News item: John McCain says he’s turned  to Sarah Palin for advice many times over the years.

                      SISTER SARAH

"Should I ask Dad tonight for the horseless carriage?
Does dating fast girls spoil a guy for marriage?"

"Think joining the circus beats a hitch in the navy?
D’ya like my hair straight and long or wavy?"

"I know you hate the thought of abortion, of
course,
But what about becoming rich through divorce?"

"Is running for the Senate something for me
Seeing’s I know zip about the economy?"

"Party leaders say I’m much too slick.
Shoot! What’s the meaning of maverick?"

"Sarah, if the voters cook my goose
Will you show me how to hunt for
moose?"

                                            Leon Freilich

From the New York Times:

In stark contrast to the House rejection of the plan on Monday, a bipartisan coalition of senators — including both presidential candidates — showed no hesitation in backing a proposal that had drawn public scorn, though the outpouring eased somewhat after a market plunge followed the House defeat. The Senate margin was 74 to 25 in favor of the White House initiative to buy troubled securities in an effort to avoid an economic catastrophe.

In this week’s stunning 40th anniversary issue of New York Magazine, Pete Hamill has penned, Brooklyn Revisited: The author returns to Brooklyn to find that everything and nothing has changed. Here’s an excerpt:

All Brooklyn people have their own versions of the borough, of course, shaped by time and place. Each connected hamlet has its own heroes, villains, legends, myths. My Brooklyn story has two main chapters. Almost 40 years ago, I published an article in this magazine that evoked the virtues of Brooklyn as an alternative to living in Manhattan. At the time, I was living alone in a rented garden apartment on Berkeley Place in Park Slope, getting over a sad divorce, drinking too much, trying everything in my power to calm the confusions of my two young daughters. I knew that my most implacable enemy was solitude, and that I needed a sense of community. I found it again in Brooklyn.

My new friends were united by common interests. Most were men and women of the liberal left. They had read Jane Jacobs and Dorothy Day and Saul Alinsky. They were against the war in Vietnam. They demanded full civil rights for all minorities, including women, gays, and lesbians. They believed that politics truly mattered, and had formed the Park Slope Independent Democrats to make their own existence felt in the hidebound Democratic Party Establishment. Most supported John Lindsay as mayor (and a few worked for him). Most supported Gene McCarthy for president in 1968, but they also mourned Robert F. Kennedy. It was a time of angry disputes, apocalyptic racial rhetoric, moral quandaries, bitter divorces (as all relationships were tested by the gathering power of feminist theory)

On October 3 come to Art Obama, a silent auction of over 100 small works by American artists to support the election of Barack Obama and down-ticket Democrats. Proceeds benefit the Obama Victory Fund. Donations also accepted for ActBlue, a clearinghouse supporting progressive House and Senate candidates nationwide. Space is limited, and pre-registration for this event is strongly recommended.

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

On October 3 come to Art Obama, a silent auction of over 100 small works by American artists to support the election of Barack Obama and down-ticket Democrats. Proceeds benefit the Obama Victory Fund. Donations also accepted for ActBlue, a clearinghouse supporting progressive House and Senate candidates nationwide. Space is limited, and pre-registration for this event is strongly recommended.

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

Brooklyn Based, a free email tip sheet you’ve got to subscribe to is such a fun Brooklyn resource, a Daily Candy for the brownstone set. This week they suggest

Friday: The Gate partners with Shmaltz Brewing Co., Southpaw, Bierkraft, Blind Tiger, and Barrette to present the 1st Annual Coney Island Freaktoberfest Boutique Beer & Music Festival. On tap: a variety of craft beers, live music, burlesque, and performances by the Coney Island Sideshow. All-you-can-drink tix here>>

Saturday and Sunday: Open House New York returns Saturday and Sunday with a gazillion unusual and mostly free tours throughout NYC. Take your kids on a historic Red Hook tour, armed with pencil and sketchpad; see dancers perform a tour through Green-Wood Cemetery; rooftop camp at an undisclosed locale (scroll to Douglas Paulson), or bike to Brooklyn’s greenest buildings. Pick one, or two, and RSVP now.

Saturday: Along with OHNY, Brooklyn Navy Yard Arts provides a rare public glimpse of their workplace Saturday beginning at noon, when the new artists collective holds open studios inside seven Navy Yard buildings. Shuttle buses make it easy to access; exhibited work ranges from sculpture to paintings to photography and furniture design.

An OTBKB reader sent this story in. During the summer, she moved to Park Slope with her family from Washington state. She found OTBKB not long ago and reads it daily.

