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Forget rats, pigeons & bedbugs: Bunnies are New York’s hottest new vermin!
01.06.2015
08:55 am
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The wildlife of NYC is much maligned, and yet every honest-to-God New Yorker knows these scrappy, hard-bitten creatures are an integral part of experiencing the city. Maybe you saw a rat as big as Corgi attack a Corgi the size of a slightly smaller Corgi!? Perhaps you encountered a roach trying to sell you a Rolex? I was mugged at knifepoint by a Central Park squirrel–-we all have our stories! But is this delicate ecosystem ready for a new player?

Meet the Gowanus Bunnies—the roughest rabbits you’ll ever meet and the latest addition to the brutal fauna of the five boroughs. In a Brooklyn neighborhood best known for the opaquely polluted waters of the Gowanus Canal, these flinty Leporidae found a home in a dirt alley next to a tire shop, and while their fuzzy-wuzzy cuteness hasn’t gone completely unappreciated by the neighborhood, the urban bunnies may be becoming a problem.

For one, they reproduce in accordance with stereotype, and their famed fecundity has bolstered the colony’s ranks into a verging swarm. That may not sound very threatening, but rabbits burrow, and a lot of important and delicate stuff goes on underground in New York, including electrical work and the foundations of some very old rotting buildings. Others fear a more Night of the Lepus situation, noting the rabbits seem to have developed a taste for chicken wings (could human flesh be much further down the road?!?).

Local Joel Bukiewicz, who owns a knife shop across the street from the rabbits, has seen the bunnies fighting viciously:

“I think of rabbits as friendly, innocent and sweet,” Bukiewicz said. “These are angry, hardened city rabbits and possibly carnivorous. These are Gowanus rabbits. I wouldn’t want to bring one home.”

Of course attached to all of this is a “New York person”—30-something piano teacher Dorota Trec, who calls her pets “erotic,” and maintains that there’s nothing unsavory, dangerous or unethical about her rapidly multiplying herd. Animal welfare advocates disagree, and Trec is currently facing potential action from the health department who are probably rightly concerned about an animal hoarder who appears to be ground zero for a new pest epidemic. I hope they get them all spayed, but I don’t hold out too much hope for adoption—I’m not sure these rabbits can be rehabilitated back into society.
 

 
Via DNAinfo

Posted by Amber Frost
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01.06.2015
08:55 am
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The Screaming Phantoms, The Dirty Ones & The Satan Souls: Check out this 1974 map of Brooklyn gangs
12.16.2014
07:26 pm
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The Dirty Ones, because Williamsburg has always been chic.
 
1979’s The Warriors became a cult classic by creating a fantastically dystopian world of lawlessness roamed by stylized gangs of the Romantic variety, but the reality of 1970’s NYC gangs was… well, actually… not that much different from their epic, fictionalized versions onscreen. In fact, the fear of gang violence at the time was so fevered, the film was actually blamed for crimes committed against people who were coincidentally coming from or going to the movie. This map from The New York Times is dated August 1, 1974, and the names of the gangs are so dramatic, it’s easy to see how fact and fiction could blur in the eyes of a terrified populace. 

The folks over at The Bowery Boys blog even dug up a few details on the “activities” of some of the gangs listed, including The Young Barons (an altercation that ended in one death and the slicing off of someone’s nose, 1972), a battle between the Devils Rebels and the Screaming Phantoms (two rebels were killed, 1973), and the 1974 extortion dealings of the Outlaws, the Tomahawks, the Jolly Stompers and B’Nai Zaken. If that last one threw you for a loop, B’Nai Zaken is a phrase largely associated with Ethiopian Jews, and not (as I had hoped), a bunch of Hassidim with nunchucks.

