Looking for Ghosts in Prospect Park; P.S. 8 Zoning and More Brooklyn Briefs

-  DOE to present final P.S. 8 / 307 rezoning in Brooklyn tonight. [BHB] Photo: MK Metz

 - The  Brooklyn Paranormal Society is heading to Prospect Park to explore the scene of four murders . . . while tipsy.  [DNAinfo]

- Downtown Brooklyn’s higher-education institutions drew 60,000 students and generated $2.8 billion in economic activity in 2013. [WSJ]

- (Video) Cops looking for a man who assaulted a women walking her dog in Greenpoint. [CBS]

- Trial set for NYPD officer charged in Brooklyn stairwell shooting of Akai Gurley. [Pix11]

- Music superstar Alicia Keys surprised students at Edward R. Murrow High School with a visit and money for a music program. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Emmy winner Bobby Cannavale, (“Boardwalk Empire”) and “Damages” actress Rose Byrne paid $2.15 million for a townhouse in Boerum Hill. [Variety]

- Chelsea Clinton has been looking at townhouses in Brooklyn near mother Hillary’s campaign headquarters. [NY Post]

- What all those thousands of people were doing in Cadman Plaza Park on Saturday. [Brooklyn Eagle]


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Get Your Act Together for the Coney Island Talent Show!

Here's your magical ticket to the big time: The 6th Annual Coney Island Talent Show takes place Saturday, July 25th,from 4-8pm on the Boardwalk (between 10th & 12th street).

Organizers (The Alliance for Coney Island, Deno’s Wonder Wheel & Thirsty Girl Productions) call the splendorous event: "A spectacle of sunshine and lollipops on the boardwalk."

Join Hostess The World Famous *BOB* and the fanfare of legendary talent that has come out of Coney Island -- and be a part of it.

You KNOW what you can do!

Details:

Categories for this year’s talent contest are: Creative kids 9-12 years old, Creative kids 13-17 years old and Song, Dance & Variety 18 and up

1st prize in each category will receive a cash prize of $250, and day passes to participating Coney Island Amusements

2nd prize in each category will receive a cash prize of $100, and day passes to participating Coney Island Amusements.

3rd prize in each category will a cash prize of $50, and tickets to participating Coney Island Amusements.

The Best Dressed person in each category will receive a special mystery prize.

Celebrity Judges include: The Mayor of Coney Island, Dick Zigun, comedian Bob Greenberg and singer and comedian Amber Martin

To apply to perform in The Coney Island Talent show, visit www.coneyislandtalentshow.com and fill out an application by July 15th.

Bella. Images courtesy of Coney Island Talent Show

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Two Guys Taking Photos Outside Brooklyn Synagogue Turned Out to Be ... Two Guys Taking Photos Outside Brooklyn Synagogue

On Saturday, Brooklyn officials put out the word that two Middle Eastern men were observed taking photos outside a synagogue at 1801 Ocean Parkway near Avenue R.

Thise above video footage was posted on YouTube by Edmond Safra Synagogue. The men were pronounced "suspicious."

Council David Greenfield urged people to call 911 if they saw the men. Reports came in of the men filming outside other synagogues. Police stepped up patrols.

On Monday, police sources told CBS2 the men were from Connecticut, and they were in Brooklyn just to meet friends for dinner. The men told police they had time to kill, and were just walking around taking pictures.

The men have no ties to terror groups, police told CBS.


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Those Were Bronies You Saw in Brooklyn Heights Over the Weekend

Photo by MK Metz

It was a long and cold weekend, maybe the coldest in a decade.

So maybe you thought those pointy-eared creatures on Remsen Street in Brooklyn Heights -- the ones with the orange and yellow manes --were just what happens in this city when it gets too damn cold for the native wildlife.

You'll be happy to know that those critters were bronies -- and about a thousand of them came to town for the "My Little Pony" convention, called PonyconNYC.

It was held at St. Francis College -- and because of it, we're all a little happier now, somehow.


Ponycon brings sweetness, smiles and bronies to Brooklyn Heights [Brooklyn Eagle]


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Brony Alert for Brooklyn: Ponycon Coming

We've had blizzard alerts and Ebola alerts.  Now Brooklyn has a Brony alert:

More than 1,000 “My Little Pony” fans from all over the world will be hitting the streets of Brooklyn Heights over Valentine's Day weekend for "Ponycon 2015."

