You’ve got to hand it to Helen Richman, who produces the Chocolate Chip Chamber Music series, which features professional musicians in engaging and interactive mini-concerts designed for 2-6 years olds.

The first show of the 2008 season, The Wonder Wind Saves the Day with the Sylvan Winds at Old First Reformed Church, impressed me very much.

Here’s the formula that works so well for this age group:

The concerts are comprised of an opening chocolate chip cookie theme song sing-along and a number of very brief musical selections performed by the musicians. "Baker Bobbie" (played by Jennifer Nelson) serves as the emcee and mascot and often finds her way out of a vexing situation with the help of the audience and the musicians. Performances end with instrument demonstrations, a hand-on experience for curious preschools, and a chocolate chip cookie for all in attendance.

I loved the script written by Charlotte Dooling, Hope Harris and Helen Richman and the clever, down to earth staging. Baker Bobbie’s sheet of cookies are stolen by Dr. Dissonance and it’s up to the Wonder Winds (Bassoon Boy, Friend or Foboe, French Hornet, Flute Lady and Captain Clarinet) to use their instruments to catch the theif.

In the process, the kids learned a little bit about each instrument, what dissonance is and listened to excerpts from a variety of pieces by Ligeti, Fancaix, Purcell, Nielson, Arnold, Lyadov and Farkas. There was plenty for the kids to do and at one point they were instructed to use their listening skills to really pay attention to a quiet lullaby by Anatoly Lyadov. All this in a half hour.

The musicians gave it their all: playing music, acting, even wearing superhero capes. And the audience seemed to enjoy just about everything. Especially the cookies at the end.

Kudos to everyone involved. I really think Helen and her team are on to something very special and educational for kids about classical music.

The next show is at A Pirates Treasure of Trumpets at the Dweck Center at the Brooklyn Public Library.

The Where and When

A Pirates Treasure of Trumpets
November 15 at 1 pm
Dweck Center at the Brooklyn Public Library (Grand Army Plaza)
 

It pains me these days to read the Goings On About Town listings in The New Yorker because my Dad personified those pages.

In his way, he was the ultimate appreciator of the arts in New York and always knew what was going on about town.

Not only that, he managed to see an awful lot of museum and and gallery shows, opera, orchestral and chamber music, film and Broadway shows. Even before he retired this was true.

For him, the arts were not an option, they were a necessity. I imagine they fed and sustained him; they kept his critical mind strong, his powers of taste and discrimination intact.  So as I look at The New Yorker it just doesn’t feel right that culture in New York City continues even though my father’s not around to enjoy it. Here is a sampling of this week’s listings that might have interested him:

KT Sullivan at the Algonquin Hotel singing the work of Jerome Kern.

Brazilian performers Romero Lubambo and Gal Costa at the Blue Note.

The Giorgio Morandi show at the Metropolitan

Van Gogh and the Colors of the Night at MOMA

Kirchner and the Berlin Street also at MOMA

All My Sons at the Schoenfeld

Billy Elliot at the Imperial Theater

The Opera, The Philarmonic, Carnegie Hall…

I feel the need to check what’s going on even though I rarely get a chance (or make the time) to take advantage of all of  New York’s cultural bounty. Not like my dad did. He was an inspiration in that way. He’d get the cheap Family Circle seats at the Metropolitan Opera (which he claimed were excellent); he’d go to TKTS for Wednesday matinees; pay the minimum donation at the Metropolitan Museum (because he went there so often); he was a regular at the art galleries in Chelsea, at Christy’s.

He was a man-about-town making a serious effort to keep up with the arts: exactly the kind of person artists make art for. Those for whom art is a necessity not an option.

Kids can find out what lives in the waters under the Manhattan Bridge! Join experts from the Coastal Marine Resource Center and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy as we use a 30-foot seining net to catch fish and other remarkable East River creatures.

Families and kids can take a good look at the fish before we release them back to their homes and keep a tally of our catch. We provide field guides, identification keys, and plenty of fun to go around. Space is available for 30 kids plus their parents/guardians. To reserve a place, call Kara Gilmour, Education and Stewardship Coordinator, at 718-802-0603 x18, or email kgilmour@bbpc.net.

The Where and When

Saturday, Oct 11, 11:30pm – 1:00pm
Beach in Brooklyn Bridge Park
FREE!
www.brooklynbridgepark.org

Yesterday my niece Sonya and I spent some time staring at the lizard in the back of the Community Bookstore. I’ve never spent quite so much time with that lizard. It was fascinating and fun for 4-year-old Sonya. What a cool creature to have in a bookstore.

The New York Times has decided to eliminate a separate Metro section and has moved local city news to the back of the A section.

Alas, the B-section is no more.

And the Metro section has a new name: New York.

The new name is fine. But I liked the Metro section as a separate, easy to grab section. Here’s how the Times’ described this big change.

Beginning today, The Times is consolidating some sections to increase production efficiency. What was The Metro Section is now the New York part of the main news section Monday through Saturday, after International and National news; New York will remain separate on Sunday. Sports will be in the Business Day section from Tuesday to Friday but will remain separate on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The Arts is a separate section all week, including on Saturday. There will be no reduction in any of the coverage.

