An Apology to the World, from America

An apology to the world, from America, for @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/fIpxhMlAVl

— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) January 31, 2017

Everyone should watch this, and shed a tear.

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Happy ‘National Duck Out for a Drink Day!'

Photo: MK Metz

Today is ‘National Duck Out for a Drink Day,' America's favorite holiday.

The rationale is clearly and legally explained in a proclamation by Alex Balk at the Awl. It starts:

WHEREAS work is long, boring and especially difficult to take during the summer months when you could be outside, particularly when you consider how awful winter has been lately and will be for the rest of our lives and you’re starting to realize summer is almost over, and

WHEREAS contemporary human existence is a mostly unrelenting series of trials and tribulations of varying degrees of unpleasantness, none of which means anything in the end, the only reasonable temporary solution that has yet been discovered for being alcohol, and ... (More of the proclamation here).

Want some examples? Brokelyn tells us about some of the best times they skipped out of work for a drink (such as the time they got dumped in the morning and the Chipotle line was too long at lunch).

You can probably come up with some great reasons to duck out today, too.

Happy drinking!


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Happy Yoga Day / Summer Solstice / Make Music Day

International Yoga Day

How is your Summer Solstice/ Yoga Day/ Make Music Day going?

The United Nations General Assembly declared that June 21st is the International Day of Yoga, while Mother Nature declared June 21 to be the longest day of the year (Summer Solstice).

The UN held a global yoga celebration today-- in New York City a Solstice yoga event was held in Times Square, with dignitaries from the UN and the Government of India in attendance.

Meanwhile, Make Music New York held pop-up concerts, jam sessions and musical events across the city -- many in Brooklyn, including GroupMuse in Prosspect Park.


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PERSONS OF INTEREST: The Brooklyn - Berlin Connection

Graffiti, street art, and the D.I.Y. scenes of Berlin and Brooklyn are coming together with the show PERSONS OF INTEREST.

 PERSONS OF INTEREST is a portraiture show appearing March 14 - June 15 in the street level windows of the future Urban Nation HQ in Berlin.

The organizors (Urban Nation and Brooklyn Street Art) say the "select group of important Brooklyn street artists ... represent a cross section of styles and techniques seen on walls, in doorways, and everywhere else on the streets of Brooklyn (and NYC) during the last decade and a half."

Full release here.


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Why Would Brooklyn Terrorists Want to Bomb Coney Island?

FBI say Coney Island was potential terror target of men charged in ISIS case. http://t.co/D0NOAWrHR7 pic.twitter.com/Yjhxfftfzx
— Jim Roberts (@nycjim) February 25, 2015

The three alleged terrorists arrested on Wednesday had back up plans to set off a bomb in Coney Island, if everything else fell through.

Why would the three young men -- Brooklynites Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev, 24, Akhror Saidakhmetov, 19, and Abror Habibov, 30 -- want to blow up a neighborhood in their adopted borough?

Speculating here: Perhaps it has something to do with the relatively large number of Russians in Coney Island. 

Russia is waging an "online war" against ISIS (or ISIL), according to Aljazeera. ISIS /ISIL has released videos with threats to liberate Chechnya from Russia. Many ISIS recruits are coming from the disputed Russian territory. In fact, there's an "Islamist insurgency" there.

All three of the accused were immigrants from former Soviet republics Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

According to Mashable, one of the defendants attended college for a while at City Tech in Downtown Brooklyn, though not currently. 

This is not the first time Brooklyn has been threatened by Islamic extremists, the Brooklyn Eagle reports. In 1997, police arrested terrorists planning to detonate bombs in the Atlantic Avenue subway station.

There have been 16 known terrorist plots against New York City since September 11, 2001.

PHOTO: 3 suspects arrested in US on plot to join Islamic State group appear at NY court http://t.co/pCCSadKbzt
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 26, 2015

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Google Lists Its 'Most Searched' Trends for 2014; 'Mutant Giant Spider Dog' Heads YouTube Videos

"Mutant Giant Spider Dog" was the most searched for video in 2014, says Google.

Google has compiled its "most searched" trend lists for 2014 in a number of categories.

The most searched term overall this year was Robin Williams, the acclaimed comedian and actor who committed suicide in August. (Searches for World Cup, Ebola, Malaysia Airlines and ALS Ice Bucket Challenge followed Williams.)

The most searched person was actress Jennifer Lawrence (who is also 2014's highest grossing actress.)

Soccer player James Rodriguez was the most seaarched athlete.

In the consumer electronics category, the iPhone 6 was the term most searched on Google.

