Brooklyn said no to Bloomberg.

According to the Brooklyn Paper: Bill Thompson got 49.8 percent of the vote to Bloomberg’s 46
percent. 169,071 Brooklyn votes went to Thompson and 157,296 to Bloomberg.

In the spring of this year, photographer Kurt Dietrich
Wilberding returned from his first trip to Pakistan—a country that brought on
new challenges photographically from his recent work for The Wall Street
Journal covering national events, such as the 2008 primaries and the recent
finance crisis on Wall Street. Wilberding’s images explore the intimate and
daily struggles that often get overlooked with international attention focused
on Pakistan's escalating violence.

Opening Reception Pakistan Now
Saturday, November 7th, 2009
6 – 8 pm
Fun Time Gallery 257 Third Avenue (bet. Union and President)
Brooklyn, NY 11215

RSVP : pakistannow.eventbrite.com
www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=186642541006

Momasphere & Park Slope Parents invite you to the second bi-monthly Mommy Needs A Cocktail evening at Melt for some laughs and an
opportunity to mingle and network with a group of New York City moms
of ALL ages.

Comedians, spoken word artists &
authors (all moms) will share their sometimes hilarious/ sometimes touching
trials & tribulations of motherhood. After the performance, there will be time to network and
mingle.

Big Treat: Michele Madigan Somerville will read her acclaimed poem: MILF. You won't want to miss that.

 Melt will offer one free signature cocktail
(or mocktail) and hors d'oeuvres throughout the evening and there will be great
raffles! Every attendee will receive a goodie bags that includes, Hybrid Mom Magazine, delicious all natural Q.Bel chocolate bar and a Luna Bar! Proceeds of the event go to Children of the City.

Time :  4:30 to 7pm
Date :  Sunday, November 8th
Cost :  Tickets are $10 online & $15 at the door
Place : Melt Restaurant, 440 Bergen St (bet 5th ave. & 6th ave.) Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY 11217

Space is limited so please RSVP by purchasing tickets online.
Tickets are available for sale at the door for $15.00 on a
first-come-first-served basis. Click "Read More" below to find out more about the performers.

Thanks to my friend Craig Hammerman, District Manager of Community Board 6, for sending this, the uncertified results of yesterday's General Election for races affecting the Brooklyn CB6 district, as reported by New York 1 News.

These New York 1 News results can be verified on their website at:
http://ny1.com/1-all-boroughs-news-content/top_stories/

Mayor Bloomberg's overturning of term limits angered voters and nearly cost him this election. But here in his acceptance speech he discusses his third term:

Well, conventional wisdom says historically third terms haven’t been
too successful. But we’ve spent the last eight years defying
conventional wisdom. If you remember, after 9/11, when the pundits said
it would take decades for us to recover, we proved them wrong. When
they said crime could only go up, not down, we proved them wrong. When
they said nothing could be done to close the ethnic achievement gap in
the schools, we proved them wrong. We’ve proven the experts wrong again
and again and again and we’re not stopping now.

We’re going to make the next four years the best yet and we’re going
to do it with the same independent approach we’ve always taken: making
decisions based on the facts, not the politics. Doing the right thing,
not the easy thing. And taking the best ideas, no matter where they
come from. That’s what being independent is all about.

28-year-old Steve Levin won 90% of the vote last night in the race for City Council in the 33rd district.

While last night was a sweep, the Democratic primary race for David Yassky's City Council seat in the 33rd was a contentious one. Steve Levin, former Chief of Staff for Assemblyman Vito Lopez and a cousin of Senator Carl Levin and Congressman Sandy Levin, ran against Evan Thies, Jo Anne Simon, Ken Diamondstone, Doug Biviano, Ken Baer, and Issac Abraham.

During the summer, he got Chuck Schumer's endorsement and later won the September 15th primary. Tonight he won the  general election.

Say hello your new City Council member in the 33rd: Steve Levin.

Thank you all so much for your steadfast support, heartfelt
encouragement, and incredible effort for the Levin for City Council
campaign. At the end of the day, we were victorious due to your
support. And it was truly a collective effort, with over 150 volunteers
who collected petition signatures, stood at subways stops in the
morning, and knocked on doors in the evening. I owe a deep debt of
gratitude to everyone who gave up their valuable time and energy to
help out.

I want to especially thank Assemblymember Vito Lopez, my mentor and
friend, for all of his support, guidance, and effort throughout the
years and throughout this campaign.

