Friday, February 26, 2010

The Short List: Aliens Save Purim Edition


My apologies for the lateness of this week (edit: Last week's) short list, but I was briefly abducted (abdicated) by my responsibilities. Now, about those aliens...

About a month ago, an artist named Tina DeRamus noticed a small moving object reflecting in the sky above her backyard and began taking video of it. The result is below:

A small, baseball-like unidentified flying object appeared to be hurtling unevenly above Williamsburg. She has shot several videos since then, including this one, which shows a better view of the UFO.
Needless to say, a small media-led onslaught has followed, including posts by Freewilliamsburg.com, Gothamist, Vosizneias, McBrooklyn, and even wpix channel 11.

A little later, I went back to get comments from the Borough President and Community Board 1's Mieszko Kalita, who as public safety chair, would likely be responsible for any public safety concerns that the UFO and any of its intergalactic passengers would bring to Williamsburg.

At this point, the news spiraled back on itself, with Free Williamsburg posting reports of a post they already posted, and the Jewish blogs began celebrating ET's arrival in Holy Williamsburg just in time to celebrate Purim . So far, no one has been able to identify what it was exactly that Ms. DeRamus filmed. To me, it looks like a meteorite or one of those satellites that Major League Baseball put up to help us forget about the steroids scandal. Perhaps they're just looking for a relatively inexpensive 2-Bedroom apartment for between $1200 and $1400 a few blocks from the waterfront, just like everyone else.

Icicle Death


Day 2 of the northeast's three-day blizzard has me thinking about icicle death. Not death by icicle, but rather, how often people die from icicles falling on them, aka Cliffhanger. Slate had an article about this in 2003, and apparently 6 people died from icicle attacks this past year. Otherwise there's not a lot of data out there. I'm hoping the US Census people will add this as a question. Can't they go up to 11?

And we're done here

Governor David Paterson announced that he will not be seeking (re? pre?) election this year. This is about three days earlier than we thought it would happen. There's a lot to say here, but frankly I have to continue shoveling DeKalb Avenue to help the B38 bus get to my stop. In the meantime, let's go to Ray Charles to encapsulate today's annoucement with a song...

Whoops! Sorry, wrong song. Let's go back to Ray for "Busted"...

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Steve Witt's Reading Canceled Due to Snow

Steve expects to do the reading sometime next month. The Yeti, aka Gary, has already RSVPed. Details to follow.

Because you probably missed this...


Juliet Linderman's spot-on story about the return of Mario Fortunato, one of the Fortunato Brothers to Williamsburg. It's a must-read and a good pick-up. For the story, Linderman gets her very own Scorcese montage.

Yeti Pulls Out of Health Care Talks


The Yeti arrived back in Prospect Park early this afternoon, calling Washington's partisan gridlock "shameful".

All Along the Watchtower


There must be some way out of here (and there is... to Warwick, NY)
Andy Campbell at The Brooklyn Paper has a very interesting story about the Jehovas Witnesses moving from its base in Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO to upstate New York. Apparently they're planning to centalize operations.
The New York Post , Gothamist, and Linda Collins at the Brooklyn Daily Eagle have more too.

Thursday's snowy links


Senator Chuck Schumer announced that the Yeti will be brought in to lock down the Health Care bill in Washington this morning. Also, the Yeti is hungry (photo by BTLR).

It is storming again outside, shutting down most meetings (the Hoyt Street Association is still on tonight at 7 PM and the upcoming plant sale on May 1st and 2nd is on the agenda), which means its time to dig through the past few days of links for another morning round-up.

*The New York Times has been shopping in Williamsburg recently, with a stop at Voos, the furniture store and 3rd Ward 2008 Solo Show artist Jeremy Leichman gets a shoutout.

*The Times also previews a new San Francisco-based coffee shop called Blue Bottle Coffee that is coming to the supersaturated Northside. Someone at the DOH needs to do air sample testing on Bedford Avenue for caffeine. I think we're over the recommended EPA guidelines.

