BROOKLYN WEATHER: Partly cloudy skies may give way to snow showers in the evening. Temperatures 32-42 degrees.  More Brooklyn weather here.

CITY NEWS: Many in NYC are waiting to hear what the Supreme Court has to say about the eminent domain case in New London, CT. The case questions  whether a city can seize a person’s property and transfer it to private developers whose project could, theoretically, boost an ailing economy. This could have ramifications for the Atlantic Yards development… Read all about it.

_In a recent study about the city

BROOKLYN WEATHER: Look out the window: there’s snow.  More Brooklyn weather here.

TODAY: It

BROOKLYN WEATHER: Look out the window: there’s snow.  More Brooklyn weather here.

TODAY: It

BROOKLYN WEATHER: Warmer than yesterday. Mostly sunny. Snow starts late tonight.  More Brooklyn weather here.

CITY NEWS: In a recent report about the city’s transportation
infrastructure, the Automobile Club of America says the city’s roads
are outdated, poorly designed and require excessive maintenance. The
worst trouble spot in the city is the ramp from the northbound Major
Deegan Expressway in the Bronx to the George Washington Bridge.
Researchers say the ramp is dangerous and too narrow for traffic. The
Gowanus Expressway in Brooklyn has no shoulders for breakdowns and can
cause traffic nightmares all the way to Staten Island. Another traffic
hot spot is at the Brooklyn Queens Expressway between Hamilton Avenue
and Tillary Street. And the 77-year-old Goethals Bridge is too narrow
for modern day traffic. Cars on the bridge are forced to maneuver next
to big rigs and dodge water drains. The federal transportation bill has
been reintroduced to Congress after being stalled for two years. AAA
says the problem must get fixed or drivers can expect more delays and
vehicle repairs. Read all about it.

_NYC is seeking to trademark the phrase:"The World’s Second Home."
It wants exclusive rights to use it to promote business, tourism and
economic development. Read all about it.

BROOKLYN BEAT: A church in Park Slope was the latest stop on
the

Everyone wants to be in Manhattan this week.   

Yesterday, my husband’s Aunt came into the city for less than 5 hours before catching a flight home to California. Why? To see The Gates. This weekend, a cousin and her new husband from Baltimore are zipping into town for a bit of fun and The Gates. Later this week, my mother-in-law flies in to see, you got it, The Gates.

And we’re pleased as punch to be their guides; it gives us a  chance to spend more time in Central Park than we have in years and to discover parts of the park we barely knew. Exploring The Gates with tourists makes us feel like tourists too. We even stopped at the Metropolitan Museum for lunch and a quick look/see at the Egyptian wing and the Temple of Dendur.

Thanks to Christo and Jeanne Claude, we’re having such a festive time in the middle of winter.  They’ve given us one of the best reasons we’ve had in years to subway out of Brooklyn to check out the borough next door.

Yours from Brooklyn,
OTBKB

BROOKLYN WEATHER: Great day for a 10-mile race: snow flurries and 32 degrees. More Brooklyn weather here.

CITY NEWS: In a recent report about the city’s transportation infrastructure, the Automobile Club of America says the city’s roads are outdated, poorly designed and require excessive maintenance. The worst trouble spot in the city is the ramp from the northbound Major Deegan Expressway in the Bronx to the George Washington Bridge. Researchers say the ramp is dangerous and too narrow for traffic. The Gowanus Expressway in Brooklyn has no shoulders for breakdowns and can cause traffic nightmares all the way to Staten Island. Another traffic hot spot is at the Brooklyn Queens Expressway between Hamilton Avenue and Tillary Street. And the 77-year-old Goethals Bridge is too narrow for modern day traffic. Cars on the bridge are forced to maneuver next to big rigs and dodge water drains. The federal transportation bill has been reintroduced to Congress after being stalled for two years. AAA says the problem must get fixed or drivers can expect more delays and vehicle repairs. Read all about it.

_NYC is seeking to trademark the phrase:"The World’s Second Home." It wants exclusive rights to use it to promote business, tourism and economic development. Read all about it.

BROOKLYN BEAT: A church in Park Slope was the latest stop on the

BROOKLYN WEATHER:  Sunshine along with a few clouds. Could be snow flurries later. Temperature around 42 degrees. . More Brooklyn weather here.

CITY NEWS:  Hundreds of life-saving defibrillators will be installed in public places across the city. The City Council approved a bill yesterday that would bring the devices to places such as borough hall in Kew Gardens, court houses across the city, train terminals, subway stations, museums and parks. The city will spend about $1 million to place them in public places. Read all about it.

BROOKLYN BEAT:  PARK SLOPE RESIDENT, SUSAN SOMMERS,  the lead
lawyer for the Lambda Legal’s landmark litigation to secure the right
for same-sex couples to marry in New York City is featured in Tuesday’s Private Lives column in the New York Times: "I do sort of travel through life assuming that people think I’m a
lesbian, and I don’t go out of my way to correct them; it really is a
part of my identity," she says, taking a breather in her cluttered
office downtown at Lambda. She joined the organization five years ago
after dropping off the corporate fast track to have her third child and
spend more time at home in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Though after a few
years of 24/7 domestic duty, she says, "I did kind of feel like I was
falling off the face of the planet."

