CLEVER DOC: ARE YOU JUGGLING TOO MANY BALLS IN THE AIR?

Are you stressed out and juggling too many balls in the air? Are you looking for a sense of calm? Do you feel like you need to tap into deep sources of energy, motivation, and talent?

Have no Fear, Clever Doc is here with some questions for you about the way that you are living your life. And maybe some suggestions about how to slow down and smell the roses.

Clever Doc is a good friend of OTBKB. Her real name is Linda Hawes Clever, MD, MACP. An internist, she is the founder of an organization called Renew. She is also an occupational health specialist with a national reputation for activism and for professional and community service.

Galvanized by the growing exhaustion she observed among fellow health professionals and inspired by the work of John W. Gardner, founder of Common Cause and former Secretary of Health, Education & Welfare, Dr. Clever and colleagues formally launched RENEW in 2000.

Clever Doc wants to know: Is your daily whirl really just a whirrr of "doing something"? What about being effective? What about having some meaning and purpose? What about joy?

And what about when life delivers a knockout punch?

    I had a busy, busy, busy but manageable life awhile back, Then my parents died, our home was burglarized, cutbacks evaporated two jobs that I loved, and my husband needed life saving surgery. All in 18 months.   

    Eventually, I surfaced, looked around, and saw that I wasn’t the only one wondering how to do it all or, if not “all”, how to decide what to do and how to do it well.

    Many of us, whether 20- somethings or 40, 60, 80-somethings, wonder how to make it over the long haul. We have plenty to accomplish; plenty of reason to be creative, enthusiastic, focused; plenty of need to be resilient.  But how?

    Over years of learning and listening to groups that engage in “renewing,” I’ve found that a four-step process can get things rolling again.

    Step one starts today: Wake up and smell the coffee (at Connecticutt Muffin, Gorilla, or wherever else you go). Begin to notice how the people you care about are doing and feeling.

    Then ask yourself the first of ten questions. A new one will be rolled out every few days. Let them be an alarm clock.

    Keep track of your answers and your score. Leave comments here.

    THE FIRST QUESTION IS THIS:
    1.    How many times did you really laugh yesterday?
    0 (0 points)
    1 – 2 (1 point)
    3 – 4 (2 points)
    5 – 6 (3 points)                           
    6 + (4 points)

NICE SHOUT OUT FOR OTBKB ON DEEP IN THE HEART OF BROOKLYN

Was it just last year that Patti Smith performed an impromptu concert at the opening of the Brooklyn Museum’s Annie Lebowitz show?

Was that really just a year ago? Seems like ages ago.

Well OTBKB decided not to go to the opening (her loss big time). Luckily Brooklyn Beat was there and he wrote a nice piece about it. And then he started a blog called, Deep in the Heart of Brooklyn.

It was just a year ago that I attended a member’s opening at the
Brooklyn Museum and caught Patti Smith and band perform live. It was so
cool, bringing so much art and excitement together, that I had to do
something with it, which led me to write about the evening. I had
become familiar with Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn and on a whim, sent
the report there. Fortunately for me, Louise Crawford of Only the Blog
Knows Brooklyn. com immediately responded to my story and posted it. I
was hooked.

Blogging has the immediacy of electronic journalism but,
since it is essentially a literary, or at least largely word-based
medium, it demands some reflection. All of that works for me. I wrote a
number of posts for OTBKB, and had stuff picked up by other blogs as
well, which is a unique experience to see your stuff out there and
wonder how it got picked up. People have many reasons to blog. I see
that some folks bring a strong current of interest in neighborhoods and
commerce, with a particular focus on real estate and development issues
and the like. Others focus on aspects of their world, however minute,
and manage to impart meaning. Blogging seems like an open book, and the
bottom line is whatever works for you.

JOAN DIDION ON THE SANTA ANA WINDS

Sitting in my Brooklyn dining room, I hear news on WNYC that wild fires continue to burn their way through Southern California.  500,000 have been evacuated from their homes, the largest evacuation in California history.

The Santa Ana winds are partly to blame.