*The Brooklyn Kitchen wasn't the only institution to close this month (though the Meat Hook looks like a cross between Julie and Julia and Raiders of the Lost Ark). In Bay Ridge, The Hutch is liquidating its antiques, accessories, and kitchenware. The Courier's Helen Klein has more.

*Question: What do Brooklyn's urban planners and transportation advocates do to blow off some steam? Answer: They dance their asses off at Cheryl.

*Onto the hard news! Or at least, the kinds that isn't edible... The Courier's Tom Tracy looks at Borough President Marty Markowitz's discrimination suit while reporting Ken Lowy's fall from Independent Neighborhood Democrats. After all that, Tom hung out with some Trekkies in a standing room only crowd in Williamsburg. Big week for the Tracer.

*The Greenpoint Gazette has a new issue out today with news about New Domino, the bill to federalize NYCHA buildings, and oil slicks on Newtown Creek, but the must-read article is Juliet Linderman's profile of Mario Fortunato of Fortunato Brothers and his return to the neighborhood from prison after his racketeering charges were overturned. None of this changes the fact that they make the best gelato and cheesecake in Brooklyn. In fact, I'm heading there tonight for a scoop of pistachio.

*Finally, the Kosciuszko Bridge designs are out for review and they're down to four. Check out my report at The Courier here as well as CityRoom and the Brooklyn Paper's look at the Bridge to Somewhere. The Timesweekly, Queens TimesLedger , Queens Chronicle, and Queens Crap have the view from the other side of the river. Personally, I was disappointed that Sufjan Stevens didn't perform Hula Hoops and was only at the open house to look at the designs.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Pour Some Sugar on The Land Use Committeeeeeee...


Like cold delivery pizza that arrives more than thirty minutes after it was ordered, Community Board 1’s Land Use Committee sent the New Domino project back to the developers with its recommendations.

After a presentation that lasted about an hour, another ninety minutes of questioning followed, led by Land Use Chair Ward Dennis, above. Several members of the community sat patiently off to the side, waiting their turn to speak, but the meeting was open to quesitoning from board members only.

The objections were numerous. From the sheer density of the site, to the number (1,694) and cost ($50,000 each!) of parking spaces, to the effect of 5,000 to 6,000 new residents on local roads, buses and the L-train and JMZ-train subway stations nearby, to the homeownership component of affordable units and senior housing. There was also a lot of side chatter, even more than usual at a Land Use Committee meeting.
There were also two key absences: Rabbi David Niederman and Msgr. Joseph Calise. Both of whom had prior committments, but some Domino supporters think they may be more sympathetic to the affordable housing arguments than the rest of the Land Use Committee. Anyway, there are lots of quotes to choose from, so let's go to the excerpts:

Del Teague: I think this is massive, I don’t understand how the neighborhood is going to absorb this influx without some commitment form the city to do something. What’s happening now is going to effect the community for years and years to come. My concern is that 15 years down the road, we’re going to be looked at as imbeciles for selling out this community.

Ward Dennis: Their intentions are good, anything can change, markets can change.
We’re approving the zoning, we’re not approving a really nice design.

More Ward: Density, I don’t know where this goes. It seems to me, it’s a privately owned site, residential, the question is at what scale, what density. We had a 3.7 density years ago. We lost that battle completely. The model going forward is 4.7 upriver or 5.0 downriver.

Susan Pollock: New York’s economy always comes back strong and it always comes back stronger than before. EDC is predicting more growth in the future for Williamsburg and we believe this site will become a destination. Its not going to sit fallow forever. Real estate works in cycles. I have full confidence that the site will be built.

and finally, Heather...

Heather Roslund: This is the future of New York City? It’s so sad. We should shoot ourselves right now.