My husband bought me a green 1970’s schwinn collegiate bike for our
anniversary this summer. Right away I found a front mounted baby
seat for our almost two year old. Moving to Park Slope from
Washington State, I was a little overwhelmed to say the least. But
almost every morning Scout (our son) and I would throw on our tennis
shoes and explore the city. We rode to Tedd and Honey’s in Cobble
Hill, we rode to Red Hook, we made a trip over the Brooklyn Bridge to
the promenade to get our first peak at Lady Liberty, we would make
quick trips to the Prospect Park Zoo, it was our grocery getter, it
was a symbol of our embarkment on New York from Washington.

Then, one morning a biker died in a tragic accident when he collided with a
bus. It was on the corner of the block we live on and my husband and
son were witnesses. I didn’t ride with Scout on our bike for a week.
I couldn’t get the image of the lonely bike laying in the rode out of
my mind. I felt lucky that we still had our lives but so strange and
sad that one was lost so close in proximity to our day to day lives.

Finally I convinced myself to take a ride.

We live right on PPW so we were only going to ride though the park and back. My mind was still
on the man and his family.

When we made it back safely to our house I parked my bike on the light pole in front where I normally lock it. I collected my purse and Scout and walked inside. Forgetting to chain up my bike. The next morning we all rose early and were headed out for a ride to Get Fresh for some breakfast and digging in the garden. I rubbed my eyes as I looked at the pole where my bike was usually parked.

Our bike was gone. The bike lock laying nicely locked around
the light pole and the baby seat too. Much to my surprise Scout was
more upset then I was. That someone would take our bike, that it
wasn’t there to take an adventure at our will. “Bike gone” he said.
“someone take bike way” he added with his new skill of forming
sentences. It was almost two weeks ago and he still stops at the
light pole as we’re headed out.

I feel like maybe someone took it thinking it was free. Being that it
wasn’t locked and because they took the time to remove the baby seat.
It also has collapsable baskets on either side of the back tire that
you can’t see in the photo.

The CDC recently expanded their flu vaccination recommendations to include all children from 6 months all the way through 18 years old.  And their caregivers (you).

Make things easier for yourself with a quick trip to this Friday’s Say “BOO!” to the Flu event in Brooklyn for a FREE flu shot and plenty of other prevention tips (and maybe even some free goodies).  We could all use a few free perks right now, couldn’t we?  I’ll admit it won’t help get the kids out the door, but at least it’s something…

Halloween isn’t just about costumes and candy; it is also the time of year to get your family vaccinated against the flu.  To prepare for this year’s cold and flu season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expanded their flu vaccination recommendations to include all children from 6 months through 18 years old.

At the Say “Boo!” to the Flu event in New York, nurses from Lutheran Family Health Centers will administer flu vaccinations, while also providing parents with important flu prevention information. 

Say “Boo!” to the Flu will give busy families an easy way to scare away the flu virus in October, before flu season peaks.  The Halloween-themed event will also offer fun, interactive games for families.  Painting kids’ faces and playing fun games can help kids forget about their flu vaccination!

   Say “Boo!” to the Flu at the Lutheran Family Health Center Sunset Park Site!
·      Who:      All New York City and Brooklyn children and their families
·      What:     Get vaccinated, learn flu prevention tips and enjoy free give-aways
·      When:    October 3, 2:00-6:00 p.m.
·      Where:  Lutheran Family Health Center Sunset Park Site, 150 55th Street, Brooklyn
·      Cost:     Free! (Supplies are limited and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis) 

About Say “Boo!” to the Flu
Families Fighting Flu (a group of families who experienced the loss of a child to the flu), Visiting Nurse Associations of America (the largest non-profit network of flu immunizers) and The Clorox Company join together for the Say “Boo!” to the Flu program, a national campaign to increase the number of families vaccinated against the flu nationwide.

The CDC now recommends all children from 6 months through 18 years old get vaccinated against the flu.
The CDC recently expanded their flu vaccination recommendations to include all children from 6 months all the way through 18 years old.  And their caregivers (you).

Make things easier for yourself with a quick trip to this Friday’s Say “BOO!” to the Flu event in Brooklyn for a FREE flu shot and plenty of other prevention tips (and maybe even some free goodies).  We could all use a few free perks right now, couldn’t we?  I’ll admit it won’t help get the kids out the door, but at least it’s something…

During these volatile times, all of us have questions, questions, questions about what is really going on and what it means. There’s a helpful Q&A in the Times today by Ron Lieber. It’s not exactly comforting but it is informative. Here’s an excerpt.

For all of you on Main Street who have been watching the turmoil on Wall Street for the last few weeks, Monday’s shockwaves rattled even the most steadfast.

