Yearly Archives: 2010

arts and culture

Babies & Bands at Vox Pop in Ditmas Park

We drove out to Ditmas Park on Saturday night to hear Bad Teeth, my son’s band, as well as three bands that his friends are in: Mother Courage, Radiates and Large Lady (making their debut) at Vox Pop, the cafe/bookstore/performance space on Cortelyou Road.

The show was set to start at 8 PM but when we got there the bands were waiting outside with all their equipment because a jazz band was finishing up inside. So we decided to grab some dinner at Purple Yam, the new Philippine restaurant we’ve been hearing about.

When we got to Purple Yam I introduced myself to the owner, who explained that they were very crowded with a big birthday party and invited us to come back after the show at Vox Pop. We told her we’d probably be back on another night. My friend The Shiksa from Manila raves about the food there, as do others who know the chef/owners from their closed SoHo restaurant, Cendrillon.

We ended up at Picket Fence, a cozy restaurant a block away from Purple Yam. Picket Fence describes itself as a “family-friendly restaurant where friends, neighbors and family can share great food and fun times in a relaxed setting.” I’d say that’s a fair description and we both decided to go with sandwiches: me the veggie burger, Hugh wit the salmon BLT. The food was good, the service excellent and we were out of there by 8:45 to hear Mother Courage at Vox Pop.

We were very impressed by the show at Vox Pop, which was for an all-ages crowd. There were, however, some older folks around. A man was sitting in the cafe with his baby, an unbelievably cute 17-month-old. At one point he whispered to me:

“You’re a mom, right?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I said. I guess it was pretty obvious

“I need to go to the bathroom. Would you mind holding my baby.  She’s getting sleepy and she really needs a woman,” he said.

“Sure,” I said.

I took the baby from the man and she immediately melted into my arms. Holding a baby, it’s like riding a bicycle you never forget how to do it. I stood up and rocked her way I used to hold my kids, moving side to side, from one foot to another. Babies seem to love that. I covered her ears with my hands because the second band, Large Lady, was a really loud, noise/punk band. The baby (pictured above) was adorable with jet black hair, pale skin and a doughy, attentive face.

I held the baby through three songs. At one point I had a fantasy that the baby’s father would never come back and I’d get to keep her. It was just a fleeting weird fantasy. I could tell that Hugh was smitten with the tiny girl, as well. When the dad finally returned from the bathroom, he put two fingers to his mouth pantomiming cigarette smoking, and asked if I’d mind holding the baby while he went out for a smoke.

Sure, I said.

The baby seemed incredibly comfortable with me but when she spotted her dad smoking through the front door glass she started waving at him enthusiastically. After his cigarette break, he came back and thanked me profusely and took the baby, put her in her pink down jacket and took her home. I wondered if the baby had a mom or if he was a single dad Somehow I think there was a mom at home but who knows.

Bad Teeth was up next and they delivered a fantastic, high energy show featuring their hard driving, raw, literate and unapologetically catchy songs like Raised by Wolves, Mortal Hands, Same Flame, Hemlock Soul Song and We are Worthless. The crowd went wild. You can hear some of these songs on Bad Teeth’s My Space page.

Enough motherly kvelling. Suffice it to say, I think the band is fantastic and Henry is a phenomenal vocalist/performer.

Radiates, a 4 piece post-punk band, played melodic music with driving rhythm section behind airy guitar chords, light synth melodies, and operatic vocal textures. Mother Courage, have an appealing folk/punk vibe with literate and achingly melodic songs that evoke Wilco, Leonard Cohen, Dylan and the Pixies. Their key board player, Nathan J. Campbell, an excellent singer songwriter on his own sang one of his songs between sets with an impressively soaring operatic voice.

After the show I waited outside for a car service (Hugh had to drive the band’s equipment to the drummer’s house and there was no room in the car). I wandered over to Sycamore, an attractive bar/flower shop was packed with a lively crowd. Finally my car arrived and I was taken home just after midnight.

Like Cinderella. Back to Park Slope.

Smartmom

Have An Affair Or Not: Here’s Smartmom’s Take

3 Comments

From this week’s Smartmom in the Brooklyn Paper:

A few days ago, these plaintive words appeared on Park Slope Parents, that invaluable list-serve for parenting and, er, marital advice:

“I wanted to ask fellow Park Slope Parents how you deal with a spouse cheating. My husband has a real desire to act out on it, and I have caught him browsing the Craigslist ads. He has not actually met with anyone, but I feel that if he continues browsing the ads, it will happen. It very upsetting to me, and I also realize the reality of things that it’s hard to be with the same sexual partner all your life. How do you deal with this? Besides getting a divorce? Any advice would be so helpful.”