Meanwhile, Press Row began thinking of catchy headlines to best capture the committee vote. The following were rejected:
Good and Plenty: Domino's Density Concerns Board
Sugar Dissolve
Burnt Sugar
Not so Sweet
Candyland Roadblock
and of course, Domino: Just Shoot Ourselves Right Now
The Brooklyn Paper used DominNO and my paper went with Sugar Shock. Gothamist did not have a silly title and neither did Brownstoner.

For Susan Pollock, who has likely spent the past day sifting through the coverage, there's a bright spot in all this. She could use a little Def Leppard to get her through the rest of the day.

DomiNooooooooooooooooo!


The Community Board One's Land Use Committee disapproved New Domino's application by a vote of 5-3 last night at 9 PM, with modifications. Chair Ward Dennis abstained. Absent were Msgr. Joseph Calise and Rabbi David Niederman. Details to follow...

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Countdown to Steve Witt's Book Reading: 2 Days


There are only two days remaining before Steve Witt's epic book reading at MoCada on Thursday night. It's hard to put into words the experience of attending one of Steve's readings, so I'll leave that to Steve's number two fan, Erica "Cookie" Sherman...
It was unlike any reading I’ve ever been to, in that Witt — on top of the “American Moses” thing — is also a truly inspired singer/songwriter, with an equally terrific band, whose divergent personalities and talents combine to create a wonderful synergy. That’s the part that so many people don’t know, but need to know about: You are not just sitting there listening to a guy read from his novel (which was very good, by the way), but you are taking in a multi-faceted musical and literary performance. And, my $0.02: “The Brooklyn Song” needs to be shopped around — that baby has hit potential. And “Traveling Salesman,” without a doubt, should be the B-Side. Do they make B-Sides anymore, or is that an old 45 thing?

Crushgate 2010 Stalls...


The investigation into the Missed Connections post and government sources has hit a dead end. Nothing to report here. Time to visit a well-placed City Council source for some insights...

G-Train Rage Continues


Joe Lentol isn't going to take this sitting down
Add Assemblymember Joe Lentol to the list of people ticked off at the MTA for suspending G-Train service this winter and again later this spring. Lentol's press warrior Amy Cleary fired off a scathing release this morning addressing Greenpoint's concerns...

In a letter to the Metropolitan Transit Authority that is following up on telephone discussions with the Transit Authority, Assemblyman Lentol has offered to work with the MTA on issues that have created significant frustration for commuters who use the alternate shuttle bus service when G train service is suspended. In his letter, Assemblyman Lentol takes note of commuter concerns, such as the lack of advanced notice of service suspension, lack of a shuttle bus schedule, and bus drivers who are not familiar with the shuttle bus route.
“These are issues that can be fixed in a timely manner so that commuters will not have to deal with such frustration in the future, and we want to work with the MTA to make that happen,” says Lentol in the letter. Lentol notes that one issue that he was especially upset about hopefully will not reoccur, that is the fact that the first round of closings occurred in the middle of winter.
“Community outreach is important here. People do not want to be left out in the dark. Providing the commuters with a reasonable explanation with why service has been suspended is significant” says Lentol. In his letter to the MTA, he states that “by taking into consideration the concerns of current alternate shuttle bus service issues and applying the necessary fixes to future alternate shuttle bus services, we can increase commuter confidence and decrease commuter frustration.”

Domino's Turnaround


Indulge me for a second. We're not talking about pizza here. Tonight at 6:30 PM is Community Board 1's Land Use Committee meeting (Williamsburg and Greenpoint) where the board will publicly weigh in on the 11.2 acre, 2,200 unit rezoning project, New Domino, for the first time. Look towards questioning from CB 1 members Solomon Bondo, Rabbi David Niederman, and the always efficacious Land Use Chair Ward "Island" Dennis for an indication on how things might go.
In the meantime, check out posts on Domino by the numbers for a comprehensive look at the project's environmental impacts at Brooklyn 11211 as well as an article I wrote on New Domino and transportation and a post by Streetsblog's Noah Kazis on walkable cities.

