Big Crowd for Brooklyn Heights Halloween Parade

Brooklyn Heights munchkins and their parents crammed into Pierrepont Playground Sunday morning for the annual Brooklyn Heights Halloween Parade. (It was snowed out on Saturday.)

Before the march along the Promenade folks paused to eat cupcakes baked by members of the Brooklyn Heights Playground Committee, grab balloons (provided by Heights Kids) and show off their Halloween costumes. BP Marty Markowitz stopped by to officially kick off the event.

This little princess led the parade.

Not sure what his costume was but he loved his balloon.

A subway car, what appeared to be a hunk of cheese, a Superman and a few other superheroes as they strolled into Pierrepont Playground.

It was a perfect day for a penguins costume.

Brooklyn's own  little Martha Stewart hands out homemade cupcakes.

A slew of Halloween events are taking place today all over Brooklyn, including the Annual Park Slope Halloween Parade, at 6:30 p.m.; the Cobble Hill Halloween Parade at 4 p.m.; the Greenpoint Children’s Halloween Parade at 2 p.m.; and many more. See here for a full schedule of today's Halloween events. 

Photos by MK Metz

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Residential Parking Permits for Atlantic Yards Neighbors; Section 8 Crime; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- MTA may skip some bus stops today because of Halloween vandals. Last year teenagers at Gerritsen Beach threw hammers and rocks at cars and buses. Gothamist

- A subsidized housing tenant was charged on Friday with defrauding the New York City Housing Authority by approximately $96,674. Brooklyn Eagle

- The City Council will hear testimony Wednesday on legislation authorizing residential permit parking programs in the five boroughs. Folks living near Atlantic Yards want this enacted ASAP. Brooklynian

- How Superintendent Campbell got rid of ghosts in Brooklyn. The Bowery Boys

- The gritty Brooklyn Bike Kill took place in spite of the snow, sleet and hail. Gothamist

- The McRib is made of pig innards like tripe and heart and loads of chemicals -- but no ribs? Gothamist

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Snow and Ice Cover Brooklyn, NYC: Parks Closed, Power Out, Subway, Amtrak Changes

Record ice, snow and freezing rain have caused New York City to order all city parks closed as tree branches crash to the ground in the biggest pre-Halloween snowstorm ever recorded. Heavy snow and strong wind gusts, combined with full leaves still on trees, are damaging thousands of trees in parks throughout the City.

According to Con Edison, nearly 600 customers were without power in Brooklyn at 8:40 p.m. while in Staten Island more than 8,000 customers were out. In the Bronx and Westchester, tens of thousands have lost power.

The subways are experiencing system-wide service changes and service delays affecting the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, A, B, C, and D among others. Amtrak is currently holding all eastbound Amtrak Northeast Corridor trains (that travel between New York and Boston) in Penn Station, New York, due to signal issues on Metro North's New Haven Line. Several other Metro North lines are also experiencing delays or suspensions. Amtrak customers should contact Amtrak at 1-800-USARAIL, for information on their specific train. Visit www.mta.info for updates concerning Metro North.

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect until 2 a.m. Sunday, along with a coastal flood advisory and high surf advisory.

Photo by MK Metz

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Rally Against Cobble Hill Charter School Saturday - 'Success Academy Cobble Hill'

Parents from several District 15 public schools say they will protest the planned Success Academy Cobble Hill charter school at an 11 a.m. rally Saturday.

The protesters will gather outside a planned presentation by Success Charter Network chief Eva Moskowitz at the Cobble Hill Library as she pitches the community on the new school.

Parents say that the charter school -- which applied to open in District 13 or 14 -- aims to take over prime real estate in Cobble Hill's District 15 instead, sucking resources and facilities from existing students.

Cobble Hill Carroll Gardens Library is located at Clinton Street between Union and Sackett, Brooklyn.

- Controversial Cobble Hill Charter School Raising Eyebrows Brooklyn Eagle

- Success Charter School Co-Location Threatens Improving School for Global Studies Carroll Gardens Patch


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Fireworks Tonight Over Statue of Liberty Celebrates 125th Anniversary

Today (Friday, October 28, 2011) is the 125th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty, and the National Park Service will be holding a gala ceremony with Macy's fireworks over the Hudson at 7:45 p.m.

A number of events will be taking place: a water flotilla, actress Sigourney Weaver reading Lazarus' poem and a naturalization ceremony for 125 candidates for citizenship. The U.S. Secretary of the Interior will present gifts of friendship to the French Government and a choir from the Brooklyn High School of the Arts will perform “Huddled Masses” from the off-Broadway-bound musical "Liberty," along with other performances.

According to the Brooklyn Eagle, five webcams will be turned on in the torch tonight. See the Eagle for today's schedule of events.

The National Park Service has been tweeting "125 tweets in 125 days." Since June 26th they've tweeted about notable events since the Statue's dedication in 1886. Today is the last tweet!