The Santa Ana winds with their hurricane like speeds, the weather, and the dryness brought on by drought have conspired to make this a devastating natural tragedy the likes of which LA has never seen.

Joan Dideon wrote about the Santa Ana winds in her magnificent book of essays, "Slouching Toward Bethlehem." If it’s not in this collection, please let me know. Here’s an excerpt.

"There is something uneasy in the Los Angeles air this afternoon, some unnatural stillness, some tension.  What it means is that tonight a Santa Ana will begin to blow, a hot wind from the northeast whining down through the Cajon and San Gorgonio Passes, blowing up sand storms out along Route 66, drying the hills and the nerves to flash point.  For a few days now we will see smoke back in the canyons, and hear sirens in the night.  I have neither heard nor read that a Santa Ana is due, but I know it, and almost everyone I have seen today knows it too.  We know it because we feel it.  The baby frets.  The maid sulks.  I rekindle a waning argument with the telephone company, then cut my losses and lie down, given over to whatever it is in the air.  To live with the Santa Ana is to accept, consciously or unconsciously, a deeply mechanistic view of human behavior.

"I recall being told, when I first moved to Los Angeles and was living on an isolated beach, that the Indians would throw themselves into the sea when the bad wind blew.  I could see why.  The Pacific turned ominously glossy during a Santa Ana period, and one woke in the night troubled not only by the peacocks screaming in the olive trees but by the eerie absence of surf.  The heat was surreal.  The sky had a yellow cast, the kind of light sometimes called "earthquake weather."  My only neighbor would not come out of her house for days, and there were no lights at night, and her husband roamed the place with a machete.  One day he would tell me that he had heard a trespasser, the next a rattlesnake.

"Easterners commonly complain that there is no "weather" at all in Southern California, that the days and the seasons slip by relentlessly, numbingly bland.  That is quite misleading.  In fact the climate is characterized by infrequent but violent extremes:  two periods of torrential subtropical rains which continue for weeks and wash out the hills and send subdivisions sliding toward the sea; about twenty scattered days a year of the Santa Ana, which, with its incendiary dryness, invariably means fire.  At the first prediction of a Santa Ana, the Forest Service flies men and equipment from northern California into the southern forests, and the Los Angeles Fire Department cancels its ordinary non-firefighting routines.  The Santa Ana caused Malibu to burn as it did in 1956, and Bel Air in 1961, and Santa Barbara in 1964.  In the winter of 1966-67 eleven men were killed fighting a Santa Ana fire that spread through the San Gabriel Mountains…"

SIMONE DINNERSTEIN AT LINCOLN CENTER BARNES AND NOBLE

On November 11th at 3 p.m. Park Slope’s Simone Dinnerstein will be playing excerpts from the Bach’s Goldberg Variations in a 25-minute concert at the Lincoln Center Barnes and Noble.

Dinnerstein is bringing a Klavierhaus piano into the store. After the recital, she will be interviewed by Robin Quivers and will be signing her CD, which is one of Billboard’s top ten classical bestsellers.

Hey, what about our local Barnes and Noble? Simone lives in Park Slope. I think the local B&N should have concert, too. Don’t you?

IF A STRIPPER ISN’T STRIPPING IS SHE STILL A STRIPPER?

This from the Daily News:

On Tuesday, Puppetry Art Theatre’s Timothy Young uninvited dancers from
Scores who had signed on as volunteers for Saturday’s second annual
Haunted Halloween Carnival Benefit at Middle School 51 in Brooklyn.

Young
said he asked the strippers to stay away because he was afraid the Park
Slope school would cancel on him or sponsors would back out.

"It
was a small, insignificant part of the event," Young said. "I uninvited
them because I don’t want to compromise the event, the organization or
the school."

Young’s group is raising money for its work in
shelters, and volunteers were to help with a special pizza party and
costume giveaway for 300 homeless and hospitalized children the group
works with.

MS51 Principal Lenore Berner asked that the strippers
be excluded from the festivities, said Department of Education
spokesman David Cantor.