Go on over to the Old Stone House to see the visual artisty of the wildly creative and talented Park Slope artist, Barbara Ensor, author of Cinderella (as if you didn’t already know the story), and her latest, Thumbelina, Tiny Runaway Bride.

The Where and When

Weekends: October 4-December 16
The Old Stone House
Fifth Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets in JJ Byrne Park

All members of the Park Slope community are encouraged to attend a neighborhood forum on Traffic and the following question: Are Thorough-fares for Traffic, or Part of the Residential Landscape?

The forum will address:

–Given that we recognize the multiple uses of our streets, what is necessary, and what simply isn’t working? What abuses are happening, and

–What Existing Controls could be Activated to Counteract?

–What New Ideas might be Effective, and

–How do we Move Forward Together to Make Change?

Judging from response to the first forum, the neighborhood seems to be eager to address the question of who controls the streets: Should thoroughfares which are relatively quiet and one-way therefore be devoted to traffic trying to move quickly, or should those same streets’ residential character dominate? Given numerous recent tragedies, it seems hard to avoid the conclusion that current double-use is not working well. Of particular concern at the moment is Eighth Avenue , so we could well focus on this problem, but with the understanding that Eighth Avenue is an example of the larger problem.

We are reaching out to representatives from the Department of Transportation (DOT) to attend, as well as locally resident Traffic and Urban Planning specialists. Once again, Craig Hammerman will be on hand to guide us through who to appeal to for change, and how.

As ever, the point of this Forum is to draw together all parts of our Community – residents, merchants, landlords, electeds, non-profits, activists, and . . . . you! We aim to engage in productive discussion addressing issues of mutual concern, and to thus begin finding actual solutions. We believe that by coming together we can help each other and our neighborhood – Which is to say, our Home. What have you got to lose? Please come out, and join the discussion. Who knows? We could even make Something happen.

The Where and When
Wednesday October 15th at 7 p.m.
The Community Bookstore
143 Seventh Avenue in Park Slope
718-783-3075

34 years and still going strong: The Atlantic Antic is a Brooklyn Institution

Spanning 10 blocks of Atlantic Avenue, from 4th Avenue in Boerum Hill all the way to Hicks Street in Brooklyn Heights, the Atlantic Antic is New York’s number one street festival, offering something for everyone!

Best known for its eclectic delicacies, the Antic features an exciting array of foods from around the world, from baklava and funnel cake, to grilled sardines and pulled pork sandwiches, to street fair favorites like fresh lemonade, fried mozzarella, and roasted corn. Go to their website to see a food map.

Ten live musical stages offer free performances all day, featuring blues, rock, country, R&B, jazz, music for kids, and belly-dancing.

Atlantic Avenue’s trendy restaurants and boutiques along with a host of local vendors, craftspeople, and nonprofits offer a hodgepodge of one-of-a-kind merchandise.

Kids and families enjoy plenty of pony rides, face painting, balloon sculptures, live storytelling, and more!

New York Transit Museum Bus Festival

The New York Transit Museum’s 15th Annual Bus Festival will also coincide with the Antic, taking place at the midway point of the festival, on Boerum Place. A collection of vintage buses dating all the way back to 1917 will be on display and ready to board, and visitors can also enjoy free admission to the museum, one block away on Schermerhorn Street.

I am a big fan of Gail Collins’ Op-Ed column in the New York Times. Here she is funny and astute on the VP debate:

She appeared to agree with Dick Cheney’s manic theory that the vice president is a member of both the executive and legislative branches, although it’s hard to tell since she began her answer this way: “Well, our founding fathers were very wise there in allowing through the Constitution much flexibility there in the office of the vice president. And we will do what is best for the American people in tapping into that position and ushering in an agenda that is supportive and cooperative with the president’s agenda in that position.”

When the moderator, Gwen Ifill, asked under what circumstances the candidates would consider bringing America’s nuclear weapons into play, Palin said: “Nuclear weaponry, of course, would be the be-all, end-all of just too many people in too many parts of our planet, so those dangerous regimes, again, cannot be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, period.”

It’s hard to remember that a month ago, very few people had ever heard of Sarah Palin. McCain sprung his vice-presidential selection on us at the last minute, possibly under the impression that the country felt things had gotten too boring lately, and would appreciate the excitement of having a minimally experienced political unknown serving as backup to a 72-year-old cancer survivor.

Since then, she has spent most of her time going from one Republican rally to the next, repeating chunks of her convention speech, which have grown more disjointed with every stop. (In an airplane hangar in Ohio recently, she told the people of Youngstown she was happy to be there because Alaska has, per capita, the nation’s most “small planes and small pilots.”)

The blogger over at Seeing Green sent his reaction to the Palin/Biden debate. We were happy for the chance to visit Seeing Green’s lively site, which is just filled with informative and opinionated posts about green living.

Well, that’s over. Good thing I didn’t get into the “chug a drink” if Palin says “maverick” game, I’d’ve missed most of the debate.
Now I am beginning to wonder if Palin deliberately set herself up (down?) in
the Couric interviews so expectations would be lowered. She was certainly
composed, assured and smiled a lot (way too much…I can image this gal
smiling as she “slips the shiv into ya”.) Even without prep, she should’ve
been able to say *something* to Couric’s questions.