Photo courtesy of National Parks Service

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MTA Building Not Only Plans NYU Has for Downtown Brooklyn

Wednesday's renderings showing NYU's dreams for the old MTA building at 370 Jay Street (see here) aren't the only changes NYU has in mind for Downtown Brooklyn.

Appearing on the NYU-Poly web site are two renderings (below) that show a transformed Jay Street with two new towers on the MetroTech campus, replacing the striated Jacob's building shown above.

In 2010 NYU-Poly described their long-term strategy to the Brooklyn Eagle and provided a diagram of their air rights (roughly 300,000 square feet). The renderings above show two possible configurations.

The towers, part of the NYU 2031 master plan, includes a number of changes in the Metrotech area which will enhance and expand the existing campus.

Top photo courtesy of Google; bottom renderings courtesy of NYU-Poly.

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Cobble Hill History Wiki; Brooklyn Hospitals In Big Trouble; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- The Cobble Hill History Project’s interactive wiki is in the works. It's being organized block by block and house by house. Brooklyn Heights Press

- Oh oh. At a big meeting held at Metrotech, no concrete proposals emerged to save Brooklyn’s hospitals -- and the deadline is November 1. The Local

- Happy 50th birthday to Phantom Tollbooth, the book with roots in Brooklyn Heights. BHB

- Yes, you can make a living and see the world carving pumpkins. Brooklyn Eagle

- Family takes six-month-old to Brookdale Hospital with slight fever. Hospital kills him with overdose of antibiotic. CBS

- A Brooklyn man's threats to shoot elected officials and blow up a Staten Island police stationhouse haven't worked out very well. slive

- Funk music legend George Clinton -- wearing a skull-adorned baseball cap and a dozen gold necklaces  -- came to Brooklyn Law School this week to discuss copyright law. Brooklyn Eagle

- Cat missing at JFK since August recovered after falling through the ceiling. NY Times

- Relax ladies: former "rape cop" Kenneth Moreno is studying to be an X-ray technician. Gothamist

- Bloggers getting bribed for $130 a link. Gawker

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NYU Wants to Transform Crummy MTA Building In Downtown Brooklyn To Spiffy New Science Campus

New York University has submitted a proposal to create a new engineering and applied sciences campus in Downtown Brooklyn -- at the deteriorating former MTA office building at 370 Jay Street.

According to the Brooklyn Eagle, the proposal is part of Applied Sciences NYC, an initiative of the Bloomberg administration aimed at raising New York to the level of Silicon Valley.

The college’s proposal would be separate from Brooklyn-based Polytechnic Institute of NYU (NYU-Poly).

More here.

Photo and more info at The Real Deal

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Child Safety Meeting in Brooklyn Heights; OWS For Dummies; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Child safety meeting in Brooklyn Heights tonight (Wednesday) at Saint Francis College. Brooklyn Eagle

- Transportation Town Hall for DUMBO, Fulton Ferry Landing and Downtown Brooklyn tonight (Wednesday) in DUMBO. DumboNYC

- The new East Rover Ferry service is wildly successful -- but next week the schedule will be cut in half for the winter. Brooklyn Heights Press

- The Village Voice reviews Catania in Brooklyn Heights. Small plates sound yummy. Village Voice

- Brooklyn "starchitect" Robert Scarano has lost his final effort to be reinstated with the city’s DOB to file his own construction plans. Brooklyn Eagle

- Spooky silent movies with live music coming to Brooklyn Heights Cinema for Halloween. BHB

- Hipsters: don't forget to stay above the f*ing red line. Die Hipster

- Cop injured at Smith and Sackett streets when perp threw stolen bike at her. Carroll Garden Patch

- The creator of the “I’m Getting Arrested” app is Jason Van Anden, a Brooklyn software developer. Brooklyn Eagle

- A glimpse of Bike Share at the Brooklyn Flea. Brownstoner

- Built-In-Brooklyn Craft Fair this Saturday. Brooklynian

- All of Occupy Wall Street, summed up in one easy exchange. PopeShakey

- November 5, known as Guy Fawkes Day in Britain, is a special day for Anonymous -- and they have quite the day planned. Daily Dot

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OWS Backers, Led by Vito Lopez, March Over Brooklyn Bridge to Zuccotti Park

Two or three hundred union members and political groups -- led by Brooklyn politico Vito Lopez (who says he was an "insurgent and a reformer" before he was Vito Lopez) marched over the Brooklyn Bridge this afternoon to support Occupy Wall Street.

Marchers rallied at Brooklyn Borough Hall, marched along Cadman Plaza West and then headed over the bridge to Zuccotti Park.

The group was courteously facilitated by the NYPD, which accompanied the march over the bridge on scooters. A white-shirted official was heard commenting on his radio that the marchers were orderly and he didn't require backup.

Photo by MK Metz

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'Stray Dog' Still Waits Patiently at MetroTech

Here's another look at Tony Matelli's "Stray Dog" -- the life-size resin sculpture of a lost seeing-eye dog -- who has been waiting patiently for his master in Metrotech Commons for years now.