"It is not a school event," he said.
"Because many children will attend, however, the benefit is not an
appropriate venue for volunteers identified as adult dance
rs."

In
addition to dancers, Scores bartenders and office workers had planned
to attend, said Elda Auerbach, who does promotions for the club. Now no
one is going.

"I don’t want the charity to get hurt," she said yesterday.

The
revoked invitations came after yesterday’s Daily News reported that the
strippers had been invited. They were not planning to wear
inappropriate outfits – instead coming as fully dressed witches or
sorcerers.

CAR JUMPS CURB AT BROOKLYN BUS STOP

This from New York 1:

Five people were hospitalized Tuesday after a car jumped a curb at a Brooklyn bus stop.

The crash happened in front of Borough Hall on Court Street at around 1:30 Tuesday afternoon.

Police say the driver only had a learner’s permit and was left
alone temporarily by a person with a license. The accident happened
when the person with the permit was asked to move the car.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene.

"She just started backing up and she couldn’t control the car so
she backed into a BMW,” said one witness. “She just started to put the
gear in drive, she started driving, and she hit a pedestrian."

As of Tuesday night, the police had not yet announced charges in the case and say all five victims have non-life-

FLIGHT 001 TO OPEN ON FIFTH AVENUE

Flight 001 has  7 stores, including one on Smith Street, which I visited recently.  They are now adding Park Slope to the roster.

Flight 001 was founded in 1999 by Brad John and John Sencion, after
recognizing the need for a shop that would make travel shopping as
streamlined as flying itself.

The shops look like airplane interiors. And they see great luggage and  flight essentials from Mandarina Duck, Samsonite
Black Label, Y-3 by Adidas, Hideo Wakamatsu, Jack Spade, and Orla Kiely
in addition to their own line of unique and highly functional travel
product.

The new location is 58 Fifth Ave in the Park Slope (that’s pretty near Flatbush). It marks another step in "FLIGHT 001’s international rollout spanning the next five years."

Obviously they’ve got big plans. I wonder if a larger company bought them. I hope it doesn’t lose its specialness in the process.

FLIGHT 001 currently operates 7 other stores in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley, Chicago, Dubai UAE, and the first Brooklyn Store on Smith St. in the Boerum Hill neighborhood.

HAVE YOU EVER CHEATED?

My office mate’s friend, Jessica Dorfman Jones, just published her first book called The Art of Cheating. My office mate, who has never cheated in his life, says that the book is a "snarky guide to getting your way in life." He enjoyed it a lot.

The author will be reading on November 6th at Union Hall on Union Street just east of 5th Avenue.

Here’s the blurb from the book:

Who
says you should always tell the truth? With this handy informational
guidebook you can con your way through life — from finessing your
resume, to lying about your age, to getting a date. Whether you’ve
decided to cheat out of sheer desperation or the need to get ahead, The Art of Cheating
provides essential tips and guidelines for how to be the ultimate
swindler, and how to spot the con artists among us. You’ll learn what
it takes to be a great cheater, and the pros and cons to every swindle.
As a newly minted master of deception, you’ll be able to cheat:

• On a diet

• On your spouse or significant other (or both!)

• On your taxes

• On standardized tests

• Death

And more! With clever illustrations and humorous deadpan delivery, The Art ofCheating
will have you sleeping your way to the top, faking an illness, and
forging someone else’s handwriting — without batting an eye.

COBBLE HILL IS WES ANDERSON COUNTRY

A Brooklyn Life had this report from the Cobble Hill Cinema:

We saw the 8 p.m. showing of Wes Anderson’s The Darjeeling Limited at Cobble Hill. When we exited the theater there was a verrrrrry long line waiting to get into the 10 p.m. showing. If a survey of the entire U.S. were to be conducted, I predict that Cobble Hill would come out as the most friendly Wes Anderson neighborhood in the country.

VIGIL AND GHOST BIKE FOR MURPHEY

New York Metro reports that there was a vigil attended by 100 people for Craig Murphy, the cyclist who was killed last Thursday night.

