P.S. 307 Ribbon Cutting

On Tuesday, December 15, P.S. 307 is inviting the community to attend their ribbon cutting of Threads, their weaving studio. The studio is amazing, and I encourage you to check it out. The ceremony is from 8:30-9:30.

Video: Michael Jackson Medley

My son loves this Michael Jackson Medley sung a capella--all parts sung by the same man, Sam Tsui. It's amazing!

Empty LA

This is a really interesting photo series.

Empty LA
http://emptyla.com/

MADRE End of Year Report

Check out MADRE's End of Year Report.

World Toilet Day

Check out Water for People.

World Toilet Day is Thursday, November 19 and Water For People wants to get people talking about toilets—a topic not often discussed in everyday conversation. More than 6,000 people die every day, including 4,000 children, from diseases caused by poor sanitation and unsafe water. We’re making strides in improving water, but unsafe or a complete lack of toilets is still not capturing enough of the world’s attention to speed support to the communities that need help the most.

11/18: District 13 Community Board Meeting

District 13 Community Education Council Business and Public Meeting

WHEN: 11/18, Wednesday, 6-8:30 PM
WHERE: M.S. 113, 300 Adelphi St, Brooklyn, NY 11205

For more information on the district CEC meeting please contact the District 13 CEC Office at (718) 636-3212.
For more information please contact the District 13 Office at (718) 636-3234

11/17: TECCS Tour

The Ethical Community Charter School has set up a schedule of school tours.

An information session followed by a short school tour will take place on the following days. Please call the office to let us know you are coming: 718-599-2176.

October 28, Wednesday, 9:00 January 14, Thursday, 10:00

November 4, Wednesday, 9:00 February 3, Wednesday, 9:00

November 17, Tuesday, 10:00 February 18, Thursday, 10:00

Application deadline: April 1, 2010 for 2010-2011 school year (Grades K, 1 and 2). They are still accepting applications for 2009-2010.


The Ethical Community Charter School, or TECCS www.teccs-ny.org opened this year for Kindergarten and 1st grade. The school's charter extends to 12th grade and each year 2 new Kindergarten classes of 20 children will be accepted by lottery. The school resides in District 14 so preference in the lottery will be given to students in that district as per city regulations, but there are students from other districts.

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Brooklyn Flea

Check out the Brooklyn Flea.

Info from Brooklyn Flea:

Brooklyn Flea takes place every weekend in two locations:
Every Saturday in Fort Greene (10am-5pm, through Nov. 21), and every Sunday under the Brooklyn Bridge on the waterfront in DUMBO (11am-6pm, through Nov. 22).

The Fort Greene Flea is outdoors at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School, on Lafayette Ave. between Clermont and Vanderbilt Ave., and features 150+ vendors of vintage furniture, clothing, collectibles and antiques, as well as new jewelry, art and crafts by local artisans, plus delicious food. It is open from 10am to 5pm—rain or shine—every Saturday.

Brooklyn Bridge Flea takes place directly under the world's most beautiful bridge with gorgeous views of the Manhattan skyline and the bridge overhead. It features 100+ vendors with a similar mix to the Fort Greene Flea, including many of the same vendors. Brooklyn Bridge Flea is open from 11am to 6pm every Sunday.

The Flea's Gifted Holiday Market kicks off Friday, Nov. 27, and runs through Dec. 24, at 20 E. 4 St. (at Lafayette St.), with 50 vendors selling design objects, small antique items, cool clothes, pretty jewelry, yummy food, interesting art, handmade housewares, and more. The complete dates are as follows: Fri-Sun, Nov. 27-29; Wed-Sun, Dec. 2-6; 9-13; every day, Dec. 16-24. Hours will vary from day to day, in the noon to 7pm range.

Starting Dec. 5+6, the "regular" Flea moves indoors to 81 Front St. in DUMBO through March, 11am to 6pm. 81 Front will feature about 50 vendors all winter, with a similar mix of vendors as the outdoor markets.

Free Click to Donate

Click to donate. It's free!


From Care2.

11/11 Veterans Day

Today is Veterans Day.

An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday—a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as "Armistice Day." Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation’s history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting in its place the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

Later that same year, on October 8th, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first "Veterans Day Proclamation" which stated: "In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans' organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose. Toward this end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs as Chairman of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include such other persons as the Chairman may select, and which will coordinate at the national level necessary planning for the observance. I am also requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive branch of the Government to assist the National Committee in every way possible."

To read more, check out VA.gov.

The Ethical Community Charter School Tours!

The Ethical Community Charter School has set up a schedule of school tours.

An information session followed by a short school tour will take place on the following days. Please call the office to let us know you are coming: 718-599-2176.

October 28, Wednesday, 9:00 January 14, Thursday, 10:00

November 4, Wednesday, 9:00 February 3, Wednesday, 9:00

November 17, Tuesday, 10:00 February 18, Thursday, 10:00

Application deadline: April 1, 2010 for 2010-2011 school year (Grades K, 1 and 2). They are still accepting applications for 2009-2010.


