Whassup: Big, Fat Holiday Months Edition

via laughingninja.com

We've reached October yet again, my Slopey friends, which means all the summer pressure of looking good outdoors is behind us: it is the holiday season, aka, the GET FAT BECAUSE SOCIETY DEMANDS IT season. First up, of course, is Halloween, with its massive plastic jack-o-lanterns full of Snickers and other candy that is not Snickers. Then, comes the full-on nose thumb at poor, starving countries known as Thanksgiving. Finally, December rolls around, and it's so cold and dark, you just straight up quit trying and kill your heart with egg nog. Hooray! Let the celebrations begin. Welcome to Whassup: Big, Fat Holiday Months Edition: 

* Friday, Oct. 4: Bathroom Secrets, Union Hall: A somewhat serious marketing question: does naming your comedy show something really long and weird attract an audience? Or just cause people to skip over it because they're busy? (Are people busy in New York?) Anyway, this show stars Dave Hill, Todd Barry and Brook Van Poppelen, among others, so that's all you really need to know. The show's full name is "Meet Me in the Bathroom and Tell Me All Your Secrets." Which is a funny name. But you're going to go because Todd Barry will be there, not because of the super-long, weird show title. But, what do I know? I did list it after all. Whatever. Go laugh at Todd Barry. 8pm, $10.

* Friday, Oct. 4-Sunday, Oct. 6: New Yorker Festival, Bell House: The New Yorker Festival will be hosting four days of events at the Bell House this year. Does this mean A) Hooray! Manhattan can't ignore us any longer! or B) Oh, shit. Brooklyn is officially Manhattan Part II now. Either way, you might as well take advantage of some of the doings. You can check out author conversations from the likes of Nathan Englander and Edwidge Danticat, a spirit-tasting, or a live edition of the magazine's famed caption contest. As an added bonus, absolutely everyone there will be wearing monocles. No worries: you'll merely be judged silently (though severely) for not having one. Times vary, FREE to $65.

Click to read more ...

[What You Should Order At...] Morgans Brooklyn Barbecue

WHAT YOU SHOULD ORDER AT... is a recurring column designed in kind for your opinionated asses and our lazy asses. When the mood strikes, we pick one Park Slope resto and recommend our favorite dish. Are we right? Are we wrong? YOU KNOW YOU WANNA WEIGH IN. 

When I saw Morgans coming to life on Flatbush and St. Mark's in August, I wondered if the neighborhood* really needed yet another barbecue joint, with Fort Reno, Fletcher's and Dinosaur all nearby, not to mention Fette Sau in Williamsburg, and the newly opened Hometown in Red Hook. How many platters of ribs, brisket and pulled pork can one borough handle??

Click to read more ...

John Hodgman Starts Twitter Conversation About Young People and Healthcare

Image via Buzzfeed

While the Republicans in Congress conveniently forget how Government actually works, Park Slope demigod, John Hodgman took to Twitter to urge young people to take advantage of the Affordable Care Act -- WHICH IS ALREADY A LAW -- and get health insurance. 

Click to read more ...

Guy Named Hannibal Sells Guns from his Park Slope Apartment

Brooklyn Firearms LLC advertised itself as an "online/phone based tactical store that is focused on providing great pricing and great customer service in an industry severely lacking in both." Brooklyn DA accuses the 29 year-old owner, Hannibal Smith, of illegally selling guns out of his Park Slope apartment on Warren Street.

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says that Hannibal sold assembled guns to customers in different states, not just the gun parts allowed by his limited Federal Firearms License. Amongst his many alleged violations, Hannibal is charged with selling and shipping two assault rifles (Waffen Werks AK-74s) to Florida. And while searching Hannibal’s apartment, cops founds two Mossberg 12-gauge shotguns and a .22-caliber Ruger rifle.

Click to read more ...

Read All About It, Little Free Library Movement In Da Hood

There are tiny wooden boxes on stilts in the Slope. They look like big birdhouses with books in them instead of birds. They’re little free libraries! There are no due dates, late fees or library cards required. The doors are open 24/7. Take that Brooklyn Public Library! Snap Barnes & Noble!

These little guys have been popping up all over the world ever since some dudes named Todd Bol and Rick Brooks put one outside an art gallery in Madison, WI. Now it’s estimated that there are more than 5,000 Little Free Libraries in 36 countries. This shit is spreading like lice in my kid’s school.

This past summer, in the barbaric borough of Manhattan, there were nine Little Free Libraries set up temporarily through the PEN World Voices Festival and the Architectural League of New York. Well, that shit didn’t work because of a few  things:

Click to read more ...