Date: January 29th 2010

Friday, January 29
* Dances of Vice's Kriminaltango, Brooklyn * Burning Man’s Larry Harvey at Evolver Gift Spore, Manhattan * Trainspotting, Brooklyn
* NxNE's pre-game social at Barcade, Williamsburg * Wear Your Wig to Work Day
* Flashing Lights, Manhattan
* Garbage Warrior, Williamsburg
* Critical Mass, Manhattan
* Trifles

Saturday, January 30
* Smoke, Manhattan
* Idiotarod
* Shangri-La, Brooklyn
* Nerd by Nerdeast, Williamsburg
* Quiet Color's Sloppy Circus, Brooklyn * The Dream of Sarit, Brooklyn
* Fame Monster: A Night of GaGa, Brooklyn * Classic Dance Movies at the Movie Palace, Jersey City * New York Night Train Soul Clap and Dance-Off, Williamsburg * Gone Country for Coney Jamboree, Brooklyn

Sunday, January 31
* The Church of the Secret City, Manhattan * SOS: The Sunday Open Series, Manhattan * Goth as Fuck, Manhattan

Tuesday, February 2
* Technology for Good, Evil, and Otherwise, Brooklyn * Bushwick Bookclub, Brooklyn

Wednesday, February 3
* Dorkbot, Manhattan
* Booty Star Galactica, Manhattan

Wishlist
* Non Actors

Spectre
* Crisis Mapping

Learning
* Go-Go Moves

Help
* Mutual Aid Disaster Relief

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

Frozen lake, wind.

XXXXX FRIDAY, JANUARY 29 XXXXX

Dances of Vice's Kriminaltango

A 1930-40s film-noir inspired evening of entertainment and debauched delights that promise to be at once oneiric, erotic, and cruel.

Featuring: Raucous and sultry crime jazz performed by local goodfellas the Ja Ja Jas and the swinging hoodlums of the Stumblebum Brass Band, suspenseful dramatic performances by the sensual sophisticates of Company XIV, alluring tango by Dragan and Medianoche, and lascivious burlesque by that deadly vixen the Flying Fox.

Galapagos Art Space
16 Main Street, Brooklyn
10p-3a; $15 adv, $20 doors
21 and over
dancesofvice.com

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

Burning Man’s Larry Harvey at Evolver Gift Spore

Evolver NYC and Burners Without Borders invite you to Give It Up at our next Spore, where the topic of the night is gifting -- what it means, how it can manifest in society, and possibilities for the future. Consider the potential of a community whose economy is based on giving, rather than having -- and cooperating, rather than competing.

This Spore will focus on Burning Man, a phenomenon that has revolutionized and broadened the scope of gifting’s potential. We’ll hear from our special guest -- Burning Man co-founder, Larry Harvey -- who’ll be coming from San Francisco to share his insights on this emerging concept. Then he will lead a discussion, along with long-time Burners and community leaders David Koren (Figment) and Costume Jim Glaser (Kostume Kult), concerning gifting's role as we continue to evolve. Come early for music and mingling with the Time Interchange of New York, a dynamic network of New Yorkers connected through a complementary currency system founded on gift culture’s key tenets. Dedicated members of TINY will be offering their services (for free of course), ranging from energy healing to sewing/mending your torn jeans.

Stick around for more music, food and drinks, a raffle, and interactive entertainment. Engage, philosophize, dance, and explore your gifts with some of New York's most thought-provoking partiers. Music by DJ 2melo (eNoiz) and Tektite (Vitamin B).

Collective Hardware
169 Bowery, below Delancey, first floor, Manhattan 7p doors; $15, or free if you register and complete one transaction with Time Interchange timeinterchange.com
evolver.net/ny_give_it_up_spore

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

Trainspotting

A crew of stellar selectros ready to wreck shoppe. With Small Change and Choimatic. These folks are known a bit more in club world vs these type of events, but rest assured this dudes have records and skills for days and will rock yo' shit. Something I've advocated for a minute, getting some fresh faces to do damage at these semi-freak filled affairs. Record nerds and hip hop heads and cracked out hippie ravers unite. Y'all are beeyotches in your own ways anyways. Plus it's Choi's bday so come by for some cake and Stevie Wonder.

Brooklyn Urban Sanctuary
RSVPP for address, Brooklyn
10p-7a; $?

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

NxNE's pre-game social at Barcade

Come and take advantage of our pre-game Nerd by Nerdeast social to mix and mingle with your fellow gamers. We will bask in happy hour specials over a roll of quarters and some of the best 1980s console video games. It's a chance to hang out with your fellow Nerds before the dice get heavy and feelings get bruised.

NOTE: See SATURDAY listing for Nerd by Nerdeast below.

Barcade
388 Union Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn 6-8p; $free
718 302 6464

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

Wear Your Wig to Work Day

Now in its eighth year, Wear Your Wig to Work Day is an annual holiday celebrated on the last Friday in January. Although the holiday is geared especially towards the working public, it is open to all people, employed or not. Part- public art event and part- community initiative, this grassroots holiday encourages the public to interpret the meaning and value of the day for themselves. Wig Day is not simply a day of silliness but an opportunity to explore the transformative power of a curious bodily adornment.

Wear Your Wig to Work Day is affiliated with Mano/Damno, an interdisciplinary art group creating diverse and original works in the Philadelphia area. Dedicated to blurring the line between art and life, Mano/Damno uses projects like Wear Your Wig to Work Day to make the general public participant rather than observer.

Everywhere
267 934 5949
garevlockgmail.com
infomanodamno.com
flickr.com/groups/1278060@N21/
manodamno.com

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

Flashing Lights

Last year, MeanRed and Good Peoples pulled this rave out of tiny dark night clubs, and put it where it belongs: in a dim sum restaurant tucked up in a minimall in Chinatown.

The party is disc-jockey'd by our fearless track selectors DJ Ayres (responsible for seven-plus sweaty years of the Rub parties at Southpaw), Nick Catchdubs (remix/mixtape phenom and co-founder of the hit indie label Fool's Gold Records) and Jubilee (BK bass sweetheart behind her own Nightshifters imprint).

The guests for the next edition of Flashing Lights are Nadastrom and Proper Villains. Nadastrom have been described as "the dance-music equivalent of the mythical Spinal Tap amplifier that goes to 11." Proper Villains joins on the decks for a memorable night. Combined, these DJs leave no subwoofer unturned.

