From: "Jeff Stark" <jstark@nonsensenyc.com>
Subject: nonsensenyc: 8.7 to 8.13
Date: August 7th 2009

Friday, August 7
* The Amazing More Gardens! Fundraising Celebration and Jam, Brooklyn * The New Uprising of the Eastern North American Underground, Brooklyn

Saturday, August 8
* Weep Music and Tainted Love Zine Release Dance Party, Brooklyn * Sideshow Shipwreck, Brooklyn
* Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival, Brooklyn * New York Night Train Soul Clap and Dance-Off, Williamsburg * Disco Monkey's Dance Party, Manhattan * FEAST, Brooklyn
* A Block Party and Petition Mob for Vote Rev Billy, Manhattan * Rhys Chatham's A Crimson Grail for 200 Electric Guitars, Manhattan * Barney Ross Book Release Party, Brooklyn * Summer Streets Dance Ride, Manhattan

Sunday, August 9
* Cinema 16, Brooklyn
* Moviehouse, Brooklyn
* HiChristina: Make New Friends, Williamsburg

Monday, August 10
* Summer of Love Shakespearean Variety Show, Manhattan

Wednesday, August 12
* Dot Matrix, Williamsburg

Thursday, August 13
* The Linnaean Libation League, Brooklyn

Ongoing
* Summer

Wishlist
* Back to Manhattan

Spectre Priority
* Making Money (cont.)

Learning
* Green Roofs

Help
* The Age of Stupid

NOTE: For some navigation help, or an explanation for what this is all about, scroll all the way down to NONSENSE. You'll find snarky editorial comments and little bits of praise littered throughout this list. These nuggets are marked with all caps, like this: NOTE. Also, we make a lot of mistakes, especially with dates; you should always double check our work. And you can donate to this project at nonsensenyc.com/special.

XXXXX COVER ART XXXXX

Twitter graffiti.

XXXXX FRIDAY, AUGUST 7 XXXXX

The Amazing More Gardens! Fundraising Celebration and Jam

Featuring: the Rude Mechanical Orchestra (at 10pm), Ray Corona, DJ Arrow Chrome, DJ Stylus, DJ and Poet from ReadNex Poetry Squad, Fire performers Phoenix Feeley and Victor, Dancer Laeti�ia Emmanuel, Trashworship maestro Rolando, face and body painting, projections, art, and much much more...

The More Gardens! Coalition is a group of community people, gardeners, and environmental and social justice activists who promote the development and preservation of community gardens as well as the cultivation of fallow land in New York City. We share information about community gardens with the public in order to raise awareness and engage people in both actual gardening and political activism. More Gardens! is currently involved in three main projects: running the Rise Up and Respect the Bronx Summer Camp, a free environmental camp lead by local community gardeners and youth, for 8-12 years olds in their neighborhood; supporting La Finca del Sur, a women-of-color run urban farmer cooperative in the South Bronx; and supporting Harlem United Gardens (HUG), Harlem community gardeners, in making endangered community gardens permanent.

House of Yes
342 Maujer Street, Brooklyn
9p-3a; $10-15 sliding scale
moregardens.org

***** Also on FRIDAY *****

The New Uprising of the Eastern North American Underground

Presented by the Dead Sextons, features music and short films from some of the finest underground filmmakers in NYC. Music by Hannah Reimann, the Dead Sextons, and Dynasty Electric and short films by Nick Zedd, Mike Kuchar, Marie Losier and Guy Maddin, Signe Baumane, Joel Schlemowitz and Dame Darcy, Jessica Delfino, Lili White, and many, many more.

Galapagos Art Space
16 Main Street, Brooklyn
7:30p doors, 8p show; $10
718 222 8500
galapagosartspace.com

XXXXX SATURDAY, AUGUST 8 XXXXX

Weep Music and Tainted Love Zine Release Dance Party

A zine of collaborative drawings celebrates the release of its second issue, supported by these bands, the celestial DJ Sycofont, cheap beer and homemade snacks.

With Wagner, Magnet City Kids, Best Hits, Binary Marketing Show, Good Weather, and GDFX. DJ Sycofont spins between and after bands. Curated by Christiana Femano with Infinite Limbs and A&N Party Circuit.

Market Hotel
1142 Myrtle Avenue, at Broadway, Brooklyn J,M,Z trains to Myrtle station
8p sharp; $4 suggested door, $3 zine, $2 beer, $2 snacks All ages

***** Also on SATURDAY *****

Sideshow Shipwreck

Enter our realm of painful debacles where a secret carnival of trash sailors, bum clowns, sewer freaks, and pirate rodents will conspire to hijack an ocean liner and sail it to the garbage oasis of the low seas.

Live Noise Pollution by: Mamarazzi (afro-sweaty-funk wizards), Kagero (Japanese gypsies), Sistine Criminals, and Manos Del Candombe marching drum ensemble. Dizzying sonic spins by $mall �hange, Jon Marguiles, DJ Shakey, 2melo, Morphous, and Rev. Dr. Shamus.

Miscellaneous blasphemy by the AOA featuring Scattered Sam, King of America, Johnny Most Hated, Professor Blip, and a gigantic man eating chicken. Other maniacs: Jelly Boy the Clown, Cooking with Gas, Slummy and Douggie the Clowns, the Snake Sewer Goddess, tasteful clown face painting with Kendalle, the biggest cockroaches in the world, and obscene movie screens on neighboring boats by Jefe Cacossa. Also: Manhattan tribal belly dance, Witches serving gumbo from a cauldron, toxic smoothies, shoot the bottle off the boat, trash sculptures of people, and other damaging obscenities.

Bribes and camouflage: A $15 bribe will be required for entry but to blend into their secret fringe society you must look your worst and enable the gutter-whore-dilapidated-slut-circus performer tickling under your skin. Our agents will provide you with mandatory camouflage for an extra $5 bribe upon entry should you be looking too pretty, consisting of a spray painted trash bag pancho and brown colored clown nose. You will also get five dollars off for joining their secret RSVP list.

Meet at 949 Grand Street, Brooklyn
10p?; $10 RSVP and camouflage, $15 RSVP or camouflage, $20 otherwise bonemanman.com

***** Also on SATURDAY *****

Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival

The Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival is an all-day event for emerging and established dance artists celebrating the vibrant music scene found in the city of New York. The festival will bring together New York's veterans and up-and-coming talent, along with some special out of town guests.

Spanning two stages, indoor and out, BEMF will be headlined by the Juan Maclean (live) and also feature Young Love, Jupiter One, Adventure, Shy Child, Home Video, Free Blood, Awesome New Republic as well as dozens of other DJs and performers.

With the Juan Maclean (live), Young Love, 33hz, Shy Child, Designer Drugs, Jupiter One, Bell, Free Blood, the Cloud Room, Home Video, Adventure, Codebreaker, Kap10kurt, Awesome New Republic, the American Dream Team, JDH & DAVE P (FIXED/ RVNG), Roxy Cottontail, Larry Tee, DJ Ayres, Finger on the Pulse DJs, Viking, Flashmen, Jubilee, Udachi, Purple Crush, NROTB, Tayisha Busay, Leif, Rude Crew (with Rude Bear), VDRK, Subdrive, Galbis, Free Magic, Chaz and Jason Pants, Palms Out Sounds, Terror Dactel, Charlie Tippie, Gavin Royce, and Kids with Snakes.

Old American Can Factory
232 Third Street, Brooklyn
4p-4a; $25 advance, $30 door
brooklynemf.com/

***** Also on SATURDAY *****

New York Night Train Soul Clap And Dance-Off

The Soul Clap and Dance-Off, New York Night Train�s biggest and most famous party, returns to NYC for a rare engagement between the conclusion of the July/August Soul Clap tour up and down the west coast and upcoming August Soul Claps everywhere from Mexico City to Tel Aviv. The party will be immediately followed by a Todd P afterhours also featuring Soul Clap DJ Mr. Jonathan Toubin and a very special surprise guest DJ at Market Hotel. Saturday�s contest will be hosted by MC Laura Leigh and judged by Lady Starlight, Silver Jews guitarist William Tyler, Sara Graham from Bust Magazine, Wild Yaks drummer Martin Cartagena, and Stalkers� bassist/birthday boy Danny Goldstein.