The Ethical Community Charter School, or TECCS www.teccs-ny.org opened this year for Kindergarten and 1st grade. The school's charter extends to 12th grade and each year 2 new Kindergarten classes of 20 children will be accepted by lottery. The school resides in District 14 so preference in the lottery will be given to students in that district as per city regulations, but there are students from other districts.

America's Prisons

A friend of a friend posted this video, and I think it's worth sharing. The video is about a person named Sarah Kruzan. She was sentenced to life without parole for killing her 33 year old pimp. She was 16 years old, and she had been raped and a trafficking victim for 3 years.




More on Kruzan.
Sign a petition for Sarah Kruzan.

"The United States has the highest prison population rate in the world, 756 per 100,000 of the national population."
Read more about the world's prison populations from King's College, International Centre for Prison Studies.

Take Action at Care2

There are a lot of ways to take action online. Care2 has a great format, and they have lots of options for people to do something.

Check out Care2.org.

Health Care Bill Passes House

From the NYTimes:

Handing President Obama a hard-fought victory, the House narrowly approved a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s health care system on Saturday night, advancing legislation that Democrats said could stand as their defining social policy achievement.

After a daylong clash with Republicans over what has been a Democratic goal for decades, lawmakers voted 220 to 215 to approve a plan that would cost $1.1 trillion over 10 years. Democrats said the legislation would provide overdue relief to Americans struggling to buy or hold on to health insurance.

Read the article at NYTimes.com.

How the House voted.

A Billion for a Billion

Visit THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAM to learn more.

The New Face of the NYC City Council

From the New York Time:

A quarter of its members will be new. Four members will be openly gay, the most ever. The Republican minority, though still tiny, will grow to five from three. For the first time, a majority will be black, Hispanic or Asian. Also for the first time, an Asian-American will represent Chinatown.

The slim margin by which Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg was re-elected was the biggest surprise on Tuesday night. But in curb-level races in far corners of the city, changes took place that amounted to a remaking of the New York City Council, an often-docile body that gained 13 new members — the most since 2001 — and is likely to take on a far more combative role in governing the city, and scrutinizing the Bloomberg administration.

Check out the New York Times article to read more.

NYC Election Results

To see the 2009 Election results, check out Vote.NYC.gov.

Also, check out the New York Times coverage.

A response from Mark Winston Griffith

The letter does respond to some of the discussion provoked by the New York Times article this weekend and earlier from Mark's endorsments by Charles Barron and the Rev. Al Sharpton.

As we head into the General Election, I want to take a moment to focus on what's important and to thank you for helping bring us to this point. It is both humbling and inspiring to know that - win, lose or draw tomorrow - we have already made history in Central Brooklyn. It will be a long time before anyone in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights forgets this election.

One of the reasons I stayed away from elected politics for so long in my life is because I know that in the heat of campaigns, communities often become divided as competition becomes more intense. Political camps often say and do what they feel is necessary to win, regardless of the truth. I will not fall prey to this impulse, no matter how much election gossip and media coverage seek to polarize us. This campaign has always been about bringing people together and celebrating what is powerful and brilliant about this community. I want to cross the finish line knowing that we were true to this ideal.

Along those lines, no matter what happens on Election Day, I want all those associated with my campaign to maintain respect for the incumbent Al Vann.

This does not mean we do not put forward a critique; I believe, perhaps more deeply than ever, that we owe it to ourselves as a community to hold our elected officials accountable and that we should build a pipeline to new leadership. And I reject the idea suggested by some elder political figures that I should "wait my turn." As a 46 year old man with 24 years of leadership experience - which has included grassroots organizing, institution-building, and policy advocacy - I am firm in my conviction that the time for my candidacy is now, regardless what timetable the political establishment has set.

Regardless, I wish Mr. Vann nothing but good fortune, health and happiness. He deserves that and more. And if it is within my power, I will make sure this community honors him in a way befitting a statesman. This is the energy and spirit that I wish to prevail over this election.

The message to take home on Election Day is that, despite the spectator sport of politics, this election is not about political personalities, but about the prospect of improving the condition of people's lives. And I am ready to start that work with you as a City Councilman.

Let's make it happen.
Peace,
Mark

To read the article on Mark Winston Griffith's run against long-time Brooklyn incumbent Albert Vann, check out the New York Times.

Vote November 3 in the General Election!

Tuesday, November 3, 2009 is Election Day!

Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

1-866-VOTE-NYC

For more information on the elections or find out where to vote, check out the NYC's Board of Elections site.

Dia de los Muertos

Dia de los Muertos is a holiday celebrated in Mexico. It is a day to celebrate, remember and prepare special foods in honor of those who have departed. The belief is that the spirits visit on October 31 and leave on November 2.

To find out more about Dia de los Muertos, check out Dia de los Muertos dot us.

To learn how to make sugar skulls, check out MexicanSugarSkulls.com.
Check out this article on Dia de los Muertos.