The poor stray has endured rain, heat, and snow. Past photos of Stray Dog below.

- The Sign Lies at MetroTech
- Man's Best Friend
- It's Not Always What It Seems
- Kid's Best Friend, at MetroTech
- Stray Dog Endures, at Metrotech

Photo by MK Metz

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Watchtower Says Not So Fast; Cellphone Robbery Up In Subways; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- There goes the NY Times, nit-picking on developers' donations to BP Marty Markowitz's charities again. NYT

- Atlantic Avenue is richer, but is it better? Crain's NY

- Not so fast! Jehovah's Witnesses are not ready to move out of Brooklyn Heights any time soon. Brooklyn Eagle

- Sexy Halloween costumes for the slut on a budget. Brokelyn

- A quaint, expensive, unsafe, blighted, friendly block in Boerum Hill. NY Times

- Esquire Magazine discovers Williamsburg! Again! It's crazy! Gothamist

- Now that you can use your cellphone in more subway stations, cellphone robbery is going up in more subway stations. Gothamist

- Ron Paul wants to eliminate the federal Student Loan program. Gothamist

- Everyone's talking about this over-the-top Halloween light show house in California. Watch it here. Laughing Squid

- Business on Diagon Alley remains at a standstill for the third day in a row as Occupy Gringotts protestors clog the streets. One percent of goblins control all of wizard financial operations! CampusBasement

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Steven and Vanessa Now Have An Ultra-Luxury Pet Club at One Brooklyn Bridge Park

Remember Steven and Vanessa at One Brooklyn Bridge Park?

Curbed calls them "possibly the most scorn-worthy animated couple in the history of animated couples." Lindsay Robertson of The Set describes the ad they appear in (below) as a "three-pronged assault of a commercial."
Best Week Ever says, "Meet the two most insufferable cartoon people ever drawn."
Noah Garfinkle describes them as "the two least likable cartoon people to ever be conceived."
Commenters on YouTube call them yuppie/ hipster scum.


Now Steven and Vanessa have a new amenity for their annoying little status dog: a private club for pets, called the Wag Club, right in the building.

According to the Brooklyn Eagle, the club offers ultra-luxury services, including world-class grooming, "24/7 climate control, a Hepa air purification system and non-porous rubberized flooring that is gentle on paws and joints during playtime." Doggie-trainer-to-the-stars Robert Haussmann will help them train little Woofie as well.

More here.

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Menagerie at Jay Street / MetroTech Subway Station

Yesterday we traveled through the south mezzanine of the recently-renovated Jay Street / MetroTech subway station. (It used to be called Jay Street / Borough Hall station). We were pleasantly surprised by this colorful animal-themed mural called "Arrivals and Departures."

According to NYCsubway.org, "It is a glass mosaic installation based on paintings by the artist Ben Snead. The various animal species depicted include: starlings, sparrows, lion fish, parrots, tiger beetles, and koi fish."

The MTA Arts for Transit program commissioned the installation while overseeing the restoration of the station.

Did you ever wonder about the artwork installed in a subway station? Here's an art guide for all of the city's stations.

Photos by MK Metz

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Murdered Mom Had 12 Kids; Underground Fire in Red Hook; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- The selfless mother gunned down trying to shield a group of children from a gang’s bullets leaves behind 12 children. Her two brothers were also murdered on the streets of Brooklyn. NY Post

- Child safety meeting for concerned parents in Brooklyn Heights: “If you are a parent of a child attending school in the neighborhood, we expect that you will learn something you don’t already know.” Brooklyn Heights Press

- Too many fire hydrants are broken. Queens Crap

- Super turnout for Smith Street's second soup festival. PMFA

- Rikers guard found guilty after Brooklyn teen was beaten to death by his "team." Brooklyn Eagle

- Mother and son rescued after being swept out to sea in Coney Island -- but the son is under arrest now. NY1

- 44 firefighters respond to underground blaze in Red Hook.

- Not a good time to go into finance: Wall Street could lose could lose nearly 10,000 jobs by the end of 2012. Businessweek

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Halloween Stuff Has Started Already, People

So while you're just beginning to get your Occupy Wall Street Zombie costume conceptualized, other folks are already going to haunted houses and stuff. In costume.

Of course, most of them are about three years old, but still.

The "theme-park quality" Gravesend Inn Haunted Hotel at City Tech (good for kids and adults) opened yesterday, and there are at least six Halloween parades, fairs and pumpkin patches this weekend, including one at Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park; the Pumpkin Patch at Packer; and the Harvest Festival at Old Stone House.

For more Halloween ideas, check out the Brooklyn Heights Press, which lists roughly 40 Halloween parades, shows, carnivals, and tours throughout Brooklyn.

