Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn

Mindful Walker: Architecture, Street Life and Nature

Mindful Walker is a blog dedicated to one woman's experience of architecture, street life, history, and nature while walking or riding. In it, she intelligently examinies the changes in our cities, towns, and the environment. Historic preservation, smart growth, and the life of communities are of special interest to this blogger. She wrote to me last week and I'm so glad she did. Yesterday I ran one of her posts about Coney Island. There's lost more to read over there. Here is an excerpt from her bio.

I’ve been an explorer since my childhood in Wampum, a small town in Western Pennsylvania, where I was blessed to grow up in a large Italian-American family of DeMarks and Cinis (my mother’s side). My mom encouraged my love of history. I grew up as a member of what my cousin Phyllis calls the rare and endangered species Wampum stoop dweller (known for spending hours sitting on the stoop of the town bank on Main Street and observing the street life). I graduated to street crawling and back-road exploring, after moving to New Jersey and the East Coast 30 years ago.

I’m a long-time journalist who has created MindfulWalker.com to marry the best of reporting and feature writing with the life, community, and immediacy of the Internet. A love of history, architecture, people, and different places has been the connecting thread of my career, which began in newspapers and moved on to magazine writing, varied publishing and media projects, and ultimately online.

What Happened to Gowanus Lounge?

Some of us are wondering what happened to Gowanus Lounge? A few months back, Bob Guskind, the journalist who runs Gowanus Lounge, took a brief hiatus. But then he came back.

Now his site is missing in action. Gone. No note, No phone call. Nothing.

Needless to say, we're worried, concerned and, okay, curious.

Do you know what happened to Gowanus Lounge?

Brooklyn Based: Places to Write in Brooklyn

I never saw the inside of the Brooklyn Writers Space, where quite a few of my friends do their writing. So I thought this was cool. This is from Brooklyn Based today, which features a piece by Jennifer DeMerritt on writing spaces around Brooklyn. She's got nfo and pix on writing spaces in Ditmas Park and Gowanus/Park Slope. Good reading if you're looking for a place to be productive.

Silence is golden at the popular Brooklyn Writers Space, a 2,000-square-foot facility at 58 Garfield Place in Park Slope that provides desk carrels, internet access, printers, a roof deck, and the all-important free coffee for serious writers. Members mute their cell phones and computers before entering the main work room (as a member, I’ve been sternly shushed for inadvertent computer beeps) and talk only in the kitchen or phone room. BWS’s formula of total freedom from noise and distraction works for many notable Brooklyn writers, and monthly readings at Union Hall, hosted by BWS’s founder, Scott, Adkins, let you check out the talent lurking in those quiet cubicles. Full-time membership costs $310 per quarter.

Journalists who like BWS’s affordable space but can’t work without their phones can try Room 58, located in the Brooklyn Artists Gym at 168 7th Street in Gowanus. Co-founded by Scott Adkins of BWS and the Brooklyn Artists Gym, Room 58 provides file storage, research materials, and fellow members who won’t give you the fisheye when you need to take that call.

Brooklyn Based: Recession-Proof Brooklyn

Brooklyn Based has a great list of recession busters. Here are some examples in the Park Slope area:

--The Dweck Center for free music, readings, and cultural events.

--the monthly First Saturday parties at the Brooklyn Museum. Those are awesome free dance parties.

--Bierkraft’s Tasty Tuesdays: Speaking from experience, these free cheese and beer tastings are great. Enthusiastic guest speakers, you learn something about what you’re eating/drinking and it’s totally free.

These two about sushi and donuts came from Fucked in Park Slope:

--Bonus: Yuppie Scumbag Luxuries that FIPS can’t give up (their own Recession-inspired list you must check out too):

Sushi. But you can go to places like Park Slope Seafood and get prepackaged, yummy (but way cheaper) sushi. If you are really Ballin’ it, I recommend the volcano roll at Jpan…it’s in a friggin’ PANCAKE. Also, it’s not on the menu, so it’s kinda like one of those super cool bars that doesn’t have a door.

FIPS also mentioned Donuts as a recession-proof eatery.

CasaCara: Brownstone Voyeur

Casacara, a fun new blog covers real estate, architecture, historic preservation and interior design in Brooklyn and elsewhere. Today she takes us on a trip inside a cool Park Slope parlor floor decorated by Zelda Victoria.

I’ve seen a lot of intriguing places in my work as a freelance field editor.  Some are just too quirky (read: creative, artistic) for the mainstream magazines, like this no-holds-barred riot of paint and wallpaper in a limestone townhouse in the heart of Park Slope.

It was masterminded by decorator Linda Spector of Zelda Victoria, the longstanding, beloved fabric and wallcoverings shop on Fifth Avenue and Third Street, now closed.

McBrooklyn: The Brooklyn Headhunter

This is a real service to Brooklynites looking for work. Months ago I saw listings about Ikea and Trader Joe's at McBrooklyn and told a friend about it.

He is now happily working at Trader Joe's.

