McBrooklyn is On Vacation

Thanks for dropping by. We're going to visit the Hudson Valley.
See you after Labor Day!

Waiting for Mama Outside the Store

These "babies" were waiting outside of Lassen & Hennigs on Montague Street Saturday.

Photo by MK Metz

That Brooklyn Astroturf is Hot!

According to AccuWeather, Saturday's high was 86 degrees, though the humidity made it feel like it was in the 90s.

McBrooklyn decided it would be a perfect day to check out the reports that synthetic turf gets much hotter than the ambient temperature, so we grabbed our wall thermometer and trotted over to Cadman Plaza Park, recently covered with plastic grass.

Wow, were we surprised to see the temperature of the synthetic turf -- higher than 125 degrees! The Park is lovely, but that "Field Turf" is HOT!

Previous posts on this topic:
- With Hoopla But No Protests, Brooklyn's Astroturfed Cadman Plaza Park Unveiled
- Cadman Plaza Park Opens --- Officially
- Blue/ Green Slime Invades What Remains of Cadman Plaza Park
- Cadman Plaza Park Opened -- But Not by Parks Department
- Parks Dept. Refuses to Study Synthetic Turf Health Risks
- Keeping 'Em Down on the Farm
- Toxic Park in Brooklyn Heights?

Photos by MK Metz

Tenants Fight Brooklyn 'McMansion' -- Protest on Sunday

Fifth Avenue Committee and the tenants of 533 Bergen Street (near 6th Avenue) will be hosting a neighborhood rally and block party on Sunday, August 26, at noon to protest the attempted “owner-use” evictions of four rent-stabilized families.

According to the Independent Media Center, the owners are both "well-recognized designers and artists (one was recently named one of '20 under 30' to watch by Print magazine and one of “The best people of 2004” by Time Magazine)."

The plan, according to The Brooklyn Rail, is to convert two-and-a-half floors—3,000 square feet—into one, multi-tiered apartment. Eviction proceedings have already begun.

- Tenants Fight McMansions, Challenging Landlords to Keep Their Homes The Brooklyn Rail
- Rally and Block Party in Brooklyn Against Evictions Independent Media Center

Entwined for Life

As seen on Middagh Street in Brooklyn Heights.

Photo by MK Metz

Brooklyn in Brief, Saturday

- BP Marty Markowitz came out against the 60-foot residential tower planned by his friends at Two Trees (see All That's Left of 182 Atlantic Avenue), right next to the future Trader Joe's at 130 Court Street. The building would be 10 feet taller than allowed under existing zoning. Brooklyn Paper

- Developers: A parking lot at 430 Albee Square in Downtown Brooklyn is on the market, with an asking price of $10.8 million. It's directly across the street from the proposed Albee Square Mall redevelopment. Brooklyn Eagle

- Look what $16 million will get you in Newport, RI. New York Magazine

- The Brooklyn Heights Blog has a photo (by Kurt Dietrich) of last night's car fire on the Brooklyn Bridge.

- In the Hamptons, there's a direct inverse between how rich you are and how screwed you'll be if a hurricane hits. Curbed Beach Edition

- Drivers: there's a very nasty BQE on-ramp, the one for west-bound traffic just north of Congress Street. The BQE Watch blog says: "Frequently there are ambulances, police cars, and, worst of all, distraught people emerging from automobiles." Check out the photos and map here.

First We Had the Blue Thingies -- Now We Have the Press Conference (At Brooklyn Borough Hall)

Forget about Iraq, Atlantic Yards or the presidential election. You know those blue thingies on the steps at Brooklyn Borough Hall? Artist Mark A. Reigelman II created them, and lo, he called them "Stair Squares." (see "Blue Thingies at Brooklyn Borough Hall")

There will actually be a press conference about them on Friday, August 24 at 12:30 p.m. at Borough Hall. Everybody will be there. At least, everybody still in town, which means the staff at the Starbucks on Court Street, the Brooklyn Cyclones, and Channel 12.

It must be summer.

Brooklyn Heights Pig Explains All

Our story so far:
There's an ice cream shop in Brooklyn Heights called the Blue Pig. There is an actual life-sized blue pig in front. Last Friday, the blue pig disappeared -- only to be replace by a PINK pig. (See Something Strange Going On With the Pigs in Brooklyn Heights)

After much hand-wringing about the pink pig that was supposed to be blue, the pink pig at the Blue Pig finally explained why it is pink (a sign was taped to its back):

"I really am the Blue Pig! I was just born. All pigs, of course, are born pink. Very soon, my genes will change me to blue. Just wait!"

