(This once said “I asked for patience. I suffered. I asked for patience.”)

· LICH May Merge with Other Hospitals [NYDN]
· Who’s in Charge of Atlantic Yards? [AYR]
· Last Week’s Biggest Sales [Brownstoner]
· Rats, Rats, Rats, Rats, Rats, Rats, Rats Everyfreakingwhere [1010Wins]
· Holy Crap: Ratner Stock Dropped 27% Yesterday [No Land Grab]
· MTA Cuts Will Fuck Bushwick Really Hard [BushwickBK]
· Cool Pics of Kensington in 1975 [Kensington Stories]
· The Writing on the Wall [New York Shitty]
· Vids of the Imagine Coney Meeting [Kinetic Carnival]
· Should Kids be Rewarded for Good Report Cards? [Daily Slope]
· Unlikely Friends on the B [Flatbush Vegan]

When we first read that someone was selling their 20% off coupon for a single shopping trip at Key Foods on 7th Avenue we had to chuckle. After all, it’s only one coupon for one trip. You’d have to be a bit desperate to go though all that trouble and according to the seller, “I will meet the winner of the auction at Key Food and give them my Club Card to shop with.” Call us lazy, but having to shop with another man’s Club Card while he waits around for you to give it back seems a bit much. However, it seems the seller has no interest in making a profit. In his words:

Hey, First of all there are over 27,000 listings on ebay for coupons. Second, I don’t imagine making any real money on this. Third, I don’t know who would want this potentially valuable coupon. This way the person who wants it the most gets it. Fourth; Whatever money I get I will put in the cup of the first guy asking for it on 7th Av and Carroll St.

Crazy? Perhaps not. One person has already placed the first bid. Is it insane? What would you pay? Do let us know in the comments.
—E.C. Stephens

As we mentioned yesterday, a lawsuit was filed to block the $440 million expansion of the Brooklyn House of Detention on Atlantic Avenue. A judge is hearing the case today (11/20) at Kings County Supreme Court (360 Adams St., Brooklyn). From a release the landed in the inbox:

Kings County Supreme Court Justice Sylvia Hinds-Radix will hear arguments at 11:30 AM Thursday in a lawsuit to stop the City’s plan to build an unnecessary $440 million jail. Comptroller William C. Thompson, Council Member David Yassky, and community organizations filed the suit Monday, arguing that the New York City government secretively and illegally re-populated and planned to massively expand its jail in Downtown Brooklyn despite deep concerns that the project is a waste of taxpayer money and would have a destructive effect on the local economy.

The City has repeatedly declared its intention to nearly double the size of its closed Brooklyn House of Detention on Atlantic Avenue, yet has not informed or engaged the public about the re-opening of the expansion project, nor has it followed any of the state or city laws which compel it to conduct a detailed analysis to determine environmental and community impacts. Meanwhile, the City has re-opened the jail and budgeted about $440 million for jail construction, and already entered into contract to spend more than $30 million on an architect. The Brooklyn House of Detention was closed in 2003 because of a declining prison population, sizable capacity available for prisoners at Rikers Island, and in order to save money on the costs of running an extra jail. Soon after, however, the Bloomberg administration announced plans to build a towering new structure atop the exiting jail, nearly doubling its size and adding 700 new beds. Downtown Brooklyn’s local elected officials have all questioned the plan and the City’s procedure, and called for the City to scuttle the project for economic reasons.

On the political side of things, there’s also an online petition to stop the re-opening and expansion.

WNYC did some superb reports this week about construction and some of the conditions that have lead to the deaths of 27 workers so far this year. There are two stories in print that can be viewed here and here. Among the buildings covered is one on Clinton Avenue (being marketed as the Collection) where a worker was blown off the roof and died earlier this year. Brownstoner, which covered the death of the worker, did a post on the “Ghosts of 525 Clinton” yesterday. The worker’s name was Jose Palacios. He is one of thousands of immigrants who work dangerous construction jobs constructing luxe condos. Many of them have died terrible deaths in Brooklyn in recent years. Here’s a big about him from the WNYC report:

Jose Palacios lived with his niece, her husband and two children and helped pay the rent in this tidy apartment. He was also supporting a wife and daughter back in Mexico. And the night before he died the family had thrown a farewell party for the construction worker’s sister who would be returning to Mexico after a long stay. Solis says her mother left the next morning thinking everything was fine….

When we were up on that roof to shoot photos, it was hard not to think about what happened up there on that windy morning back in January. Here are the audio segments:

Click through for a YouTube vid.

[Photo courtesy of Adrian Kinloch/Brit in Brooklyn]

Our friend Adrian Kinloch, who is an extraordinary photographer and photoblogger as well as a wonderful person, has a way of capturing images that make even the most workaday old building look great. Case in point, this shot of the old Daily News Garage on Third Avenue in Gowanus.

