Here’s a selection of some of the Brookvids we created and produced over the last year for your viewing pleasure.

Here are a few comments left by GL readers during the past week:

Noo! Park Slope Maggie Moo’s Closes. “Possibly, Maggie Moo’s closed there because their ice cream is terrible. Now if only someone could do something about the laundromat at 7th Ave and 1st St. that has seen new dryers sitting in the middle of the room, unconnected, since February as the rest of the place goes to seed.” [Benjamin Kabak]

New Look Gowanus Will Not Be Like the Old One. “you people need to move back to your parents trailer in ohio. new york is about change. live here ten years and you’ll realize this. it’s what defines nyc. change.” [Anonymous]

Artists Evicting Tenants in Prospect Heights. “I would ask Gowanus Lounge to enlighten us as to what rights they believe the owner of a building should have. Clearly the idea of an owner wanting to live in his or her building is just beyond the pale.” [Anonymous]

The Most Disgusting Gowanus Photo Ever. “Problems with garbage trucks in Gowanus? Get outta town! Last week I was riding my bicycle on the bikepath headed south on 3rd avenue when I heard a loud honking behind me. It was a private sanitation truck trying to pass traffic on the right by driving on the bikepath. When I finally just stopped in the middle of the bike path, they pulled back into traffic, slopping gallons of foul smelling liquid out the back every time the truck hit a bump.” [Anonymous]

• Still Doing After-Hours Work at 154 West Street in Greenpoint [newyorkshitty]
• New Carroll Street Condo Not Completely Offensive [Lost City]
• Found in Crown Heights [Found in Brooklyn]
• Ditmas Park Links [Ditmas Park Blog]
• Chain Druggery on Myrtle Avenue [Myrtle Minutes]
• Tillies September Events [Clinton Hill Blog]
• Bus Songs with Children in Park Slope [NYT]
• Brooklyn Nights [Burntsienna]
• Franklin and Java Streets [11222]
• Care to Make Some Tomato Bread Soup This Weekend? [Food of the Future]
• Saved on Fifth? [Brooklynometry]
• Spray [Lex’s Folly]
• Members Only [Dope on the Slope]
• Movies Stop Stopped [Brit in Brooklyn]
• “Earings & Hat,” Coney Island [Park Slope Street Photography]
• Ricky’s Brooklyn Heights Grand Opening [Brooklyn Heights Blog]

So, Carnival time is here and, with it, some pre-parade celebrations. We found this email our inbox this morning, about last night’s party:

When I got home to Park Slope last night I heard an awful noise in the distance and wondered if Celebrate Brooklyn was back at ten times its normal volume. Then I realized that it’s carnival time and that for the next three days the music will be blasting across the park so loud my apartment will almost be shaking. I mean, it’s almost like having an suv with pounders parked down the block. On and off, the music last night went until at least 230 am and may have gone later but that’s when i went to sleep with the windows closed on a beautiful night. Carnival is great and all but don’t we have any noise regulations? Why is it okay to have music so loud that it can be heard a half-mile away at two in the morning? Last year wasn’t so bad, but this year’s not sounding so good so far. I remember one carnival when it sounded like people were driving around trucks with huge amplified sound systems for 72 hours except from 5am-6:30am when it seemed to stop. Would it be too much to ask for it to be turned down by…oh i don’t know…2 in the morning?

We do know there was a show at the Brooklyn Museum last night, but this seems a bit late for that.

The poignant pedestrian safety mural on Third Avenue was dedicated this past week and Streets Blog offered up full coverage, including a number of photos. Most notable is the following news:

DOT sent a high-level emissary to let the community know that their message had been received. Senior Policy Advisor Jon Orcutt said DOT “commends and endorses” the message of the mural project. He used the opportunity to announce that the first phase of construction projects emerging from the ten-year-old Downtown Brooklyn Traffic Calming Project had begun and “is a top priority for DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan.”

DOT is working with the City’s Department of Design and Construction to install neckdowns, sidewalk extensions and bus bulbs at 95 street corners throughout Downtown Brooklyn at a cost of about $5 million. The long-sought pedestrian safety measures “represent a concentrated, area-wide effort that is unprecedented in scope and approach for city government traffic calming efforts,” Orcutt said.

That’s good news and let’s hope that progress is forthcoming. Brit in Brooklyn also offered up some excellent coverage earlier in the week, and we apologize for being so slow in posting this important item.

Here are vids produced about four Brooklyn restaurants that were posted in the last couple of days on the YouTube. The restaurants are Ici in Fort Greene, and Al Di La, Stone Park Cafe and Applewood in Park Slope.

