From: "Jeff Stark" <jstark@nonsensenyc.com>
Subject: nonsensenyc: 1.15 to 1.20
Date: January 15th 2010

Friday, January 15
* Golden Festival, Manhattan
* New Vibe City, Brooklyn
* Less Artists More Condos at St. James Church, Manhattan * Zine Release and Psychedelic Experience, Brooklyn * Never Can Say Goodbye, Manhattan
* Nerd Nite, Brooklyn
* A.D.D., Manhattan
* Possession, Brooklyn

Saturday, January 16
* Coney Island Now Then and Forever, Brooklyn * Golden Festival, Manhattan
* Hey, I'm Walkin' Here!, Manhattan
* Dance Party Absurdity, Brooklyn
* Mister Saturday Night, Brooklyn
* Oh! You Pretty Things, Manhattan
* Travel Valley, Williamsburg
* Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School, Manhattan

Sunday, January 17
* No Territory: The AnarchoArtLab, Manhattan

Wednesday, January 20
* NYC Food Crawl Presents: The January Falafel Crawl, Manhattan * The Greenpoint Shredder, Brooklyn

Wishlist
* Love at Rubulad

Spectre
* No Infrastructure, at All

Learning
* Haitian Dance Workshop

Help
* Count homeless people

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

Dead trees piled in cairns.

XXXXX FRIDAY, JANUARY 15 XXXXX

Golden Festival

It's this weekend, it's the 25th anniversary. Tonight and Saturday night. The Golden Festival is New York's largest Balkan music event, with multiple stages, Balkan and Middle Eastern refreshments, Balkan arts vendors, as well as beautiful Balkan textiles on display. From international stars to local musicians, modern Balkan stylists to folk traditionalists, over 40 bands provide hours of ecstatic listening, dancing and partying. An incredible grassroots event. Both nights in upper Manhattan.

Good Shepherd School
620 Isham, near 207th Street and Broadway, Manhattan 7:30p-12:30a; $20, $15 students, $free for children, or volunteer (see Help section below) Continues SATURDAY (see listing below)
zlatneuste.org/au25.htm

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

New Vibe City

New York City is a place of wonderment and excitement, sharp contrasts, life in the urban jungle.

New Vibe City is a place where are all of your beautiful dreams can come true. With kombucha mixed cocktails, dazzling lights, mulled cider, dance beats. Visuals by Aurora Halal and Luke Wyatt. Musical dance selections by Bethany Benzur, Tal Giat, Dang Chau. The vibes are in the air.

Market Hotel
1142 Myrtle Avenue, at Broadway, Brooklyn J,M,Z trains to Myrtle station
11p; $5
all ages
myspace.com/markethotelnyc
bodyactualized.blogspot.com

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

Less Artists More Condos at St. James Church

Show in the second-oldest church in Manhattan. We're going to project video on the back wall mural and light on the stain-glass windows from the outside so they glow.

With Real Estate, the Beets, Beach Fossils, Tony Castles (with secret guest), and Total Slacker.

32 James Street, between Henry and Madison, Manhattan 7p; $10
vimeo.com/8679088

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

Zine Release and Psychedelic Experience

With Pots and Powercells, Cache, Magnet City Kids, Anisette and Divets, Andy Borsz, Kohoutek, Sharks With Wings, N/A, and Viewshed:Awesome Reality is a compilation of short stories along with fantastic illustrations contributed from 15 up-and-coming artists and writers from around the USA; one major art contributor, Jason Krugman, recently installed the glowing, larger-than-life human sculptures in McCarren Park in Williamsburg; another contributor, writer Adam McDermott is set to have a comedic memoir published in 2010. Each piece flows into the next; the result is a good read.

The Silent Barn
915 Wyckoff Avenue, Brooklyn
8p; $5 suggested donation

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

Never Can Say Goodbye

No Longer Empty (NLE) will re-open the legendary Tower Records store with a multimedia art exhibition.

Spotlighting more than 20 artists that work with sound, light, and image, Never Can Say Goodbye celebrate the store’s historic role as the locus of the community -- the old way to meet people face to face and share music and information.

Each week a variety of music performers will capture the fleeting opportunity to play live in the ex-Tower Records space. Performances include Broken Mirrors with John Miller, Cleopatra’s, ((audience)), the Metropolis Ensemble, the Jon Herington Band, Azita, Disco Monkeys, and others.

Exhibition features artists Ryan Brennan, Joe Diebes, R. Luke DuBois, Richard Garet, Invader, Josh Jordan, Meredyth Sparks, Kaz Oshiro, Naama Tsabar, Paul Villinski, and Siebren Versteeg,

Former Tower Record Store
4th Street and Broadway, Manhattan
7–10p; $free
Continues WEDNESDAY to SUNDAY

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

Nerd Nite

Nerd Nite 2010 comes bearing trivia. Yes, after lying dormant since the summer, join us for Nerd Nite Quizo and then stick around for regular Nerd Nite with a line-up that might even rival the amazing December lectures. This month we have the ins-and-outs of the world's first open-source nuclear reactor, Art and Neuroscience (complete with everyone's favorite optical illusions), and a follow-up presentation about sexual robotics, with by Famulus, by Lauren Sefton, and Laura G. Duncan.

Galapagos Art Space
16 Main Street, Brooklyn
F train to York Street station
7p Quizo, 8:15p regular Nerd Nite; $10
galapagosartspace.com/

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

3rd Earth and Boneman present:

A.D.D.

1. Are you impulsive?
2. Do you have trouble sitting still?
3. Do you have trouble focusing on bullshit for long amounts of time?

