Tuesday is the congressional primary (US House and Senate). The polls will open in NYC at 6AM and stay open until 9PM.  If you’re not sure where you’re voting and who you are voting for check this out:

This Poll Site Locator has been designed to provide a registered voter with the location of his or her poll site, which is based on the address entered. When there is an Election Event in the Election District for the address entered, sample ballots are available. Please note that these are “sample” ballots; the ballots used on Election Day may be different as a result of court order(s).

It is your democratic responsibility to vote.  Tuesday is the primary. And if you’re not registered to vote in the presidential election get registered.

According to the MTA Service Advisory: There is no service on the 2 train between 34th Street and Flatbush Avenue and no 3 train service on June 25 – 29 from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m.

Photo from City of Strangers

My friend Brenda Becker of Crazy Stable and Prospect: A Year in the Park had this to say about this morning’s thunderstorm. “Awoke to pitch-dark apocalypse. Thunderbolts and lightning, very very frightening! Better now, but a bizarre start to the week!”

I agree that it was a  bizarre start to the week! Monday is supposed to be the kick-ass day and hearing that rain and thunder made me want to just stay in bed for as long as possible. Luckily, it stopped just when I needed to jump out of the house…

On Wednesday, June 27 at 7PM at Park Slope’s Community Bookstore, Rich Cohen, the bestselling author of books like Tough Jews, Sweet and Low, and Lake Effect will talk about his latest, The Fish that Ate the Whale.

Cohen’s new non-fiction book is about Samuel Zemurray, a little know antihero, the son of a Jewish Russian farmer. He started with nothing but a pile of rotten bananas, overthrew two governments in Central America, created the basic CIA template, bested and took over United Fruit, and went to war with Huey Long.

Cohen will talk about the book and his body of work with Jason Diamond who has a blog called Vol 1 Brooklyn This event is brought to you by Vol. 1 and the Jewish Book Council.

It’s such a simple and delightful concept. And what a perfect day for such a thing.

Today, Saturday, June 23rd from 10 AM to 2 PM at Pier 1 of Brooklyn Bridge Park. Sponsored by Little Things and Park Slope Parents, Blue Marble Ice Cream will be there, too.

Today, for all intents and purposes, is the last day of public elementary and middle school, even though the calendar lists Wednesday, June  27th as the date.

Because there were no snow days this  year, two staff development days were added to the calendar and those fall on Monday, June 25th and Tuesday, 26th, 2012. Those days are being called Non-attendance days for students and professional development days for staff.

Wednesday June 27, 2012 is the official last day school but because it is a half-day a lot of parents may not send their kids. The schools will, of course, be OPEN to accommodate the students, who do come in.

Because of this irregular ending to school, report cards are being distributed today at PS 321 and probably other local schools.

High schools have just completed two weeks of Regent exams. My daughter will be picking up her report card at Murrow on Wednesday, June 27th.

Rents are going up due to market forces and last night New York City’s Rent Guidelines Board voted to increase rents for those with rent stablization.

There are nearly 1 million rent stabilized apartments, including mine.

According to WNYC: “The board, by a vote of 5-4, approved raises of 2 percent or $20 for one-year leases and a 4 percent or $40 for two-year leases. Individual raises in rent depend on whichever number is greater>”

This will impact renters signing or renewing leases in October 2012.

Illustration from http://thechadlaneteam.wordpress.com/

Mine wasn’t and I called Time Warner Cable and got a message that service was out in my area.  Did anyone else have this problem? It seems to be working now. Well, obviously. Otherwise I wouldn’t be blogging. Duh.

The Clay Pot, Park Slope’s fine jewelry and artisan home goods store, won first place at the 9th annual Designer Retailer Awards on Sunday June 3rd during JCK Las Vegas Jewelry Week.

This award is a big deal in the retail jewelry biz. And The Clay Pot is a big deal around here. Founded by the Silberberg family forty years ago, the shop originally sold ceramics. In fact, at one time there was a potter’s wheel in the shop.

