The race goes on and it’s going to be a fight to the finish.

Will the see-saw continue? For those choosing between Obama and Clinton it’s an embarrassment of riches. That’s why women were so conflicted yesterday 

Hillary or Barack: such a tough and emotional choice.

There was the elation of voting for Clinton, who could be the first woman president. There was the elation of voting for Obama, an agent of change and the first African-American president.

Did Super-Tuesday help focus all the undecided voters who decided at the last minute, on the way to the polls, in the voting booth? Does it come down to: experience vs. poetry. Practical issues vs. yearnings for change?

Will it be an Obama button or a Clinton button on your lapel? Here’s the real question: who can beat the Republican ticket? That’s what’s important now. Who will galvanize more independent voters, who will be able to face off against McCain. 

We know Clinton can fight. But will Obama’s verbal grace and his ability to reach out across the aisle and inspire change win him the nomination?

Who really has the better health plan?

It’s a waiting game now to see what happens next.

On Tuesday, Park Slope felt like an Obama bubble. Everywhere I went there was an Obama sign, an Obama button, or a person talking about how they were voting for Obama.

Being in this bubble I figured Hillary was finished. There were no Hillary signs, no Hillary supporters. They were either over-confident or had bigger fish to fry.

So Park Slope felt like Obama’s oyster on Tuesday. And on Tuesday night, something connected Park Slope with communities across the country, other Obama bubbles, places we don’t always feel connected to like Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, Colorado, Minnesota, and all the places where Obama won.

Educated communities went for Obama, as did blacks. High school educated working people and Latinos in large numbers went for Hillary: at least that’s what I’ve been hearing the pollsters say all night.

It certainly felt like it was going to be a national Obama landslide from the bench at Connecticut Muffin in Park Slope. But Hillary is still very much alive. In fact she was glowing with relief and victory from the stage of the Manhattan Center in midtown Manhattan, where she gave a strong, fighting kind of speech. A good speech, I thought.

Many in Park Slope said that they’d be comfortable with Hillary or Obama. So I am eager to see what the mood is tomorrow on Seventh Avenue.

Clearly, there will be a fierce fight all the way to the convention in Denver. On Super Duper Tuesday, I think both campaigns have reason to be happy. It was a good night for just about everyone. Obama won more states, Hillary won the big states.

“Our time has come, our movement is real and change is coming to America,” Obama said from the stage in Chicago, Illinois. “We are more than a collection of red states and blue states, we will always be the United States of America.

The crowd chanted “USA, USA, USA…” when they’re not chanting “O-BA-MA, O-BA-MA!”

He continue: “We don’t have to settle for a politics where scoring points is more important than solving problems.”

And later: “What began as a whisper in Springfield has swelled to a chorus of millions that wants change. This time can be different. This campaign for presidency of the United States of America is different…”

That’s my guy, that’s why I voted for him: he speaks with grace infused with the power of the movement that he is leading. This call for change: it feels like something much bigger than one man.

This is going to be quite a race.

A local woman posted on Park Slope Parents to say that she’s the latest victim of the neighborhood’s credit card fraud problem.

But this time it wasn’t someone buying gas in Florida or Texas. No, this time the credit card expenditures were far more local—and strangely extravagant. The following was on PSP this morning. I emailed the woman for permission to quote from her post and she agreed.

I
know
there
were
a
few
messages
a
couple
of
weeks
ago
about
people’s
credit
cards
used
in
FL.
Any
news
updates
on
this?
I
just
had
my
credit
card
used
to
buy
gourmet
kitchen
accessories
and
expensive
flower
deliveries
sent
to
someone
in
Brooklyn
(I
was
able
to
get
the
address
and
phone
#
where
the
delivery
went
and
had
it
stopped)
.

It is
driving
me
crazy
and
would
really
like
to
get
to
the
bottom
of
this.
All
I
know
is
that
the
one
and
only
transaction
I
made
in
the
neighborhood
over
the
phone
right
before
this
started was at [a local business].

If
anyone
has
any
more
information,
I’d
love
to
hear
what
you’ve
done.
Of
course
I’ve
already
canceled
the
card,
but
it
bums
me
out
to
think
I
can’t
shop
safely
around
here.

The victim of this fraud emailed me to say that she felt horrible that the store was named in the Par Slope Parents post as it was not supposed to be and they have removed the posting on the website.

I am wondering why if she mentioned the name of the store in the post she thought the store name would be removed?

According to her email, she doesn’t want to cause any business any harm. "I just find it curious that a couple of people said that [this particular business] is the legitimate purchase they made before the false charges started. 

In the meantime: "I am just trying to find any connections – you know foodie items? expensive
flowers? – we are all just looking for answers. I was so angry that I
was able to have the company recall the shipment from the UPS warehouse
before it got to the destination (I have the destination phone # and
address) and had them flag it as credit card fraud," she writes.