Obviously this woman is very upset. Why else would she write to a bunch of virtual strangers about something so personal?

Smartmom pored over the plethora of responses, which expressed many points of view. One person wrote that viewing the Craigslist listings does not mean that he plans to cheat.

“I’ve been married for seven years, have never cheated on my wife, would never consider cheating, but have browsed plenty of Craigslist sections. It’s fantasy fodder.”

It’s tough not to notice that he’s been married seven years …

Another person suggested that the wife should send her husband to strip clubs to get his ya-yas out. “Send him with the understanding this is an outlet for visual stimulation, not permission to go home with anyone,” she wrote.

Smartmom thinks strip clubs are sexist and just plain silly (and they didn’t help Tiger Woods from straying).

Another married woman, who has had affairs mostly with women, said it was OK as long as the affair-haver is honest about it.

“It was amazing. My husband, somehow was fine and I found myself feeling more head over heels in love with him than I had in a long time,” the bisexual adulteress posted. “I felt so trusted, loved and blessed that he would let me have this — and the blast of sexual energy from being with someone ‘new’ just recharged our marriage.”

Smartmom was intrigued — and annoyed by the overly effusive tone of this post. Sure she knows that there are loads of people out there who engage in some form of polyamory, the practice of having more than one intimate relationship at a time, with the knowledge and consent of everyone involved. But clearly, it’s not for everyone.

If your partner trusts you to go out and fool around a bit because the love is there, then maybe this could work. But if your partner feels the slightest bit of betrayal then the whole thing is a bust.

And why would you want to hurt your spouse that way? “Do no harm” should be the mantra of marriage.

Still another person wrote: “Cheating is almost always more about narcissism, escapism and immaturity than any purely sexual need. For the most part, people who are self-assured and happy with themselves, their lives, their achievements, etc. don’t cheat.”

Smartmom isn’t sure that it’s all together true. All kinds of people have affairs — even self-assured and happy ones. Tiger Woods? David Letterman? Bill Clinton? These are men at the top of their games, for Buddha’s sake.

By the same token: having low self-esteem or being unhappy doesn’t necessarily mark you as an adulterer. For instance, Smartmom has issues with self-esteem, but that doesn’t mean she’s “hiking the Appalachian Trail.” Not yet anyway.

But if it is the mid-life miasma that’s the problem, there are a lot of other things you can do to elevate your mood that might be a tad more constructive like therapy, making a change in your career or creative life, going on a trip, making new friends.

Being married does not mean that you’ll never feel sexual stirrings for another person. Who hasn’t had a teeny, tiny crush on someone he or she met at a dinner party or people they look forward to seeing at school drop off? But having an affair is another order of magnitude.

Managing an affair is a time consuming — and a morally compromising activity. More often than not, it involves lying about where you are and not being where you’re supposed to be.

And what happens if you fall in love? That will almost certainly wreak havoc on your family and hurt your beloved (and your children). You can’t always control the trajectory of what goes on between two people. And this is where the hurt, betrayal and rejection comes in.

OK. But isn’t it possible to be just a little bit unfaithful? What about a frenzy of kisses at a Christmas party or a quick romp while on a trip?

If it’s a one-time thing, Smartmom says, why not? While that might sound flip, the truth is, it doesn’t need to break up a marriage. But if you find yourself doing it again and again, you really need to look at what’s missing in your relationship — and your life. So find a good therapist. In therapy, you can take an incisive look at what’s really going on.

What about doing it the French way? Many married couples there have lovers on the side, and it seems to work out just fine. One former president even had his mistress at his state funeral!

While that sounds tres sophisticated and fun, Smartmom knows she’s not capable of being quite so French.

Truth is, Smartmom is the jealous type. She goes a little bit crazy when Hepcat visits his ex-girlfriend from sophomore year in college to fix her computer.

As for being unfaithful herself, Smartmom knows with certainty that an affair would be very unwise. When she falls in love, she falls big. She’s not capable of Clinton-esque compartmentalization. Plus, she’s a lousy liar. She’d probably become obsessed and stalk the guy or at least Google him until her fingers fall off.

