Josh gives details on last Wednesday’s Adult Novelty Spelling Bee at Freddy’s: "There were three rounds all won by three different people and there
were 23 people in the first round which was a monster turnout … I got to shower the winner with the cash … Thank
goodness Heather was there to help me pronounce some words such as
"leptocercal" … the crowd gets ugly when things are mispronounced." If you missed it, don’t despair, because it’s happening again March 30 at 8 pm.

Jose says he made it to the opening of Beast this past weekend: "The place is decked out fancy, with gargoyles, dragons and lions–oh my–scattered about as decorations. The space is big, with a back dining room and an open kitchen. The bar, however, is tiny: less than a foot deep. This means you have to spread out your book, food, paper, whatever. Not good."

Apparently the service left a bit to be desired ("First night jitters, I was told. Things would be ironed out") but the beer was free and the food was cheap (nothing over $13). "I got a lot of promises, too. Brunch. A bunch of beer on tap. Sidewalk cafe. Concerts. A liquor license by Thursday … It’s the wait-and-see game. I’m going back this weekend to see the progress."

Beast | 638 Bergen St. at Vanderbilt Ave.; 718-399-6855.

Question: Are there enough hours in a day to lead a normal life AND continually update Daily Heights?
Answer: No. As it turns out, there’s not.

With your help, however, Daily Heights can be even more exciting tomorrow than it is today. If you have a digital camera and you happen to work, live or walk near any of the following buildings, could you send in a picture or two?

1. 460 Prospect Pl. btw Grand and Classon
2. 829 Dean St. btw Washington and Grand
3. 628 Bergen St. btw Vanderbilt and Carlton
4. 977 Bergen St. btw Franklin and Bedford

1. Click on this Google Maps search.
2. Double-click on Grand Army Plaza (or Flatbush Ave).
3. Say, "Whoa."
4. Delete Yahoo! Maps bookmark, create Google Maps bookmark.

EXCLUSIVE! Quig investigates: "At first glance, 69 Underhill looks like a example of cardboard, spit & hope urban renewal. Faux windows hiding the gap-toothed spaces where glass should be. Where once this building and its sister (67) were the typical example of the post-Robert Moses, present-crack urban blight, they are now standing out for their as-yet unrealized potential." 

"According to ACRIS, these buildings are owned by the same person, Hubert S. Drew. If you Google that name, a person (maybe not him) comes up as a board member of Community Board 9."

"In any other market, excuses could be made about how money can not be found to renovate or sell this property. Seeing that Drew bought these properties in in 1983 (probably for the price of a Delorean) he could pony up at least a can of paint to cover up the graffiti."

"My guess is that he’s waiting for the right developer to come along at the right time with the right truckload of money. In the meantime, we are treated to these buildings as a canvas for the local graffiti artists."

Is it already that time of year again? Tamara the Friendly Bartender says Soda will host a big-screen Oscar party Sunday night. If Oscars, celebrity wine tastings, and tapas bar openings aren’t enough, you might want to check out DH’s garish but functional post-your-own-event calendar.

If Friday afternoon work avoidance is your plan, then go create some controversy in the forums. But don’t make me delete you.

Yesterday’s New York Times: Aguayo & Huebener just sold a 2-bedroom, 925 sq. ft. condo in Park Place Towers (222 Park Place) for the asking price of $521,675. The condo, 10 weeks on the market has a $283 common charge (taxes not yet assessed).

As set speed points out, that’s $564 per sq. ft., or quite a premium over new condo developments in more "edgy" quarters of Prospect Heights.

"A _____ grows in Brooklyn." It may sound like a good idea at the time. Turns out, it’s not. Here are the Top 100 offenders.

Photo: A tree grows.

Stacey on Underhill shocked and stunned us with a substantial donation of money made though the PayPal link (over there on the right). Let’s hope this is part of a continuing trend (hint, hint). Stacey, your donation kicks off the campaign for the first-ever DH Prospect Heights get-together, location TBA, date TBA, event TBA (though it’s pretty clear the East Coast could use its own competitive Rock, Paper, Scissors league).

Speaking of get-togethers, Stacey wants to plan a meet-the-neighbors Block Party, maybe sometime in the middle to end of June, and she’s already got Salsa band lined up! If you want to help Stacey plan for a block party, maybe you can go start a topic on the ProHo message boards.

PS. Thanks to NUMBER ONE MONEY MAN for the James Dean Hell Bank Note.

Daily Heights sat down (asynchronously) with the merry pranksters behind 2012landgrabs.net, originators of the "NYC20$12Billion" fake advertising campaign. Please read the exclusive interview.