Monday, February 22, 2010

3 Days Until Steve Witt Book Reading


With the fury of a hurricane and the gasping, tear-jerking humanity of a Jeff Bridges film performance, Steve Witt returns with a mammoth free book reading this Thursday, February 25 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at MoCada, 80 Hanson Place in Fort Greene for his book, American Moses. Geoff Davis is promising refreshments, but what will surely get refreshed is your own soul. We'll have a look back at previous readings tomorrow.

Hangover Monday Links: There's a Tiger in the Bathroom!


As A Short Story digs out from the remains of an eventful bachelors party weekend, I discovered a few things about my friends and myself that I didn't know before. Like an aversion to tigers for instance, including cuddly tiger mascots marching in Chinese New Years parades. Also Tiger Woods, whose stilting Friday morning apology was uncomfortable both for its lack of human emotion and public display of private disarray. Can we have a do-over of the speech?

*Speaking of famous tigers, is it just me or did Tigger come out in Chinatown this weekend?

*Continuing on the animal front, the raccoons are spreading! First there was one in Boerum Hill. Now, according to New York Shitty, there's one in Greenpoint. Critterwatch is in full effect.

*While I was merely joking about going to Williamsburg to kick-start my own generational line with a quickie Hasidic wedding, it turns out someone already beat me to it seventy-five years ago.

*Among the other things missed this weekend, NBA-star Shaquille O'Neil is now a gallery curator and five-tool curator Karen Bookatz is involved in this somehow. Classic Karen.

*In Greenpoint, The Bridge to Somewhere has narrowed down its designs to four and they will compete American Idol style open house at St. Cecilia's Church on Wednesday, February 24. Meanwhile, the G-train was still shut down this weekend and again in about two months. Miss G Train is not happy that her title will be changed to Miss G Shuttle.

*Two weeks ago, I profiled a New Kings Democrats meeting with four judicial experts (two attorneys two political wonks) regarding courts in Brooklyn. An error was corrected in an earlier version but somehow stuck in other versions online. To be clear, Civil Court judges are elected county-wide and you have to petition to get on the ballot. This includes a judicial screening committee that was introduced in 2003 following several bribery convictions involving Brooklyn judges. State Supreme Court judges are nomined through judicial convention, which is attended by judicial delegates, of which Chris Ownes was a member. One of the panelists' spouses, Margarita Lopez Torres challenged this process in the Supreme Court in January 2008 and lost.

I should also note that this was not a Vito Lopez-friendly crowd in case you didn't pick that up reading it. Two of the speakers ran (well, Matt Chachere's spouse ran) aggressive campaigns against a Lopez-endorsed candidate in civil court judicial races. Would the forum have been more interesting if there was a guest, such as Pam Fisher, Richard Velasquez, or Jack Battaglia, to argue with the panelists about the judicial system? And why weren't they invited? Interesting to ponder over.

Thanks for the memories guys. And watch out for tigers.

Friday, February 19, 2010

The Short List: Bachelor Party Edition


In a few short weeks, one of my best friends Adam, above left, is getting married. I'm not sure why exactly, but apparently that's something the young people are doing these days. In the meantime, his friends are throwing him a bachelors party this weekend. Let's take a look at the possible destinations among the events occurring this weekend that we can all be thoroughly shamed and humiliated at while attending...

