McBrooklyn's on Vacation Till 2009

McBrooklyn's heading to a warm, green place, and will return on or about January 4, 2009. Have a great New Year!

Dunk Island photo by Melalouise, Creative Commons license

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Obama Inauguration Viewing at New York City Hall

From the City Council: "Recognizing that during these difficult financial times many New Yorkers may be unable to make the trip to Washington DC for President Obama's inauguration, The City Council has decided to open up its side of City Hall to the public for the occasion."

Specifically, the City Council will set up big screen televisions in City Council Chambers, The Committee Room, and The Rotunda. The doors for the event will open at 10:30am and the event will continue throughout the day until President-Elect Obama’s speech has concluded.

New Yorkers who are interested in coming to City Hall on inauguration day should RSVP by January 16, 2009 to (212) 442-1649 or
email to events@council.nyc.gov

UPDATE: To see where to watch the inauguration and celebrate the occasion in Brooklyn, see here.

Photo by BohPhoto, Creative Commons license

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'Stop the Brooklyn House of Detention' Rally

A member of the Boerum Hill Association sent us an email about a rally against the expansion and reopening of the Brooklyn House of Detention on Atlantic Avenue in Boerum Hill. It reads in part:

"Sen. Eric Adams, Council Member Letitia James and Downtown Brooklyn’s largest NYCHA tenant groups have joined the lawsuit to stop the illegal expansion and re-opening of the Brooklyn House of Detention, as a growing coalition of elected officials, community groups and advocates for more responsible government prepares for a rally and their day in court next month."

The coalition will hold a rally at 9 a.m., Tuesday, January 6th outside the State Supreme Court building in Cadman Plaza Park. Visit the coalition’s web site at www.stopbhod.org to sign up for updates.

Photo by MK Metz

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'Christmas in Brooklyn' : Video

A correspondent sent us this sweet video entitled "Christmas in Brooklyn."

"Christmas in Brooklyn" features photos of the borough, with original music by Bill Bartlett and his talented family. Bartlett is founder and director of the non-profit Imagine Project, which nutures kids' creativity through the performing arts.

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Last Minute Holiday Shopping on Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue

We know you haven't been able to get out there and finish your shopping. Number one, you're working. Number two, it's been sleeting, then raining, then snowing.

As a public service, McBrooklyn took a walk up and down Atlantic Avenue to do some window shopping. At any store that had something that looked like a possible present in the window, we took a photo. There were plenty of stores that didn't present good photo ops (if the gate was down, for instance), but this should give you some idea of what's out there. Click on the photos to see details.

We're thinking that if you start somewhere around Sahadi's (I got a big bag of pistachios once for Christmas and it was great) and work your way east along Atlantic towards 4th Avenue, you can get it all done on one street.

Take a look and see if anything here matches someone on your list:


Cool preteen-wear at Trixie and Tilda, 407 Atlantic





Batik clothing for little kids at Melting Pot, 492 Atlantic





Gingerbread house at Betty Bakery, 448 Atlantic







Artistic ties at Artez'n, 444 Atlantic. (Check out the ties for bikers.)





Not a bad bag for $4.99 at the Salvation Army Family Store, 436 Atlantic





Hand-made scarves, sweaters and hats at Knit-A-Way of Brooklyn, 398 Atlantic






Jewelry and vases at Trudy Miller, 394 Atlantic




Small contemporary paintings at Metaphor Contemporary Art Gallery, 382 Atlantic.







124 piece service for 12 at Circa, 374 Atlantic






Sweet unmentionables, at Iris Lingerie in Kimera, 366 Atlantic Ave.




A few stores, like Gumbo (493 Atlantic), didn't have a window full of merchandise at the time but check them out if you have a chance. There were also a couple of antique shops with wonderful items in the window, but the gates were pulled down so we couldn't get a decent shot.

Here's the list of Boerum Hill stores participating in the Shop Brooklyn program -- make sure to ask for your discount.

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The Chanuka Car on Atlantic Avenue

Seen driving past the Brooklyn House of Detention, the silver Chanuka car has a full menorah mounted on the roof.