Thanks McBrooklyn. Hope these listings help someone out there:

McBrooklyn's job listings.

She Didn't Know Starlings Ate Port Chops

Today over at Brooklynometry:

I didn't know Starlings ate pork chops. I did know, from reading A Natural History of New York City by John Kiernan, that they like eating Japanese Beetles and put a big dent in the insect's populations once they discovered the abundant larvae available at ground level. I remember seeing those metallic beetles when I was a kid. I don't think I've seen one in a long time! For that matter, when was the last time I saw a telephone booth on a corner? Where is Superman supposed to change these days?

THE STREETSIES: AWARDS FOR LIVABLE STREETS

Best Livable Streets Project,  Best New Public Space, Best Pedestrian Project, Best Bicycle Project, Best Incremental Gain, Best Bus Project and more: check out the Streetsies, Streetsblog's awards for those who contributed to livable streets in NYC and elsewhere.

BROWNSTONER IN THE FLEA MARKET BUSINESS NOW

Here's some good news for dealers of antiques, architectural salvage, craft, and vinyl. Brownstoner is organizing a Flea Market in Ft. Greene.

Those interested should fill out a preliminary expression of interest. In no way is this a firm commitment, but it will serve as a placeholder for you should demand exceed supply of space at the Brooklyn Flea.

I knew that  Brownstoner organized a Salvage Fest in the fall but what I didn't know is that they're planning something even bigger for the spring. Sounds very exciting to me (this may be old news but it's new to me. So be it).

I wonder if Mr. B. could have imagined he'd be in the flea market business one day. Interesting where blogging leads us. I can't tell one-time event or a flea market that will be open every weekend? I have a feeling that it will be a one-time event (or an annual one).

On the heels of the success of September's Salvage Fest event, Brownstoner.com is launching what will be the largest flea market in Brooklyn next April. The location? A 40,000 square foot schoolyard in Fort Greene. The Bishop Loughlin school yard is located on Lafayette Avenue between Clermont and Vanderbilt Avenues, positioning the flea market just a block from "brunch row" on Dekalb Avenue and only four subway stops from Downtown Manhattan. Our goal is to create a destination event that gives people from all over the city yet another reason to visit Brooklyn. We plan to put together the best assortment of dealers across a wide range of interests, from antiques to crafts to vinyl records; we're also hoping to create a food court of local and organic offerings.

BROOKLYN VOICE: BLOG FOR YOUNG BANGLADESHI AMERICANS

Brooklyn Voice is a busy blog intended to create a platform for young Bangladeshis; to give them a voice and to give others an opportunity to learn from them and hear what they're thinking.

Read the editor's piece about Vox Pop

THE LOVE WE MAKE: GRATITUDE

The Love We Make has a lovely story about someone she calls. "The Smiler." He is a man with a  beautiful smile, who is always eager for a sidewalk conversation and/or a pleasant greeting.

He lives on the block she used to live on and where her children live part-time:

I lived on that block for 5 years, a mere fraction of the time The Smiler has, during that time I must have walked down it thousands of times, through all four seasons, carrying bundles, pushing a stroller, rushing off to work or to pick up the kids.

Often I would see him outside his house puttering around, he would always look up, always with that same friendly smile. He reminded me of my father in his later years, there was something distinctly sentimental about his look, something shy but open at the same time,his energy seemed unrelentingly kind and loving.

I never really knew him. I almost never stopped to talk, except when my kids were dawdling or learning how to walk, the pace was much too slow to avoid his welcoming glance and it seemed futile not to strike up a conversation. We mostly talked about the kids, he knew my ex’s family for many years and would always ask about them, eager to hear, as though their lives were a vital part of his.

Read the rest here. 

ICKY IN BROOKLYN: THE WINDSOR TERRACE 11

Icky in Brooklyn doesn't like Smartmom or OTBKB much but he does have a great list on his blog. Sort of the anti-Park Slope 100.

It's called The Windsor Terrace 11, and it's a great list of Brooklyn bloggers.

Read all about it here. 

BLOG ROLL UPDATE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN EONS

Mrs. Cleavage says she's been hating these winter weekends:

    I've come to despise a weekend at home. Instead of relaxing a la casa, I get to worry about whether there will be heat or hot water.  Instead of playing with my son, I get to try to figure out how best to keep him off electronic media while I try to put out the brushfires that keep cropping up.

But I'm taking care of some housekeeping chores. Like updating my list of blogs to know about. I've gotten really bad about updating that list. But I just did it. YAY.

Check to see if you're on there.

I put up as many as I could think of. But god knows I've forgotten tons. Please email me with your favorite blogs or any that I've forgotten. That list is on the far right hand side of my blog underneath the ads. Thanks.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STRANGER ON SCHERMERHORN STREET?