Then you may need to join us in a legendary 4000sq. ft. Soho basement vintage clothing store where artists like the Beastie Boys, and Chaka Khan recorded and hung out. Every single inch of the walls, ceilings, and floors are crowned by works from some of New York's best graffiti, and mural artists. Couple that with some of New York's best breaks, dubstep, grime, hip-hop, reggae and world music and we'll have a safe home for you and others with your "disorder."

With Patrick Luis Matamoros, DJ Courage, DJ Shakey, Barney Iller, Dirty Finger. With Seizure Plank Installation by Image Node, screen printing by the Bushwick Print Lab, face painting by Kendalle Fiasco, kissing booths, stiltwalking, hooping, and a Hookah Lounge.

The Garment Room
112 Greene Street basement, between Houston and Prince, Manhattan 10p-late; $10 before 11p, $15 after
21 and over

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

False Aristocracy presents:

Possession

A highly conceptual, multimedia and performance, installation heavy, group art show with reactionary pieces based on the film 1981 Possession by Andrzej Zulawski. The synopsis of the show alone is enough to confound any audience.

The show itself, staying true to last year's emotionally dark theme of nightmare development and expression, is based on an isolated exploration of seven artists' reactions to a film chosen by the curator and performance artist Lena Marquise. The event however will take on the life of a party more so than the typical art show reception, with dance music provided by several local DJs.

The participating artists were chosen specifically by the curator for reasons yet undisclosed, their connection will be illustrated by method of art installation. The curator herself is to remain completely isolated, yet encompassed by the artists' work, and will perform a piece at midnight, depicting her own reaction to the film.

Artists David Bray, Andy Mecca, Nick Coelho, Adam Hodges, Richard Rankin, Casper Newbolt, and Fancy. Installation aerial performances by House of Yes. Music by Mike Dextro, Vida Venture and Valissa Yoe.

House of Yes
342 Maujer Street, Brooklyn
8p-late; $5
All ages; 21 to drink open bar
michaeldextroyahoo.com
FalseAristocracy.com
i12.photobucket.com/albums/a213/mikedextro/possessionflyerFRONT.jpg

XXXXX SATURDAY, JANUARY 16 XXXXX

Coney Island Now Then and Forever

Now Then and Forever features history minded mermaids, Victorian Puppet Theater, blues harmonica, storytelling, and more. The goal here is to evoke the spirit of Coney Island and the great legendary people who turned this strip of beach front into American folklore.

The reason we're doing this at Green-Wood Cemetery is because the following Coney luminaries are permanent residents here. They include:

1. George Tilyou: Master of Mayhem, founder of Steeplechase Park.
2. Charles Feltman: The man who invented the hot dog in Coney Island (nope, not Nathan. Nathan got his start working for Feltman).
3. John Y. McKane: The Czar of Coney Island, a political fixer who managed to stuff enough ballot boxes to get Benjamin Harrison elected President of the United States in the late 19th century.
4. John Matthews: The Soda Fountain King, the chemist who discovered the process of carbonating water.
5. William Mangels: Maker and inventor of carousels built for Coney Island in the early 20th century.

If you can imagine it, the shows all take place in the magnificent Green-Wood Chapel (built in 1911, by the same architectural firm who built Grand Central Station). In the clear winter light, the stained glass in there is amazing.

What is exciting is that by evoking the spirit and feel of Coney's glory days (using Victorian puppet theater, acoustic instruments, and a reasonable amount of mayhem and silliness), this show raises the question: What next for Coney?

Greenwood Cemetery Chapel
500 25th Street, at 5th Avenue, Brooklyn two performances 1, 3p; $15
Continues SATURDAYS and SUNDAYS through January 24 718 210 3010
green-wood.com/toursevents

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

Golden Festival

It's this weekend, it's the 25th anniversary. Tonight and Saturday night. The Golden Festival is New York's largest Balkan music event, with multiple stages, Balkan and Middle Eastern refreshments, Balkan arts vendors, as well as beautiful Balkan textiles on display. From international stars to local musicians, modern Balkan stylists to folk traditionalists, over 40 bands provide hours of ecstatic listening, dancing and partying. An incredible grassroots event. Both nights in upper Manhattan.

Good Shepherd School
620 Isham, near 207th Street and Broadway, Manhattan 6p-4a; $45, $35 students, $free for children, $40 and $35 advance, or volunteer (see Help section below) Continues SATURDAY (see below)
zlatneuste.org/au25.htm

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

Hey, I'm Walkin' Here!

A series of exploratory perambulations through the five boroughs. Or, less pretentiously: Get off your butt and come walk around the city with us.

Join us on our 50th walk around New York, this one a 20-mile jaunt across three boroughs: Inwood through the Bronx to Astoria.

Meeting point: Northwest corner of Dyckman Street and Nagle Avenue, Manhattan 9:30a; $free
matt.burnsomedustgmail.com
burnsomedust.com

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

Dance Party Absurdity

More exciting than anything else going on. We're sure a lot of you have already been to this party in its past. As it has had many names. Shit will be the shit. Featuring: DJ Dirty Finger, Danzie, and DJ Spanky.

258 Johnson Avenue, Brooklyn
L train to Montrose station
Time?; $5

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

Mister Saturday Night

Loft party with Eamon Harkin, Justin Carter, and special guest DJ Harvey.

1142 Myrtle Avenue, Brooklyn
10p-late, open beer bar from 10-11p; $8 advance, $10 with RSVP, $15 door mister@mistersaturdaynight.com
residentadvisor.net/mistersaturdaynight

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

Michael T, Ben Ickies, Twig the Wonderkid, and Shien Lee present:

Oh! You Pretty Things

A musical tribute and birthday party for David Bowie. Song selections from 1967-87. Live performances by Michael T and the Vanities, The Ambitious Orchestra, Le Mood, and the Star Machine.

