En route to really wonderful concert on Sunday by the Musica Bella Orchestra of New York (about which more later) we passed by the Ryan Chelsea-Clinton Neighborhood Health Clinic on 10th Avenue where a press event was in full swing. There, Hillary Clinton, joined by Congress Member Jerry Nadler and NYC Council Speaker Chris Quinn, announced her support for a children’s health insurance bill. Reporters were standing on top of camera people who were trampling electricians. Two reports are here (newsday) and here (NYT) .

It took me a while to get the joke – Chelsea Clinton – I’m often slow that way. The bill, for which Senator Clinton announced her support may be familiar to you. It’s the same bill – The Healthy Child Act of 2007 --about which – surprise, surprise, Marian Wright Edelman made her impassioned speech at the Marin Luther King Jr. Memorial at Riverside Church. The long standing connections between Senator Clinton and the Childrens’ Defense Fund director continue.

Develop, Don't Destroy Brooklyn, the organization that opposes Ratner's corrupt over-development plan for Brooklyn in favor of community-based development, is expanding their Walkathon fundraising effort into a week of events.

Last year Joy and I participated in the Walkathon and had a great time. Once again we are participating. Please join or sponsor our team. Proceeds go to the DDDB legal fund which has been about the only thing keeping Ratner at bay and has been the only reason he has compromised even the tiny bit he has so far.

Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn is pleased to announce WALKATHON WEEK -- six days of events celebrating our community, culminating with the walkathon on Saturday, Oct 21. Following is the schedule, still in formation, with more events to be announced.

Monday Night Oct. 16th is Comedy Night: where better for laughter to win the day than at Freddy's Backroom, standing in the way of Ratner's skyscrapers. Hosted by comedic genius Pat O'Shea. (Tentative)

Monday Night Oct. 16th is also Music Night: Soda Bar hosts our tentatively scheduled acoustic bands program, featuring local stars playing bluegrass, folk and blues.

[via YouTube - Liza Minnelli Sings New York, New York on July 4th in NYC]

If I could only see her perform once, I'll die a happy woman.

And ... yes. I was named after her.

It's entirely appropriate to view the contemporary extreme right wing of the other party as a dark, evil threat to civilization, dangerous to the American Way, and basically inimical to everything that is good and right in this world.

But let's not forget that they can also be funny as hell. I usually point to Ann Coulter as Exhibit "A" when I make this statement - but not anymore. They have outdone themselves. Here's the backstory: there's a RW group known as rightmarch.com that apparently believes that the key to winning the current battle for hearts and minds in America is - drumroll, please - really crappy country/rock music. Hence, they have crafted a song, to be sung by the Right Brothers, titled "Bush was right".

No, I'm not making this up. View Keith Olberman's take on it, courtesy of Crooks and Liars, here.

For those who have never heard Japanese Taiko drums--they are increadible. And, of course, those who HAVE heard them know how wonderful they are. Here is an opportunity to hear Japanese Taiko in Manhattan.

The Taiko group Taikoza are planning a Taiko matsuri (festival) in Inwood( northern tip of Manhattan) on August 20th in Isham park off Broadway and South of 215th
Street.

www.taikoza.com

Guitar Lessons, Terre Roche and September 11th, 2001.

Every Wednesday evening, I join a group of people in a classroom at the Guitar Study Center on W. 13th Street. I didn’t think I would be able to afford classes, at this place affiliated with the expensive New School, but the lessons are reasonably priced and there are certain deals if you take two classes – for example, an instrument and a theory class. I have always wanted to study the guitar and the opportunity is exciting for me. But there is more than that.

My guitar teacher is a woman named Terre Roche. When Terre walked into the room on the first day of class, I felt like I knew her, but I couldn’t figure out why. Of course I did know her – I knew some of her most intimate thoughts and musical changes as one of the Roche sisters “once you get on you will never get off of the commuter train...