Otoh, maybe she’s just such a good actor that the prep carried her through.

Biden I think was in such a bind (it showed in the first 15-20 mins) that he
was not “himself”…have you seen his fiery speeches on the trail? I can’t
understand why it’s “wrong” to “attack” a woman debater (as opposed to a
man) but every commentator I saw (3 women, 2 men) on MSNBC before the debate
mentioned that he has to be careful. It shows how conventional, if not
sexist, we (the grand unwashed public) are that we cannot treat Palin as a
candidate first and a woman second. Of course, she treats herself as a woman
first…didya catch those gold heels?!

But overall, Biden was on message, straightforward and assured (enough).
Polls claim 51-39 in his favor. I wouldn’t say he stumbled, but he
lacked fire. He was not too spontaneous. As one example,
when Palin brought out her “not answering the moderator’s question,” I
flashed that Biden could start his next with a loooong pause, say “Can’t
think of a question I’d rather answer, Gwen, so I’ll answer yours…” with
the right timing, things like that could’ve underscored Palin’s tricks.

Oh well, the Brits know how to do it. Or the French also, I read somewhere
that Sarkoczy and Royal had a two-hour, free-form, moderator-less
debate before the French presidential election.

On a different note, am I the only one who thinks it’s unconscionable for
Palin to lug her 3-month-old baby around? Granted he’s Down, but is it
drugged? Can he sleep ALL the time on TV?

Are you divorced or in the process of getting divorced?

You might be interested in the Park Slope Women’s Divorce Support Group, a group run by my friend, Marianne Gunther, LCAT, licensed art therapist, divorce “survivor,” and former Park Slope resident.

And a very nice person.

The Park Slope Women’s Divorce Support Group is a weekly psychotherapy group that helps women survive the divorce process, grieve the loss of their marriage, and begin to embrace the opportunity for deep self transformation and empowerment.

Note: The group is considering a name change because the group now meets on West 14th Street in Manhattan starting in September.

Those interested in participating are invited to call Marianne to schedule a free consultation/interview. The price is $30 per session.

Once accepted, members commit to confidentiality and must attend the entire ten-week session. The maximum number of participants is 8. Participants are welcome to continue into the next cycle.

Art therapy, a form of psychotherapy which utilizes the symbolic and non-verbal process of art making, has many benefits, including: containing overwhelming emotions, such as, grief, inherent in the divorce process; discovering aspects of oneself that may be repressed or denied, and reclaiming the inherent ability in every human being to create and transform painful experiences into opportunities of growth and empowerment.

Currently there is space for new members in the Divorce Support Group. Marianne is also recruiting members for a new group for women ending domestic partnerships.

Call Marianne to schedule an interview at : 347 628 9279

A story in the New York Times about Jessica Stockton Bagnulo, a Park Slope resident who is planning to open a bookstore in Ft. Greene. Here’s an excerpt.

After Jessica Stockton Bagnulo, 29, graduated from New York University with an English degree in 2001, she did what she was supposed to do, which was land a coveted job as an editorial assistant at a major publishing house.

She cried every day.

It wasn’t that Ms. Stockton Bagnulo did not love books enough. She loved them too much. Writing book-jacket copy from a cubicle, sorting files, “I felt so far from the things we were making,” she recalled.

Longing for the part-time job she had in college, at Three Lives, an independent bookstore in the West Village, Ms. Stockton Bagnulo returned to working there on weekends to cheer herself up. At some point she realized that graduate school in creative writing was not the answer (which was good, because she didn’t get in anywhere). “Gradually,” she said, “it dawned on me that the big, important thing I wanted to do was open a bookstore.”

In the age of Amazon and sky-high New York rents, that’s the kind of dream that works if, like Sarah McNally, who opened the McNally Jackson bookstore in SoHo almost four years ago, your family owns a successful bookstore chain in Canada. Ms. Stockton Bagnulo had no such backup. “I have no money, no trust fund, no wealthy relatives,” she said. “I don’t know anyone wealthy.”

Even if she did, her entrepreneurial dream might not look like the best repository for an investment: since 2000, about 75 independent bookstores in and around New York have closed, according to Eileen Dengler, executive director of the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association, a trade group for the tristate area.

Ms. Stockton Bagnulo decided that none of that should stop her. She built up experience at various independent bookstores (including, currently, McNally Jackson, where she is the events coordinator). A resident of Park Slope, she took a class from the Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation. Researching business plans for bookstores at the Brooklyn Public Library, she noticed fliers for a Citibank-sponsored competition for business plans, entered it — along with 200 other dreamers — and won the $15,000 first prize.

Meanwhile, a couple of neighborhoods over, in Fort Greene, a business group did a survey of residents in which 75 percent of respondents named a bookstore as their first choice for an addition to their retail landscape (which is already well-stocked with places where you can buy a $4 latte or a $150 bottle of wine). “We were hoping to find someone who owned a bookstore already,” said John Zeitlin, a member of the Fort Greene Indie Bookstore Initiative, an offshoot of the Fort Greene Retail Association, which conducted the survey. “But most of them weren’t in expansion mode.”

David Pogue in the New York Times put together a list called: Tech Tips for the Basic Computer User. It’s a good list. If you don’t know this stuff, you should.