Emcee: NC Shuva. Guest performers Michael Formika Jones, Miss Guy, Theo Kogan, Lady Rizo, Deryck Todd, St. Eve, Jack Terricloth, Yana Chupenko, Corey Tut, Queen V, Corn Mo, Milan, Sahara Davenport, Shane, and Broadway Brassy. Cabaret show by Stormy Leather and the Flying Fox. Fashion show by Kristin Costa Designs. DJs: Justine D, Keanan Duffy, Purevile!, and Twig the Wonderkid spin Bowie, glam, punk, new wave, goth, and new romantic. Go-go sets courtesy of birthday gal Apathy and the Apettes. Dress code: classic Bowie 69-83, glam dandy, futurist, peacock punk, and any and all forms of gender-bending. Glam makeovers all night.

Don Hill's
511 Greenwich Avenue, at Spring Street, Manhattan 9p; $10 with invite, $15 without (cheap beer open bar 10-11p) 21 and over

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

Travel Valley

I wanted to let you know about a project that I have been working on called Travel Valley.

Presented and hosted by Lillian Gerson as her travel agent alter ego: Connie O'nasis, Travel Valley is a group art show and actual travel agency opening. This show is made up mostly of Brooklyn based artists who put together travel related artwork to exist in the space of an invented travel agency.

In addition to the artwork (which will be shown inside of the Italian Ice coolers) Travel Valley will offer a variety of riffraff including, but not limited to: t-shirts, postcards, posters, knickknacks, real and fake travel fares, specialized destination therapy and consultation, time travel time shares, and much more. Travel Valley is holding a destination raffle at the opening party of an actual location.

Travel Valley will function as travel agency and exhibition space every day during the week (with regular 9-5 hours) until the closing in mid February.

I realize that it may be too late to fit Travel Valley's opening into this week's email blast, but i hope that you keep us in mind, and I will send you another email in about a week concerning the closing party.

Store formerly known as Ralph's Italian Ice's 357 Graham Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn 6-10p; $free
rachel.vera.steinberg@gmail.com
lilliangerson@gmail.com
travelvalleytravel.wordpress.com/
kickstarter.com/projects/175109062/three-month-travel-agency-in-an-italian-ice-store

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

Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School

With the beautiful Dante Posh and the infamous Nik Sin in a tribute to the Moulin Rouge. Dr. Sketchy's is a life drawing class turned cabaret extravaganza. Artists draw glamorous underground performers, compete in contests, and win booze and prizes. From its humble Brooklyn beginnings, it's spread to 100 cities on five continents- including London, Rome, Tokyo, Paris, Sao Paulo and Melbourne.

Slipper Room,
167 Orchard Street, corner of Stanton, Manhattan 4-7p; $10 advance, or $12 a the door
21 and over
drsketchy.com

XXXXX SUNDAY, JANUARY 17 XXXXX

No Territory: The AnarchoArtLab

This multimedia, interdisciplinary event will plumb the varied meanings of territory, property, ownership, and the individuals right to movement, thought, and expression in an Ownership Society.

The golden age was the age when gold didn't reign; the cause of all wars, riots and injustices is the existence of property, happiness is hanging your landlord.

The wind is turning. The economy is wounded -- we hope it dies. Amnesty is an act in which the rulers pardon the injustices they have committed; the state’s magnanimity to those offenders whom it would be too expensive to punish.

AnarchoArtLab is a collective of new-media, visual artists, performers, musicians, dancers and genre benders in residence at the Living Theatre. Each month we create a live, collaborative, multimedia art experience that is both immersive and participatory. We welcome you to come for an hour or experience the entire evening.

Artists include but are not limited to: Glass Bead Collective, David Tully, Grady Gerbracht, John Loggia, Adriana Varella, Z-Collective, James ChrisBunny! Fields, Michele Cappello, Takashio Hisayasu, Miles Pflanz and Jackie Connolly, Parker Miller and English.

The Living Theater
23 Clinton Street. between Stanton and E. Houston, Manhattan 8p-midnight; $? BYOB

XXXXX WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20 XXXXX

NYC Food Crawl Presents: The January Falafel Crawl

Known affectionately as the “Hot Dog of the Middle East,” falafel is a fried ball or patty of spiced chickpeas or fava beans combined with spices. Recent culinary trends have seen the triumph of the chickpea falafel over the fava bean one as a favored street food, but it is widely agreed from Egypt to Israel that the falafel’s deep-fried deliciousness can overcome even the widest rifts between countries and cultures in the Middle East.

Please join us for the January Falafel Crawl on Wednesday, January 20. We will meet on the southern steps of Union Square and spend a couple hours sampling different versions of falafel. Falafel can be eaten as a standalone snack, but more commonly is served in a pita-like bread called lafa with pickled turnips, cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, yogurt, tahini (sesame seed), hot sauce, and sometimes even potatoes.

No RSVP necessary. Bring friends and make new ones. Falafel scorecard, map, and team assignments will be provided. Go at your own pace and pay as you go. Come hungry, leave happy.

Meet on the southern steps of Union Square, across the street from Whole Foods 6:30p; $free
Twitter: #nycfoodcrawl
nycfoodcrawl.blogspot.com

***** Also on WEDNESDAY *****

The Greenpoint Shredder

After several months of operating in the local community the Shredder is available to the public.

