Brooklyn Woman Judo Master Dies at 74 -- Won Gold Disguised As a Man

Rena "Rusty" Kanokogi, known as the "Mother of Judo" for her role in bringing women's judo to the Olympic Games died at the age of 74.

Back in the bad old 1950's, she competed against men, disguised as a man. But when she was found out, she was forced to give back a gold medal in the YMCA Statewide Judo Championship. (The Prospect Park Y gave her the medal back just this past August.)

Borough President Marty Markowitz called her "a true Brooklyn character in the best sense of the word." Read more about Rusty at the Brooklyn Eagle.

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Montague Street Bagels -- Still Owned by Paul, Joe and Fred

The interior of the Montague Street Bagels shop (also known as Hot Bagels, or Hot Bag if the sign is broken) is so spiffy now after renovations that some people are worried that they will no longer be able to get the same awesome bagels.

Previously, the interior was as plain as the bagels were sublime. Can a sublime bagel come from the new, kinda fancy looking shop?

The owners have covered the front window with signs assuring folks that though the store has a new look it still will serve the same bagels, and still has the same owners it's had for the last 15 years: Paul, Joe and Fred.

Anyone try the bagels since the change?

- Bagel Dogs in Brooklyn

Photos by MK Metz
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Danish Seamen's Church Christmas Fair Starts the Holidays Rolling

Did you notice a lot of Danish-speaking folks in Brooklyn Heights this past weekend?

The Christmas season got off to its unofficial start when the The Danish Seamen's Church (Den danske Sømandskirke) on Willow Street held its annual Christmas Fair.

Danish people from all over the city (and locals as well) came to buy Christmas ornaments, ceramic plates, hand-knit clothing, dolls, candles and candy, and to eat delicious Danish dishes.

For the last several years the fair has been celebrated both on Willow Street and at the Zion Lutheran German Church on Henry Street, where Danish open-faced sandwiches like frikadeller (like meatballs only better), roast pork drizzled with chopped beats, orange and prune, and more were served.

More treats were in store at the Danish Seamen's Church's backyard cafe (above), including hotdogs, dough fritters and the delicious hot drink, gløgg.

It was a lovely start to the holiday season.

Photos by MK Metz
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Sahadi's Opens Holiday Gift Shop Next Door to Brooklyn Store

Sahadi's has opened a Holiday Gift Shop right next door to their fabulous store on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn Heights (at 191 Atlantic).

We checked out their Facebook page and saw that a shipment of "adorable chocolate ornaments and novelties for stocking stuffers" just came in.

The shop is open late some nights -- check out Facebook for more.

Top photo by MK Metz
Bottom photo courtesy of Sahadi's

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Kidnapping at Adams and Tillary, and More Brooklyn Briefs

- A perp grabbed a woman's cell phone at Adams and Tillary Street in Downtown Brooklyn and used it as a lure to get her near his van. When she got close enough, he dragged her into the vehicle and took off. Brooklyn Paper UPDATE: The Brooklyn Heights Blog reports this was not a kidnapping attempt, but a domestic dispute. BHB

- A new database of Park Slope parking spaces hopes to connect circling drivers with open spots via text messaging. Brooklyn Eagle.

- Downtown Brooklyn is going Christmas Crazy! Lost City

- Here's how someone made a cloak of invisibility in Brooklyn Bridge Park. DumboNYC

- The percentage of pedestrians killed by cars in New York is nearly three times the national average. Bay Ridge Journal

- Early-bird deadline for the Brooklyn International Film Festival is Nov. 30. OTBKB

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'Shop Brooklyn' Launching Soon

“Shop Brooklyn” is an annual holiday campaign highlighting Brooklyn’s neighborhoods and shopping corridors, urging Brooklynites and visitors to “Shop Local."

Brooklyn retailers, restaurants, bars, and other service providers will offer special “Brooklyn Bonuses” starting November 27 (“Black Friday”—renamed “Brooklyn Friday”) and running through December 25.

Participating retailers will display the “Shop Brooklyn” logo in store windows and will have their special offers posted on ishopbrooklyn.com (launching Tuesday). Many shops offer 10 percent off or have other specials. When the web site is operating, you'll be able to search by neighborhood or category.

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Comptroller Thompson Turns Down Brooklyn House of Detention Contract, Again

New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. sent us a statement yesterday regarding his refusal to register the $34 million design contract at the Brooklyn House of Detention. This is the third time that Thompson has turned down the contract.

