WILD PARROT SAFARI IN BROOKLYN!

Forget the beekeeping workshop, apparently there are a) wild parrots in Brooklyn and b) safaris to see these wild parrots.  And the next one is this weekend, Saturday July 9th at 11AM.  The tours are organized by Steve Baldwin, wild parrot lover and birdwatcher extraordinaire.  Here are all the details:

Attention all Urban Parrot fans: the next Wild Brooklyn Parrot Safari will happen on Saturday, July 9, 2011, at 11 AM. All will please gather at Brooklyn College's  Hillel Gate, which is at the intersection of Hillel Place and Campus Road.   To register, email Steve Baldwin at steve@brooklynparrots.com

Wild Parrot Safari (Brooklyn College): 11:00 AM to 12:30PM
At 11 AM, we'll inspect the Brooklyn Parrots' "Ellis Island." Their large nests around the soccer field represents the first major colony in Brooklyn. The site is easy to get to via public transportation. Just take the Number 2 train (Seventh Avenue IRT) to the end of the line, walk one block Southwest on Hillel Street past the new Starbucks, and look for the main Brooklyn College date. The tour begins at the entrance at 11:00 AM sharp. Allow some extra time, given that the MTA is doing lots of construction/train re-routing on weekends. Driving instructions are available at Brooklyn College's main Web site. Parking is fairly easy to come by in the neighborhood. If you're late, please call me: I'll give you directions so that you can meet up with us if the tour is already in progress.

What to Bring/What to Wear
Please bring a photo ID (this is required by Brooklyn College Security). Bring binoculars and a camera. We'll be exposed to the outdoors so bring a hat/sunscreen if you have sensitive skin. Please feel free to wear anything except bright orange. For reasons that science has not yet explained, Monk Parrots freak out when you show them something orange.

This Tour is Free, But the Parrots Are Hungry!
The Wild Parrot Safari is free - if you wish to help your hungry urban feathered friends, bring some good bird feed and other treats. Finch food or millet are always welcomed by our hungry urban "peeps."

If you can't make the safari, at least check out Steve's site and some music from his new band...the Elementary Penguins.

made in brooklyn: thomas witte

Thomas Witte is a Brooklyn-based (his studio is at the Brooklyn Navy Yards to be precise) stencil artist.  Witte's pieces are based on vintage photographs which he then recreates with stencils, painted and drawn on non-traditional canvasses such as scrap metal, glass, and wood.  You can read more about Thomas and his work here.

BATTLE FOR BROOKLYN Now Playing at Brooklyn Heights Cinema

Battle For Brooklyn, the 93-minute documentary about the controversial Atlantic Yards project starts playing tonight at Brooklyn Heights Cinema.  I'm really interested to check it out as I still can't believe this is really happening.  More info here.

tonight: kid cudi at williamsburg waterfront

Tonight @ 5:30PM with Chip Tha Ripper

Williamsburg Waterfront

Tickets are still available, though they are a steep $60. More info.

Brooklyn Market: Woodstock of Eating

NYTIMES

Another article about the very successful and very delicious Smorgasburg market held each Saturday in Williamsburg.

Start with a sure thing like the fried anchovies ($6) at Bon Chovie, a delicate fish that tastes like the ocean; or the chorizo sandwich ($7, $10 with blistered pimentos on the side) at Bocata; or the sloppy dog ($8) at the Meat Hook, a hot dog smothered with chipped brisket and slaw. Or go to Cemita’s and start with the namesake sandwich ($9), including chipotle spread, avocado, pickled onion and carnitas, that’s too big for one person, too messy to share. Accompany it with a yuzu, lime leaf and honey lemonade ($2) from 4πr2, or fresh watermelon juice with aloe ($5) from Salud.

New Yorkers of a certain age will head directly to the cold sesame noodles ($5) at Shorty Tang & Sons, an essential dish from the days of Danceteria. The stall is operated by Casey and Gilley Tang, grandsons of the chef who is considered by some to have perfected the creamy, lightly spicy noodles in the city. The other item for sale is a spicy daikon salad ($4), fresh and peppery with a touch of sweetness. That’s it. Like many of the stalls, Shorty Tang & Sons keeps the menu short.

Read the complete article here..

(free!) beekeeping workshops in brooklyn

For more info, click here.

NYT: As It Campaigns to Build in the City, Wal-Mart Donates $4 Million

From NYTIMES City Room blog:

He called Wal-Mart “one of the great corporate citizens in this country.” He praised its efforts to conduct background checks before selling guns. He flatly rebuffed suggestions that the company was killing jobs.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg took on the role of ardent defender of big-box America on Tuesday at a news conference announcing a $4 million donation by Wal-Mart to a city program that offers summer jobs to young people.

With Wal-Mart in the midst of an aggressive campaign to open its first store in New York City, was the donation simply a coincidence?

Michelle Gilliard, a representative for the company’s philanthropic division, said the money was part of an effort to help children across the country.

But when reporters pressed further, it was Mr. Bloomberg who took over as spokesman.

“You’re telling me that your company’s philanthropy doesn’t look to see what is good for your company?” the mayor shot back at a reporter.

When a reporter tried to follow up with Ms. Gilliard, Mr. Bloomberg grew impatient, saying: “She answered it. You’re just not listening.”

Mr. Bloomberg, a longtime defender of free-market principles, brushed aside a question about whether it was coincidental that the news conference, held at a recreation center in Brownsville, Brooklyn, was just miles from one of the company’s potential construction sites. “This is city is not in the business of promoting any more than it is in the business of discriminating against stores,” he said.

Wal-Mart has encountered opposition from some City Council members and labor advocates, who have criticized its hiring practices and expressed concern that its presence in New York would hurt small businesses.

But the company’s donation, which will help finance some 3,400 jobs, seemed to help win over some skeptics.

The Brooklyn borough president, Marty Markowitz, who has expressed concern about Wal-Mart’s expansion in the past, praised the company at Tuesday’s announcement.

“This is a good, major first step,” he said.