It looks like book reading season is upon us. Yesterday, we posted about the reading of Poop Culture at the Park Slope Barnes and Noble next week. Today we’ll note the reading by Adrienne Onofri at Book Court at 163 Court Street on Thursday (9/6). We got an email from the writer extended the invite to all interested readers. Walking Brooklyn: 30 Tours Exploring Historical Legacies, Neighborhood Culture, Side Streets, and Waterways was called “a charming, practical and informative guide” by the New York Times. Book Court is between Dean and Pacific Streets on Court.

The 15th Annual Chili Pepper Fiesta is coming up at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden on September 15. The event, which features live entertainment and food, runs from noon-6PM. We’ve personally got mixed feelings about it because it’s so crowded, but the video below that was just posted by the BBG does bring back the memories. You can click here for more info on the Fiesta, including the full schedule already posted.

Here, from an email we received from the Brooklyn Museum, is a listing of some of the programming there coming up in September & October. (Yes, that makes us feel like the end of summer is here, especially on this first day of September.) Set your iCals, then go.

Saturday, September 8, 2-4 p.m.
Creative Art-Making: Mixed Media
Participants are invited to create a mixed-media installation with Arthur Simms, an artist whose work is featured in the special exhibition Infinite Island: Contemporary Caribbean Art.

Saturday, September 15, 2 p.m.
Artist Talk: Visual Diaries–The Evolution of a 1970s Feminist Artist
Sculptor, book artist, and author of the recently published book Spirit Taking Form: Making a Spiritual Practice of Making Art, Nancy Azara shares her evolution from woman artist to feminist artist, and her consciousness-raising experiences as a founder of the New York Feminist Art Institute (NYFAI) in the 1970s.

Saturday, September 22, 2-4 p.m.
Infinite Island Discussion Series: Visualizing Caribbean Art and Culture in the Twenty-First Century
This discussion explores the diversity of Caribbean experiences throughout the island nations as well as in the Diaspora. Panelists include scholars Aisha Khan and Annie Paul, as well as Deborah Jack and Jean-Ulrick Désert, artists featured in the exhibition Infinite Island. Moderated by curator Tumelo Mosaka.

Sunday, September 23, 2-4 p.m.
Film and Discussion: Winslow Homer: Society and Solitude
(Steven John Ross, 2007, 109 min., New York premiere). Award-winning writer, producer, and director Steven John Ross introduces his new documentary about the great American artist. A discussion with Terry Carbone, curator of the special exhibition Brushed with Light: American Landscape Watercolors from the Collection, follows. Films are free with Museum admission. Tickets are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis on the day of screening. For a complete schedule visit www.brooklynmuseum.org.

Saturday, September 29, 2-4 p.m.
Feminist Dialogue: Bridging the Gap
Feminist artists Cara Judea Alhadeff and Micaela Amato discuss different generational approaches to feminist art and how feminism and their Jewish heritage impact their mother-daughter relationship.

Sunday, September 30, 2-3 p.m.
Gallery Talk: Brushed with Light
Curator Karen Sherry gives a gallery talk in the exhibition Brushed with Light: American Landscape Watercolors from the Collection. Program repeats Oct. 21.

Saturday, October 13, 2-4 p.m.
Creative Art-Making: Watercolor Painting
Learn the technique of watercolor painting with a local watercolorist.

Saturday, October 13, and Sunday, October 14, 2-4 p.m.
Film and Artist Discussion: Art:21 Preview
Enjoy a sneak preview of an episode from the upcoming season of the Emmy-nominated PBS series Art:21-Art in the Twenty-First Century. The episodes, titled “Protest” and “Paradox,” feature interviews with feminist artists Jenny Holzer, An-my Lê, Jennifer Allora, and Guillermo Calzadilla, whose work is featured in the Museum’s special exhibition Infinite Island. The October 13 screening of “Protest” is followed by a question-and-answer session with An-my Lê. The October 14 screening of “Paradox” is followed by a question-and-answer session with an Art:21 staff member.

Sundays, October 14-28, 2 and 3 p.m.
Caribbean Film Series
Explore the diverse cultures of the Caribbean through films by writers, actors, and directors from the different regions. Included are Alea and Tabío’s Guantanamera, a romantic comedy set in Cuba; Howard and Mitzi Allen’s No Seed, an Antiguan story of power and superstition; and Heading South by Laurent Cantet, a provocative film about wealthy American women who search for physical and emotional comfort in Haiti. For a complete schedule visit www.brooklynmuseum.org.