We are crossing our fingers, and waiting.

Photo by MK Metz

Brooklyn in Brief -- Thursday P.M.

- The Carroll Gardens Town Hall meeting (about 360 Smith and Carroll Gardens downzoning) with Councilman Bill De Blasio is tonight. The CB6 Land Use meeting (about some big new developments in the Columbia Street district) is also tonight. Everybody's MAD, especially at Councilman Bill. Gowanus Lounge

- NYU students are moving into the "Sliver Building" at 67 Livingston Street in Brooklyn Heights, says the Brooklyn Eagle, and the Heights Association has no problem with that. But the executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation urges local groups to "engage NYU to ensure the process contributes to the quality of life there."

- Glass buildings are going up all over. Anyone throwing stones? The NY Sun

- What would a science fair for musicians look like? That’s the question posed by the "semi-regular events" happening at Etsy Labs. (Like tonight at 8 p.m.) Dancetracks Digital News

Rally in Support of Brooklyn's Arabic School Principal

Supporters of Brooklyn's Khalil Gibran International Academy -- the first Arabic dual language school in NYC -- have gotten a bit fed up with all the right-wing hysteria directed against their fledgling school.

Monday evening they held a rally in support of the school, and in particular, in support of Principal Debbie Almontaser, forced out because she didn't denounce a women's group's T-shirts.

Interestingly, one of the speakers, Rabbi Michael Feinberg, mentioned that the school’s principal opposition group, the Stop the Madrassa organization, is backed by three extremist right-wing organizations: the Gathering of Eagles; NY-ICE (New Yorkers for Immigration Control and Enforcement); and The United American Committee.

More here.

Previous postings:
- Brilliant or Crazy? Jewish Principal Appointed for Brooklyn's Arabic School
- Brooklyn's Arabic School Principal Resigns in 'I-Word' Flap
- Arabic-Themed School Finds a Home
- Brooklyn in Brief, Monday P.M.
- DOE to 'Cram' Arab-Themed School into Slope Elementary School

Photo by MK Metz

Brooklyn in Brief, Thursday

- Accident in front of D'Amico's on Court near Degraw. A dog was killed, and possibly a pedestrian hit. Streetsblog

- Just look at that lineup to see Obama at the Marriott! Brooklyn Eagle

- Work at the Whole Foods site (at Third and Third) is sort of moving along. Brownstoner

- The number of homes in foreclosure in New York City increased 55% in July. Foreclosures are going up faster in Brooklyn and Queens, compared to the rest of the city. Crain's NY Business

- A Brooklyn Heights party with a nude cock-tail waitress! Can a pool hall be far behind? Brooklyn Heights Blog

Sky Over Brooklyn Tonight

If you could actually see stars over Brooklyn tonight, this is what you'd see, courtesy of Google Earth's new product Google Earth 4.2. (That's the Moon traversing the lower right corner.) There are many viewing options, including layers of information you can opt in or out of. If you click your mouse on the blue circles like those on the bottom left, you'll see the Hubble telescope's view of those galaxies.

We're Back: Blogger Was Down For an Hour

Blogger, our service provider, was down for about an hour this morning. We're sorry for the inconvenience. Blogger (owned by Google) gave us the following information when we asked what the heck was going on:

"Blogger and Blog*Spot are unavailable right now. We apologize for this interruption in service.

Details

Blogger is undergoing brief maintenance and will return in a few minutes."

Tonight's Brooklyn Obama Rally SOLD OUT

There will be quite a handful of Senator Barack Obama fans to see their candidate at the Brooklyn Marriott tonight -- the event (hosted by Brooklyn for Barack together with Obama for America) is SOLD OUT.

This is the Senator's first large scale community event in Brooklyn.

Photo by MK Metz

Verizon Pimps FiOS in Brooklyn, But 'Service Not Available' in Brooklyn Heights; Plus More

- Verison has been pimping its Brooklyn FiOS service, which offers "super fast surfing." But when we entered a Brooklyn Heights phone number, we got a "Verizon FiOS Internet Service is not currently available for your address" response.