* On most cellphones, press the Send key to open up a list of recent calls. Instead of manually dialing, you can return a call by highlighting one of these calls and pressing Send again.

* You can tap the Space bar to scroll down on a Web page one screenful. Add the Shift key to scroll back up.

* When you’re filling in the boxes on a Web page (like City, State, Zip), you can press the Tab key to jump from box to box, rather than clicking. Add the Shift key to jump through the boxes backwards.

* You can adjust the size and position of any window on your computer. Drag the top strip to move it; drag the lower-right corner (Mac) or any edge (Windows) to resize it.

* Forcing the camera’s flash to go off prevents silhouetted, too-dark faces when you’re outdoors.

* When you’re searching for something on the Web using, say, Google, put quotes around phrases that must be searched together. For example, if you put quotes around “electric curtains,” Google won’t waste your time finding one set of Web pages containing the word “electric” and another set containing the word “curtains.”

* You can use Google to do math for you. Just type the equation, like 23*7+15/3=, and hit Enter.

* Oh, yeah: on the computer, * means “times” and / means “divided by.”

* If you can’t find some obvious command, like Delete in a photo program, try clicking using the right-side mouse button. (On the Mac, you can Control-click instead.)

* Google is also a units-of-measurement and currency converter. Type “teaspoons in 1.3 gallons,” for example, or “euros in 17 dollars.” Click Search to see the answer.

* You can open the Start menu by tapping the key with the Windows logo on it.

* You can switch from one open program to the next by pressing Alt+Tab (Windows) or Command-Tab (Mac).

* You don’t have to type “http://www” into your Web browser. Just type the remainder: “nytimes.com” or “dilbert.com,” for example. (In the Safari browser, you can even leave off the “.com” part.)

* On the iPhone, hit the Space bar twice at the end of a sentence. You get a period, a space, and a capitalized letter at the beginning of the next word.

* Come up with an automated backup system for your computer. There’s no misery quite like the sick feeling of having lost chunks of your life because you didn’t have a safety copy.

I got this evite from Medusa, a Park Slope hair salon on Seventh Avenue near 1st Street, on 7th Ave and 1st Street, where they are planning to have a Sarah Palin factory up and running for about 4 hours on October 18th. For $75 you can have a Sarah Palin updo…

Think you have more foreign policy experience than the GOP VP?….Well, you probably do. Are you more equipped to handle the economy? Most likely. Think you would make a better VP than Sarah Palin? Definitely! So what are you missing? I’ll tell you….That amorphous bundle of good ol’ fashion small town kitsch resting safely atop Mrs. Palin’s head. Which is why the ladies of Medusa are bringing the Sarah Palin updo to Brooklyn. For $75 the Sarah Palin updo is yours and places you in the running to win best Sarah Palin look-a-like. Winner claims a prize valued at over $200 and all proceeds from this event go to Obama’s campaign Fund! The ladies “Submerged: Tales from the Basin” will be reading excerpts from their anthology; a book dedicated to hair (a portion of the books proceeds go to Katrina victims).

And if you would like to participate and are running low on funds $25 allows you to enter the competition. Please bring your checkbooks and lipstick and don’t forget to brush up on your Tina Fey impressions

.

The When and Where
Saturday, October 18th at 7 p.m.
Medusa Hair Salon
177 Seventh Avenue (between 1st and 2nd Streets)
(917) 699 3989

Some friends and I wandered into Bussaco late last Tuesday night. The place looked attractive and lively. Turns out they were having a dress rehearsal or something and we were turned away.

We were like, hey, we can pretend to be customers and drink some wine.

We will, however, be back next Tuesday night because it sounds like this new Park Slope restaurant is going to be quite the destination for NBC (that’s New Brooklyn Cuisine: see below). It also looks like a very nice place to get some wine.

I just came across the first story I’ve seen about the new restaurant in the old Black Pearl space on Union Street, which opens on Monday, October 6. It was on Grub Street, of course.

Bussaco will be the latest in New Brooklyn Cuisine (NBC) — and this place is so Brooklyn that the communal table is made from white oak salvaged from Prospect Park. Beat that! Chef Matthew Schaefer is embracing the term, though he also uses plain ol’ “New York cuisine” to describe dishes influenced by his time at Judson Grill under Bill Telepan (they get a touch of refinement thanks to Schaefer’s recent stint at Le Bernardin).

The chicken and waffles, for instance, are far from what you’ll find at Little House on Clinton: The brined, buttermilk-fried poussin is inspired by his southern wife’s recipe (it’s his favorite thing to eat). Another personal touch: The pastrami duck breast (with pumpernickel-bread stuffing) comes with sauerkraut made from his mom’s recipe of onions, apples, duck bacon, and caraway.

Bussaco’s owner, Scott Carney —a former partner at Gotham Bar and Grill and the Tonic in Chelsea — is also a seasoned sommelier whose wine list shies away from massive markups. There’s also a full bar, and in a week, an accompanying menu that will include a lobster roll, burger, and homemade pickle plate. Menu items for now:

I should have expected nothing less.

Still, I was surprised and thrilled by the sheer size of the crowd that made its way to the loft building location in Red Hook for Art Obama.

