Gather 'round folks - New café 'Gather' opens in South Slope

Remember when that subpar burrito place Uncle Moe's closed their doors on 7th Ave and 9th Street back in December 2011? And then we spent like, two years walking by its taped up windows, speculating what the hell would open up there? (We swear - that Starbucks rumor we reported was totally accurate at the time, though they pulled out a few weeks later). Well no more need to speculate! The covering on the windows came down yesterday on a new café named Gather. And wouldn't you know it? It looks amazing. 

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3 Merit Badges that the New Gay-friendly Brooklyn Scout Group Needs To Give Out

I have a terrible habit of complaining about things that I don’t like without doing anything to change them. Like, a few months ago, when the Boy Scouts of America announced that after a two-year confidential review they were reaffirming their policy of excluding gays? I was pissed off! I wrote 100 tweets about it, then bad-mouthed the hell out of the Boy Scouts to anyone who’d listen. I sent articles to friends. I begged my brother and sister not to send my 3-year-old nephews to those troupes when they grew up. And when I saw that a bunch of former Scouts were turning in their badges, I practically made that Tumblr my homepage.

But you know what I didn’t do? Anything to change the situation. Which is why Windsor Terrace dad Todd Schweikert is a way better person than I am.  According to DNAInfo.com, the former Eagle Scout wanted his 7-year-old son to join a troop that, unlike the Boy Scouts of America, didn’t exclude gay people. So he started his own troop called the 5th Brooklyn Scouts. And wouldn’t you know it: they’re open to kids as young as five, regardless of race, gender, faith, or – you guessed it – sexual orientation.

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FiPS Holiday Gift Guide: Pet Lovers

When I was a kid, I wanted a pet so badly that I'd cry to my mother every night, “PLEAAAASSE, CAN WE GET A CAT?" or "PLEEAAAAAASSE, CAN WE GET A DOG?” As a woman whose weekly cleaning rituals included things like vacuuming the vacuum, she wasn't much of a pet person, per se. Gurl did not want to deal with any dander in her motherfucker house. But eventually she gave in and got us… a bird.

I know what you’re thinking. A bird is not a pet. It’s a caged animal. You can’t “pet” a bird (well you can, but you'll get pecked). Regardless, I learned to love that bird. And now, all these years later, I can finally call myself a true pet owner. I’m going 6 years strong with my Yorkie, Peanut, and couldn’t imagine life without this bitch.

How does this all of this nonsensical storytelling qualify me to write a gift guide for pet lovers? Well, for one, it means I spend a lot of time in pet stores. Two, it means I’m damn good at paying attention to small animals. And three… well… no one else wanted the assignment, so here you go. Enjoy, suckers!

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Vegetarian Thanksgiving: What's Your Go-To Main Course?

TOFURKY!

A friend of mine once said that being a vegetarian at Thanksgiving must be like being a Jew at Christmas. Funny, but not necessarily accurate. You see, being a vegetarian at Thanksgiving is pretty easy. Most of the side dishes are perfectly suitable for me. Sweet potatoes? Check. Brussels sprouts? Check. Corn? Cranberry sauce? Stuffed mushrooms? Done, done, and done. When it comes to my family, the only side that's ever really up for debate is the stuffing (we're Italian, so that means sausage), but I could skip that entirely or make bread stuffing if I was really up for it. So you see, there's plenty of stuff out there for me to eat at Thanksgiving.

Just not, you know, the turkey.

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We did it! The NYC Marathon has been canceled.

Well there you have it, folks. After a ton of bitching on social media, some nasty headlines, and a post or two of our own, the NYC Marathon has officially been canceled. I haven't been this excited about something getting canceled since Cavemen. Now let's get back to helping out with disaster relief, okay?