Where oh where can he be asks Deep in the Heart of Brooklyn:

Well, it has been three days and he is gone. I am convinced the Wandering Stranger of Schermerhorn Street has moved on. Incredibly, since even before I first posted about his arrival on Thursday, September 20, 2007, he has been seated in just about the same spot, on the block outside the parking garage. His plastic trash bags filled with who knows what (cash ? trash ?) are still there for now, neatly piled, where he last left them, only now there are empty coffee cups and soda bottles stacked on them by passersby. Soon they will be gone.

Read more here.

AU CONTRAIRE: THE OCCASIONAL NOTE FROM PETER LOFFREDO

Here's an urgent message from our Pal Pete from Full Permission Living.

URGENT! Check out today's "Domestic Dusturbances" column by Judith Warner, called: "Helicopter Parenting Turns Deadly" (http://warner.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/29/helicopter-parenting-turns-deadly/).

Here's a quote from this very tough article: “People now feel like having a good relationship with your child means you’re involved in every aspect of your child’s life,” says Rosalind Wiseman, author of “Queen Bees & Wannabes” and “Queen Bee Moms & Kingpin Dads,” who travels the country speaking with and counseling parents, teachers and teens.

“Nothing is off-limits” now between parents and their kids, she says. “There’s no privacy and there’s no critical thinking," she writes.

This is very painful reading, and yes, these are extreme cases of the harmful effects of parental over-involvement, but please don't excuse yourself, good parents, from using these cases to examine where on the continuum of this kind of vicarious dysfunction you fall. These over-the-top examples are only the most grotesque manifestations of a wide-spread parenting pandemic.

A whole generation of children are suffering because of it, and the worst is yet to come when these kids grow up and try to have real adult relationships in the coming decades. While there's still time, I urge you to do the work necessary to get your own lives and let your kids grow up.

SELF-ABSORBED BOOMER WELCOMES 10,000th VISTIOR

I'm surprised he didn't have a marching band or something.

Ever hospitable, Self-Absorbed Boomer, has been waiting patiently for his 10,000th visitor. Well, the day has arrived and SAB wants to reward this good person with something very special.

SAB is run by the multi-faceted Claude Scales. The sub-head of his blog reads: Take back this pudding. It has no theme." (Attributed to Winston Churchill). "[A] delightfully named blog" (Sewell Chan, New York Times). Taxing your attention span for over two years.

From what I can discern, SAB blogger, Claude Scales, is a lit professor lawyer with a passion for sports cars, great music, baseball, college football, literature, ships, the sea, trains, astronomy, paleontology and Brooklyn. He also writes for the Brooklyn Heights Blog. All around, he's a delightful blogger. 

Visitor number 10,000 is from Bexley, Kent, England. You visited my blog at about 9:30 p.m. your time on 26 November. Your ISP is NTL Internet, your OS is Windows XP, and you browse with Internet Explorer 7.0. To claim your prize (a CD of vintage American R&B), please send me your snail-mail address either by comment to this post, or by e-mail (use the link on my blog profile). Congratulations!

CITY SCALES BACK LED LIGHTING FOR PROSPECT PARK

Target? The Daily News? Anyone out there with money want to make Prospect Park all pretty for the holiday season.

What fun it was last year when all the entrances to the park were festooned with attractive LED lighting. What a lift. The LED display was such a pleasure to behold last year.

Gowanus Lounge writes today that (and I quote) "the LED display that lit up all the park entrances last year won't be going up. We checked on them yesterday and were told that an announcement about Grand Army Plaza will be forthcoming from the Mayor's office, and that a lighting ceremony is scheduled for December 3rd."

Our friend over at GL goes on to report that it has something to do with budgetary concerns. Understandably we're all a little disappointed. Last year, it was so tastefully done, not gawdy or glitzy at all. Festive and fun are the words I would use.

LED lights, will, thankfully, grace Grand Army Plaza. But last year's was special because it included all corners of the park and that felt very, well, inclusive and connecting.

So come on. Any corporate sponsor out there want to help? Call the Mayor's office and write a big check.

DEEP IN THE HEART OF BROOKLYN: CITY SIDEWALKS

Here's some good advice from Deep in the Heart of Brooklyn's, Brooklyn Beat.

The chill is in the air. The 2007 Beaujolais Nouveau is in the stores. The holiday lights are going up all over Brooklyn. The 80+ foot fir tree is up in Rockefeller Center, waiting to be lit. There are strikes on both coasts, and two in New York City. The Democrats are arm-wrassling in Vegas, hopefully avoiding an implosion, and Karl Rove is in NYC to sign a book deal. Gridlock is here with a vengeance. It must be holiday time in New York City.

Starting a week from today, Friday, the end-of-the-year holiday hubub will be in full gear, as the Christmas shoppers, already out in force, will commence in earnest, approaching commercial escape velocity/meltdown a few short weeks after that.

But for now, let's enjoy the gentle build up to America's mellowest civil holiday, Thanksgiving. We have until then to stock up on the wine and turkey (or tofurkey or turducken, depending upon your proclivities), pies and potatoes, and then mark some gentle time with our loved ones, culminating in the benevolence of the "Miracle on 34th Street" and the Thanksgiving Day Parade next week.

