BLUESTOCKING

LOVE YOUR MOTHER!

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 09:46:47 -0400

LOVE YOUR MOTHER!

MONKEYWRENCHER/ECO-WARRIOR Tim DeChristopher, the college...

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 08:23:00 -0400

MONKEYWRENCHER/ECO-WARRIOR Tim DeChristopher, the college student who sabotaged an outgoing Bush administration Bureau of Land Management oil and gas management auction which was eventually found to be illegal, will be released from a halfway house today after spending 2 years incarcerated. His bold and defiant act? Bidding $1.8 million to save more than 22,000 acres of Utah’s red rock wilderness from the destructive hands of the oil and gas companies who are raping the planet.

Tomorrow, for Earth Day, a documentary about his remarkable story will be screened nationwide, followed by a live-streaming hour-long Q&A with Tim.

“Those who are inspired to follow my actions are those who understand that we are on a path towards catastrophic consequences of climate change. They know their future, and the future of their loved ones, is on the line. And they know we are running out of time to turn things around. The closer we get to that point where it’s too late, the less people have to lose by fighting back. The power of the Justice Department is based on its ability to take things away from people. The more that people feel that they have nothing to lose, the more that power begins to shrivel. The people who are committed to fighting for a livable future will not be discouraged or intimidated by anything that happens here today.”

“And neither will I. I will continue to confront the system that threatens our future. Given the destruction of our democratic institutions that once gave citizens access to power, my future will likely involve civil disobedience. Nothing that happens here today will change that. I don’t mean that in any sort of disrespectful way at all, but you don’t have that authority. You have authority over my life, but not my principles. Those are mine alone.”

“You can steer my commitment to a healthy and just world if you agree with it, but you can’t kill it. This is not going away. At this point of unimaginable threats on the horizon, this is what hope looks like. In these times of a morally bankrupt government that has sold out its principles, this is what patriotism looks like. With countless lives on the line, this is what love looks like, and it will only grow.”

403 Presents - The Beauty in Decay

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 18:36:25 -0400

“Great architecture has only two natural enemies: water and stupid men.”

- Richard Nickel

It all started with a random bike ride through Brooklyn with a friend. We eventually found ourselves at Admiral’s Row, a stretch of mansions on the edge of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Built between 1864 and 1901 to house high-ranking Naval officers, the buildings were in various states of decay, though it was clear they were once grand. Curious to know and see more, I returned home and started researching. What I came to discover is that there is a small cadre of people who like to document notable abandoned and decaying buildings - oftentimes at great personal risk. Part urban archaeology, part guerrilla architectural preservation, the work of this month’s presenter had me utterly fascinated. His stunning photography, in conjunction with his in-depth knowledge of the history and context of the subjects, was unparalleled among the websites I discovered. I spent hours that evening reading his blog, The Kingston Lounge, in its entirety.

Ian Ference’s photography of urban decay is both transporting and beautiful. The histories that he writes are meticulously researched. They are a peek at a bygone era, a slice of history. From his haunting images of Admiral’s Row, North Brother Island, or Hart Island, to the images of abandoned hotels and theatres along the Eastern seaboard, the stories behind the buildings touch on issues of architectural heritage, societal mores and attitudes of the time, demolition-by-neglect, development, zoning, and landmarking. And then there are photos of hospital beds, still with sheets, in the middle of deteriorating rooms, which conjure up thoughts on a more human scale. That he shoots primarily film using available light, makes his photography that much more compelling.

Please join me for an intimate evening with Ian as he presents his images and discusses his photographic adventures, his research and his preservation efforts. It is sure to be of equal fascination to fans of photography, architecture and history alike.

IAN FERENCE is a self-taught photographer who shoots in a wide variety of styles, with specialty in architectural interiors and utilizing available light. His work has been featured at the Brooklyn Museum, and he has served as a consultant on numerous preservation projects. Though he started his photodocumentation project of abandoned buildings in 2003, he has been fascinated by them since the early 1990s, in particular, sanatoria and insane asylums. He is based in Brooklyn.