- Whatever they say about her new husband, none of it matters to Denise Miller. The 43-year-old secretary at a major Manhattan firm had readily accepted a marriage proposal from Jeffrey Miller, 35, who’d recently been charged with murdering his ex-girlfriend, reports the Brooklyn Eagle. “He’s a wonderful man,” she said of Judge D'Emic, who's trying the case.

- Will Brooklyn offices be hanging “No Vacancy” signs in a year or two? A new report reveals that the office vacancy rate is about 10 percent in the borough, and trending lower. The NYO Real Estate

Staubitz Market in Cobble Hill

Ninety years plus with only three owners, Staubitz Market at 222 Court Street in Cobble Hill has changed very little over the generations. John McFadden and his son John McFadden, Jr. now run the shop. John Sr. has been there more than 50 years. He remembers when Osso Bucco used to be 29 cents a pound.

Photo by MK Metz

Subway Stairs Are Slippery When Wet

This woman (face obscured) slipped on the subway steps at MetroTech after work today. About four people called 911, and someone ran and got some paper towels to put under her head. She laid on the wet ground groaning for about eight minutes until police, fire and EMS arrived.

The steps were pretty slick from the rain; she was wearing backless heels.

Photo by MK Metz

Blue Thingies at Brooklyn Borough Hall

Notice the boxy blue things on the steps of Borough Hall? Artist Mark A. Reigelman II created these "Stair Squares" as both a "functional and an aesthetic work," says the Cleveland Institute of Art. The blue thingies are made of steel and are firmly affixed.

"This project not only crosses the boundaries of design and art, but raises questions concerning the respective function of aesthetics as an organizing principle within public spaces and as a way to facilitate, within the framework of daily life, various forms of social, economic and leisurely interactions," said Saul Ostrow, chair of the Institute's visual arts and technologies environment.

Okay. And they're handy when you eat lunch, too.

The "Squares" will be on display from August 17-26.

Photo by MK Metz

Brooklyn Goodies on BCAT Tonight

Satisfy your sweet tooth today (Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.) as Brooklyn Community Access Television (BCAT) traverses the borough for the ultimate sweet spots.

You’ll sample goodies at One Girl Cookie in Boerum Hill; learn how to assemble a triple berry butter crème cake with Shannon Pridgen of Heavenly Crumbs in Bed-Stuy; witness the making of organic baked goods at Cheeks Bakery in Williamsburg; visit Bay Ridge for tasty treats at the Little Cupcake Shop and experience the creation of an original Brooklyn egg cream at Anopoli.

Goodbye Duffield Street Underground RR Homes

The City giveth and the City taketh: After a valiant struggle on the part of homeowners (see all the posts listed below), the Department of Housing Preservation and Development ruled Monday that the city should use its powers of eminent domain to seize 21 properties on three blocks in Downtown Brooklyn, plus a financial services firm that employs 150 people, reports the Brooklyn Eagle. Several of these properties are thought to have been part of the historical Underground Railroad.

Weirdly, this comes on top of an announcement this week of the city's plan to spend $2 million to commemorate abolitionist activity in Downtown Brooklyn. Except that the actual spots where the abolitionist activity took place are, uh, about to be razed.

More here.

Previous posts on this topic:
Video Explains All: Brooklyn's Duffield St. Houses
Lawsuit to Save 'Duffield Seven' from Downtown Brooklyn Plan
Brooklyn Underground Railroad Home for Sale for $4.5 Million
Underground RR Consultants Tried to Pull (Another) Fast One
Atlantic Yards Consultant Bill Up to $4.8 Million
Red Hook Lane Demapped, No Longer Exists
Is $500,000 Underground Railroad Study Bogus?

Photo by MK Metz

Big Dog, Little Dog

Researchers say that all dogs -- like these two on Court Street in Brooklyn Heights -- are brothers under the skin. The Great Dane's owner says that he's just a big wuss.

Photo by MK Metz

'Steamy' Opera on the Brooklyn Waterfront

The Vertical Player Repertory will be performing Puccini's "Il Tabarro" using the Mary A. Whalen as their stage on Friday, September 07, through Sunday, September 16.

VPR is collaborating with PortSide New York to present this "steamy maritime opera about adultery and murder." The Mary A. Whalen is a retired oil tanker docked at the Red Hook Marine Terminal.

PortSide New York says:
"With actual stevedores and professional opera singers sharing the stage, surrounded by views of gantry cranes, containers, the lumber port, passing vessel traffic and a spectacular view of Governor's Island and the lower Manhattan skyline, this will be an unforgettable on-site experience for audience and performers alike."