Photo by MK Metz

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Shopping Cart Thieves at IKEA, and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Don't be lulled by all that Scandanavian good cheer -- there are shopping cart thieves in Brooklyn's IKEA. News Views and Analysis

- Community Board 2’s land-use committee rejected developer Walentas’s request for a zoning change for a controversial 18-story rental building with retail and school on Dock Street in Dumbo. Brooklyn Paper

- South Street Seaport is up for sale. Curbed

- A tiny accounting firm was listed by Ponzi-schemer Bernard Madoff as the main auditor of his multi-billion dollar operation. Investigators for the DA’s office went to the firm’s office, but no one answered. Hello? Crain's NY

- The shoe hurled at President Bush has sent sales soaring at the Turkish shoe maker as orders pour in from Iraq, the U.S. and Iran. Huffington Post

- Hippie sighting on Montague Street, Brooklyn Heights. Brooklyn Eagle

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Suspended Hand, Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn

This large hand sculpture hangs suspended over Kea Carpets, at 477 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn.

Photo by MK Metz

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Power Still Out Across Parts of Brooklyn Dec. 21, 2008

Con-Ed reports that hundreds of customers in Brooklyn were still without power at 6 p.m. Sunday. Each cluster of triangles represents multiple outages.

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Snow Scene, Downtown Brooklyn

It was pretty nice before it turned into sleet and ice pellets.

Photo by MK Metz

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White Out at Cadman Plaza Park

A couple of guys take a walk Friday morning in the quickly falling snow at Cadman Plaza Park in Downtown Brooklyn/ Brooklyn Heights.

Weather Underground calls for a mixture of snow, rain and sleet this afternoon.

Photo by MK Metz

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Brooklyn Heights Montessori 'Little Room' -- Why Not St. Charles?

After a major outcry, the pre-K program for kids with special needs housed in the Brooklyn Heights Montessori School has received a reprieve and will remain open for an additional year. Now, according to the Brooklyn Eagle, parents and elected officials have to find a new location before the clock runs out next November.

But wait -- here's a possible solution:

St. Charles Borromeo Church is considering new plans for the parish’s historic school building at 23 Sidney Place in Brooklyn Heights. The school, which had been in poor financial shape, closed in February 2007 after a fire. Now we read in the Eagle that Catholic Charities is exploring the possibility of starting a Montessori program in the building.

Hey, why don't you guys get together? At the Little Room, you got a successful pre-K program looking to find a new space and grow. At St. Charles Borromeo, they are looking for a program to go into a pre-built school building.

Common, guys! Give each other a phone call.

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Bright Blue Dime Bank Opens on Montague Street, Brooklyn Heights

Dime Bank finally opened on Montague Street's "Banker's Row." Not bad looking, though unusually bright for Montague Street.

- Montague Street's Dime Bank -- Humble, But Still Standing
- Brooklyn's Dime Savings Bank Coming to Montague Street's 'Banker's Row'

Photo by MK Metz

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Work Continues on Brooklyn Judges Parking Lot

Pedestrians are still locked out of the main thoroughfare of Brooklyn Borough Hall's Columbus Park, which is being used by judges for parking while the lot next to the Supreme Court building (pictured above) is being renovated.

Back in early October the city gave Columbus Park's Rose Walkway to the judges so the poor dears wouldn't have to walk the whole block to their taxpayer-financed indoor parking lot in the basement of the new courthouse a block north of the Supreme Court (just out of sight behind the statue in the photo below).

From morning till about 7 p.m., armed guards stand behind fences erected in the Rose Walkway, guarding judges' cars.

Judges Give Finger to Downtown Brooklyn, Take Over Columbus Park for Parking Lot

Photos by MK Metz

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Half the Snow in Cadman Park = One Snow-Something

The melting remains of a snow-something in Cadman Park, Brooklyn Heights. This snow-something was apparently built Tuesday night using half the snow in the park.

A second collapsed snow-thing, further south, seems to have used up the rest of the snow.


Photos by MK Metz

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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.

In light of the weak job outlook, we're also posting some part time work. (With the idea that something is better than nothing, or two part-time jobs = one full time job.)