I also want to give a special recognition to Debby Feinberg and my
staff (Hope, Olivia, and Michelle) for working so hard day and night
all summer.

We ran this campaign to give a voice in City Hall to those who have
not been heard. Throughout this campaign, I heard from residents in
need of affordable housing, parents in need of decent child care
services and health care for their families, and seniors in need of
dignity in their retirement years. I pledged then, and I am committed
now, that I will be their voice in City Hall.

Thank you all for believing in me and believing in this campaign. We
will face great challenges in the next four years. I promise to work
with the community to confront these challenges with a spirit of
cooperation and determination.

Now, let’s get to work.

All the best,

Steve

After a seemingly endless election season, the race for City Council in the 39th is finally over.

Brad Lander was the winner last night in the race to replace Bill DeBlasio, who was elected Public Advocate.

Lander claimed 70% of the vote. His Republican opponent Joe Nardiello got 16.6% while Green Party candidate David Pechefsky’s got 7%.

The Democratic primary was an intense 5-way race between Lander, Josh Skaller, Bob Zuckerman, Gary Reilly, and John Heyer.

Say hello to Brad: your new City Council member for the 39th!

And the pundits are saying all kinds of things, including:

–If Bill Thompson had been able to articulate his vision for New York maybe he could have beat the billionaire mayor.

–If President Obama had endorsed Thompson more directly or even made an appearance with him that could have made all the difference.

Bloomberg won with 557,059 votes to Thompson's 506,717. That's 51% of the vote to 46%. Very close.

It's happening but not without agita and delays.

–Who knew my web designer would disappear for weeks at a time?

–Who knew that Hepcat would end up having to finish the new site even though we thought it would be a good idea to separate husband from web designer.

–Who knew that it would be harder than I thought to redesign this thing.

–Who knew how much I like it the way it is?

–Who knew I'd actually have stage fright about showing the new site?

–Who knew how patient my new advertisers were going to be. THANKS SO MUCH!

–Who knew that I'd be scared that you all will hate it?

–Who knew that everything takes longer than you think it will. I knew that but you know, you forget.

That said, I am very grateful to Elizabeth Reagh of Good Form Design who created the new logo in a creative and timely fashion. I can't wait for you all to see it. It's cool.

Change is hard. Change is good. Change is scary. Change is challenging and important.

Stay up to date on the happening indie craft and design scene in Brooklyn with Sylvie Meyerson's new blog Hi Lo Brooklyn, which I just heard about today. The blog has really interesting posts about fashion, food and indie crafts and design. You're gonna love it a lot.

The latest post is about a video doc by Liza de Guia:

The Useless Lecture Series: Tuesday, November 3, 2009 – 8 pm (doors at 7:30)
Union Hall in Park Slope
702 Union St. @ 5th Ave
$5 cover

THE YES MEN
"Doing it Outside In: Breaking the Bank with the Yes Men"
One half of the infamous New York duo presents strategies for infiltrating
business conferences, masquerading as corporate execs, and successfully lowering
blue-chip stock prices.

TIM HARROD
"You Are Dumb: How the Media are Pranking You Even as You Read This"
The Onion's history is riddled with occasions where the newspaper's satirical
stories were accepted as fact by individuals and large groups. Tim Harrod
discusses.

PATRICK DI JUSTO
"The Day I Gave My Brother Appendicitis"
Mr. Di Justo presents lessons gleaned from a high school prank gone awry.

STEPHEN BRUCKERT
"Don't Feed The Trolls: Life Lessons From The Internet's Most Popular
Blood Sport"
People all over the world are playing a game on the internet, and the
object of the game is to make strangers waste time and emotional energy. What
are the rules of the game? What strategies do trolls use to win? And why are
trolls so important?

Hosted, as always, by the inimitable Charles Star

For the past 6 years local filmmakers have been shooting the film "Battle of Brooklyn," documenting the efforts of local community activists to stop the Atlantic Yards Project.

With the exception of some small grants the group has self-funded the production. Now they need your help to finish it. They are partnering with the site http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rumur/battle-of-brooklyn to try and raise $25,000. The plan is to pre-sell 1000 copies of the DVD for $25. If they can reach their goal, they've lined up a matching grant which will provide us the funds that we need to finish and distribute the film.

Here's the idea: use the power of crowd sourcing to get this done. That's why they are asking you to make the simple step of pre-buying a DVD of "The Battle of Brooklyn" for $25 AND to help get at least 10 of your friends to do the same. This small gesture on your part can have a profound impact on our ability to get this done. 