The opera will start at sundown, approximately 7 p.m. (arrive early). Tickets are $25 each. PortSide NewYork will host a Sunset Reception on the pier before each performance from 5 - 7 p.m.; $35. (Artisan Food, Wine + Beer from Tini Winebar Café of Red Hook.)

Location: Red Hook Marine Terminal, Pier 9B
Corner of Hamilton Avenue and Van Brunt Street
The event is hosted by American Stevedoring Inc., operator of the Red Hook container port.

Photo courtesy of PortSide NY

DeBlasio to Meet with 360 Smith Street Petition Signers

CORD has sent us the word that Councilman Bill De Blasio has announced there will be a town hall meeting to discuss the 360 Smith Street problem* this Thursday night, August 23, at Buddy Scotto's funeral parlor on the corner of Court Street and First Place in Carroll Gardens.

*For those not following the story, a much-derided 70-foot-tall Scarano building has been proposed at the corner of Smith Street and 2nd Place.

For more details as they unfold, visit http://www.carrollgardenspetition.blogspot.com/

Past posts on this topic:
The Brooklyn Skinny Dipper, and More Monday Briefs
Size DOES Matter on Second Place
Brooklyn Wednesday in Brief
Smith Street: Zombies? Performance Art?
'Stop Scarano' Rally at DOB Today
Brooklyn's Smith Street Today
'Protect Our Homes in Carroll Gardens' Petition

The Brooklyn Headhunter: Find a Job in Brooklyn

From time to time, McBrooklyn puts on its Headhunting gear and scouts out a handful of Brooklyn employment opportunities.

Here are today's listings:

- Union Beer Distributors is looking for a beer delivery truck driver. Yahoo HotJobs

- Library Project Coordinator. Will introduce inner city children between the ages of 13 and 14 to primary historical resources and research at the Brooklyn Public Library. Idealist

- Content writer/manager. $25-30K Craigslist

- Home Depot needs a store manager. Job.com

- Strauss Discount Auto is seeking an auto technician. $27.50 - 29.50/hour. CareerBuilder

- Grant writer for a high school, entry-level. Craigslist

- Public Storage needs a Brooklyn/Queens District Manager. $60K CareerBuilder

- Staff accountants needed in Downtown Brooklyn. Accountemps

- Technical writer for the City of New York, at MetroTech. $42-50K Yahoo HotJobs

- Tatoo artists and body piercers. (Ask for Buzz) Craigslist

- Wonton Foods -- one of the largest manufactures of Chinese noodles and fortune cookies in the U.S. -- seeks a Food Technologist. Yahoo HotJobs

- RiteAid needs a co-manager. Yahoo HotJobs

- Personal chauffeur. Must be 50-60 years old. Craigslist

Previous job postings.

Photo by MikeColvin82, Creative Commons license.

Weekend Food and Drink in Brooklyn

- The state of Indian food in Brooklyn is, apparently, problematic. Chowhound

- Gridskipper checks out the eats on Henry Street.

- DumboNYC offers food and wine tidbits.

- Brklynstories links to Utne Reader's blunt truth about soy: eating too much can be bad, very bad.

- Brooklyn Skeptic reviews Brooklyn's bars.

- Marshals seize the popular Mexican restaurant Vera Cruz on Bedford Ave. Eater

- Plate of the Day talks about jerked chicken.

Something Strange Going On With the Pigs in Brooklyn Heights

We were taken aback yesterday by the change in color scheme at the Blue Pig ice cream parlor on Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights. The blue pig was gone -- only to be replaced by a pink porker. See the Before (left) and After photos below.

The salesperson at the store kept insisting the pig was blue, but we weren't fooled.

Photos by MK Metz

He Might Be Crazy -- But Wouldn't You Love to Take the Trolley in Brooklyn?

Brooklyn's authentic trolley aficionado Bob Diamond, discoverer of the Atlantic Avenue train tunnel (see McBrooklyn's photos and video of the awesome underground tour here) wants to get Brooklyn's trolleys running again through the famous tunnel under Atlantic Avenue, as shown below, from the waterfront to Boerum Place.

Mr. Diamond has suffered numerous setbacks. The trolley cars stacked up behind Fairway in Red Hook (photo, above) are left-overs from a previous trolley attempt of Diamond's that came just a little too early in Brooklyn's redevelopment.