- The Freelancers Union is seeking a Director of Communications. Dumbo. Craigslist

- Examinetics, Inc. will train someone to work as an Occupational Health Specialist. Set up equipment, administer tests, drive the 26 ft. mobile unit. Paid on-the-job training. $37,500 - $45,900. Careerbuilder

- The Brooklyn Museum of Art is looking for a Capital Project Manager. Looks like some big project(s) are in the works! MetroNY Jobs

- Part time librarian wanted. Flexible hours at Downtown Brooklyn campus. MLS degree a plus -- will train. Craigslist

- Brooklyn Kindergarten Society with early childhood centers located in Bedford-Stuyvesant, East New York, and Crown Heights, is seeking a full-time experienced Controller. Careerbuilder

- Clerical positions, up to $18/ hr. Craigslist

- Editorial Director wanted to manage the development of literacy and mathematics programs for pre-K - 8 marketplace. Careerbuilder

- Direct drivers into a parking garage (across from Brooklyn Hospital) by waiving a flag on the street. Monday - Friday 7:30 am - 9:30 am. $8.50/hr. That's $16 bucks before breakfast. Craigslist

- Experienced food workers are needed for a new Subway franchise at 56-01 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn. Craigslist

- Fruits and vegetables wholesaler with over $45 million in sales per year seeks an experienced Bookkeeper/Accountant. $40,000 - $50,000 Careerbuilder

- A high-end wig company needs a marketing and PR person. Craigslist

- The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is looking for a Director of Marketing. BBG

- AAHA animal hospital in Kensington is looking for a part-time receptionist. Craigslist


Photo by MikeColvin82, Creative Commons license.

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Front Street Pizza, Dumbo, Brooklyn

Front Street Pizza is "a good place to get a quick slice," but we like the statuary.

Photo by MK Metz

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More Reasons to Love New York

New York Magazine presents this year's edition of why we love New York City, which includes such gems as:

"Obama is one of us, despite all that business about Chicago;"*

"Our stage is big enough for Hillary's sense of drama;"

"People will still do really crazy things to live here;"

and this-is-not-an-insult: "Our mayor is a self-regarding masochist."

More reasons here.

* In Dreams From My Father Obama writes about living in New York: “The apartment was small, with slanting floors and irregular heat and a buzzer downstairs that didn’t work, so that visitors had to call ahead from a pay phone at the corner gas station, where a black Doberman the size of a wolf paced through the night in vigilant patrol, its jaws clamped around an empty beer bottle.”

Photo by MK Metz

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Have We Made It Clear? Don't Park Here

Some people thought they could park next to this little sidewalk curb cut on Henry Street near Cranberry in Brooklyn Heights.

Now, someone has helpfully painted "TOW ZONE" in nice big letters all over the spot.

Seems clear enough to us.

Photos by MK Metz

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'Eco-Friendly' Society Bash, and More Brooklyn Briefs

- How tall is the Dock Street project? Brownstoner via DumboNYC

- Bay Ridge's demolished 'Green Church" is becoming a schoool. Brooklyn Paper

- An "eco-friendly" benefit for the upper-crust Brooklyn Kindergarten Society in Brooklyn Heights. Brooklyn Eagle

- Next Saturday (12/20) is the 109th Annual Christmas Bird Count at Prospect Park Audubon Center. Gowanus Lounge

- From creepy to cozy in Red Hook. NY1 via Curbed

- Shocked New Yorkers learn their muffins have 500 calories. Crain's NY

- Community Board 7 (part of Windsor Terrace) is looking to downzone the neighborhood. Brooklyn Eagle

- Sen. John McCain said Sunday he would not necessarily support his former running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, if she chose to run for president. CNN


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Brooklyn's TD Bank Rolls Out Red Carpet for VIPs

The red carpet was rolled out Saturday at the new TD Bank on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights night in preparation for a holiday VIP party. When an employee was asked who the VIPs were, he said he didn't know for sure, but probably, "Big depositors."

In November, TD Bank replaced Commerce Bank on Montague Street and at 575 other locations.

- TD Bank Gives $100K for Affordable Housing in Flatbush
- Commerce Bank Disappears Overnight, Replaced by Canadian TD Bank

Photo by MK Metz

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This Weekend in Brooklyn: Arts, Sales and Mustaches for Kids

Show change in Dumbo: The "Rachel Trachtenburg's Homemade Holiday World" show -- originally intended at Galapagos Art Space for this Saturday, Dec. 13 -- has been canceled. In its place is Chinese Theater Works' puppet production of "Ti-Oh-Oh" at 3 p.m. Galapagos says, "Bring your children to experience this magical Chinese fable." 16 Main Street, Dumbo

Support Living Artists for the Holidays Sale: Sat. from 11-4PM, and Sun. from 11-6PM, over 50 artists and 'Create Brooklyn' artisans will be presenting newly created works – attractively priced for gift giving, most at under $100. Adding to the atmosphere, carols, hot cocoa and Christmas classics will play in the Screening Room. Ground floor gallery, handicapped accessible, at 499 Van Brunt St, across from Fairway and down the block from IKEA.

smART Brooklyn Gallery Hop: Sunday 12/14, from 11-6 PM, presented by BWAC. Free hop on/off shuttle buses running on four different loops offering attendees a chance to experience galleries throughout Brooklyn. The "Gold Loop," for example, starts from Borough Hall and covers Dumbo, Boerum Hill and Red Hook. Reserve a seat on the bus.