So, if your schedule permits, let's all enjoy this weekend, which is the calm before the calm before the storm.

--Brooklyn Beat

GOWANUS LOUNGE IS TALKIN' CONEY ISLAND ON BRIAN LEHRER TODAY

Gowanus Lounge will be discussing Coney Island on the Brian Lehrer Show.

In case you haven't had your fill of Gowanus Lounge today, you can check out today on the Brian Lehrer Show. We'll be on at 11:40AM, although the segment could be on at 11:40AM. We'll be talking about one of our favorite topics: Coney Island redevelopment. The segment is called "Is the Future of Coney Island Set?" Listen in at 93.9 FM or 820 AM

VANISHING SOUTH SLOPE ON JEREMIAH'S VANISHING NEW YORK

JVNY says the South Slope is becoming condo city. The subtitle of Jeremiahs blog is: The Book of Lamentations: a bitterly nostalgic look at a city in the process of going extinct.

Here's an excerpt. Read more here.

Park Slope’s South Slope, for example, is rapidly becoming condo-ized. Over the past year, at astonishing speed, sleepy little blocks long made up of working-class, aluminum-sided townhouses, brick and tar-paper tenements have been systematically leveled and rebuilt to look like the rest of the former city.

ROOKIE NYC BAKER OF THE YEAR: EMILY ISSAC OF TROIS POMMES

Ed Levine on NY Eats has this spectacular shout-out for Trois Pommes, Park Slope's newish Park Slope bakery. Kudos to Emily!

I'd like to give a special shout-out to the person who is the hands-down choice for New York Rookie Pie Baker of the Year.

Emily Isaac of Trois Pommes Patisserie makes an apple pie and a cranberry apple streusel pie that are crazy good, that are so fine they guarantee Ms. Isaac entry into the Pie Baker's Hall of Fame on the first ballot. Her pumpkin pie is also quite good, but it has too much allspice in it for me. Her Key Lime pie may not be very Thanksgivingy, but it is awesome nonetheless. Emily understands that a great pie starts with a light, flaky, golden brown crust, which holds a not-too-sweet, not-too-mushy filling.

Trois Pommes:
260 Fifth Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone: (718) 230-3119

BROOKLYN SKEPTIC REVIEWS SUFJAN AT BAM

Okay so I misspelled his name and pissed off some people for putting up a request for tickets. It doesn't sound like I missed much from what I'm reading in blogland. Here's an excerpt from Brooklyn Skeptic's characteristically skeptical take on Steven's multi-media extravaganza:

Basically, it was like some child was born who had only ever been exposed to the twee-est of the twee and the indie-est of the indie and (obviously) learned how to use a super 8 and learned that Brooklyn is cool and vomited up some stuff. And got a crush on a pretty, long-haired girl who hula hoops.

MEMORIES OF MAILER FROM McBROOKLYN

McBrooklyn remembers Norman Mailer, who died last week at the age of 84. He had a house in Brooklyn Heights. Here's an excerpt:

"Recommended to McBrooklyn the Mu Shu Chicken at Fortune House on Henry Street. Excellent!"

WHAT GRADE DID YOUR SCHOOL GET?

THANK YOU DEEP IN THE HEART OF BROOKLYN FOR COMPILING THIS LIST.

Here are some of the grades released for a number of Brooklyn schools. For further information on the grading process and what it represents, and to locate progress reports for other schools, visit: the link at http://schools.nyc.gov/ . Then enter the school name or number; when you arrive at the school location, select "Statistics" & then "Progress Reports. The complexity of the grading system, mixing standardized test scores, school environment factors and surveys of opinions will no doubt receive reactions of schadenfreude and disbelief from parents and school staff. How this will impact upon the kids remains to be seen: How does it feel to be an "A" student at a "D" school? Or vice versa ? It appears high school reports have not yet been released. Special education schools likewise also appear not yet to have been rated. Here are a selection of scores for some Brooklyn area schools. No doubt this will play out further among politicians, parents and educationists in the weeks ahead...

An extremely incomplete list of schools and their grades this first time out:

Brownstone Brooklyn

PS 321: B
PS 020: B
JHS 51: B
MS 443: A
PS 008: C
PS 154: D
PS 261: C
PS 10: C
JHS 088: A

PS 29: B PS 9: B Posted by: bklynred | Nov 6, 2007 7:35:04 PM Hi PS 9 in prospect heights is a B

Red Hook
PS 27: C

Flatbush:
PS 99: B
PS 217: B

Greenpoint/Williamsburgh:
PS 110: B
PS 84: D
PS 132: A
PS 250: B

Bed Stuy:
PS 21: B
PS 25: B
PS 81: A
PS 005: F

GOWANUS LOUNGE SAYS: HOTEL LE BLEU NOW OPEN

Gowanus Lounge was "stopped dead in his tracks" when he noticed NOW OPEN signs on the Hotel Le Bleu.

