The Endless Feast, a PBS show
which devotes each episode to a different sustainable food system, has produced a Brooklyn show, which features a chef buying pork from Flying
Pig’s Farm and greens from Added Value.

The
show is co-hosted by Anna Lappé, the author of Grub: Ideas for an Urban, Organic Kitchen. She agreed to do the show on the condition that one of the feasts featured took place in an urban center like Brooklyn.

THe show sounds great. It features a big feast at Added Value for the teenagers who
work on the farm. The kids brag about having grown the tomatoes and
talk about how you can’t go back to fast food when you’ve realized how
good the real thing is.

The episode will air again in New York on June 24 on channel 13.

For more about  Added Value, check out their website and learn about the Red Hook Farm that employs teenagers and pays them for their work.

There’s a whole lot of visual stuff going on in it that he thinks is cool. Something about primary colors, triangles. Composition.

Hepcat is proud of this one.

Parking suspended today. Things are  back to normal tomorrow until Monday, which is Memorial Day.

The following is from Wikipedia:

Shavuot, sometimes pronounced Shavuos (Hebrew: שבועות; Israeli Heb. [ʃa·vu·’ʕot]; Ashkenazi [ʃə·’vu·əs]; "[Feast of] Weeks"), is a Jewish holiday that occurs on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Sivan, corresponding to late May or early June. It marks the conclusion of the Counting of the Omer and the day the Torah was given at Mount Sinai. It is one of the shalosh regalim, the three Biblical pilgrimage festivals mandated by the Torah.

The occurrence of Shavuot is directly linked to the date of Passover. The Torah mandates the seven-week Counting of the Omer,
beginning on the second day of Passover and culminating after seven
weeks, Shavuot. This counting of days and weeks expresses anticipation
and desire for the Giving of the Torah. At Passover, the Jewish people
were freed from being slaves to Pharaoh; at Shavuot they accepted the Torah and became a nation committed to serving God.

Shavuot has many aspects and as a consequence is called by several names. In the Torah it is called Feast of Weeks (Hebrew: חג השבועות, Hag ha-Shavuot, Exodus 34:22, Deuteronomy 16:10); Festival of Reaping (Hebrew: חג הקציר, Hag ha-Katsir, Ex. 23:16), and Day of the First Fruits (Hebrew יום הבכורים, Yom ha-Bikkurim, Numbers 28:26). The Mishnah and Talmud refer to Shavuot as Atzeret
(Hebrew: עצרת, a solemn assembly), as it provides closure for the
festival activities during and following the holiday of Passover. Since
Shavuot occurs 50 days after Passover, Christians gave it the name Pentecost (πεντηκόστη, "fiftieth [day]"). However, the actual Christian commemoration of Pentecost occurs on the seventh Sunday after Easter.

In the Land of Israel and among Reform and Karaite Jews, Shavuot is celebrated for one day. In the Jewish diaspora outside Israel, the holiday is celebrated for two days, on the sixth and seventh days of Sivan.

A bunch of locals spoke to Time Out Kids for an article called, Why Do People Hate Park Slope. The  article is out now in the June issue of the magazine on page 8.

The reporter, Lynn Harris, sent an email to those who were quoted to prepare them. She thinks that the tone of the piece was "far more snarky and anti-Slope than her original version." 

The word smugness managed to migrate into the piece and it wasn’t her word. I sort of expected snarky because of the subject matter. Here’s the lede:

"It had to happen, Now that Brooklyn’s brownstone-laden Park Slope is more fashionable, it has become de rigueur to bash, slam, and otherwise trash-talk the nabe. The Slope has arrived — with its famous authors and Hollywood actorsensconced in fancy fansions — and so have its detractors."

She talked to Steven Berlin Johnson, Susan Fox, Catherine Bohne, Peter Loffredo, a frequent commenter on OTBKB and Park Slope Parents and others, including me. What I was getting at was why Park Slope is easy to hate — because it seems like we’ve got it all. We were easier to love when we were scrappier, schleppier Legal Aid lawyers and social workers. Now it’s rich people in fancy brownstones with a great school and a small town feeling. It seems like we have it all.