Hepcat, who had a photograph in the show, gave me directions. “Take 18th Street all the way west and keep going until you can go now more. You’ll come to a brick wall. That’s where you’re going.”

Those really are the directions to 62 18th Street, an industrial, end-of-the-world type of industrial Brooklyn location. Once there crowds were helpfully shown to a huge loft elevator, which took guests upstairs where volunteers signed people in.

I saw so many Third Street friends (and friends from other Park Slope streets as well) helping out at the sign-in table, pouring wine, greeting people that I said jokingly,

“Where are the real people?”

We were given our auction numbers and told to start bidding because, alas, that was the purpose of the evening: to make some money for Barack Obama.

More than 100 pieces of art lined the walls of three rooms. There was so much to see that for the first hour I just wandered around and drank too much red wine, some of which was supplied by wine expert and distributor, Daniel Johnes.

At one point I was toured around by a helpful artist. She showed me some of her favorite pieces; I pointed to a colorful gouache and acrylic on paper:

“I don’t know why no one has bid on that one yet,” I said.

“Oh that’s mine,” she said. “I’m Margaret Neill.”

“Well, I was planning on bidding on it,” I said and I did. I told her it was one of the pieces that I featured on OTBKB the other day. Now it’s pictured above.

And readers, I bought it.

Crowds continued to pour into the large space that is an artist’s studio when it’s not the site of a buzzing, schmoozy, fun benefit for change. As the evening progressed, there was a real charged air of excitement and fun, like, let’s make some money for Obama, guys. At 8:45 with just fifteen minutes left of bidding time, the starting bid on all the pieces that didn’t have bids on them dropped to $100. There were just a few items in that category but it definitely lit a fire under some undecided bidders in the same way that watching Sarah Palin debate Joe Biden lit a fire under some undecided voters (we hope).

For Obama, of course.

The event, coming on the heels of Thursday night’s Vice Presidential debate, had urgency and purpose. Kudos to the team who put the event together. They did it, miraculously, in three weeks: the power of an idea, loads of energy, and smarts.

In three short weeks, this motivated group was able to sign on a huge group of artists, organize the silent auction, make a web site, a great logo, pick up and hang the art, pull together a terrific party with wine and food and get a lot of friends, neighbors and supporters of Obama to come together on a Friday night and make some money for Barack Obama.

It was inspiring.

A young Orthodox man faces the water near the Belt Parkway as part of Rosh Hashana, a ritual that involves throwing bread crumbs into running water. Rosh Hashana marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year, a ten day period of reflection, repentance and celebration, which concludes with the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur.”

Photo: Tom Martinez/Witness Photography

Go to the petition website to sign the petition if you agree with what it’s about:

We, the undersigned, hereby urge our political and education leaders to create an Early Childhood Center in District 15. While the District is quite large, we urge this center to be located along the “F” subway line, which runs through most of the zoned area. The creation of such a center will:
1.) Alleviate the overcrowding in elementary schools, which currently house pre-k classrooms. (Unprecedented residential building growth and the popularity of these neighborhoods for young families is increasing elementary enrollment in District 15.)
2.) Provide young children the necessary foundations needed for their elementary education, thus increasing the standardized test scores in later grades.
3.) Make good on the promise of “Universal Pre-K” set forth by law in NY

.

Leon Freilich, Verse Responder, was inspired by this article in the New York Times. See poem below:

While the potential for a change in the city’s term limit laws has created a good deal of uncertainty and recalibration in the political landscape, there is one elected official who cannot seem to contain his excitement about the possibility of being able to run for re-election to his current office.

The Brooklyn borough president, Marty Markowitz, said that that nothing would make him happier than the chance to run for another term and that he is thrilled by reports of the mayor’s plan.

“Having the chance to present myself to the people of Brooklyn and reapply for my lease for four more years would be perfect for me,” Mr. Markowitz said in an interview on Wednesday morning.

“I always said that this was my dream job,” Mr. Markowitz said. “And to be able to do it for four more years would thrill me, absolutely thrill me. And I just hope that the people of Brooklyn would be thrilled, too. Well, not everyone will be thrilled, but I hope most of the people will.”

For some time, Mr. Markowitz described himself as being in something of a quandary about what position he might seek should be unable to run for re-election. Under the current term limits laws, he would be barred from running in 2009. And he has considered running for mayor.

Mr. Markowitz, who was elected borough president in 2001, was previously a state senator representing Flatbush. For years before going to Borough Hall, he had made clear that he saw the borough presidency as the crowning achievement of his political career. He ran for borough president in 1985, but failed to unseat the incumbent, Howard Golden.

The current law restricts members of the City Council, the mayor, the public advocate, the comptroller and borough presidents to two consecutive four-year terms. On Thursday, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is expected to propose that the current law be changed by a vote of the City Council. New York voters approved the two-term limit in a 1993 referendum, and reaffirmed it in 1996.

“Of course, I’ve been against term limits since they were first discussed,” Mr. Markowitz said. “I was against them both times when there was a vote about them. We already had term limits; they were called elections.”
He said he is fully supportive of the mayor’s plans and that he hopes the Council will support it. “I was giving some thought to running for mayor. But there’s no question that my preference has always been to serve the people of Brooklyn. This would be a great development.”