_RENOVATION TO BEGIN SOON on the Park Slope Armory, which is being
turned into an indoor sports center. Located at 8th between 14th and
15th streets, the renovated armory will house a community-use sports
and education facility, as well as a women’s shelter. A non-profit
organization called Take the Field Take, will be contributing $2
million for the renovations.  The Mayor and the City Council have each
committed $6 million and the Borough President’s Office has committed
$2 million to the project

_Acceptance/rejection letters from special high schools (Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, Brooklyn Tech, LaGuardia arrive today. Fun.

_PUBLIC SCHOOL MID-WINTER RECESS  is 2/20 – 2/25. Start making those playdates and plans!

THURSDAY :  Writing and Publishing the Novel. Thursday, February 17th, 2005, 6:30-

BROOKLYN WEATHER:  Partly cloudy. Going up to 47 degrees. More Brooklyn weather here.

BIG NEWS:  The Kyoto Protocol goes into effect today. 140 nations signed on to prevent greenhouse gas emissions to slow global warming trends, with one notable exception: The United States.

CITY NEWS:  A Judge’s ruling that the city needs an additional 5.7 billion annually for students and $9.2 billion for capital projects set off political wrangling yesterday about where the money will come from and who will pay. Read all about it.

BROOKLYN BEAT:  PARK SLOPE RESIDENT, SUSAN SOMMERS,  the lead
lawyer for the Lambda Legal’s landmark litigation to secure the right
for same-sex couples to marry in New York City is featured in yesterday’s Private Lives column in the New York Times: "I do sort of travel through life assuming that people think I’m a
lesbian, and I don’t go out of my way to correct them; it really is a
part of my identity," she says, taking a breather in her cluttered
office downtown at Lambda. She joined the organization five years ago
after dropping off the corporate fast track to have her third child and
spend more time at home in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Though after a few
years of 24/7 domestic duty, she says, "I did kind of feel like I was
falling off the face of the planet."

_RENOVATION TO BEGIN SOON on the Park Slope Armory, which is being
turned into an indoor sports center. Located at 8th between 14th and
15th streets, the renovated armory will house a community-use sports
and education facility, as well as a women’s shelter. A non-profit
organization called Take the Field Take, will be contributing $2
million for the renovations.  The Mayor and the City Council have each
committed $6 million and the Borough President’s Office has committed
$2 million to the project

_PUBLIC SCHOOL MID-WINTER RECESS  is 2/20 – 2/25. Start making those playdates and plans!

DAILY DISC: Grammy winner,  The Songs of Stephen Foster,(Emergent)

WEDNESDAY:  Parent/teacher conferences at public middle schools from 1 p.m – 3p.m. and tonight 6:30 – 9 p.m. That means the kids have a half-day (do you know where your children are?) If you don’t have any kids in middle school:  Check out tonight’s show at Barbes.

THIS SOUNDS COOL:  StoryCorps, is a national initiative to instruct and inspire Americans to collect one another’s stories in sound. Over the next few years, StoryCorps will be opening
     small recording studios, called StoryBooths, in public spaces across the country. The first is in Grand Central Terminal. Here, trained facilitators will help you record your interview with your loved ones. After your interview, you’ll receive a CD copy of your session to take home. With your permission, StoryCorps will add your story to the StoryCorps archive, creating an
     oral history of America. At Grand Central Terminal, the StoryCorps booth is located in the Graybar Passage, off Lexington Avenue. Mondays-Wednesday and Fridays: 10:30am to 7:30pm. Thursdays: 3:30-7:30pm: Saturdays and Sundays: 11:30am-5:30pm. An hour-long StoryBooth recording session costs $10. Reservations are required. Call (212) 941-8553 between 10:30am and 5:30pm or reserve online. Check out the StoryCorps website. Information is also available by phone at (212) 941-8516
      

_Laurie Anderson performs her one woman with
violin show,  "The Song of the Moon" at BAM 2/22 – 3/1. "Anderson
weaves stories, music, songs, and words into epic portraits of American
culture."  Get your tickets here.

_The Wooster Group at Art at St. Anns "House/Lights" from Gertrude Steins, "Dr. Faustus."  38 Water Street. Weekends through 4/20. 38 Water Street. DUMBO.

_ The Moonlighters, Hawaiian steel guitar swing. Barbes. 276 Ninth Street at Sixth Avenue.  2/18. 10 p.m

FOR THE BIRDS: Great Backyard Bird Count at the Prospect Park Audubon Center. 2/19 at noon. Enter park at Lincoln and Ocean Avenue. Free.

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

_The 10th Annual Cherry Tree 10-mile
race is on Saturday February 19th at 10 a.m.  To register stop by Slope
Sports. Seventh Avenue between Berkeley and St. Johns.

MID-WINTER VACATION TIP: 8th Annual Sports
and Arts in Schools Fest is a free 3-day long festival of sports and
arts activities at Chelsea Piers, Lincoln Center, Queens Hall of
Science, Riverbank State Park and Robert Clemente State Park. It’s open
to NYC public school kids in groups of 10 accompanied by an adult
during the mid-winter break from 9 a.m. until  3 p.m. To register, call
Sports & Arts in Schools Foundation at (718) 786-7110.

HERE/SAY:  "The question is not what you look at, but what you see." Henry David Thoreau