Her frustration was palpable. "I don’t buy
hundreds of dollars of kitchen gadgets for myself, why should someone
else enjoy them on my bill? (Although I could use the roasting pans and
lettuce knife they ordered…)"

I went to PS 321 and John Jay and there were no lines for voting. In fact, at 10:30 I voted in the John Jay school building and there was no wait at all for the 36th precinct.

I saw Andrea Bernstein, WNYC’s Political Director, in front of PS 321. She’s been covering the Clinton campaign (at least she did through the New Hampshire primary). I’m not sure if she was reporting, observing the scene or just being a PS 321 parent.

John Turturro and Katharine Borowitz walked in front of Connecticut Muffin holding a big Obama sign. They looked really excited to be carrying that sign.

It was a nice moment.

There are definitely more Obama supporters electioneering in Park Slope than Hillary Clinton supporters. My prediction is that Park Slope will go for Obama but that plus five bucks will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.   

Does Clinton think Park Slope already belongs to her or has she given it over to Obama?

Two friends who voted for Clinton said they were surprised to see so few Hillary signs near PS 321. "They need to be here," one said. Quite a few people I spoke were undecided until they got on line to vote (or even in the voting booth).

I spoke with a friend who hasn’t voted yet but is definitely voting for Clinton. "All things being equal, I want to vote for her because she’s a woman and she has experience," she said.

Also at Connecticut Muffin, a local artist told me that he thinks it’s the right time for Barack Obama. He respected the fact that Obama said he’d smoked a lot of pot while Bill Clinton never inhaled. Someone sitting on the bench at CT said, "I bet Clinton regrets ever saying that." To which the local artist replied, "I don’t know. He didn’t have sex with that woman either."

An OTBKB reader wrote to say:

I read your blog occasionally, and I thought that you could perhaps connect this message with the blogging community that is talking about the caucuses today because I understand you don’t blog about politics all the time.

Today I voted at PS 10 on 7th Avenue in the Slope. I am worried about my district 4 because the machine is broken. They are collecting ballots in a cardboard box, and they also didn’t have my name on the voting list.

If voters’ advocates could intercept people before they go in to vote just to make them aware of this, perhaps it would go easier for people. I felt very frustrated and had to demand to speak to the election coordinator to figure out what to do, and I worry that other people may be put off and choose not to vote

I neglected to blog this last week but on Friday January 25 at 9 am, I was conducting a PS 321 Yearbook meeting with a group of about ten women. We were sitting in the back room at Sweet Melissa’s. One of the women had her bag stolen off of her chair.

Afterwards, quite a few of us remembered seeing a man sit down at an adjacent table. He left quickly. None of us thought anything of it until our friend realized that her bag had been stolen.

Yeah, I know. It happens all the time in NYC and it’s a big no no to leave your bag on a chair. I had two bags stolen from Fanelli’s in SoHo because I put it on my chair.

I guess it took two losses for me to get it. DUH.

But I think people in Park Slope tend to leave their purses everywhere: on chairs in restaurants, on strollers, etc.

So this is just a wake up call. Don’t leave your bag unattended or on the chair you are sitting at local restaurants. I’m sure every purse snatcher in town knows that many in Park Slope leave their bags hanging…

New bright yellow signs with stick figures, meant to represent children crossing the street, are popping up all over the Slope. I saw two on First Street between 7th and 8th Avenues and quite a few on 8th Avenues; there are three schools in that vicinity (PS 321, Beth Elohim, Packer).

Good to see. Looks like a new effort to remind drivers that there are a lot of children around here.

Last night my friends Marian Fontana (author of A Widow’s Walk) and Unitarian Minister Tom Martinez (All Souls Bethlehem Church in Kensington) threw a benefit for ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) at the beautiful Palm House at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

The party was also a 50th birthday party bash for friend of theirs who has the disease and was told he would never make it this long. He’s an amazing person, who manages to keep going with optimism and joie de vivre despite the ravages of this disease. As Marian’s 12-year-old son told him, "You have the healthiest spirit of anyone I know."

The event, which was also organized by their friend’s dedicated and loving wife, was called, You Can’t Stop the Love. Marian said that there is probably a  porn film with that name but it perfectly
characterized the spirit of the night. Two Chicks and a Casio performed two hysterical songs and there was stand up comedy as well as a silent auction.

I’d never been inside the Palm House but I’ve looked through the windows of that elegant building for years. It was nice to finally be on the inside at a great party for an amazing cause. If you’d like to donate money email me (louise_crawford(at)yahoo(dot)com. Here’s some information about this terrible disease:

ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that usually attacks both upper and
lower motor neurons and causes degeneration throughout the brain and
spinal cord. A common first symptom is a painless weakness in a hand,
foot, arm or leg, which occurs in more than half of all cases. Other
early symptoms include speech swallowing or walking difficulty.