Friday:
*Back That Beat!: We're taking Adam back to Bushwick to check out all the new gallery openings at Norte Maar, Factory Fresh, Storefront, and English Kills for hopefully lots of nude studies, nude sculpture, nude portraits, and a few nude performing arts exhibitions, also known as every English Kills opening ever. For the complete list, check out Anna D'Agrosa's round-up at BushwickBK. Afterwards, we're making the obligatory pit stop at Pumps. Anyone have change for a $100?
Saturday:
Saturday is our chill day. A round of golf near Floyd Bennett Field, a little biking over the bridge to the Far Rockaways, and maybe even a swim at Jacob Riis Park before heading over to that Russian Bathhouse dance party in Kensington, still the only party in Brooklyn where you can get a sexually transmitted disease without actually having sex with anyone. I'm breaking out the full-body condom for this one.
Sunday: We're hitting the Orthodox neigborhoods of the 44th District to do a little campaign volunteering before taking the bus back to Williamsburg and picking up some future wives during a quickie Hasidic wedding ceremony at a former armory. Remember, what happens in Holy Williamsburg gets videotaped and uploaded to Youtube. Thanks for the memories Adam. L'Chaim!

Columbia Grad Students join WWE

WWE or Bust from Brooklyn Ink on Vimeo.


Not really. They just filmed a wrestler from Williamsburg looking to make it to the big time.

Rocky Raccoon Is Rabid


Watch out Boerum Hill! Jack Johnson is coming! Gary Buiso at The Courier reports that there was a rabid raccoon on the loose in Boerum Hill. It has since been captured. Well, live and let die.

Warehouse 11: New on Syfy


No it's not a new spinoff of SyFy's Warehouse 13, where government agents noticed that supernatural objects were being stored under a Williamsburg condominium building by the developers, which led to further investigations into supernatural activity in North Brooklyn...

It's just a plain old 120-unit new development in Williamsburg's northside that was close to foreclosure. Earlier this month, a bankruptcy court judge initially refused to extend a deadline involving the developers and Capital One Bank, after the developers offered to purchase the building's debt for $30 million (they defaulted on a $50 million mortgage last summer).
The Gowanus Lounge nicknamed the site the Roebling Oil Field back in the day and a bevy of blogs, Crains, The Real Deal, Curbed, Brownstoner, etc. (and the Times Real Estate section), have been commenting on this for a while.
Now it looks like a tentative deal is in place for the developers (Isack Rosenberg of Rose Plaza/ Certified Lumber fame and Yitzchok Schwartz) to purchase the debt from the bank, after an all-day conference on February 17. They're due in court again on March 2 to hammer out the details. Tracking...

Thursday, February 18, 2010

More Meeker Mania


The Meeker Avenue Plumes stories are starting to hit the wires this week. Check out my wrap of the St. Cecilia's DEC meeting and environmental advocates reaction to two new studies that examine carcinogen standards for PERC/ PCE (the chlorinated solvent that comes from dry cleaners). Here's CHEJ's Mike Schade's takeaway quote:
“What’s significant here is that the National Academy of Sciences, one of the most respected scientific organizations in the country, has concluded and agreed with the EPA that PCE is a carcinogen,” said Michael Schade, Campaign Coordinator for Center for Health and Environmental Justice (CHEJ) and a Greenpoint resident. “In some cases, it is migrating into people’s homes.”
Also, there are two nice overviews in The Daily News (Erin Durkin) and also The Brooklyn Paper (Andy Campbell) as well as Gothamist (Sabrina Jaszi). So check those out.

Crushgate 2010: State of the City

So it looks like my friend was just messing with me when he said the source was a "government office building" but I'm still heading to City Hall to get to the bottom of this. Details to follow...

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Crushgate Update...

5:35 PM: Details regarding the missed Missed Connections post (w4m, aaron short, everywhere) that mysteriously appeared on Craigslist last week are swirling this afternoon, as a friend of A Short Story submitted back his analysis that the Craigslist post was written... wait for it... inside a government office building at 250 Broadway! That's as far as we could narrow it down today. I will be exploring this tomorrow during Speaker Quinn's State of the State address.

Have an Ashy Ashy Wednesday


Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent. I'm not Catholic, but you know what I'm giving up for the next six weeks? Blogging. Just kidding. Also salt. It's not good for my blood pressure. What are you giving up for Lent? Let me know!
Props to Father James Kelly (above) from St. Brigid's Church and everyone else leading Ash Wednesday ceremonies.