Luckily he lived to tell the tale and was able to inform all Brooklyn bloggies and then some that the Hotel Le Bleu, the pricey new hotel on Fourth Avenue right next to Staples, is NOW OPEN.

Thanks GL. I wonder if the bar is open.

SUSTAINABLE FLATBUSH: TOWN HALL MEETING

Look here: Sustainable Flatbush is about to enter an exciting new phase of its development. And they want as many people as possible to get involved.

WHAT: Sustainable Flatbush Town Hall Meeting
WHEN: Monday, November 12th at 7pm
WHERE: 462 Marlborough Road (between Ditmas and Dorchester)

Longtime Flatbush resident Mark Levy has come onboard, bringing his
history of commitment to the neighborhood and experience as a
community organizer and environmental educator. He has also kindly
offered to host this meeting at his home. Thanks Mark!

We will form committees geared toward specific activities and service
projects, establish leadership roles, and set some new goals for
2008. To give you an idea of what's in store, here are some of the
proposed committees:

• RECYCLING/WASTE REDUCTION
Focusing on recycling education and promotion, as well as other
methods of reducing waste in our homes and businesses, from
composting to blocking unwanted fliers.

• SUSTAINABLE GARDENING
Sharing knowledge and resources on sustainable approaches to all
forms of urban gardening, from yard landscaping to street tree pits
to organic farming. We will also be actively involved in the new
neighborhood community garden.

• TRANSPORTATION/LIVABLE STREETS
Working with Transportation Alternatives and other Livable Streets
advocates, we will bring a local perspective to the citywide
discussion of such issues as traffic calming, congestion pricing,
public transportation improvements, and infrastructure for
pedestrians and cyclists.

• ENERGY EFFICIENCY/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY AND FUELS
Let's talk about how to save money by using less energy in our homes
and businesses, and how to incorporate alternative energy sources
such as biofuels and solar power into the landscape.

• LOCAL BUSINESS OUTREACH
Helping neighborhood businesses to adopt sustainability practices
that improve their "Triple Bottom Line": People, Planet, and Profit.

• LOCAL SCHOOLS OUTREACH
Implementing environmental education and practices in our local
schools.

BLOG OF THE DAY: BROOKLYN SKEPTIC

On Brooklyn Skeptic read about O'Connor's, an old time Fifth Avenue Bar (39 Fifth Avenue).

When I first moved to New York, I was a misguided Manhattanite with little knowledge of the great borough of Brooklyn. Manhattan was brand new to me, with thousands of bars and restaurants at my disposal. Why on earth would I want to leave and try out Brooklyn?

At the time, I was also reading a biography called Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing, which, despite being mainly set in Portland and Los Angeles, described a small portion of Smith’s life in which he lived in Park Slope. Although he played the odd show at clubs in Manhattan, he apparently spent most of his time in bars in Brooklyn, and wrote his most critically acclaimed album, XO, while sitting in O’Connor’s.

KENSINGTON BLOG: IT TAKES A STRANGER TO SAVE YOUR LIFE

Kensington Blog has a personal post about how a relative, a friend, or a total stranger can do  something that will save your life.

For me it was a hand that grabbed my foot when I was about two years old. I guess the view of East 4th street from our roof looked inviting. It was the hand of a young mother (my mom) that pulled me back inside our apartment just moments before I would become another dot on a NYC chart. For my cousin Pete, another son of Kensington and East 4th, it was the voice of a stranger screaming at him to run faster just before a piece of an airliner killed the person directly behind him on a sunny day in September 2001. It may have also been the“Brooklyn” in my cousins blood too that saved his life. When the loud speakers blared the instructions that “everything is OK and there is no need to evacuate at the present time”. My attorney cousin just said “bullshit” and left only to meet up with falling jet parts on the street below. Buy hey, he was back to work the next day up in Westchester, you got to love that Empire Blue Cross.They probably helped him forget 9/11 by making him work on 9/12.

READ MORE AT KENSINGTON BLOG.

GOWANUS LOUNGE GIVES THANKS TO SITT FOR LETTING CONEY'S ASTROLAND STICK AROUND

For another year, that is.

Still, GL writes eloquently of the day last September when he bid farewell to Astroland. Here's an excerpt. Read the rest at GL.

"When we left Astroland on September 9 after a long, long day of shooting photos, we turned around and literally said, "Goodbye" before we walked to the F Train feeling very empty. While we're not happy that we will get to have that feeling all over again next September, for now, we're glad to know there will be fireworks on Friday night, that we can go up in the Astrotower again and that we can wander around that outdated, little state fair-like midway again for another summer season. In its simplicity, Astroland reminds of us of something that is fast disappearing in a world of megabucks development and corporate blandness. It is real and it is genuine and it brings us back to a time when a carnival set up in a church parking lot and nobody knew what a latte was, let alone Starbucks."

GOWANUS LOUNGE: CZECH-AMERICAN MARIONETTE THEATER AT JANE'S CAROUSEL IN DUMBO

Do you know anything about the amazing sounding Czech-American Marionette Theater that's performing Hamlet?   Read about it at Gowanus Lounge.