Saturday, October 20, 2 p.m.
Concert: St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble
Enjoy an all-Bach program, “Best of the Brandenburgs,” followed by a post-concert discussion about music and art in the Museum galleries. For information or to purchase tickets, call St. Luke’s at (212) 594-6100 or visit www.OSLmusic.org.

Saturday, October 20, 4 p.m.
Gallery Talk: “Making Connections”
Deborah Wythe, Head of Digital Collections and Services at the Brooklyn Museum, discusses the connections between classical music and fine art following the 2 p.m. concert.

Saturday, October 27, 2-4 p.m.
Infinite Island Discussion Series: Understanding Syncretic Practices, Beliefs, and Religions in the Caribbean
Marta Vega, Elizabeth McAlister, and John Amira discuss ways in which religious beliefs, particularly Afro-Cuban Santeria and Afro-Haitian Voudon, function in the daily life of Caribbean people living in New York.

We noted during a Community Board 6 meeting we attended in late spring that one of the Red Hook Garden District’s recent arrivals, the Gowanus Nursery, was being threatened by new residential development. The nursery had been on Third Street and moved this year to Summit Street in Red Hook. Here’s the email from the Nursery’s owner that we just got:

On Wednesday August 22, a small group of business owners, employees and clients attended a city planning meeting that was to decide the fate of a few parcels of land located on Summit and Carroll streets.

The likely outcome is Gowanus Nursery will be forced to move, once again.

Remarkably this change is a thinly disguised ‘spot zoning’ to allow for a residential development in a grandfathered commercial zone. This action, in the words of community Board 6, has been the most aggressive use of ULURP (re-zoning) procedures that the current board has ever seen, forcing out active and flourishing businesses to make way for residential development.

Borough President Marty Markowitz’s recommendations suggested that the nursery occupied lot provided property owners the opportunity to lease under-developed land with minimal investment (part true since the only investment came in the form of our own labor and financial funding.) There seems something fundamentally wrong with labeling well-used open ‘green’ space as ‘under-developed.’ On a personal note, I am frustrated not only by the futility of the work we have already logged here, but also by the casual way that zoning change is happening in ‘our’ neighborhood.

Last year, you my customers and colleagues came to offer your services during the first move. Now I ask for your help to help save this ‘green oasis’ from perishing in the changes affecting all of Brooklyn.

One of the questions asked by the city planning commissioners was “We have heard a lot of testimony about how this is the ‘best’ nursery, could you please give some definite examples to support this statement?” Well we hope that our garden making has been successful; stimulating ideas and offering advice, suggesting different ways of seeing plants and how they effect our environment directly and indirectly. Of course something akin to a mission remains: providing gardeners experience-based knowledge and the broadest selection of perennial plants for Brooklyn gardens.

We hope that you can take the time to email the following parties to let them know in a few words what makes us an important part of the neighborhood and the whole Brooklyn experience.

Council representative – Bill de Blasio; City Council Speaker – Christine Quinn; Land Use Committee Chairperson – Melinda R. Katz; Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

deblasio@council.nyc.ny.us,
quinn@council.nyc.ny.us,
katz@council.nyc.ny.us,,
http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/mayor.html

The following are some statements to paste into your appeal:It’s impossible to run a nursery without land. Businesses such as these provide necessary services to the community, and are the reason we choose Brooklyn.

Please help Gowanus Nursery to remain a Brooklyn institution.

We support green business in Brooklyn.

The building that would replace the Gowanus Nursery, which is at 45 Summit Street, would be nearly a dozen stories tall.

I finally placed where I have seen this shade of green before. In the late 70’s my dad had an Oldsmobile this color. Its name was Gonzo. When he wanted to get rid of it no one would buy it. My dad ended up donating it to a church and taking a tax-write off.

Should you be in this part of North Brooklyn and wish to see the building for yourself, it’s at 130 Diamond Street. We’re still hoping the green stuff is temporary, knowing deep down that it’s most likely permanent.

They park their truck all day and night on 9th street and clean them on 9th street as well. This causes the sewege et al to drain in front of all the houses and into the drains…

Our friendly Gmail service thoughtfully sorted this email into our spam folder, so we don’t know if the problem has been resolved or not. Even if it was taken care of, though, imagine this funky crap marinating in August heat and humidity. We’ve seen and smelled disgusting garbage trucks in our lives, but what the hell was in that thing? Our apologies if you’ve viewed this photo right before or after a meal.

I organized and installed this Green Wall project with the help of architect Evangeline Dennie, LEED AP, the company Green Living Technologies.

