Heard those horror stories about getting kicked out of illegal lofts and scared it could happen to you? This meeting is for you, helpfully organized by our one and only Ryan Kuonen (who represents some of you burg folks on Community Board 1):

Basement @ Lutheran Church of the Messiah
129 Russell St

Wednesday, December 8 · 7:30pm – 9:00pm

From the Facebook Event:

Things are heating up in the Loft world, whether it’s artist requirements in SOHO or landlord/tenant disputes right here in Bushwick, the city and the press are beginning to take real notice of loft tenant issues. It’s time for us to organizing our buildings in Greenpoint & Williamsburg and unite as a community to stand up for loft tenant rights.

There is A LOT of confusion and misinformation out in the streets about this law and its protections and machinations. The purpose of this meeting is to address the confusion and to start organizing.

Finally, we know that many buildings are working hard to organize a loft law application. Whether you are still searching for your three qualifying units or are looking for more people to join the application, take this opportunity to invite your neighbors to come learn about the loft law first hand.

For more info:
www.nag-brooklyn.org
nag.bklyn@gmail.com

via josephx‘s flickr

Like Streb’s Running up Walls that happened last spring, but sideways!

STREB at SLAM
Falling Sideways
November 26 – December 19, 2010

Fridays at 7pm, Saturdays at 3pm & 7pm, Sundays at 3pm

Big New “Work In the Making” come witness the Poetry and Danger of Physicality, a Peak Explosion of Possibility in Hardware and the Fantastical Flight and Falls of STREB. And for part of the show, audiences Get In On the Action to find the Action Hero in themselves. You’re invited to share the performance area with STREB’s Action Faction to Experience and Create Essential Movement Moments.

Buy tickets here

There use to be trolleys and horses. And hey, after the Williamsburg bridge was finished in 1903, “the small village of Williamsburg” became the most populated area of Brooklyn. So morning commuters at the Bedford stop at 8 A.M. watching packed train after packed train go by, history knows your pain.

According to the “I’m Boycotting Duane Reade to Save Williamsburg” facebook group, a Duane Reade will be opened on Bedford, directly across from Kings Pharmacy this Saturday.

First off, I need to state that I don’t really give a shit about saving small business in this case.

I do, however, give a shit when urban planning is totally disregarded and services are doubled up. We already have several pharmacies all of which are a stone’s throw from each other, reminding me of the Lewis Black sketch where he declares “the end of the universe” when he discovers a Starbucks across the street from another Starbucks. Duane Reade will be open 24 hours, which will probably end up being the downfall of Kings. This “perk” still does not justify its existence. Space is at premium on Bedford and needs to be utilized effectively.

You know what we could use? A Trader Joe’s. Or a Bank of America. Or better yet, how about some green space? Williamsburg and Greenpoint have one of the lowest people to park space ratios in all of Brooklyn at .06 acres per 1,000 residents, when the city planners recommends at least 2.5 acres per 1,000 residents. It’s only getting worse with the likes of the Domino Sugar development and Duane Reades among us.

Let’s face it, we are maybe 40 baby-filled strollers and one more high-rise away from being a perfectly lovely and totally gentrified Brooklyn neighborhood (read: Park Slope). Corporate outposts don’t spring up spontaneously in neighborhoods. They did their cost-volume-profit analysis and, bingo, Williamsburg looks good. Our consumption habits are bringing them in. But when corporate businesses have to waste our time with their march on independent business, we lose out.

So, instead of the hollow-sounding and vague argument of “Saving Williamsburg,” don’t forget that corporate greed is actually wasting our space for their purposes, not ours.

by claykessack on flickr

Cafe Blood Bath is a self-produced cartoon series by a few Brooklyn dudes in their spare time. It is awesomely hysterical.

From their site:
For three years we’ve worked tirelessly to write, record and animate two episodes of Cafe Bloodbath. While this is a major accomplishment, that’s only 2 of the 8 episodes that we wrote for the first season of the show. At this point, with our limited time and resources, it takes us roughly 8 months to record and animate one episode. With your donations, however, we could afford to hire the additional sound engineers and animators necessary to complete the entire first season of Cafe Bloodbath in that same amount of time.

Cafe Bloodbath: Mega-Burrito from The Cheap Thriller on Vimeo.

Cafe Blood Bath has the 2nd episode and a whole mess of packages to help get more episodes going. All you can eat spagetti dinner anyone?

Over at Scouting NY there are some photos of a shopping cart with a very legit looking install over at Macri Square.

Such a breathe of fresh air after the onslaught of Dick Chicken’s quick public art. Anyone want to take credit for this piece?

By spinnerdisc

Now, if there was a speaker attached to the collar blasting Bed Intruder Song, this would have been perfect.

150 artists opening up their spots for the 2nd annual GOS on what is suppose to be a bea-u-ti-ful weekend. Night time events too! I want to know whats going on at Paulie Gee’s tonight and if I can still get pizza.

Website has maps and more info.