The Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) invites the public on November 18th to a morning meeting at the Brooklyn Public Library (details below) to a meeting with New York City Council Speaker Quinn to put forward ideas for legislation that would materially help small businesses in NYC to be competitive.

To participate, you must RSVP by Friday, November 14th, to register your attendance. You can do this by registering online at: http://www.bedc.org/roundtable.htm

Catherine Bohne of the Community Bookstore and the Buy in Brooklyn initiative had this to say:

Over the fall, the BEDC followed up on a request from NYC City Council Speaker Quinn for information about “What steps by city government would help small business compete and be successful?” The BEDC sent out a request for ideas to their membership. As a small business person, I reacted strongly to the most-voiced suggestion: Tax rebates for landlords who rent to local businesses. I was apalled to find that this was the only way anyone could think of to help small business — rewarding the fox for watching the hen house! I sent in numerous suggestions, all of which were incorporated into the BEDC’s summary of ideas, which you can view by clicking here: cedc_survey_answer.

I know it’s a god-awful time, but this really is an important opportunity. Please come and be heard. For once, city government actually wants to know what they should do, what we want them to do — and they’re willing to act. Let’s come together to look after us all!

The Where and When

Tuesday, November 18, 2008
8:00 am to 9:30 am
Brooklyn Public Library, Business Library
280 Cadman Plaza West
Brooklyn, NY 11201

I went to the Cynthia Ozick reading a few years ago at BAM’s Eat, Drink, Be Literary

It’s like being at a cool wedding, sitting at tables with interesting people you don’t know. Then you watch the author and an interviewer sit on stage and try to have a cogent conversation in front of an audience and take questions from the crowd. They the author signs books.

That’s my blurb, here’s their’s

A unique series for sophisticated writers, readers, and eaters, Eat, Drink & Be Literary brings major contemporary authors to BAMcafé for intimate dinners, entertaining readings, and engaging discussions. Evenings begin at 6:30pm with a sumptuous buffet prepared by BAMcafé’s acclaimed executive chef, Tim Sullivan, served with select wines provided by Pine Ridge Winery and accompanied by live music. Following dinner, authors read from and are interviewed about their work, take questions from the audience, and sign books to conclude an evening of candid glimpses into the creative process and the rich writings it yields

.
–Louise Erdrich
Thu, January 15
–Nathan Englander
Thu, Jan 22 at 6:30pm
–Art Spiegelman
Thu, Feb 5 at 6:30pm
–Jimmy Breslin
Thu, Feb 19 at 6:30pm
–A.M. Homes
Thu, Mar 12 at 6:30pm
–Germaine Greer
Thu, Apr 2 at 6:30pm
–Richard Price
Thu, Apr 23 at 6:30pm
–Ha Jin
Thu, May 7 at 6:30pm

This service is NOT in Brooklyn; it’s in Washington, DC. But I thought it sounded interesting and like something we should have in Park Slope.

Brighter Days Collective is a worker self-managed dog walking service. That means that the people who do the work make the executive decisions about how it’s done. In their own words:

"It also means that you as the client have a direct and accountable relationship with the person working with your companion animal.  Your furry one is not out with just any yahoo; they’re out with the Top Brass, because here – we’re all Top Brass."

By removing that level of administration, Brighter Days has made their services far more affordable than the typical pet care company. Everyone at Happy Days has health benefits, paid vacation, and "the sort of control over our work that most folks dream about." In their own words again:

"We think life is about more than punching a clock.  In a reasonable world, each of us would have the surplus time and energy to be fully realized community members, siblings, children, neighbors, lovers, intellectuals, parents, and whatever else our hearts might long for.  And we’d have the opportunity to meaningfully determine the course of our lives and our communities.
Brighter Days is our way of putting that ethic into practice.
Whether it’s our commitment to workplace democracy, our commitment to ecologically sustainable tools and materials (relying on bikes rather than cars, using biodegradable waste bags, etc), our relationship to grassroots community organizations, or our commitment to empowering our workers and clients alike to pursue lives that go beyond self-interest and survival… This is more than just a job to us.
It’s an expression of our belief that each of us is capable of better.  Our labor should enrich and celebrate our lives, not degrade and shorten them."

