The Where & When

Fabulous 5th Ave. Fair

Park Slope, Sterling Pl. to 12th Street

Sunday May 17
From 11 AM until 7 PM

Walking out of Possibilities, that chotchka and card emporium on Seventh Avenue, I saw a father and son walking in.

"This is a woman's store," the father said.

"It is?" the boy asked.

"Yes, my son. You see there are only women in here…"

The sexist implications aside somehow I knew
that the two of them were about to embark on an important mission:
buying a  Mother's Day gift.

Ah, the pressure. The agony. The thump thump thump heart beating anxiety to locate a perfect gift for mom.

As you can imagine, Mother's Day is a big deal around here. On the Saturday before, hordes of fathers with children will crowd Seventh Avenue making the pilgramage
to
the Clay Pot, which will be filled to the gills with clueless
men and kids struggling to find the perfect gift.

More than once, when shopping for a gift for my mother, I've been
tempted to steer a particularly clueless man toward what I knew would
be a more appropriate gift. But I resisted. It was not my place. If I
did, however, run into a friend's husband, I might make a small
suggestion. But hey, it was all in the name of friendship and karma
(and she could thank me later for the Lisa Jenks necklace).

While there are now many good stores to choose from (Living on
Seventh, Loom, Bird, Treasure Chest) in Park Slope And too, too
many places to name on Fifth Avenue (Diane Kane, Matter, Flirt, Cog and
Wheel, Eidolan and on and on…), the Clay Pot is still, symbolically,
the destination of choice, the holy grail of Mother's Day gifts.

For one thing, they have a comprehensive selection of the best in
contemporary jewelry design (at a variety of price points) and they
feature an eminently tasteful selection of the best in contemporary
home and gift items. As they say on their web site:

"The Clay Pot was established in 1969 as an urban ceramics
studio by Robert and Sally Silberberg. Thirty-five years ago Park Slope
was hardly the enclave for young professional families it is today, but
it was always a neighborhood, and The Clay Pot is essentially a
neighborhood store. Joined by their daughter Tara in 1990, the store
now reflects her passion for jewelry and has developed into a
nationally recognized source for America's premier jewelry designers."

Plus, they make it so easy for men to find a gift that will make
their wives swoon. The window is chock full of great ideas, as is the
store itself. But more importantly, their long-time employees are the
best at giving advice on gifts at every price range and style. They ask
all the right questions (price, personal style of the recipient, likes
and dislikes) and take the time to work with you. From hand crafted,
simple and tasteful, high design or even something with a little Bling, there's something for mom's taste.

That brown Clay Pot gift box with a black ribbon is the de-facto
Park Slope equivalent of the blue Tiffany box. To many a woman it means
that her husband has done his job, that he's reached to the sky and
pulled down a star. Good work.

Some men even venture into the vaulted and expensive wedding ring
department. Oooooooh. Now that's a guy who really knows how to buy a
gift.

Someone just wrote in about a police situation in Windsor Terrace on Saturday night. 

Pardon me for Asking has photos and video of the car being fished out of the Gowanus on Saturday morning. Here's an excerpt. Go to PMFA for more. 

"On Friday night car plunged into the Gowanus Canal at Bond and DeGraw. I heard the helicopters overhead but then fell asleep again."

Go to Hugh Crawford's Smugmug page to see all the pictures he took.

Participants at the Brooklyn Blogfest on May 7th 2009, who let Hugh Crawford take of picture of them at the after-party at Galapagos Art Space, included Andy Newman of The Local, the New York Times' Ft. Greene blog; unknown bloggers; Tracy Collins of Another Freakin' Blog; Anne Pope of Sustainable Flatbush; Michael White of Noticing New York ; Nick;  Homer Fink of Brooklyn Heights Blog; a group of Clinton Hill bloggers, including Robin Lester of Clinton Hill Blog. and Melissa and Larry Lopata of Hip Slope Mama. 

  Atiba Edwards, one of the Blogfest Planning Group and with F.O.K.U.S.; Jon Butler, Brownstoner chatting with Jake Dobkin, Gothamist.  Eleanor Traubman of Creative Times with audience members; Katya Kelly of Pardon Me For Asking with Nathan Kensinger. 

Photos by Frank Jump of Fading Ad Blog.

Brooklyn Blogfest is gonna be so cool.

–The panel, WHY WE BLOG, moderated by Megan Donis is going to be very interesting.

–The raffle with great prizes, including a Casio digital camera, a Casio
watch, a framed photo by Hugh Crawford of Coney Island in the snow, a
Babeland goody bag, a framed Ork Design Brooklyn poster donated by
Brooklyn Frameworks and MORE.

–There's going to be lots
of tasty food and a cash bar at the after-party. Galapagos is inventing a
special Brooklyn Blogfest drink.

At Powerhouse there will be iced tea courtesy of Yelp. Bottled water courtesy of Outside.in, and snacks courtesy of Peeled Snacks and Whimsy & Spice Brooklyn Confectioners .

You're
gonna love the videos: 20 photographers contributed to Picture Brooklyn: A Tribute to the Borough's Photobloggers edited by Adrian Kinloch of Brit in Brooklyn. All your favorite photobloggers will be represented.