More than a hundred people lit candles and walked in silence along Union Avenue Sunday night to remember the life and commemorate the tragic death of Craig Murphey, a 26-year-old man who was killed when his bicycle collided with a truck last week.

Murphey, who worked with the West Harlem Action Network Against Poverty and founded a scheme to bring fresh produce to low income communities, was remembered as “iconic” and “unique” by his friends.
“He always put people ahead of himself,” said friend Greg Bersnitz. “People often talk about doing that. But he lived it.”

Following the procession, Murphey’s friends gathered around a ghost bike memorial at Ten Eyck Street and Union Avenue, near where he was killed. They laid candles and flowers and told stories about Murphey’s life — frequently bursting into laughter followed by tears.

DANCE CLASSES FOR PEOPLE WITH PARKINSON’S AT MARK MORRIS

The Daily News reports that Mark Morris Dance Group offers dance classes for those with Parkinson’s Disease. Here’s a quote from the article:

Over the next 75 minutes, teachers Leventhal, John Heginbotham and Misty Owens got their dance students out of their chairs and put them through their paces. There were demi-pliés at ballet barres, modern dance and tap steps, and marches across the studio floor to the strains of “Seventy-Six Trombones.” The group also did moves from the company’s own repertoire.

ABLE DANGER: 9/11 CONSPIRACY FILM NOIR MADE IN DITMAS PARK

On Saturday night I sat next to a cinematographer friend at dinner and he told me about an interesting new film called, Able Danger, that was filmed in the Ditmas Park neighborhood.

From what he said, the story is about a character loosely based on Sander Hicks, who owns Vox Pop. Does anyone know when/where the film is showing? Here’s the not very descriptive blurb from the Able Danger website:

ABLE DANGER is a film that is currently pushing the boundaries of contemporary filmmaking.

Shot on location in and around the city of New York, ABLE DANGER’s contemporary take on film noir distinctly selects this conspiracy theory thriller as new breed of cinema. Mixing classic imaging with the latest technology, and finishing in some of the most well respected post facilities, ABLE DANGER look is a perfect companion with the compelling story it puts forth.

Here’s the blurb from IMDB, which gives a better idea of what the film is about.

Tom Flynn, the idealist owner of a left-leaning radical café/bookstore and the quixotic publisher of a hard hitting 911 conspiracy expose, finds himself entangled with a mysterious Eastern European beauty, Kasia, who is on the run from strong hand of a global 911 cover up.

In this contemporary take on film noir. When Tom is implicated in the murder of his friend and employee, he is forced to unravel Kasia’s complex web of lies. As it turns out, Kasia possesses the smoking gun that proves the identities and methods of the real architects of 911, and Tom Flynn is willing to die to expose the truth.

UPDATE ON GOLDIE THE VOLVO

Hepcat talked to the great Volvo expert, Lorenzutti on Douglas Street, and now thinks that Goldie can be saved. Lorenzutti says that the car just needs a new gasket and he can do the work.

What that means is that we are having the car towed from Ft. Lee, New Jersey to Douglas Street at a cost of $275 plus tolls and tax.

Then we’ll see what Lorenzutti can do. If it’s super expensive we will probably pass.

Hepcat is quite agitated about all of this. He’s not sure if he wants to THROW more money into this 20-year-old car. Goldie has been an incredibly reliable, great car for the ten years that we’ve owned her.

I first saw her driving down Greene Street in SoHo with her old owner with a For Sale sign on the window. I ran after her and at the stoplight told the owners that we were interested.

A few days later, Hepcat took a bus to southern New Jersey and picked up the car from the owners.

It’s been ten good years with Goldie. Hepcat and Teen Spirit drove her cross country country in the summer of 2001. And what an adventure it was: they drove Goldie to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water, the Warhol Museum, the St. Louis Arch, Denver, Colorado, the Salt Flats in Nevada and the beach at San Francisco and many other places in between.

Hepcat’s mother and sister drove the car east a few weeks after 9/11. Because of the New York plates, they were cheered all the way across the country.

But she seems to be on her last wheels now.

It may be time for a new car. Not a new new car, of course. Hepcat only buys used cars. But something a bit more up to date.