An artist I love. She has a show opening on November 14th at 31 Grand in Williamsburg. in Manhattan.

I will be there. You?

The latest in Brooklyn Based ongoing series of old-school but useful services is the cobbler and leather repair guide.

Sure, you could go out and buy new $250 boots this fall, or you could cough up a week’s worth of coffee money to rework last year’s pair. A rip in your leather tote? Need a suede bag cleaned? We asked some friends of Brooklyn Based where they recommend.

They included my tip.

Brooklyn Heights Shoe Master
100 Henry Street, Brooklyn Heights
(718) 243-2355
A BB reader reports, “The shoe repair place in the Clark Street station of the 2/3 train is good.” Clear and to the point, enough said

So I took Jane Tomkiewicz’s 4-class series in Alexander Technique in
October and I must tell you: it’s wonderful in a life altering kind of
way.

Okay, so it’s hard to describe. It’s not physical therapy, massage,
meditation, or Yoga but it can be thought of as a blend of these.

Frederick Matthias Alexander was a 19th century Australian actor who
discovered this technique when he tried to figure out why he suffered
from chronic hoarseness when he had to speak in public.

According to Jane, he stood in front of mirrors and studied the way he moved when he spoke.

Over time he began to understand his body’s patterns and how to
change them. The Alexander Technique was born when he discovered that
thought could be used to release muscles and decrease tension.

It’s pretty subtle stuff. A sending of directions to your body, little cues. Think it and then…

Alexander Technique is a way of deconstructing the way your body does things. Sitting, standing, lying down, reaching, holding.

The sessions are very, very interesting and simple. During one
session we addressed sitting. Another time we dealt with working at a
desk and at a computer. It’s a wonderful technique if you have any kind
of body pain. It’s also great if you want to rethink the way you use
(or abuse) your body.

But we didn’t just talk. Jane led us through floor and standing
exercises that helped us key into the mind-body connection. She offered
images that helped us move our bodies differently.

Jane is offering another series soon. You can get in touch with her for more info:

Alexander Technique Series for our community: a great opportunity in Park Slope for new or continuing students in a small group (limit 5)

included in the series:

1 free introductory hands-on demonstration

4 classes (an hour and a quarter each)

1 private lesson (45minutes)

Fee:  $150

Jane has been teaching the Alexander Technique to
groups at the 92nd St. Y since 1992 and privately in Manhattan since
1990.  She served as the Executive Director of the American Center of
the  Alexander Technique from 1996-2008. She is very pleased to begin
teaching group and private lessons in Brooklyn at the Feldenkrais
Center of Park at 375 5th Ave (between 5th & 6th).

For more information about the Technique or class series please email or call 718-369-3092 or 347-387-2366.

I got this email from the casting director of a show on the Discovery Planet Green. Read on, it might be of interest to you”

Dear Louise, I recently came across your blog, Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn, and thought I would pass along this opportunity to you and your readers. I am the casting producer for a national eco-makeover show produced here in NYC by Lion TV. Wa$ted airs on Planet Green, a Discovery Company. Wa$ted is an eco-green, home makeover show. We are currently casting our 2nd season and we are looking for energetic, unique, and diverse households in and around the tri-state area that might be interested in learning how to be a bit more green. Our mission is to show the viewing audience and the show’s participants’ ways and means by which they can reduce their impact on the environment and frequently save money in the doing. The program is fun but with a clear message. I am reaching out to you for help spreading the word about this unique opportunity among your readers and the Brooklyn Community.

If you think this is something either you or your readers might be interested in it would be great if you could pass along our official casting call or post it to your blog. The ideal households are those who may not want to go green or are hesitant to buy into the green movement or maybe they are interested in being green but feel overwhelmed by all the information and options that are out there. I’d be pleased to explain the details with you further if you would like. So please feel free to give me a call or email and we can discuss the show in greater detail. In the meantime, I am including below a brief description of the show and what it entails along with a link to the Planet Green website.

