If  you're looking for a new Haggadah, the story, prayer and song book used during the Passover seder meal, Community Bookstore has quite a few at the front counter.  I found this article on how to choose a Haggadah at Jewcy.com

Here's the latest news from Deborah Fisher, who is organizing Bed Stuy Meadow, a seed sowing day on April 11th. If you are interested in volunteering, you can get in touch with Deborah (see below). 

Yeah. I wrote a story for the Associated Press and it was picked up by the Baltimore Sun. By line and everything.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-incentives0330,0,3213593.story

I just heard from a knowledgeable friend that the Center for the Urban Environment has closed its doors for good. Their website is down and the staff has been let go.

I know nothing more than that at this time.

The closing of this 30-year-old organization is a real loss to Brooklyn. Since 2001, Sandi Franklin ran the CUE and expanded its
programming, and cultivated new partnerships to allow CUE to become a 
leading educational guide to a greener New York City. Under her leadership, the Center relocated its headquarters from Prospect Park to 7th
Street between 3rd and 2nd Avenues in the Gowanus Canal area, where they occupied one of the first green buildings of its
kind in the borough.

Recently they launched the Sustainable Business Network NYC, worked in nearly
every school in Park Slope, established three environmentally-themed
high schools, and spearheaded Brooklyn's first and largest green
conference, Green Brooklyn…Green City.

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Brooklyn Blogfest 2009 from Blue Barn Pictures, Inc. on Vimeo.

Milton is the name of both the band and its leader (far right), a long time performer at both Williamburg's Pete’s Candy Store and the Lower East Side's The Living Room. The latter is where the band plays Thursday at 10. Milton is a new resident of Park Slope previously having lived all over the place including Westchester, Chicago, Buenos Aires and Manhattan. Tonight the band is reunited with former Park Sloper Frank Campbell, it's former pianist, who is back visiting from London.

If you've never heard Milton, you really owe it to yourself to do so (you can listen to a few Milton songs here). Milton's music has been described as a combination of folk-rock, country, blues and pop. But do yourself a favor and see Milton for yourself. The Living Room, Ludlow off of Stanton Sts., Lower East Side (F Train to Second Ave.)

— Eliot Wagner

Essence and Accident: Photographs by Hugh Crawford at the Gallery at the Old Stone House. April 1 – June 30, 2009.

SIGN UP NOW! Workshops and Classes for the Curious, Creative Adult is a cool new workshop series at BAX (Brooklyn Arts Exchange on 421 Fifth Avenue and 8th Street).

Hey, I'm in it. I'm doing a blogging workshop. It's called How To Blog.

Learn how to blog with blogger Louise Crawford of Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn, a hands-on workshop for anyone interested in becoming a blogger and those who already blog but need to know more. Learn from a pro the do's and don'ts of blogging.

Session 1: Introduction to Blogging. This session will cover the basics and history of blogging.
Session 2: A hands-on, make-your-own blog session. 
Session 3: Next Steps. To include a gentle critique of the blogs created and a discussion of next steps.

Three sessions: Wednesdays: 7 – 8:30 p.m. April 29, May 6, 13. And it costs $45 for the whole workshop. Sign up at BAX.

There are other great workshops, too. Playwright Rosemary Moore is teaching Process and Playwriting;  Marian Fontana is doing a memoir workshop called, Your Stories; poet Michele Madigan Somerville is teaching Conceiving a Collection; Victoria Libetrore is teaching burlesque and there's Acting with Michael Wiggins and Yoga for the Non-Profit Community with  Ani Weinstein.

That's 7500 8th graders who have no public high school to attend next year.

Right now on the Brian Lehrer show on WNYC. Insideschools  director
Pamela Wheaton is answering questions about the high school admissions
process, and will be talking about what parents can do now to secure a seat for
their child.

Author David McCullough will join elected officials and civic activists for a rally today at 11:15 at the corner of Water Street and Dock Street in DUMBO to protest to proposed construction of an 18-story tower that will block views of the Brooklyn Bridge. McCullough, who wrote The Great Bridge, the Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge writes, "The Brooklyn Bridge is our bridge, all of us. It is a national treasure and we must do our part  as custodians. Please, let us take that responsibility to heart."

