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I know there’s a 1 in 176 million chance of winning today’s record-breaking Mega Millions lottery for $500 640 million, but there’s something about buying that ticket (or multiple tickets) that really makes you think it’s going to be you.

Naysayers are mostly talking about how the odds are impossibly against you. “You are not going to win the lottery. Your lucky numbers are not going to hit. Your quick pick is not going to be special winner. Your investment in lottery tickets is not going to pay off,” writes Gawker’s Hamilton Nolan. According to one stat, imagine you have a friend in Canada and put that friend’s name in a container with the names of everyone else in Canada. You have a 5 times greater chance of choosing your friend’s name than winning this lottery.

But while so many writers are talking about the crazies who think they can win big, fewer are talking about the camaraderie this brings to our city and others. Where I work, for example, everyone is bonding over our office pool. Even my FedEx delivery man said “of course” he bought his ticket, and added, “See you Monday. Or hopefully not.” As one of my friends tweeted, “Lotto talk is on par with weather talk this week.”

Actually winning an amount this big might not be so great anyway. Since this is a record-breaking sum, the winner or winners will no doubt be immediately thrust into the public eye. It is 2012, after all. They will have to abandon social media, hire security, and appoint the best economic advisers. For the rest of their lives, they will have to go into seclusion, forever wary of relationships with others who may just want a slice of the cake. Where’s the fun in that? Maybe the conversation this brings around the watercooler today really is the best part.

But when I do win – and I’m pretty confident that I will – I’ll move to the south of France and start dressing like mid-’90s Michael Jackson. So if I suddenly stop posting on here, you’ll know why.

via NY Daily News

Gothamist reports that police have charged Ryan Beauchamp with attempted assault (a misdemeanor) and harassment (a violation), not murder, for his involvement in last Friday’s deadly Bedford L station brawl. A misdemeanor carries a maximum of 1 year of jail time, while a violation is up to 15 days. Beauchamp has priors, including an Occupy Wall Street arrest in October and an earlier arrest in Connecticut.

This is the latest development after police first released a sketch, then a video, and then took Beauchamp in for questioning on Tuesday. As of yesterday afternoon one of the “WANTED” fliers still hung in the 1st Avenue L station.

With these charges come new details about the incident and Beauchamp’s background. While initial reports made it seem that both men were to blame and later accounts said Beauchamp was at fault, new witness accounts say Basin initiated the fight after Beauchamp bumped into him. One witness says “there was a point when it was over and Basin followed him.”

Beauchamp is 33-years-old, homeless, and originally from Westchester.

Basin’s funeral is this morning in Howard Beach.

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We previously posted about the Open Space Alliance moving this summer’s Waterfront concert series from East River Park to an industrial lot on Kent Avenue between N. 11th and N. 12th. Now OSA has announced that the new space will be called Williamsburg Park and released the first renderings of what the venue will look like.

Granted, the images have graphics right out of a Nintendo 64 game. And a major change is that this season’s venue doesn’t have a waterfront view of Manhattan. But some changes are good, like how there will no longer be a restricted area for drinking beer.

OSA also made its first band announcement, Swedish punk band REFUSED, who will be performing on June 18th. The series begins on June 1st.

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Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates

The long anticipated return of the McCarren Park Pool  - which opened in 1936, closed in 1983, and hosted some of the best summer concerts between 2005 and 2008 – is scheduled for June 28th with a ceremony at 11 a.m. According to Geoffrey Croft of the group NYC Park Advocates, the pool will accommodate 1,500 swimmers. Renovations to the pool, recreation center, bathhouse, and entry arch cost $50 million. Some of the rec center may even open in time for Memorial Day on May 28th.

Amenities at the new facility will include a volleyball court, beach, and spray showers. The rec center will have a basketball court, weight room, dance studio, cardio room, and “multipurpose community space.” Make sure to keep an eye out for decorative wood panels, which developers recycled from the Coney Island boardwalk.

As we previously posted, locals can enjoy the space year round, as the city has put out a call for proposals to turn the pool deck into an ice skating rink in the winter.