What cars do you like?

CHOCOLATE CHIP MUSIC AT OLD FIRST ON NOVEMBER 3-4

Helen Richman, Director of Chocoloae Chip Concerts, sent news of their upcoming event at Old First Church in Park Slope on November 3rd and 4th.

We hope to see you in a few short weeks at an upcoming Chocolate Chip Concert the weekend of November 3rd/4th. Chocolate Chip Chamber Music is a professional concert series geared towards toddlers to age six, based in Park Slope. We present engaging, interactive mini-concerts (about 30 minutes in length), from classical to jazz and world music. Our emcee and mascot, Baker Bobbie, is on hand to introduce the pieces and the players in a memorable way. This fall, due to popular demand, Chocolate Chip has added a third performance of the same program, on Sunday afternoon, in order to retain the unique experience of live chamber music.

Join us as we begin our second season with. . .

The Erklingen Brass Quartet in A Pirate’s Booty of Brass
Jim Lake and Colin Brigstocke, trumpets; Amber Lane, french horn; Michael Canipe, bass trombone

Set sail on an exciting adventure with Baker Bobbie and her musician mates aboard a pirate ship! Selections from Gabrieli to Joplin are woven with favorite pirate lingo and antics. Young listeners will have ample opportunity to don their imaginary pirate hats and practice their own swagger to dance-able numbers. Plus, more mellow strains bring opportunities for pretend night – time on deck. As always, concert-goers will enjoy two treats at the end of the performance: the chance to sample the instruments, and a fresh-baked chocolate chip cookie.

CONCERTS ARE SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2007, AT 10:00 AND 11:30 A.M.
AND SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4 AT 4:00 P.M
.

Old First Reformed Church Lower Hall at the corner of Carroll Street in Park Slope

Tickets are $6 per child, $7 per child cash only

A NOOSE FOUND IN A BROOKLYN PUBLIC SCHOOL

This from NY 1:

Police say a black administrator at Canarsie High School received a string tied into a hangman’s noose in the mail along with a letter containing racist remarks.

Police haven’t made any arrests and are continuing to investigate.

The hate crimes unit has their hands full with similar incidents across the city. Last week investigators said copycats are imitating the high profile Columbia University noose incident earlier this month.

In the wake of that incident, lawmakers in both in Albany agreed Monday to make it a felony to display a noose on public property.

6,000 POLAROIDS ON VIEW: VISUAL DIARY OF A LIFE LIVED FULLY

Friends of artist Jamie Livingston gathered at the Bertelsmann Campus Center at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson on a brilliantly colored fall day for the opening reception of the exhibition, JAMIE LIVINGSTON. PHOTO OF THE DAY: 1979-1997, 6,697 Polaroids, dated in sequence.

Livingston, a photographer, filmmaker, circus performer, accordian player, Mets fan, and above all, loyal friend, died on October 25th (his birthday) in 1997 at the age of 41. He left behind hundreds of bereft friends and a collection of 6,000 photographs neatly organized in small suitcases and wooden fruit crates.

Livingston took a polaroid once a day, every day, including his last, for 18 years.

This photographic diary, which he called, "Photo of the Day," or P.O.D., began when Jaime was a student at Bard College. The project continued when he moved to apartments in New York City including the incredible circus memorabilia-filled loft on Fulton Street, which he shared with his best friend. That loft was the site of many a Glug party, an "orphans thanksgiving," a super-8 festival of Livingston’s lyrical films, and a rollicking music jam.

In a Herculean effort since his death, the Polaroids were scanned, digitized and cataloged by Hugh Crawford and Betsy Reid. Friends of Jamie, a group led by his widow Linda Schaeffer, raised funds to have the photos digitally re-printed on 80 panels. The Bard exhibit opened on October 13th.

On Saturday, friends came from near and far (Greece, Paris, California, Brooklyn) for the first public exhibition of Livingston’s life work. It will be on view until October 27th. The response from Bard students has been overwhelmingly positive.  They love studying this grid of thousands of photos, especially pictures taken when Livingston was a student at Bard. Someone has even added a Polaroid of their own. Friends of Jamie didn’t seem to mind.