Here's the catch: with http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rumur/battle-of-brooklyn it's all or nothing. If we don't reach our goal of $25,000 in 30 days we'll get nothing, and everyone's money will be returned.

The producers write:

You can view the trailer at http://www.rumur.com/battle

This 30 day fundraising campaign begins next Wednesday, November 4th.

In addition- if you, or others you know, want to make a tax deductible contribution to the project donations can be made through our fiscal sponsor Moving Pictures Institute  (MPI).  Checks should be made out to MPI with "Battle" in the subject line-

MPI
375 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10013

Here is some recent press on this film project.

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2009/08/25/2009-08-25_atlantic_yards_saga_put_into_focus.html

http://netsarescorching.com/2009/10/13/nas-interview-battle-for-brooklyn-filmmaker/

http://fort-greene.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/06/the-day-get-informed-on-atlantic-yards/

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2009/07/battle_of_brook.php

Just so you know: Hepcat is voting Green Party in tomorrow's election. That means he's pushing the lever for David Pechefsky for City Council in the 39th district and Rev. Billy for mayor. 

             MEOW & HOW!

She'll make your sofa hers . . . and hiss.

On Sunday, November 15, 2:00 PM:

Three Ways of Looking at Park Slope: Park Slope Northwest

This is the first of three tours (others to follow in 2010) looking at
different areas of Park Slope and aspects of the neighborhood’s
history. The first walk looks at Park Slope’s western edge and its
relation to the Gowanus Canal. We will discuss the history of the canal
and its bridges, cross over for a brief peek at Carroll Gardens, and
return to touch down in the Park Slope Historic District. Leader: Francis Morrone,
architectural historian. Meet in front of the Old Stone House in J.J.
Byrne Park, just off 3rd St. between Fourth and Fifth avenues.
(Transit: R train to Union St. and walk south on Fourth Ave. six
blocks; F train to Fourth Ave. and 9th St. and walk north on Fourth
Ave. six blocks). $15, $10 MAS members. Reservations and prepayment
recommended. Call 212-935-2075.http://mas.org/tours/#threeways

Great news for fans of Stitch Therapy and Brooklyn Mercantile. They're co-habitating on Fifth Avenue.

I saw Stitch Therapy owner Maxcine DeGouttes today in Brooklyn Mercantile, which is located on Fifth Avenue between 3rd and 4th Street in Park Slope. 

"So here's where you're moving," I said.
"it's been three months in the works," she said.
"I was afraid you'd gone out of business," I said.
"No I was just waiting for my lease to run out," she said.

Indeed, I'd noticed that she was vacating her spot on Lincoln Place and I worried that the recession was taking its toll on another local business.

Phew. I am so relieved.

Looks like DeGouttes has created a cozy, attractive space in the back of Brooklyn Mercantile just like she did in 2004 when she opened Stitch Therapy, a fine yard shop, in one of the little shops on Lincoln Place.

Ever since, Stitch Therapy has been a busy hive of creativity, inspiration and support for Brooklyn's ever growing community of knit, crochet and weaving lovers.

I know because I've walked by her shop almost daily on my way to my office for years. Her shop really was a busy bee hive of creativity.

Inside the shop, Maxcine creates a warm, welcoming atmosphere and the feeling that you're in a friend's
cozy living room. It is Maxcine's mission to share her knowledge and enjoyment of knitting.

Seems like there could be a lot of synergy between the two shops. Brooklyn Mercantile is also a hive of creativity. Their aim is to help people make their homes a true personal expression. As they say on their website: "we specialize in the hand-made, the
hand-selected, and the must-have."

They also offer specialty home décor, custom upholstery
and fabrication, gifts, fabric by the yard, sewing notions and craft
essentials.

Sewing. Knitting. Supplies. How to. Making. Doing. Creating.  It's all happening in the store that is now Stitch Therapy AND Brooklyn Mercantile.

A warm welcome to Fifth Avenue, Maxine and may you be very successful in your new location.

Doing my usual morning reading on Park Slope Parents I noticed some posts about the Halloween Parade being too short. I certainly didn't think so watching the parade from our front stoop on Third Street.

 

If you were one of the lucky few that had your picture taken on Halloween night by Hugh Crawford, you may want to check out his  Smug Mug page and think about getting a print.

 

Those pictures are QUITE AWESOME!

If you have any problems ordering a picture you can email Hugh: hugh(at)hughcrawford(dot)com.