In terms of global news, Ebola led the list.

The most searched YouTube video? "Mutant Giant Spider Dog," embedded above. This video went viral, and now has roughly 122,964,896 views.

More of 2014's Google Trends.


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Political Tidbits: NY's 'Dumbest Pol,' CB Term Limits, Cuomo and More

- State Senator Simcha Felder is called "New York's dumbest pol" by the Albany Project after suggesting that the recent hike in high profile crimes in Brooklyn is due to local police officers being sent to handle Eric Garner protests in Manhattan. Felder wants Cuomo to send in the National Guard to handle the protestors . . .

- The New York City Council will  see a bill on term limits introduced -- this time for community boards, says Gotham Gazette. Members would be limited to two 6-year terms. Council Member Dromm told GG: "I applaud those people who spend 30 or 40 years on a community board, and I thank them for service. But I do think we need to move things around."

- New York City public schools can no longer call 911 and send disruptive students to emergency rooms, reports WNYC. It turns out roughly 3,000 NYC kids a year -- with no medical emergencies -- are sent to the ER by teachers who can't deal with them.

- What's New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo doing for the holidays this year? He's busting a union that endorsed his primary challenger, Zephyr Teachout. Daily Kos says this union-busting move is pretty bold, even for Cuomo.

- New York taxpayers are on track to spend over $1 million to help state lawmakers keep details of their outside jobs secret, reports Capital NY.

- Russia is so screwed, says Slate. And maybe Obama's sanctions have something to do with it, says Politico.

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Sept. 11 Tribute in Light Looks Like It Burned a Hole Through the Sky

Photo: MK Metz

Like many others, we were on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade tonight looking at the 9-11 Tribute in Light.

Way up at the top of the twin blue beams, the clouds moved in such a way as to give the illusion that the lights had burned straight through the sky.

Can't believe it's been 13 years.

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September 11 Space Weather Alert from NOAA Warns of Solar Flare

NOAA

NOAA has issued several Space Weather Alerts for those who might be flying on high-altitude flights or on spaceships today or tomorrow.

On Wednesday a high intensity solar flare erupted from the sun and shot towards Earth. It may affect high frequency (HF) radios and electronics for an hour or so -- but what NOAA is specifically warning about is the unusual amount of " Proton 100MeV Integral Flux," which presents "increased biological risk to astronauts or passengers and crew in high latitude, high altitude flights."

It also puts satellite systems at risk if they suffer a direct hit.

____________________________________

For those who talk geek, here's the warning:

Space Weather Message Code: WARPC0
Serial Number: 78
Issue Time: 2014 Sep 10 2322 UTC

WARNING: Proton 100MeV Integral Flux above 1pfu expected
Valid From: 2014 Sep 10 2330 UTC
Valid To: 2014 Sep 11 2100 UTC
Warning Condition: Onset
Potential Impacts: An enhancement in the energetic portion of the solar radiation spectrum may indicate increased biological risk to astronauts or passengers and crew in high latitude, high altitude flights. Additionally, energetic particles may represent an increased risk to all satellite systems susceptible to single event effects. This information should be used in conjunction with the current Solar Radiation Storm conditions when assessing overall impact.

Space Weather Message Code: WARPX1
Serial Number: 433
Issue Time: 2014 Sep 10 2105 UTC

WARNING: Proton 10MeV Integral Flux above 10pfu expected
Valid From: 2014 Sep 10 2115 UTC
Valid To: 2014 Sep 11 2100 UTC
Warning Condition: Onset
Predicted NOAA Scale: S1 - Minor
Potential Impacts: Radio - Minor impacts on polar HF (high frequency) radio propagation resulting in fades at lower frequencies.


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Internet Slowdown Day -- See These Symbols on the Web?

Have you seen this symbol much on the Internet today?

Sept. 10th is the Internet Slowdown

Because cable companies want to slow down many Internet sites, Internet neutrality groups loaded the  web with symbolic "loading" icons today, to remind everyone what an Internet without net neutrality would look like, and drive emails and calls to lawmakers.

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Brooklyn Bridge White American Flags: If No One Gets It, Is It Still Art?

The Brooklyn Bridge Flag Caper: Sensational, but was it art? Photo by MK Metz

Two wacky Germans have brought the eternal question -- What the heck is art, anyway? -- back to the forefront this summer.

You probably remember the fuss when, overnight on July 21/22, two white flags appeared mysteriously on the towers of the Brooklyn Bridge.

German artists Mischa Leinkauf and Matthias Wermke, who laid low until the dust settled a bit, took credit on Tuesday and supplied a short video to the New York Times showing the white flags flapping at night, from the perspective of the top of a tower.