The Olympics will bring us prestige, glory, post-9/11 rebirth, flowers and kittens. Why do you hate our freedoms?

The Freedom to be kicked around by a latter-day Robert Moses and a

CEO-mayor is a freedom we can all do without.

Who are you/you guys? Only graphic designers would post EPS files

for download. Bingo.

Are you buying any "official" advertising space, or is this purely a stealth campaign?

NYC2012 and Danny D grabbed all the ad space. Otherwise we’d be above ground.

Be honest. Some of those examples on the "spoofs" page are photoshops, right?

Honesty counts. Yes. But do you have any idea what it takes to get the New York Times interested? It takes Photoshop! Seriously.

Why 2012landgrabs.net? Aren’t you afraid the IOC or Bloomberg (or me) will grab the 2012landgrabs.com domain and dilute your message?

That is a very good question. ".net" is of the people. ".com" is of the board room. Having said that, I’ll race you to register.com.

Do you think New York has a chance of getting the Olympics in 2012?

Zero.

What do people of New York actually think of the Olympic bid, anyway?

I think they could care less. Honestly. Though if the Olympic Rings could be draped in construction-site orange, well then, maybe.

Have you seen any polls or anything?

63% are in favor, down from 67% in June. Supposedly Bush won Ohio too. But 57% or so are against the West Side Stadium. Those numbers might seem contradictory on their face, but New Yorkers realize that the Stadium is a sure way to kill any chances the City has to win the Olympic Bid.

What’s the best method for affixing these signs to a flat surface–keeping in mind, of course, that one won’t be vandalizing, or affixing the sign to a surface that one has no permission to affix something to?

Wheatpaste works. Many copy shops can print on stickers. Or one can buy Avery letter-size labels. That works well. A flat, smooth surface is best.

Why should people of Prospect Heights, Brooklyn care about all this?

The Ratner arena and the massive amount of shit that goes with it is a scam land grab. The Olympics are being used to slam it down your throat. Resistance is mandatory.

Anything else?

It is every New Yorker’s duty to download the EPS files, learn how to use Illustrator, print the files and affix everywhere and anywhere.

Stargirl writes: "I’m trying to help Soda coordinate this film night (it will probably be on a Tuesday night, beginning in mid-March) and am looking for interested parties to submit films to show (i.e. films you’ve made) - so… I’m looking for FILMMAKERS new and old to submit stuff … if anyone is an aspiring filmmaker (or knows of one) and would like to potentially get your stuff shown at Soda for the brand-spankin’ new Soda film night (movies should be in VHS or on DVD) you can contact me at mstasavage@hotmail.com." Maybe PHer Seith Mann can show one of his films?

Kelly Kwedar of Prospect
Heights "runs a cancer clinic at Memorial Sloan-Kettering
Cancer Center, but at night the petite redhead trades her slacks for
fishnets and skates with painted fire decals," says the Daily News.

"’I was never one of those people to push in the subway, but now I’m
willing to take charge …I can take down a girl twice my size and have her make a really terrible noise.‘"

"The fearsome ladies, reviving a sport [roller derby] that last flourished in the city
in the 1950s, are gearing up to do it again when the league kicks off
its season in April."

Follow this link to a slideshow courtesy of Ortgeist courtesy of Ortgeist.

Hilary would like to know: "Is there a new mothers/parents group in Prospect Heights that meets
on a regular basis?…. If not, are there any new parents out there interested in forming a group?"

"I am the new mother of a one-month-old daughter and on maternity leave through May. Would appreciate sharing experiences and having my daughter meet other children her age." [Photo: Not Hilary’s kid.]

NEWS FLASH - A rogue snow plow took out a big tree (Molly: "Really big") at the corner of Underhill Ave. and Park Pl. on Tuesday AM. Only good that nobody was hurt. UPDATE: Click on the thumbnail to see what city services hath wrought.

COMING SOON! THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS on Hot, Hot Vanderbilt Avenue.

As Emily pointed out, and I had already forgotten, this storefront (Home Heating Oil - Coming Soon) was the former home of The Nail Gazaasm (sp?), the name of which I think was derived from an old comedy routine. I wish I could remember the reference.

In what will certainly be the coolest wine tasting in all of Brooklyn this weekend, Andy Shernoff of ex-Dictators fame will be pouring Argentinian and Chilean wines over at Fermented Grapes. The Argentinians are "of exceptional quality while not being overly pricey," according to Debbie, Jan and Kilolo. Brace yourself for Chardonnay with "notes of beautiful pear, fig and honeysuckle," and Malbec that "has
very dark fruit with lots of mineral undertones."