While the TV show aims at little girls, most of fans coming to the convention are males between the ages of 16 to 30, called Bronies, according to the Brooklyn Eagle.

Organizer Bill Crumlic has given a great deal of thought to "the phenomenon of men who like sweet little ponies with names like Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie." (His musings here.)

 Several local hotels have already sold out.


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Cutbacks at the Brooklyn House of Detention; Stop Work Order at Pierhouse, and More Brooklyn Briefs

- The Department of Correction is paring back the number of inmates housed in the Brooklyn House of Detention in Atlantic Avenue to cut costs. [Daily News]

- Everything you need to know about DOB's stop work order on Pierhouse in Brooklyn Bridge Park. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- My Little Pony convention coming to Downtown Brooklyn. [DNAinfo]

- The Brooklyn Nets are a mess. [Fan Sided]

- WTF? Domino’s launches bondage-themed 'Fifty Shades of Grey' ad. [Daily News]


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Giggly, Terrifying Clowns On Montague Street, Handing Out Apple Slices

Photo by MK Metz

These way-too-happy, colorful, TERRIFYING CLOWNS were giving out apple slices on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights this past weekend.

We refused to eat the apples, naturally . . . But were happy to take this photo!

Then we ran away as fast as we could.

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A 'Spirited Stroll' Featuring Murder, Mayhem and the Otherworldly at Green-Wood

Green-Wood. Photo: MK Metz

 Green-Wood Cemetery sends this message about a "spirited stroll" featuring tales of "murder, mayhem, spirits and the otherworldly."

Sounds just the thing as Halloween approaches:

"Get into the autumnal mood and enjoy a cool, crisp day exploring Green-Wood’s beautiful fall foliage on Sunday, October 26 as Green-Wood Historian Jeff Richman leads a spirited stroll through this 478-acre National Historic Landmark. This favorite fall tour features tales of murder, mayhem, spirits and the otherworldly.

"The tour will include a visit inside the Catacombs, usually closed to the public; plus other unusual and intriguing sites including a stop at the final resting place of the Fox family -- founders of Spiritualism; the gravesite of George Washington’s personal dentist, coincidentally named Dr. Greenwood; and the monument to the Wizard of Oz, Frank Morgan.

"The tour will also feature the gravesites of George Catlin, the finest artist of American Indian portraiture; singer, songwriter and actor Paul Jabarra, most noted for writing the disco hits Last Dance, Enough is Enough, It’s Raining Men and others; Bill “the Butcher” Poole, the model for the Daniel Day-Lewis character in Gangs of New York; contemporary artistic genius Jean-Michel Basquiat; and more."

WHEN: Sunday, October 26, 2014; 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

WHERE: Green-Wood – Meet inside the main gate (25th Street at 5th Avenue, Brooklyn)

Take the “R” train to 25th Street in Brooklyn and walk up the hill one block and into the Cemetery. Free parking is available.

More at www.green-wood.com/toursevents.


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Seen In Brooklyn Heights: Can You Guess What This Is?

Photo by MK Metz

This was on a flatbed truck in south Brooklyn Heights. Can you guess what it is?

We'll update this post in a bit.


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999 Pink Vibrating Eggs Will Be Duct-Taped To Sculpture in Brooklyn Bridge Park . . .

Part of 'We the People.' Photo by MK Metz

It's almost time . . . for the DUMBO Arts Festival 2014.

Example 1: On September 28 at noon Xiu Xiu will premier a sound installation at Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Using 999 pink vibrating eggs neon duct taped one at a time to the enormous copper sculpture, "We the People," a "clanging and sonorous chord will emerge," says Xiu Xiu.

"As the batteries in the eggs die the pitch of the chord will slowly get lower and quieter until it is silent again."


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What's REALLY Going On with Those White Flags On the Brooklyn Bridge

Photo by MK Metz

White flags on the Brooklyn Bridge. What's going on? Here are a few possibilities:

- The famous Brooklyn Bridge UFO is back, this time with white flags. [Witnessed; The True Story of the Brooklyn Bridge UFO Abductions]

- The People's Brooklyn Bridge Security Drill has concluded. Thank you for your participation.Several areas need to be addressed.

Pier 6, LICH, Dock Street, the library: Brooklyn surrenders to real estate developers.

- Just in: Cheap Chinese flags found to fade to white almost overnight.

