HOW TO REPORT VOTING PROBLEMS

From New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio:

Dear Friend,

Tuesday’s Primary Election was New York City’s first test with new electronic voting machines. By many accounts, we failed. In the past 72 hours, our office has received numerous reports about poll sites that opened far behind schedule, ballot scanners that broke down, poll workers that mishandled ballots and violations of voter privacy. The outcome: Too many voters left the polls unsure their vote had been properly cast—or even worse—were unable to cast a vote at all. If you experienced a problem at the polls on Tuesday, I need to know about it. Please use our website to file a report, or call our Hotline at (212) 669-7250. In addition, be sure to officially register your complaint with the Board of Elections at (866) VOTE-NYC or TTY at (212) 487-5496 (hearing impaired).

Fixing these problems in time for November’s General Election requires firsthand details of what went wrong on Tuesday—only you can provide them. Please take the time to contact my office, so we can learn from your experience and ensure that every vote is counted.

With your help, we can get this right.

Thank you,

Bill de Blasio
Public Advocate for the City of New York
1 Centre Street, 15th Floor
New York, NY 10007
http://www.advocate.nyc.gov

MELA THIS SUNDAY

Bangladeshi Mela

Sunday, September 19th

At the Bangladeshi mela (street fair) organized by the Sandwip Educational and Cultural Society, food, clothing, jewelry, toys, and raffle tickets will be sold. Music will be provided. The mela will be held on Beverley Road, between Church Avenue and E. 2nd Street. Its hours are guesstimated to be 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The event is free for all to enjoy.

CANCELED: BROOKLYN TOWN HALL MEETING

The Brooklyn Town Hall meeting scheduled for Tuesday, September 21st, has been canceled. It has not yet been rescheduled. Town Hall meetings are sponsored by the New York City Public Advocate. Click here to see what would have been discussed at the meeting.

WINDSOR TERRACE ALLIANCE MEETING NEXT WEEK

Windsor Terrace Alliance Meeting
Tuesday, September 21st, 6:30 p.m.

From Lauren Elvers Collins of the Windsor Terrace Alliance:

Please join us at the next Windsor Terrace Alliance meeting!

Agenda:

• Update from the 72nd Precinct
• Raccoon issue
• Windsor Terrace Tree Guard Project
• Proposal to reduce traffic speed
• Meet the owners of Brooklyn Commune, a café/market coming to Prospect and Greenwood avenues
• 2010 “Holiday in Windsor Terrace”
• New business – bring your concerns!

Pick up your free "No Menus" stoop sign.

Snacks and beverages will be provided.

Note: If your organization has any upcoming community or free events or services, feel free to bring materials to include on the information table.

The meeting will be held in the cafeteria of Bishop Ford High School cafeteria at 500 19th Street. Enter the building through the main entrance on 19th Street between 10th and 11th avenues.

It's your community. Be involved!

A CONFLUENCE OF COUNTRIES

"The crossroads of countries, a confluence of cultures, an ethnic food shopper’s paradise."

Yes, Kensington has it all! Eight of our neighborhood's ethnic food stores received high praise in "Ten Countries in Five Blocks: Church Avenue, Kensington." The featured stores sell products from Bangladesh, India, Mexico, Poland, Albania, Turkey, Ukraine, Russian, Georgia, and Israel.

SUPPORT OUR NEIGHBORHOOD'S
LOCAL INDEPENDENT BUSINESSES!

DAILY NEWS SPOTLIGHTS THE KENSINGTON WORLD'S FAIR

"With large Bangladeshi, Mexican, Russian and Orthodox Jewish populations, just to name a few, Kensington is one of the most diverse areas of the city. (Daily News, Tuesday, September 14, 2010, page 3)

We can also boast about our Albanian, Polish, Chinese, Irish, Italian, Peruvian, Nicaraguan, Ecuadorian, Argentinian, Guyanese, Jamaican, Trinidadian, Haitian, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Pakistani, and other South Asian populations. If we left anyone off this list, we apologize!