The Soul Clap and Dance-Off concept is simple - all night dancing to wild 45s of New York Night Train soul proprietor Mr. Jonathan Toubin with a dance contest in the middle. The contest is hosted by MC Laura Leigh and is presided over by a panel judges from everywhere -- past judges have included everyone from Colin Newman of Wire to Jello Biafra of Dead Kennedys to Jennifer Herrima of Royal Trux to all of the Monotonix to Quintron and Ms. Pussycat to Scout Niblett to members of Germs, MGMT, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, etc. This party, which now draws nearly 500 patrons paid in Brooklyn, has been finding popularity and critical acclaim everywhere of late not only for its contest but for Mr. Toubin�s faster, louder, grittier, and weirder aesthetic that finds itself on a more immediate end of the cultural spectrum than typical soul or other retro nights.

Glasslands Gallery
289 Kent, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
11p-4a, free beer 11p-midnight, 1a dance contest, 4a dance speakeasy; $3 newyorknighttrain.com

***** Also on SATURDAY ****

Disco Monkey's Dance Party

Part dance party, part yoga, the Disco Monkeys are a rock trance band that will bring you up and down as you move. Come prepared to dance in your best workout/dance/yoga clothes and let your bare feet do the talking. We start out free form dancing until we sweat then space out for a bit as you do your yoga practice only to ramp back up and end with a bang. Bring something that glows in the dark and get ready for our ultimate summer night dance yoga party.

Joschi Yoga Lounge
163 West 23rd street, 5th floor, Manhattan 8p; $20
212 399 6307
joschinyc.com
discomonkeys.com

***** Also on SATURDAY ****

FEAST

Funding Emerging Art with Sustainable Tactics. FEAST is a recurring public dinner designed to use community-driven financial support to democratically fund new and emerging artmakers. At each FEAST, participants will pay a sliding-scale entrance fee for which they will receive supper and a ballot. Diners will vote on a variety of proposed artist projects. At the end of dinner, the artist whose proposal receives the most votes will be awarded funds collected through the entrance fee to produce the project. The work will then be presented during the next FEAST.

Church of the Messiah
129 Russell Street, Brooklyn
6-9p; $10-20, no one turned away
feastinbklyn.org

***** Also on SATURDAY *****

A Block Party and Petition Mob for Vote Rev Billy

On tap: Live pirate radio broadcasting with DJs Zemi 17, Jason Blakkat, Brennan C, and Underachievers Effort; live silk screening (BYO T-Shirt), with Ray B. Cross; face painting, street chalk, fresh lemonade, and soap box sermonizing with your favorite radical faux-preacher.

We have two weeks left in the petition drive, just two weeks left to get Billy Talen on the ballot. We have crossed the crucial threshold required by law but in order to withstand the inevitable challenge by The Bloomberg Campaign we have to double that number, so the next two weeks are a serious signature gathering hustle. We welcome your baked goods.

Rev Billy HQ
250 Lafayette Strett, Manhattan
10a-1p; $free
revbilly.com/

***** Also on SATURDAY *****

Rhys Chatham's A Crimson Grail for 200 Electric Guitars (Outdoor Version)

Composer Rhys Chatham and section leaders David Daniell, Seth Olinsky, John King, and Ned Sublette lead an oversized orchestra of 200 volunteer guitarists and electric bassists in the world premiere of a Crimson Grail for 200 Electric Guitars (Outdoor Version). The work, originally composed for Paris famed Sacr�-Coeur, has been extensively revised to suit the dynamics of the park's outdoor acoustics. Also appearing: Liquid Liquid.

Damrosch Park
Southwest corner of the Lincoln Center Plaza, 62nd Street near Amsterdam Avenue, Manhattan 7:30p; $free
rhyschatham.net/
new.lincolncenter.org/live/index.php/lc-ood

***** Also on SATURDAY *****

Barney Ross Book Release Party

Book release parties are usually all the same: a little free booze, lots of guys in really nice shoes, and maybe an awkward conversation with the author. Well, we're turning that idea around to celebrate the release of Douglas Century's new book detailing the life of one of the most colorful boxers of the 21st century: Barney Ross.

Nextbook Press, with a little help from JDub Records, will fill the historic Gleason's Gym in Dumbo with an open bar, music by Tel Aviv's best DJs Soulico, signings by Douglas Century, autographs by boxer Dmitriy Salita, and a live boxing match -- and we're doing it all for free.

World Famous Gleason's Gym
77 Front Street, second floor, Brooklyn 9p-midnight; $free, with free beer and wine 21 and over

***** Also on SATURDAY *****

Summer Streets Dance Ride

Decorate your bike and tie your dancing shoes on! Join Time's Up as we blast tunes from our sound bike and dance to the beat of the Summer Streets.

Astor Place Cube
Lafayette and 8th Street, Manhattan
11:30a; $free
flickr.com/photos/txup/2773270139/in/set-72157606654562882/ flickr.com/photos/txup/2772394533/in/set-72157606654562882/

XXXXX SUNDAY, AUGUST 9 XXXXX

Cinema 16

Mexico City's Lazaro Valiente and New York's Nathan McKee will score a variety of magical shorts films. Films by Jan Svankmajer, Slavko Vorkapich, Roger Barlow, and Harry Hay.

Cinema 16 is obscure vintage films paired with contemporary New York musicians. Bands are given one month to compose a musical score in order to modernize the tradition of an live music accompanying films during the 1920s.

In an era where watching films has become increasingly personal and downsized to ipod screens the New York community craves this interactive and communal film experience.

Bell House
149 7th Street, between 2nd and 3rd avenue, Brooklyn 6:30p doors, 7p performance; $10
cinemasixteen.com

***** Also on SUNDAY *****

Moviehouse

Play on the screen. A dialogue performed by Min Oh and Hidden Oras drawn by VJ Shantell Martin, Sketch Projector. Join Moviehouse for a night of interactive fun and fellowship. You become the show as two talented performers invite you into their playful video world to create images directly from your consciousness.

First Min Oh lets you choose your own adventure! Watch as Min Oh, the video maker/performer and another Min Oh who is projected on the screen dance, fight, and play tricks on each other all based on the audiences' collective choice.

Then using the latest drawing tablet technologies, VJ Shantell Martin illustrates the music that she hears, mesmerizing crowds with art that's drawn in time with the beat. She projects her unique real-time illustrations onto walls, screens and sometimes the dancers themselves.

3rd Ward
195 Morgan, Brooklyn
7:30p doors, 8p screening; $free admission, cheap drinks RSVP moviehouse@3rdward.com
cp20.com/Tracking/t.c?7Yxf-4nfG-Cby5x6

***** Also on SUNDAY *****

HiChristina: Make New Friends

Tired of old friends? You're not alone -- we are too! Today meet an entirely new social network! Does it seem that your old friends have lost interest in you and your amazing new projects? Not attending your important events, dates or openings? Do they assume that because you two are "Old Pals" they can take advantage of you while not even calling on your birthday? (Happy Birthday by the way.)

Well, here at HiChristina we say, "Out with the old and in with the new!" You deserve friends who appreciate you for who you are, respect your lifestyle and choices and friends who call you back right away.

Come to HiChristina, your home for avant garde art, performance, and uncommon expression, for a spendid night of: bizarre interaction, special performance by Kaia of Mixel Pixel, spin the bottle with Christina and Fritz, and blossoming friendships await. Join us at an honest hour. Come alone. Don't bring anyone you know, we're all strangers now.

HiChristina!
632 Grand Street, Brooklyn
7p; $10 donation includes at least one new friend and an ice cream treat, BOYB hichristina.com

XXXXX MONDAY, AUGUST 10 XXXXX

Rebellious Subjects Theatre presents:

Summer of Love Shakespearean Variety Show

Shakespearean variety show. Celebrate being young, broke, and artistic in New York by supporting young, broke, beautiful art (in this case, the RST's 22-actor production of Shakespeare's Henry V trilogy in Prospect Park). Floating company members will recite sonnets at your request (limited variety available) while we serenade your ears with glorious tunes of various instruments.

