5 Things You Should Know This Week

"5 Things You Should Know" may turn your opinion of Mondays around, with information to jump-start you into a productive week. Be the first to know about parking changes, traffic changes, important meetings, and the hottest events in Bed-Stuy. Afterall, there's no better way to arm oneself than with information:

1. On TV: Monday, February 21, at 9:00 pm on the History Channel: “It’s Good to Be President.”

In honor of Presidents Day, this special addresses the question, “Can a president really do normal things?” It’s a light-hearted and at times serious looks at what is like to walk in the shoes of President Barak Obama. Can a president have a pizza delivered? Does he ever get to drive? It’s an interesting perspective on exactly how good it really is to be President.

2. 79^th Police Precinct  Monthly Community Council Meeting is this week!

• Where: 585 Dekalb Ave, Brooklyn, NY (at the Job Corps Center)
• Date: Wednesday, February 23, 2011
• Time: 7:00pm
• Features: Open to All

• Phone: (718) 636-6626

3. Reading by novelist Teju Cole at the Greenlight Bookstore

New York author Teju Cole is a writer, photographer, and professional historian of Early Netherlandish Art; he was raised in Nigeria and came to the United States in 1992. His debut novel Open City concerns a half-Nigerian, half-German doctor doing his residency in New York City and searching for his place in the world. Already highly praised by fellow authors including Anthony Doerr and Rawi Hage, the novel examines the layers of New York history left exposed in the wake of 9/11, and probes the undercurrents of racial and immigrant anxiety in contemporary American life.

• Where: 686 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11217
• Date: Thursday, February 24, 2011
• Time: 7:30pm
• Features: Open to All

4. Artist Discussion for Sex Crimes Against Black Girls, Thursday, February 24

Sex Crimes Against Black Girls investigates the various levels of sexual exploitation and oppression that is suffered by young Black girls across the African Diaspora. Sexual exploitation stemmed in gender oppression is a phenomenon that is generally hidden under a blanket of reticence due to the challenge of addressing issues of sexism under a larger context of racism. This compelling exhibit, gives voices to women who have beared witness to a multitude of sex crimes that have occurred within the global Black community. The exhibit runs from February 5, 2011, through April 2, 2011. A discussion with the artists will be held next Thursday, February 24, 2011 at 6:30 pm in the Skylight Gallery.

5. Property Owners are “Rolling Up the Gates” on February 26th!

Property Owners are “Rolling Up the Gates” on February 26th for Fulton Street and Washington Avenue Storefront Stroll. On Saturday, February 26, 2011, prospective business owners will tour available storefronts on Fulton Street and Washington Avenue in Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bedford Stuyvesant and Prospect Heights Brooklyn as part of the 2nd round of the 2011 “Rolling Up the Gates” (RUG) Storefront Stroll.

This storefront open house event is organized by Pratt Area Community Council (PACC)’s Economic Development Department in partnership with Washington Avenue-Prospect Heights Association (WAPHA) and Heart of Brooklyn. The goal of this event is to simplify entrepreneurs’ search for retail space while providing property owners with a means of cooperatively advertising their available commercial spaces. The quarterly held RUG Storefront Stroll is a free event held PACC’s Economic Development office located at 896-900 Fulton Street between Waverly and Washington Avenues from 9:00am to 2:00pm

Contact: Dale Charles, Pratt Area Community Council, 347-823-5700 ext. 11