88 Palace
88 East Broadway, second floor, Manhattan 10p-4a; $10 with RSVP, $15 door
flashinglightslightslights.com

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

Garbage Warrior

This Friday evening we continue our Pare Lorentz Film Festival with a screening of Oliver Hodge's Garbage Warrior. This fascinating doc looks at the career of New Mexico-based renegade architect Michael Reynolds, who has been an off-the-path pioneer of energy-independent housing by utilizing garbage and waste for over 30 years now. Reynolds and his green disciples have founded several self-sufficient, off the grid communities. After the show, Hodge will take part in a discussion with Ben Weber and Brittany Grech from Emerging Green Builders New York who are co-presenting the evening.

Union Docs
322 Union Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn 7:30p; $?
info at uniondocs.org
uniondocs.org

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

Critical Mass: Manhattan

Critical Mass is a spontaneous celebration of what our streets could look like. This fun group ride encourages new cyclists and creates safer streets and new green infrastructure. Strap some music to your bike and make sure to bring appropriate lights and bells.

Union Square, North Side
17th Street and Broadway, Manhattan
7p; $free
critical-mass.org/

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

The Theatre of a Two-headed Calf's:

Trifles

The 1916 one-act by Susan Glaspell set at the scene of a bizarre murder in the Midwest in 1900. Those accustomed to Two-headed Calf’s loud, explosive and physically rigorous performances are in for a surprise. With Trifles, director Brooke O’Harra and composer Brendan Connelly team up with the new music ensemble Yarn/Wire to approach Glaspell’s text as part concert, part play, and part meditation on crime, empathy, and sisterhood.

Ontological Theater
131 East 10th Street, Manhattan
8p; $17, $14 student
Continues through February 14
212 352 3101
ovationtix.com/trs/pr/702385

XXXXX SATURDAY, JANUARY 30 XXXXX

Smoke

On June 6, 2009, 90 international creative types sported costumes and embarked on a 14 hour “time travelling bus,” staging invasions of performance around New York City. Now they are heading to a museum for a show and tell. Smoke takes place in some mysterious hatch in the Chelsea Art Museum, where among other offerings, the frolic includes a showcase of artifacts and inventions that were inspired from their trip, live performances from Pop Opera singer Val Geffner, and the Stumblebum Brass Band, among others, and a funky minimal laced DJ set from Berlin’s newly sprouted NIko Wessels. The rabbit hole, according to its password protected website is an investigation of topsy turvy consciousness involving experiential events, artist curation, a global collective and a manifesto, that founder concocted through hosting salon sessions and travelling as a cultural journalist. "

RSVP for address, Manhattan
8p-1a; $?
404251n.com/smoke

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

Idiotarod

Racers, we are only a few days away. We hope your carts and your bribes are ready, but we actually care more about your bribes. In preparation, we have a few things to discuss.

There are several teams who have not yet completed Registration form 2010. It is important for our records that we have your form in before the race. Without the registration form it is possible that you will not be notified of the race start location. If you are having problems with the transmission, you can email us and a member of HR will get back to you as soon as they sober up. I should warn you however that you will not like dealing with them.

There is no registration fee for carts this year. You will be required to pay admittance to the afterparty. We thought we should give you a hint regarding the route. The hint is: it is long. Be ready. It is also going to be cold. be ready.

Many of you seem to have been caught in a clever and well developed trap. It seems a team posing as dangerzone set up the a website and tricked most of you and the media as well. The only people who were sure that they weren't dangerzone were in fact dangerzone. We at Corporation X think highly of this team, and applaud the facility with which they exposed your (and a little bit of our own) gullibility. This type of Corporate espionage is rewarded at our main office and we expect to see these guys climbing the ladder pretty quickly.

Tomorrow we will be sending out race start information. It will be subject to change so stay alert. It will be accompanied by the official race rules. You will need to read them as there will be a mandatory corporate wide employee evaluation exam.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. We may or may not answer. Oh yeah. there will be no sabotage award because throwing food is a waste of company resources.

Sign up for start address and time
$free to race, $10 for afterparty
corpxracingdivision@gmail.com

NOTE: Registration is supposedly closed and the race is supposedly full. Or almost full. We're not really sure what that means. (Or why an outdoor race would be full.) To be honest, we don't really know anything except that it's incredibly difficult to find any information about the race. We do know that there is a pretty funny video online from a group that may or may not be last year's winners, Dangerzone. But apparently the email listed above is good. Apparently. The person answering it asked us to write a haiku in return for a registration form ...

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

Shangri-La

Come enjoy live fire spinners on the massive roof deck, a mix of live bands and DJs. WIth Bad Buka, Sweet D'Cadencia, Hellfire Machina, Hirshi and Phlegm, DJs Uzzie, Balls, and 2mello. Tantalizing your visual senses: Kendalle Fiasco and Alida Frey. Fire performances by UrbanBurn, featuring GammaRay and Dr. Burn. Dress as your spirit guide/animal.

Station 171
171 Lombardy, Brooklyn
10a; $10 with costume and house password Zen before 1a, $15 with either costume or other password, $20 if you have neither 18 to dance, 21 to dance drunk

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

Recess/nerdnyc presents:

Nerd by Nerdeast

Nerd by Nerdeast is a special edition of Recess: a socializing, role-playing game, board and card game event. Featuring more games than ever: old favorites like D&D3.5 and Call of Cthulhu, new classics like Dominion, Settlers and Jungle Speed, a LARP, and our first ever indie game seminar: Game Design is Mind Control and loads more!

NxNE is now twice the fun, with games and activities all weekend long on both Saturday and Sunday. As always we love to teach, no gaming experience needed. Make friends, play games.

BRIC Studios
647 Fulton Street, second floor, Brooklyn 11a-11p; $20 per day or $30 for all weekend Continues SUNDAY
All ages
twitter.com/nerdnyc
nerdnyc.com

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

Quiet Color's Sloppy Circus

This isn't your parents' Wintuk. This is Quiet Color's Sloppy Circus at the historic House Of Yes. Allow yourself an evening of enchanting fire breathers, mesmerizing aerial acrobats, video art installations, and live performances by Javelin, The Shivers, Dinowalrus, Ava Luna, and Shark?. Prepare to ignite your senses and immerse your being in a sea of sound and color, an island of hope and confusion, and revel in this celebration of pure contemporary creatives. Enjoy free Two Boots Pizza while frolicking in the resurgent wave of Brooklyn Bohemia.