Worst of all, an affair might force Smartmom to question her marriage. While Smartmom loves to analyze and test her marriage, she doesn’t really want to challenge it in such an obvious way. She’s worked good and hard to get along with Hepcat, and they even have a new couch. Who wants to pine for someone other than person with whom she shares her bed?

Truthfully, Smartmom is too much of a pragmatist for an affair. Sure, at the beginning it might be hot and sexy — and a seemingly great panacea for a mid-life crisis. But inevitably, the sparks stop flying and eventually it will be just like her marriage — no better or worse.

Pretty soon, you’ll be discussing hemorrhoids and colonoscopies with your paramour, and it won’t be quite so romantic after all.

arts and culture

Tin House at the Old Stone House on January 21

Brenda Shaughnessy

Brooklyn Reading Works presents Tin House at the Old Stone House curated by Tin House editor-in-chief Rob Spillman.

Tin House is an American literary magazine and book publisher based in Portland, Oregon and New York City that has a reputation for presenting “what’s still righteous and nervy in American writing.”

For this special Brooklyn Reading Works event, Spillman brings together a stellar group of Tin House authors, including Brenda Shaughnessy, Matthea Harvey and Elissa Schappell. They will be reading their own work plus one poem each by Heather Hartley, the Paris editor of Tin House.

Thursday, January 21, at 8 PM.

The Old Stone House. Third Street and Fifth Avenue. Suggested donation of $5 includes refreshments. Tin House magazines and books will be offered for sale.

And here’s BRW’s winter/spring schedule. All events at 8 PM at the Old Stone House in Park Slope:

January: 21: TIN HOUSE AT THE OLD STONE HOUSE curated by Rob Spillman

February 11: MEMOIRATHON curated by Branka Ruzak. We are accepting submissions for memoir pieces about life during the recession of 2009/2010 (send to louise_crawford(at)yahoo(dot)com ASAP).

March 18: BLARNEYPALOOZA curated by Michele Madigan Somerville

April 15: TRUTH AND MONEY curated by John Guidry

May 20: 4TH ANNUAL EDGY MOTHER’S DAY curated by Sophia Romero, Michele Madigan Somerville & Louise Crawford (note new date for this event).

June 10: FICTION IN A BLENDER curated by Martha Southgate

arts and culture

The Weekend List: Brad, Sherlock & MLK

Film: Park Slope Films present:  “The Apostles of Park Slope.” How do you think a dinner at Two Toms would be for some old neighborhood kids? Screening at the Brooklyn Lyceum on Saturday, January 16, at 8 PM.

–Sherlock Holmes, Avatar and The Princess and the Frog at  the Pavilion

Shopping: Find something unique at the Brooklyn Flea at One Hanson (the Williamsburg Bank Building). Saturday and Sundays from 10 AM until 5 PM.

–Artisan wares and Farmer’s Market at the Makers Market at the American Can Factory on Third Street and Third Avenue in Park Slope/Gowanus on Sundays from 11 AM until 5 PM.

Theater: Shakespeare’s As You Like It directed by Sam Mendez, part of The Bridge Project through March 13th at BAM

Inauguration: The public is invited to City Council member Brad Lander’s inauguration. ceremony on Sunday, January 17 at 2 PM at the Picnic House in Prospect Park. Space for the Inauguration Ceremony is limited, so please RSVP at www.bradlander.com/jan17.

Martin Luther King, Jr Celebrations:

–At the Brooklyn Museum on Sunday, January 17, 3 PM – 5 PM. Co-hosted by WNYC’s Brian Lehrer and Celeste Headlee of The Takeaway, the event includes panelists that are members of Martin Luther King’s generation—people who would remember him and were directly affected by his work—as well as younger activists, artists, and scholars who have been indirectly influenced by his vision.