Photo by MK Metz

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Is Bed-Stuy Abortion Central? and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Are a hospital's diesel generators causing respiratory and other health problems? Neighbors say yes. Brooklyn Eagle

- More than half of pregnancies in Bedford-Stuyvesant end in abortion, one of the highest ratios in the city. The Brooklyn Ink

- Home sales in Brooklyn climbed 18 percent in the third quarter. Business Week

- Williamsburg's Santorini Grill is going to try out the "pay what you want" model for a month, starting Nov. 4. Consumerist

- Funk music mastermind George Clinton -- who can forget Parliament and Funkadelic? -- is coming to Brooklyn Law School. Brooklyn Eagle

- Moo Burger opens on Court Street. Brownstoner  

- Take a look at one of New York City's flashy new benches. Gothamist

- Conference will examine future of Brooklyn waterfront. Brooklyn Eagle

- That's it: Time to stop eating salad. Gothamist

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Brooklyn's Obituary, From 1897

An editorial ran in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle on Oct. 19, 1897. It was a commentary on the imminent consolidation of the city of Brooklyn with the city of New York, the move that made a mere borough out of Brooklyn.

The piece, reprinted in yesterday's Brooklyn Daily Eagle, is an obituary for Brooklyn, but also reassures that Brooklyn, as the people of the time knew it, would not disappear:

"We shall not have to bar our windows lest the New York police department visit us with jimmies and dark lanterns, nor go to our rest in nightly dread that some member of Tammany Hall may cross the bridge . . ."

"We have some of the most home-like homes in the land, and we would not change them for blocks of stewing tenements. We have great beaches, drives, a superior railroad service and a park system nearly equal to that of New York, with advantages of situation not possessed by most of the pleasure grounds in the metropolis . . ."

Has Brooklyn become less than it was during the time of the Big Mistake? Or are we better off?

Read the whole editorial here.

Currier and Ives print courtesy of Wikipedia

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Stanley Bosworth's Memorial Line; Fight Over Norman Mailer's Apartment; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Sex abuse charges dropped against masturbater guy in Brooklyn. Pot changes still on. CBS Local

- Huge line of people waited Saturday to get into the memorial celebration of Saint Ann’s School founder Stanley Bosworth. Brooklyn Heights Press

- The BushwickBK blog bids adieu with a few choice words. BushwickBK

- Brooklyn parents tired of sending their sick kids to school because they can't get time off. Brooklyn Eagle

- Beloved Fort Green coffee shop Tillie's is on the market. Gothamist

- Photos: Washington Street in DUMBO now, and in 1973. Brooklyn Heights Press

- Fight breaks out over Norman Mailer's apartment in Brooklyn Heights. NY Times

- House Obama visited for sale for $13.5 million. BHB

- Savvy Brooklyn Heights businesswoman / major property owner dies after 107 years of good health. Brooklyn Heights Press

- Turns out that making women -- or anyone -- ride in the back of the bus is illegal, even in Williamsburg. The NY World

- Brooklyn knitters: These birds need your help! Really! Gothamist

- Student loan debt is unimaginably huge and you will never get out from under it. Gawker

- Scientists have found a direct link between the number of "friends" a person has on Facebook and the size of certain brain regions. Reuters

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Casting 'Fabulous Brooklyn Families' with Nannies and Mannies

On Brooklynian we hear that Vinnie Potestivo Entertainment and a major cable network "are seeking fantastic families with nannies and au pairs with dynamic personalities in the Brooklyn area for a new docu-series that will document the relationships between nannies and families they help."

A slightly different angle to it on Vinnie Potestivo's website:
"Cameras will document a select group of nannies and 'mannies' as they work for the wealthy by day and socialize with their friends and fellow nannies by night."

Vinnie Potestivo has recruited cast members for The Real Housewives of New Jersey; Pregnant in Heels; Punk’d; an untitled Plus Size Series; House of Consignment; Newlyweds: The First Year and many more shows.

Photo courtesy of Playing with Brushes, Creative Commons license

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Travel+Leisure: Brooklyn Heights One of America's Most Beautiful Neighborhoods

Brooklyn Heights is listed first in Travel+Leisure's survey of the ten most beautiful cities in America.

The article, which notes that "design and green spaces go a long way toward making a neighborhood attractive," describes the grandeur of the Brooklyn Bridge, the view from the Promenade, the neighborhood's brownstones and "regal prewar condos on leafy streets," the generations of literati and more than 600 houses that date to before the Civil War —- surpassing better-known areas in Philadelphia and D.C.

Other beautiful neighborhoods listed include the Garden District of New Orleans, Pacific Heights in San Francisco, and South of Broad in Charleston.

More here.

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'Before I Die' -- Express Your Dreams In Downtown Brooklyn

Surrounding the construction site for Shake Shack in Downtown Brooklyn (409 Fulton Street), artist / TED fellow Candy Chang has created the public participation installation "Before I Die." Locals have been writing up their bucket lists on the giant chalkboard. Here are a few:

Before I die I want to . . .

See my mom happy.

Pay my student loan.

Find balance.

Marry Andrea.

Be a millionaire.