House of Yes
342 Maujer Street, Brooklyn
L train to Grand Street station
9p-3a; $10 includes free pizza, BYOB
21 and over
quietcolor.com
houseofyes.org/

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

The Dream of Sarit

When our eyes are closed our minds conjure trips through beautiful lands, hands running through soft hair, kisses on glittered lips, whipped cream gently resting mountains of ice cream and wind blowing over our faces as we fly through sunset scenes. Sometimes these dreams seep into our waking life and these are the times that make us feel like it's worth being awake. It's time to bring our dreams out of our subconscious and into a night of surreal splendor. We invite you to join in Sarit's and Becky's waking dream.

Magic beats by DJ RGB, DJ Reagonomics, $mall ¢hange. Live music by Sauce, Juliet, Ben-Ami on Guitar. Live music by Sex During Wartime (Shirtless?). Opera on Demand and a few surprises that are sure to rock the house. There will be a bubbling six-person jacuzzi calling your name until midnight. Photo project by Joe Che. Bring your own ice cream, a pint with spoons. Dress to express what's been in your dreams. Think white, soft, fluffy, glittery or raw and uninhibited. Bring your bathing suit.

RSVP for address, Brooklyn
J,M,Z trains to Myrtle/Broadway station 9:30p-late; $free, cash specialty bar
pagenotfoundspacegmail.com

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

Fame Monster: A Night of GaGa

DJ/Video/Performance/Glam Absurdity. Mash-ups, s&m, media hacking, and spectacle to its absurd conclusion. Features a banging soundtrack. Come early, dance until late. With DJ Sacred Heart High vs. DJ Til That Boy Is Mine, Max57, DJ Christ Almighty. Projections by Vlad T of the Glassbead Collective, videos by Miles and Jackie, Totoro Collective. Performances by Grand Selector, Nico Haupt, Spires, and more DJs.

Be creative. Fashionably late means you better be damn fashionable. We will make you pay full price if you pull some lame ass shit like showing up in your normal clothes with a blond wig on. On the other hand, if your costume is glamfuckingtacular we might let you in for free.

13Thames
13 Thames Street, first floor, Brooklyn 9p-4a; $8 , $5 before 11p, or after 11 dressed as Lady Gaga myspace.com/freakflagpromotions
twitter.com/freakflagpromo

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

Classic Dance Movies at the Movie Palace

Top Hat, starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. And Busby Berkeley's Gold Diggers of 1933.

Loew's
54 Journal Square, Jersey City
6:30p Top Hat, 8:40p Gold Diggers; $6 adults, $4 seniors and children 201 798 6055
loewsjerseygmail.com

NOTE: We blew this last week. It was one of two errors, and we’re sorry. We try our best, but we don't really have a fact-checking staff here at Nonsense. Please remember to always double check out work before setting out on the town with info from Nonsense. It's a good habit.

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

New York Night Train Soul Clap and Dance-Off

New York Night Train's most popular party (and contest), the Soul Clap and Dance-Off, which last year broke out of Brooklyn to ping-pong back and forth all over the globe - from Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine - from Mexico City to Tel Aviv, makes its 2010 New York debut at its Glassland's Gallery home Saturday. As always, this month's Soul Clap will feature all-night dancing to the exquisitely dynamic 45rpm '60s soul magic of New York Night Train soul proprietor DJ Mr. Jonathan Toubin plus a 1a Dance-Off for a $100 grand prize presided over by the lovely MC Laura Leigh.

This week's contest will be presided over by a distinguished panel of judges consisting of the following pillars of the local community: Beverly, Cowboy Mark, Doug Pressman, Ms. Pixie 007, and Oweinama Biu.

Glasslands
289 Kent Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn jonathantoubinyahoo.com
Midnight-4a, dance contest at 1a; $5
21 and over
twitter.com/NY_Night_Train

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

Gone Country for Coney Jamboree

Save Coney Island benefit. Citigrass, Piñataland, 2009 Fiddle Champion Rob Hecht, Animal Pharm, and Central Valley Wildfire will headline. The event also features dance performances by the Prospect Cowgirls, country barbecue, raffle prizes and after-concert burlesque.

The proceeds of the Country Jamboree will benefit Save Coney Island, the volunteer, non-profit organization committed to restoring Coney Island as a world-class amusement destination for all New Yorkers and visitors. The organization’s members include residents of the Coney Island area, Coney Island performers, local small business owners, historians, Polar Bears, regular visitors to the amusement area, and many other individuals for whom Coney Island holds a special fascination.

Galapagos Art Space
16 Main Street, at Water Street, Brooklyn 3-9:30p; $15 before 5p, $20 after includes raffle ticket saveconeyisland.net

XXXXX SUNDAY, JANUARY 31 XXXXX

The Church of the Secret City

It's a busy time, isn't it? We've all got a lot going on. This is what the new year seems to bring. Industry! Production! Work! Why not take a breather? Join us as the Secret City celebrates the idea of Work, inspired by the new year.

The Secret City is a secular church for artists and other conscious, creative people. We gather to celebrate, cogitate, ruminate and meditate on the nature of art-making and the creative spirit.

Part cabaret, part art-church, part salon, each service has a different theme and features live performance, presentation and original work. We take a collection during the service, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

We have an amazing group of guest artists lined up: Jeremy Bass (guitar), Sarah Alden (fiddle), and Leah Coloff (cello) will play music for us. We'll look at photography by WPA artists. Kelly Coffield will read from actual cover letters and resumes from the working world. Marissa Copeland is making Rosemary Walnuts as the food offering. Daniel Zaitchik will perform his song, Beekeeping. Jen Taher's gonna read the Cultural Calendar. And sculptor Julia Nitsberg will lead a piece of collaborative art making.

We'll also have our usual features: The Mingling Ritual, Meditation, the Reciting of our Gratitudes; and I will read my latest sermon, the Work of Wondering, about being mistaken for a Ohio State running back. Remember: free childcare.