Brooklyn Kitchen is Closing and Moving

To the Meat Hook on Frost Avenue. That was the plan all along. And there's lots of stories reflecting on the new space this week and on people's relationships to the kitchen's classes and store (see Erway, Cathy, NYPost.).

But I'd like to eulogize the old space for a moment. Sure it was cramped and classes huddled in a semicircle near the register for everything from knife skills to pig butchering, but it was cozy, the staff was enthusiastic, and the store almost single-handedly fomented the foodie revolution in North Brooklyn. Ever wonder why there are so many cooking contests and takedowns in Williamsburg and Greenpoint? Much of it came from support by the Brooklyn Kitchen. But they grew fast and needed to expand. As Harry Rosenblum said late last year, "We're chasing a dream". The new space is beginning to come into its shape, with grains to make beer, chocolate, beans, and other produce, a whole range of butchered meat for sale, and of course, cookware. Good luck Harry, Taylor and Tom. See you at the Meat Hook.

Beam Me Up Scottie


Scottish Terrier Sadie won Best in Show last night, which gives me an excuse to run a bevy of clips from the eponymous movie with my favorite Parker Posey meltdown of all time. Where is busy bee? WHERE IS BUSY BEE!!!!!!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Job Opportunities with the New York Mets

From Council member Julissa Ferreras' office. They left out starting pitcher, left fielder, right fielder, closer, coach and general manager.

METS TO FILL MORE THAN 700 JOBS
AT CITI FIELD FOR 2010 SEASON

Mets to Hold Parking Job Fair This Friday, February 19, Saturday, February 20,
Friday, February 26 and Saturday, February 27

Pepsi Party Patrol and 2K Sports FanFest Auditions to be Held
Thursday, March 4 and Friday, March 5
FLUSHING, N.Y., February 16, 2010 - The New York Mets today announced they are holding job fairs and accepting applications for more than 700 open positions for the 2010 season at Citi Field. These part-time jobs are in a variety of areas including parking, entertainment, concessions and guest experience.

Parking - Job Fair February 19-20, 26-27
Cashier and traffic director positions will be filled through four job fairs at the Citi Field's Acela Club. Candidates must have a great customer service attitude, be reliable and responsible and have excellent verbal communication skills. Applicants should enter via Left Field VIP for during one of the following sessions:

Friday, February 19 1:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 20 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Friday, February 26 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 27 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Entertainment - Auditions March 4-5
The Mets are holding auditions to become a member of the Pepsi Party Patrol and 2K Sports FanFest staff. Candidates must have stellar communication and interpersonal skills and a positive energetic personality. They must also work well and be patient with children and feel comfortable working large crowds. Qualified candidates should report to the First Base VIP Thursday, March 4 or Friday, March 5 from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and bring a resume and current headshot.

Concession & Guest Experience
The Mets and ARAMARK, the world-class leader in professional services and the Mets' food and beverage partner, are continuing to review prospective candidates through mets.com/citifieldjobs. Qualified candidates should fill out an online questionnaire for a variety jobs including: counterworkers, food service helpers, cooks, porters, cleaners, catering attendants, runners, guest attendants and supervisors, fan greeters, host and hostesses, security and security supervisors.

The ideal candidates for all positions must be available to work a flexible schedule including days, nights and weekends. Part-time seasonal employment is available from April to October and based on the Mets schedule of home games at Citi Field and other special events. Applicants must be at least 18 years old.

The Mets, ARAMARK and Queens Ballpark Company are Equal Opportunity Employers.

In addition, vendors seeking to become suppliers to the Mets and Citi Field should contact the purchasing department at 718-565-4345 or newsupplier@nymets.com to obtain a vendor pack.