The Blogs-of-a-Feather, small group sessions led by notable bloggers, will be a chance to network and get insight and advice.

What else: The Shout-Out a Blogfest tradition, will be like a groovy open-mic at Galapagos Art Space MCed by Rob Lenihan of Luna Park Gazette.

So
come one, come all and find out why Brooklyn is the bloggiest place in
America at the Fourth Annual Brooklyn Blogfest on May 7, 2009. Doors
open at 7 pm at powerHouse Arena in DUMBO. 

"Where better to take the pulse of this rapidly growing community
of writers, thinkers and observers than the Brooklyn Blogfest?" ~
Sewell Chan, The New York Times

Also on the agenda:  A VIDEO TRIBUTE TO BROOKLYN'S PHOTO BLOGGERS by
Adiran Kinloch of Brit in Brooklyn, WHY WE BLOG VIDEO SPOTS by Blue
Barn Pictures, THE ROBERT GUSKIND VIDEO, and the annual SHOUT-OUT: a
chance to share your blog with the world!
 
Whether you live to
blog, blog to live or are just curious about this thing called
blogging, you won't want to miss Brooklyn Blogfest 2009: the
best Blogfest yet. 

May 7, 2009
Doors open at 7 p.m.
powerHouse Arena
37 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Admission: $10  ($5 for students and seniors) 

Brooklyn Blogfest After-Party
Galapagos Art Space
16 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
(right across the street from powerHouse Arena)

At tomorrow's Blogfest we will show for the first time this year's Tribute to Brooklyn's Photobloggers, a 10-minute montage of photographs by Brooklyn's incredibly talented photoblogging community.

Dedicated to the memory of Robert Guskind (1958-2009), the video was created by Adrian Kinloch who also composed the music. The following photographers are included  in the video:

Brenda Becker
ayearinthepark.typepad.com

Tim Becket

cityofstrangers.wordpress.com

Adam E
bigskybrooklyn.blogspot.com

Andrew Gardner
street-level-nyc.blogspot.com

Meg Groome
libertyontenth.blogspot.com

Sharon Kwik
bedstuybanana.com

Amy Melson
brooklynometry.blogspot.com

Lisanne McTernan
foundinbrooklyn.blogspot.com

Janah Terese
eatbrooklynfood.blogspot.com

Lola Zarus
cherrypatter.com

Jonathan Barkey
nolandgrab.org

Tracy Collins
freakinblog.com

Hugh Crawford
onlytheblogknowsbrooklyn.com

Jake Dobkin
bluejake.com

Nathan Kensinger
kensinger.blogspot.com

Lorna Keuning
lornagrl.com

Adrian Kinloch
britinbrooklyn.com

Chris Kreussling
flatbushgardener.blogspot.com

Robin Lester
clintonhillblog.com

Lara Wechsler
larawechsler.com

Edited and produced by Adrian Kinloch.

My funny/silly post about Bar Toto going in across the street from PS 107 got a whole bunch of complaints. Apparently there was only one teetotaler and 12 people who wrote into PSP defending Bar Toto's right to be across the street from the school.

Sorry follks. 

Blogfest on May 7th at 7 p.m. could not be doing it without the following wonderful volunteers. THANKS TO YOU ALL!

Brooklyn Blogfest is gonna be so cool.

–The panel, WHY WE BLOG, moderated by Megan Donis is going to be very interesting.

–There's a raffle with great prizes, including a Casio digital camera, a Casio watch, a framed photo by Hugh Crawford of Coney Island in the snow, a Babeland goody bag, a framed Ork Design Brooklyn poster donated by Brooklyn Frameworks and MORE.

–There's going to be lots of tasty food and drink at the after-party. Galapagos is inventing a special Brooklyn Blogfest drink.

At Powerhouse there will be iced tea courtesy of Yelp. Bottled water courtesy of Outside.in, and snacks courtesy of Peeled Snacks and Whimsy & Spice Brooklyn Confectioners .

You're gonna love the videos: 20 photographers contributed to the Tribute to Brookyn's Photobloggers edited by Adrian Kinloch of Brit in Brooklyn. All your favorite photobloggers will be represented.

The Blogs-of-a-Feather,  small group sessions led by notable bloggers, will be a chance to network and get insight and advice.

What else: The Shout-Out a Blogfest tradition, will be like a groovy open-mic at Galapagos Art Space MCed by Rob Lenihan of Luna Park Gazette.

So come one, come all and find out why Brooklyn is the bloggiest place in America at the Fourth Annual Brooklyn Blogfest on May 7, 2009. Doors open at 7 pm at powerHouse Arena in DUMBO. 

"Where better to take the pulse of this rapidly growing community of writers, thinkers and observers than the Brooklyn Blogfest?" ~ Sewell Chan, The New York Times

Also on the agenda:  A VIDEO TRIBUTE TO BROOKLYN'S PHOTO BLOGGERS by Adiran Kinloch of Brit in Brooklyn, WHY WE BLOG VIDEO SPOTS by Blue Barn Pictures, THE ROBERT GUSKIND VIDEO, and the annual SHOUT-OUT: a chance to share your blog with the world!
 