Catering for this event will be provided by my dear friends VANCE BROOKING and MEY BUN. Frequent co-collaborators in cooking, they share a keen appreciation for all things comestible and finely tuned palates. Both are young, self-taught, and intuitive and experimental in the kitchen. Raised in New Zealand, Vance can catch, grow and cook just about anything. Mey grew up in Brooklyn on her mother’s cooking and Saturday Cooking Channel marathons with Jacques, Julia and Lydia. They post more pictures of their home-cooked food than anyone else I know.

MONDAY, JUNE 27 from 7 - 11PM

PRIVATE BUILDING DOWNTOWN NYC (address provided upon rsvp)

ENTRY INCLUDES LIGHT DINNER AND WINE (vegan options available)

$60 VIA PAYPAL

Please respond to 403rsvp – at – gmail – dot – com. An invoice and the address well be emailed. PLEASE NOTE: pre-paid guests are eligible for a refund if cancellation is made via email 72 hours prior to event time. If the cancellation occurs after that time, you may transfer your entry to a friend, but the fee is non-refundable. For the best 403 experience, we ask that guests please commit to the evening and be prompt.

World surfing champion Shaun Tomson was in NYC this week for the...

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 20:59:00 -0400

World surfing champion Shaun Tomson was in NYC this week for the launch of his updated book Surfer’s Code, and I had the good fortune to meet him twice, first at the Waves for Development fundraiser on Monday, and then again for the book event at Saturdays NYC.

When I first saw him on Monday, I knew exactly who he was. (When I was a little girl, I actually collaged my closet doors with surfing pics of all the greats of the day.) He introduced himself, and we proceeded to chat. We were standing there talking with a friend of mine who did not know who he was, and I was so incredulous that I eventually blurted out, “Dude, you don’t know who this is??” The next day, I emailed my friend the link for Bustin’ Down the Door - the film about the South Africans and Aussies who took the surfing world and the North Shore by storm during the winters of 1975 and 1976. With their new maneuvers and techniques, desire to elevate the perception of surfers in the worlds’ eye, and their winning form, Shaun, along with Mark Richards, Ian Cairns, Pete Townend, and Rabbit Bartholomew, became the first world champions of the sport and were tremendously influential in establishing the professional surfing circuit. As I told my friend, Shaun is legendary.

A few years back, I had the great fortune of being taken to Tavarua, Fiji, (a much-coveted, but private surfing resort) by the man I was dating, himself a notable shaper. It was where I would finally get on a surfboard for the first time after growing up immersed in the culture, and watching, but never trying. A mutual friend of ours, a long-time surfer who surfed with Shaun many, many years ago, had gifted me with the first version of the book before the trip. I was finally, and rather unexpectedly, presented with the chance to get the book signed.

Of course I was thrilled that he remembered me from earlier in the week. Who wouldn’t be? He gave a talk out on the back patio, where he told stories which were, at turns, moving, poignant, and funny. Memories of past rivalries, of the infamous duel and epic wave with MR at Off the Wall, and what it represented, touching stories of his father, and of his son Matthew. And stories of how the lessons in the book relate to, and can serve us well in life.

Shaun is a wonderful ambassador for the sport, and comes across incredibly warm-hearted. He has a lovely soul, which is evident in his outlook and approach to life, to hardship, and to his responsibilities as a man, father, husband, fellow surfer, and former world champion.

It was a great honor to meet him.

403 Presents - Milk Wars and Freedom Fighters

Wed, 04 May 2011 10:48:32 -0400

This 403 is about the right to sell raw milk to consumers who want it. Nutritionally dense, and a tastier option to pasteurized milk, the people who want it, and the people who sell it to them will not be denied, despite harassment and raids by the FDA and other governmental agencies. In the end, this battle is really part of a larger war over food freedom, the ability to make our own food choices as we see fit, and why we need the permission of a governmental agency to eat real food.