Our neighborhood is special; Kensington is the beautiful mosaic, the term so often used to describe the United States.

Next month, our neighborhood's diversity will be celebrated at the Kensington World's Fair.

"Organizers of Kensington’s upcoming World’s Fair event represent a broad spectrum of the various cultures that call the neighborhood home." (Daily News article)

The cultural festival will feature the music, dance, food, and crafts of the many countries that our neighbors, their parents, or their parents' parents once called home. Bangladeshi folk dancers, young dancers, musicians playing Jewish klezmer, Slavic, and children's music, and many more performers will delight your eyes, ears, and feet.

We're looking forward to seeing you on Sunday, October 24th (rain or shine), between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., in front of P.S. 230 on Albemarle Road, between McDonald Avenue and Dahill Road.

The Kensington World's Fair is a benefit for the P.S. 230 School Fund.

Other KARMA blog posts about the Kensington World's Fair:
KENSINGTON WORLD'S FAIR COMING IN OCTOBER
SLAVIC SOUL PARTY/KENSINGTON WORLD'S FAIR

WT'S WOMEN'S ROLLER DERBY IN NEW YORK TIMES

Greenwood Playground's Derby Fit class was mentioned in The New York Times story "Aggression on Wheels, With Bruises as Badges." Are you interested in joining Derby Fit? Get on the waiting list for the Saturday class by e-mailing greenwoodrollerderby@gmail.com.

CANCELED: 66TH PRECINCT COMMUNITY COUNCIL SEPTEMBER MEETING

Due to the unavailability of the Community Council and the upcoming holiday of Yom Kippur, the 66th Precinct community council meeting that was scheduled for this Thursday, September 16th, has been canceled. The next meeting will be on Thursday, October 21st, at 7:30 p.m.

MUSICAL STORYTIME FOR BABIES AT OAK & IRIS

Musical Storytime for Babies with Joanne Riel

Fridays, September 17th through October 8th,
11:15 a.m. to 12:00 noon

Join Joanne Riel for a musical storytime with a creative spirit. Stories come to life with music mostly improvised by the children. Autoharp, marimba, shakers, and more! Joanne’s CD, "The Flying Teapot," is also used as well as multicultural music. Joanne's vision is to create nurturing and joyful musical environments for children from the very start of life.

The cost for the four-week series is $40 per child, with a sibling discount of $5. The series must be paid for in advance. A new series begins every four weeks.

If space is available for drop-ins, the cost is $12 per class.

Recommended for ages birth through 14 months. Class size limited to 6.

Please RSVP to Joanne at joafree1@msn.com to reserve your space or to ask questions about the class.

Class location: The Oak and the Iris Café

2826 Fort Hamilton Parkway (corner of E. 4th Street)
(718) 208-7713
http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/the-oak-the-iris/menu

A personal note from Joanne:

I’m excited about teaching a music class for babies at The Oak and the Iris. The café is dedicating the couch and tables in the back for our class. In return, we need some rules in place for the class to work. Purchase something while you are there and be responsible for the behavior of your children. We also need to cooperate with clean-up after the class by putting chairs and tables back in place and leaving our space in good shape. The café is a family-friendly place, so let‘s be respectful of their needs as well.

PUBLIC HEARING ON COMMUNITY BOARD 12'S BUDGET

Community Board 12 Meeting
Public Hearing on the Budget
Tuesday, September 14th, 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
General Meeting
7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

What do you want Community Board 12 to spend its budget on in 2011? What projects, programs, and services do we need in our neighborhood? Tell CB12 what your priorities are.

On CB12's website, you can see what they asked the Mayor and the City Council to fund in 2006 (the most recent budget year posted on the website) for Capital Budget Requests & Priorities for 2006 and Expense Budget Requests & Priorities.