–On Monday, January 18: Old First Church and Spoke the Hub present: Peace Finding & Keeping Workshops from 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM. These family workshops will be held at both the newly renovated Spoke the Hub Re:Creation Center, located at 748 Union Street at 6th Avenue and at Old First Reformed Church, located at 729 Carroll Street at 7th Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

arts and culture, Civics and Urban Life

Haitian Times: A Night on Rue Berne

Garry Pierre-Pierre is the editor and publisher of Haitian Times, which he founded in 1999. The English language weekly serves New York’s Haitian community of 500,000. Pierre-Pierre has 20 years of experience as a journalist, including six years as a staff writer at the New York Times. While there, he shared a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. He also worked as a reporter at The Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

He is now in Haiti sending dispatches back to the Haitian Times, which is located in Brooklyn. Here’s an excerpt from “A Night on Rue Berne, Living on the Streets:

Dusk had barely set and already, the residents of Rue Berne, were making their beds. These bedrooms were makeshifts arranged neatly on one side of the streets, away from shaky walls and fragile home frames that remain so dangerous.

The men, erected barricades, leaving enough room for a vehicle to navigate the tiny canyon. Soon they share whatever pasta, or rice with smoke herring. A few hours later, mothers tucked their children on near their belly and they started lo listen to the news on battery operated transistor radios and by 8 P.M, some people had already began falling asleep.

“You see what we’ve become, “ said Herold Joseph, who was born and raised in this long time middle class enclave. “The streets have become our home, no different from the stray dogs that we used to chase with sticks and stones.”

Civics and Urban Life

Be Careful Where You Give for Haiti

I learned on Park Slope Parents that there’s an article on the Smoking Gun about the financial misdeeds of Yele, Wyclef Jean’s Haiti charity. I’m not sure if this information pertains to what’s going on with the Haiti donations but it’s worth a look.  From the Smoking Gun:

“Internal Revenue Service records show the group has a lackluster history of accounting for its finances, and that the organization has paid the performer and his business partner at least $410,000 for rent, production services, and Jean’s appearance at a benefit concert though the Wyclef Jean Foundation, which does business as Yele Haiti Foundation, was incorporated 12 years ago–and has been active since that time–the group only first filed tax returns in August 2009.”

In a text version of the statement published on his blog, Mr. Jean chastised the media for picking up on the accusations made by The Smoking Gun:

I have spent tireless hours working on behalf of my homeland on development issues as well as human and immigrant rights. I have been committed to helping the people of Haiti throughout my life, and that commitment will continue until the day I die.

It is impossible for me to even comprehend the recent attacks on my character and the integrity of my foundation, Yele Haiti. The fact that these attacks come as we are mobilized to meet the greatest human tragedy in the history of Haiti only serves to perplex me even further. I first learned of these baseless attacks when I left Haiti late Friday, where I had been since 12 hours after the earthquake.

Let me be clear: I denounce any allegation that I have ever profited personally through my work with Yele Haiti. These baseless attacks are simply not true. In fact, I have, time and again, committed significant amounts of my own money to support the work of Yele Haiti and other organizations in support of our efforts over the years. More than that, I have spent countless hours, days, months and years of my life committed to the country of Haiti, the people of Haiti and the success of Haiti.

These baseless allegations were first put forward by a fringe website with a history of pursuing sensationalist story lines. The mainstream media’s pursuit of them has required Yele to divert precious resources during this critical time in order to answer various inquiries. That must end.

I will continue to commit my focus to what is most important right now: Haiti. Right now, Yele is working with its valuable NGO partners, the U.S. Government, the United Nations and so many others to save lives, honor those who have perished and get aid to the millions of Haitians suffering through the worst human catastrophe of our times.

Uncategorized

Until Feb 8: No G Train from Church Ave to Greenpoint on Weekends Nights

1 Comment

From the Brooklyn Paper:

Greenpoint will be cut off from the rest of the city late on weekend nights, as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority eliminates the G train for the next four weekends. The agency says that the nighttime weekend service cut is to accommodate track work and station repair until Feb. 8. Shuttle buses will replace the G train — dubbed “the Brooklyn local” after the MTA extended it all the way to Church Avenue last year — between 10:30 pm and 5 am on Fridays, Saturdays and Sunday. The F train will operate normally between Church Avenue and Bergen Street during those hours.

arts and culture

Jan 21 at 8 PM: Tin House at the Old Stone House

Brooklyn Reading Works presents Tin House at the Old Stone House curated by Tin House editor-in-chief Rob Spillman.

Tin House is an American literary magazine and book publisher based in Portland, Oregon and New York City that has a reputation for turning up “what’s still righteous and nervy in American writing.”

For this special Brooklyn Reading Works event, Spillman brings together a stellar group of Tin House authors, including Brenda Shaughnessy, Matthea Harvey and Elissa Schappell. They will be reading their own work plus one poem each by Heather Hartley, the Paris editor of Tin House.