DEAR BROTHER RATNER

Can’t accept the job, Bruce,
Gotta understand the score;
Chance to make additional deals
Staying in Borough Hall four more.

The Center for the Urban Environment will be participating in this weekend’s Openhouse New York. Look! See!

Saturday October 4, 1 pm
                      Gowanus  Walking tour with Dan Wiley (WAIT LIST ONLY)
Explore the area’s changes as the Canal and its neighborhood experience
a renaissance. Dan Wiley will guide us through the area’s environment,
history and industrial architecture.

Green Building Tours
                      Saturday October 4
                      11:00  am, 11:30 am, 12:00 pm, 12:30 pm, 1:00 pm
Get an inside look at our new headquarters, on schedule to become the
borough’s first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
Certified Gold building for Commercial Interiors by the United States
Green Building
                    Council (USGBC).

Brooklyn Bridge Fun for Families
                      Sunday  October 5th
                      11:00  am – 12:30 pm, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Learn the fascinating history, design, and construction of the Brooklyn
Bridge and the wonders of its engineering. Create plate rubbings and
learn how a suspension bridge works through hands-on activities and a
scavenger hunt.

FREE

Reservations required: Email ohny@bcue.org to make a reservation

The Where and When
The Center for the Urban Environment
167 7th Street
Brooklyn, NY
Oct 4-5

Join the festivities at Art Obama tonight:  a silent auction of over 100 small works by American artists to support the election of Barack Obama and down-ticket Democrats.  Proceeds benefit the Obama Victory Fund. Donations also accepted for ActBlue, a clearinghouse supporting progressive House and Senate candidates nationwide. Space is limited, and pre-registration for this event is strongly recommended.  Tonight you can:

–Schmooze with friends and neighbors and fellow Obama supporters
–Buy some affordable fine art
–Drink wine, eat snacks
–Have a real good time AND do something to elect Obama
–If Obama is your man: Come to Art Obama
–You can bid on the astro turf sculpture that is pictured.

The Where and When
Friday, October 3, 2008
7 to 10 pm (bidding 7 to 9 pm)
62 Eighteenth Street, 5th Floor, Brooklyn, NY
$25 at the door

On Friday, October 10th, “Painted Space,” a new installation by Jacob Ouillette will open at the Open Source Gallery. In conjunction with the opening, a new ten-minute play, “Brooklyn Lighthouse,” by Anne Phelan is being produced at the gallery, directed by Ramona Pula. The play addresses art, time and Brooklyn history, and features Jennifer Boehm and Andrew Rothkin. The opening is from 7PM to 10PM, and during which the play will be presented twice. Admission to the gallery and the play is free.

Jacob Ouillette currently has work in “Introduction: Future Dialogues” at the Dean Project. An Edward F. Albee Foundation Fellow, he is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, and has shown work in New York City, Maine, New Hampshire and Basel. Anne Phelan met Jacob Ouillette at the Albee Foundation in 2002; she is a two-time Albee Fellow, a William Inge Playwright-in-Residence and has two plays published by Smith & Kraus. Her plays have been produced off-off-Broadway, in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Florida.

Ouillette’s installation will remain until November 15th. Open Source Gallery (http://open-source-gallery.org) is located at 255 17th Street (near Fifth Avenue), Brooklyn. Take the R to Prospect Avenue, or the F to Ninth Street.

It’s the 34th annual Atlantic Antic transforming ten blocks of Brooklyn’s Atlantic Avennue into a sea of live performances and treats from around the world.

Spanning from Hicks Street to Fourth Avenue, passing through Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, and Boerum Hill in the heart of brownstone Brooklyn, the Atlantic Antic is one of the largest street fairs in the country. Closed to traffic for the day, the 2008 Atlantic Antic, which this year sold out available spaces in record time, will showcase the best of the rich cultural, culinary, and commercial diversity along Atlantic Avenue.

Muslim boys in traditional dress to celebrate the end of Ramadan 
(Brooklyn, NY).      
Photo: Tom Martinez

Ramadan or Ramazan (Arabic: رمضان, Ramaḍān) is a Muslim  religious observance that takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar; the month in which the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.

It is the Islamic month of fasting (sawm), in which participating Muslims do not eat or drink anything from true dawn until sunset.

Fasting is meant to teach the person patience, sacrifice and humility. Ramadan is a time to fast for the sake of God, and to offer more prayer than usual. During Ramadan Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance and help in refraining from everyday evils, and try to purify themselves through self- restraint and good deeds.

Tom Martinez
Witness Photography

On Monday, October 6 at 11:30 am, the Prospect Park Bandshell will be dedicated to Harvey Schultz. There will be a plaque and speeches by quite a few NYC big shots including Parks Commisioner Benepe, Julius Spiegel,  Tupper Thomas,  Emily Lloyd, Ed Koch,  Marty Markowitz,  Marty Golden and Jack Walsh. 

So, who is Harvey W. Schultz guy? Well…

Harvey W. Schultz held many key positions in New York City Government.  From 1974 until 1977, he headed the Brooklyn Office of City Planning. From 1977 to 1985, he was executive assistant to Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden.  In 1986, Schultz was appointed DEP commissioner by then-Mayor Ed Koch, and served in the position for four years.  He went on to establish his own consulting company, Strategic Urban Solutions, and, beginning in 2000, was also a senior partner with Muss Development, a real estate company.