The Brooklyn Bridge, which McCullough calls a majestic and emblematic work, was designated a National Historic
Landmark in 1964. There are fewer than 2,500 buildings, structures or
sites nationwide meriting this designation. In 2007, Brooklyn's Historic
Industrial Waterfront – which includes DUMBO and Fulton Ferry Landing
– was named One of America's 11 Most Endangered Places by the National
Trust for Historic Preservation. This designation cites the risk of out-of-scale
development, saying that it would "permanently eras[e] what
makes Brooklyn special to the growing number of residents who call this
place home."

The 39th district travels its gerimandered route from Carroll Gardens to the Gowanus area, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington and Boro Park. Click on this map from Gotham Gazette for a better view.

 As a twist on the Breakfast-of-Candidates concept, Craig Hammerman (pictured with architect Gilly Youner, left, and artist Sheilia White, right)  invited me to have breakfast at his apartment. "I make a pretty mean omelet if you want me to cook," he wrote in an email.

So on the Sunday before St. Patrick's Day I arrived at Craig's small apartment on the ground floor of a brownstone, where he was already at work on a rather elaborate breakfast in his cramped kitchen. As Craig chopped mushrooms and Hungarian salami I asked him where he does his grocery shopping. "Sahadi's," he told me. "On Atlantic right across from my office."

Nicely dressed in a Ralph Lauren shirt without a tie, Craig has a Fu Manchu mustache/beard and a calm, easy going style. A third-generation Brooklynite, Craig was born in1965, attended Midwood High School and studied
chemical engineering and history at Rutgers University. After college
he taught high school science in Brooklyn even though he hadn't studied biology
since high school. Fortunately, his father, a professor of life science
at Long Island University, was able to help keep Craig a  week or two
ahead of the students. He cites his mother, who in addition to being a political science professor at Long Island
University for the past 30 years, worked for former Borough President
Howard Golden (1977-2000). Craig worked at a small manufacturing firm in Queen's before going to work at Community Board 6, where he's been for 19 years. In 1993, he was appointed district manager.

Of all the candidates, Craig is the the nuts and bolts guy; the one who most knows what it's like to serve the public day in and day out. "My job is 24/7. I have visibility and accessibility. When there's an emergency in the district, whether its fire or police, I know about it. I hate politics but I love being a public servant." In that capacity he is particularly proud of overseeing the
rebuilding of  infrastructure including the reconstruction of Smith Street; his focus on recycling and sustainability efforts; and the creation of Brooklyn's first dog run in DiMattina Park.

I watch as Craig expertly pours the egg mixture into the omelet pan. When its done, he carries our plates into the dining room, where he has set the table for two with nice plates, napkins and cups for coffee. There is fresh fruit in a bowl and a pitcher of orange juice.All in all, a lovely breakfast.

When we sit down to eat, Craig puts on music, a nice selection of soft rock, including Simon and Garfunkel. His son and his fiancee are in the bedroom staying out of the way of the interview.

Over breakfast, Craig tells me that this isn't his first run for City Council in the 39th district. He ran in 2001 (against Bill deBlasio, who won the race) because he saw the job as "a natural extension of what he was already doing," he tells me. "But I was a horrible campaigner and I tried to do too much myself." 

It didn't help that primary day 2001 was on 9/11.  By the time the
rescheduled primary came around two weeks later Craig says,  "I lost my
stomach for the campaign. There  was so much to do and people needed
consistency in leadership due to the tragedy."

In the ensuing years, he never lost his desire to be a member of the City Council. In fact, he says, "I'm more impassioned than ever." But this time he's hired a professional campaign staff to help him and he's made a list of things he wants to do differently.

"Always wear comfortable shoes, take care of myself. Last time I stopped exercising and that was a big mistake," he now says. A member of the Prospect park Track Club, Craig has run 6 marathons and plans to continue running during the campaign. 