The artists said the flag stunt date was set to honor German engineer John Roebling, who moved to America and designed the Brooklyn Bridge. He died on July 22, 1869. (His son Washington Roebling died on July 21, 1926.)

Like so many artists who create inexplicable art, the duo produced a press release that said, "Like an empty canvas, White American Flags invites many readings, multiple interpretations and projections."

Right . . .

If an art is created but nobody knows it's art, is it art?

We asked international expert Google, "What is art?"

Google told us: Art is "the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power."

By this definition, the flags might be considered art, or at least art-ish.

Tolstoy, on the other hand, thought people looking at art had to "get it."

According to Wikipedia, Tolstoy said that the artist: "hands on to others feelings he has lived through, and that other people are infected by these feelings, and also experience them."

By that measure, since nobody had the slightest idea what these flags meant, they were a massive fail, art-wise. (The main interpretations elicited were, "WTF," or some riff on, "Brooklyn hipsters/bikers surrender.")

Not one single person in the entire world said anything close to, "This here art is a tribute to the bridge's German designers." 

Art or not, Kristian Roebling, the great-great-great-grandson of John Roebling who lives in DUMBO, thinks the stunt was kinda cool, the sort of thing "having a tequila or two" might facilitate.

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Brooklyn College Faculty Votes 'No Confidence' in CUNY; Was Pakistan's Finance Minister Really in Coney Island? And More Brooklyn Briefs

April 8 1930 #brooklyn #courtStreet pic.twitter.com/M4mrS2XsAA
— Travis Collins (@TravisBklyn) April 9, 2014

- A former Brooklyn police detective who claimed his career was ruined after he was labeled a “rat” will receive a $280,000 settlement from NYC. [NYT]

- Brooklyn College faculty revolts: votes to retake control of curriculum from CUNY. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- DIEHIPSTER.com says the appropriate thing about "Silent Reading Parties."

- Garages are disappearing in "Brooklyn, the land of the hipster bikester." So far, 40 have bitten the dust. [NY Post]

- Pakistan's Finance Minister Ishaq Dar addressed the Pakistan Muslim League-N in a coffee shop in Coney Island. Really. [Dawn] and again here.

- B37 bus back in service starting June 29 -- but only as far as Barclays Center. WTF? [Brooklyn Eagle]

- One man is dead and another is in police custody after a fiery car crash in Brooklyn early Tuesday morning. DWI. [NY1]


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8.2 Chile Quake Recorded Here in NYC

This seismogram below recorded at the LCSN station in NYC recorded Tuesday's 8.2 quake in Chile.

The 8.2 Chile quake was felt even here. Seismograph reading from Central Park. http://t.co/pU9eTYQFPJ #Earthquake
— Dave Curren (@DaveCurren) April 2, 2014

According to the US Geological Survey, more than a dozen sizable aftershocks followed. The quake triggered a tsunami alert for Latin America's Pacific coast, and thousands are evacuating the coast.

incakolanews: Otto Rock reports two deaths in Iquique due to quake. "Also 300 women prisoners escaped from local jail, not evacuated. 16 recaptured so far."
 

This video shows some scary shaking inside a house near Iquique.

Reports: The tsunami wave swept three blocks inland in Iquique.  The mayor is asking for thousands of blankets as residents spend the night in the hills.

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Apostrophes Banned On Signs in Cambridge, Grammarians Take to the Streets

Axe the grammar from street signs? Fugheddaboudit!

"Guerilla grammarians," markers in hand, have taken to the streets in Cambridge this week after the Cambridge City Council abolished punctuation from street signs.

Residents are painting the missing apostrophes back on, raising the ire of executive planners.

The secretary of state for local government has urged residents to “defend their traditional street names from town halls’ over-zealous pen pushers,” adding, "“If an apostrophe is good enough for Her Majesty’s Government, so should it be for Cambridge City Council."

Meanwhile, in Brooklyn . . .

Brooklyn-USA

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Twitter Makes It Harder for Governments to Spy on Users. They May Just Have to Buy Your Data Like Everybody Else

Twitter says it has implemented a new security technology that makes it harder for government intelligence agencies to spy on its users.

That's great. Now the only people spying on Twitter users are those who pay Twitter for the privilege of mining the data.

And the Library of Congress, which gets it for free.

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Help Kids in Philippines Now: Text RELIEF to 864233 to donate $10 to UNICEF

Photo: UNICEF

UNICEF is rushing emergency supplies to areas of the Philippines ravaged by Super Typhoon Haiyan (AKA: Yolanda) on November 8, as the latest estimates indicate that up to 4 million children could now be affected by the disaster.