Whether you live to blog, blog to live or are just curious about this thing called blogging, you won't want to miss Brooklyn Blogfest 2009: the best Blogfest yet. 

May 7, 2009
Doors open at 7 p.m.
powerHouse Arena
37 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Admission: $10  ($5 for students and seniors) 

Brooklyn Blogfest After-Party
Galapagos Art Space
16 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
(right across the street from powerHouse Arena)

So I'm getting to know the candidates. We've progressed from the first date (or first breakfast) stage and are now becoming better acquainted. I've even had a chance to see them in action.

Last night was my second 39th candidates forum and it was interesting to see how the six male candidates for City Council are shaping up as the campaign heats up. It is only May 6th and the winner-takes-the seat primary is September 15th (there is no Republican candidate in this democratic district. There is, however, a Green candidate). 

It seems that Park Slopers haven't woken up to the campaign yet. I think citizens in Carroll Gardens are a bit more aware of this election because of the many hot button issues in that community at the moment.

In Park Slope, many are even unaware that Bill deBlasio and David Yassky are moving on and that the deadline for ballot signatures is coming up. 

Wake up neighbors: your closest link to government, your city council members (deBlasio and Yassky) are running for new positions (public advocate and comptroller) and a bunch of white guys and one woman (in the 33rd) are running for their seats.

For me the forums are like theater. How will the candidates behave? Will there be ANY conflict? Who's relaxed, who's not? Will anyone be stumped?

Last night was relaxed and convivial and a great opportunity to take a look/see and a hard listen. My husband attended and I grilled him afterward. Who'd you like? Who'd you trust? Who would you vote for? It was interesting to hear his first impressions, which I don't think I will reveal at the moment.

And sometimes the forums are even funny: Josh Skaller made a joke about his proposal for streamlined garbage trucks; there were numerous good-natured jokes about Zuckerman's Zuckmobile and Ken Freeman kept forgetting which district these guys are running in (it's the 39th).

OPENING STATEMENTS

Most of the candidates haven't figured out how to do this. Or they try a different approach each time (depending on the venue). They suffer for it. I think it's important to set the tone right up front and present a strong picture of who they are:

–Bob Zuckerman was too rambling as he conveyed a stand-up vibe, but he does come across as an approachable and friendly person.

–Brad Lander is expert at words that work for the audience he is speaking to; he's good at conveying his longtime experience with affordable housing and community empowerment but he talks too fast.

–Josh Skaller is getting better at presenting a strong, clear message about government reform, and his belief that citizens can govern.

–John Heyer makes a good connection with the audience but needs to present his commitment to constituency politics and neighborhoods more clearly.

–Gary Reilly should lead with his passion for transportation and infrastructure.

–David Pechefsky too often sounds like he's mid-conversation but he is clear about government reform and the core values of the Green party.

YES AND NO QUESTIONS
I loved the yes/no questions because they make the candidates squirm and really put them on the spot. The questions elicited super brief answers that were informative and fun. And many came up with interesting ways to hedge the question and bring in some shades of gray. It was like speed dating.

Here's the tally of yes/no questions:
–Mayoral control of the schools: most said yes "but not how it stands now," Skaller said no).
–Superfund for the Gowanus: all except Heyer and Zuckerman said yes),
–Eliminate cars in Prospect Park: mostly no except for yeses from Reilly and Pechefsky, strong bike proponents)
–Residential parking: all yes.
–Congestion pricing: all yes except Heyer.
–Tolls on East River bridges: all yes except Heyer.
— 2-way traffic on Prospect Park West: all yes, except strong no from Pechefsky.
–Term limits: all yes except Pechefsky who said no. 
–Bloomberg for a 3rd term: All no

ABOUT PUBLIC EDUCATION
I was pleased that there was a real discussion of public education, which all the candidates are, of course, strong proponents of. Lander, Skaller and Pechefsky are public school parents so they have a more detailed understanding of the issues and the schools in the district.

Those who aren't parents do come across as vague though Heyer knows more probably because his wife, Maria, is a public school teacher in Kensington. While Reilly needs to bone up on local schools, he seems like he could be very smart on the issue (hey, he's a smart guy). "There's nothing more important to people than their children," he said simply at one point; he's a strong supporter of universal Pre-K. He and his wife plan to start a family in the next year or so, he said.

Skaller has the tendency to bring all issues back to his core message, which is a strength in a campaign I guess.   "There is a remarkable lack of urban planning. When you build dense and build high, there has been little concern for what resources are required."

John Heyer talked incongruously about Catholic schools as a solution to public school overcrowding.

Lander mentioned his support of a new bill called the Smart Development Bill that would REQUIRE developers to identify classroom space as part of their planning process.

Zuckerman talked about federal stimulus money for schools. "You hear talk about bridges and tunnels. But what is more important than to build more schools?" he said at one point.

Pechefsky, uncharacteristically, tossed out a pie-in-the-sky idea about turning the House of Whimsy, that derelict building on 2nd Street and Seventh Avenue that used to house the Landmark Cafe, into an annex for PS 321.