The powers that be don't appear to be jumping on the concept of real, live trolleys (not those buses painted to look like trolleys) running a loop from, say, Jay Street/Borough Hall, along Atlantic to Brooklyn Bridge Park. According to a recent article in the Daily News, officials say shuttle buses to the park have worked just fine.

But there's something that doesn't want a dream to die. Okay, he might be crazy -- but wouldn't it be fun to take a real trolley in Brooklyn?

See Diamond's Brooklyn Historic Railway Association web site.

See Forgotten-NY Trolleys, Diamond in the Rough, for a tiny glimpse of the history behind Diamond's trolley adventures.

Photos of Atlantic Avenue tunnel and trolley cars by MK Metz

Big Film Shoot in Dumbo Park Last Night

DumboNYC put out the word that anyone could drop by last night to be an extra at the shoot for "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People," being filmed under huge floating lights at Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park, seen here from the Brooklyn Bridge.

So hundreds did drop by -- the tent in the Empire Stores was packed and many people brought blankets and picnic baskets. Signs warned participants that they gave up the rights to their image forever and throughout the universe.

The local extras were in a scene with Simon Pegg (”Shaun of the Dead,” “Hot Fuzz”) and Kirsten Dunst (”Spiderman I, II, III,” “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”) More details about the film at DumboNYC.

Photos by MK Metz

KeySpan Cleanup, and More Brooklyn Thursday News

- The state Department of Environmental Conservation and Keyspan have reached an expanded agreement on cleaning up several highly contaminated sites in Brooklyn, including two in Gowanus and one in Williamsburg. The most prominent of the sites is the one known as Public Place in Gowanus. Gowanus Lounge

- The city announced this week a $2 million project to commemorate abolitionist activity in Downtown Brooklyn -- but still plans to raze Duffield Street homes, which may actually have been stops on the Underground Railroad. Brooklyn Eagle

- A Bob Dylan video was shot Tuesday in Williamsburg. Dylan wasn't there, but a look-a-like was there along with "a ton of faux-hippies." Gothamist

- Rapper Foxy Brown has been charged with felony assault for allegedly attacking her Brooklyn neighbor last month. PR Inside

- More Atlantic Yards demolitions, one around the base of the future Miss Brooklyn. Brownstoner

Another Dumbo Riddle: What's Wrong with This Picture?

It was a long, hot day at Empire Fulton Ferry State Park, and the Parks Department sign crew just wanted to finish and go home...

Photo by MK Metz

My Walk Score is Better Than Your Walk Score

McBrooklyn just discovered this nifty little site called Walk Score, which helps homebuyers and real estate agents find houses and apartments in "walkable" neighborhoods.

You type in an address and Walk Score shows you a map of what's nearby (restaurants, bars, parks, hardware stores), calculating a Walk Score for any property.

Walk Score makes the point that buying a house in a walkable neighborhood is good for your health and good for the environment.

We suspected that Brooklyn was very walkable, and our hunch proved correct. Here are some addresses and their Walk Scores:

130 Henry Street = 100! (out of 100)
182 Atlantic Ave. = 95
14 Pitkin Ave. = 58
14 Flatlands Ave. = 62
80 Avenue J = 77
62 Coffey St. = 71
200 Union St. = 97
130 Flatbush Ave. = 100
4000 S. Peninsula Dr., Daytona Beach, Florida = 37
1 Elzevir Rd., Elzevir, Canada = 0

Photo by Bob Jagendorf, Creative Commons license

In the Jungle, the Cobble Hill Jungle, the Lion Sleeps Tonight...

No, nothing as mundane as a jilted bride.

In Cobble Hill, residents boost full-size, royally-garbed lions up onto the ledge, as these Leo-lovers at 368 Clinton Street have done.

Happy birthday, Leos!
















Photos by MK Metz

Brilliant or Crazy? Jewish Principal Appointed for Brooklyn's Arabic School

Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein announced Monday the appointment of Danielle Salzberg as interim acting principal of Khalil Gibran International Academy in Boerum Hill, the first Arabic-themed school in New York City, according to the Brooklyn Eagle.

The school’s original principal and a main founder, Debbie Almontaser (who is Arabic) turned in her resignation Friday after appearing to support a group that printed up "Intifada NYC" T-shirts.

Conservative web sites and right-leaning newspapers (the New York Sun and now the Post), along with a group calling itself "Stop the Madrassa" and Assemblyman Dov Hikind have been calling on the Department of Education to shut the school down.