Wa$ted is in its 2nd season for Discovery’s Planet Green. The goal of the show is to teach people to be less wasteful and to be more green. Our hosts, Annabelle Gurwitch and Holter Graham, want to show people how easy and fun it can be to save the environment and save money. We want to show that through some simple changes to your house and your lifestyle you can reduce your carbon footprint and save money without sacrificing your luxury and comfort. The eco-makeover will involve lifestyle tips, cool gadgets and products, and superficial changes to the home. And the best part – we help you save MONEY! With the potential to WIN money based on your success. Wa$ted focuses on a spectrum of environmental issues within households from their waste, energy, water and transportation consumption. With the help of our green experts we narrow in on certain problems facing each family that are both hurting the environment and the homeowner’s bank account. Each episode offers dozens of customized, unconventional solutions in the form of appliances, gadgets and easy-to-maintain tips and tricks on how to best shrink ecological footprints, conserve energy and produce less trash, which in turn saves the homeowners (and viewers) some serious cash, both upfront and over the years.

Requirements:
Must own home or apartment
Must live within 2 hours of NYC
Shooting is 2 days – with some additional time over the course of the month

I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for your consideration.

Best Regards,

Joey Lucas
Casting Associate Producer
Wa$ted – Planet Green
Lion Television
212-206-8633 ext. 3852

Tonight Union Hall’s Adult Education series welcomes a panel of presenters to speak on the theme of “Lies and Liars.” The line-up will include:

“Confessions of a Literary Forger”
Lee Israel, author of the memoir Can You Ever Forgive Me?, details her career in literary crime.

“The Way We Lie”
Is a white lie a gateway drug to larger lies? Writer Jill Stoddard investigates this and other fun facts about lying, including some she made up on her own.

“On the Internet, Nobody Knows You’re a Fraud”
D.E. Rasso examines the duplicitous and desperate world of Internet impostors.

“You Are Not Going to Be Famous”
Jim Hanas debunks America’s big lie.

All hosted by comedian Charles Star.

The Where and When

Tuesday, Nov 11 2008 – 8 pm (doors at 7:30)
Union Hall in Park Slope
702 Union St. @ 5th Ave
$5 cover

I’ve been hearing about Blue Ribbon General Store located at 365 State Street in Boerum Hill for some time. And this morning I read about it on The Daily Yelp Brooklyn. I think it’s going to be a stop on my holiday shopping itinerary.

June W is such a fan of Blue Ribbon General Store that she almost kept it a secret — thankfully her love of this "perfect store for gifts (even for someone who has everything)" stocked with a range of goodies "from gigantic rubber ducks, to reprints of old maps of New York" was too mighty to keep to herself

.
Another Yelper is like me. She loves Scaredy Kat on Fifth Avenue Between Carroll and President. 

Liz S is never frightened that she might not find a stellar present when shopping at Scaredy Kat, where they stock "a perfect balance of kitschy and classy gifts for young and old." She adds that it’s "amazing that a store so small can be chock-full of so many great items."

Here’s an excerpt from an editorial in the Tracy Press, Hepcat’s hometown newspaper. Sounds like they’re feeling the Obama magic in California’s Central Valley, hit hard by the recent economic downturn.

“So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of service and responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other.”
— President-elect Barack Obama, Nov. 5, 2008

A local grocery store clerk talked animatedly to a customer the day after the election.

For the first time in her life, she said, she felt patriotic. She wanted to do something in answer to the new president-elect’s call to pitch in. Maybe it was a flashback to the idealistic ’60s, with President John Kennedy’s eloquent call to service. Or a sense of pride that the country had finally broken through historic barriers. Or maybe it was just the visceral awareness that the depressive Bush years would soon be over.

But what? Should she quit her job and join the Peace Corps?

That same day, a new generation of activists gathered on 11th Street outside Tracy High School and waved “Yes We Can” and “Yes We Did” signs in jubilation. As the afternoon wore on, more joined the group, smiling wildly.