Death estimates have been as high as 10,000.

Text RELIEF to 864233 to donate $10 to UNICEF

Food for children, health kits, water and hygiene kits to support up to 3,000 families in the affected areas have already been mobilized, with distribution prioritized for the Tacloban area as soon as access is possible.

UNICEF’s warehouse in Copenhagen is airlifting US$1.3 million worth of additional supplies for another 10,000 families, including those affected by the recent earthquake in Bohol. The shipments contain water purification tablets, soap, medical kits, tarpaulins, and micronutrient supplements.

More here.

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Senator Schumer Is Squawking About Plan To Import Chicken from China

Photo: Watt Publishing

Thank goodness Sen. Chuck Schumer is speaking out against the plan to send U.S.-raised chickens to China, let the Chinese process them into food products, and then ship them back for us to eat.

This is the country that is killing our pets with poisoned jerky treats; where people won't let their children play in the cancer-causing yellow air; where tens of thousands of diseased, bloated hog carcasses float in the Huangpu river.

China has essentially no food safety rules whatsoever.

What does our country say about Schumer's concerns?

The USDA says that the senator is overreacting.

More at Grubstreet.

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Not Just You: Gmail Was Broken for Millions of People Yesterday

Was your Gmail sluggish or just not working yesterday (Monday)?

You're not the only one. Millions of Gmail users' mail was delayed or was going through without attachments. (Betcha thought those other idiots just forgot to attach them, right?)

Other users experienced problems with Google Docs and Google Presentations. 

Here's what Google said (in part) about the Gmail problem throughout the day.

At 11:45 a.m., Google issued this status update: "The delivery of some messages is being delayed and attachments may fail to download. This issue is affecting less than an estimated 0.024% of the Gmail user base."

By 2:05 p.m., the message was: "Thank you for your patience. The email delays are affecting less than 50% of Gmail users."

At 3 p.m., we heard: "Gmail service has already been restored for some users, and we expect a resolution for all users within the next 1 hours. Please note this time frame is an estimate and may change."

At 4 p.m.: "Gmail service has already been restored for some users, and we expect a resolution for all users within the next 3 hours. Please note this time frame is an estimate and may change."

At 7 p.m.: "Gmail message delivery delays and attachment download issues have been corrected for most affected users. A majority of the delivery backlog has also been cleared. We hope to clear the backlog completely in the very near future."

The final message read in part: "Gmail message delivery and attachment download is functioning normally for all users. We apologize for the duration of today's event; we're aware that prompt email delivery is an important part of the Gmail experience, and today's experience fell far short of our standards. We have analyzed the data on user impact and are providing a preliminary assessment of what occurred:

"Between 0554 and 1530 Pacific Time today, 29.1% of messages received by Gmail users were delayed. The average (median) delay was just 2.6 seconds, but some mail was more severely delayed..."

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More Things to Worry About: Drinking Water, Solar Flares, Toilet Paper

Don Davis, NASA

Thought all we had to worry about was hurricanes, LICH closing and cicadas? We've barely scratched the surface of worrisome events. Here are ominous posts from around the Internets:

 - A vast array of pharmaceuticals including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones has been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows.  [AP via South Brooklyn Post]

- Solar flares are reaching their max for this 11-year cycle. One could possibly knock out the entire power grid, with catastrophic results. [International Business Times] On the other hand, hackers could do the same thing. [NY Times]

- Deadly asteroids. You know the drill. [McBrooklyn]

- Researchers working with marine mammals are now being advised to wear protective gear as the dreaded influenza A H1N1 subtype virus has mutated and had been detected active in seals off the coast of central California. [International Business Times] Also to worry about: Worldwide outbreaks of MERS and two new flues. [NPR]

- Infectious diseases are running through the Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn. This time it's measles. [The Daily Beast]

- The toilet paper shortage: Venezuelans download new app which helps locate toilet paper as stock runs low. [Red Ice Creations]

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Turkey Comes to Brooklyn

A military drumbeat rang out over Downtown Brooklyn on Thursday and we rushed to Brooklyn Borough Hall in time to catch an impressive performance of an Ottoman military band and teams of Turkish dancers.

The event was Brooklyn’s annual Turkish Cultural Celebration, and was attended by both Turkish natives and Turkish wanna-be's like Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, who officiated along with the Consul General of Turkey.


BP Markowitz said Brooklyn is “the Turkish capital of America.”

More about the celebration here.

Photos by MK Metz

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