Thursday, January 21, at 8 PM.

The Old Stone House. Third Street and Fifth Avenue. Suggested donation of $5 includes refreshments. Tin House magazines and books will be offered for sale.

And here’s BRW’s winter/spring schedule. All events at 8 PM at the Old Stone House in Park Slope:

January: 21: TIN HOUSE AT THE OLD STONE HOUSE curated by Rob Spillman

February 11: MEMOIRATHON curated by Branka Ruzak. We are accepting submissions for memoir pieces about life during the recession of 2009/2010 (send to louise_crawford(at)yahoo(dot)com ASAP).

March 18: BLARNEYPALOOZA curated by Michele Madigan Somerville

April 15: TRUTH AND MONEY curated by John Guidry

May 20: 4TH ANNUAL EDGY MOTHER’S DAY curated by Sophia Romero, Michele Madigan Somerville & Louise Crawford (note new date for this event).

June 10: FICTION IN A BLENDER curated by Martha Southgate

arts and culture

Jan 31: Career Networking with Cup Cakes (and Wine) for Parents

Momasphere and Park Slope Parents Career Network present “Wine and Cupcakes Tasting/ Career Networking Event”. Parents of all ages and stages are invited to spend a night away from the kids and enjoy a career networking evening that will engage each of your senses.

Surrounded by works of art at the new Muriel Guepin Gallery, stimulating conversation and live jazz guitarist Chad Coe, sample a variety of fine Brooklyn Oenology wines and Nine Cakes’ delectable cupcakes. The evening is capped off by raffle prizes and Momasphere’s customary goodie bags.

Proceeds of the event will go to support Children Of The City, a Brooklyn charity dedicated to changing the culture of poverty through education and outreach.

Time: 5:30-8:00 Pm
Date: Sunday January 31, 2010
Place:  Muriel Guepin Gallery 47 Bergen Street, between Smith and Court, 718-858-4535
Price: General Admission – $10 in advance online, $15 at the door

RSVP by purchasing tickets online. Tickets at the door are cash only and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Uncategorized

Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees Collecting Goods on Maple Street

Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees, Lakou New York, and MUDHA (Movement of Dominican Haitian Women) are organizing an immediate delivery of first aid relief. MUDHA is traveling to the Dominican/Haitian border, looking at how to reach affected areas.

They are accepting the following donations:

FIRST AID SUPPLIES:
– Ace bandages, gauze pads, bandage & tape
– Water purification tablets & Rehydration salts
– antibiotic and antifungal (Mycology) creams
– anti-allergy medication (i.e. Benadryl)
– anti-parasite medication
– Tylenol; children’s Tylenol
– cold and cough medicine
– diarrhea medication
– eye drops
– insect repellent
– hydrogen peroxide
– skin disinfectant spray

PERSONAL HYGIENE GOODS:
– Toothpaste and tooth brushes
– soap and deodorant
– sanitary napkins
– brand new under wear – adult (small & med.) and children sizes

DRY FOODS & OTHER ITEMS:
– Nutritional bars, fruit & nut bars, cereal bars (NO CANNED FOODS PLEASE)
– Tea Light candles & quality batteries (AA & D)

EVENING DROP-OFF HOURS ARE MON. & WED. 6:30-8:30 P.M.

Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees:
335 Maple Street, 2nd Floor, Brooklyn, NY (this is not a mailing address) (718) 735-4660

Please use rear entrance on Lincoln Road between Nostrand and New York Avenue. Enter through St. Francis Church parking lot

DAYTIME DROP-OFF HOURS ARE MON. – FRI. 11:00-4:00 P.M.

arts and culture

Brooklyn Brainery Semester Begins January 18

Learn something new at the Brooklyn Brainery. The inaugural semester begins at the The Gowanus Studio Space from January 18th – February 10th. Each class meets once a week for a month and only costs $25!

Brooklyn Brainery hosts cheap ($25!) collaborative classes on anything and everything. What’s that mean? Think book clubs on steroids. Brainery classes don’t have real teachers.  Class leaders know a bit about the topic, but they’re mostly just there to keep things on track and guide the learning process.

LK213: Looking at Things

The group is going to look at art and objects of all sorts! and develop a vocabulary to talk about them in a sort-of coherent manner!