Be saved.

Love more.

Trust more.

Make the banks give back.

Go back to Yosemite.

Get paid.

Make my dream a reality.

Make Christian love me.

There's more about this project on Candy Chang's blog.
Before I Die Toolkits here.

Photos by MK Metz

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Brooklyn Real Estate; Park Slope Food Co-op; Giant Spiders and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Artist wants to bring creepy 60-foot spider to the web of the Brooklyn Bridge. No word on giant fly. Gothamist

- Better investment than the stock market: Price of Brooklyn apartments and condos in the third quarter increased 11 percent over the third quarter of last year. Brooklyn Eagle

- Someone has something good to say about the Park Slope Food Co-op. Mostly. WYDNKBYANM

- Underwhelming response to Occupy Brooklyn. Brooklyn Ink

- Romanian artists have been working seven days a week to restore and recreate rare "sgraffito" ornamentation on a Brooklyn Heights co-op. Brooklyn Heights Press

- Video offers possible explanation for that weird buzzing sound near St. Johns and Washington. Brooklynian

- The Fort Greene Association‘s proposal to expand the Fort Greene Historic District has annoyed some residents. The Local

- City officials and real estate heavy lifters (including City Council speaker Christine Quinn, Two Trees' Jed Walentas, Michael Kaye, Chris Havens, Jason Muss and many more) will be participating in the final 2011 luncheon of the 2011 Brooklyn Real Estate Roundtable on Tuesday, Nov. 1. Brooklyn Heights Press

- If you missed The Creator's Project in DUMBO, here's a synopsis. South Brooklyn Posts

- Hinsch’s Confectionery, the famous Bay Ridge ice cream parlor-luncheonette that closed Sept. 29 after 63 years, is reopening. Brooklyn Eagle

- According to the NYPD, the biggest cause of car crashes in August was cell phones. Gothamist

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New York Comic Con 2011 -- Amazing Geeks Visit Planet Earth

Every comic aficionado, cosplayer, anime fan, troll, ghost buster (above), superhero, geek and cyborg in the city landed at New York Comic Con 2011 at the Javitz Center this past weekend.

Talk about freaking amazing!

Some superheros defy understanding.

The movement #ZombifyWallStreet was represented. Not to get political, but did you know that 99 percent of the world's brains are consumed by 1 percent of the world's zombies? Think about it.

Avengers' stars Cobie Smulders (Agent Maria Hill) and Clark Gregg (Agent Phil Coulson)

Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Tom Hiddleston, Cobie Smulders, Clark Gregg and Marvel President of Production Kevin Feige appeared to answer questions and screen some bits from The Avengers, due out in 2012. We didn't make the panel but we did see some of the stars at the Marvel booth, above.

This man built a mechanical arm from wood and gears. When he flexed his human fingers (hidden inside a little round box) the giant fingers flexed. It was huge and awesome. It probably weighed a ton, but he demonstrated it and posed with anyone who wanted him to.

Hundreds of fans of the web comic Homestuck showed up -- many wearing yellow-orange horns.

A giant Homestuck photo shoot broke out.

They're not from Brooklyn.

But these guys might be.

More on Brooklynites at NY Comic-Con here.

New York Comic Con 2010

Photos by MK Metz

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Occupy Wall Street Protesters Arrested Inside Brooklyn Supreme Court

At least nine Occupy Wall Street protesters were arrested inside Brooklyn Supreme Court, the Brooklyn Eagle reports. The protesters had interrupted the weekly foreclosure auction by continuously singing and refusing to leave.

About 100 protesters demonstrated outside and inside the Downtown Brooklyn courthouse.

The OWS protesters were there to demand that “all foreclosures be halted until loans are modified, made fair and accessible, and banks and lenders be held accountable.”

See full story here.

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Ward: 'Red Hook Must Be Connected to Governors Island'

Christopher Ward, departing head of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, said Thursday that "one of the final open questions facing the city is what to do with the Brooklyn waterfront."

Mr. Ward compared it to Vietnam, a place where no one has been able to declare a victory, reported Crain's NY.

According to Crain's, Mr. Ward said, "Red Hook must be connected to Governor's Island," adding that if that doesn't happen, the island “will never reach its full potential.”

He also suggested moving the Red Hook container terminal somewhere else, like Sunset Park. More insight into this speech at the Observer.

Photo of Red Hook from Governors Island courtesy of Google Maps

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Occupy Wall Street 'Clean Up' Clash: Local Pols Asks Bloomberg to Chill

(UPDATE: A slew of local representatives have joined in asking the Mayor to seek compromise. See below.)

As it looks like the odds of conflict tomorrow morning are increasing, Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer sent us word that he has called on Mayor Bloomberg to immediately meet with the Lower Manhattan community, Occupy Wall Street (OWS) and the major stakeholders before proceeding with the planned clean-up of Zuccotti Park.

The Mayor says the clean up will begin at 7 a.m. tomorrow (Friday).