But I think that represents the kind of thinking that needs to take place. While I don't think that building is possibility what about some of the half-finished condos on Fourth Avenue, the condo towers that the city may need to buy back from bankrupt developers? How about pre-schools and elementary and middles school annexes?

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST REAL ESTATE BOONDOGGLE
The candidates love this question. It's Atlantic Yards, of course as it is now thoroughly safe for politicians to cite this as the big fiasco that it is. I think this question only went to Lander.

Lander cited filmmaker Isabel Hill, who was in the audience, and suggested that everyone watch her documentary, Brooklyn Matters, "to find out everything that was wrong with that project, which collapsed under its own weight. But now the question is: how do we rescue control back of Atlantic Yards, that gargantuan albatross of the state?" .

LOCAL BUSINESS
Lander, who is expert at picking an example germane to the crowd he is speaking to (a good skill), mentioned Park Slope's Buy Local campaign as a great approach to that problem. "There are two scales. The Shop Local campaign proves that if we invest time, money and resources we can do a lot together. But there also have to be policy proposals…"

Zuckerman floated a good idea about tax incentives to landlords willing to sell their storefronts as condos to shop owners.

Pechefsky bemoaned the fact that if want to buy a lamp nearby you can't go to City Lighting or Pintchik anymore but have to go to Target because of tax incentives to big box stores and not to local businesses.

Heyer, whose father owned a trucking business, said, "NYC is not business friendly. It's Wall Street friendly but it needs to make life palatable to small business."

CONFLICT
There were two moments in the forum that were curious and interesting. And the conflict wasn't between candidates but in response to pointed questions f
rom the audience (written on a file card).

There was a question from the audience for Heyer about why he's running in the 39th if his home is actually in the 33rd.

Heyer handled it well and said that he is close to closing on a house in the 39th district (on Summit Street) and that his family home ("where five generation of Carroll Gardeners have lived) is three blocks out of the district. Someone is trying to turn this into an issue; I don't think it will go anywhere if his residency is resolved before a certain date.  "That was really off the wall," John Heyer said good naturedly.

Brad Lander was asked about the City pension fund scandal and its connection with a Park Slope resident and neighbor of Lander's,  whose name I haven't confirmed. Lander looked really mad (the only time I've ever seen him mad) and he called the question "slander." He told the person who asked the question to stand up, which he/she did not. He defended his friend as a very ethical person and a good friend who's only mistake was "giving accurate information."

Whoa. It was cool to see Lander angry. He handled the question really well and showed fire and passion in defense of his friend.

QUESTIONS FOR EACH OTHER

Someone suggested that the candidates ask one question to one of their opponents. They were also given rebuttal time and it was a fascinating section.

As the first one, Reilly was taken off guard but he asked Lander what his top priorities would be in the first year. Lander: "I'm trying to choose between the economy and education."

Skaller asked Zuckerman what exactly were his reservations about Superfund status for the Gowanus ("It's very complicated and I'm just not sure yet.).

Pechefsky asked Heyer if he would approve a City Council budget that included huge cuts to the public libraries.

Brad asked Reilly about why some people opposed an express train for the F-train.

PERSONALITIES

It's interesting to see these personalities in action. As I've said, they display different styles and leadership potential. All seem to agree, for the most part, on issues and core values. But who's the one who will be the best City Council member? Too soon to call but here are my thoughts-in-progress about these men. I'll start with Gary.

Gary Reilly: As the new kid on the block, his local politics and community activism are fueled by a real passion for his newfound home and the ways it could be more livable. In answer to a
question about future goals beyond the council he said he wouldn't have
the stomach for a city-wide election for mayor, but he needs to
have more stomach for this campaign and come on stronger.

Unasked for advice:  Lose the deceptively low key style and come on strong about your wonky passion for public
transportation, infrastructure and livable streets.

David Pechefsky: I call him the insider/provocateur because he's got ten years of experience working in the central office of the NYC City Council under his belt but he he also understands intimately what's wrong with the system and thinks he knows how to fix it. He's smart, provocative and good at framing the argument for reform. He comes across like a great thinker/teacher who has a lot to bring to the table in terms of thoughtful ideas and progressive values.

Unasked for advice: Give the voters a keener sense of small picture solutions and demonstrate your leadership qualities and your passion for local government.

Josh Skaller: He's garnering quite a few impressive endorsements and has the support of those who actively opposed the Atlantic Yards (Daniel Goldstein, State Senator Eric Adams, Norman Sigal, Major Owens, and others). He's obviously working hard on focusing his message: his belief that citizens can govern.

Unasked for advice: A few more detailed ideas would help give the voters a sense that you are really interested in their communities and not just ideological about out-of-whack development and the autocratic policies of Mayor Bloomberg. 

John Heyer: A fifth-generation Carroll Gardener, Heyer, at 27, is probably the closest thing to a Republican in the group. A devout Catholic, he opposes same-sex marriage but thinks that all couples deserve the rights you get from being married. His idea: The State should get out of the marriage business (an idea with merit but not a very realistic one at this juncture). Candid by nature and very articulate, he's been in politics since the age of 14 and obviously knows how to walk the walk with an admirable ability to connect with an audience about his belief that politics is about presence and constituency.