The appointment of a Jewish principal could be a brilliant move on Klein's part. According to the DOE, Salzberg has been working with the school all along, and according to the Eagle story, the Arab-American Family Support Center fully supports Ms. Salzberg.

The Post's Andrea Peyser says, however, "This might be the worst joke ever to hit Brooklyn."

Brilliant? Or crazy?

- Brooklyn's Arabic School Principal Resigns in "I-Word" Flap
- Arabic-Themed School Finds a Home
- DOE to 'Cram' Arabic-Themed School into Park Slope Elementry School

The Sky is Falling on Montague Street!

The underside of a balcony hanging high over the Haagen-Daazs on Montague Street near Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights just plain fell off Monday early evening. A bit of it landed on the sidewalk right next to the bench outside Haagen-Dazs; the rest got stuck in a tree. Luckily, no one was hit.

The fire department had to send a man up the long ladder (above) to knock the debris from the tree before it fell on somebody. The gathering crowd was quite concerned that Haagen-Dazs would be closed for the rest of the night, but the swift action of the fire department made that unlikely.

Photos by MK Metz

Why New Yorkers Last Longer

New Yorkers are living longer than ever, even if you factor out declining deaths from homicide, AIDS, and overdose.

Could it be the rich social and cultural scene? The spillover effect from so many rich folks? The influx of the young and the restless? Or is it because the whole city is actually one massive exercise machine?

New York Magazine traces the reasons: Why New Yorkers Last Longer

Photo by Said&Done, Creative Commons license.

Radiological Threat ? Fergetaboutit!

New York police set up radiological monitoring and vehicle checkpoints Friday and Saturday in response to the rumor of a terrorist threat published on an Israeli web site, but locals and tourists alike were out in force during the beautiful weekend weather.

By the end of the day Saturday, the extra security measures were being gradually relaxed after New York police said the threat could not be substantiated.

Photo by MK Metz

The Brooklyn Skinny Dipper, and More Monday Briefs

- Brooklyn skinny-dipper found au natural by Coast Guard after all-night search in Long Beach. Forbes

- Buying a condo for your business instead of renting seems to be an idea that's catching on. Hundreds of deal-makers and businesses attended the grand opening of Greenpoint Lofts. Brooklyn Eagle

- Bikers: Ride from Manhattan to the Coney Island Amusement Park on August 24 at 7 p.m. . Riders should get there just in time for the fireworks. Streetsblog

- The Housing Authority swears it has no plans to convert the Whitman/Ingersoll Houses into private condos. Why, then, have these rumors persisted? Blame the blogs. The Brooklyn Paper

- Amanda H. Burden, Director of the Department of City Planning, wrote to CORD: We are aware that members of the community are concerned about the proposed building at 360 Smith Street... We agree that such a study makes sense, and are committed to pursuing it, but ... we are unable to commit to a precise timeframe. Carroll Gardens Petition

- Visit some of Bay Ridge's finest restaurants on BCAT. "Neighborhood Beat: The View from Bay Ridge," premiers Tuesday, August 14 at 8:30 p.m. bcat.tv

The Brooklyn Headhunter: Find a Job in Brooklyn

From time to time, McBrooklyn puts on its Headhunting gear and scouts out a handful of Brooklyn employment opportunities.

Here are today's listings:

- Neighborhoodies needs someone to work in their production department, mostly manipulating letter pressing machines. Craigslist

- A Dollar Tree store grows in Brooklyn, and they need a manager. Great benefits. CareerBuilder

- Their stock is dropping like a rock, but Countrywide Financial is still hiring Account Executives in Brooklyn. NY Times

- Brooklyn Public Library has several openings. Great benefits. A job fair will be held this Wednesday and next Thursday. BPL

- Paralegal in Downtown Brooklyn. $11 per hour. Will train. Craigslist

- Bell Hop at a hotel on 9th Street and 4th Avenue in Brooklyn. $7.50/hour (we assume there are tips on top of this?) Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, job #12999695

- Bank of America has many positions open in Brooklyn. NY Times

- Experienced web producer needed at HUGE. Craigslist

- Home Depot is looking for a store manager. MultiCulturalAdvantage

- GardenGirls needs an experienced horticulturist. $18/hour+ Craigslist

- Starbucks is holding hiring events in Cobble Hill on Thursdays in August. Craigslist

- Office assistant for the Katie Brown Workshop television show. $28K. Craigslist

- Copy operator with retail experience. $25-$38K. Craigslist

- High school librarian. Idealist

- Internet Media Manager. $50K+ CareerBuilder

- Agency seeks Executive Administrative Assistant for NYC criminal justice program. $30K+ Career Builder


Photo by MikeColvin82, Creative Commons license.