It's the first I've heard about it. That's why blogs are great.

DITMAS PARK BLOG: NEW FRENCH BISTRO PLANNED FOR NABE

Check out Ditmas Park Blog.

Gary Jonas emails that he and his wife, Allison, "are opening up a
French bistro on Newkirk. We are partnering up with neighbor Jim
Mamary, who is responsible for much of Smith Street. We are hoping for
a Christmas opening, but it could be pushed back to Jan/Feb."

QUESTIONS AND DETAILS ABOUT BIKER DEATH ON STREETSBLOG

Streetsblog has more info about the death of two Brooklyn bikers.

The deaths of two Brooklyn cyclists just hours apart yesterday have resulted in a homicide charge and an outpouring of grief for a man friends describe as "a truly thoughtful and selfless individual." Friends of one of the victims are also questioning the official account of his death.

City dailies report that Williamsburg resident Alfred Taylor, 41, has been charged with criminally negligent homicide for killing an as-yet-unidentified cyclist on Fulton Street in Bed Stuy around 6 a.m. Thursday. Police say Taylor was driving a speeding van when he struck the 25-year-old cyclist, whose name is being withheld pending notification of relatives.

READ MORE AT STREETSBLOG

FISKE TERRACE LANDMARKING MEETING UPDATE

Brooklyn Beat sent me this update. Check out his blog: Deep in the Heart of Brooklyn.

"We had a very large turnout from the 2 neighborhoods and almost everyone who spoke was positive. We left feeling that we made a favorable impression on the committee," reports Paula Paterniti, Fiske Terrace Association Co-President. Although as yet there is no official word as to when the Landmarks Preservation Commission's final ruling will be made regarding granting of the historic status to the Fiske Terrace and Midwood Park neighborhoods, the community hopes that the LPC will release a decision "before the summer," said Ms. Paterniti.

But it would appear that major steps in the landmark designation application and review process have now been completed through the dedicated efforts of the Fiske Terrace Association and Midwood Park Homeowners Association and other public officials and members of the community, and it is now up to the LPC to deliberate and render a decision.

Tuesday's hearing was covered on Cablevision's News 12 Wednesday night.

In a related item, Borough President Marty Markowitz will present a proclamation celebrating the 100th anniversary of Fiske Terrace Association to community members at a special Brooklyn Borough Hall celebration next week.

--Brooklyn Beat

BLOG OF THE DAY: BROOKLYN JUNCTION

There's a new blog on the block. It's called Brooklyn Junction and it focuses on the area right near Brooklyn College.

Dear Brooklyn Bloggers,

I am taking a stab at joining you in the blogosphere. I'm way down
here in the belly of Brooklyn, blogging about the area in Flatbush
known as the Junction--right near Brooklyn College.

Please visit me at brooklynjunction.blogspot.com. I think I've got a
good first story--a residential dorm in the works at Brooklyn College.

I am a faithful reader of your respective blogs. I have read numerous
times over the course of the last year about bloggers lamenting that
certain parts of Brooklyn are underrepresented in the blogging
community.

My blog is partly inspired by that indirect call to action.

I'm a total rookie at this, with a day job to boot. Any ideas, advice
or support you can offer me would be received very well.

Sincerely,

Brooklyn Junction
brooklynjunction.blogspot.com

SELF-ABSORBED BOOMER TALKS TO A BROOKLYN PAINTER

Self-absorbed Boomer isn't that self-absorbed. This week he has an interview with Brooklyn artist Mark Crawford. Here's an excerpt. And go to SAB for more.

“I’m not an angry person,” Mark Crawford said, his pleasantly modulated voice revealing his Midwestern origin. He was responding to my observation, perhaps prompted by its New York Post headline-like title, that his painting, Wolfowitz Doomed, seemed to me a visual expression of ire. Looking at that painting, seen above, again, I saw that my eye had first been caught by the slashes of red and their contrast with the dark ground on which they are arranged, but had not focused on the broad swaths of white that overlay them, some with descending rivulets that “droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven.”

ON BEING A RABBI: ANDY BACHMAN

Another great post from Rabbi Andy Bachman's blog, Notes. Here's an excerpt:

My last Spring in Madison before heading off to rabbinical school, we threw a party at our house for all the guys who were moving on to their next stage in life.

One roommate was off to New York City to pursue music; two others were off to law school; another was going for a business degree; and I was off to rabbi school.

At the party the music was loud, the beer was cold, and the atmosphere was generally festive.  There was even dancing.

Feeling lucky, I ventured to the middle of the dance floor and started trying to talk to a girl. 

“What do you do?” she shouted over the music.

“I’m going to rabbinical school!”  I offered.

“Medical school–cool!” she said.

“No, rabbinical school,” I said.

“Huh?”  she asked.

The music died.  The bodies stopped moving.

“Rabbinical school,” I explained, one last time.  “I’m going to be a rabbi.”

Well that killed that conversation.