"If Jamie was alive he’d have been the one to do that," someone said.

Friends examined the 7 x 120 ft wall of Polaroids arranged chronologically from 1979 until 1997. There were squeals of recognition, oooh’s, ahhhh’s, cries of "Where was that picture taken?", "I remember that day." or "Look at that shirt!"

Photo’s of  friends, girlfriends, objects, landscapes, ball games, and New York City scenes, are interspersed with shots of famous people like Philip Johnson, Keith Richards, Lionel Richie and many others Livingston met in his career as a music video and commercial director and cinematographer.

Some days there are no pictures. Usually he’d write a note explaining the absence. When he was in Europe in 1982 there’s a lapse of 14 days. "He couldn’t find any Polaroid film," Hepcat explained.

"What’s with February 29th?" I asked. There are just 4 pictures for that day.

"It’s a leap year," someone shouted. DUH.

A decidedly upbeat and celebratory atmosphere prevailed at the reception and the dinner that followed. Tears were shed and stories shared about many of the Photo’s of the Day.

A joyful tribute to a man who insisted on capturing one moment of every day, the show is a personal and public record by an artist, who lived his life with immense creativity, connectedness, and close looking.

"It’s like he knew his life was going to be short. He accomplished so much in the time he had," one friend told me.

Bard College
Bertelsmann Campus Center
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504
organized by Friends of Jamie
Sponsored by the Bard-St. Stephens’s Alumni/ae Assocation
For more information, contact info@photooftheday.net

QUESTIONS AND DETAILS ABOUT BIKER DEATH ON STREETSBLOG

Streetsblog has more info about the death of two Brooklyn bikers.

The deaths of two Brooklyn cyclists just hours apart yesterday have resulted in a homicide charge and an outpouring of grief for a man friends describe as “a truly thoughtful and selfless individual.” Friends of one of the victims are also questioning the official account of his death.

City dailies report that Williamsburg resident Alfred Taylor, 41, has been charged with criminally negligent homicide for killing an as-yet-unidentified cyclist on Fulton Street in Bed Stuy around 6 a.m. Thursday. Police say Taylor was driving a speeding van when he struck the 25-year-old cyclist, whose name is being withheld pending notification of relatives.

READ MORE AT STREETSBLOG

MEMORIES OF SEVENTH AVENUE

A reader wrote in with this litany of shops that used to be on Seventh Avenue. Thanks.

My parents bought my chemistry set at Al’s Toyland (which was actually more of an empire, since they owned three stores on the east side of Seventh Avenue and an "annex" of two more on the West side of the street), so I guess they had at least one educational toy.

Do you recall Herzog’s Deli? Al’s Fish Market? Personal Process Dry Cleaners? How about Danny’s Candy Store, Irv’s Stationary, Lehigh Valley Meats, Wing Wah Chinese Take Out, Stanley Liquor Store…because that was the old Park Slope -repleat with bars like the Iron Horse, Stack of Barley, Coach Inn, and Ryans. Punch & Judy sold children’s clothes, and later Sweets, etc. sold homemade fudge long before Connecticut Muffin sold scones to people with dogs and strollers. I’m still under 40 – just a Berkeley Institute alum. with very fond memories.

BROOKLYN BLOGADE MET IN BAY RIDGE

The Brooklyn Blogade Roadshow, hosted by Luna Park Gazette, met at Omonia Cafe on Third Avenue where they talked, ate and did whatever it is that bloggers do. It may have been a small crowd, but look at the notables that showed up.

Bed-Stuy Blog
Brooklyn Junction
Deep in the Heart of Brooklyn
Flatbush Gardener
I’m Seeing Green
Self-Absorbed Boomer

I am VERY sorry I wasn’t there. The Volvo overheated on the New York Thruway and much adventure ensued (see Good Bye Goldie).

PARK SLOPE MOM SAYS: NO SMOKING IN THE PLAYGROUND!