In addition to the very successful Brooklyn Flea, our friends at Brownstoner will also be running an indoor holiday market in December across the street at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple. Here are the details direct from Brownstoner:

For the four Sundays starting November 30, we’ll be running an indoor holiday market at the Masonic Temple directly across the street from the Brooklyn Flea, which itself runs through December 21. In addition to getting to see the inside of the Temple, which is pretty darn cool, the Holiday Market (which will also be getting a boost from our media partner Time Out NY) will feature gift items from the likes of Layla, Jezebel Stationery and Mast Brothers Chocolate. (Check out the complete list of vendors here.) So come brave the wintry weather at The Flea and then warm up inside at the Holiday Market.

Cool stuff.

[Photo courtesy of spiffae/GL Flickr Pool]

The gorgeous Brooklyn fall scene comes to our GL Flickr Pool courtesy of spiffae. We can’t quite identify the street, but it’s a pretty shot.

For those of you who never got to see D.W. Young’s documentary about Red Hook, A Hole in a Fence, fret not. The DVD will be available just in time for the holiday gift giving!) on December 9th for $19.95. In addition to the documentary -which chronicles the evolution of the off-the-beaten-path neighborhood from a sleepy, quiet maritime ghost town to an ever-growing, commercialized, tourist spot, there are bonus features, including Young’s short film “Views from the Red Hook Grain Terminal,” a Red Hook photo gallery and an extended interview. For more information, or to get your copy, contact: First Run Features; The Film Center Building; 630 Ninth Avenue, Suite 1213; New York NY 10036; 800-229-8575. Or, click here.
—Vaduzuvunt

It starts like this:

Whilst cruising the missed connections page looking for some vague description of myself posted by my future ex-boyfriend, I was overcome by the sheer genius that is the male mind. I give you –

We strongly suggest clicking here to read this.

Check it out.

[Photo courtesy of New York Public Library]

This is Metropolitan and Graham Avenues in Williamsburg as they looked in 1937. A little different than now, no?

[Click to enlarge]

There’s a new online petition to protest the reopening and expansion of the Brooklyn House of Detention on Atlantic Avenue and Smith Street. Here’s what it says:

We are an association of over 2000 residents from Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Downtown Brooklyn, and other parts of Brooklyn. We are committed to preventing the reopening and expansion of the Brooklyn House of Detention (BHOD). Despite the city’s challenging financial situation, Mayor Bloomberg and Corrections Commissioner Horn want to spend over $500 million of taxpayer money to expand the BHOD at 275 Atlantic Avenue. We have a different progressive vision for the site. We believe the site should be used for affordable housing and for a public middle school. Help us help Brooklyn. Sign our petition and forward it to others that will rightfully want to oppose the wasteful reopening and expansion of the Brooklyn House of Detention.

There were a mere 58 signatures as of this morning. The petition can be found here.

[Photo for GL courtesy of Gary Mirabelle]

Local artist and GL Contributing photographer Gary Mirabelle, who has sent us many gorgeous shots of our beloved Prospect Park, hit us off with this pic of the park on a rainy and dark fall day. Beautifu.

The long-awaited (by some) Baluchi’s on Fifth Avenue, which has only taken about three years to open, is set to open (at least for carry out) on Thursday. We’re not yet clear on whether they will be open for full services. As of yesterday, the interior appeared to not quite be ready to accept customers. We’ve said it before and we’ve said it again: while Baluchi’s is not the be all and end all of Indian cuisine, it’s a definite step up from most of the bad Indian food currently available in the Slope. (Kinara delivery on a good night notwithstanding.)

The Toll Brothers application to get property rezoned so they can put up their condo development on the Gowanus Canal has already been approved by Commmunity Board 6. Today, the Brooklyn Borough President will be having a hearing on the plan as part of the ULURP process. Per a community email (and there are many people unhappy with the CB6 decision):

This is our chance for the community to be heard again. John Hatheway and I will be making an updated presentation making the case for an 8 story height limit. This will bring the building height below the horizon from most Carroll Gardens vantage points, and equally important allows enough sunlight into the Canal Esplanade to make it a viable park. Our proposal has the same floor area as Toll’s, same affordable housing amount, same possibility for high end units, same economics for union labor. It differs from Toll Bros in that it has very little impact to Carroll Garden’s skyline AND it provides much better sun to the canal park. PLEASE COME AND SUPPORT OUR PROPOSAL OR VOICE YOUR OWN CONCERNS.

The meeting is conveniently scheduled at 5:30PM to make it easy for community members to get there (this is sarcasm). It takes place at Brooklyn Borough Hall at 209 Joralemon Street. Perhaps in the interest of soliciting true public input the earliest starting time for such meetings should be 6:30? It probably doesn’t matter, because it appears that the proposal is on its way to winning approval, even if the Toll firm’s finances may sink the project in ways that community opposition could not.

A GL reader writes to say that Trout on Smith Street, which had been Alan Harding’s Gravy until last year appears to have floated to the top of the big fish tank in the sky. Our tipster says:

After 3 years, this diner, come diner/ beer garden, come fish shack/ beer garden has closed its doors for good. No word on what will happen with this rather large indoor-outdoor space.