Musical acts include Sarah Is Golden, Bellz and A Gitar, Accordion Aaron, and (unconfirmed) the Wilder Worldwide. Dress is flowers, rainbows, and sunshine.

Parkside Lounge
317 Houston Street, Manhattan
10p; $10, all proceeds go to benefit Rebellious Subjects Theatre rebellioussubjects.org

XXXXX WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12 XXXXX

Kiss & Tell Presents:

Dot Matrix

Kiss and Tell's polka dot disco party. This month, our special guest is Nick Chacona, one of our favorite disco producers. We have been patiently waiting to book Nick for over a year, but his busy touring schedule has made it all but impossible. Since last November, Chacona has been dividing his time between New York, Berlin, San Francisco, and Vail, while traveling to Spain, France, Belgium, Poland, Serbia, Romania, Indonesia, and Iceland to DJ.

Kiss & Tell resident Bethany Benzur will start the night off with some rare disco gems and classic hits. She regularly plays Nick Chacona's productions at Kiss & Tell, and is super excited to share the decks with him. Rose Bar will be transformed into a spotty dotty wonderland. Guests are invited to come wearing polka dots.

Rose Bar
345 Grand Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn 8p-2a; $free, $5 pasta dinners
sdphotography.net/kisstell/flyers/aug09.html

XXXXX THURSDAY, AUGUST 13 XXXXX

Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Brooklyn Based present:

The Linnaean Libation League

In honor of Carl Linnaeus, father of botanical taxonomy, the League celebrates all the things Linnaeus was known for -- beauty, botany, culture, brilliance -- over twilight drinks in the Mediterranean-style Osborne Garden. A special cucumber-mint cocktail courtesy of a French aperitif will be free the entire night and there will be $3 drafts of ale. Plus the opportunity to dress up in your favorite summer whites and seersuckers.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Eastern Entrance, between Washington and Underhill avenues, Brooklyn 2, 3 trains to by Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum station 6-9p; $15 admission
21 and over
718 623 7220
brooklynbased.net/everything/garden-party/ bbg.org

XXXXX UPCOMING XXXXX

• Flux Factory Presents Going Places (Doing Stuff) Part II, June 20-September 5
• Overboard, August 15
• Wassaic Project, August 13-16
• Food Justice Revival, August 28
• Stranded 2009, September 5

XXXXX ONGOING XXXXX

• Better Rock Shows. Nonsense does not straight list rock shows in New York unless they occur in tandem with puppet shows or jump rope tournaments or in subway tunnels or in graveyards. For listings of good shows, especially shows that feature independent bands at quality venues like Death by Audio and those booked by hard-working promoters like Todd P or Sleep When Dead, consult resources like ohmyrockness.com, brooklynvegan.com/, sleepwhendeadnyc.com/calendar/, or the lively New York Happenings listserve on Yahoo groups launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/nyhappenings/. For the most exhaustive list of underground shows at unusual venues, track down a copy of the extremely useful -- and handsome -- Showpaper.

***** ONGOING: FRIDAYS *****

• Burlesque at the Beach. August 7: Dirty Martini and World Famous Bob Present: Hip Hop Hooray: A musical tribute to everything gay. 10p; $15. Sideshows by the Seashore, corner of Surf Avenue and West 12th Street, Brooklyn. coneyisland.com/
• Sal Principato Teaches You to Cook, at his apartment (the address of which we'll leave undisclosed at the moment), time depends on when you're available; $15. Just email Sal at salvatpaol.com to set up a time and a date. http://salvatp.com/ NOTE: This listing comes from the excellent New Release list. Sign up for it here: newreleasenewyork.net.
• Manhattan Critical Mass. Union Square, 17th Street and Broadway, Manhattan. Last FRIDAY of the month. 7p; $free.
• Brooklyn Critical Mass. Grand Army Plaza entrance to Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Second FRIDAY of the month. 7p; $free.

***** ONGOING: SATURDAYS *****

• Floating Cabaret. Trapeze, burlesque, song, dance. Hosted by Olga and Bjorn. Galapagos Art Space, 16 Main Street, Brooklyn. 10p doors, $10. 718 222 8500. galapagosartspace.com.
• Coney Island Film Society. August 8: Village of the Damned. 8:30p; $3-5, free popcorn. Sideshows by the Seashore, corner of Surf Avenue and West 12th Street, Brooklyn. coneyisland.com/
• Night Kayaking Tours, Manhattan and Brooklyn. Explore: Coney Island submarine, creepy Governors Island, gross Gowanus Canal, and money-making Manhattan. Website: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddrw24x5_167dxdpf3d9
• Rock and Roll 101. Watch music documentaries projected on the wall. St. Jerome's, 155 Rivington, between Clinton and Suffolk, Manhattan. 4-9p; $free.
• Barefoot Boogie: No shooze no booze. The Boogie is a not-for-profit alcohol-free event that happens every second and fourth SATURDAY of the month. Insight Meditation Center, 28 West 27th Street, 10th floor, buzzer No. 27. 8:30p-12:30a. barefootboogie.org

***** ONGOING: SUNDAYS *****

• Coney Island Ask the Experts. August 9: Michael Schwartz: Ghosts on Fire. 4p; $5. Coney Island Museum, 1208 Surf Avenue, Brooklyn. coneyisland.com
• CrazyTown / Locoville. Odd open mike hosted by Steph Sabelli. Weirdoes welcome and encouraged. Under St. Marks Theater, 94 St. Marks, at First Avenue, Manhattan. 9p sign up-1a; $free.
• Grub. A cheap, simple dinner for strangers and co-conspirators. Rubulad home base, 338 Flushing, at Classon, Brooklyn. G train to Flushing or Classon stations, J,M,Z to Marcy, B61 bus to Flushing. First and third SUNDAYS, 6:30p doors, 7p dinner; $pay what you want, and bring your own booze. suckapants.com/grub.html
• Church of Craft, group crafting. Etsy Labs, 325 Gold Street, third floor, Brooklyn. 2-6p; $free. churchofcraft.org/
• NYC Bike Polo. No experience needed. We'll show you how to play. We have mallets and balls; bring your bicycle. 1:30-5p-ish (or later if it's really nice out); $free. Sara D. Roosevelt Park, Broome between Chrystie and Forsyth, Manhattan. groups.myspace.com/NYCBIKEPOLO

***** ONGOING: MONDAYS *****

• Glasslands Gallery Game Night. All ages, free food, free beer 8-9p, live music, and bingo. The Glasslands Gallery, 289 Kent Avenue, between South 1st and 2nd streets, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 8p; $free. glasslands.blogspot.com/ and myspace.com/theglasslands
• Free movie screenings. Double feature, with free popcorn. The Lovin Cup, 93 N. 6th Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 9p; $free. myspace.com/movienightqueen
• Aerial Open Work Out. Come play in 29 feet of vertical fun. Use our silks, lyras, and trapezes, or rig your own. 8-10p; $15, Sky Box, 342 Maujer Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, L train to Grand Street. 585 507 1770. RSVP to skybox.info@gmail.com
• Williamsburg Spelling Bee, compete for bar tab at a real adult spelling bee, every other MONDAY, 7:30p; free, Pete's Candy Store, 709 Lorimer St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn. petescandystore.com
• The Big Quiz Thing. NYC's live trivia spectacular. Crash Mansion, 199 Bowery, at Spring, Manhattan. Two Mondays a month. 7p doors; $7, $200 grand prize.
• Show and Tell. Each performer gets seven minutes. Writing contest and Beer Walk for free beer. Hosted by the O'Debra Twins. Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery, Manhattan. MONDAYS 10p; $3. Monday, January 31: The heavy and strange Thank You For Not Screaming open.

***** ONGOING: WEDNESDAYS *****

• Drink N Draw. Art. Nudity. Beer. We provide the beer and the model, you bring your drawing tools of choice. 3rd Ward, 195 Morgan, Brooklyn. Second and fourth WEDNESDAYS 8-10.30p; $15, or $20 for two. afenton3rdward.com, 3rdward.com/.