Unasked for advice: Refine your stump speech so that you quickly convey your commitment to the character of neighborhoods.

Brad Lander: His good nature and years of experience creating affordable housing Brooklyn bodes well for his future in the City Council. Just watching Lander interact with the other candidates at the forum, you can tell that he's a pleasant person to work with and a very fair guy. He combines deep smarts, great communication skills, and the ability to listen and learn from others.

Unsked for advice: You talk too fast and sometimes come across as a tad too sure of your front runner status.

Bob Zuckerman: The menchiest of the candidates, Bob isn't afraid to float out-of-the-box and sometimes wacky ideas. His proposed Zuck-Mobile, a mobile office made from a rehabbed Bookmobile, is taking on iconic stature in the campaign; many like his proposal to offer tax incentives to landlords to sell their storefronts as condos to local business owners.

Unasked for Advice: Your good natured, stand-up approach sometimes takes away from the seriousness of your out-of-the-box ideas.

Put a Green candidate on the ballot for the City Council Race in the 39th District and find out why that helps to reform NYC government and enhance local democracy.

At the  Community Bookstore TONIGHT, May 6, 2009 from 7-9 pm, there's a Teach-In & Fundraiser with David Pechefsky, Green Party City Council Candidate for Dist. 39.

He's screening the PBS documentary "Please Vote for Me" (documenting an election in a third-grade classroom in China) followed by a discussion on democracy led by David.  Drinks/refreshments provided.
 

David is a former Assistant Director in the New York City Council Finance Division, a former Assistant Commissioner in the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development and has consulted on democratic governance in Nigeria, Sier ra Leone, and Jordan.   He lives with his family in Park Slope.
 
 

Suggested Contributions: (Please make checks out to “Pechefsky for City Council”)
  o   $15  David, Please Bring Democracy to NYC Council  
o   $50  REALLY Bring Democracy to NYC Council
o   $100 NEED a NYC Council Dedicated to Democracy, Wise Use of Resources, Green Living
RSVP (not necessary, but helpful):  Sonal@pechefskyforcitycouncil.com or   (718) 369-8959

Jessica Greenbaum,  a poet I admire a great deal, is presenting an evening of incredible poets from issues 4 and 5 of Upstreet Magazine. at the expanded BookCourt in Cobble Hill. What a group of poets! This is an event poetry lovers (and those new to poetry) will not want to miss.

Greenbaum, who unfortunately won't be reading, is the poetry editor at Upstreet and author of a collection called Inventing Difficulty, which includes a lovely poem called Brooklyn Aubade. Recently she had a great poem in the New Yorker called The Two Yvonnes.

–Nicole Cooley
The Afflicted Girls
–Alan Feldman
Sail to Great Island
–Jeffrey Harrison
Incomplete Knowledge
–Michael O’Brien
Sleeping and Waking
–Jean Valentine
Little Boat
–Bill Zavatsky
X Marks the Spot

The Where and When

Poetry Reading
Thursday, May 7, 2009   *   7pm
BookCourt, 163 Court Street, Brooklyn

AUCTION BIDDING STARTS MAY 6, 6am

Starting on May 6, 2009, Metaphor Contemporary Art will be auctioning off over 100  exceptional artworks at very affordable prices! Your favorite Metaphor artists and guest artists have generously
     

offered exceptional works in support of the
artists' run gallery that gave them a significant show at an early or crucial stage in their careers.

Metaphor
was founded in 2001 as an artists' run social sculpture and labor of
love. Over the years Metaphor has become known as an incubator for
talent inspiring an artist to feel the freedom to create a special new
installation or series, often times their first major NY show.

Expert
at presenting a museum quality experience on a shoestring,  many
collectors, curators, critics, and art lovers have been delighted to
discover exceptional new talent at Metaphor.

Here you see some OTBKB faves that are included in the silent auction at Metaphor. Red abstract by Emily Berger, clouds by David Konigsberg, green and yellow abstract by Hovey Bock, water photograph by Hugh Crawford.

What a bunch of teetotalers on Park Slope Parents.

I heard that there was a new brouhaha brewing on that Park Slope list-serve because Bar Toto, a restaurant that serves, gasp, wine and beer was opening a location not far from PS 107.

Heavens to Betsy. Can you imagine a restaurant that serves wine and beer (and possibly alcohol) opening near a school in New York City? 

Think of the moral fiber of those poor children. They might see someone drinking a glass of wine. That could be so damaging to their tender sensibilities.

Come on, folks. Let's be reasonable. It's Bar Toto for christ's sake, a very popular local eatery. It's hardly a place to worry about your children being exposed to. It's a bistro. A restaurant/bar. Think steak frites, paninis, Caesar salad and yes, wine.

Those who got their knickers in a knot can rest assured. The New York State Liquor Authority has regulations about these sorts of things. You can't even get an on-premises liquor license if you are within 200 feet of a school. But you can get a restaurant beer and wine license. The distance is measured from the nearest entrance to the school actively used by students to the restaurant/bar.