Theatrelab
137 West 14th Street, between 6th and 7th avenues, Manhattan 11:30a; $10 suggested donation
churchofthesecretcity.com

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

SOS: The Sunday Open Series

The Sunday Open Series asks you to join the ABC No Rio poets at the Bowery Poetry Club for Kids Helping Kids, a benefit for the Children of Haiti.

1:30-4p family programming: Hayes Greenfield & Jazz-A-Ma-Tazz; Uncle Rock; Niall O'Leary Dancers; Louise Rogers; Rick Strong and the Washington Heights Children's Jazz Choir; Marc Bazerman (Baze and His Silly Friends); Rolie Polie Guacamole.

4-6p performing artists and poetry producers: The New York Neo-Futurists; the Hard Times; and Poetry Producers: Bob Holman, Nick Power (NYC College Slam), Evie Ivy (Green Pavilion), Angelo Verga (Cornelia Street Café), George Wallace (the Beat Series), John Marcus Powell (ABC No Rio), Lee Kostrinsky (Smalls Jazz Club), Brant Lyon (Hydrogen Jukebox), Kyle Spencer, and more.

Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery, Manhattan
1:30-6p; $5 donation
abcnorio.org

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

Naughty Nautical Nite presents:

Goth as Fuck

The popular Slipper Room nautical themed party by Jessica Delfino and Dame Darcy goes goth for a night. With performances by Darcy and Delfino, also goth burlesque, goth dress, goth music, goth drinks, goth acts, tarot readings by donation, goth raffle. Dress as dead sailors, wear your vampire fangs, ghost it up, black it out, whatever. Just make it all gothy. Dress to depress, win sad prizes.

Slipper Room
167 Orchard, at Stanton, Manhattan
F train to 2nd Avenue station
8p show, 8:30-11:30p show; $5

XXXXX TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2 XXXXX

Adult Education presents:

Technology for Good, Evil, and Otherwise

With Mac Montandon: "Jetpack Dreams: On Getting Nowhere Fast"; Carlos Yu, "Brief Highlights of Modern Explosives Research: Or, Things That Make You Go Boom"; Flash Rosenberg, "Digital Photography and Other Unstable Elements"; Daniel Wright, "Divine Invention, From Travel Toothbrushes to Resurrection Machines."

Union Hall
702 Union Street, at 5th Avenue, Brooklyn 8p; $5 cover

***** Also on TUESDAY *****

Bushwick Bookclub

Right now, new songs are gestating, eeking their way into the world. They are about Nicole Krauss's the History of Love. Come hear them and have a Metamucil Bar Brownie this Tuesday. Or a Lamed Vovnik Lemonade drink special. Ah.. the dizzying heights of songwriting nerdery.

With Franz Nicolay, Dan Costello, Maria Sonevytsky, Joe Crow Ryan, Laura Brenneman, Ben Berlin, Susan Hwang, Sweet Soubrette, Matt Colbourne, and Anna Leuchtenberger.

Goodbye Blue Monday
1087 Broadway, between Dodworth and Lawton, Brooklyn J,M,Z train to Myrtle or J to Kosciusco stations 8p; $free
718 453 6343
bushwickbookclub.com
myspace.com/bushwickbookclub

XXXXX WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3 XXXXX

Dorkbot

People doing strange things with electricity. With Steve Wang, Ed Chin and Paul Orlando: Chatfe, which lets people have interesting voice conversations with strangers; Jie Qi on Paper Computing; Rory Solomon and Marek Walczak's open, ongoing project that uses virtual reality as a way to explore spatial environments and how they are perceived.

Location One
Greene Street, between Canal and Grand, Manhattan 7-9p; $free
dorkbot.org

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

Booty Star Galactica

New York’s first and only hybrid dance party/renegade web show blasts off, featuring ventriloquist Carla Rhodes, dance troupe Throbbing Megz and the Shuttlecocks and video art-a-gogo freaks, the Projectile Dysfunctions.

The wonderful thing about creative culture in NYC is that folks are more interesting than anything that happens on TV. From acrobats to hand models, foot jugglers to ventriloquists, there’s never a dull moment. Combine this with our lifelong obsession with dance TV shows -- from Soul Train to Solid Gold to Dance Party USA and that’s the concept behind Booty Star Galactica. Be your own reality TV.

The first Wednesday of every month DJ/VJ bamiam.tv and a wild cast of real NYC characters converge in the tripped-out backroom of Manhattan’s Beauty Bar, dance, dress up and act out. We’re talking go-go dancers, acrobats, hula-hoopers, burlesque babes, vaudeville vixens and DJs who along with BAM! spin a far-out selection of rock and soul, psychedelia, punk, booty-shaking funk, sh!t you scream at the top of your lungs and act out in front of your bedroom mirror and much more.

Expect to see lots of space-age hot pants, capes, go-go boots, and more glitter that you can shake a ray gun at. It’s 2010, time to start dressing like it. By the end of the month, a new episode of Booty Star Galactica will be posted on youtube/bamiam.tv, chock full of awesome tunes and performances, comedy bits and whatever shenanigans our pro camera man catches.

Beauty Bar
231 East 14th Street, Manhattan
10p-4a; $free?
bamiam.tv/

XXXXX UPCOMING XXXXX

• The Amazing, Super Formal Benefit and Adventure Spectacular, February 6
• Gemini and Scorpio's Valentine's Russian Baths, February 13
• 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 *****