Harvey W. Schultz was a man of great vision.  He helped foster and direct support to a number of Brooklyn’s most important cultural, social-service and recreation organizations and institutions.  The Celebrate Brooklyn Performing Arts Festival and the Prospect Park Alliance are especially grateful for his years of advice and assistance.

Harvey W. Schultz was born in Brooklyn on November 12, 1940.  He died in Brooklyn, on September 6, 2007.  He is survived by his wife, Nanette Rainone, three sons, grandchildren and other family. And here’s what Jack Walsh, Director Performing Arts Programs, BRIC Arts|Media|Bklyn and Executive Producer, Celebrate Brooklyn! Performing Arts Festival had to say about Harvey:

          “Harvey had a tremendous impact on the launch of the Celebrate Brooklyn Performing Arts Festival and on the renovation of the Bandshell from a run-down structure to the great venue it is today.  Harvey was also an invaluable and trusted member of the Celebrate Brooklyn Advisory Committee. We are honored that the Bandshell, where the Festival is held every year, will be dedicated to this wonderful man who was loved by and is missed by so many people.”

Brooklyn Optimist wants to help Brooklynites become more informed about Brooklyn’s elected officials. Below there are links to these very educational 

A number of the Optimist’s readers have reached out to him over the
past year asking for a complete list of Brooklyn’s elected officials.
This is a very good question! As easy as it would seem in the age of
the internet to get this kind of basic information, it’s actually a lot
more difficult than you might think.

So,
as a public service to my fellow Brooklynites, I present the following
series of posts to make it transparent and easy to track down the names
of all your Members of Congress, State Senators, Assembly Members,
Council Members, and even the District Leaders for the Democratic Party.

Part I: Brooklyn’s U.S. Congress
Members

http://brooklynoptimist.blogspot.com/2008/10/brooklyn-politics-who-are-brooklyns.html

Part II: Brooklyn’s State Senators

http://brooklynoptimist.blogspot.com/2008/10/brooklyn-politics-who-are-brooklyns_02.html

Part III: Brooklyn’s State Assembly
Members

http://brooklynoptimist.blogspot.com/2008/10/brooklyn-politics-who-are-brooklyns_9312.html

Part IV: Brooklyn’s City Council
Members

http://brooklynoptimist.blogspot.com/2008/10/brooklyn-politics-who-are-brooklyns_3809.html

Part V: Brooklyn’s Democratic
District Leaders

http://brooklynoptimist.blogspot.com/2008/10/brooklyn-politics-who-are-brooklyns_03.html

Today Brownstoner has a list from Brooklynian of Park Slope’s hidden/or not so hidden gems; the laces that the real Park Slopers know and love. It’s an ongoing list and you can add your own suggestions. The list seems to extend the definition of Park Slope (Windsor Terrace, Sunset Park, etc). But hey, a list is only a list. Please send me your Park Slope gems. These are just a few excerpts.

Donuts: "7ave, btw 8th and 9th. For my money there is not a
better BLT in the hood. Plus they are open at 4am which is huge for
me…"

Best doctor:
Dr. Burton Fletcher. He is bearded, left handed, kind, and old school.
He admits when he doesn’t know and will not over prescribe. He is a
member of a dying breed: classically trained in the art of family care
with a wide ranging knowledge base. I like that he delivers your fate
directly, clearly and without deviation.

Best one-two punch of a corner: If Barbes didn’t smell like
a French woman’s armpit and if Collson’s wasn’t always out of whatever
I might want I’d say 9th St and 6th Ave. As it stands, however, 6th
Ave. and 20th street gets the nod. Kitchen Bar is just flat out good.
Nice bar, good, small, fresh dishes… next door is BBQ or something…
huge plates of meat – like bring a suitcase for leftovers size plates,
beans, collard greens, etc… Much more importantly, it has the best
bourbon menu in Park Slope and likely beyond. We are talking 30-40 wide
ranging varieties all for $5-$7. You cannot beat this place.

Best bagel alternative: The Pie Shop. Prospect Park West at
16th st. We’re not talking your grandmother’s thanksgiving day standby;
these pies are meaty and bursting with flavor. They are designed to be
easy-to-carry and eat on the go, perfect if you’re looking to skip the
bagel joint across the street on your way to the train. My personal
favorite is the mince steak and cheese.

Best Sandwich Counter: The sandwich counter at the back of A&S (5th
and Garfield, I think), is money. You might pay a couple dollars more
than at a regular deli, but it’s worth it — I live and die for Il
Classico –, just-salty-enough mozz, perfectly thin proscuitto, fresh
basil, tomatoes on awesomely delicious bread. Add oil and vinegar if yr
nasty.