It's 15 minutes of one-on-one conversation. You show up, we sit down, you have some tea or juice if you like (no coffee, sometimes cookies). You talk. We listen. The topic is up to you. You can also be silent. In any event whatever is said during the conversation goes immediately after the 15 minutes are gone to our Giant Information Shredder. It is forgotten.

We don't want to know your name, and you won't find out our names either. We don't care about what you do for a living. We won't ask questions. This isn't therapy, or a religious experience. We don't analyze. We don't judge. We don't try to help either. We maybe don't even care. But we do listen.

We do it just for one hour on Wednesday evenings, so it's just three people or so that we can see any given week. Send email to get a slot for the coming week. We’ll send details.

Email for address
G train to Nassau station
8-9p; $free
greenpoint.shredder@gmail.com

XXXXX UPCOMING XXXXX

• Brooklyn Wonderland Presents: Hot It Up! January 22
• Horns for Haiti, January 24
• Smoke, January 30
• Flux Factory Inaugural Building-Wide Exhibition and Gala, February 19

XXXXX ONGOING XXXXX

Nonsense is too long. The great thing about the internet is that it doesn't really cost much to run long listings and exhaustive descriptions. It turns out that's ... exhausting. After several complaints and a little deliberation, we're trying a new format: On the first Friday of the month we will run updated ongoing listings in each section: events, learning, and help. Other weeks we're going for leaner, meaner sections. If you're desperate for something to do on an off-Tuesday night we suggest you either look back a few issues ago in your inbox, or poke through our online archives, which you can find under the subscribe page.

Also, a note about 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.

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 *****

• Did you fall in love at Rubulad? We are making a shrine for our St. Valentine’s Day party that will feature your contributions. Tell us your tale, send us a photo or memento or do an interview in person or on the phone. For this project, please contact us at owlfactory(at)gmail.com or: Andrew Weeks, P.O. BOX 2283, NY, NY,10009. Telephone interviews at 617 710 5513. Deadline January 24.
• Calling designers, interior decorators, architects, builders, performers, and artists of all media. Flux Factory's first major show at our new building, opening Friday, February 19, will consecrate the space as a social structure, a conceptual place, a workshop for craft and ideas, and a space of art conception, production and consumption. Most importantly, it will inaugurate the space as a complex, ever-evolving, multimedia, radical work of art: an installation to the scale of a full building. It will be an exercise in architecture, interior design, social practice, and general aesthetics covering every room, every surface, and every object of the building and affecting every physical and conceptual space. Comparable in scope to Georges Perec's ambitious novel, Life, a User's Manual, in which he meticulously describes in a second, or 99 chapters, every room in a modern Parisian building. Each room, object, or resident contains multiple stories that expand the narration to create a multi-dimensional oeuvre. This construction will embody multiple paradoxes, possibly our most accomplished work to date, but also one never to be finished. In other words, we're putting the flux back in the factory. A project tightly curated in places and running wild in others, it will be the manifestation of many aesthetics that shape Flux Factory's style: junk yard, curiosity cabinet, gentlemen's club, post industrial, psychedelic. A unique signature best described by Holland Cotter in the New York Times as "a cross between a youth hostel and a space station." Artists will intervene throughout the building in the largest collaboration in Flux Factory's 15 year-long history. We are taking proposals for various artist-made fixtures such as wallpaper, wall paintings, floors, lights, doors, windows, drapes, along with an eclectic collection of furniture, art objects, artifacts, and time-based or conceptual work. Proposals are also being accepted for performances during our opening gala on February 19. We are looking for proposals from designs for all types of art, housewares, furniture, and fixtures for all of our spaces. Submissions should be sent to jean(at)fluxfactory.org. If you have any questions, please send an email with Call Home Question as the subject of your message.
• Circle Arts Presents: Heroes, art gallery show at Clemente Soto Velez Gallery, 107 Suffolk Street, New York, NY 10002. February 4-28. Gallery opening, February 4. Everyone admires someone. Our heroes are as varied as the human experience; Martin Luther King Jr., the caped crusader, a nurse who showed us kindness. The human psyche naturally reaches for an ideal. Heroes is a visual art and performance event about that hero you turn to for inspiration. In uncertain time we need to celebrate those who demonstrate the best qualities of humankind. Circle Arts is looking for any 2D artists and performance artists (poets, acoustic music, spoken word, etc.)Contact Jen Upchurch at redjen109(at)hotmail.com.