Who wouldn’t hate Park Slope?

Gowanus Lounge reports that there are  no demolition permits in place and plans for the building were disapproved
by the Department of Buildings on May 17.

Find out more over at his place.

Lumi Rolley at NO LAND GRAB is hard at work collecting the Brooklyn Blog and local press response to the purge of board members at Community Board 6. The headlines say it all:

GOWANUS LOUNGE: Sharp Knives: Markowitz, Yassky and de Blasio Purge Community Board 6

BROWNSTONER: Marty Axes CB6 Members Who Opposed AY Project

THE DAILY GOTHAM: The Purge: Revenge of the Clown

ATLANTIC YARDS REPORT: The Ironies of the CB6 Purge, Jerry Armer, Flamethrower

ROOM 8: Marty’s Brooklyn CB6 Purge & Real Community Board Reform

PARDON ME FOR ASKING: Brooklyn’s Community Board 6 Gets Punished

There’s more, more, more at NO LAND GRAB. THANKS LUMI!!!

Gowanus Lounge reports that there’s been a purge of board members, as expected, at Community Board 6. Borough President Marty Markowitz removed five CB 6 members. Council Member Yassky removed
three CB6 members and Council Member de Blasio removed one.

According to GL, the purge was retribution for opposition to the Atlantic Yards.  Check back here and at at GL as this story heats up. GL also has the names of those who’ve been purged.

Sewell Chan just emailed me and explained that the Blogroll on The Empire Zone page is an old one left over from May 2006 when the blog was a forum for coverage of state and local politics. I am excited to hear that the Times’ is developing a new site called CITY ROOM, which will include links to a wider variety of blogs.

Ms. Crawford,

I enjoyed meeting you at the blogfest in Park Slope you organized a
few weeks ago. Thank you for your hospitality.

I’m writing to respond to your post regarding the Empire Zone’s
blogroll. The Empire Zone began in May 2006 as a forum for coverage
of state and local politics, although its scope has expanded
recently. But you should know that the Empire Zone is being phased
out in the next few weeks; it will be replaced by a new site on
NYTimes.com, called City Room, that will focus broadly on all sorts
of issues in New York City.

The existing blogroll is a holdover from last year’s statewide races
in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. On the new site, we plan to
link to a much wider variety of resources and blogs throughout the five
boroughs and beyond.

I hope this addresses some of your concerns. Please feel free to post
this e-mail message on your blog, as I do think we deserve a chance
to respond.

Many thanks.

Sewell Chan

Get a load of the Blogroll on The Empire Zone, the New York Times’ metro/political blog. There is exactly one Brooklyn blog on there. Jeez. 

And Sewell Chan even came to the Brooklyn Blogfest.

Streetsblog made the list. That’s Aaron Naparstek’s stellar blog, which covers transportation issues. But nobody else rates inclusion on  The Empire Zone’s blogroll.

Come on. Alright, I’ll show you the damn list.

Continue reading THE EMPIRE ZONE’S BLOGROLL →

Here’s some info about CB6 from their website.

New York City is divided into 59 geographic Community
Districts, each one having an appointed Community Board. The Community
Boards are municipal bodies of up to 50 representative Board Members.
Board Members are appointed by their respective Borough President, half
of them at the recommendation of their local City Council Member. They
serve in a voluntary capacity for two year staggered terms. Board
Members are your neighbors – people who live, work, own a business, or
have some other significant interest in the Community District. The
Community Board hires a District Manager who is responsible for running
the District Office.

To see the official list of Board Members of Brooklyn Community Board
6, as supplied by the Office of Brooklyn Borough President Marty
Markowitz go to the CB6 website.
 
Brooklyn Community Board 6 (CB6) meets on the second Wednesday of each
month, except during July and August. All meetings are open to the
public. In an attempt to maximize accessibility, the general meetings
are held at different locations within the district.