There was a even a 1973 report that a few local gangs had been cast in an autobiographical gang film,The Education of Sonny Carson, perhaps paving the way for Walter Hill to later do the same thing with The Warriors
 

 
Via The Bowery Boys

Posted by Amber Frost
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12.16.2014
07:26 pm
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Brooklyn dad shaves his terrible beard for his baby, then preserves it in lucite
12.03.2014
11:35 am
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I would like to point out that the increasingly tired Brooklyn hipster meme is largely a delusional myth cooked up by advertising agencies obsessed with an approximately five-block area. Brooklyn is a massive and diverse borough and younger white people with Etsy-filled apartments, “artisanal” businesses and absurd facial hair are but a tiny, tiny minority. Unfortunately the people who seem to have access to video equipment usually seem to be of that ilk, which explains the existence of “A Case of the Beard,” a… uh… mini-documentary that tells the tale of new daddy Luke and his beard—which his baby rightly hates.

Before you get too annoyed at that scraggly prospector facial hair, know that Luke nobly shaves it off to appease his young daughter, but then gets all sentimental and suspends it in lucite for the ugliest paperweight known to man.  I’m trying to go easy on the guy in that whole gracious, everyone-deserves-a-story, NPR-kind of way, but this short is… inexplicably infuriating. Perhaps it’s because—while I’m not one to deny anyone a little vanity—you’re lyrically mourning a (bad) fucking beard in public?!? Do you know how your wife had to change her body for this baby? The rest of my fury is just probably my irrational hatred of lucite guitars and overly twee short film soundtracks. Damn hairy hipsters, get off my lawn!
 

 
Via Brokelyn

Posted by Amber Frost
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12.03.2014
11:35 am
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Video of skateboarders on Brooklyn rooftops is both mesmerizing and terrifying
01.27.2014
11:44 am
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I never got particularly good at skateboarding. Or even reasonably good. Passably good? No. Actually, I was a really, really bad skateboarder. Sports that require practiced precision just aren’t safe for someone with my attention span, and since that precision is the only thing between you and the concrete, my skating “career” was little more than a series of painful falls.

So when I saw this promo video for Tengu: God of Mischief, an ambitious film of high-risk skating, all I could think was, “No, this one is actually going to die.” To be fair, there’s a pretty big market for skate videos featuring nothing but wipe-outs and injuries.

Director Colin Reed spent over two years collecting footage of Brooklyn rooftop skaters for the video, in addition to other terrifyingly dangerous feats in San Francisco, Tokyo, and Bordeaux. Much to my teeth-grinding relief, no one went kersplat, and upon the second viewing, I was able to unclench every muscle in my body for long enough to see some really beautiful shots of some incredibly impressive skating.
 

 
Via Gothamist

Posted by Amber Frost
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01.27.2014
11:44 am
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Brooklyn: Gorgeous B&W photos of 1970s apartment life
01.09.2014
02:35 pm
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Continued
Joe Roifer & friend. Apt. 9E, Turner Tower. 135 Eastern Parkway, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, June 20, 1978
 
In 1976 a woman named Dinanda H. Nooney became interested in Brooklyn, while working as a volunteer for George McGovern’s short-lived presidential campaign (he had lost to Nixon in 1972, of course, and he soon found that the Democratic Party wasn’t interested in a second attempt). Two years later, she used the connections she had made in order to undertake a survey of the borough. Along the way, she got more interested in the people living in some of the homes she was researching, and she began to ask permission to do portraits of families in their homes. Many of these sitters referred other potentially willing subjects to her.

The results of these efforts are nearly six hundred gelatin silver prints of Brooklynites in their abodes, and they are stunning. In 1995 Nooney gave the collection to the New York Public Library, and you can now see the photos on the NYPL website. You can even see them broken out by neighborhood if that floats your boat.

For many of the homes shown here, there are other photos in the collection as well, so be sure to poke around the collection. I can’t get enough of these pictures, I’ve been looking at them all day. 
 