After the public hearing, the Community Board will hold its general meeting (7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.). If you want to speak about any issue, arrive early to put your name on the sign-up sheet.

September 14th is the second Tuesday of the month. Normally, the general meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of the month, from September through June. The general meetings are open to the public.

AMICO Senior Center
5901 Thirteenth Avenue, at the corner of 59th Street (enter on 59th Street and take the elevator to the 3rd floor)

ANA FALL MEETING DATES

The dates for the fall 2010 community meetings of the Albemarle Neighborhood Association(ANA) are

• Thursday, September 16th (click here for details),
• Thursday, October 21st, and
• Thursday, November 18th.

The meetings will begin at 7:00 p.m. and end at 8:00 p.m. Foodtown and ANA will provide refreshments. The meetings are free and are open to members and non-members.

Normally, ANA meets on the fourth Thursday of the month, from September through June, but these three meetings will be held on the third Thursday of the month.

Location: Flatbush & Shaare Torah Jewish Center, 327 East 5th Street, corner of Church Avenue. Enter through the wheelchair-accessible entrance at street level.

SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS, MEET THE LENDERS

Meet the Lenders
Tuesday, September 28th, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

At the Brooklyn Meet the Lenders conference, existing and start-up businesses will learn about the Small Business Association's (SBA) loan programs and lenders in Brooklyn who have been approved by the SBA.

Participants in the panel discussion will include

• Brooklyn's SBA representatives,
• Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE),
• Brooklyn Small Business Development Center at City Tech,
• Women's Business Center at the Local Development Corporation of East New York, and
• Women's Business Center at the Business Outreach Center.

The panel will share information about SBA's loan programs and give an overview of the business services they offer for Brooklyn's entrepreneurs.

Pre-registration is required to meet with representatives of these types of Brooklyn lenders in order to explore funding or loan programs: commercial banks, community development corporations, New York Business Development Corporation, micro lenders, and community federal credit unions. To register, click here.

Conference location: Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street.

Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance.

The contact for the conference is Brooklyn SBDC at NYC College of Technology. E-mail address: SBDC@citytech.cuny.edu
Phone: (718) 797-0187

POSING FOR THE KENSINGTON WORLD'S FAIR

Some of the members of
the Kensington World's Fair Committee

Left to right: Joy Rich, Jasmina Nikolov, Veronica Guzman, Annie Ferdous, and Maggie Tobin. Kneeling: Bridget Elder.

Tonight, the committee hung banners advertising the Fair outside of P.S. 230. Proceeds from the fair will be donated to the P.S. 230 School Fund. October 24th is getting closer and closer!

Previous posts about the Fair:
Kensington World's Fair Coming in October
Slavic Soul Party/Kensington World's Fair

NEW CLASSES AT NAMASTE YOGA

Visit Namaste Yoga's website for their new fall schedule.

Fall Special Monthly Unlimited Card $100. Expires September 30th. Hurry!

New classes:

• Saturday, September 11th: Cardio Kickboxing with Kaseedee, 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. $15 for a single class, or buy a class card and save, save, save!
• Monday, September 13th: Zumba Dance Party with Joelle. 6:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. $15 for a single class, or buy a class card and save, save, save!

Namaste Yoga of Kensington
482 Coney Island Avenue, 2nd Floor (enter on Church Avenue through the red door at the top of the red stairs)

http://www.mynamasteyoga.com
(347) 533-6226 or (347) 533-6227

KENSINGTON LIBRARY HOURS

Community Board 14 reports that the Kensington branch of the Brooklyn Public Library will be open in the fall during these hours:

• Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Kensington Library
410 Ditmas Avenue
(718) 435-9431

CANNED FOOD NEEDED BY PAKISTAN'S FLOOD VICTIMS

The people of Pakistan are suffering as a result of July's disastrous flooding. COPO, the not-for-profit Council of Peoples Organization, is collecting canned food to donate to them. If you prefer, you can make a financial donation. COPO is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