Brooklyn CB6 represents the neighborhoods of Carroll Gardens/South
Brooklyn, Cobble Hill, Columbia Street District, Gowanus, Park Slope
and Red Hook.  From the Buttermilk Channel to Prospect Park, 104,054
people (2000 Census figure) choose to call CB6 their home.

Community Boards in general have three distinct areas of focus – land
use, budget, and service delivery. CB6, in its advisory capacity,
sponsors public meetings where topical issues involving the projects,
programs and policies that affect the district will be presented,
discussed and, at times, debated in an open forum.

Friday night I attended the PS 321 school auction and dance at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. I went to enjoy myself, to bid on some silent auction items, and to hang out with my school friends.

I could not help but reflect on last year’s auction when I wrote a Smartmom article about the fact that Forest City Ratner contributed money last year.  Many parents were angry about that. Some refused to come to the auction.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about it but people got mad at me for even bringing up the contentious issue in my Smartmom column in the Brooklyn Paper.

I felt unloved in the school that I love.

This year, the auction was much less fraught. Forest City Ratner did donate money again. But no one made a big deal about it. Or maybe I just didn’t hear about it. It’s a fact of life now that FCR is here to stay, I guess. And if they’re doling out the cash…

The event was very nice. I didn’t know a lot of the younger parents: parents of kids in kindergarten and first grade. People were dressed very nicely. This was definitely NOT a frumpy crowd.

What could be nicer than a party in the Beaux Arts Court of the Brooklyn Museum with so many people that I like to talk to, to socialize with. The food, catered by Restaurant Associates, was quite good. The room and the tables looked beautiful (decorated by PS 321’s talented Dede Kavanaugh). So did the plants and flowers. The Cosmos and Mojito’s were plentiful. 

So was the conversation. During one conversation (I forget now what the topic was) someone turned to me and said, DON’T BLOG ABOUT THAT. I will, of course, respect her wishes. But I don’t even have a clue about what we were talking about.

Like I said, those Cosmos and Mojitos were plentiful.

Most of the conversations I had were not blog-worthy anyway. I told everyone — I’m not blogging any of this. You are off the record.

I was bidding for myself and a friend. Hepcat and I came home with a Chiliwich rug and a box set of Velvet Underground recordings. Happy to contribute to our great school.

The event is a laborious labor of love by members of the PTA, who work for months and months to bring it about. Thanks to them. It’s one of the school’s biggest fundraisers.

Toby’s mom, Mooki, sent this comment after Diaper Diva said she’d be willing to donate blood. All blood types are acceptable. There’s lots more information about donating blood and Toby’s condition at the Toby Pannone blog.

i’m mooki, toby’s mom. thank you so much for considering a donation.
all blood types are acceptable. Any donation that does not match toby’s
will be exchanged with one from the general pool and the name of the
donor will be listed in toby’s blood bank. you can find out more
information here

http://tobypannone.blogspot.com/2007/05/blood-and-platelet-drive.html

I just found this on Andy Bachman’s website:

Many of you have been following the story of Toby Pannone’s heroic
struggle with cancer and have rolled up your sleeves in extraordinary
ways.

Here is another request from the family for blood and platelets during this crucial stage of chemotherapy and transfusions.

You can get the directions on how to contribute off of Toby’s blog.

This mitzvah of giving life to save a life is the highest deed we can perform.

Please help if you can.

OTBKB fave Eef Barzelay will be playing a show with a full band at Joe’s ub on
Wednesday June 13th at 7:30. 

There will be a new lineup of musicians
and songs, but additionally the Clem Snide favorites will be
reconsidered and revived. (Does this mean that Clem Snide has disbanded?)

Barzeley recently did the score for a new film called "Rocket Science" directed by Jeffrey
Blitz of "Spellbound" fame.

Barzeley, who used to live in Park Slope, asks his fans to "please come
support the new sitch at Joe’s Pub on June 13 @7:30pm and make sure to
spend a random Tuesday in August watching "Rocket Science" in an
air-condotioned theater at your local Cineplex!"