The day began with the announcement that another big bank — Wachovia — had been taken over, just days after Washington Mutual collapsed and was sold. In early afternoon, the House rejected the bailout package for the financial industry. Stocks plunged, with the Dow ending the day down nearly 778 points in the worst single-day drop in two decades.

What is a regular investor to make of it all? What about people who have money in bank accounts? Below are some answers to questions that are probably on your mind.

According to Yelp, three of the best sushi places in Brooklyn are right here in Park Slope and Windsor Terrace The choice was made by members of Yelp, a social networking site, where people comment on their local restaurants and stores. Recently they’ve added a Brooklyn Yelp. This is by no means a scientific survey. It’s just a bunch of Yelpers yelping about places they like.

Floundering in a sea of options? Many Brooklynites swear by Park Slope’s Blue Ribbon Sushi, including Jeff M who touts their “beautifully prepared, exquisitely fresh” sushi that “compares favorably to Next Door Nobu.” High praise, indeed! The Slope is also home to Taro Sushi, another top-notch destination to get your sashimi fix. Juston P ‘s calculations demonstrate its superb value: “sushi + delicious + fresh + small restaurant + well-known Chef is meant to equal $$$. Yet, it’s only $.”

Simona G is all about Sushi Yama and declares it “the best in Windsor Terrace.” She is a fan of their tasty morsels, friendly waitstaff, and the fact that “the price is right.”

Cute story in the Daily News about MS 88, a middle school on 18th Street and 7h Avenue:

One Brooklyn middle school specializes in reading, writing – and romance.

More than a dozen teachers have met their matches at Middle School 88 in Park Slope, which has spawned six marriages, one engagement and numerous long-term relationships.

Two married couples are on staff, and four other current teachers met their spouses or significant others there. And several other couples who have since left were introduced at the school.

“Nobody comes to work thinking, ‘I’m going to meet somebody,'” said Deanna Kaufman, who began dating her husband while teaching English at the school. “It sounds so cheesy, but you can’t help it.”

Principal Aileen Altman Mitchell attributes the couplings to the school’s young and driven staff, who work long hours and devote so much of their personal time to the job.

“You hire people with similar beliefs and values,” she said. “They have a mutual interest, so it’s a natural outgrowth. They passionately believe in what they are doing.

“

At Art Obama you can bid on this photograph by photo legend Ruth Orkin printed from the original negative.

Art Obama is the brainchild of a committee of smart, creative Park Slopers, who are mad as hell and can’t take what’s happening to this country anymore. So they got organized out of frustration and passion and put together this home-grown effort to raise money. Lucky thing they know a lot of New York artists, who were willing donate some terrific art, including this painting by Ann Agee.

On October 3, there will be a silent auction of over 100 small works by American artists to support the election of Barack Obama and down-ticket Democrats.

Proceeds benefit the Obama Victory Fund. Donations also accepted for ActBlue , a clearinghouse supporting progressive House and Senate candidates nationwide. Space is limited, and pre-registration for this event is strongly recommended.

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

A sign on the door of Root Stock and Quade, says that there was a fire in that shop recently. Because of fire and water damage, the owners are closing that location; they have a location in Clinton Hill, where they will continue to run their urban gardening and floral arrangements business.

Margot Gayle, who fought for the preservation of New York City’s 19th-century architecture—even before there was a historic preservation movement or a Landmarks Commision, died today at the age of 100. This quote is from the New York Times:

‘’Margot Gayle is the only reason we have a SoHo,’’ Brendan Sexton said in a 1998 interview, when he was president of the Municipal Art Society. ‘’The only person who comes close or who shares with Margot that honor is Jane Jacobs, who stopped Robert Moses from putting an expressway through what is today SoHo and TriBeCa. Margot turned her eye on the cast-iron district and it appeared like magic.”

From Brownstoner:

The Whole Foods superstore that’s been planned for the corner of 3rd Street and 3rd Avenue in Gowanus will never happen, according to a source with close connections to the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the government agency that needs to sign off on the clean-up of the polluted site before any building can begin. Environmental concerns aside, evidently the trend in the supermarket biz has swung away from superstores, our source notes; in addition, in the wake of poor earnings this summer, Whole Foods announced that it would be cutting back on the number of new stores next year. The likely upshot? Even if Whole Foods decided to open a smaller store in Brooklyn, says our source, it’s unlikely it would want to use this site. You buying it?

Photographer Max Flatow grabbed a bunch of great shots of the new Trader Joe’s located in that glorious bank building on Court Street and Atlantic. Check out more at his blog.