Brooklyn Women's Artisan Holiday Sale: You can do some shopping for "Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn" (DDDB) T-shirts and also shop for other fine goods from local woman artisans, Saturday. Live music, free food. 11 am - 6 pm, 137 St. Felix (between Hanson Place & Lafayette). Just around the corner from BAM.

Temporary zone in Dumbo: The audience of “Vessel of Polis” will become citizens of a temporary autonomous zone within New York. This new, anonymous city will exist for 15 minutes at sunset (4:15) on December 13, after which only its ruins will remain as a trace of what it once was. On the hill of Empire-Fulton Ferry Park. More at DumboNYC.

Open Editions: On Saturday and Sunday, December 13 and 14, reBar will be hosting open editions, an all-weekend art extravaganza in Dumbo with over 20 local artists selling their work at $100 or less. More here.

Mustaches for Kids: For the last four weeks, men across the country have been competing to grow the fullest, thickest, and sweetest mustaches for Mustaches for Kids — all with the aim of raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for public school classrooms. Saturday, they all converge at Galapagos Art Space to show what they are really made of.

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Nice Graffiti in Downtown Brooklyn

Ever walk by Finish Line when the security gate was pulled down? Nice graffiti!

Finish Line, on Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn, sells sports shoes.

Photo by MK Metz

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Rain in Brooklyn, Snow in New Orleans

While Brooklyn is experiencing a dreary, rainy day, New Orleans is blanked in snow and (not knowing how to deal with it) the city has practically shut down.

The whole world is turned upside down!

Photo by MK Metz

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Macy's Shopping Spree May Land Brooklyn Wife in Jail

So the wife of a Brooklyn business owner goes on a $20,000 pre-holiday shopping spree at Macy's, and charges it to the company credit card — her husband’s company.

According to the Brooklyn Eagle, when the credit card statements finally arrived at the offices of her husband’s business, the Clinton Realty Corporation at 271 14th St., 51-year-old Willy Gonzalez galloped straight to the 78th Precinct to press charges against his wife.

If convicted, Mrs. Gonzalez could get seven years.

Who does she think she is -- Sarah Palin?

More of this story here.

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Fake, Oversized Breasts, and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Continuum Health pirates are still not doing right by L.I.C.H., and Brooklyn could lose another hospital. Pardon Me For Asking

- Oh man; now they're talking $50 a year for a New York State drivers license! Second Ave. Sagas

- Today (12/10) marks the Fifth Anniversary of the announcement of the Atlantic Yards project. You mean it's not open yet? Gowanus Lounge

- Today also marks "A Day Without Gays." As in everyone who's gay may or may not show up for work. New York Magazine

- It's a post about how to carry around fake, oversized breasts. We think. New York Shitty

- A new DNA Footwear & UGG Shop should be opening soon on Fifth Avenue near President Street in Park Slope. Gowanus Lounge

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Brooklyn's Christmas Tree -- Great Color Blue

The 40-foot-tall Christmas tree in Brooklyn Borough Hall Plaza was lit at a celebration Monday night with fabulous blue bulbs (they remind us of airport landing lights).

Inside Borough Hall, children and parents enjoyed a performance of “Jingle Bells” in 13 different languages, sung by the “Ericksen Elves” from Ericksen Translations. A flute trio from the Packer Collegiate Institute also played.

Santa heard children's wishes and kids got to pick a gift from the gift table. (Santa's helpers from Trader Joe's handed out cookies and other goodies.)

Make sure you swing by Borough Hall this holiday season. It's quite cheerful!

Photos by MK Metz

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Caroling on Montague Street, Brooklyn Heights, Wednesday

The Montague Street BID sends word it is sponsoring a community caroling walk this Wednesday, December 10th, beginning immediately after the Brooklyn Heights Promenade tree-lighting ceremony, at approximately 5:45 p.m.

Grace & Spiritus Chorale will provide beautiful voices, and Lassen & Hennigs will offer treats for all who sing.