Perhaps a new kitchen for the re-opened Brooklyn House of Detention visible in the background?

· Shop Owner Killed Robbers with Their Own Gun [NYT]
· City says dead rider knew Cyclone could kill him [NYDN]
· State Trying to Save Programs at LICH, Loaning $3M [NYT]
· LeBron James Says Brooklyn Isn’t His “Problem” [AYR]
· Misc. Foodstuffs [New York Shitty]
· 315 Garfield Place: the Movie [Brownstoner]
· Lots of Attention to Sunset Park Restaurants [BVIB]
· Old Kellogg’s Diner Cuisine Shall Survive [Grub Street]
· The Giant Sausage of Brooklyn [Gothamist]
· Carrroll Park Hawk Has Lunch [PMFA]

There are neighborhoods people can fuck with and neighborhoods that they can fuck with that will cause them more grief than others. Park Slope falls into the latter category. Yes, there have been story of IDT energy “scammers” working the Slope. But this email comes to our attention via our good and dear friends at Park Slope Parents. They’re at work, it appears, in a part of town where New York Times coverage is destined to follow. (Sorry, Greenwood Heights.):

Monday evening a young woman appeared at my door who posed as someone from Con Ed telling me that I can save 7% on my Con Ed & National Grid bills. She had plenty of ID and I foolishly let her in my home and gave her my account #, as she was very convincing telling me that I will no longer be paying sales tax in addition to the 7% discount (and refund). As she was leaving, she said I needed to sign an agreement. I then noticed that this was NOT Con Ed, but IDT. Suddenly this felt like a scam, as there was no literature for me to read, and she did not have a card where I could reach her. I felt uneasy as I could not get a straight answer about is the a contract, and who exactly would be my supplier. When I discovered IDT has no affiliation with Con Ed or National Grid, I declined. HOWEVER she had my account information! I immediatley called Con Ed & they put a block on my account, thus my supplier will not be changed. The Con Ed rep said I should also call National Grid. HE SAID BLOCKS SHOULD BE PUT ON ACCOUNTS BY THE CUSTOMER ALWAYS FOR PROTECTION. I then Googled IDT, it is a total scam! This is what I found: http://consumerist.com/consumer/investigations/consumerist-undercover-at-idt-energy-day-one-264628.php Please be aware!

The more scam stories the merrier. Eventually, an awful lot of people will know.

Carroll Gardens residents have started a letter writing campaign to Borough President Marty Markowitz asking him to support an eight-story height limit for building along the entire length of the Gowanus Canal rather than the 12 stories in the “MX Waterfront South” District (above) that the current city plan is calling for. Here is the letter:

Dear Friends and Neighbors, Many of us in the neighborhood have been working to establish appropriately scaled development on the Gowanus Canal. This rare channel of water in our urban fabric, gradually being cleaned up, has incredible potential for a publicly-accessible urban respite park (last month I met a fisherman who regularly catches striped bass form Carroll bridge!)

Read the key parts of the letter by clicking here.

A few minutes ago we posted about the Magic, Where’s Our Health Care? website. Here’s a vid they made of a worker going to one of his book signings saying “Please, Magic, give us some family health care.” It would appear to end when he is ejected.

We’ve covered the issue of the hiring on non-union workers at the luxury One Hanson tower in which Magic Johnson is an investor. We’ve also offered our opinion of the situation. Now, there’s a website on the entire One Hanson-Magic Johnson Issue called nomagichealthcare.org. We got a press release about it, but Crain’s beat us to the punch, covering it yesterday, and Brownstoner re-blogged that story. The crux of the issue is that Dermott Company won’t hire union workers and that current workers can’t afford health coverage for their families. Magic is currently doing book signings in the city and mirth is ensuing. We’re going to guess this one gets better before it goes away.

[Photo courtesy of megunski/GL Flickr Pool]

Gowanus has a special look on a cold and overcast November day. The land in question is the (maybe possible) site of the Gowanus Whole Foods.

Coat drives aren’t just for humans anymore. This Saturday (11/22) from noon-4pm, head down to Root Hill Cafe (corner Carroll Street and 4th Avenue) with puppy blankets and coats (new or gently used… and clean, mind you) and donate to the DOG Coat & Blanket Drive to help area rescue groups and shelters keep local critters warm.
—Vaduzuvunt

[Photo courtesy of Miss Heather]

There’s really not much to say about this one other than that it comes from Bedford Avenue and Willoughby Avenue on the Bed-Stuy/Clinton Hill border.

[Photo courtesy of Miss Heather]

Chase Bank is interested in helping Clinton Hill homeowners refinance and “keep” their homes. To prove it they’re having a session at (drum roll) a local evangelical church and there will be refreshments and a raffle. We suppose having a higher power on one’s side couldn’t hurt.