COPO is located at 1081 Coney Island Avenue, between Glenwood Road and Avenue H.
Phone: (718) 434-3266
Fax: (718) 859-2266
http://www.copousa.org
copousa@copousa.org

SANITATION DEPARTMENT REPRESENTATIVE WILL SPEAK AT ANA MEETING

Albemarle Neighborhood Association Meeting
Thursday, September 16th, 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Bruno Iciano, a representative from the Department of Sanitation, will speak at the next meeting of the Albemarle Neighborhood Association. Some of the questions that residents might want to ask Mr. Iciano are

• HOW OFTEN are the corner litter baskets emptied?
• WHY are the baskets full again--and sometimes overflowing--the day after they're emptied?
• WHY doesn't Kensington have more of the litter baskets with the narrow openings that are designed to prevent people from putting their household or commercial garbage in them?
• WHY aren't there enough litter baskets near schools and bus stops?
• WHY has there been more litter than usual on the sidewalks?

Your presence at the meeting is important. The meeting is open to everyone. You don't need to be a member of the Albemarle Neighborhood Association to attend.

The meeting will be held at Flatbush & Shaare Torah Jewish Center, 327 East 5th Street, on the corner of Church Avenue. Enter through the wheelchair-accessible entrance at street level.

Foodtown and the Albemarle Neighborhood Association will provide refreshments. The meeting is free of charge.

JAYA YOGA EAST WILL OPEN SOON

Open Studio at Jaya Yoga East
Friday, October 1st, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Jaya Yoga East will be opening on Friday, October 1st, at 2902 Fort Hamilton Parkway, at the corner of E. 4th Street. The other Jaya Yoga is located in Park Slope on 8th Avenue near Windsor Place.

On Saturday, October 2nd, and Sunday, October 3rd, they'll offer free classes for adults. A children's class will be offered at 12:00 noon on Saturday.

The schedule for classes will be Monday through Friday at 9:00 a.m., 5:30 p.m., and 7:00 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday at 7:00 a.m., and Saturday and Sunday at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 5:30 p.m.

Jaya Yoga East will have a beginners series, deep rest, kids classes, Kirtan, meditation, and special workshops.

The inaugural workshop, "Healing the Healers," will be held on Saturday, October 16th.

The owner has helped beautify the neighborhood by placing several wooden planters filled with beautiful plants on the E. 4th Street side of the store.

"FROM A JUNKYARD INTO AN OASIS"

The East 4th Street Community Garden "was established in 1979 when it was transformed from a junkyard into an oasis," says Brooklyn Today's article "Is Brooklyn the new garden state?" The garden is a place not only for gardeners but also for community gatherings, the Kensington/Windsor Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), live jazz and other music events, poetry readings, book readings by authors, workshops for children, and other community-oriented happenings.

The Community Garden is at 171 E. 4th Street, between Caton Avenue and Fort Hamilton Parkway. Take a look at the garden's calendar to see what's coming up. Click on "Click Here to View Calendar."

PARKING ON CHURCH AVENUE

Church Avenue--from Old Utrecht Avenue to Coney Island Avenue--is being milled and paved (the work started last night). A few blocks at a time are being worked on, and no parking is allowed between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. on those blocks. The work will be completed on Friday, September 3rd.

CITY MAY BE REQUIRED TO TRAP RACCOONS

A bill requiring the Department of Health to trap raccoons seen anywhere in New York City was introduced by the City Council last Wednesday. It was then referred to the council's Committee on Health. The bill, Int. 0319-2010, is titled "A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York in relation to the removal of raccoons."

According to the Daily News, "the city Health Department would be encouraged to humanely release the critters. Under current guidelines, most trapped raccoons are euthanized because they can carry rabies." 

The raccoon situation has been discussed by residents at Albemarle Neighborhood Association meetings. Our City Councilmember, Brad Lander, is one of the six co-sponsors of the bill. The main sponsor is Councilmember Elizabeth Crowley of Queens.