SCT133: Scents & Sensibility

Smell things! Extract scents! Steam distillation! Why does smell exist and how do we use it? I promise we will both make ice cream and wear blindfolds at least once.

OPT000: Optical Collusion

Light might be fast but we’re far more clever – let’s do some stuff with it.

MEAT266: Meat!
All of the theory, none of the blood. Cuts, feeds, breeds, we’ll cover it all!

Read more here.

Uncategorized

Drop Off Goods at Vox Pop for Haiti

Vox Pop Cafe is a drop off point for goods being collected by Action Now for Project Salvation for Haiti.  They have arranged for a container to be sent directly to Haiti and have infrastructure in place for dissemination.

ITEMS NEEDED:
MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN:
(new or clean, used clothing)
Pants
Shirts
T-shirts
Skirts
Shorts
Shoes
Sneakers
Socks
Underwear (new only)

SCHOOL
SUPPLIES:
Pens
Pencils
Erasers
Notebooks
Crayons
Rulers
Book bags
BABIES:
Disposable diapers
Baby clothing
Blankets

LINENS/OTHER: (very important)
Washcloths
Towels
Sanitary napkins
Flashlights w/batteries
Travel-sized items:
Toothbrush/paste
Soap
Shampoo
Comb/brush

MEDICAL SUPPLIES:
Aspirin
Alcohol pads
Band-aids
All first-aid items
Latex gloves
Empty plastic pill bottles

FOOD:
Powdered milk
Canned goods
Rice
Beans
Cornmeal
Sugar
Chocolate milk – Quick/Ovaltine

A list of needed goods is also available at http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#/group.php?gid=247506256628&ref=mf

Civics and Urban Life

Many Ways To Give to Haiti, Including by Cell Phone

The tragedy in Haiti deeply affects Brooklyn home to 200,000 Haitian-Americans. Give what you can to help Haiti rebuild after this tragedy.

Here is a list of places where you can give money to help Haiti recover after a 7.0 earthquake devastated the already impoverished nation. Perhaps the easiest way to give is by cell phone.

Yele Haiti by Cell Phone Musician Wyclef Jean, whose homeland is Haiti, is asking people to donate to Yele Haiti to help with disaster relief for earthquake survivors.

Wyclef Jean asks people to please text: Yele to 510 510 and donate $5.

For more information go to: http://yele.org

Red Cross Go to http://redcross.org to learn more about how to donate the the Red Cross to send help to Haiti. The Red Cross has taken immediate action to start to send funding and supplies to Haiti to ensure that earthquake survivors get the help they need.

UNICEF Learn about how to help Haiti recover from the Earthquake at www.unicefusa.org/haitiquake or call 1-800-4UNICEF.

UNICEF helps children and families all over the world survive natural disasters and obtain urgently needed medical care.

Save the Children This organization has been providing help to Haiti since the 1980s. For more information about how to help the Haiti recovery program with Save the Children go to: http://www.savethechildren.org.

World Vision Go to http://www.worldvision.org to learn how to help the children in Haiti. This organization works to help with disaster response resources. The website also provides information about how to sponsor a child in Haiti or other locations.

Doctors Without Borders This group has won a Nobel Prize for their work to save lives during times of disasters. For more information about how the doctors will work to help Haiti go to: http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org.

Mercy Corps The Mercy Corps has created the Haiti Earthquake fund. Send donations to P.O. box 2669, Portland, OR 97208. Go to www.mercycorps.org for more information. You may also call 1-888-256-1900.

arts and culture

The Weekend List: Bad Teeth, Apostles of Park Slope & Martin Luther King

MUSIC: Bad Teeth and Mother Courage at Vox Pop on Friday, January 15th at 8 PM.

FILM: Park Slope Films present:  “The Apostles of Park Slope.” How do you think a dinner at Two Toms would be for some old neighborhood kids? Screening at the Brooklyn Lyceum from Jan 15 & Jan 16.

–Sherlock Holmes, Avatar and The Princess and the Frog at  the Pavilion

SHOPPING: Find something unique at the Brooklyn Flea at One Hanson (the Williamsburg Bank Building). Saturday and Sundays from 10 AM until 5 PM.

–Artisan wares and Farmer’s Market at the Makers Market at the American Can Factory on Third Street and Third Avenue in Park Slope/Gowanus on Sundays from 11 AM until 5 PM.