Consistency is a theme with Craig. "The only constant in the city is the community. It's the most stable element," he tells me. "The people who make up the neighborhood. They grow up here, place roots here and want a voice in government."

Topping his list of important issues is the economy and support of local businesses (or mom and pop shops as he calls them). He thinks the city made a mistake putting "all its eggs in the real estate basket." According to Craig, "a more diverse local economy insulates you from volatility."

Craig is also interested in culture as an economic engine and has proposed that an arts center go into the vacant St. Thomas Aquinas Church on 4th Avenue and 8th Street. A plan likely to excite the Park Slope Community Hammerman says: "The future prosperity of our neighborhoods depends in large part upon
supporting the cultural soul of our community. This area needs a
non-profit contemporary community arts center that pulls together and
showcases the finest our neighborhoods have to offer."

The personal is political for Craig and he speaks openly about his own personal development since the last time he ran. He's not  afraid to admit that he's been in therapy, which enabled him to "scramble my own molecules." He even underwent training as a personal coach (with the Coaches Training Institute) because he found himself mediating so many battles in the community. That training has helped him, he says, "to show people that they  have more in common than not."

As for what qualifies him to be a City Council member, Craig believes that he's the candidate, who understands government, has a passion for policy and the necessary years of practical experience on the street as district manager.

Speaking of the street, Craig practically lives on the street in his ground floor apartment. From his front window, we watch the feet of the marchers in the Park Slope St. Patrick's Day Parade, as they walk up 9th Street toward Prospect Park West and hear the pounding of the drums and the tinkling of the xylophones.

When we finish breakfast, Craig tells me that he plans to join the revelers at the grandstand.  "You can choose to live insulated or to live in a connected way." Obviously Craig has chosen to connect with his community and  the citizens that make it tick. But it's his day-to-day experience on the community government level  that speaks volumes. "Anyone who goes to work for the City Council in 2010 better know how government works," he says. Clearly, Craig knows how it works from the ground floor up. And he's ready to move on from Community Board 6 to serve the public as a member of the City Council.

I heard it on WNYC this morning:

Mayor Bloomberg and New York's senators are announcing the six infrastructure projects that will get the $261 million dollars.

The
list includes new traffic ramps for the Staten Island ferry terminal,
and a new protective coating for two Bruckner Expressway bridges over
the Bronx River. Also the boardwalk at Rockaway, I hear.

Featured on OTBKB, Park Slope's Studio Bento got a nice plug from Daily Candy, which could translate into a lot of nice sales for their cute buttons. Hope so. They also make those cute PS I Love You t-shirts, as well as the shirts that say: One FunNY Kid. The following is the blurb from Daily Candy.

"Choose from the Peace collection (peace
symbols, smiley faces, and antiwar messages) or the FunNY Kid
collections (smiley faces and NY-focused sayings). There’s also an
assortment of message tees that nail your little guy’s funky attitude
and playful sense of style."

Today on Breakfast-of-Candidates OTBKB's interview/profile
series about the city council candidates in the 39th and the 33rd
districts in Brooklyn: Bob Zuckerman.

A long-time politico, Bob is currently
executive director of the Gowanus Canal Community Development
Corporation and  Gowanus Canal Conservancy.  He remembers the night
Richard Nixon was elected in  1968 (he was 7-years-old) and one of his
heroes is Harvey Milk.

Tomorrow: It's Brad Lander's turn. He's the intellectual of the group with two master's degrees and a BA from the University of Chicago. He's made his mark running community organizations like the Fifth Avenue Committee and Pratt Center for Community Development, advocating for affordable housing and community sustainability.

And in case you missed it, take a look at Breakfast-of-Candidates: Gary Reilly. At 34 he's not quite the youngest of the candidates (John Heyer beats
him on that score) but he's plenty wet behind the ears and full of
enthusiasm for what he's set out to do.

Helen Levitt was born in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn in 1913 and grew up to be one of the great street photographers of the 20th century. She was known for her lyrical and effusive photographs of children on the streets of Manhattan in the 1930's and 40's.  Today's obituary in the Times tells her story. Stay tuned for an appreciation from Hugh Crawford.