If you don’t know the music, go to Clem Snide’s website. The albums are gorgeous.  Just my cup of tea. Your Favorite Music is one of my favorite CDs. It has a song on it I love called "Bread."

Bread
Cause you are the bread
And it’s never work
Warm buttered is good
Oh, let’s just digest

Those dishes are fine
They’re not going nowhere
So keep your hands soft
For high-fives and shakes

The bathroom’s a mess
Tomorrow we’ll clean
And the window won’t shut
But the breeze does feel nice

The stove can be used
To light cigarettes
Oh, let the tablecloth burn
It’s pretty that way

Because you smell like bread
And now the pillow does too
Has everyone left?
Were they even here?

I went to a fundraising BBQ for City Councilmember, Bill De Blasio on Sunday evening. My friends, Kim Maier and Mindy Goldstein, were the organizers and I’d never refuse an invitation from them even if I didn’t know what Bill is running for.

Turns out he doesn’t know either. The BBQ was raising funds for whatever Bill decides to do next.

There’s talk that he’s thinking of running for Borough President. Someone else mentioned Public Advocate.

I missed the speechifying — Bill and Kim on the stoop of Kim’s apartment building on Third Street. Kim told me later that he spoke about the importance of community.

And a solid member of this community he is. De Blasio is a long time resident of Park Slope and a  parent of two kids at the Children’s School. He was in Bill Clinton’s Department of Housing and Urban Development and on a local Community School Board here in Brooklyn.

He is also a supporter of Forest City Ratner’s plans to develop the Atlantic Yards. Even so, there was open talk about the Atlantic Yards and obvious and loud conversational opposition to Ratner and his plan from some at the BBQ. To support Bill, I gather, you don’t have to support Atlantic Yards.

This terrible controversy has become so divisive in this neighborhood that you can’t go to an event without people bringing it up. While I’m fairly certain that most of my friends and neighbors oppose AY, sometimes you can’t be so sure.

So Bill is quite pro — and that’s disappointing.

I remember back in 2000, seeing him on crutches at the Park Slope Jewish Center, where Hillary Clinton was speaking. He was her campaign manager if I am not mistaken.

Once when Hepcat and I were house-hunting we looked at a house he was selling. It was a tiny, tiny South Slope house. A really cute one (we shoulda bought it). But tiny, tiny. I remember thinking, how does he fit in there — he’s so tall.

Yes, a very tall man.

Elected to the Council in 2001 and re-elected in 2003 and 2005, De Blasio represents the 39th District: Borough Park, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Gowanus, Kensington, Park Slope, and Windsor Terrace.

But in 2008 his term limit is up and he’s gotta make a change — time for Bill to move on.

The BBQ was very nice. Kim borrowed our Weber because her’s got stolen. We were happy to oblige. The burgers were great and there was more than enough beer and wine.

Bill is obviously a good guy — friendly, engaged, easy to talk to (I couldn’t get near him). It was an easy, social get-together; a chance to talk politics, to rub shoulders with local politicos, to hob nob with neighbors and friends.

When I arrived someone said, "Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn is here." I was holding a lemon tart and I felt kinda embarassed.

I don’t think many people heard that. I smiled, put the tart down, and got myself some white wine.

We found a bartender for the Edgy Mother’s Day reading. A volunteer. A friend. She likes to bartend and knows how to make Cosmos. I am very grateful that she came forward. THANK YOU SO MUCH, FRIEND. 

I am wondering how much vodka I should buy for the event — how much Rose’s Lime Juice, how much cranberry juice.

There could be a lot of people at this event.  There are 10 people reading. If everyone brings 2 people that’s 20. One writer thinks she’s bringing 10. Wow, it’s starting to add up. There are going to be at least 40 people in the room. And that’s a low ball estimate.

Not everyone drinks cocktails…

Brooklyn Reading Works Presents: THE EDGY MOTHER’S DAY EVENT

ON MAY 24, 2007 at 8 p.m.