THEATER: Shakespeare’s As You Like It directed by Sam Mendez, part of The Bridge Project through March 13th at BAM

INAUGURATION: The public is invited to City Council member Brad Lander’s inauguration. ceremony on Sunday, January 17 at 2 PM at the Picnic House in Prospect Park. Space for the Inauguration Ceremony is limited, so please RSVP at www.bradlander.com/jan17.

MARTIN LUTHER KING CELEBRATIONS: At the Brooklyn Museum on Sunday, January 17, 3 PM – 5 PM. Co-hosted by WNYC’s Brian Lehrer and Celeste Headlee of The Takeaway, the event includes panelists that are members of Martin Luther King’s generation—people who would remember him and were directly affected by his work—as well as younger activists, artists, and scholars who have been indirectly influenced by his vision.

–On Monday, January 18: Old First Church and Spoke the Hub present: Peace Finding & Keeping Workshops from 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM. These family workshops will be held at both the newly renovated Spoke the Hub Re:Creation Center, located at 748 Union Street at 6th Avenue and at Old First Reformed Church, located at 729 Carroll Street at 7th Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn.



arts and culture

Jan 14-16: “Apostles of Park Slope” at Lyceum

Photo of filmmaker Jason Cusato from the Daily News

The folks at Park Slope Films are screening their latest feature film “Apostles of Park Slope” at the Brooklyn Lyceum on Fourth Avenue and President Street in Park Slope.

The film is the story 12 lifelong pals from the nabe who bond together after the death of one of their parents.

SCREENING DATES & TIMES

Thursday         January 14, 2010 8PM

Friday              January 15, 2010 8PM

Saturday         January 16, 2010 7PM

To purchase tickets for Saturday January 16th go to:  www.apostlesofparkslope.com.  Ticket prices are $10 on the website and $12 at the door the night of.

They will also be screening their latest short film “Sunday Dinner” on Saturday, January 16th before the screening of “Apostles of Park Slope”.

arts and culture

Jan 30-Feb 21: “Caroline or Change” at the Gallery Players in Park Slope

The first NYC revival of Caroline, or Change. Playwright, the musical/play by Tony Kushner (Angels in America) and composer Jeanine Tesori’s (Thoroughly Modern Millie) will be presented by  The Gallery Players in Park Slope from  January 30-February 21, 2010.

Caroline, or Change is produced by Lanie Zipoy (Producer, Mac Rogers’ Universal Robots: 4 2009 New York Innovative Theatre Award nominations; Best Off-Off Broadway play of 2009, Independent Theater Bloggers Association) for The Gallery Players, and is directed by Jeremy Gold Kronenberg.

The Gallery Players is located at 199 14th St., between 4th and 5th Aves. in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Take the F Train to 4th Ave. or the R Train to 9th Street. By car: BQE to Hamilton Avenue to 14th Street.

Set in 1963 in sleepy Lake Charles, Louisiana, Caroline, or Change centers its action on the Gellman family and their African-American maid. Caroline is drifting through her life, nearly paralyzed by her circumstances – a single mother of four working in a service job to a white family.  The thunder of the civil rights movement and John F. Kennedy’s death is distant, yet reverberates deeply through the script, provoking all characters to see their lives in a new light and either embrace or reject the larger social changes that are in motion. Caroline herself ultimately must choose between continuing on as her “implacable” and proud self and her family’s welfare. Does she, or doesn’t she? Caroline, or Change’s rich, soulful score has influences from American spirituals and blues as well as Jewish Klezmer and folk.

Gallery Players
199 14th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215-4827
(718) 832-0617

arts and culture

Music by Railbird

Last Sunday I enjoyed listening to the band playing at the Makers Market, a fun new place to find art & wares designed and crafted by locally-based individuals & organizations AND a farmer’s market, at the Old American Can Factory on Third Street and Third Avenue in Park Slope.