This is often the way I feel at weddings or bar mitzvahs. Mind you, this is not a plea for sympathy: more an anecdotal snapshot of reality. Because these days, the affairs are a complex combination of celebrations: both religious ritual and material indulgence. And honestly, no begrudging here whatsoever: my God–Celebrate! L’Chaim!

But I’ve noticed over the years that my presence is kind of, well, a bummer to a lot of people (guilty glance if I see someone piling on the shrimp at the banquet table); hostile or passive aggressive comments (usually about organized religion ‘causing all the trouble in the world’); or, simply indifference (’nice ceremony, rabbi, but pardon me while I party hard!’)

SEE WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE

See what these inveterate bloggers look like.  I found this on  Atlantic Yard Report:

"Along with the Gowanus Lounge's Bob Guskind, I'll be part of a segment on CUNY-TV's Brian Lehrer Live show tonight at 7:30 pm. We'll be talking, inevitably, about real estate and Atlantic Yards.

I was on the show in May of last year."

POWER DAY OFF: NEW BLOG

Check out this new blog, Power Day Off. It's about ways that you can do less. For the planet. One day at a time.

My friend came up with the concept as a way to give her house and herself and her family a real rest. On this day, they keep the lights off, go outside, spend a quiet day with loved ones, and don't use any fuel.

She writes, "Religious people call it the Sabbath, and while we are not ourselves religious, we think that the best way to do something free and immediate for this planet is to do Nothing. Once a week. This blog is about doing: Nothing."

Welcome and tell us about how you are helping the planet by doing LESS, not making some new thing or some old thing some new way. One day a week let's not make stuffJanuary 2007, I and my family decided to try to power down for one day a week. We would give our appliances and lights a rest, and spend a relatively quiet day as a family. We were motivated by a desire to do something about climate change that would be simple, free, and readily available to anyone.

It would be an ecological practice and a spiritual practice.

Since ancient times, those who observe the Sabbath or other holy days have refrained from working, using electricity, using money, and/or driving. We think there's something to be learned from that practice.

If the entire U.S. gave power a day off once a week, how much would we save?

BLOG OF THE DAY: THE WRITTEN NERD

The Written Nerd is the nom de net of a blogger who works in an independent bookstore in New York City's SoHo neighborhood. She writes:  "Someday I will have a bookstore of my own in Brooklyn. I love reading books, talking about books, and being where literature hits the streets. I think independent bookstores can be a source for culture, community, and social justice. I live in Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood with the ALP (Adorably Literate Partner), who reads everything that I don't. You can reach me here: booknerdnyc at earthlink dot net."

Check out her Brooklyn Lit Life interview with Sarah Weinman...

I'm a freelance writer and wear a number of hats. I co-edit GalleyCat, mediabistro.com's publishing industry news blog; I write monthly crime fiction columns for the LA Times Book Review and the Baltimore Sun; I contribute to a number of other publications including the Philadelphia Inquirer, Poets & Writers and Time Out New York; and I blog about crime and mystery fiction at my own site, Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind.

NEW TARGET AT ALBEE SQUARE MALL?

That's right near the other Target. Racked reports that a new Target is coming to the Albee Square Mall just off Fulton Street (around the corner from Junior's, where there used to be a Toys R Us). The Atlantic Mall's Target is said to be one of the biggest grossers in North America (does anyone know if this is true?).

Are ready for this? We have it on good word that a Target is slated for Albee Square. If you're unfamiliar with the location, some backstory via our compadres over at Curbed: The Albee Square Mall, located between Flatbush and DeKalb Avenues, was recently sold to a developer who plans to redo the area completely by building a new, bigger mall and a huge mixed-use tower. Renderings of the new mall came out a few months ago, with the promise that the place will be home to a few national retail chains. There were rumors that Wal-Mart was eyeing the area, which were quickly squashed. Instead, one of the tenants will be Target. Yes, it will be strangely close to the Target at Atlantic Center. Will that make the bullseye any less of a hit here? Probably not

PASTOR MEETER ON HAIRCUTS AND TELEVISION PREACHERS

Read Pastor Meeter's recent sermon:

I get my haircut at the Park Slope Barbers on Seventh Avenue. The barbers are three Italian brothers who are very entertaining plus one quiet Russian guy. They know who I am and what I do. The tall brother is Vito, and I was in Vito’s chair and Vito was telling me that on Sundays he and his wife don’t go to mass but they watch the TV preacher Joel Osteen, and isn’t he tremendous, and do I ever watch him? Vito, how am I going to watch him on a Sunday morning? And his brother Angelo says, Yeah, Vito, how’s he going to do that on a Sunday morning?

Actually I got off easy. Even if I were free on Sunday mornings I wouldn’t watch him. TV preachers don’t do anything for me. I have nothing against them, I’m sure they help some people, but I did tell Vito not to send Joel Osteen any money.

I just don’t need anyone telling me that if I have faith I can be healthier, wealthier, and happier. Of course I believe that believing is the best thing I can do for myself and that it promotes success, but the full story is that sometimes faith can actually increase our suffering. The epistle reminds us that it got St. Paul put in jail.