***** ONGOING: THURSDAYS *****

• The Lower East Side Community Choir, a non-auditioned choir that believes that everyone can sing and that singing together in harmony with others is essential for personal and community health and vitality. Our repertoire is eclectic. If you love a cappella music and want to be able to join a drop-in gathering of like minded people, then this is for you. Lower East Side Girls Club, 56 East 1st Street, Manhattan. 7-9p; $donations. ubuntuchoirs.net/locator_United_States.php
• Private Ear Audio Theatre: Radio Plays. 8:30p; $?. Brooklyn Lyceum. privateear.org
• $mall �hange and House of Yes present: No Parking on the Dancefloor. Next party: July 30. A party bringing it back to dancing. Basically we do not have any kind of dogma or judgment. Do what feels comfortable to you and be respectful to those around ya, that's basically all we ask. Different DJs every time. House of Yes, 342 Maujer, near Morgan, Brooklyn. Every third THURSDAY, 9ish-midnightish (starts/ends early); $5-10 suggested donation. NOTE: This event is every third Thursday, not every Thursday. Also, sometimes they cancel the event for some reason or another. You should check first: smallchange666@gmail.com
• Carmine Street Jugglers. All levels welcome to practice juggling and related arts. 7:30-9:45p. Club is free, but building requires NYC Parks and Recreation membership ($0-$75 per year). http://jugglenyc.com/clubs.html
• Rocky Sullivan's Pub Quiz, with Quizmaster Scott M.X. Turner. 8:30p; $free admission, potable prizes. Rocky Sulivan's, 34 Van Dyke Street, Brooklyn. rockysullivans.com/quiz.html

XXXXX WISHLIST XXXXX

What have you been wishing for? Collaborators, grant monies, a new home? Please send brief listings to Alita at alitanonsensenyc.com. We only list available apartments, lofts, studios, and one-off rentals -- not spaces wanted.

***** ARTY STUFF *****

• Flux Factory is a non-profit arts center and artists collective that commissions collaborative projects. We are a charming motley crew of artists and art sympathizers, collectively building a grande arts center after being kicked out of our old due to MTA expansion. We are an open, engaged and young-at-heart community and we're looking for folks to get involved! Our new building is right near Queens Plaza. We're behind on renovations and are looking for volunteers to help with construction and administrations. We generally do construction work on Sundays, but weekdays are also an option. Any level of experience is welcome! Internships are available for both construction administration and general non-profit administration. Please email info(at)fluxfactory.org to get involved.
• Lucky Gallery, located in Red Hook, Brooklyn, is offering an internship/volunteer position for this fall. Looking for someone to help with administration and organizational tasks and assist in preparation of exhibitions and events. Offering opportunities to co-curate shows and work with artists. Looking for an eager and communicative person who is responsible and can work independently. A willingness to work weekends and flexible hours is a must. For more information about the gallery visit luckygallery.com. Please email laura(at)luckygallery.com with resume and a brief introduction.
• chashama seeks multiple ambient/ roving/ interactive performers for its Fall Gala on September 21. We're interested in solo and group acts that engage audiences and do not require any technical support. If the words avant garde mean anything these days, we're looking for it. Flamboyant performers with an edge to their characters, and/or something a little bit naughty may be the perfect fit. Our Fall Gala will be held in Anita's Way, the pass-through between 4 Times Square and 1 Bryant Park. This is a public space, open 24 hours and we encourage potential participants to go take a look. This will be the grand opening event for the space itself, which may bring additional attention and press. The audience will be a mix of real estate professionals and cultural supporters. chashama serves the New York community by adopting temporarily vacant properties and converting them arts hubs and performance spaces where curious audiences as well as interested passers-by can experience n ew forms of art. Selected performers will need to attend an event orientation prior to September 21, and be in character for the duration of the event (6-9p). Performer's stipends will be offered, as well as a meal at the end of the night. To apply, email your resume, a brief description of what you would like to do at the event, and links to images or video of previous performances. Deadline to apply: August 15. Contact: diane.chashama(at)gmail.com. See: chashama.org/info/info-fall_gala2009rfp.htm.

***** SPACES *****

• Room for rent in Chinatown: Three-bedroom apartment, share the space with a pastry chef/artist (girl) and a photographer/student (boy). Apartment is small but feels cozy, with good-sized living room and kitchen, three sunny small bedrooms with closets, storage above closets, and nice windows. The room for rent will be one of the two smaller ones - I might be switching rooms so I'm not sure yet. We are off the F train at the East Broadway stop, close to everything and within minutes from cheap groceries and yummy restaurants. There is no smoking, and no pets. You are responsible, good at paying bills on time, appreciate cleanliness, do your dishes. A sense of humor and artistic bent would be great. We both like to read books, make art, watch movies, cook good food, ride bikes. No so into watching TV or partying at home. Rent will vary between $700-800, plus utilities. I am meeting with our landlord later this week to update the lease and I am trying to get our rent lowered. By the time I show the apartment I should have a more concrete number. To move in, I will need first month's rent plus a security deposit equal to one month's rent. Contact Victoria, cascadiavia(at)gmail.com.
• Nice room in lovely, chill Greenpoint apartment for beginning of September: Sunny lovely bedroom. Apartment with sit-down kitchen, living room, full bathroom, and roof access/mini urban garden. Laundry downstairs. No TV in common areas (though house movie watching encouraged). No cigarettes inside. Share with creative, politically and culturally engaged, bike-riding, garden-growing female photographer. Great, lively neighborhood, lots around but still a relaxed corner of the world. Easy commute to the city. The bedroom available is private, with a big window, but also quite small, so best for someone who is away at work or school much of day, yet wants to return to a nice relaxed home. It's better if you don't have a ton of stuff. Looking for someone considerate, good communication skills and always pays bills on time, but also interested in the world around you, with opinions about life and actively involved in things that make you feel alive (work, play, or in between. $7 50 per month with wifi and all utilities included. First and last month rent for move-in. Corner of Norman Ave and Jewel Street. Photos available upon request. Contact a.rollefson(at)yahoo.com --and tell me something about yourself -- or call: 718.344.0787.
• Flux Factory has one (out of 13) room available for live or work throughout the month of August. The room available is long, skinny, 207 square feet. It has two brick walls and two drywall walls, and a window that gives ample natural light. It rents for $645 a month. It's next to our gallery and is beautiful in a sublime industrial kind of way. Price does not include utilities, which depend on how much time you spend here. We expect utilities to run about $100 to $200 a month, including food (with veggies from a farm share) internet, heat, water, and access to common areas such as an open office, kitchen, and bathrooms. This is a collective. There will be about a dozen other people living together, sharing bathroom, kitchen, etc. It's a wonderful easy vibrant environment that is constantly changing and engaged. We would also like you to volunteer with house stuff as much as possible, as we're working hard to make this place come together. Rooms are empty. We might be able t o arrange a bed and desk for you, but otherwise it's bare. It's available only for August and must be vacated on September 1. Please don't hesitate to contact us directly by phone at 845 705 0740 or by email at info(at)fluxfactory.org.
• I am subletting my huge room in a three-bedroom apartment in Kensington off the F/G at Church Avenue. For those unfamiliar with the area, it is a quiet, safe, and very residential neighborhood. Many artists and young couples have moved out here over the past two years, and it's a great apartment with two wonderful roommates. Big living room, kitchen, separate dining room and fantastic backyard. Available bedroom is master bedroom, located at front of the house away from the other smaller rooms. Room is $650 plus bills (about $35/month for electric and internet). My cat, Lufthansa, also needs foster parents for a few months or a loving long-term home. She's lazy and silly and kinda fat. Contact Sara, sarita.hines(at)gmail.com

XXXXX SPECTRE PRIORITY XXXXX

Before we had a name, the Spectre Event Horizon Group used to meet at a bar to commiserate about the news and trade what our business friends call best practices. The group has expanded since then, but it remains premised on smartening the crowd mind. There are no subject limits; our favorite is our sci-fi present, and we like anything that goes toward a better understanding of human behavior and ecology. Our basic idea is to connect minds with mind-blowing information and create a space for the informal trade of specialized investigative research, presented for the non-specialist.