I must have put my name on a mailing list because I got an email from the band already. Cool. I was trying to remember the name of the band. It’s Railbird. Here’s the email I received from Miss Railbird:

Thanks for listening to the music at The Can Factory on Sunday and signing the Railbird mailing list. The music you heard was lead by me, Sarah Pedinotti a.k.a Railbird and included Jeremy Gustin of the Rex Complex on drums & percussion and Ben Davis (bass player in Railbird and leader of his own band, Cuddle Magic.). If you’re a music lover, all of these bands are worth checking out and following.  We play in Brooklyn quite a bit and would love to see your faces again.  In fact, it’s possible that we may play at the market once a month!  So I’ll keep you posted on that. I apologize for not having Railbird CD’s available on Sunday.  For those of you who are interested in getting the self-titled Railbird album released last October, it can be found on iTunes. We are also in the process of recording a new album produced by Jeremy Gustin!  Please feel free to check out some “sneak peeks” (rough mixes) on our myspace.   I’ll let you know when the album comes out and I’ll make sure to invite you to our CD release party! Until then, Happy New Year!

Civics and Urban Life

Helping Haiti

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Here is a list of ways that you can help Haiti recover after a 7.0 earthquake devastated the already impoverished nation.

Go to http://redcross.org to learn more about how to donate the the Red Cross to send help to Haiti. The Red Cross has taken immediate action to start to send funding and supplies to Haiti to ensure that earthquake survivors get the help they need.

UNICEF

Learn about how to help Haiti recover from the Earthquake at www.unicefusa.org/haitiquake or call 1-800-4UNICEF.

UNICEF helps children and families all over the world survive natural disasters and obtain urgently needed medical care.

Yele Haiti

Musician Wyclef Jean, whose homeland is Haiti, is asking people to donate to Yele Haiti to help with disaster relief for earthquake survivors.

Wyclef Jean asks people to please text: Yele to 510 510 and donate $5.

For more information go to: http://yele.org.

Save the Children

This organization has been providing help to Haiti since the 1980s. For more information about how to help the Haiti recovery program with Save the Children go to: http://www.savethechildren.org.

World Vision

Go to http://www.worldvision.org to learn how to help the children in Haiti. This organization works to help with disaster response resources. The website also provides information about how to sponsor a child in Haiti or other locations.

Doctors Without Borders

This group has won a Nobel Prize for their work to save lives during times of disasters. For more information about how the doctors will work to help Haiti go to: http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org.

Mercy Corps

The Mercy Corps has created the Haiti Earthquake fund. Send donations to P.O. box 2669, Portland, OR 97208. Go to www.mercycorps.org for more information. You may also call 1-888-256-1900.

Uncategorized

NY State Senator Eric Adams Responds to Haitian Crisis

From New York State Senator Eric Adams:

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Haiti in their time of severe adversity and dire need. I ask my fellow New Yorkers to extend a helping hand to our brothers and sisters in Haiti and to the bereaved here in the U.S. It is in time of tragedy that the nobility and generosity of the human spirit can truly shine through. I know that New Yorkers from all backgrounds will join me in supporting and assisting the many people affected by this devastation. My office is committed to assisting recovery, relief, and rebuilding efforts. My staff and I will continue to monitor the situation. We are working in conjunction with organizations to get help to those in need: 8CC Haitian Center Council and Director Henry Frank; Ebbets Field Community Development Center, and its Director Michelle Adolphe; and Executive Director Dr. George Casimir of the Haitian American National Alliance. These groups, as well as my staff will assist in collecting clothing, blankets and canned foods. Also working in partnership with them, we will coordinate with Chase Bank to have an account dedicated to raising money for those affected by the devastation. Our District Office at 572 Flatbush Avenue, between Beekman and Midwood, remains open from 10-6 each day. This Saturday, we had already scheduled an open house. We would ask everyone who plans to attend to bring non-perishable items, clothing, or a blanket to help with the relief effort. The Open House is scheduled for this Saturday from 4-9.

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Jan 18: BAM Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

On Mon, Jan 18 at 10:30 AM at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, there’s a free, first come, first seated event in celebration of the life of Martin Luther King.

This year, BAM welcomes keynote speaker Danny Glover, the acclaimed actor, who has gained respect for his wide-reaching community activism and philanthropic efforts. He is also a UNICEF Ambassador and Chairman of the Board of TransAfrica Forum, a non-profit global justice organization focusing on issues facing African Americans and peoples in Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America.

Musical performances by The New Life Tabernacle Mass Choir and special guest Kenny Muhammad The Human Orchestra, who is widely regarded as one of the best beatboxers in the world, round out the program.

Following the event in the Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas will present a free screening of the acclaimed documentary Soundtrack for a Revolution, executive produced by Danny Glover and shortlisted for a 2010 Oscar nomination.