Please join Lelaine Lau and film-makers DECLAN O’DRISCOLL, RICHARD PARADISO, for an exclusive NYC screening and discussion of their film ‘Milk War’, about a Canadian dairy farmer’s battle with government authorities to legally sell raw milk. The film, a 2011 James Beard Foundation award nominee, tells the story of Canadian organic dairy farmer and food freedom fighter MICHAEL SCHMIDT, whose farm was raided in 2006. The film is not only about his personal battle, but the battle over the fundamental right to choose what we eat.

MONDAY, MAY 9 from 7 - 11PM

PRIVATE RESIDENCE DOWNTOWN NYC (address provided upon rsvp)

ENTRY INCLUDES LIGHT DINNER AND WINE (vegan options available)

(Catering will be provided by Top Chef alum Camille Becerra.)

$50 IN ADVANCE VIA PAYPAL

Please respond to 403rsvp – at – gmail – dot – com. An invoice and the address well be emailed. Please note that the fee is transferable, but non-refundable should your plans change. We ask that guests be prompt and be able to commit to the evening.

403 is a cultural salon and community celebrating the exchange of ideas, discussion and action through presentations on the arts, culture and humanitarian concerns.

I'm feeling humbled, honored and delighted to have been chosen by Thierry Mugler's Womanity Project as their current Woman of the Month for my work around my cultural salon, 403. As they describe it, their selections are "an inspired woman who can serve as an inspiration to the Womanity community." It's recognition like this that brings me the most fulfillment in life, and tells me I am on the right path. Click to see the profile/interview.

Mon, 02 May 2011 21:26:08 -0400

I'm feeling humbled, honored and delighted to have been chosen by Thierry Mugler's Womanity Project as their current Woman of the Month for my work around my cultural salon, 403. As they describe it, their selections are "an inspired woman who can serve as an inspiration to the Womanity community." It's recognition like this that brings me the most fulfillment in life, and tells me I am on the right path. Click to see the profile/interview.

Squeeze the love! Video of Julien Isore’s latest LOVE...

Mon, 02 May 2011 20:20:45 -0400

Squeeze the love! Video of Julien Isore’s latest LOVE project in NYC. On Easter Sunday, a small troupe of fans and friends committed a little bit of mischief in the name of love. When we were finished putting up the image, we spontaneously started asking people walking by to “Squeeze the love.” Julien’s LOVE project is a global, interactive, advertising campaign for love! We love!

We love this video Derek Yamada did for the NYC Hearts Japan...

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 17:50:10 -0400

We love this video Derek Yamada did for the NYC Hearts Japan fundraiser!

NYC HEARTS JAPAN Please join Benjamin Dewar, myself, and the...

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 21:25:00 -0400

NYC HEARTS JAPAN Please join Benjamin Dewar, myself, and the Host Committee for a fundraiser to show our love for Japan! Tuesday, March 29, 7-10pm at LAVO. $20 minimum donation at the door. All door proceeds and 10% of the bar/food sales will go to Doctors Without Borders to support their work in Japan. All donations are tax-deductible. (Please note that DWB does not typically accept donations earmarked for specific arenas of operation. They rely on unrestricted donations in order to deploy rapidly to areas of need. Our donation will be unrestricted.)

"If you tickle the earth with a hoe, she laughs with a harvest."

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 12:27:04 -0500

“If you tickle the earth with a hoe, she laughs with a harvest.”

- Douglas William Jerrold

Save the Date! 403 Presents - The Greenhorns

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 12:22:16 -0500

Dear Friends:

Farming and agriculture are one of the backbones of this country, and indeed, Thomas Jefferson viewed independent farmers as the backbone of our democracy. Over the last century, with the mass exodus from rural areas to cities, farming as a way of life has been in decline. Currently, less than 2% of America’s population are farmers, and their average age is 57.

Recent years have seen an overwhelming interest in where our food comes from and how it is produced. As consumers have become more aware of the issues, they have become much more savvy, and with the corner supermarket no longer good enough, consumers are looking at alternative and local sources, from farmers’ markets, CSAs (community supported agriculture), urban agriculture and community gardens. Not surprisingly, there is a new generation of young people who are part of this movement to serve their country good food, who are seeking out farming as a way of life once again, who care about the earth, and who are producing artisanal products. These, my friends, are The Greenhorns.