The biological mechanisms that cause ALS are only partially understood.
The only known cause of ALS is a mutation of a specific gene: the SOD1
gene. This mutation is believed to make a defective protein that is
toxic to motor nerve cells. The SOD1 mutation, however, accounts for
only 1 or 2 percent of ALS cases, or 20 percent of the familial
(inherited) cases.

Familial ALS represents between five to 10 percent of all cases. The
rest arise spontaneously and mysteriously, making seemingly random
attacks on previously healthy adults. ALS can strike anyone, anytime.

Physicians have limited choices for treating ALS, and the options that
do exist have come into use within the last 10 years. Studies suggest
that patients’ length of survival and quality of life are enhanced by
night-time breathing assistance early in the course of the disease and
by aggressive application of alternate feeding options to assure good
nutrition once swallowing becomes difficult. At this time, Riluzole® (Rilutek) is the only drug that has been approved by the FDA for treatment of ALS. In clinical trials, Riluzole® has shown a slight benefit in modestly increasing survival time.

New York Moon is an internet-based publication adhered to the lunar phases of the real waxing, waning moon. It is collection of experimental, reflective, and imaginative projects that unfold in any medium. The Moon culminates in an “illumination” with each month’s full moon. The Moon will also take physical form in various ways – one month it may be wheat pasted on a wall and the next it may appear as a prospectus left carelessly on a subway seat. At the beginning of the cycle Moon editors and contributors get together and talk about what projects they propose for the next edition. The month is spent working on the projects and tweaking concepts. After publication, a project doesn’t end. There is always the potential for someone to send something to be included on a past project’s page. The Moon is in flux and these rules may be scrapped in the future.

The theme of their latest issue is “underground.” On the site, you can see a filmed performance in the abandoned Atlantic Avenue Tunnel; the images of this event are really interesting. Someone involved with the publication got in touch with me. He thought OTBKB readers would be interested; I think he’s right.

The Moon is an experimental publication and in this edition we had the theme of “underground.” Our chief project was to film a cello performance in the abandoned Atlantic Avenue Tunnel.

The other projects – an interview with an urban explorer, a short history of the Calvary Cemetery, and a dispatch from Istanbul – all deal with the theme of underground in a different way.

I thought it would be interesting to your readers just because the Atlantic Avenue tunnel is something that everyone walks over daily, but few people know it exists or its history. They have tours, too: the next one is Sunday, February 17th, Sunday – 1 p.m. – reservations can be made with the Brooklyn Historic Rail Association at 718 941 3160.

The BHRA let us down in the tunnel to film the performance. Our group is a bunch of artists, writers, and designers who just got together to create the kinds of projects we want: we don’t have any funding or anything. We spend a lot of time on this, though!

Club Loco, the under-21 club in Park Slope which
celebrated its first anniversary last month, is seeking parents of
teens interested in helping to plan its future.

On average about 50 teens attend each of the events (held one Saturday
evening each month), and many local bands are eager to perform. It’s a
unique venue because only teens are present–except for the
20-something chaperone volunteers, sound manager, and security guard.
No parents are allowed in; Club Loco belongs to the teens.

The scene is more relaxed and less high-pressure than other venues such
as bars, and offers new bands an opportunity to perform even when they
can’t yet promise a huge following. We hope to expand to other kinds of
music than rock and to audiences from a larger area. 

It’s clear that Club Loco has reached a solid presence in Park Slope.
But its founder Lois Wingerson (a member of Old First Church on Seventh
Avenue where the events take place) doesn’t have either the expertise
or the local contacts to help it grow. (She doesn’t live in Park Slope and doesn’t
know many people in the area.) It’s high time for others to take an
active role in decision-making.

In short, at one year of age Club Loco is now mature enough to need a
board to decide policy issues and plan future direction, and also to
carry out simple tasks such as managing email communications and
publicity, doing simple background checks on young adult volunteers,
and making booking arrangements for old favorite bands or new prospects
that contact Club Loco via email or Myspace.

We’re seeking four or five Park Slope
residents, preferably parents of teenagers in the area, who are willing
to collaborate in moving Club Loco toward its next season.

For further information, or to volunteer, please contact Lois at lwingerson@nyc.rr.com
or 917-583-5273.

Screams from the The Gate and other bars on Fifth Avenue made their way to Third Street after the Giants upset the New England Patriots in an unbelievably exciting fourth quarter. Teen Spirit’s friend called from Fifth Avenue. “Come on out, you’re going to miss the party.”

Off he went. I’m hoping he’ll call in with a report from the scene on Fifth Avenue. The screaming continues and it’s 10:40.

What a stunner. 17-14 and Brooklyn is in a state of joy.

YAY TEAM!

TS is back now: He said that there was a screaming crowd at Fifth Avenue and Fifth. A cop car slowed down and everyone got quiet. Then the cops put their siren on and everyone cheered. In front of The Gate someone was running around holding a cardboard Tom Brady. “You know what this is?,” the man screamed. “This is Tom Brady’s head.”