THE SHIKSA FROM MANILA SAYS: ABC'S DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES DISSES FILIPINOS

Read her post on the NY Metro Parents blog,

Two days ago, I opened my mailbox to a flurry of emails from Filipinos about last Sunday's episode of Desperate Housewives. As I stopped watching the series after the first season, I wondered what the hoopla was all about. In one scene apparently, when the Teri Hatcher character is told by her doctor that she may be hitting menopause, she demanded to know where they got their diplomas just to be sure that they didn't come from some medical school in the Philippines. Understandably, the natives are pissed.

My question is: as one who counts herself among them, should I really be pissed? Is my identity as a Filipino and that of the 80 million others back in the homeland now severely compromised because of a remark made by a fictional character on a tv show about shallow people? Does this mean less work for the thousands of Filipino doctors and nurses who are working in hospitals all over this country and taking care of you or your mother? That's giving the show too much credibility, too much intelligence, and more importantly, too much say over me and my kind.

DOPE ON THE SLOPE WAITING FOR BABY

Did you know that Dope on the Slope is a father-to-be?

Posting here at Dope on the Slope has been light because both Pipistrelle and I have been cramming over the past few weeks to get the last vestiges of our open work projects completed so we could take several weeks off to welcome our bundle of joy. That, and the seemingly insurmountable list of tasks that have to be completed to be "ready" when the moment arrives.

Last night, I took a break from cooking and we ordered Chinese take-out. We noticed that three fortune cookies were packed with the meal. The obvious conclusion was that the third was meant for junior. We opened our fortunes first, and read the expected ambiguous aphorisms. However, junior's fortune was curiously specific...

Read Junior's fortune cookie here.

GOOD STUFF ON RECLAIMED HOME

Reclaimed Home is the not-Brownstoner. She's into affordable housing and ways that those without huge checking accounts can live beautifully.

This week she's really cooking with news about Crown Heights, a website that helps her find local garage sales, and a FORUM on her website where people can  exchange salvage and building materials.

Go Reclaimed Home.

BLOG OF THE DAY: MOMMY POPPINS

Mommy Poppins is an excellent NYC parenting blog with information about what to do, see, eat, cook, watch, read, make, play, buy, envy and think with kids in NYC.

The blog is full of helpful listings and information about all things NYC kid-related, including public pre-schools, snacks that help kids think and now this: A HALLOWEEN COSTUME SWAP!

We're having a Halloween Costume Swap over at Mommy Poppins this month. 
We're hoping this will be a creative way for parents to get rid of 
their old costumes and find something new for this year.

There's no set rules, we're just trying to do something nice for the community, save 
people a couple of clams and recycle.

Hope you'll check it out. The 
link is: http://www.mommypoppins.com/?p=481

SEEING GREEN SAYS: IKEA TO SELL PRE-FAB HOUSES

Seeing Green is glad to hear that you don't have to assemble it yourself.

QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 IN BROOKLYN CRUISE TERMINAL

Self-Absorbed Boomer couldn't believe his eyes. He links to a nice pix.

REDECORATING AT DESIGN SPONGE: NEW URL, NEW DESIGN

Thanks to Brklyn Stories I just got the news that Design Sponge has just redecorated.

A new URL, a new design, a new site. What fun. Check out her new design, which uses fabric and trim as a motif. Her site is really gorgeous.

Design Sponge is probably one of the biggest Brooklyn blog sauces stories. This blog has really become a major force in the design world. Grace, who runs Design Sponge, who was at the first Brooklyn Blogfest, really knows what she's doing..

KUDOs to you, Grace.

And thanks to Brklyn Stories for telling this story. By the way, we missed you at the Blogade. So come "shout out" about yourself on  October 21 in Bay Ridge. Location and time TBD. It is being organized by Luna Park Gazette.

And here's what BS had to say about the changes at Design Sponge. Now this is a big story in the Brooklyn blog world.

Yes, this wonderful site that sates any aspiring I.D.-er has moved to http://www.designspongeonline.com/ and has so much more to offer!

The site converted on October 1st, 2007. Grace writes, "i’m so thrilled to introduce you to the new design*sponge! i’ve been working all summer with the team at also design to update d*s in a way that makes the site easier to navigate as well as a more accurate reflection of my current design aesthetic."

THE SHIKSA IN MANILA: SHE'S BACK

Finally a new post from the Shiksa in Manila.

A new posting on the blog...I know it's been some
time...Just click on the link below....

Your Shiksa Truly,
Sophia
http://www.shiksafrommanila.blogspot.com/

BED STUY BLOG ON THE BED STUY BLOGADE EVENT

At Bed-Stuy Blog, see the pix and the names of all the attendees. At least those who got photographed in a great group shot in front of La Toukouleur on Bedford Avenue. Other people showed up later. And while you're at it, don't miss what Saucy Tart had to say about the event.