Someone on Park Slope Parents is wondering if it is illegal to smoke in children’s
playgrounds? She says that there are no signs forbidding it and when she called 311, they
didn’t know.

Apparently, the Parks Department website doesn’t address this issue. I think she should call the NYC Department of Health.

This PSP member has a plan. If it is illegal, she wants to know if would anyone is interested in helping her get it stopped? I

I am curious how she plans to accomplish this. Is she thinking along the lines of a vigilante anti-smoking squad?

Signs, T-shirts, buttons, public service announcements?

This PSP member says that’s she’s seen people smoking at the playground in JJ Byrne, even when there are kids nearby, and even while sitting
on the jungle gym steps!

Truthfully, this doesn’t surprise me all that much. People are still allowed to smoke outside. And a lot of people could care less about the second-hand smoke heath issues they are creating.

This PSP member was shocked to see a woman smoking near children. But her shock turned to action when the mom/smoker threw her butt on the ground. The PSP member went up to  her and gently told her that a child might pick it up and put it in his/her mouth.

Apparently the woman apologized but that didn’t stop her from smoking right near the swings near other children.

Is this PSP member really going to start an anti-smoking in playgrounds brigade? I can’t wait to see what happens.

LOADS OF TALENT AT TEEN SINGER/SONGWRITER SHOWCASE AT ROCKY’S

Friday night’s singer/songwriter showcase at Rocky Sullivan’s was a truly special event. Kudo’s to Kane Balser for putting together the teriffic line-up of teen performers.

I don’t where to go on-line to hear any of the other performers except these two. Please send information about the others if you have it.

You can hear Kane’s music here.

You can hear Window Sign Language here.

CLUB LOCO IS CATCHING ON

I got this exuberant note from Club Loco founder, Lois Wingerson. She is a member of Old First Church and the dynamo behind the Club, a monthly music/social space for teenagers. She got the club off the ground, with an energetic and enthusiastic team of Old First members and neighborhood teens and adults. Now it really seems to be catching on. Here is Lois’ note.

Last night’s opener for our 2007-2008 broke our
records: 104 fans crowded in to hear three great bands:
Banzai, Post No Bills, and Sister Helen.

The scene was so lively that we actually had to bring
the bouncer inside once, and the sound manager had to
make a friendly comment about the nature of dancing.
But it was a great, loud evening with a terrific feel.

Best news of all: WE"RE GOING ON THE AIR. NPR
affiliate WFUV was there interviewing fans and taping
bands. We’re told we’re going to be a small part of an
introductory show and a much larger part of a later
broadcast.

Last night we tried out a new policy replacing
frisking with bag checks and emptying pockets.

The matter of body searches has been the subject of some
disagreements, and was part of a survey we handed out
last night to help make CL even more user-friendly.

But we also want to continue to broaden our reach
beyond Park Slope, so our security policies may need
to keep changing with the times.

We haven’t yet firmed up the lineup for November 17
(or the rest of the year), so if you know of a band
that wants to know about us, please pass on the
myspace URL:

myspace.com/clubxloco

Thanks again for your interest in Club Loco.

WASH YOUR HANDS!

This from the Daily News:

That’s the simple but effective antidote to the drug-resistant staph superbug – and it’s a message that could soon greet students in New York’s public and private school gyms and bathrooms.

Two Brooklyn Democrats announced legislation Sunday that would require schools to post hand-washing reminders to deter the spread of the worrisome bacteria.

“One of the best ways to prevent the spread of drug-resistant staph is through the simple yet underused hygienic procedure of hand-washing,” said state Sen. Carl Kruger, who is sponsoring the bill with Assemblyman Dov Hikind.

Last week, 10 players on an Iona College sports team were infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. One student athlete was hospitalized.

Since then, outbreaks have been either confirmed or suspected at eight other schools.

In most cases of staph, the body’s immune system or a penicillin-type drug will get rid of the infection. The superbug bacteria cannot be contained with basic antibiotics.

On the heels of the Iona outbreak, the Journal of the American Medical Association released a report showing 90,000 serious MRSA cases in 2005.