- This exact thing happened on the Brooklyn Bridge two years ago, only with graffitti. [NYPD Confidential] 

- This exact same thing happened in Finland, only it was 1,000 white flags. [1000 White Flags]

- This exact same thing happened on the moon. [Gizmodo]

- Missing: 2 white flags, slightly worn. Anyone seen them?

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Brooklyn Bridge Security: Maybe White Flag Folks Did Us All a Favor

The Brooklyn Bridge Flag Caper of 2014 has caused quite a flap. Photos by MK Metz

It's likely that many thousands of dollars have gone into Brooklyn Bridge security, yet a group of pranksters, probably half drunk, managed to pull off quite a coup by removing the American flags from atop the Brooklyn Bridges towers and replacing them with white ones early this morning.

While the city and NYPD bosses are rattling their sabers and going over video footage, that's kind of beside the point, isn't it?

Maybe the city should be thanking the flag folks for demonstrating that any terrorist with half a plan could have had one of our most cherished monuments for breakfast this morning, along with a thousand or two thousand motorists and pedestrians.

That being said, NYPD's Emergency Service Unit did a great job of climbing the cables up to the summit of the bridge. These guys always come through, even if they shouldn't have to.

ESU officer climbs the Brooklyn Bridge cable. MK Metz

* Speculation grows about the white flags on the Brooklyn Bridge.

* Brooklyn Borough President Adams offers a $5 reward for info leading to arrest of perps.

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Mom Buried in Trash; New Pot Policy; and More Brooklyn Briefs

Remember when de Blasio used to say, "We need hospitals, not condos"  and "Save LICH?" That was before we elected him Mayor. Photo: MK Metz

_________________________________________

- Police digging through 3 feet of garbage in a Brooklyn kitchen discovered the bones of a woman buried under the trash, and her emotionally-distrubed daughter in the kitchen. [NY Daily News]

- The Brooklyn district attorney’s office announced on Tuesday that it would stop prosecuting most low-level marijuana cases. Just don't try to smoke around kids.  [NYT]

- Fifth Avenue Record and Tape Center in Park Slope is closing after 42 years in business. [Racked] The shop had almost closed in 2009.

- Joey "Jaws" Chestnut may have won the Conry Island hot dog eating contest, but in South Dakota, a 47-year-old man choked to death during a similar competition. [CBC]

- U.S. Attorneys offices in Brooklyn and Colorado have been investigating Citibank, and the bank may have to pay a $7 billion fine for defrauding investors. [IBTimes]

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Crazy, Hostile, Tall Guy Spitting at People on Subway Train Tuesday Morning Near Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn

From the scanner:

A emotionally disturbed, tall, black, hostile guy wearing purple pants has been reported spitting at people in a subway train in Brooklyn somewhere near Sheepshead Bay.

At 2:50 a.m. Tuesday morning, the police dispatcher warned responders to use caution, as the caller reported the man had "an object in his pocket."


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MIddle Earth Transit Authority Notice in Brooklyn: Coronation of Lord Aragon

Notices from the Middle Earth Transit Authority about the upcoming Coronation of Lord Aragorn as King of Gondor on Saturday, May 1 can be found at Atlantic Ave/Barclays Center station; the NE corner of Ashland Place, and on Hanson Place, in Brooklyn.

By Puckworks, the full notice can be found on their blog, and on Instragram.

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Truly Horrifying Stuffed Animals; Brooklyn Law School; and More Brooklyn Briefs

#RyanBudget would eliminate grants for some of the most beloved institutions in Brooklyn. @brooklynmuseum @brooklynpublic and many others.
— Yvette D. Clarke (@YvetteClarke) April 3, 2014

- Broker makes flyer inviting people to ‘Join the gentrification!’ in Bushwick. [Brokelyn]

- Photos: Truly horrifying stuffed animals in Gowanus. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Brooklyn Law School to cut their tuition by 15%. Tuition at the school currently stands at $53,850—after the cut, the tuition will be $45,850. [WSJ]

- A Delta flight had to make an emergency landing at Kennedy Airport Wednesday evening. [NBC]

- Vision Zero packs Brooklyn Borough Hall. Adams 'tired of the white bikes.' [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Brooklyn butcher wins $10,000-a-week scratch-off game on coffee break. [NY Daily News]

- Attica U: After ridicule from Republicans, Gov. Cuomo gives up on his idea to pay for college classes for prisoners. [NY Times]

- TODAY show's Willard Scott, 80, has tied the knot [NY Daily News]

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Bring Your Dead Beast to the Carnivorous Nights Taxidermy Contest in Brooklyn

Secret Science Club

Calling Brooklyn taxidermy freaks: Bring your beloved stuffed beast to the Bell House this Sunday and enter it to win. (This is NOT an April Fools joke.)

