growing old in 1970’s Brooklyn, short films, and "Weimar Cabaret" performed by members of the Brooklyn Philarmonic. Dancing begins at 9 p.m. in the rotunda. Cha cha cha. 200 Eastern Parkway.

_Dance Don’t Destroy Brooklyn. Fundraiser and dance party in Williamsburg at Galapagos Artspace. 70 North 6th Street. Between Kent and Wythe, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY 11211.

WORTH TAKING A LOOK:  Design Sponge’s DIY
Contest, the best in do-it-yourself design. Design Sponge, who lives in Williamsburg, knows ALL about great furniture, housewares, paper
products, graphic design, jewelry and MORE.

THIS SOUNDS COOL: The Fourth Annual Planet XX: Women in Music in honor of Women’s History month. BAMcaf

BROOKLYN WEATHER: Brisk and windy. Cloudy too. Highs around 30 degrees.  More Brooklyn weather here.

CITY NEWS: The snow was no big deal!

_Monday’s annual count of homeless persons was been cancelled
because of the snow. It will be rescheduled for next Monday.  The
Department of Homeless Services says the count helps them plan for
better ways to assist the homeless.

_Workers began taking down the 7500 gates that have graced Central Park for 16 days. But there is still much to see. Check it out!

_According
to a survey out this week by software security company Pointsec, in the
last six months alone, it’s estimated more than 11,000 laptop
computers, more than 31,000 digital handhelds and around 200,000 cell
phones have been left behind in taxi cabs throughout the world. New
York City cabbies aren’t surprised in the least. The Taxi and
Limousine Commission estimates in the last seven months nearly 9,000
electronic devices were lost in Big Apple cabs.

_For those who don’t already know, a MTA fair hike went into effect this weekend.
The price of a $70 Metrocard rocketed up to $76. A weekly pass from
$21 to $24. The cost of a single ride remains: $2.00.Read all about it.

BROOKLYN BEAT: Have you been wondering what that crazy/cool looking trapezoidal structure on top of the  building right next to the Manhattan Bridge is? Well, you ain’t the only one. Dubbed the Jetsons building, it is the work of a 32-year-old architect named Dedy Blaustein — it’s a rooftop addition to the building that houses the architecture firm Scarano and Associates. And there’s even cool LED lighting with thousands of color combinations Brooklyn’s answer to the Empire State Building. 

_Slope Kids Bash American Soldier, was
the headline in our local "Park Slope Paper." The article goes on to
say that sixth graders at MS 51 sent so-called "demoralizing letters"
to a soldier stationed near North Korea as part of a social studies
assignment. Several of the letters sent to Pfc. Rob Jacobs by students
"attacked soldier for participating in the war in Iraq." writes Park
Slope Paper reporter Jotham Sederstrom. Deputy Schools Chancellor
Carmen Farina said on Tuesday that she will personally issue an apology
to the New Jersey soldier and his family. The teacher, Alex Kunhardt,
was reprimanded by Principal Xavier Castelli, who said that he plans to
add a letter of reprimand to Kunhardt’s teacher’s file.

_Two con artists robbed the Park Slope Food Co-op of a money bag containing nearly $5,000 on February 16.

_The ASPCA arrested Hearts and Homes Animal Shelter founder Carmello
Salamone, who  is charged with overdriving, torturing, and injuring
animals and failure to provide proper sustenance for animals, says  the
district attorney’s office. He could face up to 11 years in prison. 

WEDNESDAY: "The End of the Moon." Laurie Anderson’s one woman with violin show at BAM. Check Brooklyn Arts on the left side panel.

_The Wooster Group at St. Ann’s Warehouse performing "House/Lights." 8 p.m.

SATURDAY: Miriam Cohen, author of No Good in Art, Will I have a Friend? and Down in the Subway reads for kids and adults and answers questions about writing at Freebird Books. 123 Columbia Street. 11 a.m. Free

WORTH TAKING A LOOK: Check out the winning entries of  Design Sponge’s DIY
Contest, the best in do-it-yourself design, on the blog. Design Sponge lives in
Williamsburg and knows ALL about great furniture, housewares, paper
products, graphic design, jewelry and MORE. If she does it again, I’ll
give you a heads-up about the contest.

CLEAN YOUR CLOSETS FOR A GOOD CAUSE: Comb those closets and toy bins and save the good stuff for the Winter Carnival Rummage Sale. Children’s clothes, toys, games — all must be in good condition. Collection bins will be in the main lobby at PS 321 beginning Mon 3/7.

WHAT I’M LISTENING TO: Kathleen Edwards’ latest. "Back to Me."  Zoe Records.   

NEW SNEAKERS: 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.

Registration for the Brooklyn Half-marathon on March 19th is now open.

HEAR/SAY: "New York still has so much pizzazz, because people make it new every
day. Like all cities, it