OWS is calling on occupiers to resist the clean up, because the Mayor has used this ruse in the past to boot occupiers out of a park.

According to OWS, "This is an emergency situation . . . NYPD Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has said that they will move in to clear us and we will not be allowed to take sleeping bags, tarps, personal items or gear back into the park. This is it — this is their attempt to shut down #OWS for good."

OWS is calling for nonviolent tactics to hold ground. Example: "Sit down, link arms and do not let go! If the police drag you away, you can comply or go limp." OWS warns that occupiers can expect to be arrested.

Seniors, Start Your Engines

It's interesting to read that senior citizens have asked how they can help. Suggestions have included driving very slowly around the park tomorrow morning.

Stringer says he hopes to "avoid unnecessary conflict and protect the safety and well-being of all involved." Earlier today, the Stringer met with OWS protestors and encouraged them to formalize and publicize a “Good Neighbor Policy,” which has now been posted online.

Manhattan's BP said, “It’s my view that it is wise to have more discussions and meetings and not rush to a 7 a.m. deadline," he said. “There is no need to rush into hasty, precipitous action when it comes to the peace and safety of our community."

UPDATE:

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio also sent in a statement advising compromise: "I am deeply concerned that the City has upended this balance by trying to unilaterally remove protesters and their effects from Zuccotti Park."

UPDATE2: Brooklyn Council Members Brad Lander, Tish James, Steve Levin, Matthieu Eugene, and Jumaane Williams signed a letter to Mayor Bloomberg asking him not to crack down on the Occupy Wall Street protesters. More here.

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Fall Civic Sweep (and Party) in Park Slope

Celebrate Fall with Park Slope Civic Council

Make a clean sweep of your home and your neighborhood by joining the Park Slope Civic Council at its annual autumn beautification, clean-up and recycling event: the Fall Civic Sweep on Sunday, October 16.

Put on your old clothes and come to the sidewalk in front of the John Jay High School Building on 7th Avenue between 4th and 5th Streets from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (rain or shine) to join other volunteers in picking up litter, mulching trees and weeding 7th Avenue tree pits.

The event includes refreshments and bluegrass music by Vincent Cross and Good Company. “I Made Park Slope Cleaner Today” stickers will be given to all volunteers. Community Service vouchers will also be available. The Council will be giving away daffodil bulbs and a limited supply of block clean-up kits.

“This year is really exciting because we have some new partners on board,” said Candace Woodward, event organizer, "including Transportation Alternatives, who will be on hand to promote bicycle safety and offering affordable bicycle light sets for purchase."

Another partner, Lower East Side Ecology Center, will be available for electronic equipment recycling.More here: Park Slope Civic Council

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Brooklyn Bridge March Against NYPD's Stop-and-Frisk Abuse

Close to a thousand black and Latino youth and their supporters from Make the Road New York rallied in Cadman Plaza Park in Downtown Brooklyn yesterday. They were protesting the NYPD's discriminatory stop-and-frisk policy. After the rally they marched over the Brooklyn Bridge to New York City Hall Park.

According to MRNY, blacks and Latinos are nine times as likely as whites to be stopped and frisked by the NYPD, even though they are no more likely to be arrested. Black and Latino youth say they are frequently shoved to the ground or spread-eagled on the hood of a car by police and frisked -- for no reason other than their race or neighborhood.

Transgender women say police target them as well, acting as if they are committing sex crimes every time they walk outside at night.

More here.

Photos by MK Metz

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Girl Sues Pimp Cop; Bridge Acrobats Get Mercy; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Brooklyn girl sues the cop who kidnapped her and forced her into prostitution at the age of 13. Brooklyn Eagle

- Goldman Sachs employees have been warned not to Occupy Wall Street. Darn. Gawker

- Williamsburg Bridge acrobats spared felony charges. Gothamist

- The worst crosswalks for Brooklyn pedestrians and bikers. Brooklyn Eagle

- Cops catch one of the creeps who have been groping women in Brooklyn. NY1

- Moscot, the "iconic Manhattan eyewear shop," just signed a lease at 159 Court Street, next door to BookCourt. Racked

- Look what happened to the old Brooklyn navy Cocktail Lounge. Gothamist

- The New York Center for Sustainable Energy (NYCSE) has opened at Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Marketwatch

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Kardashians Have Fun at The Brooklyn Bridge Park!

Kim and Kourt brought Mason to visit the Brooklyn Bridge Park yesterday:

"Kourt and I took Mason to the Brooklyn Bridge Park and had so much fun! We went on the carousel and took some pics with the amazing views of the New York City skyline in the background! I love NYC!!"

Thankxz for sharing!

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DUMBO Fire: Power Out at powerHouse Books, Starbucks, Other Main Street Businesses

A fire in the electrical area at powerHouse Books in DUMBO early this morning shut down the whole block at 45 Main Street. Starbucks, Pearson Testing Center, Workspeed and other companies are without power and in some cases their basements are flooded. Brownstoner says their main office is in the building.