***** SPACES *****

• Apple-green room available starting February first or perhaps later in sunny, freshly-painted freestanding South Park Slope house. Kind owners/responsive landlords are a quiet older couple who live on the basement plus street level, and this two-bedroom apartment takes up the second story. Rent is $800 including utilities -- free wifi suits average internet use, other options can be discussed if needed. $500 deposit plus first month. Room is 10 by 11 with a small closet, two windows overlooking backyard gardens, and is unfurnished. Write for pictures. Eat-in kitchen with big windows, living room separates the two bedrooms; bathroom is a little tight, but features a tub. Three blocks from both Prospect Avenue/Fourth Avenue R stop and Ninth Street/Fourth Avenue F/G/M/R, two or three stops to Atlantic/Pacific hub. Convenient to lots of restaurants, bars, shopping, Prospect Park; Royale, Lucky 13, 24-hr bodega and laundromat each one block away, as is a sweet abuelita who sells yummy empanadas from a cart year-round. I'm female, 32, and work full-time in the city. Quiet and super clean. Communication skills and respect are a must, Nina Hagen records are a plus. Contact Allison, faux.fancy(at)gmail.com.
• $1200 February first / L at Montrose, JMZ at Lorimer, 15 minute walk to Bedford Avenue. We are looking for the perfect fourth person to fill the nicest room in our amazing loft. The room lends itself to privacy, situated in its own corner of the house. It is elevated about three feet, accessible by a little wooden staircase. There are large south-facing windows with gorgeous wooden shutters. Closet. High ceilings. We are on the fourth floor, freight elevator, washer/dryer, full kitchen (including dishwasher), wood floors, gas stove, tiled bathtub, insane amount of storage, roof deck, lots of light. There is no television watching going on here. You will be living with two sisters (and one more body TBA) from an ancient Burmese Empire. Our father was a gentle rice farmer and our mother was a healer. We chose to be here mostly because of smart phones, but also because our Queen Birdaloo commissioned us to collect information on the raw food movement, the underlain frequencies of magic amid impermanence, and the phenomenon of plaid. You must have an inclination toward cleanliness, organization, and general home-making. We cook a lot. It’s most always vegan. We sew and paint and help things grow and ferment and make tea and have lots of people over for dinner. Sometimes we keep to our calm selves. No more pets please, but you must love Birdaloo. She knows that you know who she is. We are starting a lease, but you will be month-to-month. First, last and security deposit to move in February first, plus 25 percent utilities. As we are not yet in the space, we will be arranging a day to show the room for serious inquiries. Otherwise, I can email photos. And we can meet you for coffee. Please email Heidi at Tullmannator(at)gmail.com or leave a message at 267 266 5479.
• Cool, stylish, pre-war two-bedroom apartment on the border of Williamsburg and Greenpoint in Brooklyn. Apartment gets lots of light, parquet floors, old-school stove, built-in closets. Great area, super close to bars, cafes, restaurants, galleries and park, near Nassau G and Bedford L trains. Full-size bed, single bed, cool vinyl futon; desk, chairs, kitchenware, etc. Terms of sublease are flexible, but probably three-to-six months to start, with the option to renew. Fine for two people, but ideal for a couple or one person who wants room to live and work. $1700, includes utilities. Russ russjosephs(at)gmail.com, 646 387 8924.
• Gorgeous, cheap room available for sublet, five weeks from January 29-March 6. Part of a three-bedroom apartment in Greenpoint, on Leonard Street at Meserole Avenue (equidistant from G at Nassau or Greenpoint, 10-minute walk to Bedford L). Pop around the corner for morning coffee at Eat Records, or breakfast on unreasonably cheap fruit and veggies from the local markets. Roommates are two women in their twenties, one a MA student, the other a photographer. Lots of artiness. My room is the biggest of the three, and comes with a very comfy double bed, desk and lots of shelf space. Our place has been recently renovated and is very homely, with polished floorboards, new kitchen, new bathroom, but it's not huge and the soundproofing leaves a little to be desired. Best suited to a friendly-type absent of the desire for loud late-night bedroom discos. We're all super considerate of each others needs, so this will suit someone clean and easy-going. Hook yourself up: $900 for the wh ole time which includes utilities, wireless and a household kitty. No couples or pets, sorry. Contact Georgia on hellogeorgia(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 and trade what our business friends like to call best practices. The group has expanded since then, but it remains focused on smartening the crowd mind. There are no subject limits; our favorite is the incredible sci-fi present, or anything that goes toward a better understanding of human behavior and our universe's ecology. Our simple intent is to connect good minds with as much quality mind-blowing information as we can freely locate 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. The list is compiled for Nonsense by J. Sinopoli. Contact us at spectre.event.horizon.group gmail com or spectregroup.org. Here's some of what came in this week:

***** No Infrastructure, at All *****

http://spectregroup.wordpress.com/2010/01/14/egalite-guaranteed/

No Medicine, Baby Born on Street
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW1VUgH9g2s http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/01/2010114164959501665.html [Warning: Viewers may find some of the images distressing]

Previously : Haitians Eating Mud
http://spectregroup.wordpress.com/2008/04/21/haitians-eating-mud/ http://worldfocus.org/blog/2009/02/19/dirt-poor-haitians-eat-cookies-made-of-mud/4120/

Context
http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2010/01/haiti-imagery-layer-now-available.html http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2010/01/scenes-of-destruction-in-haiti-from-above.html "The photos, courtesy of GeoEye and Google, show parts of Port-au-Prince before and after the quake. The white building in the bottom frame is the presidential palace, cracked along its axis. Additionally, Google has launched a dynamic spreadsheet, called the "Haiti Situation Tracking Form" that allows people to post messages looking for loved ones and other updates.

Google's Missing Persons Spreadsheet (1/2 million..?) https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=t0Ya6eH0L7fn599qN4WsJkw&gid=0 https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=t0Ya6eH0L7fn599qN4WsJkw&gid=1

Search by Name
http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=381628

Relief Efforts
http://blog.ted.com/2010/01/the_haiti_trage.php http://www.nethope.org/about/faq/
http://www.usaid.gov/faqs.html#q4

US Stops Deporting Haitians
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2010/0113/Haiti-earthquake-US-stops-deporting-Haitians