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The band WORKOUT is performing at Desmond’s Tavern in Manhattan on Thursday night and instead of making you spend $2.25 and go through a couple of subway transfers to get there, the concert promoters are offering a free party bus stocked with free beer. The bus will make three trips from the corner of Havemayer and Metropolitan (9 p.m., 9:40 p.m., and 10 p.m.). Spots on the bus are first come first served and once onboard there will be plenty of Radeberger and party music by DJ Timmy of Call Box Lounge.

WORKOUT is described as Weezer/Ween-meets Queen and will be playing Desmond’s Tavern (29th St. and Park Ave.) from 10 p.m. to midnight.

via Gothamist

After first releasing a sketch and then surveillance video, police have now identified the suspect in Friday night’s Bedford Ave. L train murder as Ryan Beauchamp. According to reports, Beauchamp is 33-years-old and homeless and had tried to start altercations with several passengers on the train that night.

Update 7:19 PM: The Daily News and The New York Post report that police arrested Beauchamp in Bushwick this afternoon.

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AMC’s Mad Men returns tonight from it’s 17-month hiatus. If you don’t have cable or just want to watch with a room full of fans, Nitehawk Cinema will be screening the season premiere. The event starts at 8pm (2-hour episode starts at 9) and there will be drink specials.

Gothamist

As you may have read by now, on Friday night an L train struck and killed a 20-year-old man who had fallen on to the subway tracks during a fight. We’ve posted about subway deaths before, but this one hits close to home as it happened at the Bedford L station.

According to accounts, two men were arguing on the train when things became physical. The altercation eventually moved out to the platform and both men fell on to the tracks. When the Manhattan-bound train approached, one man got out and fled, while the other was hit.

Initial reports seemed to put both men at fault, while later reports claimed the victim, a local college student named Joshua Basin, had been attacked by a drunk man.

Police have released a sketch of the suspect. Here is the description from Gothamist: “The suspect is described as a white male, between 30 and 35 years old, with a thin build, light complexion, dirty blond hair with pock marks on the right side of his face. He was wearing brown pants, black rain jacket and black sneakers.”

Call the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS or visit NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM with any information.

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Billboard just posted a sneak peek of the dual covers for this week’s issue and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say it was 1999 all over again. The covers declare “We Love Boy Bands” and feature One Direction and The Wanted, two imports from the UK who are bringing back the whole boy band phenomenon from the late ’90s and early ’00s.

Based on the music that gets posted to this blog, I’m guessing many of you are unfamiliar with these two groups, so here’s a rundown:

One Direction placed in third on The X Factor (UK’s American Idol), signed with Columbia Records in the U.S. and debuted their first single, “What Makes You Beautiful” (+76 million YouTube views) this past September. Their first album Up All Night came out in November and became the fastest-selling debut album in the UK in 2011. The boys are between the ages of 18 and 20.

The Wanted has British and Irish members. Their debut single came out in July 2010, followed by an album that October. This past November the group released its second album, which features “Glad You Came” (+27 million views). The members are 18-23 years old.

Time will tell if these two groups will bring back that particular moment in pop music, but at the very least it sure makes for two unique Billboard covers.

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Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day, which as you all know, commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland something you won’t remember by 3 p.m. If you’re looking to stay local, here are some north Brooklyn Irish bars, some of which will be having specials.

Of course, if you’re really into the holiday, you may be better off leaving the area for, say, Bay Ridge or something. This isn’t Paczki Day, after all.

Williamsburg:

Banter, 132 Havemeyer St. (at S. 1st) 20 oz. pints and, starting at 10pm, DJ Dolanite

Gordon Bennett, 109 S. 6th St.

Iona, 180 Grand St. Happy Hour prices until 7pm, screening Ireland v. England rugby game

Mug’s Ale House, 125 Bedford Ave. (at N. 10th)

Spike Hill, 184 Bedford Ave. “A whole day of nonstop Irish partying” with music (Pitchblak Brass Band, The Fuego Quintet) and dancing (a “surprise” DJ). Also corned beef and cabbage, plus free giveaways.

Greenpoint:

Connie O’s Pub, 158 Norman Ave.

Palace Café, 206 Nassau Ave. (at Russell)

Shayz Lounge, 130 Franklin St. (between Kent and Java) Live traditional Irish music