Above: a couple wander into powerHouse, which smells strongly of fire. The artwork and books have been removed.

No word on what happened to the Contemporary Abstractions show, upstairs in the gallery, presented by the Mighty Tanaka Gallery. The show included the artwork of Adam Void, Drew Tyndell, Greg Henderson, JMR, Julia Colavita and Lauren Comito.

When we visited the gallery late Monday, this was one of the pieces we enjoyed. Hope someone can help us ID the artist. According to a commenter, the artist is Greg Henderson.

Photos by MK Metz

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Stolen iPads; Idiot Train Riders; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- City workers remove sexist signs in Williamsburg telling women to step out of the way when men walk by. Failed Messiah

- Where to buy an ostrich burger in Brooklyn. Carroll Gardens Patch

- Catch up with Brooklyn's sex crime spree news here. Brooklyn Eagle

- Fastest time ever: Four people broke into a Brooklyn Best Buy Store and stole over $100,000 worth of iPads in just under four minutes. ABC

- Here's a video of a guy riding on the outside of the J train, to the amusement of the other passengers. Village Voice

- Some people freeze-dry their pets. NY Times

- The non-hipster section of Brooklyn has a fairly impressive Columbus Day Parade. Brooklyn Eagle

- Just another service change on the number 4 train. Gothamist

- 672 of the cheapest, poorest employees at city schools get fired. NY Times

- A brief guide to NYC's Comic Con. Gothamist

- Who won the Republican presidential debate? The Democrats! Huff Post

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Helicopter Ballet

A daily delicate dance, over Brooklyn Heights.

Photo by MK Metz

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Big 'Creator's Project' Coming to DUMBO This Weekend

Preparations are taking place across DUMBO for the Creator's Project, an art and technology festival that takes place on October 15 and 16th.The event includes numerous installations, music, film screenings and panels. (Above: "Origin" by United Visual Artists is going up in the Tobacco Warehouse. Opening October 12th before the main event.)

From the website:

Some of the artworks have traveled the globe all summer, like the final adaptation of UVA’s audio-visual sculpture, with a soundtrack by composer Scanner, which will be the largest responsive work ever created by the UK based artists. We’ll also be showing Jonathan Glazer and J. Spaceman’s immersive sound installation, Mick Rock and Barney Clay’s David Bowie transfiguration and Quayola’s latest work, Strata #4.

On Saturday, there will be dozens of live music performances from bands like Florence + the Machine, A$AP Rocky, Atlas Sound, Company Flow, Four Tet and John Maus, to name a few. There will also be a slew of DJ sets, including the triumphant return of Justice, who will be playing their first NYC DJ set in two years, Juan MacLean, one of the most notorious artists on the DFA roster, as well as Nic Thorburn from the beloved indie-pop band Islands and the electronic duo The Golden Filter.

Films include Art of Flight, the latest daredevil snowboarding action sports film from Curt Morgan (Brain Farm) and pro-boarder Travis Rice (produced by Red Bull Media House), Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire‘s Scenes from the Suburbs and Peng Lei’s Follow Follow.

The event will be free and open to the public, though RSVP is mandatory.

Details here.

Photo by MK Metz

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Monarchs Flooding Brooklyn; Catching a Hipster; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Monarch butterflies are flooding Brooklyn. Scientific American

- Guy biking home across the Manhattan Bridge stumbles upon a man jumping rope nude there. Gawker

- Brooklyn's serial sex attacker struck again on Monday. NY Daily News

- How to catch a hipster. Here, via Reddit

- A site at Jay and Chapel streets in Downtown Brooklyn has sold to a developer for $2.3 million. Brooklyn Eagle

- Google wants to buy you brunch. Vote by Wednesday. Brokelyn 
 
- BAM And Then It Hits You. WYDNKBYANM

- Extending the sidewalk on Old Fulton Street. Brownstoner  

- Cell phone work better lately? AT&T has added or upgraded cell sites in 18 Brooklyn neighborhoods this summer. DumboNYC

- Red Hook art community still thriving in relative isolation. Brooklyn Eagle

- Multivitamins don't help U.S. women (and probably men) live longer. In fact, they may hurt. Reuters

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Worrisome: Wall Street Has NYC Mercenary Cops On Their Payroll

An unsettling article by Pam Martens in Counterpunch describes the city's Paid Detail Unit, which allows the New York Stock Exchange and Wall Street corporations to order up platoons of NYPD cops to protect their private property.

What is the relationship between the Paid Detail Unit and the uniformed members of the NYPD who pepper spray or beat protestors in the Occupy Wall Street marches?

The corporations pay the city an average of $37 an hour (no medical, no pension benefit, no overtime pay) for a member of the NYPD, with gun, handcuffs and the ability to arrest, says Martens. Taxpayers pay the rest -- and assume liability if the mercenaries break the law.

Read the rest of this story at Counterpunch.

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They're Here

Seen on Cadman Plaza West in Brooklyn Heights.