Only Successful Slave Insurrection in History http://www.pbs.org/egaliteforall/
"It grasped the full meaning of French revolutionary ideas -- liberté, eqalité, fraternité -- and used them to create the world's first Black republic. It changed the trajectory of colonial economics ... and led to America's acquisition of the Louisiana territory from France. "It" was the Haitian Revolution, a movement that's been called the true birth moment of universal human rights. Vaguely remembered today, the Haitian Revolution was a hurricane at the turn of the nineteenth century -- traumatizing Southern planters and inspiring slaves and abolitionists, worldwide. The man at the forefront of Haiti's epochal uprising was Toussaint Louverture. He was world-known in his day and deserves a place among history's most celebrated figures today. Born into slavery, Toussaint had been freed by his master before the revolt began. He owned property and was financially secure. He risked it all, however, to join then lead an army of slaves that would fight, in turn, the French, th e British, and the Spanish empires for twelve years. He was often compared to George Washington. But his is military feats alarmed Thomas Jefferson ... and ultimately provoked a full-scale attack from Napoleon Bonaparte. France's final offensive would cost Toussaint his life. But France lost, nonetheless, and the richest colony in the Americas became an independent black republic. The story of Haiti's revolution is a story of extraordinary pathos. Half a million slaves dared hope for an unprecedented end to slavery and thousands died in the process. But the revolution's history is also a story of forgotten people and milestones. Haitian slaves did not just fight with weapons. In 1794 a multi-racial delegation from Haiti traveled to Paris to address the national assembly. They spoke powerfully about slavery's moral and physical violence. They argued that their struggle was part of France's domestic revolution against despotism. And they won the day. The elocution of Haitian Blacks led to a sudden decree that not only freed the empire's entire slave population, it made them French citizens, too."

Independent Haiti
http://www.kreyol.com/history005.html
"On January 1, 1804, Haiti proclaimed its independence. Through this action, it became the second independent state in the Western Hemisphere and the first free black republic in the world. Haiti's uniqueness attracted much attention and symbolized the aspirations of enslaved and exploited peoples around the globe. Nonetheless, Haitians made no overt effort to inspire, to support, or to aid slave rebellions similar to their own because they feared that the great powers would take renewed action against them. For the sake of national survival, nonintervention became a Haitian credo. While Toussaint, a former privileged slave of a tolerant white master, had felt a certain magnanimity toward whites, Dessalines, a former field slave, despised them with a maniacal intensity. He reportedly agreed wholeheartedly with his aide, Boisrond-Tonnerre, who stated, "For our declaration of independence, we should have the skin of a white man for parchment, his skull for an inkwell, his blood for ink, and a bayonet for a pen!" Accordingly, whites were slaughtered wholesale. In 1805 Dessalines crowned himself Emperor of Haiti. The disaffection that sealed the emperor's fate arose within the ranks of the army, where Dessalines had lost support at all levels. Dessalines made no effort to redress these shortcomings. Instead, he relied on the same iron-fisted control with which he kept rural laborers in line. That his judgement in this matter had been in error became apparent on the road to Port-au-Prince as he rode with a column of troops on its way to crush a mulattoled rebellion. A group of people, probably hired, shot the emperor and hacked his body to pieces."

Tortuga: Colonized by Pirates (Flying Wrong Flag was Legal) http://books.google.com/books?id=SJEg0p4RCP4C http://www.blackpearltales.net/erins_site/History.html#top http://www.thepiratesrealm.com/Isle%20of%20Tortuga.html "These men were known for the meat that they barbecued (French for smoked meat is viande boucanee), and so eventually were named Buccaneers. When these hunters learned that piracy was more profitable than selling meat, they were soon making regular raids on the Spanish ships sailing the local trade routes. An early French governor named Jean le Vasseur used his training as an engineer to build a 24-gun fort by the harbor which helped to repel Spanish attacks. French governors preferred to use the buccaneers for local defense, as the British governors were later to do at Port Royal, and Tortuga Island became well-known for those men calling themselves the Brethren of the Coast. The most notorious among the pirates of Tortuga was Francois L'Ollonais, a psychopath whose method of choice was often horrible tortures and murder. Sir Henry Morgan started his career of piracy from this very island."

Followed Eventually by Radio Pirate (Who'd Been Invited) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Pierson "In 1967, during the time that Don Pierson was attempting to lease the ship which had been the former homes of [pirate stations] Swinging Radio England and Britain Radio, he received a response from the Ambassador for Haiti in Washington, DC. Don Pierson's original plan was to lease or sell the ship to the government of Haiti for it to establish two powerful 50 kW commercial radio stations aimed at American tourists visiting the old buccaneer stronghold of Tortuga island, which is located some 10 miles off the north coast of the main Haitian island of Hispaniola which is also shared by the Dominican Republic. This offer became a plan to develop the island itself as a freeport and he was asked to assist the government of Haiti to encourage business investment in that poverty-stricken land. After years of research and negotiation, Don Pierson's idea of a privately financed, privately managed free enterprise zone became a reality in 1971 when Haitian dictator François Duvalier (known as "Papa Doc") and the Haitian government entered into a 99-year contract with Don Pierson's company called Dupont Caribbean Inc. This contract provided for the establishment of Freeport Tortuga. Within 18 months Don Pierson succeeded in building the island's first airport, a loading dock for seagoing vessels, a rudimentary water and sewer system, an electricity generating facility, and six miles of paved road. Of equal importance. the project created jobs for some 400 previously unemployed Haitians and resulted in the establishment of a small school to teach various job skills. During this period he also became Honorary Consul of the Republic of Haiti to Texas from 1969 through 1974. Tragically, the free port project came to abrupt end in 1974 when, after it was announced that Gulf Oil Corporation was contemplating investing more than $300 million to build a resort on the island, the government of Jean-Claude Duvalier (known as "Baby Doc"), summarily expropriated the project, resulting in its collapse."

Pat Robertson Speaks for Himself
http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&q=pat+roberston+call+800 "RT call Pat @ 1 (800) 759-0700 to give your opinion of the statements he made regarding the tragedy in Haiti, or put them on hold, it costs them money to wait for you"

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.