The Spectre email list, which is a separate group from this column, is a moderated open forum. People are encouraged to join and to post. This section is compiled for Nonsense by J. Sinopoli. Contact us at spectre.event.horizon.groupgmail.com or spectregroup.org. Some of what came in this week:

***** Making Money (cont.) *****

http://spectregroup.wordpress.com/2009/08/07/making-money-cont/

The Last of the Magicians
http://www.cftech.com/BrainBank/OTHERREFERENCE/BIOGRAPHY/Newtonian.html "In 1936 an interesting lot came on the block at Sotheby's in London containing a cache of writings by Newton -- journals and personal notebooks deemed to be "of no scientific value." The winning bidder was the economist John Maynard Keynes. After perusing his purchase, Keynes delivered a somewhat shocking lecture to the Royal Society Club in 1942, on the tercentenary of Newton's birth. "Newton was not the first of the age of reason," Keynes announced. "He was the last of the magicians." For the "secret writings" made it clear that during the crucial part of Newton's scientific career -- the two decades between his discovery of the law of gravity and the publication of his masterwork, the "Principia Mathematica" -- his consuming passion was alchemy. Bunkered in his solitary live-in lab at the edge of the fens near Cambridge, Newton indulged in occult literature and strove to cook up the legendary "philosopher's stone" that would convert base metals into gold."

Multiplied to Infinity
http://inversesquare.wordpress.com/2008/02/01/friday-isaac-newton-blogging-q-how-did-newton-get-rich-a-he-mastered-a-mundane-form-of-alchemy/ "The failure of his alchemical ambition did not end his deep involvement with the gold in it's vulgar, day to day manifestation. On February 3, 1700, he managed to make his way into the post of Master and Worker of the His Majesty's Mint. There he had formal responsibility for the production of all England's coin. Though he was as scrupulously honest as any man � more so than most in that patronage and corruption ridden age � he personally gained from any event that brought more metal into the Mint and spat more coins out. He got both a substantial stipend � and a percentage of every pound of silver or gold minted into coins. Now you were talking real money, an income that handily topped four figures in the busier years. When Newton died in 1727, with almost three decades of his cut from the Mint's prodution in hand, he left an estate � excluding the land inherited from his mother � worth 30,000 pounds. That's between four and five million pounds in contemporary currency. New ton died rich. And thus was proved the proposition that the surest way to make a pile of money is to make it yourself."

Goldsmiths and Bankers
http://www.scribd.com/doc/8816304/Kieron-McFadden-The-Origins-of-Modern-Banking The Origins of Modern Banking
"In the seventeenth century conflict between the bankers of the day and the Stuarts led the bankers to act in concert with bankers in Europe. They joined forces with those in the Netherlands to finance the invasion of England by William of Orange. William overthrew the Stuart Kings in 1688 and became King William III. By the end of the 1600s England was in financial ruin, gold and silver supplies were running low and a costly civil war followed by costly wars with France and Holland, all in a fifty year period, had left her heavily in debt. Government officials met with the financiers to negotiate the loans they needed. King William was �20 million in debt and he could not pay his army. Apparently it did not occur to William or anyone that if William needed to pay his army or get the economy going, all he had to do was have the government print its own money and use that to pay the troops -- something that Abraham Lincoln would do successfully during the American Civil war ne arly two hundred years later. King William's "friends," the bankers, were willing to loan him the money he needed but the price they wanted for their "help" was high. They wanted a government-sanctioned but privately owned central bank that could; through fractional reserve lending, create money out of nothing and loan it to the government. They got their way. In 1694 the world's first privately owned central bank was created. It was to be called the Bank of England. The Bank's charter included the following immortal words: "The bank hath benefit on the interest on all monies which it creates out of nothing." In exchange for this unique and immensely profitable privilege, the bank would very kindly lend the English, and later British, government as much money as it wanted, at interest, provided the debt was secured by direct taxation of the people."

Newton's Alchemy Notebooks Found in Royal Society Archives http://www.newtonproject.sussex.ac.uk/prism.php?id=82&cat=Alchemical http://www.pierre-marteau.com/editions/1701-25-mint-reports.html http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/newton/alch-flash.html http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/newton/about.do http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2005/jul/01/highereducation.uk2 "Newton kept hidden his interest in alchemy during his lifetime, in part because the making of gold or silver was a felony and had been since a law was passed by Henry IV in 1404. But throughout his career he, and other scientists of the time, many of whom were fellows of the society, carried out extensive research into alchemy. The text is written in English, but it is not easy to work out what Newton is actually saying. Alchemists were notorious for recording their methods and theories in symbolic language or code so others could not understand it."

A Legitimate Pursuit
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/newton/
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/newton/alchemy.html http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/newton/alch-newman.html

NOVA: Given that so many great minds were interested in it, why was alchemy illegal? Newman: Well, first of all, it became legal during Newton's time. But why was it illegal? There's a long association, for good reasons, between alchemy and counterfeiting. It's quite likely, actually, that medieval and early modern rulers were consciously employing alchemists to debase their own coinage. NOVA: But they didn't want other people doing it? Newman: Yeah, right; exactly, exactly. NOVA: It seems that Newton also wanted to hold tight to his secrets�he never published any of his alchemical work. Newman: I think that, like other alchemists, he thought that alchemy promised tremendous control over the natural world. It would allow you to transmute virtually anything into anything else, not just lead into gold. There are other things, too, that probably were in Newton's mind. For example, alchemists realized that if the philosophers' stone were real and it got out to the public, it would ruin the gold standard.

Sir Isaac Newton, Warden of the Royal Mint http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=a8aXsxUg4tdw Newton Hangs Forger, Invents Banking
"Newton and the Counterfeiter," describes the scientist's little-known later years when, luckless in love and alchemy, he left Cambridge for London to become warden of the Royal Mint. Forgers, chiselers and melters had seriously undermined Britain's money supply. To deal with the shortfall, King William had ordered up the Great Recoinage, which wasn't going so well when Newton arrived to take up his post. How the Cambridge don laid the groundwork for modern banking makes for a riveting story told with verve and humor by Thomas Levenson, a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Hoelterhoff: All those years hoping to turn lead into gold must have been pretty good preparation? Levenson: Newton's alchemical work was a perfect preparation for a post that demanded an understanding of the processes of working metal. He had built his own furnaces, melted down plenty of substances, weighed, combined, assayed -- all the skills one could hope for in a mint official. He was also one of the most rigorous observers of his day. If you wanted someone who could watch the flow of precious metal from the melting houses to the final coin presses, Newton was your man -- and in fact his accounts at the end of the Great Recoinage demonstrate that he managed the passage of millions of pounds worth of silver through the mint with scrupulous honesty. Hoelterhoff: What was the urgency?
Levenson: As the shortage of ready money persisted, minor riots broke out, and such sober men as John Evelyn, a founder of the Royal Society and one of that era's great diarists, worried seriously about the possibility of a more general insurrection. Hoelterhoff: How many counterfeiters did Newton catch? Any sign that he ever regretted sending his nemesis to his death? Levenson: Maybe a couple of dozen were sent to the gibbet. There's no record he had any feelings about Chaloner, though his handwriting becomes increasingly cramped and angry in some of the notes he took for the case. Hoelterhoff: How much fake money did Chaloner make? Levenson: In prison, Chaloner boasted of having counterfeited about 30,000 pounds of false guineas and other denominations. That's between four or five million pounds, or around $7 million in today's currency. Hoelterhoff: Newton ends up getting a promotion from warden to Master of the Mint, which made him rich. Then, in 1720 he lost millions in today's currency in the infamous South Sea Bubble. It seems incredible that his brain didn't tell him the returns were nuts. Levenson: I try not to preach, but it is one of the arguments for intelligent and robust regulations when even someone as brilliant as Isaac Newton is taken. He hated being reminded of any mistake. The only reference that people have found to his South Sea losses is in the comment: "I can calculate the orbit of a comet, but I cannot calculate the madness of the people." He was swept up in the mania of the moment.