Show off your moose head, python skeleton, aunt Gina's cat Ralph, and other specimens. Share your taxidermy (and its tale) with the world. Compete for prizes and glory!

Eligible to enter: taxidermy (bought, found, homemade), biological specimens, articulated skeletons and skulls, jarred specimens--and beyond.

Entrants: Contact secretscienceclub@gmail.com to register.

Spectators: Welcome.

Hosted by: Dorian Devins  and Margaret Mittelbach of the Secret Science Club

Judging by: Robert Marbury of the Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermy &Joanna Ebenstein of the Morbid Anatomy Library and Museum

Music, drinks, and furry-and-fanged door prizes

This special edition of the Secret Science Club meets Sunday, April 6 at 7:30 pm @ theBell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus. Subway: F or G to 4th Ave; R to 9th St.

Doors open at 7 pm. Please bring ID: 21+ . $12 adv, $15 door.

For more information, contact secretscienceclub@gmail.com
Or visit http://secretscienceclub.blogspot.com


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Brooklyn Artists Tats His Unconscious Dog, Can Never Show His Face in Brooklyn Again

Instagram

 Tatoo artist "Mistah Metro," (aka "Orangatang Joe" aka Alex) who works out of Flastbush Ave. parlor Red Legged Devils, has attracted a shitstorm of criticism after posting a photo of his (unconscious) dog, Mel, on Instagram -- with a fresh tatoo on its shoulder.

According to the Daily News, Mistah Metro said his vet let him tatoo the dog while it was unconscious after a spleen operation. (Also reported by the Post.)

 Mistah Metro bragged on Instagram, "One of the many reasons my dog is cooler than your[s]! She had her spleen removed today and the vet let me tattoo her while she was under."

The reaction from the Entire World came fast and furious.

"What the f***ing Hell is wrong with you?"was a fairly typical sentiment.

Also, "that is Disgusting how could you do that to a poor dog"

As people started bad mouthing the tatoo parlor, the owner of Red Legged Devils tried to distance himself:  “The dog didn’t get tattooed at this shop. It has nothing to do with this shop whatsoever."

After social media threats, Mistah Metro shut down his accounts and website. (While he took down his landing page, you can still get inside his site through a side door here.)

Mistah Metro is now officially a pariah in Brooklyn.

@nadiner_weiner @MistahMetro7 I am so sickened, I hope he rots in jail
— Jordan burmeister (@JordanBurmeis) March 5, 2014

@MistahMetro7 I hope I find you and I can murder you.
— (☄ฺ◣д◢)☄ (@LLSMOOTHJ_) March 5, 2014

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This Is Not What You Want To See Running Towards You When You Walk Across the Brooklyn Bridge

Photo: MK Metz. McBrooklyn.com

Because plastic green toy soldiers should be no more than three inches tall and should hold still, dammit.

No casualties were reported.

More sightings at Twitchy.

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Bindlestiff Family Cirkus Cabaret Returns to Brooklyn

They're baaaaak.

The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus Cabaret is throwing its 20th Anniversary Show on March 13-16, with two versions of their renowned, twisted, cutting-edges showcase:

Adults: March 13-16 @ 8PM
$20 advance/$25 door
$10 discount for clowns in make-up (door only)

Family: March 15-16 @ 3PM
$12 each/ $40 for 4

Bindkestaff says:

Over 400 circus and variety arts stars have appeared in this show since its inception, featuring aerial performance, fire eating, funambulism, contortion, acrobatic balance, sword swallowing, juggling, physical comedy, sideshow stunts, oddball novelty turns and much more.

The Bindlestiff stage is one of the few arenas in the world where audiences may see internationally renowned street performers, featured acts from Cirque du Soleil and Ringling Brothers, artists made known by America's Got Talent, and local legends -- all on stage together in the same show.

Live music is a defining feature of Bindlestiff's Cabaret shows, with witty, original tunes by a variety of NYC's best composers and accompanists.

The evening shows are for adults only!

The audience is encouraged to participate in the glamour of the evening by dressing the part. Those in costume or circus makeup can ask for a discounted ticket at the door.

For tickets: brooklynlyceum.wazala.com
More information: 1-877-BINDLES // bindlestiff.org

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