Please join Severine von Tscharner Fleming and me for a sneak preview of her upcoming documentary on the young farmers bucking the system and tide in creating a new movement to reclaim, restore, retrofit and respect this great country of ours. Severine explores their lives, motivations, spirit, practices, and needs, and is using the film to build the case for those considering a career in agriculture, as well as the case for policy changes to ease their way. It’s a very hopeful and inspiring look at a movement for a better future and a better America.

Severine von Tscharner Fleming is a farmer, activist and organizer based in NY’s Hudson Valley. Her film has grown into a grassroots nonprofit organization that recruits, promotes and supports the growing tribe of new agrarians, providing tools and resources for beginning farmers. Severine attended Pomona College and University of California at Berkeley where she graduated with a B.S. in Conservation/AgroEcology. She co- founded the Pomona Organic Farm and founded UC Berkeley’s Society for Agriculture and Food Ecology. She is a proud co-founder and board member of the National Young Farmers Coalition

Catering for this event will be provided by a talented, self-taught, young cook, my dear friend Vance Brooking. Raised in New Zealand, he can catch, grow and cook just about anything. (Those Kiwis are a scrappy and resourceful lot.) He has a keen appreciation for all things comestible, and a palate like no one else. This is his first time cooking for 403, and he is excited to be a part of a presentation related to farming.

MONDAY, MARCH 7 from 7 - 11PM

We ask that guests commit to the evening and be prompt.

ENTRY INCLUDES LIGHT DINNER AND WINE (vegan options available)

$50 VIA PAYPAL, $60 AT THE DOOR

Please respond to 403rsvp – at – gmail – dot – com. An invoice and the address well be emailed. Please note that the fee is transferable, but non-refundable should your plans change.

403 is a cultural salon and community celebrating the exchange of ideas, discussion and action through presentations on the arts, culture and humanitarian concerns.

Photo

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 10:11:07 -0500

403 Presents - Love Is...

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 15:42:26 -0500

Love Is… is a celebration of love of all kinds as told through the stories of my presenters. Love Is… is meant to be an expression of the various ways that love manifests. Love Is… is a storytelling event and an interactive art project.

Please join me at the next 403, where presenters including chanteuse, French punk, and cult icon Edwige Belmore, singer/songwriter David Raleigh, writer and cartoonist Anthony Haden-Guest, Super Sprowtz founder Radha Agrawal, purveyor of love Katia Tallarico, and other members of the 403 community will share what love is to them.

French painter, poet and conceptual artist Julien Isore will also present his LOVE project – an experimental and interactive international art work and “advertising campaign” for LOVE. The aim of the campaign is to combine materiality and immateriality and transform humanity into a work of art. Julien’s work explores theoretical questions about metaphorical thought and the process of imagining, and his campaign has captured the hearts of people all over the world from Lisbon, Paris, Shanghai, Brussels, Los Angeles, Geneva, Bogota, Stockholm and Bombay. This is his first LOVE campaign in New York City.

Love Is… will feature the cuisine of Camille Becerra, a NYC-based chef and restaurateur known for incorporating the Latin spices of her heritage and her dedication to the farm-to-table movement. A top graduate of the Academy of Culinary Arts, she went on to open the popular Paloma in Greenpoint, which lasted 3 years before being shuttered by fire, and she competed in Season 3 of Top Chef. Most recently she held a series of wildly successful pop-up restaurants called The Hunger, which drew raves from the likes of Tom Colicchio and Todd English.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7 from 7 - 11PM.

LIGHT DINNER AND WINE

(vegan options available)

Private residence near 13th Street and Hudson in NYC.

$55 VIA PAYPAL, $60 AT THE DOOR

Mandatory RSVP to 403rsvp - at - gmail - dot - com is required for the guest list as the event is held in a private residence. We ask that guests commit to the evening and be prompt. Please note if you wish to pay via paypal, and a request for payment will be forwarded. Fees are transferable, but non-refundable should your plans change. Cash only at the door.