Schick
Jerry & Linda Schick. 188 Washington Ave., Fort Greene, Brooklyn, June 10, 1978
 
McCombs
Russell McCombs. 315 Eastern Parkway, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, June 23, 1978
 
Orans
Fran Orans. 4715 Surf Ave., Coney Island, Brooklyn, August 5, 1978
 
Sealy
Bernice & Beresford Sealy. 145 Maple St. Flatbush, Brooklyn, February 13, 1978
 
Leslie
Dr. Robert L. Leslie. 140 Lincoln Rd., Flatbush, Brooklyn, November 10, 1978
 
Plenty more of these fantastic Brooklyn interiors after the jump….

READ ON
Posted by Martin Schneider
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01.09.2014
02:35 pm
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Dammit Brooklyn: ‘Upcycled’ ladder shelving unit just $395
11.10.2013
12:01 pm
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ladder shelf
 
“Upcycling” refers to the fabrication of a new product from old materials. How this is different from “recycling,” I cannot exactly pinpoint, except that there appears to be an aesthetic milieu attached to “upcycling”- something of a millennial take on shabby chic. Call something “recycled,” it’s someone else’s old crap. Call something “upcycled,” you can sell it on Etsy.

Take, for example, this… shelf, available for the low, low price of $395, a price for which you could afford an actual antique shelf. The seller, however, appears confident that his creation is just as good as any old piece of legitimate furniture. From the Craigslist ad:

This rustic ladder shelving unit is made from a 12’ ladder with two upholstered burlap boards. The ladder comes apart and folds up and can easily be taken apart for transport. I also have another ladder shelving unit that was made from the same original ladder and is also available upon request.

As one of those working class young Brooklynites currently sitting on a dilapidated IKEA couch, in front of a 3,000 pound television set, which lives on planks of wood perched atop cinder blocks, I know how to be resourceful on a budget, and I know how to make due with cheap and free materials. I also know the difference between real furniture and an amalgam of building materials. And building materials, no matter how expertly stacked, do not cost $395.

Thinking, of course, that this must be a Craigslist prank, I was delighted to see that the seller also has an Etsy store, where he does appear to sell some actually cool stuff. Then I saw this:

“Retro Early 1980s Baby Bouncer”
 
high chair
 
“Retro Animals Print High Chair”
 
bounce chair
 
No, Brooklyn Upcycler! Old baby shit is not “retro!” Old baby shit has been recalled. Because baby furniture used to be comprised of nothing but sharp metal and a series of nooses! Baby technology advances because babies have lost their damn little baby limbs on unsafe high chairs and bouncy seats! Old baby shit is neither functional nor aesthetically pleasing! Damn, Brooklyn Upcycler, sometimes you just have to throw old shit away!
 
Via Brokelyn

Posted by Amber Frost
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11.10.2013
12:01 pm
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Dude literally sells boxes of rocks as a ‘piece of Brooklyn’
09.22.2013
06:26 pm
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box of rocks
 
There’s clearly some sort of secret propaganda campaign underway, intended to portray Brooklyn as nothing more than a tub of wealthy, cosmopolitan, white hipster kids with dumb taste. That has to be it, because some dude is selling little boxes of rocks (or gravel, really, let’s be honest), as “pieces of Brooklyn,” and I can’t imagine why some one would do such a thing without suspecting conspiracy and/or foul play. This is the tactic of a vacation beach town, where the locals sell bottles of sand as souvenirs, host wet t-shirt contests, and margaritas are poured into your mouth by girls named “Amber” (thanks, mom!).

Entrepreneur Floyd Hayes, however, thinks it’s is a bully idea for our little hamlet, as well! Selling each… box, for four dollars, Hayes manages to make you not totally hate him by giving a dollar of proceeds to the Brooklyn Arts Council. Years in non-profit actually taught me that people are more likely to donate small amounts of money if they get some swag in return, but come on, Floyd! This isn’t a serious philanthropic venture, and we both know it!