A fifth of these cases were fatal – more than the number of AIDS-related deaths.
“This nasty staph bug can prove deadly even for young, healthy individuals,” Hikind said.
“We must take adequate and appropriate action now to protect the health of all New Yorkers.”

SEEING GREEN: US VS THEM ATTITUDE DOES NO ONE ANY GOOD

Read Seeing Green on the tragic deaths of two bikers last Thursday.

“Since then it appears that the issue was not as clear; maybe he was not going the wrong way at all. Mea culpa on this level. Certainly one respondent to my comment on OTBKB did not agree with me:

in any case the point being made by transportation alternatives, that we need more protected bike lanes, remains valid. and chandru, while i agree that there are many cyclists out there who endanger themselves with their riding habits, your “no-helmet” stance will always make you vulnerable to such accusations. regardless of whether the driver or the cyclist was “at fault”, one of them is dead. he was someone’s son, someone’s brother, many people’s friend, and he was only 26 years old. that is deserving of outrage.

In defense, firstly, I did not mean to minimize the tradegy of the accident, but an objective look at the cause requires you to not assume the vehicle was automatically at fault.

As one who cycles a lot and grew up cycling in India (if you can cycle there, you can cycle anywhere,) my point, which got lost, is that if (as I often do) you travel the wrong way on a street, it’s your responsibility to watch out for traffic that has the right of way. I often stop completely if I see a vehicle which, in my judgment, is not going to be respectful of my space. While my comment may seem intemperate, it was also a response to the many comments (say, on streetsblog)which suggest that any accident is always the vehicle’s fault. Many cyclists commenting there also exhibit a level of entitlement (especially towards pedestrians) which I am sure makes it easier for them to see slights in every vehicular move. Many also talk about doing 15-20mph on Manhattan streets; this is close to being suicidal by anyone. Bikes just do not have the stopping power and margin of safety that makes them safe at this speed in traffic, bike lane or no.

Fostering a us-vs-them attitude does no one any good.”

GOOD BYE GOLDIE

Long story short: our gold-colored Volvo died on the approach to the George Washington Bridge in bumper-to-bumper Sunday night traffic.

In a five-hour-trip in unbelievably bad traffice from Kingston, NY, the car kept overheating. We had to stop often so that Hepcat could put water in the engine (or whatever he was doing). The stop-and-go traffic exacerbated the overheated situation.

Accoriding to Hepcat, Goldie blew a gasket.

This was the second time in two weeks that the car has had to be towed on the New York Thruway. The 20-year-old car has 140,000 miles on it. That’s not considered a lot for a Volvo.

We called AAA and they referred us to the GW Bridge Authority. A tow druck driver showed up quickly and told us that he was going to push us toward the bridge and then off the bridge on the New Jersey side.

Fortunately, we landed across the street of a motel and we able to use their bathroom. The woman at the front desk gave me the phone number of GW Taxi.

A driver in blue van with black and white checks arrived and good-naturedly transported us and all our stuff to Brooklyn. Recently, he said, he drove a film production assistant from New Jersey to Park Slope. “The guy was really smart but kinda crazy. He gave me 1 $25 tip and a $25 bottle of wine.”

The driver talked about Philip Roth’s “The Plot Against America” and other books he’s enjoyed recently. Hepcat reccomended “V” and “Gravity’s Rainbow” by Thomas Pynchon.

The fate of Goldie is undetermined.

Will we spend more money to save our 20-year old car?
Will we sell the car or give it an organization that takes cars?
What would you do?

DEADLINE FOR TORNADO AID: SOON

This from NY 1:

Time is running out for homeowners and businesses to apply for disaster assistance to repair property that suffered tornado damage earlier this year.

The August 8th storm was particularly strong in Brooklyn and Queens.

FEMA officials say nearly 2,900 businesses and households in Brooklyn and Queens have applied for disaster assistance and over $5 million has already been doled out.

The deadline to register for aid is Tuesday, October 30.

For more information call 1-800-621-3362 or 1-800-462-7585

Serving Park Slope and Beyond