Obviously, the magic of Tuesday’s election of Barack Obama and the wave of change is contagious, bringing forth a mosaic of intense personal feelings.

But does this new spirit of patriotism, this enthusiastic resolve to pitch in, have to be one that takes us outside of our own communities? Isn’t there work to be done in Tracy?

Evelyn Tolbert thinks so. Even though she didn’t win her bid to be Tracy’s mayor, the day after the election she said she has no intention of stopping her efforts to “change the face of Tracy.” She said she’s moving full steam ahead on projects as a city councilwoman with another two years in her term.

Plenty of Tracy people know what’s possible, because they’ve already made a difference in their schools and churches and neighborhoods.

For more than 30 years, Dr. A.R. Glover offered free flu shots in town, simply because he believed it was a way to save lives, and he became a mentor for Dan Schack and so many others.

Brighter Christmas was started when Gene Birk and a couple of others decided to help needy families in town 28 years ago. Their efforts snowballed and continue to this day.

A 9-year-old girl named Rainey Lomolino, now 17, wanted to see what it was like to spend the night in a cardboard box and started Kids in a Box, now an annual fundraiser for McHenry House Family Shelter.

An audience of faculty, students and others gathered on November 3rd for a screening of Greensboro: Closer to the Truth in the Woody Tanger Auditorium at Brooklyn College.

The film, made by my friend Adam Zucker, documents what happened 29 years ago in Greensboro, North Carolina.

On November 3, 1979, members of the Communist Workers Party were holding a Death to the Klan rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, when a caravan rounded the corner, scattering the protesters.

Klansmen and Nazis emerged from the cars, unloaded an arsenal of guns and began firing. Five people were killed in what became known as the Greensboro Massacre.

Greensboro: Closer to the Truth reconnects 25 years later with the players in this tragedy—widowed and wounded survivors, along with their attackers—and chronicles how their lives have evolved in the long aftermath of the killings.

All converge at the first Truth and Reconciliation Commission ever held in the United States is convened in Greensboro from 2004-2006 to investigate the Massacre. As the Commission struggles to uncover what actually happened and why, the participants confront the truth of their past, and struggle with the possibility of hope and redemption.

Sally Bermanzohn, professor and chairperson of the Political Science Department at Brooklyn College has a profound connection to the massacre. She was a labor organizer in the Duke Hospital cafeteria when her husband psychiatrist Paul Bermanzohn, was critically wounded in the Greensboro Massacre.

At present, she is researching and teaching courses on the international phenomenon of truth and reconciliation commissions. Bermanzohn is the author of Through Survivors’ Eyes: From the
Sixties to the Greensboro Massacre (2003), for which she received the Brooklyn College Award for Excellence in Creative Achievement.

She also co-edited Violence and Politics: Globalization’s Paradox (2002),which includes her chapter on Violence, Non-violence and the US Civil Rights Movement.

Bermanzohn and Zucker were at the November 3rd screening and answered many questions about the making of the film, the event 29 years ago and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, held in Greensboro from 2004-2006.

They discussed the individuals involved in the Death to the Klan rally back in 1979 and what’s happened to them since. Zucker said that "showing the way people change over time" is what interested him in the subject to begin with.

Nelson Johnson, a fascinating individual featured in the film was a member of the Communist Worker’s Party and a union organizer in 1979. He is now a Protestant preacher. While he has undergone a transformation he is still passionate about the rights of workers.

Watching this film on the eve of an election that would elect the first African-American president of the United States was very powerful.

"Remember to vote," Zucker said by way of a closing remark. And we did.

An OTBKB reader wrote in to say that her husband will be showing new art works at the cool space called Madarts up on 18th Street.

Madarts is a space for artist’s studios as well as a very nice exhibition space.

As you can see on the poster to the left, the work looks interesting. Makes me think of cells and such. The show has an interesting name: Thumbless Caesar

So don’t miss: new works by Patrick King at Madarts, 255 18th Street (between 5th and
6th Avenue), Brooklyn.