SLAVIC SOUL PARTY/KENSINGTON WORLD'S FAIR

The internationally-popular Slavic Soul Party (turn your speakers up!) will be performing at the Kensington World's Fair! The dance band combines "fiery Balkan brass, throbbing funk grooves, Gypsy accordion wizardry, and virtuoso jazz chops," to the delight of its audiences in the U.S., Serbia, Turkey, and Macedonia.

Kensington World's Fair
Sunday, October 24th, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Albemarle Road, between McDonald Avenue and Dahill Road, in front of P.S. 230 

FREE!

NEIGHBORS AND POST OFFICE MEET TO RESOLVE PROBLEMS

Several months ago, a neighbor (Catherine) asked people to send her their concerns regarding mail delivery in zip code 11218. She collected twenty-five separate complaints. Over a period of several weeks, she patiently worked her way through the postal system in an attempt to find an advocate to help us. Her patience was rewarded: representatives from USPS Consumer Affairs called a meeting at the Kensington post office to further discuss these complaints with the manager.

Attending last Wednesday's meeting, in addition to Catherine, were

• Alan Dubrow, Chairman of Community Board 12, and Heather McCormick, a member of the Albemarle Neighborhood Association, both of whom represent our neighborhood on the USPS Community Advisory Council of the Brooklyn Postmaster,
• Andrea Burrows and Archie Warner, who work in the Consumer Affairs Office of the Brooklyn Postmaster, and
• Kensington Station Manager Mike Scalise.

Everyone present agreed that the delivery and service problems in our area are real and significant. The Post Office officials seemed sincere in their commitment to make improvements.

The best course for postal customers to take is to report problems as they happen, since unknown issues can't be addressed. If you experience problems (for example, no delivery on a particular day, lost packages, etc.), here are two suggestions:

1. Call the Kensington Post Office and speak to Mike Scalise. He gave Catherine these three numbers to use:

• (718) 436-0164
• (718) 436-1082
• (718) 686-7293

2. Send an e-mail to Heather McCormick. She has set up a separate account to gather information regarding post office problems in 11218. Heather compiles the data and forwards it to the Brooklyn Postmaster's office on a regular basis. She requests that when you write you are as detailed as possible, describing the issue, the date/time, and your delivery address. The email address is: kensingtonpohelp at] aol.com.

KENSINGTON WORLD'S FAIR COMING IN OCTOBER

THE FIRST ANNUAL KENSINGTON WORLD'S FAIR
IS COMING TO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD!

Sunday, October 24th, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

You'll be treated to live music, dance performances, and fun and activities for the whole family. Kensington residents will be selling food from around the world and handmade crafts representing their cultures.

The Kensington World's Fair will be held on Albemarle Road, between McDonald Avenue and Dahill Road, in front of P.S. 230. Attendance is free.

Musicians and dancers whose performances are culturally based and who would like to perform are invited to call (646) 450-3515. Or send an e-mail to kworldsfair@gmail.com. Neighborhood artisans who would like to sell their handmade crafts are also invited to call.

The fair is a benefit for the P.S. 230 School Fund.

CONTACT FOR KENSINGTON P.O. PROBLEMS

Our neighbor, Heather McCormick, is the Albemarle Neighborhood Association's representative on the Brooklyn postal service's Community Advisory Council (BPCAC), a group of community volunteers who meet regularly with Brooklyn Post Office officials (including the Customer Affairs department) to resolve consumer issues throughout the borough. Heather would like to make it easier for Kensington residents to get in touch with her about their concerns and problems with the Kensington Post Office (11218) and neighborhood mail delivery.

She has set up a new e-mail address--kensingtonpohelp [at] aol.com--dedicated solely to Post Office issues, which she will check regularly. She emphasizes that the more specific you can be about your service problems--dates, times, and places where the problems have occurred--the better able she will be to get help for you.