Do you think one of those Puritanical PSPers actually got a ruler out and measured the distance from the entrance of the school to the new Bar Toto. I can just see it.

Why am I picturing a member of one of those turn-of-the-century groups like the Temperance Union or the Anti-Saloon Society out there with a prim hat and a measuring tape?

Apparently Bar Toto is going into the space that used to be Pumpkins Market (now that was an morally  appropriate establishment). Quite a few people who live near to the school—and Bar Toto—are thrilled about the new establishment. One PSP member could not for the life of her see a problem with a first grader seeing her having a sandwich and a glass of wine at a late lunch. She also wrote that this popular restaurant "chain" is not some raucous sports bar but a lovely, child-friendly eatery.

Another member made the point that during these tough economic times, many restaurants are under so it's nice to see a new place opening.

Still another member reminded the group that she and her child actually pass many bars, restaurants, and businesses walking
home from school and her child doesn't seem to be damaged by the exposure.

"The only thing my 7-year-old cares about going and coming home from school is whether we can
immediately go to playground or if she can talk me into impromptu play
dates she arranges during her day in school behind my back."

Okay. So is everybody okay about the new Bar Toto?

Photo by Natasha T on Flickr

.

I

Johanna Reiss, author of the powerful new book, A Hidden Life, a Memoir of August 1969 (Melville House Publishing). will be reading at Barnes and Noble in Park Slope on May 5th at 7:30 p.m. 

Johanna Reiss writes:

I seem to deal with
grief by writing about it. I did it with The Upstairs Room, the story
of my time in hiding as a Jewish child living in Holland during the
Holocaust.

And now there is my new memoir in which I "look" at
what happened on August 24, 1969, the date and the year my husband
killed himself here, in New York, while I was in Holland to talk to the
family who  had sheltered me during WWII.

Excerpt: 
How do you tell children that life is one continuous goodbye, that with
each day the end comes a little nearer, each step, each touch, each
sound, whether you're around to hear it or not, cars tooting, trains
whistling, boats hooting; how do you explain that people you're close to, or thought you were, can just vanish?

A deal is in the works and it's good news for millions of subway and bus riders, who were facing a much more extreme fare increase starting in July.

And the service cuts are out. In other words, there will be no service cuts to subway and bus services.

Fare increases will be 10% down from 23% and there will be NO service cuts because the Democratic leadership of the New York State senate announced that there's a deal afoot for money for the MTA.

According to the Daily News, "Sen. Majority Leader Malcolm Smith emerged from a closed-door meeting saying he believes he has the final two Democratic votes necessary to pass an MTA bailout plan over a wall of Republican opposition.

This could mean that commuters can expect fare and toll hikes of roughly
10 percent—down from the projected 23 percent expected previously.

According to WNBC: "The
rescue package does not include funding for MTA capital improvements
and repairs, nor does it address the additional $621 million shortfall
MTA executives announced last week."

This sounds really fun and hysterical.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009 – 8 pm (doors at 7:30)
Union Hall in Park Slope
702 Union St. @ 5th Ave
$5 cover

Adult Education is a Brooklyn-based useless lecture series. Each month is
devoted to a given theme, and 4 or 5 speakers address some aspect
of that theme using visual aids. This month we present a primer on Ambivalent Parenting.

GREG ALLEN, "TV, Education, & Kids: Three Of These Things Belong Together?"
Forty
years ago, researchers created Sesame Street to tap the vast
educational power of television for the benefit of "ghetto kids." How's
that working out? A brief, illustrated history.

GARY DREVITCH, "Widespread Abuse of the 'Put the Oxygen Mask on Yourself First' Metaphor Among Contemporary American Parents"
Drevitch
discusses how a small but critical piece of the standard
airplane-safety lecture has been expanded upon and embraced as the
foundation of a popular parenting philosophy. But will Mommy really be
a better Mommy after she has her daily glass of merlot?

ILANA GLAZER: "Upper-Class Upbringing as Seen Through the Lens of a Middle-Class Jew"
This
presentation will explore the upper-class attempted anti-snob movement
in Manhattan compared to the culture vacuum that is growing up in the
suburbs of Long Island. We will also discover the inadequacies of
trusting a college student with your children.

ANDREW HANELLY AND MIKE MCCARTHY: "The Guilt-Free Guide to Parenting"
Raising
a child can be a stress on one's social life, physical fitness and
emotional well-being. But, the speakers argue, parenting, done right,
can be a blissful experience and allow you to focus on the truly
important aspects of life, such as yourself.

DANIEL WRIGHT: "Mothers of Invention: A Brief Guide to Child-Rearing Devices"
A survey of American patent literature reveals parents' desire not to be parents.

With your host, CHARLES STAR

"Where better to take the pulse of this rapidly growing community of writers, thinkers and observers than the Brooklyn Blogfest?" ~ Sewell Chan, The New York Times

Also on the agenda:  A VIDEO TRIBUTE TO BROOKLYN'S PHOTO BLOGGERS by Adiran Kinloch of Brit in Brooklyn, WHY WE BLOG VIDEO SPOTS by Blue Barn Pictures, THE ROBERT GUSKIND VIDEO, and the annual SHOUT-OUT: a chance to share your blog with the world!
 