Rudy Rally in Brooklyn Monday

The Rudy Giuliani Presidential Committee will be throwing a "Rally with Rudy in Brooklyn" on Monday, August 13 at Congregation Shaare Zion, 2030 Ocean Parkway (between Avenues T and U) at 7 p.m. $40/person.

Discount to members of the Brooklyn Museum and Families First (hahahaha only joking!).

Photo courtesy of JoinRudy2008.

Social Registry Four Year Label Anniversary

Two Day Outdoor Festival

Mean Red sent us this cool graphic:

To celebrate their 4th anniversary, on August 11th and 12th (Saturday and Sunday) they're hosting a two-day outdoor festival. This will feature a whole host of bands including Gang Gang Dance, Psychic Ills, Artanker Convoy, Samara Lubelski, TK Webb and Electroputas. Many new signings to The Social Registry will be performing such as Growing, UK-based Sian Alice Group (playing their first ever US show), Mike Bones, Christy & Emily and Douglas Armour (his East Coast debut). Special surprise -- a reunion show from Ghost Exits, their first live performance in about three years.

Venue: The Yard
Address: 400 Carroll Street btwn. Bond and Nevins
Directions: F or G train to Carroll Street / N or R train to Union Street
Price per day: $15
Price for both days: $25
Hours: 1pm-9:30pm

Advance tickets are available through TicketWeb: www.ticketweb.com

Hard copy tickets are available at Other Music and Eat Records.

Mermaids Beat Thor Out of Coney Building, and More

- In two weeks, the nonprofit that runs the Mermaid Parade, the Coney Island Museum, and the Circus Sideshow will close a deal to buy the building it now leases. Coney Island USA founder Dick Zigun says that with the city’s backing, it will purchase the 1917 structure at a price of $3.6 million — beating out Thor for the deal. New York Magazine Daily Intelligencer

- Craigslist is holding a "boot camp" for non-profits and social entrepreneurs at BAM.

- The Kensington blog is compiling a list of trees blown away by the tornado. Respond before the city moves on to the next crisis.

- Closings are moving quickly and new residents have moved in to the J Condo. DumboNYC

- How to help out the Bay Ridge tornado victims. OTBKB

Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament at KeySpan Park

You know that there's at least one sport you can do: Rock, Paper, Scissors.

On Saturday, September 1st, the Brooklyn Cyclones will hold a "Rock, Paper, Scissors" tournament, with a grand prize of two 2008 Cyclones' season tickets and two round-trip JetBlue domestic airline tickets. The Rock, Paper, Scissors tourney will take place on the field at KeySpan Park, with four finalists advancing to the Cyclones' RPS Final Four, to be held during that night's game against the Staten Island Yankees.

More here.

Photo by Everyskyline, Creative Commons license

Brooklyn's Arabic School Principal Resigns in 'I-Word' Flap

In the end, it wasn't the raging anti-Arab mobs that brought an end to the budding career of the Khalil Gibran school's founder Debbie Almontaser, nor was it the inept site search by the Department of Education.

It was some T-shirts printed by an Arabic women's group with the words "Intifada NYC" that ended the tenure of the first principal of the first Arabic-themed school in NYC, which will open in Boerum Hill in September, reports the New York Post and the Brooklyn Eagle.

Though the T-shirts had nothing to do with Ms. Almontaser or the school, the group operated out of the same offices used by an organization Almontaser works with. Ms. Almontaser initially defended the women's use of the word "intifada." Though she later reconsidered, that (as they say) was that.

Post story here.
Eagle story here.

- Arabic-themed school finds a home here.
- DOE to 'cram' Arabic-themed school into Park Slope elementary school here.

All That's Left of 182 Atlantic Avenue

On July 23, we posted "Say Goodbye to 182 Atlantic Avenue." The site (on Atlantic near Court Street, behind the old Independence Bank building) was recently the home to the highly commendable Independence Community Foundation (the small picture on the left), but it passed into the hands of Two Trees Management on July 25.

Well, we were busy and forgot to check in during the intervening two weeks. But we weren't surprised Thursday afternoon to find that 182 was kaput, because a source had told us that Two Trees was champing at the bit to knock the sucker down.