Previously on Spectre
http://spectregroup.wordpress.com/2008/01/04/making-money/

XXXXX LEARNING XXXXX

We look for the sort of classes you circled in college course catalogs but never managed to fit into your schedule. And we also look for the kind of things that no college could teach. Cheap and eclectic is the rule, though all rules get broken occasionally, and we especially love workshops, round-tables, and teachers who won't take your work out of your hands and show you how to do it right. One-time listings are categorized, with general recurring classes at the end. We thrive on your suggestions, so make sure to tell us about upcoming classes that you think are nifty-keen.

Learning is compiled and edited weekly by Libby Sentz. Send listings, announcements, and corrections to her at libbysentz(at)me.com.

NOTE: Once more, special thanks to Avital Oliver, who edited this section for a year. Avital is moving to Israel to have a baby and explain why math is important to curious people. We wish him all the luck in the world.

***** LEARNING: SATURDAY *****

The Basics of GreenRoofs

Discussion on how to build a GreenRoof, a secondary roof structure that is partially or completely covered by vegetation. Sort of like a carpet of plants for your roof.

Park Slope Food Coop
Brooklyn
10-11a; $free
greenroof.weebly.com/events.html

***** LEARNING: ALSO ON SATURDAY *****

Hula-Hooping With Miss Saturn

A two-hour workshop on hoop dancing and tricks with Miss Saturn, a mainstay of New York's burlesque and vaudeville circuit. All levels.

School of Burlesque
440 Lafayette Avenue, Manhattan
4-6p; $30
schoolofburlesque.com/hulahoop.html

***** LEARNING: SUNDAY *****

Butoh Workshop: Poetry and Sight

Ankoku-butoh originated in postwar Japan and is known as the Dance of Darkness. Existing somewhere between performance art, avant-garde theater, and spiritual practice, it is now mostly characterized by incredibly slow movements, grotesque, taboo or transcendent imageries and subject matters, white body paint, heightened physical and emotional states, and no standard styles. Led by Eseohe Arhebamen/Edoheart. No dance or theater training required.

The Living Theatre
21 Clinton Street, Manhattan
2-6p; $15
info(at)edoheart.org
livingtheatre.org

***** LEARNING: TUESDAY *****

Intro to Genealogy

Learn how to trace your roots using library and Web resources in this introduction to genealogy.

Mid-Manhattan Library
455 Fifth Avenue, 4th Floor
10:30a-12:30p; $free
212-576-0088
nypl.org/calendar/index.cfm

***** LEARNING: Also on TUESDAY *****

The Secret Science Club Presents Botanical Explorer Susan Pell

Susan Pell discusses her recent five-person botanical expedition through the remote mountains, rain forests, and wet savannahs of Louisiade Archipelago, a volcanic island chain off Papua New Guinea. The team�s goal: To locate rare and endemic plants and to identify endangered ecosystems found nowhere else on Earth.

Bell House
149 7th Street, Brooklyn
7:30p; $free
secretscienceclub(at)gmail.com
secretscienceclub.blogspot.com

***** LEARNING: Also on TUESDAY *****

Circustentialism: An Exploration of Circus Choreography

This week's Night School class is an exercise in play and an exploration of the concepts of space, shape, story, time, emotion, and movement. Students will gain tools to find their own voice as a choreographer, a dancer, and an artist.

House of Yes
342 Maujer Street, Brooklyn
9-11p; $10-$25, sliding scale.
houseofyes.org

***** LEARNING: THURSDAY *****

Writing for TV

Gotham Writer's Workshop presents a free TV-writing class, taught by Jim Mendrinos.

Bryant Park
Manhattan
6:30-8p; free
writingclasses.com/communityevents/index.php

***** LEARNING: UPCOMING *****

Triple Threat Workshop: tribal bellydance, samba, and Congolese dance. August 16; dancespiral.com/tripleworkshoppage.html

***** LEARNING: ONGOING *****

BODY

• Aerial yoga. Manhattan and Williamsburg. Various days; $20. aerialyoga.com
• African, Brazilian, or Samba dance classes are free for first-time students with online coupon. Manhattan. Various days; $free. djoniba.com/free_coupon_julyaug2009.html
• Yoga in the park with Laughing Lotus at 10th Avenue and 15th Street. Manhattan. Wednesdays (through Sept. 2) 7-8p; $free. laughinglotus.com
• Self-defense at St. Mark's Church. Manhattan. Wednesdays 7:30-8:30p; $free. mkdkarate.com/classes.html
• Trampoline at Streb Lab for Action Mechanics. Brooklyn. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays 7-8:30p; $25. streb.org/V2/school/adults.html
• Balkan folk dance at the Hungarian House. Manhattan. Wednesdays 6:30-8p; $12. nycfolkdance.org
• Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu at Triskelion Arts. Brooklyn. Training is centered on jissen gata combat fighting. Membership is selective, but you may attend the first class without paying dues. Saturdays 5-7p, Sundays 2�4p. triskelionarts.org/events.htm#classesoffered
• Group tightwire walking and foot juggling workshop at Trapeze Loft. Williamsburg. Sundays 5-6p; $25. thetrapezeloft.com
• Power Vinyasa with Hosh Yoga in McCarren Park. Manhattan. Saturdays 3p; $donation. hoshyoga.org/schedule.html
• Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art and dance, with Capoeira Angola Quintal. Manhattan. Various days; $15. afrobrazilarts.org/newyorkcapoeira/index.htm
• Co-ed nonsexual naked yoga. Manhattan. Various days. groups.yahoo.com/group/coyoga/
• Kayaking on the Hudson River. Slots are 20 minutes, but kayakers may go more than once. Manhattan. Weather permitting, Saturdays and Sundays (through Oct. 11) 10a-5p; $free. nycgovparks.org/parks/riversideparksouth/events/166151
• Parkour workshops. Manhattan. Sundays 4p; $15-$20. nyparkour.com
• Canoeing and kayaking in Hallets Cove. Socrates Sculpture Park, Long Island City. Weather permitting, Sundays (through October 25) 1p; $free. licboathouse.org

BRAIN

• Math studies at the School of Mathematics, which cultivates a natural, stress-free environment where everyone can explore, study, and discover mathematics. Prior knowledge is not assumed. Brooklyn. Various days; $free. thewe.net/math
• Writing with constraints at the Writhings Society. Practice writing with arbitrary, sometimes mathematical, rules invented by the French group Oulipo and others; no experience necessary. Brooklyn. Wednesdays 6:30-8:30p; $5+. proteusgowanus.com
• Open craft/hack nights at NYC Resistor. Brooklyn. Thursdays 6-9p; $free. nycresistor.com/2008/11/22/open-craft-hack-nights-on-thursdays/

HANDS

• The Fixers Collective is a social experiment in improvisational fixing and mending. Participants bring their broken objects and put them on a large, common fixing table and share ideas and techniques for repairing, mending, enhancing, or repurposing the objects. Brooklyn. Thursdays 6-9p; $5. proteusgowanus.com/main/fixers-collective
• Craft-On (fun with yarn, thread, and more) with Church of Craft. Brooklyn. Various days; $free. churchofcraft.org/2008/10/01/welcome-nyc-crafters/
• Freegan Bike Workshop: Learn how to turn found bike parts into working bicycles and build your own bike. Brooklyn. Wednesdays and Saturdays; $free. 123communityspace.org/event
• Beading classes at Brooklyn Bead Box. Various days. brooklynbeadbox.com/classes.html
• Classes in the needle arts at Brooklyn General Store. Various days. brooklyngeneral.com/classes.htm
• Knitting and spinning classes at the Yarn Tree. Various days. theyarntree.com/studio/classes/
• Mosaic workshops. Manhattan. Wednesdays 1-4p and 6-9p; $100 for four-class workshop. newyorkartworld.com/things/things-mosaic.html
• Figure drawing at Brooklyn Artists Gym. Mondays 6:30-9p and Saturdays 12-3p; $8-$10. brooklynartistsgym.com/events.html#workshops
• Project Film School's film-theory freeschool with a weekly screening series and online resources. Brooklyn. Sunday nights; $free. projectfilmschool.org
• Screenprinting at 123 Printshop. Brooklyn. Fridays 5-8p and Saturdays 3-5p; $3+. 123communityspace.org/program/screenprinting-workshop-50
• Bicycle repair classes at Time's Up! Manhattan and Brooklyn. Various days. $free. times-up.org/index.php?page=bike-co-op