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

Haitian Dance Workshop: 100 Percent Proceeds to Haiti

Experience the culture of Haiti. Join Julio Jean in his amazing, ongoing Afro-Haitian folkloric dance class. This Saturday, the studio and Julio are donating 100 percent of the proceeds to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Efforts in Haiti.

Ripley-Grier Studios
520 Eight Avenue, Manhattan
16 Floor, Room 17D
$10; 6:30p-8

NOTE: We fell in love with this person and his class 10 years ago. And it only gets stronger. Experience the beauty of Haiti here.

***** LEARNING: Also on SATURDAY *****

Junk Guitar Workshop

You can make your own electric guitar out of a few bucks worth of junk and parts. Learn to wind your own guitar pickups and build them into a simple one- or two-string junk guitar with a surprisingly nice sound. Depending on your ambition and experience, you can make your junk guitar as simple or as sophisticated as you want, but everybody is guaranteed to go home with at least a fun twangy noisemaker.

Bring a nice sturdy wooden beam (1 by 2 or 2 by 2 is good, or a wooden broom handle) or a fairly straight stick (at least 1-inch diameter), 2-4 feet long, to use as the neck of your guitar. There will be amplifiers in class for trying out your guitar; we may have some little ones available for purchase in the class. All other supplies and tools will be provided.

No skills required except use of basic tools (drill/saw/screwdriver). Basic soldering skills are helpful but not necessary. No guitar-building or playing experience is needed! Led by Ranjit Bhatnagar, from Handmade Music Night.

NYC Resistor Hackspace
397 Bridge Street, floor 5, Brooklyn
4-6p; $60
nycresistor.eventbrite.com

***** LEARNING: Also on SATURDAY *****

Making the Most of Your Music: The Choreography of Events

In this School of Burlesque class, the group will break down a new piece of music every week into its performable components. Each student will have the opportunity to contribute ideas and moves. We're interested in both exploiting the expected, and turning those expectations upside down. We hope to explore each piece of music in both traditional and innovative ways.

Jo Weldon is the primary instructor, but any instructor from the school may be teaching it on a given day, including Gal Friday, Darlinda Just Darlinda, Peekaboo Pointe, and Julie Atlas Muz, as well as other stars of burlesque and visiting guest teachers.

School of Burlesque
440 Lafayette, Studio 4G, Manhattan
5-6p; $10
Preregistion requested: schoolofburlesque(at)gmail.com

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

Ritual, Remembrance, and Renewal with Dr. Malidoma Some

Indigenous Wisdom for Diasporic Africans and the East Coast Village invite you for an afternoon of Ritual, Remembrance and Renewal with renowned author Dr. Malidoma Patrice Some. This free event is a fundraiser to raise scholarships for the Dagara Youth Cultural Festival to be held in Burkina Faso, West Africa.

The panel discussion will feature Dr. Some, trombonist/composer Craig Harris, founder/artistic director of Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Abdel Salaam, and Mandela Institute director Dr. John Bolling. Also appearing will be poet-healer and chanter Stephanie Alston-Nero with music by Chuk Fowler and Higher Energy.

St. Martin’s Episcopal Church
Forces of Nature Dance Theatre
Imani Arts at the Little Theatre
230 Lenox Avenue, Brooklyn
3-6p; $free
212-252-2206

***** LEARNING: MONDAY *****

Sabar Dance for Haiti

All proceeds from Babacar Mbaye's African Sabar dance class Monday will be donated to Wyclef's Yele Foundation in an effort to provide vital aid to Haiti and to help rebuild the community.

Ripley-Grier Studios
520 Eighth Avenue, 16th floor, Manhattan 6-7:30p; $14 (all proceeds for this class will be donated to Wyclef'sYele Foundation ) babacarsabar(at)yahoo.com

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

Exploring Pastels

Develop your understanding of color and composition using pastel, an opaque medium that allows layering and building of color, much like oil paint. Integrate live plant material from the Steinhardt Conservatory into still-life portraits. This class is suitable for all skill levels. A supply list will be sent to you upon registration; all other materials are provided.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden
900 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn
Four Tuesdays, beginning January 19
10:30a-1:30p; $133 (fee includes $10 materials charge) bbg.org

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

Beginning Etching

This class is for any artist of any skill level who wants to expand their knowledge of intaglio processes and take their work in a new direction. Class will focus on creating intaglio prints from copper plates and cover basic etching techniques including: line etching, drypoint, softground, aquatint, plate preparation, plate making, selection of printing papers and inks. Students will also learn how to make editions of prints and how to take care of finished prints. Includes 18 hours of free studio time good for four weeks. Led by Jennifer Melby.

Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts
323 West 39th Street, Manhattan
Six Tuesdays, beginning January 19
6:30-9:30p; $360 (members), $400 (nonmembers) rbpmw(at)efanyc.org
646 416 6226

***** LEARNING: WEDNESDAY *****

Free Screenwriting Class

Instructor Jason Greiff leads this free screenwriting class, courtesy of Gotham Writers’ Workshop.

Barnes and Noble at Lincoln Center
1972 Broadway, Manhattan
7:30-8:30p; $free
writingclasses.com/communityevents/index.php

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

Spanish Class for Activists, The Brecht Forum, Manhattan. Eight sessions: beginner level begins January 25, intermediate January 26; 5-7:30p. 212 242 4201. brechtforum.org

XXXXX HELP XXXXX

It is a wonderful thing, to help. Helping strengthens communities and allows you to meet new friends. With that in mind, we look for one-day volunteer opportunities with no long-term commitment required. We want to be open to fresh ideas and think of help in a broad way. These listings could include anything from a large-scale day-long service project to a local theatre company that needs volunteers for load-in; from an artist looking for film extras to a community garden that needs a few extra hands. Our goal is simply to help groups or individuals that serve the greater good in small but significant ways. Unique and interesting job opportunities are acceptable fare for this section as well. Looking for ways to help out? Need volunteers to get your own community project off the ground? Know of any existing opportunities? Send your requests to Rob Voigt at robpastyvoigt(at)gmail.com.