The Where and When

Opening reception on November 15th
8-11 p.m.
The show will be up until November 23rd at
Madarts
255 18th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenue) in the South Slope.

Mary Halvorson is a brooklyn-based guitarist and composer who performs with Trevor Dunn’s Trio-Convulsant – as well as Joe Morris,
Nels Cline, Elliott Sharp, Marc Ribot, Oscar Noriega and Jason Moran.
"With her hollow-body electric guitar, broadcasting its natural tone
through an amp at low levels, she seems all set to play standards; no
doubt she can and does. But in her own tossing, prickly trio she seems
more like a folk musician who has spent months in isolation, building
strange chord clusters and then soldering them together." Ben Ratliff,
NY Times

The Where and When

Barbes
CD Release party for Dragon’s Head (Firehouse 12 Records)
Ninth Street near 6th Avenue in Park Slope
7 and 8:30 p.m. (two shows)
$10 per set

I went last night. You MUST go tonight. Arujana’s Dilemma, produced by the Music Theater Group, is a chamber opera based on the Bhagavad Gita, one of the books of the Mahabarata.

It’s at the BAM Harvey Theater. And boy is there historical resonance there because the Harvey reopened with a staging by Peter Brooks of the the Mahabarata.

And being in that theater is a must-have experience.

Arjuna’s Dilemma caught me by surprise. I knew nothing about it until an OTBKB reader sent me information about it the other day.

Hallelujah.

Wholly eclectic and transcendent, the work combines contemporary opera, Gregorian chants, jazz, Indian classical music and MORE.

The creative team has major cred: composer Douglas J. Cuomo, director Robin Guarino,  choreographer and performer John Kelly. An incredible women’s vocal ensemble, incredible musicians, including an Indian singer and an Indian percussionist.

The following is an excerpt from Douglas Cuomo’s website:

"Like the best of today’s composers, from the late Lou Harrison to
Osvaldo Golijov, Cuomo has developed a lingua franca that is
international enough to allow the speakers of different musical
languages to communicate… The music occupies a space that is not
bound by geography or chronology." —John Schaefer, WNYC

The Music
Arjuna’s Dilemma, a 70-minute chamber opera, is my most ambitious composition
to date.  A work of both sweeping grandeur and piercing intimacy, Arjuna’s Dilemma seamlessly
melds classical, jazz and traditional Indian musical idioms as it explores ancient themes that
remain startlingly topical:  the claims of conscience and duty in a time of war; the search for self-knowledge
in a changing world.

Scored for six vocalists (Indian singer, tenor and a four-member female chorus) and twelve
instrumentalists (string quintet, piano, two winds, two percussion, tablas and jazz saxophone),
Arjuna’s Dilemma utilizes North Indian performance styles, melodic structures,
tuning systems, odd time signatures and rhythmic patterns alongside western instrumentation,
harmonies and forms. North Indian vocals co-mingle with a Western tenor and four-part choral writing,
with references to both modern vocal styles and Byzantine and Gregorian chant. Improvisation
is common to both musical worlds, with the Indian singer, tabla player and jazz saxophonist each
using their respective improvisatory traditions to reach for the ecstatic, the sublime and the
terror that make up the emotional world of this work.

The Story
At the battlefield on the eve of the first conflict of a massive civil war, Prince Arjuna finds
himself in a state of almost paralyzing confusion. He must lead his army against an enemy that includes
family, friends, and teachers. Unable to justify such violence against his own people, he turns
for guidance to his advisor and charioteer Krishna, who has not yet revealed himself to be an incarnation
of the most powerful god in the Hindu pantheon. In the ensuing dialogue, Krishna gradually reveals
to Arjuna the true nature of the universe, in all its splendor and its horror.

The Where and When

Saturday November 8, 2008 at 7:30 p.m.
BAM Harvey Theater
Fulton Street

I noticed the other day that the Christmas decorations are up on Fifth Avenue. Look up. You’ll see them too.  This is a picture by No Words Daily Pix from 2006.