• Actors wanted: For the Sweet Cheat, a site-specific, post-apocalyptic theatrical trespass based on a short story by Rick Moody, adapted and directed by Jeff Stark. With much of Manhattan decimated after a dirty bomb explodes in Union Square, 20 percent of the population is addicted to a drug that allows perfect memory recall. Reporter Kevin Lee's assignment: Is it true you can get to the future on Albertine? His research turns up a more compelling question: What connection does he have to the blast -- and the drug itself? Actor breakdown: 1. Kevin Lee: Asian male, mid to late 20s; a reporter addicted to his subject. 2. Cassandra: Female microbiologist, drug addict, and possibly Kevin Lee's mother. 3. Serena/Tara: Female, mid to late 20s; sun-kissed college girlfriend/ spunky receptionist. 4. Eddie Cortez /Ricky Martin: Male, 20s to 40s. Enterprising drug dealer; 90s pop star. 5. Ernst Wentworth: Male, 30s to 50s. Professor and researcher of the Albertine epidemic. 6. Bob/ B ike Messenger 1/ Grad Student 1: Male, 20s-30s. Jilted husband/ Eddie Cortez's henchman/ Ernst Wentworth's researcher. 7. Deanna/ Bike Messenger 2/ Grad Student 2: Female, 20s-30s. Religious office worker/ Eddie Cortez's henchman/ Ernst Wentworth's researcher. 8. Irving Paley/ Ferryman: Male, early 30s. New York filmmaker/ boatman. Shows run April 24-25 and April 30-May 1 at an extraordinary abandoned building just outside of New York City. This is not a theatrical space. There are no permits. Please be prepared for an extremely unorthodox guerilla production. There will be an additional public reading on March 31 in Troy, New York. Auditions are Friday, February 12, Saturday, February 13, and Sunday, February 14, by appointment only. Auditions consist of sides from the play. For an audition time, please email a photograph of yourself or links to online documentation of recent work and a few words about yourself to jstark@nonsensenyc.com, and please put SWEET CHEAT in the subject line. This is a non-union production. Negligible pay.
• Art Wanted: to support Skateistan, a charity that teaches kids, boys and girls, to skateboard in Afghanistan. We teach kids how to work together across class and gender lines as well as teach them other social and school skills. In an effort to raise funds for our new school as well as get the word out, I am planning a fundraising event in NY for late May/early June. We are trying to pool the great artists to create original art for auction on blank skateboarding decks that we will provide. We have been very fortunate to get some great established as well as up-and-coming talent interested, with a wide range of styles such as Olafur Eliasson to lots of amazing street artists such as Royce Bannon, Peru Ana Ana Peru, Billi Kid, just to name a few. Contact Ahra, ahra(at)skateistan.org. See: skateistan.org.
• February 1, NY Artists Unlimited launches its cold readings of hundreds of submissions for International CringeFest '10. Come on down every Monday and Thursday through the end of March. Readings take place 6-10p both nights, but you can come and go as necessary. Food, beverages, and fun as we read and discuss each submission at the company's offices, 212 West 14 Street, No. 2A (between 7th and 8th avenues.). This cold readings process has proved to be the most discerning for choosing the final line-up of the festival, which runs mid-July to mid-August. It is also a good way for actors to be seen in a relaxed, supportive environment, and for directors to hear scripts read out loud. Six years ago, NY Artists Unlimited created the Bad Plays Festival and then the Bad Musicals Festival. Bad Films have now been sprinkled throughout, which led to the all-encompassing banner of the International CringeFest. By the way, material is exceedingly good. Bad is used in the sense of: irre verent, politically incorrect, political satire, sexually suggestive, and just plain naughty. The point is to have a whole evening in the theatre where we can laugh, especially at ourselves. Short pieces are arranged in a one and a half hour playing time under a theme title, such as: Is That a Gun in Your Pocket?, Sex Encounters of the Absurd Kind, and Go Genital Into That Good Night (for the newly added late-night Saturday shows). Intermission entertainment is provided by East Village entertainers the company discovered while at their Avenue A arts center. So, to recap: cold readings every Monday and Thursday, 6-10p, through the end of March at NY Artists Unlimited. If you can give us a heads up about attending, it will ensure plentiful refreshments, but you are welcome even if you don't let us know in advance. Phone: 212 242 6036, NYartists.org, email: Info(at)NYartists.org.
• The Street Vendor Project wants to re-enact the heroic moment in history when, in 1866, four pushcart peddlers refused to move from their spots on Hester Street (there was a rule that vendors had to stay in continuous motion), thereby becoming the first modern-day, stationary street vendors in NYC. We’ll use real vendors -- we have 1,000 of them in our organization. But we need someone with experience in street /community theater to work with our members to create a simple script and then rehearse it and act it out at a public performance this summer. If you can help us raise money to pull this off, and even pay yourself a small salary, even better. Contact svp(at)urbanjustice.org.
• A donor to the org where I work donated hundreds of brand new, hardcover copies of the Uprising: An Unauthorized Tour of the Populist Revolt Scaring Wall Street and Washington by author and political commentator, David Sirota. They would be great for art projects needing a great deal of type print, or for libraries, bookstores, computer stands, etc. The books are boxed, ready to go and free, free, free! You just need to pick them up at our downtown office. Contact Julie at jbero(at)progressivestates.org.
• Yes, we know it's a tall order, but we're looking for a star machine from a planetarium and hopefully someone who knows how to work it. We have an idea for collaboration with our big soundsystem and some great music. If the machine can move to our space, great. We can host the event there. If it needs to stay at its home, that could be fine, too. I'm Justin. Contact me about it at jcarter(at)newreleasenewyork.net.

***** SPACES *****

• Share a three-story house with five housemates. Share a huge living room, large communal kitchen, three full bathrooms, and a big backyard and patio (which you will appreciate in a couple of months.) Short term sub-letters are welcome but the rooms are for the most part unfurnished. We are hoping to have a gender-balanced household. Short term and furnished rooms are possibly also available. Rooms (and almost finalized prices): Ground Floor large room with a closet and two windows, new hardwood floors, tin ceiling for $550. Second floor large room with two closets, two windows, and a ceiling fan for $550. Top floor front room has one window, about 7 1/2 feet by 13 for $420. Small room, about 6.2 feet by 10, one window with garden view for $390. Seeking easy going, laid back clean housemates (we are open to couples) interested in community both in and outside the home to help start a new collective/communal eating household. Large backyard garden and possible plans to build a greenhouse. There is a large spacious kitchen and living room. Some interests that may make you a good match: gardening, sustainability, bikes, movie nights, house dinners / meetings, vegan, vegetarian, or freegan. Must be comfortable with freeganism and preferably you don't buy meat. Pro-house guests, non-smoker. It would be great if you are interested in being part of a household and engaging with your housemates. We don't plan to have a TV, but if you have a projector for movie nights that would be great. We have a washer and dryer. During the winter we hope to be the kind of household where people would put on a sweater before turning up the heat in the winter and plug in a fan rather than an air conditioner in the summer. Rooms are available now. 10 minute bike ride to Manhattan via the Williamsburg or Manhattan Bridges. Three blocks from Bedford Nostrand G train, seven blocks from Pratt campus. Tell us about you - price range, age, how long have you been in NYC, employment or school, facebook or myspace, etc. Contact walworthst(at)gmail.com.
• Short term sublet available in intentional community, Surreal Estate, known for their fabulous parties, communal meals, smart, leftist, and party-loving people. Starting February 1 for up to one month, for only $50 a week. This is a good place for a traveler who dosen't want to stay in a hotel or hostel. Need very good people skills, no hard drug users. You will be sharing a large room with another person, hostel-style living. Contact Anne, swimmergirl10(at)juno.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:

***** Fuck-You Money *****

http://spectregroup.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/fuck-you-money/

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fuck-you%20money "An amount of wealth that enables an individual to reject traditional social behavior and niceties of conduct without fear of consequences."