I hope you can join us!

"My promised land is filled with people who are of all colors, of all classes, who are in complete..."

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 19:12:00 -0500

““My promised land is filled with people who are of all colors, of all classes, who are in complete understanding that they have something important to contribute to the world. If everybody felt that way, this would be a world filled with giving and love and strength and power, because we knew that we had it in abundance to give.””

- Majora Carter

"One word of truth shall outweigh the whole world"

Sun, 19 Dec 2010 15:17:00 -0500

““One word of truth shall outweigh the whole world””

- Solzhenitsyn

WikiRebels. This is an absolute must see. A compelling,...

Sun, 19 Dec 2010 15:09:46 -0500

WikiRebels. This is an absolute must see. A compelling, balanced and insightful documentary on the shaping of, and history of Wikileaks.

Save the Date: 403 PRESENTS - THE FEIRING LINE January 10

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 23:33:00 -0500

My parents were the very first food and wine enthusiasts I ever knew. They both possessed finely tuned palates, following their favorite chef from place to place, (Michael Chiang at Twin Dragon and Mandarin Gourmet), and making regular pilgrimages for the superlative dining experience that was Richard Wing’s internationally renowned, 5-star Imperial Dynasty in Hanford, CA. I recall as a young girl, that their outings were often-times wine tastings and/or dinners with groups like Les Amis du Vin or the French gastronomic society, La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs (while my brother and I were left home with the babysitter and a TV dinner. Ah, the irony.)

My father was an avid wine drinker and collector – he had a wine locker and soaked the labels off each and every bottle, carefully indexing and cataloguing them so he could savor them into perpetuity. In those days, wine was mostly a French affair, with California wineries just starting to ruffle feathers, and I recall names such as Stony Hill, Stag’s Leap, Caymus, BV, and the Châteaux - Margaux, Latour, Lafite, Mouton-Rothschild, d’Yquem. Through my father’s unwavering passion, I was afforded the opportunity to sample many of what were considered great wines, though I never took to it as he did.

It was Alice Feiring who opened up a fascinating universe for me that I never considered when it came to wine, tequila drinker that I am. A James Beard Foundation Award-winning wine writer and journalist with a deep passion for, and knowledge of her subject, she is feisty, outspoken, and a champion of natural wines – those made with nothing added and nothing taken away, (thus allowing for a true showing of the grape’s nature and vintage). Her book, The Battle for Wine and Love or How I Saved the World From Parkerization takes on Robert Parker’s hegemony, positing that palates are highly individual. It has kicked up such a stir in the wine establishment that she has created a polarizing effect, being called both the Michael Pollan of wine as well as its “pot stirrer.” Who knew wine could be so controversial? Nevertheless, it is her fearless take on wine which has won her many fans among independent thinkers and drinkers who have been disenfranchised by Parker, the world’s most powerful palate.

Please join Alice and I at the next 403, where we’ll swirl and swallow some delicious wines as we dig into the fallacy of absolute palates, oeno-powers, and how natural wines are shaking the wine establishment to its core.

With this 403, I am thrilled to announce a new direction for the food. The upcoming 403 will feature the global soul food of the talented Josie Smith-Malave. A child of Italian, Filipino and Puerto Rican cultures, Chef Josie’s cuisine blends these flavors with the love she brings to her craft, and is evident in her skill at creating inventive and transportive dishes. A graduate of the Culinary Arts program of the Art Institute of New York, a former Sous Chef at Brooklyn’s Marlow and Sons, and former Executive Chef at the Norwood Club and NY Yankee Steak, Josie’s bold and high-spirited personality won her legions of fans on Season Two of Top Chef. Most recently she can be found cooking and entertaining her guests at her latest venture, The Speakeasy in Brooklyn where she is a partner. She is one of my favorite people and I await her culinary delights!

MONDAY, JANUARY 10 from 7 - 11PM.