It is available for holiday cards. Email: hugh(at)hughcrawford(dot)com

Yesterday a Sunset Park woman wrote in with a request:

Would you happen to know where I can send a resume to work alongside President Elect Obama in the White House? I would like the Chicago information so that his office would get it as soon as possible. Is there an e-mail?

An OTBKB reader wrote: "That is sweet, and naive and valiant, and sweet. The great thing about
this man is, we can work from where we are. That is perhaps the best
gift he will give this country. Confidence in the power of the
individual to effect change."

Also last night, an OTBKB reader wrote in to say that Obama has set up a website for his transition:  www.change.gov

There’s a "jobs" section at the top – click on it to submit your info and to apply to help the new President.

An OTBKB reader wrote in with this great tip about a chamber opera at BAM this weekend.

Douglas J. Cuomo’s chamber opera is opening tomorrow at BAM. It’s a beautiful piece based on the Bhagadvad
Gita, and has been written about in the Times and other places. You can
go to www.arjuna’sdilemma.com for more info as well.

Douglas J. Cuomo has composed highly acclaimed and original music
for concert and theatrical stages, television, and film. His music,
with influences from jazz, world music, classical, and popular sources,
is as personal, distinctive, and recognizable as it is wide-ranging.
His compositions range from well-known television themes — for Sex and the City and Now with Bill Moyers, among others — to evening-length works for theater, including Arjuna’s Dilemma, an opera-oratorio based on the story of the Bhagavad Gita.

Tickets are still available for Arjuna’s Dilemma
at BAM, with performances on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday (Nov. 5,
7, & 8) at 7:30 pm. 

If you’d like a peek at the production, a
brief video trailer is on view at http://douglasjcuomo.com/news.html.  Advance interest in the work has been keen, thanks to previews in The New York Times, The New Yorker, New York magazine, Time Out New York, and other publications.

To buy tickets, visit http://bam.org/view.aspx?pid=120.  If you’re planning to attend Arjuna’s Dilemma,
bear in mind that it take place at BAM’s intimate and handsome Harvey
Theater, 651 Fulton St. (at Rockwell Pl.), rather than the big Academy
of Music building at Lafayette and Ashland.  And if you can’t make it
to the show, the CD is available from Amazon, iTunes, and the Innova
Recordings website (www.innova.mu).

Brooklyn Vegan reports that all was not rosy on election night. Seems that there was a clash with the police in Williamsburg where hundreds of revelers gathered to celebrate a historic night.

Here’s an excerpt from Brooklyn Vegan about what went on. And there are loads of pictures over there.

Ryan got off the Bedford L stop at North 7th St. in the Williamsburg
section of Brooklyn last night around 1 AM. The sidewalks and streets
were filled with people celebrating Obama’s win.
At one point the cops decided they needed to clear the street out a
little, possibly so a garbage truck could get through. One reader wrote into Gothamist…

We
were trying to get onto the sidewalk, as requested but hard to do when
it is packed. The police pushed my boyfriend because he wasn’t moving
fast enough and when he spoke back to them the incident escalated.

He was basically thrown to the ground, hit with billy clubs and
then arrested for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest &
obstructing governmental administration. Others who got arrested were
only given a summons, however a police officer hurt himself while
arresting my boyfriend. That is why he is still in central booking in
Brooklyn.

photo by Ryan Muir

I hated it.

I know this sounds trivial (and unfeminist) but some at our election night party were fixated on how bad it was. It was so unflattering and red doesn’t work well on television. This morning, a friend said she liked it. And we analyzed the symbolism of wearing red and black.

But I am sure that Michele must be cringing at the TV images of herself in it.

I have a feeling it looks much better in person. It just doesn’t photograph well. Something about the cumberbund.

Turns out it was designed by Narcisco Rodriquez, the designer who designed Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s wedding dress. Here’s the dish from The Dish by Elizabeth Snead:

"Such a historic night! Such an inspiring speech!

And — sorry, but we have to say it — such a disasterous dress.

The fashion community is almost speechless about our soon-to-be First Lady Michelle Obama‘s strange red and black dress.

Blame it on Narciso Rodriquez, a New York fashion designer, who made the bizarre dress that looked more like a Halloween costume than an election night frock.