THE  OLD STONE HOUSE IN PARK SLOPE
Fifth Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets
Contact: Louise Crawford: 718-288-4290
www.brooklynreadingworks.com

So what’s an edgy mom? Moms (and one dad) who write fiction and
non-fiction about motherhood with smarts, humor, creativity, and a
healthy degree of love, awe, skepticism, sarcasm,, irony, and
grumpiness.

Don’t miss this stellar group of fiction writers, journalists, poets, and bloggers:

Susan Gregory Thomas (author of “Buy, Buy Baby: How Consumer Culture
Manipulates Mothers and Harms Children”), Amy Sohn (“My Old Man” and NY
Magazine columnist), Louise Crawford (AKA Smartmom), Sophia Romero
(“Always Hiding” and Mom After-Hours Blog), Tom Rayfiel ("Parallel
Play"), Mary Warren (AKA Mrs. Cleavage’s Diary Blog) Jennifer Block
("Pushed"), Judy Lichtblau, Alison Lowenstein (“City Baby Brooklyn” and
“Mommy Group”), Michele Somerville Madigan (Wisegal).

Five bucks gets you in. Free cocktails. Great fun.

Kensington Blog is a really informative neighborhood blog. Here the author muses about how she came to call Kensington home.

Ten short years ago we remember calling friends who lived in Prospect Heights out of their
minds. Later as we moved to Brooklyn as renters we felt lucky to have a
park and bars close to the pad and a decent commute for a pretty measly
monthly bill. As we grew up and saw the boom begin we were lucky enough
to buy a place in a quiet sleepy neighborhood that allowed us to bike
ride to those restaurants and still be close to work (we all actually work in Brooklyn now so have no commute complaints).

Streetsblog reports that on Tuesday morning, " Mayor Bloomberg and Yassky appeared together on the Today Show
to announce the city’s commitment to establishing an all-hybrid or low
emission taxi fleet for New York City by 2012."

Go to Streetsblog to learn more.

And here’s a comment from one of Brownstoner’s readers. Someone who liked my friend’s cool modern renovation of a carriage house on 4th Street.

A friend sent this news of a city-wide town meeting on Thursday June 7th to help improve the  wages of domestic workers:

Many of us, as children or adults, have benefited from the services of a person who worked, parttime or fulltime, in our home as a cleaner or caregiver.  Or we will need such help in the future.

For these critical services, most domestic workers are poorly compensated and do not enjoy the same legal protections as other workers.

Concerned citizen-activists have organized a state-wide campaign to improve the wages, working conditions, and benefits of domestic workers through a new Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. Support for this bill is growing, but this effort will not succeed unless many state residents publicly show their commitment to its purposes.

Please give a few hours of your time to join a city-wide town meeting that will enable public officials to learn more about the need and support for the Bill of Rights. Domestic workers and employers as well as civic and religious leaders will share their views.  The program will also include New York State Commissioner of Labor, Patricia Smith; New York State Assembly member Keith Wright; and acclaimed writer Barbara Ehrenreich.

Peace in the Home: Domestic Work in New York State
Thursday June 7th, 6:30pm
Judson Memorial Church
55 Washington Square South
For more information, contact Danielle Feris: danielle@jfrej.org  or 212-647-8966 ext. 11

Thursday, July 5  THE PRINCESS BRIDE
Thursday, July 12  THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL
Thursday, July 19 MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN
Thursday, July 26  BEING JOHN MALKOVICH
Thursday, August 2  HAIR
Thursday, August 9  ALL ABOUT EVE
Thursday, August 16  THE NATURAL
Thursday, August 23  WEST SIDE STORY

Here’s a note from friends of Toby and his family. Toby is very ill with a rare form of cancer.