They’ve come a long way, baby

Now the shop is nationally recognized as a resource for fine jewelry by America’s top jewelry designers. Their selection of wedding and engagement rings is considered one of the best, if not the best, in the city. They now represent over 75 jewelry artists working in a range of materials and styles.

“We were absolutely thrilled to be presented with the award for the best designer retailer. We have always championed the work of innovative, up and coming designers and it is an honor to work with their exquisite products,” said Tara Silberburg from The Clay Pot. “We are so pleased that they have recognized us for our efforts.”

49 other shops were also singled out for excellent. The criteria for which these awards were given: “educating the consumer on the quality and value of designer jewelry; displaying and merchandising designer products for maximum salability and finally, their commitment to fair business practices.”

We can certainly vouch for the  Clay Pot’s excellence all around.

Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez is facing her first serious primary challenge in twenty years. Surely this has to do with the  fact that her district was recently redrawn and it now reaches into Northern Brooklyn.

On Friday night, you can Nydia fight it out with Erik Martin Dilan, Dan O’Connor (and George Martinez?) on a NY 1 debate which will be broadcast at 7 PM and 10 PM.

Lots of changes over at ye olde Community Bookstore, Park Slope’s center of many things literary and/or bookish. They got a new wood floor, but that’s old news.

They’ve also got some cool newish staff, including Dan Wilbur, this guy who has a hilarious blog called Better Book Titles, and a book by that coming out from Penguin in September. He was at Book Expo a few weeks back and you can see video of him at his site.

They also have a beautiful new logo (hand drawn by A. C. Harkness) and a new bookmark. Soon there will be a new t-shirt and tote bag.

Now they’re getting a new awning. I’m not saying it’s, like, up yet. But the old one is off. Here’s what the CB newsletter writer (Ezra?) had to say about all this newness.

“We’re very excited about our new logo (see above) and not only because we think we recognize the fauna hidden among the flora exquisitely hand-drawn by our own A. C. Harkness. We can finally launch many of the projects that had been on hold pending completion of the final design. We have new bookmarks and tote bags, and will soon get an awning that neither leaks nor advertises a cafe that closed before many of our younger customers were born.”

I just found this cool thing on the Internet (nyc.gov to be exact. See below for link).

This Poll Site Locator has been designed to provide a registered voter with the location of his or her Poll Site, which is based on the address entered. When there is an Election Event in the Election District for the address entered, sample ballots are available. Please note that these are “sample” ballots; the ballots used on Election Day may be different as a result of court order(s).

This could be helpful. Interesting at least. Give it a go. Next Tuesday is the primary.

Get your primary on.

The June 26 primary is next Tuesday: do you know where your polling place is? Good time to find out. If you are a first time voter you should find out what you need to know. If you’re longtime voter: you need to know what’s on the ballot so you don’t feel like a total nincompoop when you go to your polling place.

Here’s a complete list of candidates and info from the League of Women Voters.

Perhaps the most important race is the race for Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez’s seat. Her seat is being contested for the first time in two decades. Dan O’Connor, George Martinez, and City Council member Erik Martin Dilan are fighting it out while Velazquez gets a lot of big endorsements.

That said: this is not a shabby group of contenders. You can learn more about these congressional candidates here:

Dan O’Connor

Erik Martin Dilan

George Martinez

There could be brownouts today. According to WNYC radio, the temperatures could reach 100. I got an 8AM robo call from Con Edison informing me that they are doing repairs in Park Slope but that if we experience a dimming of electricity or brownouts to call: 1-800-752-6633.

According to McBrooklyn, they have reduced the power by 5%, which may cause brownouts to many Brooklyn neighborhoods. “More than a thousand customers were without power at 10PM Wednesday night, but that number is fluctuating.”