It’s from his spring ’09 collection (check out the whole collection here) and is described as a red and black sleeveless sheath with a criss-crossed black satin cummerbund.

So that’s what that thing is called? Good to know. Now we will avoid dresses with cummerbunds at all cost."

I agree with absolutely everything she writes. Actually, it doesn’t look that bad in this picture. But on TV. Baaaaad.

She usually looks so gorgeous in everything.

Just heard about this reading tomorrow night at the Tenement Museum with Park Slope’s Ben Greenman. It sounds like a lovely new book.

So, the election’s done. That went well.

If you would like to celebrate with an entirely unrelated event, come
to the Tenement Museum (108 Orchard St.) tomorrow (11/6) at 6:30 p.m.
to see/hear the New Yorker editor and author Ben Greenman preview his
latest book project, the limited-edition, hand-crafted, letterpress
collection of stories, "Correspondences." The stories are about the
vanishing art of letter-writing; Mr. Greenman will read in that
spirit, as will the authors Arthur Nersesian and Todd Zuniga. Readings
will be short. The revelry that follows will be long. Beer and wine
will be free.

You can read more about the event, the book, and its interactive
component — The Postcard Project — at many locations, including
these:

http://www.villagevoice.com/2008-11-05/voice-choices/supergood
http://www.smithmag.net/obsessions/2008/10/22/call-for-submissions-the-postcard-
project
http://www.bengreenman.com/books

I saw my neighbor on her way to work. She won’t be able to vote this morning due to the long lines. Unlike a lot of Third Streeters, she seemed a little wary about the whole thing.

"Don’t get me wrong. I’m almost a red diaper baby but I’m wary because the expectations if Obama wins are going to be so high and he’s walking into a nightmare…"

My next door neighbor is a 21-year old college student and Starbucks employee and he’s very excited to vote in his first presidential election.

"So How do you feel?" I asked him:

"Very excited," he said. "I want to see change happen after 8 years."

I asked if he knew about the lines. "It’ll be a one hour wait," I told him.

"It’s okay. I planned for that. I’m okay."

The polls open on election day at 6 am and will close at 9 pm.

The polls are going to be very crowded on Tuesday. Sometimes the longest lines are the one’s at the  information tables.

Go to the New York State Board of Elections website , the New York City Board of Elections site or call 311 if there’s any information you need before tomorrow. If you find out in advance, you may be able to avoid at least one line. The NYC Board of elections site has a voter registration search and a poll site locater.

If anyone knows of other easy sources of information helpful for election day please let me know.

Set your clock back one hour. No it’s not 9:23 it’s 8:23. Go back to sleep.

Just got an email press release from Markowitz’s press guy about an announcement today urging the Board of Elections to prepare for overcrowding on Election Day and to provide transportation to the polls for seniors.

City Hall –  This Sunday Councilmembers Bill de Blasio and Letitia James, along Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and other elected officials, will call on the City’s Board of Elections to extend the hours at busy polling places to midnight to accommodate the expected high voter turnout on Election Day. They will also call on the Board of Elections to make special accommodations for senior voters.

So I took Jane Tomkiewicz’s 4-class series in Alexander Technique in October and I must tell you: it’s wonderful in a life altering kind of way.

Okay, so it’s hard to describe. It’s not physical therapy, massage, meditation, or Yoga but it can be thought of as a blend of these.

Frederick Matthias Alexander was a 19th century Australian actor who discovered this technique when he tried to figure out why he suffered from chronic hoarseness when he had to speak in public.

According to Jane, he stood in front of mirrors and studied the way he moved when he spoke.

Over time he began to understand his body’s patterns and how to change them. The Alexander Technique was born when he discovered that thought could be used to release muscles and decrease tension.

It’s pretty subtle stuff. A sending of directions to your body, little cues. Think it and then…

Alexander Technique is a way of deconstructing the way your body does things. Sitting, standing, lying down, reaching, holding.