Tracking Missed Connection


Don't Lie to Me
This morning, I was informed that someone placed "Aaron Short" on a missed connection. Now it's possible that it's the British soft-pop pseudo star Aaron Short (above), but I don't think so. Here's the message:

new york city missed connections classifieds - craigslistcraigslist missed connections classifieds for new york city. ... dear leyla - m4w - (ft green). Aaron Short - w4m - (Everywhere) ...

The poster deleted it this afternoon, but a friend found the IP address and we are tracking the source. More details to come...

Fat Tuesday, Fatter Wednesday


While Wavves may not be the first thing you think about for Mardis Gras, they are coming to the Brooklyn Bowl tonight for a special Fat Tuesday concert. The parade may be in limbo due to the snow, but doors open at 6 and the concert starts at 8. And if you can't make it... well... there's always the Blues Brothers.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Sarah Baker's video

I mentioned Sarah Baker's short film in the Moviehouse roundup for this week. Check it out for yourself:

City Hall News Vito Lopez Profile


It's not out yet. But it's coming. Will it be flattering or critical? Who knows. What's clear is that CHN Managing Editor David Freedlander is trying hard to to find out what makes the county leader do what he does. He's sat down with Vito Lopez (D-Williamsburg, Bushwick) once, and they're likely going to do it again. David has also been trailing the Assemblyman at events, including the Ford luncheon (the second one) and he also hung around Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's house party, hosted by former Council candidate Jo Anne Simon in Boerum Hill. Put Vito Lopez's name in a Google News alert and you get 225 results for that Ford lunch at Cono's, and he was driving the media coverage of the event.

Any kind of in-depth profile about Vito Lopez will be interesting, but the question is why now? Vito's relationship with the media (local and citywide) has mostly been prickly, so his sit-down with Manhattan-based City Hall News could mean that he wants to expound upon one of a number of things. Will the article focus on Vito asserting himself in a number of races, including the Senate race where he is seemingly butting heads with Senior Senator Chuck Schumer? Will it be about his legislative work in the Assembly or a behind-the-scenes look at his role in the State Senate power struggles? Is it about his split in North Brooklyn's council races last fall and a closer look at the upcoming cycle this year? We will find out soon.

Congrats to Brooklyn Paper

The Brooklyn Paper picked up some awards for their Editorial Coverage, Continuing Coverage, and Website at the Suburban Newspaper of America.


In particular, Gersh's interview with John Hodgman is definitely worth another read. So is the continuing Hiram Monserrate coverage from the Queens Times Ledger which also won an award. Congrats guys.

Monday Links


"But enough about Matt Chachere's ridiculous hat, let's move on to judicial delegates."

In the midst of all this Valentine's Day coverage there's lots of political news to go over. Let's go right to the links:

*Miss the New Kings meeting last week? We didn't. Check it out.


*(Former?) Senator Hiram Monseratte is the man of the hour, as the Times Ledger's Jeremy Walsh has the play-by-play and The Courier Tom Tracy has the color.

*Former State Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio is heading to prison. Tough week for the Pillifant Cowboys.


*Council member Brad Lander's Stalled Development website is all over the papers and blogs, as The Courier Gary Buiso profiles, The Brooklyn Paper , and Only though the Blog Knows Brooklyn notes. While http://www.stalleddevelopment.com/ is no longer available, you can still register for http://www.whatisthatpooloffluiddoingnexttomybrandnewcondo.com/.

*In a further break from the ongoing Domino coverage, a salt pile is irking Columbia Street residents and Brad Lander is there too, speaking out against salt..

*Finally, tomorrow, Mayor Bloomberg and Council member Domenic Recchia will be appearing at Abe Stark Skating Rink Free Skating Day on 1902 Surf Avenue between West 19th and West 20th Streets in Coney Island. The mayor will stay to make an announcement, but hopefully they'll make a day of it.