A man claiming to be Floyd has popped up in the comment section of Brokelyn, saying:

Thanks for the post. I think you have a fair angle. I’ve sold 20 of them now, to 11 customers. I’ve emailed them all to say thanks and had some good responses back. One guy bought 10 – told me it was a super cheap xmas gift for his family who are spread out all over the states. Another customer is based in Ohio, she used to live in Brooklyn and wanted something to put on her desk to remind her of good times. A Canadian and a Parisian also bought some, thinking it was “just funny.” I guess people have their reasons, I don’t think it’s a case of “a fool and their money.” As long as people get some sense of enjoyment from it then I’m happy really.

Floyd! I don’t wanna knock a good hustle, but you are killing me! I know you can’t send bed bugs or police brutality through the mail, but you could at least throw in some artisanal dirt! This is Brooklyn, dammit!
 
Via Brokelyn

Posted by Amber Frost
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09.22.2013
06:26 pm
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Jenna Pope: Photographs of NYPD brutality at vigil protesting the killing of Kimani Gray

image
 
This week, Brooklyn has seen a community come together for vigils and demonstrations in protest over the shooting of Kimani Gray by the NYPD.

16-year-old Gray was shot by 2 officers patrolling East Flatbush in an unmarked car around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday night.

The autopsy report, released Wednesday, said 7 bullets were removed from Gray’s body, 3 of these had entered his body form the rear. Police claim they shot Gray after he had allegedly pointed a .38-caliber Rohm revolver in their direction.

The police allegations have been contradicted by the only civilian eye-witness account that claims Gray was “unarmed.”

From this it is apparent that the NYPD have the power to kill who they want, when they want, without interference or sanction.

This can not and should not be tolerated.

The shooting deepened tensions between the Community and the NYPD, with the police response to the local vigils and marches criticized as being insensitive, over-the-top and brutal.

While a Brooklyn community comes to terms with the unfettered violence of the NYPD, one mother still waits for her teenage son to come home.

We send sincere condolences to Kimani’s mother, Carol Gray and her family.

Kimani Gray R.I.P.

The activist and freelance photographer Jenna Pope attended a vigil for Kimani on Wednesday night.

Jenna was there to show respect for Kimani, support the community, and to photograph the vigil.

The night ended in a police riot, with Jenna badly injured and in need of hospital treatment.

This is part of her account and some of her photographs from that night, and I ask you check out Jenna’s photographic report over at her blog site.

This week, there have been vigils and marches in response to the NYPD shooting and killing Kimani Gray in Brooklyn. I was there on Wednesday, and although the vigil and march started out peacefully, the cops decided to block us from using a crosswalk while we were on the sidewalk, and continued agitating the whole night. I believe that’s what we call a “police riot.”

I was only able to photograph the beginning of the march since there was a quick end to my night when I was hit by a thrown object. An arrest was happening to my left, and I was hit on the right side. I received a concussion and was driven to the hospital in an ambulance where a doc put 5 stitches in my head. I have no idea what it was, or who threw it. If it was one of the many young, rightfully angry friends of Kimani Gray, then I honestly can say I would not be angry with them. Instead, I am angry that the NYPD shot 11 rounds at 16 year old boy, hitting him the back and killing him – which is what cause this outrage in Brooklyn.

If we want to seriously change the world, then we need more activists and photographers like Jenna Pope to bear witness to the truth, to give a damn and make a difference.

If you want, you can support Jenna Pope fight for justice, one photo at a time, by donating here. Thanks.
 
image
 
More of Jenna Pope’s photographs, after the jump…
 

READ ON
Posted by Paul Gallagher
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03.15.2013
07:40 pm
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This is what Brooklyn looked like during the Summer of 1974
06.09.2011
03:16 pm
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Business Insider posted these wonderful images by photographer Danny Lyon taken during the Summer of 1974 in Brooklyn. He was there for two months and snapped photos of everyday life. 

I know I’ll be called a “jerk” for pointing this out, but notice how there are no obese children or adults in any of these photos.

PHOTOS: Here Is What Brooklyn Was Like In The Summer Of 1974


 

 
A few more photos after the jump…

READ ON
Posted by Tara McGinley
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06.09.2011
03:16 pm
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