The sessions are very, very interesting and simple. During one session we addressed sitting. Another time we dealt with working at a desk and at a computer. It’s a wonderful technique if you have any kind of body pain. It’s also great if you want to rethink the way you use (or abuse) your body.

But we didn’t just talk. Jane led us through floor and standing exercises that helped us key into the mind-body connection. She offered images that helped us move our bodies differently.

Jane is offering another series in November and December.

Alexander Technique Series for our community: a great opportunity in Park Slope for new or continuing students in a small group (limit 5)

included in the series:

1 free introductory hands-on demonstration

4 classes (an hour and a quarter each)

1 private lesson (45minutes)

Fee:  $150

Jane has been teaching the Alexander Technique to
groups at the 92nd St. Y since 1992 and privately in Manhattan since
1990.  She served as the Executive Director of the American Center of
the  Alexander Technique from 1996-2008. She is very pleased to begin
teaching group and private lessons in Brooklyn at the Feldenkrais
Center of Park at 375 5th Ave (between 5th & 6th).

For more information about the Technique or class series please email or call 718-369-3092 or 347-387-2366.

I’d heard that this show at St. Ann’s Warehouse was a must-see from my friend who knows a lot about interesting theater in NY. Here’s the email from Susan Feldman, Artistic Director of St. Ann’s Warehouse.

Because of the overwhelming success of the National Theatre of Scotland’s Black Watch in its return engagement at St. Ann’s Warehouse, the play is now extended through December 21. The current run began October 9 and was to end November 30.

The performances at St. Ann’s Warehouse will conclude the show’s two-year tour of the world, in which it has earned extraordinary acclaim in cities including Edinburgh, Glasgow, and others in Scotland; London and Dublin; Sydney and Perth in Australia; New Zealand; Toronto; Los Angeles, Norfolk, VA; and New York, where, last fall, it completed a limited run at St. Ann’s Warehouse that sold out within days of opening.

Susan Feldman, Artistic Director, St. Ann’s Warehouse, shared her enthusiasm about the production and its extension, “We are honored that Black Watch will conclude its worldwide two-year tour in New York City at St. Ann’s Warehouse, and we are ecstatic that this return engagement for 20,000 people warrants an additional 3 weeks to accommodate 7,000 more. We wish Black Watch could run forever. It brings the war home to us civilians with empathy for the boys who fight and a searing eye view of what our politicians keep hidden. Clearly there is a hunger for this truth.

Here’s the latest dispatch from Dan LaVoe, Media Director for Brooklyn for Barack:

I thought you may want to see this cool new effort by Obama’s campaign
to get Brooklynites to make 10,000 calls into battleground states. The
call centers are all over the borough. Hundreds of volunteers are
already working hard, but this effort could be that last push NYers can
give.

You can check out all the details at www.brooklyn10000.com.

There’s lots to do today. Better get started early:

Don’t forget to get your free Halloween trick or treat bats. The Park Slope Civic Council and Buy in Brooklyn have joined together to create limited edition reusable trick or treat bags. These bags will be available at the local 7th and 5th Avenue sponsors.

1st Annual Park Slope Civic Council Halloween Costume Contest
October 31st

    * 4:00 Free Photos by Roberto Falck Photograpy
    * 4:00-4:55 Contest Registration
    * 5:00-6:00 Costume Contest

This is a Costume Contest for big and little kids!  There are a load of categories to choose from, so get out your thinking caps and get started making your homemade costumes.  Winners will be presented with a winner’s banner to carry at the beginning of the Parade.

    * Costume Categories and Sponsors
    * Here are the Contest Rules
    * OFFICIAL Entry Form

The Halloween Parade is Better than Ever!
October 31st
6:30 Start Time
7th Ave and 12th Street is the starting point (continuing to Union Street), but don’t rush down to join at the beginning or you’ll miss the best parts!

This year’s parade will feature large-scale puppets built by the Park Slope Parents’ Puppet Team with the help of Theresa Linnihan from the Puppeteer’s Coooperative. Make way for these new additions and join the parade at the back so you can see it all before participating in the biggest childen’s parade in the United States