Park Slope is definitely one of the voltage reduction neighborhoods. They are suggesting that we reduce our usage and not use dishwashers, washing machines, dryers and even air conditioners unless absolutely necessary.

Ordinary Miracles: The Photo League’s New York is a feature-length documentary film which tells the story of the rise and politically motivated fall of the Photo League, (1936–1951) which for fifteen years served as the center of the documentary movement in American photography.

I saw an excerpt of this film at the recent Photo League exhibition at the Jewish Museum and it was very interesting. Mary Engel, who lives in Park Slope, was a contributing producer on the film. She is the daughter of Ruth Orkin and Morris Engel, renowned photographers and filmmakers.

The film will be at the Quad Cinema in Greenwich Village from June 22-28.

I was telling my new neighbor that we used to put a green Little Tikes plastic turtle pool in our front yard on Third Street on hot days when the kids were little. The kids would stay in the pool all day, the moms would dip their toes continuously. Lemonade, water, white wine was readily available.

Voila: a perfect solution to a hot day in Park Slope.

She reminded me that at the new Washington Park Playground, there’s lots of water action. No need anymore for green turtle pool.

Read Third Street Suburbia about those good old days in the front yard.

This is really unbelievable. And people wonder why I call Lopez the Darth Vader of Brooklyn politics. The article,With Three Spirited Primaries: Competitive Democracy is Breaking Out, is by Michael Powell is in today’s NY Times. District Leader Joanne Simon put it on Facebook (that’s where I saw it). What an interview. The portrait to the left is by Jerry Miller and it’s from City Hall Magazine.

Mind you: there’s a primary on June 26th. That’s next Tuesday. Don’t forget to vote in the congressional primary.

Vito J. Lopez, assemblyman and chairman of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, is trying to help me understand why he longs to electorally decapitate his borough’s senior Democratic congresswoman, Nydia M. Velázquez.

She doesn’t call him, she doesn’t talk to him, Mr. Lopez says. It’s rude.

“I get a lot of agita as leader,” explains Mr. Lopez, a hulking fellow who is perhaps the city’s foremost practitioner of tomahawk-in-the-forehead politics.

“Why not say to me” — Mr. Lopez offers his closest possible approximation of a cheery tone — “ ‘Hi Vito’; ‘How are you, Vito?’; ‘Are you well, Mr. Democratic Leader?’

Adrian Benepe, New York City’s longtime parks commissioner, is stepping down. He’s been with Parks since Bloomberg’s first term in 2002. He has accepted a position at the Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit conservation organization.

Veronica M. White, the founding executive director of the city’s Center for Economic Opportunity, will take over for Commissioner Benepe. This news was announced this morning. Bloomberg had this to say:

“Adrian Benepe has done extraordinary work as parks commissioner, leading transformative changes in every corner of New York City, and I couldn’t be prouder that he is going to lead the Trust for Public Land’s new initiative to replicate our work in cities across the country.”

Second Sunday in June, Father’s Day, the Seventh Avenue Fair. Life can be predictable. The white tents come out, the roasted corn, the zeppole trucks, the lemonade stands…

What’s nice is that the fair still has a local feeling. It’s not all sock stands and weird mops. Eric Shoes will be out there selling men and women’s shoes at discount. Two Boots has a stand this year, International Taste will be selling middle-eastern treats, the Community Bookstore is having readings and participating in the Scavenger Hunt, the Food Coop will be recruiting no doubt.

By  11am it should be in full swing. The sky is meant to clear, the crowds will come. It’s the second Sunday in June, Father’s Day, time for the Seventh Avenue Fair.

Celebrate the Summer Solstice at the North Brooklyn Boat Club, a group which advocates human-powered boating on/and environmental restoration of the waterways around Greenpoint and Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

They are a volunteer-run community organization. Anyone with an  interest in boating, open space, environmental education, and nautical recreation is invited to join.

I heard about this group at Pastor Daniel Meeter’s herring party the other day at Two Boots. An artist there told me about this event and it piqued my interest.