FRIDAY, Feb. 25 from 6-8 PM at FERMENTED GRAPES WINES & SPIRITS | 651 Vanderbilt Avenue - Brooklyn, NY 11238 ~ phone: 718.230.3216 ~ fax: 718.230.3237 ~ www.fermentedgrapes.net

[PHOTO: arg0t.tripod.com]

Josh and Heather write: "Prospect Heights’ monthly competitive novelty adult spelling bee will be held in the Backroom of Freddy’s Bar, 6th Ave. and Dean St. in Brooklyn, on Wednesday, February 23 at 8 p.m. sharp. ( . . . and on the last Wednesday of every month!) One dollar to enter and the winner takes the pot. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to shine like the brightest star in the sky! For more information, please contact bee curator Josh Reynolds at (917) 536-0091 or via e-mail at joshr71@yahoo.com. Visit www.freddysbackroom.com for directions.

UPDATE: Josh says there is a lot of BUZZ (ahhaHA! get it?) about tonight’s Bee: "I got an email from someone at New York Magazine who had seen the flier
so that’s exciting and I guess that the Bee will be featured in New
York’s best of nightlife issue. Also, a friend let me know that at the
coffeeshop she frequents that the bee was all the talk."

This is the one everybody’s been waiting for. Daily News: "Oral arguments being presented today before the Supreme Court …  in a case that could have far-reaching impact … concern a dispute between Susette Kelo, a homeowner in … New London (Conn.) and … Pfizer, which wants to expand its $300 million global research campus …"

"…there’s a growing backlash against a more recent take on public use - taking property for private projects … which create ‘public’ economic benefits …" New York attorney and eminent domain expert MICHAEL RIKON: "I do believe the tide is shifting … Across the country, courts have plainly had enough of this."

Deborah Kolben of the Daily News was the first to break the story of 5-year-old Prospect Heights resident Sam Ritter, who "decided he was sick of
sledding but trudged off anyway with his dad to Prospect Park … ‘This is an igloo with bunny slopes,’ explained Sam, who was busy engineering a giant snow sculpture, complete with tunnels."

Heads up: The snow melted, and parking rules are in effect again. Don’t try anything funny.

Martin told us about "a new Olympic spoof ad campaign just in time for the IOC visit. Keep your eyes peeled for slogans like ‘every billionaire gets home field advantage’ and others like it around town." Leave no Billionaire Behind!

In characteristically muted and understated tones, brokers at Brown Harris Stevens describe little old Vanderbilt Ave. as the "hottest commercial strip in Brooklyn - the center of it all!!!" (emphasis theirs). Hot, huh? Someone must have tipped them off to that new HOME HEATING OIL storefront that’s got everyone giddy with anticipation ("COMING SOON"! Can you hardly stand it?). Brownstoner says this listing is still active, so for just $1.2 million, this rather cozy 3-story townhouse/commercial space could be yours!

…from the charmingly self-deprecating Really not worth archiving… Really. Park Place, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, New York.

(So what’s the status of the subway photo ban? Inside information says a February vote was dropped due to publicity, but I haven’t seen any "official" reporting on this.)

Atim sent us this montage of new stuff in stock. Go see it in person: Calabar Imports. 820 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11238. 718-638-4288.
1pm - 9pm daily.

Do you have a wireless Internet router? If so, do you leave it open? Or were you even aware that your neighbors can just plug in through your connection, unless you specifically set it up otherwise?

Free Wireless Internet Access in Prospect Heights (updated): Hey Park Slope, we can do free Wifi too…

1. Prospect Perk Cafe 183 Sterling Pl. Brooklyn, NY 11238; (718) 398-2760
2. Brooklyn Public Library-Central - in the "Reference" and "Science/Industry, Social Science" sections
3. Half WineBarLounge - They use wanderingwifi, so you’ll need to sign up for a free account first.
4. Soda Bar; 629 Vanderbilt Ave. btw Prospect Pl. and St. Mark’s Ave.; 718-230-8393.
5. Brooklyn Museum: Brooklyn Museum Wireless" is free and available at the Brooklyn Museum’s new entrance pavilion and public plaza. It works throughout the museum and outdoor sculpture garden.

6. Le Gamin | 556 Vanderbilt Ave. at Dean St.; 718-789-5171
7. Your neighbor. (Information wants to be free.)

ProHo resident Rian fondly remembers Christmas 1979.