Zero Rupee Note
http://blogs.worldbank.org/files/publicsphere/rupees_front.jpg http://india.5thpillar.org/ZRN
http://blogs.worldbank.org/publicsphere/paying-zero-public-services "In India, petty corruption is pervasive -- people often face situations where they are asked to pay bribes for public services that should be provided free. 5th Pillar distributes zero rupee notes in the hopes that ordinary Indians can use these notes as a means to protest demands for bribes by public officials. According to Vijay Anand, the idea was first conceived by an Indian physics professor at the University of Maryland, who, in his travels around India, realized how widespread bribery was and wanted to do something about it. He came up with the idea of printing zero-denomination notes and handing them out to officials whenever he was asked for kickbacks as a way to show his resistance. Anand took this idea further: to print them en masse, widely publicize them, and give them out to the Indian people. He thought these notes would be a way to get people to show their disapproval of public service delivery dependent on bribes. The notes did just that. The first batch of 25,000 notes were met with such demand that 5th Pillar has ended up distributing 1 million zero-rupee notes to date since it began this initiative. Along the way, the organization has collected many stories from people using them to successfully resist engaging in bribery. Anand believes that the success of the notes lies in the willingness of the people to use them. People are willing to stand up against the practice that has become so commonplace because they are no longer afraid: first, they have nothing to lose, and secondly, they know that this initiative is being backed up by an organization -- that is, they are not alone in this fight. For people to speak up against corruption that has become institutionalized within society, they must know that there are others who are just as fed up and frustrated with the system. Once they realize that they are not alone, they also realize that this battle is not unbeatable. Then, a path opens up—a path that can pave the way for relatively simple ideas like the zero rupee notes to turn into a powerful social statement against petty corruption.""

5th Pillar
http://india.5thpillar.org/
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article1629446.ece

Zero Currency (Select by Country)
http://zerocurrency.org/
http://www.zerocurrency.5thpillar.org/country/unitedstates.jpg "Corruption in the form of bribery is prevalent throughout the world. The zero currency note in your country's currency is a tool to help you achieve the goal of zero corruption. The note is a way for any human being to say no to corruption without the fear of facing an encounter with persons in authority. Next time someone asks you for a bribe, just take your country's zero currency note and hand it to them. This will let the other person know that you refuse to give or take any money in order to perform services required by law or to give or take money to do something illegal."

Corruption Perceptions Index
http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2009

Institutional Corruption
http://blip.tv/file/3120038
http://change-congress.org/about/
http://www.hlrecord.org/opinion/citizens-united-upholds-institutional-corruption-1.1090846 "I came across an article by an expert on political corruption, Zephyr Rain Teachout (Cornell Law Review, 2009), which I found very relevant to the Court's decision in Citizens United. Teachout writes that the Framers of the Constitution were obsessed with corruption and saw it as one of the greatest threats to democracy. They designed the system in such a way that corrupt leaders will not only loose their positions, but also their reputation. Teachout writes that "corruption was discussed more often in the constitutional convention than factions, violence, or instability. It was a topic of concern on almost a quarter of the days that the members convened. Madison recorded the specific term corruption fifty-four times, and the vast majority of the corruption discussions were spearheaded by influential delegates Madison, Moris, Mason, and Wilson. It is not an overstatement to say that the Framers actually saw the Constitution as an instrument to fight corruption.

The Framers defined political corruption to include "self-serving use of public power for private ends, including, without limitation, bribery, public decisions to serve private wealth made because of dependent relationships, public decisions to serve executive power made because of dependent relationships, and use by public officials of their positions of power to become wealthy." Their efforts to curb corruption in the political process is visible in issues including the regulation of elections, term limits, limits on holding multiple offices, limitations on accepting foreign gifts, the veto power, the impeachment clause, and provisions for the separation of powers, among other measures, with a view to ensure that leaders represent the interest of their constituency and not personal interests. In the words of Teachout, "taking seriously the architecture [of the Constitution] requires more than passing knowledge of what motivated the choice of architecture. Political corrupt ion is context without which other specific words don't make sense; it is embodied in the text itself through other words that can't be understood without understanding corruption".

The dissenting judgment delivered by Justice Stevens severely criticized the majority court for ignoring the dangerous consequence of the decision on democracy: "At bottom, the Court's opinion is thus a rejection of the common sense of the American people, who have recognized a need to prevent corporations from undermining self government since the founding, and who have fought against the distinctive corrupting potential of corporate electioneering since the days of Theodore Roosevelt. It is a strange time to repudiate that common sense. While American democracy is imperfect, few outside the majority of this Court would have thought its flaws included a dearth of corporate money in politics," Justice Stevens wrote."

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 libby(at)nonsensenyc.com.

***** LEARNING: FRIDAY *****

Gifting Discussion with Burning Man’s Larry Harvey

Evolver NYC and Burners Without Borders invite you to “Give It Up” at our next Spore, where the topic of the night is gifting: what it means, how it can manifest in society, and possibilities for the future. Consider the potential of a community whose economy is based on giving, rather than having, and on cooperating, rather than competing.

This Spore will focus on Burning Man, a phenomenon that has revolutionized and broadened the scope of gifting’s potential. Burning Man co-founder, Larry Harvey has come from San Francisco to share his insights on this emerging concept. He'll lead a discussion, along with long-time Burners and community leaders David Koren (Figment) and “Costume Jim” Glaser (Open Kulture), concerning gifting’s role as we continue to evolve. Come early for music and mingling with the Time Interchange of New York (TINY), a dynamic network of New Yorkers connected through a complementary currency system founded on gift culture’s key tenets. Dedicated members of TINY will be offering their services (for free, of course), ranging from energy healing to sewing/mending your torn jeans!