Sometimes North Brooklyn seems so far away from Park Slope. But damn, they do cool stuff over there.

The North Brooklyn Boat Club along the scenic shores of super fun Newtown Creek is throwing its first annual Solstice Party, which is also a fundraiser for the group. The event will include games, food, drinks, dancing, and more.

There is no cover and all funds raised will go towards their volunteer-run community organization connecting Brooklyn to its waterways. The party is this Wednesday, June 20th, from 6pm to midnight at the Broadway Stages Boatyard next to the Pulaski Bridge at 49 Ash Street (at McGuinness Boulevard).

Seems that Brooklyn Brewery and the New York Distilling Company are providing liquids.

The Broadway Stages Boatyard is located at 49 Ash St (at McGuinness Blvd) right below the Pulaski Bridge pedestrian path.

Is something troubling you? Do you need advice about love, money, family, children, neighbors, Park Slope, school? Do you have a very practical question or a more existential one? Maybe you’re just looking for something to buy, eat, do, or see in Brooklyn.

No question too big or small.

Dear Listen (DL) will listen to your question, think about it, and offer you the best advice DL has to offer. Or not. If DL doesn’t know the answer, DL will reach out to someone who does.

No names will be used. This is anonymous, discreet and possibly very helpful.

Send emails to Dearlisten(at)gmail(dot)com

Nydia Velazquez represents the 12th congressional district which includes parts of Park Slope. She’s been doing it for twenty years and this year she is being opposed by three Democratic candidates in the primary on June 26th, including George Martinez, the Occupy Wall Street candidate, about whom the Village Voice currently has a cover story, Dan O’Connor and City Council Member Erik Martin Dilan.

This morning President Obama endorsed Nydia. Here’s what he had to say

“For the past two decades, Rep. Nydia Velázquez has been a constant advocate for middle-class families, helping to create an economy built to last where everyone has an opportunity to achieve the American Dream,” said President Obama.

“Rep. Velázquez has worked tirelessly to create good middle-class jobs through community projects, provide affordable housing so folks have a decent place to lay their head at night, and invest in education so that the children in her district receive the quality education they deserve. The people of NY’s 7th Congressional need to re-elect Rep. Velázquez so that she can keep fighting for them in Congress.”

Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez is currently serving her tenth term as Representative for New York’s 12th Congressional District, now known as the 7th CD. In the 112th Congress, she is the Ranking Member of the House Small Business Committee and a senior member of the Financial Services Committee. In 1992, she was the first Puerto Rican woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Continue reading Obama Endorses Velazquez in Congressional Primary Race →

Over at Brooklyn Borough Hall, BP Marty Markowitz is announcing the date and authors slated for the Brooklyn Book Festival.Here’s what I heard: The Brooklyn Book Festival will take place on Sunday, September 23, 2012, at Borough Hall, St. Francis College , Brooklyn Historical Society, St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church and Columbus Park .

For the first time, an entire week of Brooklyn Book Festival “bookend events” will be held at clubs, bookstores, parks, theaters and libraries throughout the borough from September 17-23. For an up-to-date list of confirmed authors, visit www.brooklynbookfestival.org.

A partial list of the authors includes, Kurt Andersen, Paul Auster, Mary Higgins Clark, Billy Collins, Leela Corman, Andrea Cremer, Edwidge Danticat, Thomas Frank, Pete Hamill, Gilbert Hernandez, Jaime Hernandez, Katrina vanden Heuvel, John Hodgman, Derek Kirk Kim, Dennis Lehane, Philip Levine, Jaime Manrique, Terry McMillan, Carla Speed McNeil, Joyce Carol Oates, Stewart O’Nan, R.J. Palacio, Francine Prose, Esmeralda Santiago, Sapphire, Jon Scieszka, Adrian Tomine, Colson Whitehead, E.O. Wilson, James Wolcott