I didn't even realize Remote Lounge closed.....

NEW The Bowery Electric The latest in a series of bar openings along the Bowery includes this 2,000-square-foot drinkery from nightlife entrepreneurs Johnny T (Black & White), Mike Stuto (HiFi) and Jesse Malin (Niagara). Located in the former Remote Lounge space, TBE features a wenge (dark African wood) bar, custom-made mohair couches and vintage trunks that serve as extra seating. Old Speckled Hen and Sapporo are among the dozen beers on tap, and house cocktails include the eponymous Bowery Electric (vodka, Midori and lemon juice) that ought to be a hit with the ladies. 327 Bowery between 2nd and 3rd Sts (212-228-0228) [Time Out]

"Ratner - Hands Off Our Homes" (horseycraze)

Continue reading "Kanye West playing Brooklyn Museum, honoring Bruce Ratner"

photos by Leia Jospe

Down and feathers are very popular fill choices for pillows, but one which unfortunately is associated with numerous animal rights issues. The material is collected from ducks and geese in one of two ways. Feathers are either plucked while the animals are still alive, or they're gathered after the animals have been killed for meat, says Karen Davis, president and a director of the advocacy group United Poultry Concern. Ducks and geese who are killed for their meat are typically raised in large factory farms where animals are raised in filthy living conditions and deprived of access to water and the outdoors.

Because of the animal rights issues associated with down, Pier 1 Imports recently decided to cease using it in all of their pillows. They had been purchasing the down from a subsidiary of Maple Leaf Farms, one of the country's largest poultry producers and one which is known for unsavory living conditions for animals.

Some companies advertise that their down comes from "free-range" animals and gathered during the animals' natural molting phase. However, "free-range" is not a certified label and does not provide any assurance that the feathers were plucked humanely. [National Geographic]

Continue reading "Union Square NYC pillow fight pictures (March 22, 2008)"

Grab your pillow and get to Union Square in NYC by 3pm.

UPDATE: Photos HERE.

somewhere in Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY (Incandenza)

Park Slope ranks the No. 1 most creative neighborhood in the borough with 3,500 independently employed designers and independent artists in residence. Williamsburg comes in No. 2 with a little less than 3,000 "self-employed creatives," followed by Brooklyn Heights (around 2,600), and BoCoCa (around 1,700). Red Hook and Prospect Heights tied for fifth place with 1,600 each.

The majority of self-employed creatives in each neighborhood are classified as "independent artists" and earn an average of $20,000 per year according to SEC filings--a figure that reflects substantial underreporting. [The New York Observer] (via)

Editor's Note: This story originally reported that the Clive Campbell who filed the lawsuit was the real name of D.J. Kool Herc, a founder of hip hop. In fact, it is a different Clive Campbell. Mr. Campbell is a Brooklyn-based activist. The story has been corrected........

A man known as the father of hip-hop, Clive Campbell (a.k.a. D.J. Kool Herc), Clive Campbell is seeking $5 billion from rapper Jay-Z, developer Bruce Ratner and Barclays bank, filing a "claim of lien" in property records that seeks the money for slavery reparations.

Mr. Ratner, Jay-Z, and Barclay's are all linked through the $4 billion Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn, for which Mr. Ratner plans to build a Frank Gehry-designed basketball arena for the Nets and more than 6,000 apartments. Jay-Z, a partial owner of the Nets, has been a major supporter of the project, appearing at press conferences to tout its merits. Barclays owns the naming rights to the arena, and has been accused of having links with the slave trade--an accusation the bank denies.

In the claim, Mr. Campbell said that Mr. Ratner and Jay-Z worked "in concert" with Barclays, and "profited from the African Slave Trade.... [NY Observer]

Bobby Tisdale, Invite Them Up @ Rififi, NYC - Oct 3, 2007 (CRED)

Numerous comedians are reporting (supposedly not as jokes) that unless someone swoops in and buys it or something, NYC club Rififi will be (despite their plans to continue) closing at the end of February. The last Invite Them Up will be held at Rififi on February 27th. Trash, "I Like Attention", "Totally J/K with Joe and Noah", "At Night with Gabe and Jenny", Starshine Burlesque, Sweet and Nasty Burlesque and The Greg Johnson show will also be without a home.

This comes just a few months after Mo Pitkins closed - another East Village home to regular comedy and burlesque shows.

DOWNLOAD: Pants Yell! - Your Feelings Don't Show (MP3)

There's at least one set of pictures from Saturday's pantless subway ride on Flickr at the moment, and a couple more shots at Improv Everywhere's site.

No Pants Subway Ride, 2007 (Eric Thayer)

All are invited to participate in the 7th Annual No Pants! Subway Ride. The event will take place at 3:00 PM on Saturday, January 12. [Improv Everywhere]

Both Misshapes, held every Saturday for five years, and the other party, held on the eve of major holidays for nearly eight years, were regular destinations for young downtown clubgoers. Their unexpected back-to-back demise left the skinny-jeans-and-Converse set — along with the promoters who cater to them — asking the same question: What’s next?

.....“It’s just getting harder and harder to do weekly parties, unfortunately, at least for me,” Michael T. said, adding that the right site is difficult to find. “In a city just inundated with bottle service and things of that nature, that’s not me, and also ultra-hip Brooklyn ‘I don’t bathe and I have a beard’ is not me.” [NY Times]