Dwell filled in more detail:

The succulents are planted in 35 or so panels of soil, each less than three inches thick, which are screwed to the wall. A hidden watering system gives them a steady spritz. A living wall can easily be planted on a residential façade, Marni says, at a cost of about $50 a square foot. Interior walls are roughly $30 more per square foot because they contain tropical plants, which are more expensive.

You should check it out on your next wander around the Burg. It’s quite the look.

• The Times Knows How to Do Better, But Not With Atlantic Yards [AYR]
• The Greenpoint 100 [11222]
• Dog Shit Diva [newyorkshitty]
• F Express Update: Boo Hiss! [Kensington Brooklyn]
• Inside Third & Bond: Week Three [Brownstoner]
• Debut of the Brooklyn Traffic Calming Mural [Streets Blog]
• Forest City in the News [No Land Grab]
• Brooklyn to be a Very Rocking Borough [Gothamist]
• Clarence Norman Sentenced. Again. [NYT]
• “Taking Fort Greene” [Metro]
• The Season’s Ending, So Go to Coney Island [Found in Brooklyn]
• Darfur Exhibition at Powerhouse Arena [Dumbo NYC]
• Dumbo Block Party on Saturday, September 8 [Brooklyn Enthusiast]

It’s time for the 40th Annual West Indian Day Parade on Monday, so here are some vids posted to the YouTube of the parade & carnival in past years. Enjoy.

Ever wonder what it would be like spending time in two possibly doomed bars at once? Tonight’s your chance. Via No Land Grab we find that the crew at Freddy’s Bar, which sits in the path of Forest City Ratner’s Atlantic Yards Project, is taking over Hank’s, the bar at Atlantic Avenue at Third Avenue. You might have noticed that Hanks has been sporting a “development site” for sale sign recently–which we’ve been meaning to photograph and post for some time. This means that Hank’s days are limited. The people at Lucid, from whence the info originally came, write:This night is pretty appropriate since both venues’ days are numbered by encroaching luxury housing, [Freddy’s] by the Ratso Ratner Atlantic Yards goons while Hank’s owner has put the place up for sale as a “development site” – you know what that means. John Sharples and his jangly crew play around 10 followed by Plastic Beef who will have the nonpareil Erica Smith singing this time, and jam the hell out of everything they touch with some pretty way-out results.Brooklyn drinkers, you know your assignment.

No, we’re not talking about what goes on in the restrooms downstairs at the Park Slope Barnes & Noble on Seventh Avenue at the changing tables. (Though an incredible amount of it goes on.) We’re talking about a reading in the store next Wednesday at 7:30 by Dave Praeger, who is the author of Poop Culture. We’ve posted a couple of tidbits from the book before (like here and here), given that, uh, crap-related issues are part and parcel of our territory since Gowanus is in our name. Mr. Praeger emailed to say that he’s been in New Dehli for some time and has been doing some fascinating addtional research:

I met with an organization called Sulabh international that strives to provide sanitation to the hundreds of millions of people across the subcontinent. One of the things I’m going to discuss at the reading is the future of sanitary infrastructures in both the developing and the developed world — contrasting New York with New Delhi, including the problems with the Gowanus.

Now, is that an author who knows how to get our attention, or what? In any case, check out Mr. Praeger’s reading and discussion next Wed. (9/5) at 7:30.

I’m writing concerning a recurring problem with construction on Roebling St. At the moment, a new developer is working between 9th and 10th st, and his work has unearthed oil, which is producing a strong smell throughout the neighborhood. Apparently, this is not an isolated incident, and when this has happened on previous occasions, contractors have made use of some sort of membrane to prevent this from happening. Would that be possible in this instance, and if so, can we require it?

The only development site can think of that matches this description is the one where demolition is currently underway that we first posted about back in June. We also followed up with a Construction Site Du Jour post based on its crappy fence. Back in June we joked “More construction sites to sniff!” The site is directly across the street from the Roebling Oil Field & Building, so the presence of, uh, petroleum products wouldn’t come as a shock if the email is accurate. Noses have been dispatched to try to smell out the problem.

BONUS: At least one Williamsburg resident trying to follow up on the extent of the contamination near the Roebling Oil Field is complaining of severe problems getting information from the Department of Environmental Conservation. At issue are updated results from the test wells drilled around the Roebling Oil Field Site at N. 11th and Roebling. Preliminary results showed that oil was coming from an off-site source, although the extent or the spread of the contamination was not clear. Our source complains, “I’ve been calling since April and not one call has been answered or returned.” A large package of documents and data that we saw in the spring only covered test results through March.