GRAB BAG

• Night School at House of Yes. A different workshop each week on everything from whistling to wine tasting. Email kaeburke(at)gmail.com if you are interested in hosting your own workshop. Wednesdays 9p. $varies. houseofyes.org/events/
• 3rd Ward offers multi- and interdisciplinary courses in visual art, technology, and fabrication. Mention Nonsense NYC when you sign up for member rates. 3rdward.com/classes
• Gearilla!, a street theater workshop (on bikes). Tuesdays 2p; $10-$12. monicahunken.com/classes.html
• Didgeridoo classes in Prospect Park for music, meditation, and healing. Saturdays $10. didgeproject.com
• Creative arts classes at Spoke the Hub. Various days. spokethehub.org
• First aid for cats and dogs. Various days. nyredcross.org/viewclass.php/prmCID/32/month/08/year/2009

XXXXX HELP XXXXX

Ever taken part in an old-fashioned barn raising? We never have, but we think it would be kind of cool -- all those neighbors in funny hats and overalls coming together to pound nails, stand up walls, and raise the collective roof. In that spirit, we look for one-day volunteer opportunities with no long-term commitments required. Our goal is to help groups or individuals that serve the greater good in small but significant ways, avoiding mega-nonprofits and people just looking for free labor. Know of any existing opportunities? Looking for ways to help out? Or need volunteers to get your own community project off the ground? Send your requests to Joanie Schaffer at schafferificgmail.com.

***** HELP: SATURDAY, AUGUST 8 *****

Morning Food Preparation

Volunteers at the University Soup Kitchen serve meals to men and women of all ages in a respectful "restaurant-style" environment. Soup Kitchen is a great, fun way for busy people to lend a hand to the community while meeting other young professionals in the city. Volunteers are needed at this event for the morning food preparation shift. If you need to cancel, please let us know as soon as possible as the success of these events depends on our volunteers. We understand plans change so please be sure to cancel your registration on our website to free up your spot for another volunteer.

The Spellman Center
137 East 2nd Street, Manhattan
8:30a-12:30p
streetproject.org/eventdisplay.php?eid=1046&pid=

***** HELP: Also on SATURDAY *****

Heavy Lifting at Loew�s Jersey

Friends of the Loew's continues its volunteer work in the building every Saturday, and this Saturday, August 8, we are putting a call out for "heavy lifters" to help move some large equipment and other stuff around, as well as people to prepare our balcony for the reinstallation of its seats. We also need people to paint, scrape and do some general cleaning. All of these efforts will help us get ready for our next film season, so if you have a few hours to spare this Saturday, we could use your help.

Loew's Jersey Theatre
54 Journal Square, Jersey City, NJ
11a-5p
201 798 6055
loewsjerseygmail.com

***** HELP: Also on SATURDAY *****

Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival ~ August 8th. 4pm-4am.

We are looking for volunteers over the age of 21 to help us pour and serve beverages, volunteers 18+ to help us work the door, volunteers 16+ to help with load in/load out and general day of show tasks. BEMF will provide VIP passes for ALL volunteers. If you are able to help us please email to. Let us know what shift you would prefer and we will try to accommodate your needs.

The Old American Can Factory
232 Third Street, Brooklyn
8p-12a, 12a-4a or 4a-8a
volunteerBEMFgmail.com

***** HELP: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12 *****

Basic Computers for Young Mothers

Women in Need's Brooklyn Shelter for homeless families houses young mothers who have no computer skills. We all know how important it is in today's world to learn the basics like e-mail and internet. You don't have to be an expert. All we need are volunteers who can teach basic computer skills - for example e-mail and the internet. Since some of them have never used any computer at all we might teach them just how to use the mouse, how the keys on the keyboard work and so on.

Women In Need - Homeless Shelter For Families 1738 East New York Ave (aka) 25 Junius Street, Brooklyn 6-8p
onebrick.org/eventdetails.asp?EventID=6337

***** HELP: UPCOMING *****

• Brooklyn Animal Action is a non-profit in the works looking to do animal rescue work in Brooklyn...the papers are being filed with the lawyer and it's close to being a done deal. Now we are looking for someone who would be willing to donate a little time and help us create a logo. Most of our work is with cats, simply because there are so many homeless cats in Brooklyn, but we don't rule out helping dogs, rabbits, or other animals in need. We do a lot of trap-neuter-return work as well as find foster and permanent homes for all of the kittens and friendly adult cats we come across. Our goal is to find homes for as many as we can, and for those we can't, we aim to at least improve the quality of their lives by providing them with medical care - neutering and spaying, vaccinations, etc, � and work to keep the population down. If any of you are artists and have an idea for an image, or if you know anyone who might be interested, it would be greatly appreciated (and I'm sure we could find a way to plug you/your business in our newsletters/at fundraisers, etc.)
• August 15-23: Downtown Dance Festival. Volunteers will work with staff from Battery Dance Company to present the 28th Annual Downtown Dance Festival, a free roving event held each summer in Lower Manhattan parks, plazas and piers. The festival invites audiences to enjoy nine days of ethnic, classical, and contemporary dance performances from around the world. This year, the festival will return to Chase Plaza and The Lawn at Battery Park and will also cross the harbor with performances on Governors Island. Dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers are needed in the weeks prior to the Festival for publicity and marketing campaigns (posting flyers and giving away postcards at restaurants, coffee shops, businesses and organizations around NYC). Then, during the nine days of the Festival, volunteer ushers will greet audience members, hand out playbills and help with other various tasks, such as helping to set up and take down the stage, setting up chairs at Chase Plaza, or working with groups of children who are visiting for our special educational outreach segment of the festival. And you will have plenty of time to watch the performances, as well. Volunteers should be able to commit to at least one day for a two-hour block during the week of August 15-23. Please contact Soni Jaiswal, Festival Intern, for further information on the time slots available at internbatterydance.org.
• August 20-September 22: The Age of Stupid team seek 5 New York based interns for one month packing out US screenings, promoting Age of Stupid, pulling off the biggest and greenest film premiere and helping to avert runaway climate change. We will be working out of our temporary New York Office in Chelsea. On September 21 and 22, The Age of Stupid Global Premiere will launch the film in over 40 countries and in 400 cinemas across the US. We are planning the biggest and greenest film event the world has ever seen, with the aim of catapulting climate change right into the centre of the public consciousness in the last few months leading up to the crucial Copenhagen summit this December, when all our futures will be decided. At the heart of the event will be a solar powered cinema screening in New York. This is going to be a massive event and we need your help to do it. Please send your CV to internageofstupid.net (subject line: "NEW YORK INTERNSHIP APPLICATION: YOUR NAME" ) along with an answer to the following question in 300 words or less: 'I want the internship because?'. Please make it clear which internship you are applying for. Applications must be in by midnight on Sunday, August 9. Find out more at: ageofstupid.net, notstupid.org
• August 30: The Inaugural 150th Street Ultimate Block Party and Arts Fest. We are currently seeking entertainers from all walks of life/genres, grassroots organizations to host educational and/or interactive booths, workshop organizers, prized for our raffle, artists for art installations, DJs, performance artists, dance ensembles, volunteers, etc. The Hybrid Movement Company, a fiscally sponsored organization, will be hosting the Arts Fest for our community, families, friends, and neighbors in the vicinity of 150th Street between Amsterdam and Broadway on Sunday, August 30. The block party provides a forum for neighbors and community members to get to know one another with the goal of strengthening neighborhood spirit and encouraging residents to look after the neighborhood, in addition to providing a family-oriented festive environment to celebrate the connectivity of community members, all while promoting the well-being of our environment. We welcome your participation. Contact thehybridmovementcompanygmail.com or 775 450 2484.
• November 12. Set up help for the NephCure Foundation. Help is needed for the NephCure Foundation's 2009 New York Countdown to a Cure. Ten volunteers are needed to help with set-up for this charity event. Volunteers should arrive at 1p to begin set-up and will be fed. Countdown to a Cure will be held at the Citi Field Caesars Club in Flushing, Queens. Over 800 guests are expected. The reception-style dinner will begin at 6:30p. All proceeds benefit the NephCure Foundation, the only organization committed to finding a cause and cure for two devastating kidney diseases, Nephrotic Syndrome and Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Minimum age 15. Please contact Miriam Long at mlongnephcure.org for more information. volunteermatch.org/search/opp572855.jsp