Valentine's Weekend Roundup

"Help us! We're trapped from your love!"
With every store blinged out in lovin' spoonfuls of valentines sweetness, let's take a look back at the weekend that was in Williamsburg.
Saturday:
The Greenpoint Food Market was slammed on Saturday afternoon, with vendors unloading their homemade deliciacies which included chocolate truffels, toffee, apple pies, jams and jellies, cookies of all stripes, kombacha and even turkey jerky carved into the shape of a heart. I asked what part of the animal the jerky was made from, and while they didn't dry out and smoke animal heart muscles, apparently you can probably do that. They actually had several different kinds of jerkies and are apparently working on a vegetarian one, made from seitan or tofu. Good luck with that.

On the other end of Greenpoint, the title for Brooklyn's best wings were up for grabs at Red Star Bar, and the winner is Super Wings in Crown Heights. Wheeler's in Sheepshead Bay was the office favorite but they may have left after an hour or two in typical Sheepshead style. They didn't win. I don't have video of the event, so here's something from Man vs. Food with a shout out to producer Emily Newman. Pass the hot sauce.

Later on, it was the Stuff Hipsters Hate book release party, because they got a f***ing book deal. They, being the persons of Andi Bartz and Brenna Ehrlich. Whether the women themselves are hipsters is an open question, but what wasn't was that this was a party with some serious making out going on. With the thrashing, foundation drilling sounds of On Point followed by thethe awkwardly melodic yet lyrical floodgates of Jeffrey Lewis' acoustic set, it was a full-on dental convention in Glassland's upper deck. I caught one couple on the couch.

Let's just move in for a closer look... oh crap! They spotted me.

Um... Jeffrey Lewis everyone! Jeffrey Lewis!

Sunday:
Moviehouse celebrated its 3rd anniversary at 3rd Ward, and good things come in threes. Like celebrity death. In fact, that was one of the themes for this year's 3-minute 3rd anniversary film festival. Filmmakers had to include references to the three monkeys, celebrity death and something uncontrolable, such as the fundraising climate for start-up not-for profits that still have to file taxes this year (above).
Among the contestants, were the severely peculiar crew of CK Swett, Victor Jeffreys II and Russel Fong which brought a bunch of laminated Michael Jackson masks to a house party in the suburbs and filmed the goings on. Then it got weird. How weird? See below.

Under A Weary Life from russel fong on Vimeo.

Friday, February 12, 2010

The Short List: Valentines Edition

The taxidermied fillies may be long gone from Jack The Pelican, but love is in the air in Brooklyn this weekend.

There are so many Valentine's Day events in Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Bushwick that it's hard to keep track. For foodie lovers, whose fastest way through their heart is through their stomachs, Greenpoint is the place to be on Saturday, as the Greenpoint Food Market returns from noon to 5 PM. Buy those chocolates for that special someone and then eat them before picking up a bouquet of make-up flowers.

If you're less obsessed about local handcrafted delicacies and if you think that attending Philadelphia's Wing Bowl is an ideal date, then head over to Red Star Bar on Greenpoint Avenue to find out who is making Brooklyn's best wings! Gersh is going to judge. Hopefully a fight breaks out.


In Williamsburg, there are pre V-day hook-up/ meet-up parties, food vender parties, gallery opening parties, hipster book release parties, and professional skee-ball championship parties. I'm not sure what any of this has to do with Valentines Day, and neither does anyone else. Just go to something, and you'll hit it off with your future special someone.

And finally, in the considerably more laid-back Bushwick, check out opening weekend of Pass Kontol's Rock Opera at The Bushwick Starr. They're getting some early positive press and decent reviews not just in BushwickBK, but will this be the event that gets the band some much deserved recognition? C'mon, they're the home team! They're easy to root for! And they're taking a residency all this month, so if you miss them this weekend you can catch them next weekend.
And to finish it all off, head over to Moviehouse's 3rd year anniversary at 3rd Ward. Remember, good things happen in threes. Or maybe that's death. Either way, go to Moviehouse and find out for yourself.

For Chris Henderson's sake, I've got to throw another Wing Bowl video at you. I miss Philly.