Best beer selection: Eagle Provisions

I’ve been hearing about a pre-school petition to increase the number of pre-K classes in Brooklyn’s District 15. Here, My Sidewalk Talk, explains the situation:

Here is the issue in a nutshell. There has been tremendous building in all of the neighborhoods in northwest Brooklyn in the school Districts 14 (Williamsburg/Greenpoint) District 13 Brooklyn Heights/Dumbo to Western Bed Stuy) District 15 (Cobble Hill and Park Slope down to Sunset Park and Kensingston) PreKs are not mandated grades in public school and there can only be as many classes as there are free classrooms in a school. These classrooms can only serve 18 students by law. Some of the schools have half day preKs to reach more families, but that doesn’t help if you need coverage as well as education. As the schools fill up they will be forced to take over classrooms which usually house preK classes. It makes sense to group preK classes together in Public School Early Childhood Centers where staff can share resources and development. Sunset Park has the Magnet School for Early Childhood that has been very successful and has a waiting list. The city is building a new Early Childhood Center at 64th and 4th Ave. which will house 18 classrooms for PreK through 2nd grade as well as a medical suite, library, indoor playspace, cafeteria, community/parent room, a playground and will be the first “green school” in Brooklyn. It will serve the great need in Sunset Park, but not in the rest of the District.

Parents in the northern section of District 15 are becoming concerned that a number of the few preK classes available will be in jeopardy in the next couple of years so they are beginning to organize around the idea of starting their own Early Childhood Center a little further north. Everybody thinks that the parents in Park Slope and Carroll Gardens are affluent and they will manage on their own. The thing is that these neighborhoods are tremendously diverse including the projects and pioneers in Red Hook and Boerum Hill, the artists in Gowanus the working class families from Carroll gardens to Windsor Terrace, the new immigrants as well as the high rises along 4th Ave. and all of these parents are working to keep their heads just above water. What starts here can spread to Fort Greene, Bed Stuy, Greenpoint and beyond. The City tried to make the preK process more fair last year by instituting the lottery. All it showed us was how desperate families are for a reasonable, local, quality preK option.

I don’t think anybody disputes the benefits of appropriate early childhood education. The benefits to pre-literacy and socialization have been documented for years. Families also need a break financially, and unfortunately it seems that “Universal” PreK is just a dream. If it is true that the mommies run Brooklyn it is time we make our power felt and get our needs met.

I did some very fast numbers based on the Accountability reports from 2006. The schools I listed were ones that are not within range of the Magnet School for Early Childhood and they didn’t seem to be breaking even on their preK/ K populations. Check out 107, 146, 261 and 321 in particular. As the buildings on 4th Ave. fill up 321 will need it’s preK classrooms for K and the population at 124 and 295 will most certainly increase.
PS 10, prek 54 seats, K 87 seats
PS 15, prek 29, K 50
PS 29, prek 54, K 79
PS 39, prek 36, K 61
PS 58, prek 70, K84
PS 107, prek 18, K 84
PS 124, prek 35, K 39
PS 130, prek 52 (but none of them is full day) K 83
PS 146, prek 36, K 81
PS 261, prek 36, K 108
PS 295, prek 36, K 52
PS 321, prek 52 (but only 18 are full day) K 191

Please help us to bring this issue to the attention of the DOE. We need to get the word out so that concerned parents can sign Melissa’s petition.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ECCforBROOKLYN/

Thanks,
Joyce Szuflita
www.nycschoolhelp.com
www.mysidewalkchalk.blogspot.com

I got this email from Hillary, the blue-haired cat lady cashier at Shawn’s who apologized for the mass email but explained that she needed to get the word out to as many people as possible. Then she added: “Second, I know that many of you already have cats, are allergic, can’t have cats, don’t want or like cats but like me so you put up with my lunacy.”

That’s right, Hillary. Here’s the rest of what she had to say:

Recently I discovered a mother cat, calico/tabby mix with a white bib, living in a storage lot in my neighborhood (Crown Heights). I thought she only had 1 kitten, a fluffy 4-5 month old orange tabby but it turns out she has 5 more little kittens! A brown tabby, brown calico, orange tabby, a tuxedo, and a mostly all black kitten, around 6-8 weeks. As if that weren’t enough, I found another mother cat with 2 kittens around the same age just up the block. Mama is mostly white with grey patches, the kittens look like muted calicos.

Here’s the problem, we need to trap the mothers and kittens in about 10 days. If the kittens are friendly we don’t want to release them back onto the street so we need foster homes for them. The mothers may be friendly enough to find a home but we won’t know that until we trap them. Most of you know that I’m at maximum cat capacity right now so I’m hoping that one of you knows someone who would be willing to foster one or more of these babies. I would, of course, be willing to help with the adjustment period and anything else. I’ll work with the rescue groups I know to get everyone their vet care and help find homes. So please don’t worry that I would just dump kittens on someone and skip town! If anyone can help in any way I would be eternally grateful and if you can’t foster but want to help, food, litter, old towels or sheets for bedding, toys, and small bowls for food would be a big help also.

If you’ve made it this far without deleting my email, thank you, thank you! I chose you guys to contact because of your kindness and big hearts, I adore you all.

xoxo
Hillary
(the blue-haired cat lady cashier

)

Greetings Park Slope Liberal Drinkers!

Tonight is the Vice Presidential Debate.
It will be grand.

Commonwealth Bar will be showing the VP debate at 9pm.

Vice Presidential Debate
Tonight, Oct 2
9pm
Commonwealth Bar
12th St and 5th Ave

Commonwealth is expecting a large and feisty crowd, so don’t watch at home alone!