Street lamps are twined with evergreen garland and sparkling white lights, and three dozen Montague Street trees are decked in an installation of solar-powered, green-color LED light strings.

Photo of carolers by The Wu's Photo Land, Creative Commons license

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$7,500 Fighting a Lousy $115 Parking Ticket, and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Rupert Murdoch's Community Newspaper Group, reportedly New York City’s largest group of neighborhood newspapers (think Courier-Life) , is moving to the 10th floor at One MetroTech Center in Downtown Brooklyn. Brooklyn Eagle

- Failing PS 27, in Red Hook -- recently expanded by the DOE to a K-12 school -- is being shut down. NY Daily News

- Students in Brooklyn's District 13 prepare for disasters. Brooklyn Eagle

- A New York City man says he's spent $7,500 fighting a $115 parking ticket issued in Brooklyn because he's got "nothing else to do." NY Post

- The New York Times plans to borrow up to $225 million against its Manhattan Renzo Piano headquarters building, to ease a potential cash flow squeeze. The Times owns 58 percent of the building; FC Ratner owns the rest. NY Times

- Toxic gases from the Greenpoint oil spill have been wafting into basements. Curbed And now, the sales begin. Curbed

- Brooklyn Flea moves to Dumbo for the winter. Dumbo NYC

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Brooklyn Leaders Weigh In -- 'How Bad Is It?'

The Brooklyn Ink (produced by students at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism) sends us word that it is going to address the impact of the economic meltdown onBrooklyn. Here's what they say:

How many people in Brooklyn have lost their jobs? What kinds of jobs are disappearing? How many have lost their homes? And in what neighborhoods are foreclosures rising?

But "How Bad Is It?" looks beyond the numbers to the human factor. What is it like trying to get married when you lose your job? What does it feel like to sit in front of a computer screen in a foundering investment bank and see millions of dollars disappear?

Beginning on Tuesday morning, December 9th, the Ink will host an online forum in which top economic, political, academic, labor and business leaders weigh in on a single question: If you could tell President-elect Obama what kind of economic stimulus Brooklyn needs, what would it be?

Some of the participants:
-Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Borough President
-Carl Hum, President and CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce
-Julia Vitullo-Martin, Director, Center for Rethinking Development, Manhattan Institute
-Robert Padgug, Professor, Health and Nutrition Sciences, Brooklyn College

The forum will feature both an online conversation among those leaders, as well as a chance for readers to pose questions and their own ideas.

More here.

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Cops Still Looking for Missing Brooklyn Woman, Feared Dead

A man who was seen in the company of a 25-year-old Brooklyn woman, now missing, is in county jail on a probation violation. Michael Mele, a 23-year-old registered sex offender, is being held on $50,000 bail. One neighbor says he thinks that police removed a machete from Mele's Orange County property. There were also reports of Mele standing in a dumpster, and a woman's shoe being found nearby.

Police believe that Laura Garza was killed, after finding blood in Mele's Infiniti. According to the NY Post, cops want to hear from anyone who saw Michael Mele's 2005 Infiniti FX35 (which had temporary plates) any time after early Wednesday morning.

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Santa Cop Is Coming to Town

It was late night in Brooklyn
And all through the borough
Not a creature was stirring
Except for Williamsburg, Smith Street and Dumbo.
When along came a cop car
With it's red lights a whirring
"Ho ho ho!" came a cry
And it set our hearts stirring.

There was Santa riding shotgun
Heading east towards Bed-Stuy
"Merry Christmas" he yelled
To a shocked homeless guy
We ran out to the street (Tillary)
To see such a sight
"Watch out for the cars," he said
"And to all a good night!"

Photo by MK Metz

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Brooklyn Friends Winter Crafts Fair -- Holiday Shopping Accomplished

Kudos to Brooklyn Friends for the job well done at their Winter Crafts Fair, which took place Saturday.

It was a great community event (organizations like the Brooklyn Children's Museum, shown above, participated), with lots of high-quality handicrafts. We especially like this unusual bottle stopper made by Alchemy (photo left).

Kids had a great time with the bouncy rides, carnival games and face painting, and the cafeteria was mobbed.

80 percent of the proceeds went towards the "Horizons at Brooklyn Friends School," an academic enrichment program the school provides for children at PS 307 and PS 287 in Fort Greene. The rest went towards PTA programs.

Fine and Raw Chocolates gave out samples.

"Mainly Hats."