Stick around for more music, food, drinks, a raffle, and interactive entertainment, Burner-style! Engage, philosophize, dance, and explore your gifts with some of New York’s most thought-provoking partiers. Music by DJ 2melo (eNoiz) and Tektite (Vitamin B).

Collective Hardware
169 Bowery, First Floor
Manhattan
$15; 7p-?
evolver.net/ny_give_it_up_spore

***** LEARNING: Also on FRIDAY *****

Mitch Altman’s Electronics Workshop

Mitch Altman is in town, and will be giving one of his famous workshops at NYC Resistor. Mitch has taught thousands of people to solder and make cool things with microcontrollers at his workshops at hacker spaces and hacker conferences and schools almost everywhere. He can teach you, too, if you like. Everyone is welcome, 18 and up. The workshop is free. But if you use any kits, reimbursment for kit price is requested ($10 to $20, depending on kit). There will be plenty of cool kits available to build, including: TV-B-Gone (turn off TVs in public places), LEDcube (cool cube of blinky lights!), MintyBoost (charge your USB enabled gadgets!), and much more. For the advanced, there are microcontroller programmers (program all your AVR family chips!), Arduino clones (make just about anything!), and more.

NYC Resistor
397 Bridge Street, 5th Floor
Brooklyn
8p-?; $free
nycresistor.com

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

Beginning MIG Welding with Kim!

It's back! The class that made Madagascar Institute famous. Impress your friends, your older brother, and that cute bartender with your tough new skill. This three-hour intro to welding will teach you the very basics of MIG welding and familiarize you with the tools you’ll need to finish a project—the grinder, the chop saw, etc. Bring leather gloves and eye protection, and wear heavy-duty all natural fibers (jeans and a long-sleeve shirt). And no open-toed shoes; boots are ideal. Polyester and nylon will melt onto your skin if hot molten metal drops onto them and ouch that hurts. You will get dirty. (Section B is the following Saturday, February 6, 1-4p.)

Madagascar Institute
217 Butler Street, Brooklyn
1-4p; $50 ($10 materials)
Pre-register: classes(at)madagascarinstitute.com madagascarinstitute.com

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

Computational Theory Discussion Kickoff

Alpha One Labs is beginning a weekly discussion group. Join us this Saturday to finalize the book choice, meeting times, etc. Most likely, we'll be reading Michael Sipser's "Intro to the Theory of Computation," a classic work in computability that covers everything from finite automata to the definition of information. A little knowledge of calculus and logic is very helpful, but not required.

Alpha One Labs
65 Maspeth Avenue, #1A
Williamsburg
4p; $5 suggested donation
nadaatalphaonelabs.com
alphaonelabs.com/computational-theory-kickoff

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

Yoga: The Eight-Fold Path to Peace

One Spirit and Integral Yoga Institute welcome you to an extraordinary day of yoga, exploring the physical, spiritual and psychological practices that make up the eight-fold path of yoga. This day takes new yoga students as well as advanced practitioners deeper into yoga. The program begins with a hatha yoga class, continues with an interactive talk about the Yogic Diet with Manu Dawson and ends with a talk, “Living a Committed Life.” A closing puja ritual will be led by senior Integral monk, Swami Ramananda. Delicious vegetarian lunch will be provided. Space is limited. Please register early. All levels welcome.

Integral Yoga Institute
227 West 13th Street
Manhattan
11a-5p, $90
iyiny.org

***** LEARNING: SATURDAY and SUNDAY *****

Culture Clash: The Transformative Power of Popular Culture

This weekend an amazing group of cultural producers and grassroots organizers will convene for Culture Clash, a weekend intensive to explore the transformative power of cultural organizing. Using interactive media, film, and dialogue, Culture Clash will explore topics such as the Evolution of Capitalist Culture, the Obama Phenomenon, the Art and Politics of Spectacle, Consumption and the Self, and Militarism and Media.

Culture Clash will create space for artists and organizers to exchange and dialogue on best practices to navigate our work, as well as share successful models for collective sustainable cultural production. Participants will generate next steps to grow the conversation and activate a larger discourse on Transformative Cultural Organizing.

We invite movement makers, cultural producers, and supporters to join us for the weekend to engage in dialogue and develop strategies creating critical cultural consciousness and evolving the human terrain. Artwork on view. (Afterparty Saturday 10p-2a with DJ Oja at Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleeker Street.) Visit site for full schedule.

The Brecht Forum
451 West Street, Manhattan
Saturday, January 30, and Sunday, January 31 9a-5p; $25 to $35 (sliding scale)
212-242-4201
brechtforum.org

***** LEARNING: Also on SATURDAY and SUNDAY *****

Monoprints

This workshop is ideal for artists who love to draw and paint. Monoprints incorporate draftsmanship and direct painting with printmaking. This workshop approaches monoprinting in a unique way; draw and paint in color with rollers, brushes, palette knives, and explore how to use found materials creating textures that enhance the atmosphere and mood of a picture. We will focus on pulling both light out of a dark background as well as working dark on light. Students who love to draw find freedom using these techniques, their color sense is expanded and their drawing abilities can evolve to a higher level. All levels welcome. Led by Bruce Waldman. Includes eight hours of free studio time good for four weeks.

Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts
323 West 39th Street, Manhattan
Saturday and Sunday
10:30a-2:30p; $160 (members); $200 (nonmembers) Register: rbpmw(at)efanyc.org
646-416-6226

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

Love Feeling Sexy

Be Wild Woman is bringing Be Wild Coed Parties back again with "Love Feeling Sexy" led by sexpert Sheri Winston, based on her exciting new book "Women's Anatomy of Arousal: Secret Maps to Buried Pleasure." Women and men alike are welcome to come respect and delight in each other's sexiness in this safe, fun space. After Sheri's arousal workshop (2-5p), the Love Feeling Sexy party begins, featuring Pillow Talk with Sheri and friends 5:15-6p, Chakra Connect Puja with Kiana Love 6-6:45p, and a sexy dress-up potluck and dance party with music by DJ Chela and Cecil Grey. This is a clothes-on, no-sexual-contact event.