Dear All:
     Toby’s uncle Yoram wrote a note to us yesterday with more info, and I thought I’d share part of it:
     "This weekend Toby was couch-bound; the energetic, playful, and active Toby of last week succumbed to the reality of chemotherapy.  Toby’s in between the second and third cycles of chemotherapy and his bone marrow is pretty wiped out.  This means that he has very few white blood cells to fight off infections, hemoglobin to carry oxygen to the body (and a prime source of energy), and platelets which clot the blood and prevent bleeding.
     Toby’s skin is covered in crops of purple and black bruises (as a result of too few platelets) and rather than exert himself like a normal four year-old, he prefered to remain motionless on the couch (not enough hemoglobin).
     Toby needs for as many of you as possible to donate blood and platelets, not only before his surgery (scheduled sometime after the third round of chemo), but now too.  If you’re able to please try to get over to Sloan and donate."
     PLEASE NOTE: The ongoing need for Toby will be 2-3 units of blood AND 2-3 units of platelets PER WEEK. To insure a quality supply, this actually means that they need to get twice as many donations as needed. This need will persist FOR MANY MONTHS.  Two more donations are needed for THIS WEEK.
     As a community, this is one of the greatest ways we can support Toby and his family NOW. Please call Mary Thomas, coordinator of the Blood Donor Program at 212-639-3335 or email at thomasfm@mskcc. org. You can also call the Blood Donor Room at 212-639-7648. When you make your appointment, let them know that you are donating for Toby Pannone. (Please consult the earlier Blood Drive email for further details re: eligibility, etc.)
     Also, it would be ENORMOUSLY HELPFUL if you would send an email to us at gmach@psjc.org when you make an appointment, just so we can have an idea that needs are being met.
     This is an opportunity for our community, which shows its love and caring to so many people in so many ways, to help save a life.
     Hag sameach and shalom.

Sarah and Marla

(For ongoing updates, please check: http://www.tobypannone.blogspot.com.)

Here’s a note from Hotel Chelsea Blog:

We met Hugh at the WNBC Blogger meet-up earlier this year, but
unfortunatley didn’t get a chance to meet you. I’m sending this along
because it is about gentrification of the Chelsea neighborhood in New
York and may be of interest to your and your readers.
Recently,
Australian filmmaker Michael Maher read a post on our blog which
inspired him to produce a documentary for ABC.  The documentary aired
last Tuesday but is now online at http://abc.net.au/foreign/content/2007/s1919129.htm

The
documentary speaks to the impact that blogs can make in their
neighborhoods and internationally. We received a lot of supportive
e-mails from Australians who saw the program.  The post that sparked
the documentary is here – http://legends.typepad.com/living_with_legends_the_h/2006/10/new_york_mag.html

 

Thanks for your time.

Debbie Martin

www.hotelchelseablog.com

Hovering on the brink of generic New York Street Fair-dom, the Fifth Avenue Fair still manages to retain its own character, its own flavor.

Yes, the generic stuff probably outnumbers the good stuff. But from Third Street to Union, the fair was at its best as local stores and restaurants strutted their stuff in fron of their storefronts.

Stone Park was serving delicious beer, kielbasa and corn — that looked tasty. There were delicious ribs at Blue Ribbon (3 for $5  dollars). They had beer, too. The line for Blue Ribbon Sushi was especially long so I wasn’t able to sample any of that. Or even see their offerings.

Jonathan Blum, the Bodega artist, a woman selling beautiful African print skirs and bags, someone selling sushi pillows, 3 R Living, Dianna Kane, Scaredy Cat and more, more, more were there to lend their uniqueness to the New York institution of a crowded, noisy streetfair.

Fifth Avenue still does it with style.

OSFO and her friend still prefer the fair above Third Street where they could ride the Space Walk as many times as they wanted. This year, there was a special: $10 bucks for all-you-can-ride instead of $3.00 per ride.

In years past I have spent gazillions on Space Walk rides. This year, I got OSFO the special bracelet and — you guessed it — one ride was enough.

Grrrrrr.

Managed to spend money on lots of lemonade — the day turned out to be sunnier and hotter than expected.

Tired feet, a salty taste in my mouth from too many pistachio nuts, impatient from waiting on line for the King Kong ride in the sun…

We returned home with a splitting headache, too much stuff, including a Razor skooter bought at a Fifth Avenue stoop sale, and a feeling of crankiness…

A nap later, I felt a little better. And it was time to go to the Bill Di Blasio BBQ…