Silk screened T-shirts showing Lincoln handing "Change" to Obama, made by students at the school.

Photos by MK Metz

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That Loud Crunching Noise You Heard on Cranberry Street Friday Afternoon

Remember the Knight Bus in Harry Potter? The one that could squeeze itself into impossibly small places?

The driver of the Mitsubishi truck apparently thought he was Stan Shunpike, the driver of the wizard world's magic bus . . . but he wasn't.

A loud crunnnnch was heard during the early afternoon on Cranberry Street in Brooklyn Heights. No muggles appeared to be injured.


Top photo by MK Metz
Photo of Harry Potter bus by Mish Bradley, Creative Commons license

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Blip Festival in Brooklyn -- Old Video Games Turn Into Music and Art

Blip Festival 2008: The Promo from Richard Alexander Caraballo on Vimeo.

Remember your old Nintendo Gameboy?

"Archaic" game and home computer hardware is turned into musical instruments and motion graphics workstations in the BLIP FESTIVAL 2008, a four-day event showcasing nearly 40 musicians and visual artists occupying "the international low-res cutting edge."

Chipmusic practitioners and fans from around the world are converging in Gowanus as we speak for 8-bit micromusic live sets, electronic music and blazing graphics.

The Blip Festival takes place December 4 - 7 2008 at The Bell House in Gowanus, and is presented by Manhattan art organization The Tank and NYC artist collective 8BITPEOPLES.

More here.

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When Times Are Hard, Give Where You Live, Brooklyn

If you had a 401-K you probably don't have much of it left, but Independence Community Foundation reminds us that there are a lot of folks in Brooklyn who are really a lot worse off than we are. So they're highlighting Brooklyn’s nonprofit community during this holiday season.

Independence Community Foundation supports a huge number of Brooklyn non-profits, like Brooklyn Aids Task Force, Brooklyn Bureau of Community Service, the HOPE Program, NYC Industries for the Blind, St. John's Bread and Life, Added Value, BRIC Arts and many more.

They remind us: Give where you live, Brooklyn! Visit Brooklyn Gives during the holiday season and give what you can to a Brooklyn non-profit.

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Bovo's Computer Art, Gowanus, Brooklyn

Brooklyn artist Tom Bovo will have two digital photographs in the upcoming December Theme Exhibit at the gallery of the Museum of Computer Art (MOCA) in Gowanus. The exhibit will run December 9-31, noon to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

Bovo has two digital photographs in the exhibit: Ballet and Candy. They are part of his recent series of store windows and reflections.

MOCA is located at 139 Eleventh Street (between Second and Third Avenues), Brooklyn NY; take the F train to 4th Avenue, or the M or R train to 9th Street. The museum is open noon-6, Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, call MOCA at 718.788.1313.

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Christmas Trees Popping Up Like Mushrooms in Brooklyn

Do Christmas tree vendors coordinate their arrival on the shores of Brooklyn?

From Brooklyn Heights (above, on Montague Street) to Dumbo to Cobble Hill, the evergreens have been popping up like mushrooms. An informal survey found the average price to be $10 per foot. Can anybody point us to cheaper more recession-friendly prices?

Christmas trees at Peas n' Pickles in Dumbo.

On Cobble Hill's Court Street.

BTW, Wikipedia tells us there has historically been opposition to the custom of the Christmas tree because of its alleged pagan origins.

Photos by MK Metz

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Ex-Gov Spitzer Writes for Slate, and Various Brooklyn Briefs

- Former New York governor Eliot Spitzer is now writing a new column for Slate. Here's the first one. The Observer

- The NYC Dept. of Education has decided to establish a new middle school in DUMBO on Dock Street, within the disputed Two Trees project, according to the Brooklyn Eagle.

- The good old days, when crime was high in Brooklyn Heights. BHB

- Really bad news for books, newspapers, magazines and even websites . . . NY Magazine

- A Belgium floral designer will open a flower school and shop on Front Street in Dumbo. Dumbo NYC

- President-elect Obama's half-brother Mark Ndesandjo lives in China, speaks Mandarin, runs an Internet company and teaches orphans to play the piano. NY Magazine

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George Washington Returns to Old Stone House, Sort Of

Why were Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, Brooklyn Borough Commissioner Julius Spiegel and other officials dressed as Gen. George Washington, Gen. Nathanael Greene and other Revolutionary War personalities Wednesday?

Just having a little fun -- here.

Photo by Cliff1066, Creative Commons license

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