Brooklyn Urban Sanctuary
778 Bergen Street, Brooklyn
2-9p; $25-$50 sliding scale for workshop and party ($15 for party only) Pre-registration required: 917-453-3663 Or e-mail kakini(at)gmail.com

***** LEARNING: Also on SUNDAY *****

Winter Workshop

Curious about your transition into winter? Unsure how to handle the cold and the lack of thriving plants in your environment? Want to learn how to naturally prevent and treat a cold/flu? Come learn tips for transitioning and how to balance your life during the cold winter days using food, yoga, and herbs! We will discuss natural cold and flu prevention and care, and eating in balance with the seasons and with your Ayurvedic constitution. Learn cheap recipes and how to eat well, fresh and local during the dreary winter months. Abby will teach you some great yoga poses to keep your energy up and blood flowing, and Liz will enliven your spirits with great herbal teas (bring a mug) and foods.

The Be Hive
388 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn
3-5p (optional potluck to follow); $10-$15 behivethrives.com

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

Cooking Wild: The Other Big Game

Has your interest been piqued by a curious cut at the meat market or has the cold brought out some primal yearnings for something a little more wild? Culinary instructor and chef Emily Peterson will introduce some big (and not so big) game. We will discuss basic butchering techniques, sourcing of products and the many in which these versatile meats can be prepared.

Come hungry and ready to cook up some venison chili, wild boar sliders with maple barbeque sauce, rabbit cacciatore, and Buffalo-style quail. We will try a few big, bold wines to match, just in time for your Superbowl party.

Astor Center
399 Lafayette Street, Manhattan
6-9:30p; $125
212-674-7501
astorcenternyc.com

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

• Build a Solar Battery Charger and LED Lamp, with Phillip Stearns (aka Pixel Form) at 3rd Ward, 573 Metropolitan Avenue location. February 6. 2:30-6:30p. NOTE: Mention Nonsense NYC when you register (deadline February 1) for a 10% discount. 3rdward.com/calendar
• Dance and drum workshop in Senegal, West Africa, with Ousmane Sall. February 20 to March 10. $1,800. Partial deposit due January 31. cirehouse(at)gmail.com. 646-325-6723. cirehouse.com

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: SATURDAY *****

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, but our biggest event is the upcoming annual Special Camp Fair every year. We need volunteers to help the day of the Fair directing families, collecting donations, giving out guides and materials, and cleaning up after the Fair.

11a-3p
bit.ly/64QtBv
resourcesnyc.org

***** HELP: SATURDAY *****

Poets for Haiti

ARTs East New York is looking for poets to participate in an open mic session for our fundraising event for the victims of Haiti. Please contact us if you’re interested in performing.

7-10p
info(at)artseastny.com
artseastny.com

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

Global Volunteering Fair

Looking for a way to help? Next Monday Idealist.org will be coordinating a Global Volunteering Fair in Manhattan. Hosted by and at Barnard College, this free event will offer individuals the opportunity to meet one-on-one with organizations that coordinate volunteer projects around the globe as well as attend free workshops on topics like the basics of volunteering abroad and strategies for making volunteering in another country affordable.

6-9p
Barnard College, LeFrak Gymnasium
3009 Broadway, Manhattan
idealist.org/globalvolunteering.

***** HELP: THURSDAY *****

Volunteer Women in Sports Careers

Girls Incorporated of New York City is seeking volunteers to present at our National Girls and Women in Sports Day event on Thursday. The event will host 130 girls in grades 6 to 9 for an afternoon with female athletes for athletic activities, demonstrations, and career exploration. This nationwide event honors the achievements of women in sports and encourages girls to participate in athletic activity.

We are in need of women who have sports related careers (on the field or off) to volunteer as guest presenters during the event. Volunteers will conduct two 45-minute sessions with groups of girls to discuss their careers, provide a demonstration, and share their experiences, with the goal of inspiring more girls to participate in athletic activities.

283 Adams Street, Brooklyn
3-6p
laura(at)girlsincnyc.org
212 531 7620.

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

• February 11. Streetwise Partners is looking for volunteers to mentor low-income adults in career development and computer and job skills. This inspiring 14-week program begins in late February with locations in midtown and downtown Manhattan and Exchange Place, Jersey City. Programs take place on Saturdays from 12-2p, or Tues/Weds evenings from 6:30-9p. Each volunteer will mentor a highly motivated low-income individual and introduce them to the workplace and computer skills necessary for a productive and successful career. Please join us for an information session to learn more about getting involved in this program as a mentor, or through our one-time opportunities (resume reviews, mock interviews, etc.). An upcoming information session will be held at our downtown Manhattan offices on Thursday the 11th, 6-7p. Please email Melanie(at)streetwisepartners.org today to reserve your spot! bit.ly/duWutY
• February 14-17. Volunteer at Toy Fair. Toy Fair is the largest toy and game fair in the country where manufacturers from all over the world bring their products and especially introduce new ones. It is, however, an industry-only trade show, so if you want to get in, you need to know someone. If you have at least 4 hours to volunteer on February 14, 15, 16, and/or 17 to pass out catalogs and demonstrate board games and card games at our booth, this is your chance. In addition to a pass to attend any of the 5 days of the Fair, you will also receive one of our games as a thank-you gift. You will need to be available for a 2-hour training session some time before the 14th. bit.ly/bM11f2
• Oh also, anybody wanna wrassle? Cause this guy is looking for someone: bit.ly/ctE69t Craigslist said it was OK to distribute this charitable volunteerism activity.

XXXXX NONSENSE XXXXX

nonsense nyc is a discriminating resource for independent art, weird events, strange happenings, unique parties, and senseless culture in new york city.

please remember that you are always free to pass nonsense nyc along to anyone who needs to see it, but you do not have permission to use any of the listings for your commercial publication. if you are receiving this list as a forward from someone else you can sign up for yourself at nonsensenyc.com/subscribe.

we now accept donations to cover the costs of producing this list, and suggest $5 a year from individual readers or $20 a year if we list your events. to be clear, this is not a traditional subscription, but a donation because you believe that independent artists should support other independent artists. if you've ever paid for a ticket to see your friend's band you know what we mean. you can make donations here: nonsensenyc.com/special/. and thank you.

XXXXX END XXXXX

Hey whore, how's the whoring?