Here's part of his explanation:

"This boondoggle has been a disaster since day one. Whether the issue was the possibility of corruption in the vendor selection process, lack of community input or ballooning costs, we have clearly shown that this ill-advised project is fundamentally flawed. The money the city wants to spend on this contract would be far better used as a means to reduce class sizes and build more schools.”

Some problems outlined by the Comptroller are:

• DDC did not properly issue the “Full scope of work” before the first stage evaluations of the proposals took place;
• Some vendor evaluation sheets had altered scores, but lacked the required signatures by the evaluators who made the alterations;
• DDC did not provide, as required, documentation that they successfully negotiated a fee with the vendor; and
• The contract package that was submitted to the Comptroller for registration failed to provide proper signatures on most of the documents, including the contract itself.

According to the Daily News, a Bloomberg advisor said that Thompson had no grounds to block the contract - and would be "hauled into court" if he does. But Bloomberg himself took a softer stance, saying that "if [Thompson] has some real issues, we'll look into them."

In March, Kings County Supreme Court Justice Sylvia Hinds-Radix ruled that the city’s Department of Correction may go forward with its plan to "fully utilize" the Brooklyn House of Detention without going through environmental and land use reviews, according to the Brooklyn Eagle.

- Judge: Brooklyn House of Detention Can Reopen
- Brooklyn House of Detention Contract Rejected by Comptroller Thompson
- Anti-Jail Rally on Brooklyn Courthouse Steps Almost Didn't Happen
- 'Stop the Brooklyn House of Detention' Rally
- Don't Get Your Pants In a Twist Over Brooklyn House of Detention, Says Eagle
- Brooklyn House of Detention, Now With Retail
- Goodbye Supersized, Butt Ugly Brooklyn House of Detention Condos, Hello Bigger Jail
- Brooklyn House of Detention Forum Thursday -- Commissioner Horn Will Answer All Your Questions
- House of Detention Site May Be 'Most Valuable Square Block in Downtown Brooklyn'
- Brooklyn House of Detention Could Get 'Super-sized'

Photo by MK Metz

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Children’s Book Fair at Brooklyn Museum This Saturday, Nov. 21

Know any kids? The Brooklyn Museum is hosting its third annual Children’s Book Fair this Saturday, with more than 30 Brooklyn authors and illustrators.

The fair features storybooks, picture books, and graphic novels and will include author readings, a game for children, and café service.

One of our favorite authors/illustrators appearing Saturday will be Melanie Hope Greenberg, who created favorites like "Down in the Subway," "Mermaids On Parade," "Good Morning Digger" and more. The illustration above is from "Mermaids On Parade," a colorful, shimmering book very much in keeping with Coney Island.

Saturday, November 21, 2009 from 12–4 p.m.
Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Pavilion, 1st Floor
Sponsored by Astoria Federal Savings.

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What Alternate Universe Are We In When the Heights Players Puts On a Gay-Themed Nude Play?

We absolutely love the Heights Players, Brooklyn's beloved little community theater. But generally we associate their compact stage with retellings of the classics and rip-roaring musicals.

They really pack that tiny hall with singers and dancers and we sure feel like we've seen a Broadway show when it's over. (The seats are so close to the stage we actually feel like we've been in a Broadway show when it's over.)

We don't associate the Heights Players, however, with Take Me Out, the bawdy, all-male, gay-themed show that's guaranteed to open the eyes of those in the front row.

“The nudity is going to be everywhere,” says director Fabio Taliercio in a Brooklyn Eagle article entitled "Letting It All Hang Out."

Goodness. It's going to be awfully friendly in there.

What will the sleepy matinee crowd think about this? More here.

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This Settles It, Brooklyn Is Haunted.

There's been a lot of talk of ghosts and hauntings lately in Brooklyn -- the Atlantic Avenue Tunnel is said to be haunted, for example -- and now we are almost starting to believe it.

We were walking through MetroTech in Downtown Brooklyn yesterday when we came across this most astounding apparition.

A ghostly figure dressed in period clothing, like you might imagine a Pilgrim would wear, appeared right in front of a grove of trees on the north side of MetroTech Commons. The Pilgrim had a pretty solid peg leg but the top of his body, covered by some kind of sheet, seemed to waver between two different realities.

Depending on where we stood, he disappeared, then reappeared.

He seemed very intense, as if he was trying to communicate something important, but we were so unnerved we couldn't make out what he was getting at. Perhaps you should visit MetroTech and see for yourself.

The confounding piece above is called Pilgrim Ghost, 2009, and is by Johannes VanDerBeek. It is part of the show "Double Take" which celebrates "the mysterious over the mundane," sponsored by the Public Art Fund.

Photo by MK Metz
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