***** HELP: ONGOING *****

• Help Seniors Hungry to E-mail. City Hall Senior Center has a computer lab with six computers but no instructor. If you have a solid handle on computer skills (you don't need to be a whiz, although that's a plus) and want to work with seniors, we need you. Our seniors are eager to learn the basics of internet navigation and email use. You will teach a weekly class of seniors in the early afternoon. You can even develop the class into a program with intermediate and advanced classes if you want. This is a great opportunity to develop your teaching skills and make a difference too. Comfort with and knowledge of basic computer uses, desire to work with seniors and teaching experience are a plus. volunteermatch.org/search/opp573589.jsp
• Food Servers of St. John's Bread and Life. We are in need of groups that would be interested in helping out in our Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry. Minimum age 21. 795 Lexington Avenue, Brooklyn. volunteermatch.org/search/opp572876.jsp
• Looking for volunteers to do light administrative duties for non-profit outreach opera/musical theater group based in Washington Heights and Inwood. Most of the duties can be performed at home on your own computer. This is a great prospect for some one pursuing a degree in artistic administration. Looking for someone who can volunteer 5-10 hours a month. Again, just looking for someone to perform light administrative duties. For more info, contact cheron.g.cowangmail.com or visit nystreetopera.com.
• The GiveGoodGet Project is looking for "Good Deed Ambassadors" to take to the streets and find people doing good for their community! GiveGoodGet is a brand new project, still in its pilot stage, with the purpose of acknowledging good Samaritans for their contributions to making their neighborhoods stronger, friendlier places to live. We need outgoing, dedicated volunteers to identify and interview Samaritans on the streets, and award them with a small token of appreciation. To top off the fact that this is a great way to spread positive energy around the city and meet great people, all Good Deed Ambassadors will be compensated for their time (15/hr)! Interested? Please email marliewilsonstreetattack.com with your contact information, resume, and reason why you want to get involved.
• Reverend Billy Talen of the Church of Life After Shopping is the Green Party candidate for Mayor of NYC. The election is November 3 and we're looking for volunteers to help us between now and the election. Come share your fabulous talents with us, whatever they may be. We have a new headquarters at 250 Lafayette (between Prince and Spring) in lovely SoHo. Whether you're a poet, an artist, an organizer, or just willing to do odd jobs around HQ, like run errands or stuff envelopes, we'd love to have you working with us. To get involved, go to our web site and sign up on the volunteer page, stop by HQ, or come to our weekly meeting for new volunteers on Wednesdays from 7-9p in HQ. Right now we're especially in need of web savvy folks who know Drupal - we need Drupal administrators and Drupal themers to help with our web site. VoteRevBilly.org.
• Lit Drift: �Storytelling in the 21 Century� Seeks creative folks. I'm looking for bloggers, marketers, event organizers, and tech people to help out on our new blog dedicated to highlighting innovations in storytelling, with the ultimate goal to celebrate the art and craft of storytelling (in all its forms) by serving as a storyteller's resource and community. Lit Drift will start out as a blog, and eventually grow into an offline headquarters and creative space. But in the meantime, it's just a blog, so no one is getting paid until the site starts generating serious traffic and revenue. All I am looking for is a few passionate, creative people to pitch in for a few hours each week from the comfort of their own homes, and maybe get together every once in a while to discuss how the site is doing, where it's going, and schmooze over a beer or two (or ten). Please get in touch if you're interested at julialitdrift.com and tell me about yourself. litdrift.com.
• We can always use help in our office during regular business hours. There are a range of projects that volunteers can help with, some examples: press clippings, a Google Maps project (related to Community Boards and Council Districts), lending a hand in our events closet re-organization, general data entry projects and much more. Volunteers are welcome to come in for short or longer shifts, as often as you want. Please feel free to call or email Elena (volunteer and membership outreach coordinator) with any questions or to set up a time to come by and help out. elenatransalt.org 646 873 6036
• GALLOP, a New York City-based nonprofit corporation offers therapeutic riding lessons to individuals with disabilites at the historic Kensington Stables in the East Windsor Terrace section of Brooklyn, near Prospect Park. Staffed by a riding instructor certified by NARHA (North American Riding for the Handicapped Association) and a supported by licensed physical therapists, as well as a dedicated and experienced group of volunteers, the program offers a safe and supportive environment in which an individual can reap the many benefits of therapeutic riding. GALLOP is always in need of volunteers to help out with our program in any way. No horse experience is necessary, but it does help. We provide all the training you will need. We need people to help out at the stable with the horses and riders during lessons. Also, we have tons of "behind the scenes", such as office work, fundraising, grant writing, etc. Visit gallopnyc.org.
• SafeWalk is a free service to increase safety in our communities. From 11p Friday to 2a Saturday, we organize volunteers to take your call, bike to your location, and walk you to a destination within a 10-15 block radius. Our area of service currently includes Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Bedford Stuyvesant, Bushwick, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and downtown Brooklyn. Interested in becoming a volunteer? Contact safewalknycgmail.com or visit rightrides.org/templates/volunteer.php?page=vol_service.
• More than a barn, we're raising the mother of all meeting houses. New Yorkers deserve the basic democratic right�enjoyed by most other Americans and in most of the country's big cities�to have a direct say in our city's future and the laws we live by. (Just think: we could actually make dancing legal again.) The right of citizens to propose and vote on laws is fundamental to democratic government around the country. Some of NYC's lowercase democrats aim to win it and bring it into the 21st century. Join in designing the meeting house (i.e. writing the needed amendments to our city's charter), help grow the November '09 - June '10 petitioning drive, or find out more at lowercased.org.
• The Fortune Society is looking for volunteers to teach reading, writing and math to former prisoners and young people facing prison time. Contact 212 691 7554 x250 or visit fortunesociety.org.
• NY Artists Unlimited is a 25 year old, multicultural nonprofit that takes professional theatre and art to under-served audiences. Volunteers/ interns are used in all areas: administration, office work, design, graphics, technical, fundraising & development, PR/marketing, creative areas, and more. We are soon moving back into our renovated East Village arts center and need help in design, planning & development, fundraising, PR/marketing. In the summer, we present the International CringeFest, which includes the Bad Plays, Bad Musicals, and Bad Films Festivals. All proceeds go to support our work with under-served audiences. Class credit is available for college interns. Come join us in an artistic, supportive environment where noble deeds are being done and great creativity is taking place. No pay, but snacks, beverages, occasionally lunch available. Visit the website for further info: www.NYartists.orgVisit the website for further info: NYartists.org or contact Nyartunlt[a t]aol.com.
• The Rock Dove Project focuses on connecting health care practitioners who offer cheap/free services with seekers of those services. rockdovecollective.org/project
• Mentor kids through skateboarding, surfing and snowboarding at Stoked Mentoring. Contact infostoked.org
• Rescue disoriented and injured birds and ultimately help migratory birds make it to their destinations as a Project Safe Flight Volunteer. volunteernycaudubon.org
• Volunteer with Books Through Bars, an affiliated project of ABC No Rio that sends books to prisoners all over the country. Books Through Bars meets Mondays and Thursdays 7:30-9:30p and Sundays 5-8p at the NYC AIDS Housing Network, 80-A Fourth Ave, Brooklyn. abcnorio.org/affiliated/btb.html
• Help feed the homeless by volunteering at a City Harvest special event. cityharvest.org
• Volunteer as a writing tutor for kids at 826NYC. 826NYC.org
• Dog walking and Cat Petting at the Brooklyn Animal Rescue Coalition. barcshelter.org

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