Craig Hammerman District Manager of Community Board 6 sent this my way about scheduled changes to the Brooklyn Bridge (from State Senator Daniel Squadron's office). Thanks to Craig who likes to keep bloggers abreast of the latest news.

I just got this email from the Red Cross.

"Hi there, we recently published a photo essay about what the
Red Cross does in response to a fire in Bensonhurst here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30084374@N02/sets/72157622689720764/

"Please advise your readers on the importance of being
prepared for household fires like the one above (there is on average 8
disasters a day in NYC) and how they can be better prepared by following safety
tips at www.nyredcross.org.

"Let me know if there’s any other Red Cross related
content we can provide for your site and if there’s any way we can
collaborate together to raise the awareness on emergency preparedness among New
Yorkers. Thank you."

From Leon Freilich with thanks:

New York may be getting its first group house at 8th Ave & 19th St.,
site of a former mattress factory.  30 co-op apartments with common
kitchen & rec areas. 

Once the real estate deal is concluded, expect the idealistic
sharers to build either a skyway or tunnel to the Food Coop.

http://nymag.com/realestate/features/61743/

Kudos to the person whose idea it was to have some good fairies on the Prospect Park Spook Walk. And much appreciation to the good fairy pictured to the left who consoled my niece when she got scared by the actors dressed as ghouls, goblins, witches, and headless horsemen. It may have been the vampire popping out of the cardboard coffin that really got to her. It scared the bejesus out of me. 

"Are you a psychologist or something?" I asked the young woman who said all the right things to a frightened little girl (the ladybug at left).

"No, I'm a high school student," she said.

"You did a great job," I told her.

pix by Caroline Ghertler

David Pechefsky, Green Party candidate for City Council in the 39th district, is the hardest running candidate in Brooklyn. With a tiny staff and limited funds, he has made himself a household name in parts of the district and has earned the respect of many locals.

So how'd he do it?

Pechefsky, who was virtually unknown before the race, did it with creativity, a sharp mind, indefatigable energy, humor, a rickshaw bicycle, a fun web site, great t-shirts, events like documentary film screenings, debates, and a croquet match. Again and again, Pechefsky was willing to be out there and audible about reform and democracy in local government.

A few weeks back, it was Pechefsky's idea to enlist Republican candidate Joe
Nardiello and Democrat Brad Lander to sit at school desks outside of MS 51 on Fifth Avenue and Fifth Street and take a standardized test. It was a creative way to protest the Campaign Finance Board
(CFB), which printed an error in their Voter’s Guide that
identified Democratic nominee Brad Lander as the only parent in the
race with children in public school.

Since the spring, Pechefsky has proven that he has the determination and the stamina to run a creative campaign that educates voters about the need for reform in the City Council and a more democratic approach to city government in general. He has reached out to the other candidates consistently to engage them in substantive discussions and debate. All part of an effort to give the voters a larger perspective.

That said, it hasn't t been easy convincing citizens in the 39th district to take seriously the candidacy of a Green candidate. Even one with ten years experience as a general staff member in the City Council.

And nothing irks Pechefsky more than the fact that the winner of the Democratic primary in the 39th district is considered the defacto winner of the general election. That's been the prevailing wisdom and it serves to derail what could be a more democratic (i.e. multi-party) race for a local seat.

Indeed, the air went out of Brad Lander's campaign after he won the primary.  And that's when the Pechefsky campaign really heated up. Pechefsky and his supporters, in their green t-shirts with a caricature of Pechefsky on them, have been on the streets for the last month educating voters rather than attacking the other candidates.

In the process, locals have learned that Pechefsky is a very smart, likable progressive with a good heart and excellent ethics. He knows the ins and outs of the City Council and understands a great deal about local government. When he's not running for City Council he's a legislative adviser to governments around the world.

In other words, Pechefsky is no slouch and he should be applauded for for bringing grassroots and imagination to a local campaign.

When I interviewed him back in the spring for Breakfast-of-Candidates I was very impressed. And I learned a lot from our conversation. All these months later I'm even more impressed by David's accomplishments in this campaigns.

Like many voters, David was outraged by Mayor Bloomberg's decision to overturn term limits as he says on his website:

On other issues like education and transportation, Pechefsky has interesting and thoughtful views. Before you vote on Tuesday take a good hard look at Pechefsky's website (where the above quotes are taken from) and see if he's the person you want to represent you in the City Council.

Photo of Pechefsky at the Halloween parade by Don Wiss: http://donwiss.com/pictures/Halloween-2009/