LIGHT DINNER AND WINE (vegan options available)

$55 VIA PAYPAL, $60 AT THE DOOR

Please RSVP to 403rsvp-at-gmail-dot-com. The address will be provided at that time. We ask that guests commit to the evening and be prompt. Please note if you wish to pay via paypal, and a request for payment will be forwarded. Fees are transferable, but non-refundable should your plans change. Cash only at the door.

403 is a cultural salon which seeks to encourage discussion and the exchange of ideas through presentations on the arts, culture and humanitarian concerns.

Many thanks to our wine sponsors for the evening: JENNY AND FRANCOIS SELECTIONS AND JOSE PASTOR SELECTIONS.

'Fire Under the Snow' DVD Now on Sale!

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 16:28:00 -0500

'Fire Under the Snow' DVD Now on Sale!:

‘Fire Under the Snow’, Masako Tsumura and Maura Moynihan’s documentary on 403 salon presenter Palden Gyatso is now on sale. It is the story of Palden’s 33 years of torture and imprisonment by the Chinese Communist government, and his faith,resilience and willpower which helped him survive with his spirit, mind and soul intact and ablaze. It was an honor to host him at 403. If you missed it, I hope you’ll consider checking out the DVD.

Please join me for a presentation and discussion with Lower...

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 16:13:35 -0500

Please join me for a presentation and discussion with Lower East Side pioneer and photographer Marlis Momber as she takes us on her journey and a look back at the characters and culture of the Loisaida, and the cultural, physical, social and historical shifts which have taken place there over the last 35 years. It is a story of urban development, gentrification, affordable housing, homesteading, cultural identity, the arts, and the vibrant Puerto Rican community that once thrived there, and the invigorating, dynamic nexus of politics, music, art, and indomitable spirit of a community. Marlis Momber is a pioneer and long-time resident of the Loisaida since 1975. Formerly a successful fashion photographer, working for Elizabeth Arden, Gucci and Harpers shooting the likes of Grace Jones and Jessica Lange, her main body of work documents the struggle of the mostly Puerto Rican people in the Loisaida, and has been used to illustrate national and international publications on political and cultural topics. She is a living archive of information across 35 years.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15 FROM 7-11PM $40 ENTRY INCLUDES LIGHT DINNER AND COCKTAILS RSVP to 403rsvp - at - gmail - dot - com. The address will be provided at that time. Please note we only take cash at the door.

TURNING THE TIDE AGAINST FOOD INC.

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:17:57 -0400

Amidst the current groundswell of concern over our food comes the film, ‘Food, Inc.’. Opening tomorrow at the Film Forum, it can be seen as a companion to Michael Pollan’s ‘The Omnivore’s Dilemma’, which was used as reference material for the film, (and indeed, he is featured in it and is a special consultant). Produced and made by Eric Schlosser of ‘Fast Food Nation’ fame, and Robert Kenner, ‘Food, Inc.’ takes a hard look at food production in this country. If you were ever ambivalent about where your food comes from, you won’t be after seeing this film.

An important film, it is a damning indictment of the big agri-business side of the food industry, Kenner exposes everything that is wrong with it, how it came to pass, and the extraordinary toll we are paying – physically, environmentally, and societally. He connects the dots and calls out the parties complicit in depriving us of informed consent, of keeping us in the dark, and of making us sick. He believes, as do I, that it is our right to know where our food comes from and how it is produced. In a world where so much of it is processed, is it any wonder there is so much obesity, heart disease and diabetes in America?

Food is not only integral to our survival, it inspires great joy and passion, and also impacts our health. We are what we eat, and we vote with our mouths and dollars (at least) three times a day. One of the best ways to turn the tide against big agri-business is to join a CSA, which stands for community supported agriculture. An overtly political act, it supports local farms and provides a beautiful bounty of farm-fresh, seasonal and organic produce. I first joined one about 14 years ago when I lived in San Francisco, and it was revelatory. It introduced me to a host of vegetables I mostly likely would never have bought left to my own devices, and induced me to learn how to cook vegetables beyond steaming. All this while lowering my carbon footprint, and at a ridiculously reasonable price.

It is a win-win-win all around.