***** HELP: FRIDAY *****

Pajama Party

Hamilton-Madison House is a voluntary, non-profit settlement house dedicated to improving the quality of life of its community, primarily those in the Two Bridges/Chinatown area of Manhattan's Lower East Side. The neighborhood is a federally designated poverty area, with a constantly changing mixture of ethnic groups, and lack of adequate services and resources.

The House's After School Program is holding a Pajama Party for children ages 5-12. Come help out! Volunteers will help set up for the party, run activity tables like make your own pillow and marshmallow stations, and just help the kids to have a good time.

50 Madison Street, Manhattan
5-9p
212 349 3724
bit.ly/4rEl4F

***** HELP: FRIDAY and SATURDAY *****

The Golden Festival

The Golden Festival is New York's largest Balkan music event, with multiple stages, Balkan & Middle Eastern refreshments, Balkan arts vendors, as well as beautiful Balkan textiles on display. From international stars to local musicians, modern Balkan stylists to folk traditionalists, over 40 bands provide hours of ecstatic listening, dancing and partying.

Volunteers are needed for the festival to work during the event in the evenings on Friday and Saturday. We need servers to serve, including some food prep and expediting during the festival; host staff to be gracious, patient and entertaining as they manage queues; and beverage staff to manage and stock hot and cold beverage stations

A two-hour shift during the event on Friday night or a four-hour shift on Saturday night gets you in free for the evening you work. You may work Friday, or Saturday, or both.

Good Shepherd School
620 Isham, Manhattan
gfvolunteer(at)zlatneuste.org
646 706 1741
zlatneuste.org/au25.htm

***** HELP: MONDAY *****

Covenant House

Covenant House New York is the nation's largest private agency serving homeless, runaway and at-risk youth. Whether they are running away from home, were thrown out by a family member, or are coming in from the subways or the streets, homeless kids have a place at Covenant House New York –- no questions asked. Covenant House New York serves over 400 homeless youth daily.

If you're looking for an opportunity to serve on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service you have come to the right place. On January 18 Covenant House is inviting you and your love ones to join the kids and staff of Covenant House NY in the fulfillment of pending projects. These projects include painting, serving meals, cleaning, and sorting donations.

Covenant House
460 West 41st Street, Manhattan
9a-12p or 1-5p
bit.ly/8Vq90j

***** HELP: ACCOUNTANT *****

Quickbooks for an Arts Nonprofit

Statement Arts is a New York City based nonprofit that brings creative visual and performing arts to underserved and/or low-income individuals. Statement Arts believes in the power of art to inspire social, cultural, and environmental education to further a legacy of responsible global citizenship. In 2009 we converted our finances to Quickbooks online and are looking for an accountant who is familiar with nonprofit accounting and Quickbooks to review our transactions, Chart of Accounts, Class allocations, etc. As a token of our appreciation we would be happy to add a link to the successful applicant's web site to our 'Our Friends' page. Preference will be given to applicants able to complete the review by February 15.

statementarts.org.
bit.ly/4tEKHI

***** HELP: JANUARY 25-26 *****

HOPE 2010

We wanted to make a more direct appeal for this one. Please consider getting a group of friends together and participating in this overnight count of the homeless population in New York. Yes, it’s being held by the city government, but it’s an extremely important event, and here’s why: the statistics generated from this count are used for many many things, none the least of which is generating funding for dozens of NGOs and other orgs throughout the city that work to combat homelessness. More volunteers for HOPE means more accurate statistics, and more accurate statistics means more funding and better services for the homeless. See the description below.

On the night of January 25-26, the NYC Department of Homeless Services will hold its annual Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE). Thousands of volunteers are needed to canvass parks, subways and other public spaces to survey the number of people living unsheltered in the city. Just one night of your time will help us collect vital information that is used by outreach teams to help homeless people leave the streets for a better life. One night, 3,000 volunteers, let’s make it count. Please consider joining us today.

nyc.gov/dhs

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

• January 29-30. Special Camp Fair 2010. Resources for Children with Special Needs, Inc. is an organization that helps NYC families of children with disabilities find what they need, want and wish for. We have advocates with various areas of expertise who work with parents and professionals to help them link with services for children birth to 26 with any disability. We conduct free workshops throughout the city as well as sponsor a Special Camp Fair every year. We need volunteers to help the day of the Fair. We could use individuals to help direct families, collect donations, give out Guides and materials, clean-up after the Fair. The Fair is from 11AM-3PM. We could also use individuals to help set up materials on January 29th, the day before the Fair. bit.ly/64QtBv or resourcesnyc.org
• January 30-February 7. Week-long OneBrick volunteer trip to New Orleans. St. Bernard Parish remains one of the most devastated communities in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Located to the southeast of New Orleans, St. Bernard suffered significant structural damage to 100% of its residential and commercial units, rendering them completely uninhabitable. It's been almost four years since the 2005 hurricanes, the future of St. Bernard Parish relies heavily in hands of volunteers. OneBrick has partnered with the St. Bernard project to set up week-long volunteer trips to help that community. http://bit.ly/nXYLH

XXXXX NONSENSE XXXXX

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XXXXX END XXXXX

Expanding and contracting at the same time