Photo by MK Metz

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More Top NYC Officials Arrested for Corruption; Brooklyn Bacon Takedown; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Yesterday the FBI arrested the top official in charge of the city's new affordable housing, along with six developers, on charges including federal racketeering and bribery. The dirty money would often be delivered in coffee cups. Gothamist

- Pencils, crayons and condoms: Parents group objects to city's new sex-ed classes, wants a "Plan B." Brooklyn Eagle

- Go get it: Brooklyn residents, both current and former, have over $40 million sitting in New York State's Office of Unclaimed Funds. About.com

- Tony’s Famous Pizza, the Fulton Mall biz that moved out to make way for Shake Shack, signed a lease for space at 32 Court Street. Brownstoner

- The third annual Brooklyn Bacon Takedown is coming to town next weekend, in all its artery-clogging glory. Gothamist

- A teenaged girl who stabbed her cousin over 30 times says her guilty verdict should be set aside because of the extreme emotional disturbance she suffered as a child. Brooklyn Eagle

- Some Occupy Wall Street protesters think Bushwick and Williamsburg should come to Wall Street. The Brooklyn Ink

- Breaking: Shit going down at Occupy Sesame Street! Nerve Media via Gothamist 

- Almost $2 million coming to Brooklyn for FEMA claims. Brooklyn Eagle 

- Apple stores across New York City turn into shrines to Steve Jobs. NY Magazine

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Fireworks Over NYC/ Brooklyn Tonight Celebrated Statue of Liberty (Oct. 6, 2011)

(For October 28 fireworks, see here.) Fireworks were scheduled for tonight at 7:30 p.m. in New York Harbor, south of Ellis Island -- did anyone see or hear them?

According to NYC 3-1-1, the fireworks were sponsored by the National Parks Conservation Association in honor of the 125th anniversary of the State of Liberty. (NewYorkology agrees.)

To mark the 125th Anniversary, The National Park Service has been tweeting "125 tweets in 125 days." Since June 26th they've tweeted about notable events since the Statue's dedication in 1886. This will go on until October 28th -- when there will be more fireworks! (between 8 - 9:15 p.m.)

 Follow Statue of Liberty tweets here.

Seems like we've had a lot of fireworks lately. Expect more Saturday, October 8 at 9:30 p.m. near Liberty Island. Saturday's sponsors are the Metro Yacht Charters of New York.

Photo courtesy of National Parks Service

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Keeping DUMBO Clean, One Horse At a Time

Sign on Washington Street, courtesy of the Metropolitan Etiquette Society

Photo by MK Metz

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Helicopter Ban; Beer Bash; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Bino Restaurant on Smith Street was shut down for failure to pay taxes. South Brooklyn Post

- Again, calls for a helicopter ban. Brooklyn Eagle

- The Village Voice will be throwing a big craft beer bash in Brooklyn on Saturday, October 15th at the Williamsburg Savings Bank. Gothamist 

- The Bloomberg administration spent a million dollars of taxpayer money to cook up a study telling poor New Yorkers they don't deserve a living wage. Huff Post and Gothamist

- Brooklyn cop accused of pepper-spraying, unlawfully detaining man. CBSlocal

- Now deer are swimming to Brooklyn. NY Times

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Arrests, Pepper Spray As Wall Street Protests Wind Down for Wednesday Night

How Are the Protests Coming?

A couple of dozen arrests have been reported along with pepper spraying and beatings after protesters tried to knock down some barricades around the Wall Street area tonight.

Twitter posters are reporting (at 10 p.m.) that many protesters are returning to "Camp Liberty." They are also warning each other to watch out for "planted provocateurs."

According to the NY Daily News, the mass demonstrators against Wall Street greed, which may have drawn up to 20,000 including thousand of union sympathizers, were peaceful all day.

Live Feed here.

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Steve Jobs, Rest In Peace

Steve Jobs

1955 - 2011

Apple
Reuters
cnet

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Livestream: NYC Occupy Wall Street March -- Wed., Oct. 5

Watch here for today's 4:30 p.m. march in Downtown Manhattan.

Global Revolution livestream.

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Providence Hogan; Dissing Women in Williamsburg; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- The lawyer for Providence Hogan, the former treasurer of the P.S. 29 PTA accused of embezzling more than $82,000, says he's not going to ditch his client. Brooklyn Eagle

- Yiddish signs order women in Williamsburg to step aside when men pass. Gothamist

- Want to buy a hospital? You can get St. Mary's Hospital in Bed-Stuy for $18 million. Brooklyn Eagle

- PPW bike lane opponents knew their lawsuit was bogus. Streetsblog

- L Magazine confuses several other neighborhoods with Boerum Hill. Brooklyn Eagle

- Need MTA information? Call the new 5-1-1. Carroll Gardens Patch

- Wall Street protesters arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge sue the city for violating their constitutional rights. Business Week

- Make your own Brooklyn-themed costume for Halloween. About.com

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