Whether you live to blog, blog to live or are just curious about this thing called blogging, you won't want to miss Brooklyn Blogfest 2009: the best Blogfest yet. 

May 7, 2009
Doors open at 7 p.m.
powerHouse Arena
37 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Admission: $10  ($5 for students and seniors) 

Brooklyn Blogfest After-Party
Galapagos Art Space
16 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
(right across the street from powerHouse Arena)

Cash bar and refreshments

I just heard from someone named Tine who is trying to help to spread the information about
Kai. She wrote: "Maybe you have heard about the boy already. There will be a donor
drive in Brooklyn on May 17th on the Prospect Park YMCA. Any help is
highly appreciated. Would you email this press release or the attached
flyer to the people who signed up for the newsletter and also post it
on the web? Thank you so much."

Four year-old Diagnosed with Rare Form of Leukemia Needs Your Help
DKMS and Friends of the Family Hold Life-Saving Bone Marrow Donor Drive

Just
a few weeks ago, four-year-old Kai Anderson was diagnosed with a rare
and aggressive form of leukemia (Philadelphia Chromosome-Positive Acute
Lymphoblastic Leukemia). Kai's only hope for a cure lies in a bone
marrow transplant.

DKMS, the world’s largest bone marrow donor
center, and friends of Kai’s family, are holding a life-saving bone
marrow donor drive at the Park Slope YMCA, on Sunday, May 17th, to help
find a match for Kai and thousands of others just like him who are
battling this life- threatening blood disease and depend on you for
survival.

Kai was diagnosed on April 6, 2009, exactly one year
after his father and buddy, David, was diagnosed with Mantle Cell
Lymphoma, also a rare and complicated form of cancer. Dealing with one
cancer is hard enough, but trying to cope with two family members with
two different and rare types of cancer is extremely trying.   

The
general public has the power to give hope to the Anderson family and
other families going through the same heartache and pain by attending
the drive: Hope For Kai Bone Marrow Donor Drive, Sunday, May 17, 10:00
am – 2:00 pm, Prospect Park YMCA, 357 Ninth St. (Between Sixth Ave and
Fifth Ave), Brooklyn.

“We are overwhelmed by the enormous outpouring of support from our friends and the
community.
It gives us strength and hope in this difficult situation to have the
help of so many people,” Kai’s parents Birgit and David.

“Seventy
percent of patients depend on a complete stranger to give them a second
chance at life,” stated Katharina Harf, EVP, DKMS Americas. “Today, a
stranger like you can save Kai or someone like him. Tomorrow a stranger
might help save you or someone you love.”

Leukemia and other
blood cancers touch kids and adults of all ethnic backgrounds and from
all walks of life.  Therefore, there is a need to continue to diversify
the pool of donors so that all patients have a fair chance at finding a
donor match.   

Registering to become a bone marrow donor is
more than a cheek swab; it is a commitment to help save a life. When
you register with DKMS, you will be listed on the national registry and
can be found as a donor match for any patient in need of a transplant.
Learn more about your commitment and check if you are eligible.

When
a registered donor is identified as a match for a patient, a DKMS
representative contacts the donor and guides him/her through the entire
process.  There are two possible ways a donor could be asked to donate:
peripheral blood stem cell donation (requested about 80% of the time)
and marrow donation (requested about 20% of the time). The donation
method is determined by the patient's doctors, so it is important to be
comfortable with both types of donation. Learn more about the bone
marrow donation process.

As a non-profit organization, DKMS
relies on the generosity of individuals to help finance the $65 cost
DKMS pays to tissue type each bone marrow donor who registers. 
Donations are voluntary. 100% of your donation will be used to register
donors and add them on the national registry.

About DKMS

DKMS
was founded in Germany in 1991 by Peter Harf and Professor Dr. Gerhard
Ehninger, after Peter lost his wife, Mechtild, to acute leukemia.
Today, DKMS is the world’s largest and most successful bone marrow
donor center with nearly 2 million registered donors. Since its
founding, DKMS has facilitated more than 16,000 transplants.

DKMS
is committed to the fight against leukemia. We strive to give every
blood cancer patient and equal chance by recruiting donors from every
race and ethnicity. We inspire hope and healing by helping to match our
donors with patients in need of a bone marrow transplant.

DKMS Americas is a 501 (c)(3) non profit organization. 

For more information about DKMS and to learn more about registering as a bone marrow donor, please visit http://www.dkmsamericas.org/

I
In this installment of OTBKB's recurring feature, Why I Wrote This
Book, author Johanna Reiss shares with OTBKB readers why she wrote her
powerful new book, A Hidden Life, a Memoir of August 1969 (Melville House Publishing).

Reiss
is the author of The Upstair's Room (a Newberry Honor), a young adult
classic about a hidden child during the holocaust. In the new book, she
writes about the suicide of her husband.  Unlike The Upstairs Room, A
Hidden Life is for adults.