Independence Community Foundation has moved to 45 Main Street, a Two Trees property experiencing a bit of trouble recently.

Now that 182 Atlantic is torn down, construction will begin on the 37-unit, six story apartment building (photo here) that Two Trees is putting up behind the bank building -- which, by the way, is the future home to Trader Joe's.

Back to McBrooklyn HOME

How Much Is That Doggie in the Planter?

This imaginative bit of topiary on Henry Street near Degraw looks like it's ready to jump out of the planter while waggling its little tail.

Photo by MK Metz

NYU Could Expand into Downtown Brooklyn

- Should the proposed merger between Brooklyn's Polytechnic University and New York University go through, the result would be an expansion of NYU to Brooklyn -- not necessarily limited to Polytechnic’s present real-estate, but into other areas of MetroTech and Downtown Brooklyn as well. Brooklyn Eagle

More Thursday links:

- Had the tornado hit Park Slope or Fort Greene rather than blue-collar neighborhoods of Sunset Park and Bay Ridge, we'd no doubt have more fun YouTube footage of flying Bugaboo baby strollers and airborne Labradoodles... Wired Science

- The Brooklyn Speaks coalition and local politicians called for increased community oversight of Bruce Ratner's controversial Atlantic Yards plan. No Land Grab

- DOB: don't bother doing anything about 18-20 Jackson Place. It fell down. The Gowanus Lounge

- Take a look at this spiffy model of Two Trees' ideal Dumbo. Brownstoner

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Tracking the Path of Brooklyn's Tornado

(Are you looking for the Sept. 16, 2010 storm? That's here.)

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Using Google Maps, we tracked the path of the tornado as it cut it's way through Brooklyn. According to the Brooklyn Eagle, the twister was believed to have started at 74th Street and Shore Road (green tag) before moving northeast to 68th Street and Fourth Avenue, then to Lief Ericson Park, up Sixth Avenue and 58th before swinging out to Midwood along Caton Avenue (red tag) , where it died down.

The National Weather Service confirmed that Wednesday's storm was an EF2-class tornado, winds up to 135 miles-per-hour, causing serious damage to homes in Bay Ridge and other sections of Brooklyn.

Early estimates by state Sen. Marty Golden’s office put damages possibly in the tens of millions of dollars. According to the Eagle, Lief Ericson Park lost between 30 and 40 percent of its trees. Roughly 400 roofs had been damaged, some ripped clean off.

More here.

UPDATE: Another map from the National Weather Service vis the Brooklyn Eagle here.

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Subways Out, Pedestrans Hoof It Over Brooklyn Bridge -- UPDATE: Transit System in State of Chaos

The steady trickle of business-suited pedestrians over the Brooklyn Bridge continued as of 10:30 this morning as most of the mass-transit options into Manhattan remain flooded following last night's massive storm. Here is the MTA's Service Alert Page.

For a brief time this morning, Brooklyn was under a tornado watch. NY1 reports that tornado-like winds ripped the roofs off several houses in Bay Ridge; Flatbush residents also reported damaged houses and crushed cars along several blocks. (A Kensington reader emailed a downed-tree photo to Gothamist.)

The official dedication of the Pearl Street Triangle in Dumbo has been postponed (DumboNYC).

UPDATE: Travelers report it is taking hours to get from Manhattan to Brooklyn, with the transit system in a state of chaos. One commuter says he started at 81st Street at 9:30 a.m. and had to take a patchword of trains and buses -- including a freelance non-MTA bus where the driver pocketed the $2 -- only to arrive in Brooklyn Heights at 12:45.

UPDATE 2: The Office of Emergency Management has set up a command center in heavily damaged Sunset Park, where the mayor, the governor and the police commissioner held a briefing on the storm’s damage. The Mayor asks people to stay home today if possible, as temperatures are expected to soar into the 90s. Cooling centers are being set up. NY1

Photo by MK Metz

If You Don't Think This is Cute, Then Your Heart is Made of Stone

Ducklings, hens, baby goats, pigs and sheep were some of the attractions that kept kids and their parents oohing and ahhing at the 84th Precinct's Night Out Against Crime last night at Borough Hall.

The Gowanus Wildcats Drill Team, wearing bright red, did their drill thing; 84th Precinct Explorer Scouts handed out brochures; faces were painted and kids got pony rides.

It was a good time!

Photo copyright MK Metz