Leslie Garis, in an enthusiastic review in the New York Times Book Review,
writes "Reiss handles this difficult material by probing her memory for
clues, putting facts and suppositions together in ferverish prose
jutting back in forth in time…" The book was also selected as a
Editor's Choice in the NY Times Book Review. 

Johanna Reiss will be reading at Barnes and Noble in Park Slope on May 5th at 7:30 p.m. 

Johanna Reiss writes:

I seem to deal with
grief by writing about it. I did it with The Upstairs Room, the story
of my time in hiding as a Jewish child living in Holland during the
Holocaust.

And now there is my new memoir in which I "look" at
what happened on August 24, 1969, the date and the year my husband
killed himself here, in New York, while I was in Holland to talk to the
family who  had sheltered me during WWII.

Excerpt: 
How do you tell children that life is one continuous goodbye, that with
each day the end comes a little nearer, each step, each touch, each
sound, whether you're around to hear it or not, cars tooting, trains
whistling, boats hooting; how do you explain that people you're close to, or thought you were, can just vanish?

Today’s episode of Brooklyn Independent Television’s
Reporter Roundtable features the controversial proposed EPA Superfund
for Gowanus Canal. The EPA is considering the infamous Gowanus Canal Area for
its special Superfund status. While this may help the environmental issues in
the area, it will potentially take several hundred million dollars and over 30
years to complete. Host Brian Vines is joined by Gowanus resident Lizzie Olesker,
environmental lawyer David
Yudelson and Joshua
Verleun with Riverkeeper to discuss the many angles of the
Gowanus Canal controversy. The episode premieres tonight at 9:30pm on Time
Warner 56, Cablevision 69, RCN 84 and Verizon 44.

You may watch the entire episode on their blog: http://briccommunitymedia.wordpress.com

The NY Daily News has a story on outdoor movies in Brooklyn this summer. Nice quote from Kim Maier, director the Old Stone House.

Moviegoers can enjoy a film with a view at Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Looking for cheap thrills, romance and comedy this summer? It's all out there under the Brooklyn sky.

Free or cheap movies will be playing in borough parks and on rooftops this summer for Brooklynites on a budget.

Projectors
and wide screens will stretch from DUMBO to Bay Ridge from May to
August, showing flicks as diverse as "Paper Moon," "Toy Story," "Dr.
Strangelove" and "Fame."

"Rich or poor, good times or bad,
people love to be entertained," said Kim Maier, executive director of
The Old Stone House, which runs free outdoor movie screenings in Park
Slope's Washington Park.

"When the money is tight, going to the
movies can be a $50 evening," said Maier. "This is very easy on your
wallet because it's free."

Not only are the movies free or
low-cost, but viewing locations are among Brooklyn's most beautiful,
from the waterfront to some pretty borough parks.

At the
Narrows Botanical Garden in Bay Ridge, three movies will be shown in
July and August, including the classic Audrey Hepburn thriller "Wait
Until Dark."

While the Bay Ridge screenings usually attract up
to 500 people, things may be different this year. "I expect we'll have
a better turnout because of the economy," said garden president Joan
Regal. "But we have 4.5 acres of land."

Over in Prospect Park, two movies will play in June and August, featuring a live music score and a sing-along.

Meanwhile,
Brooklyn Bridge Park's Movies With a View program, which is in its 10th
year, will show classics such as "Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid"
and "The Return of the Pink Panther" Thursdays from July 9 to Aug. 27.

"We
get 3,000 to 4,000 people an evening. Every seat is a waterfront seat,"
said Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy Executive Director Nancy Webster.

This year's theme is "Stolen Summer," featuring eight films
dealing with capers and thievery, from stolen cash in "Catch Me If You
Can" to a stolen heart in "Edward Scissorhands."

The films were
chosen by a group of borough film committee volunteers who vote on
which flicks make the final cut. "There's 10 of us on the committee and
we battle out ideas," said committee member Howard Leibowitz, 60, of
Midwood. "It's not easy to pick eight films out of the millions that
are out there."

In Williamsburg's McCarren Park, the Summer
Screen series will show six films from July to August and will feature
appetizers from local restaurants for under $2.

The borough's
priciest option is the Rooftop Films' program, showing all independent
films. The sites are on the roofs of Brooklyn Tech and Automotive High
and on top of the old American can factory in Gowanus. Although this
ticket costs $9, it also comes with a live band pre-show and an open
bar following the movie.

"It's a really good deal and people are still going to see films and music," said Rooftop Films' Danielle Courtesis.

"It's a really good option for people on a tight budget."

An artist's rendition of Obama merged with Abraham Lincoln outside the
newly re-opened Vox Pop on Cortelyou Road (near the Q train).

Photo by Tom Martinezt

I just got an email from one of the organizers of Scene: Brooklyn, a cool sounding NEW film festival this week. It is being launched by the Brooklyn Arts Council and it celebrates the borough's thriving film community, and features a seminar for filmmakers, a panel discussion, and screenings. 19 films, from
fantastical animations, to thought provoking shorts, and eye opening documentaries
about local issues are brought to the screen