11-12-15 p1-16 Layout 1 - Park Slope Food Coop...Marigny, the New Orleans Food Co-op (NOFC) offers...

Established1973

O F F I C I A L N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E P A R K S L O P E F O O D C O O P

Volume FF, Number 25 December 15, 2011

C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 5

After the speeches, afterthe spirituals, after the

blessing with flower petalsscattered on the floor, theTreme Brass Band led a sec-ond line triumphant throughthe aisles, dozens of peopledancing to the joyful music.And when they were done,Louisiana’s only cooperative-ly owned grocery store wasfinally, officially, emphatical-ly open for business.

Located in the FaubourgMarigny, the New OrleansFood Co-op (NOFC) offers 4,000 products in aclean, bright, 4,800-square-foot space. It’s ananchor tenant in the New Orleans Healing Cen-ter, a former furniture factory that is now home toa yoga studio, an organic restaurant, a bookstoreand art gallery, a credit union and an “interfaithcenter,” which describes itself as “a special, quietplace for everyone.” After attending the Co-op’sgrand opening, I think it’s fair to say that theentire operation is a special place, and that ittruly welcomes everyone. But perhaps “quiet” is arelative term in New Orleans.

A Long Road to SuccessSpeaking to a crowd of about 75 members

and interested guests at the opening ceremony,NOFC co-founder and Board member John Cal-houn described the organization’s genesis.

“About 10 years ago I found a flyer in a coffeeshop asking for people interested in founding afood co-op,” he said. “I was looking for some-thing positive to do with my time, to benefit thecommunity and New Orleans. So I called the

number. But no one ever called back. So Idecided to do it myself.”

It was a long road. Calhoun found an onlineguide to starting a food cooperative, and it saidthe first step was to hold a general meeting. So,on Nov. 11, 2002, he called the first general meet-ing of the New Orleans Food Co-op. Twenty-twopeople showed up. “I knew that night that NewOrleans could support this idea,” he said.

Elizabeth Underwood, Manager for Outreachand Events, and member #436, took up the story.“The NOFC for the longest time seemed more likea social club than an organization moving towardopening a storefront. They held veggie & raw foodpotlucks, had a pretty committed buying club,and were a tabling presence at lots of neighbor-hood events. I personally had doubts as towhether or not we’d ever actually have a store.”

Hurricane KatrinaIn the summer of 2005, they came close: they

had officially incorporated with the state of

IN THIS ISSUENovember GM Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Puzzle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Coordinators’ Corner: Fracking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7Coop Hours, Coffeehouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Coop Calendar, Workslot Needs

Governance Information, Mission Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Environmental Committee, Wordsprouts Reports . . . . . . . . . 15Classified Ads, Community Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Next General Meeting on December 27The General Meeting of the Park Slope Food Coop is held on thelast Tuesday of each month.* The next General Meeting will beon Tuesday, December 27, at 7:00 p.m. at the Congregation BethElohim Temple House (Garfield Temple), 274 Garfield Place.

The agenda is in this Gazette and available as a flier in theentryway of the Coop. For more information about the GM andabout Coop governance, please see the center of this issue.

* Exceptions will be posted.

Makeup GlutIt was a quiet Tuesday morning at the Park Slope Food

Coop, and the 10:30 shopping shift was just beginning.Regular workers began to file in as one of the squad

leaders, Rebecca Winzenried, oversaw and sent workers tocheckout stations, to the entry and exit desks, and outside,while transitioning previous workers off their shifts.

It was all par for the course, except that this particularTuesday also happened to be Election Day—not much of anelection, but public schools were closed, and many peoplewere off work for the day. As a result, several makeup workersshowed up, in addition to all the regular workers on thesquad. Angling to be placed, there were those requestingslots that were already full; one woman who came in wantingto do checkout, even though she hadn’t worked on the new(or new-ish, they’re four years old now) checkout machines;another who normally did Receiving but was here to do Shop-ping and wondered what she could do.

Juggling JobsAt first, Winzenried and her co-squad leader handled the

influx with ease, but a half hour into the shift—in which 12makeups showed up for a squad in which only five peoplewere absent—it became somewhat of a juggle, with muchattention focused on making up jobs for the makeups. Itwould be one thing if the Coop were busy, but it was a quietmorning. Even so, there was a line manager to manage anon-existent line. Outside, there were five walkers relaxingon the bench.

Elsewhere in the Coop, the same scene played out on differ-ent squads. Upstairs in the office, two makeup workers weretaken for the 10:30 shift—and two were turned away (there areonly so many chairs in the office). Ken Macdonald, the Receiv-ing Monitor, had a cluster of makeup workers standing next tothe egg cooler, peppering him with questions as his walky-talky squawked. It all seemed chaotic, though for Macdonald,the surplus was a blessing; “There’s always tons of work,” hesaid. “And I’m missing half my squad.”

C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 2

By Gayle Forman

Cooperating Down In New OrleansBy Tom Matthews

Winter Holiday HoursChristmas Eve, Saturday, 12/24 6:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Christmas Day, Sunday, 12/25 10:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

New Year’s Eve, Saturday, 12/31 6:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.New Year’s Day, Sunday, 1/1 10:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

The Membership Office will be CLOSED onSunday, December 25, and Sunday, January 1.

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Opening ceremony for the New Orleans Food Coop.

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Louisiana, and had agreed ona deal for a location. Thencame Hurricane Katrina,which dashed these hopes, asso many others. But, Under-wood believes, the floods also“galvanized the co-op to get astorefront,” and helped targetthe actual location, “a con-crete answer to a serioussocial need.”

In fact, according to FrontEnd Manager Lashawn Craw-ford, “It was more importantfor us at this point to have agrocery store than to have aco-op. This neighborhood is afood desert.”

Underwood elaborated:“There are corner stores with-in a mile which, as a result ofthe dire need for groceries inthe neighborhood, haveadapted and begun to sellgrocery items. The NOFCapplauds these retailers forsupporting our community.However, we are the first full-service grocery store in the8th ward post-Katrina.”

As such, in order to reachthe widest number of shop-pers, and those most in need,non-members may shop inthe store.

A “full investment” tobecome an owner-member is$100; there are also lower, andhigher, levels, depending on aperson’s financial situationand commitment. Accordingto Underwood, there are cur-rently 2,120 owner-members.

Member-owners are notrequired to work shifts in thestore. They are eligible to voteat General Meetings. They arealso “eligible to receive a smallpercentage of the total amountof money you spend at NOFCeach year. When the co-op hasa profit at the end of the year,our General Manager andBoard of Directors determinewhat can be returned to themember-owners while sustain-ing a financially healthy posi-tion for your co-op.”

At this point, profit-shar-ing is more theory than reali-ty. But of course, profits arenot really the point. In herremarks at the opening,Rachel Riezman, NOFC Presi-dent and a board member,sounded a theme thatechoed during the day. “Thisco-op will be so much morethan a grocery store. Our goalis to bring the communitytogether. And how better todo that, than through food?”

Exploring the StoreThe soft-opening of the

NOFC was October 10th, andthe store was busy in themonth before the officialopening. Lori Burge, GeneralManager, told me that theywere averaging 400 shoppersper day, and grossing $40,000in sales per week. She was con-fident they would reach theirgoal of $2.1 million in salesduring their first year.

Burge, who had been activein the People’s Food Co-op inPortland, Oregon, before mov-

ing to New Orleans, noted thatNOFC had drawn on experi-ences with many other co-ops,including the Park Slope FoodCoop. According to Under-wood, several NOFC stafferspreviously were members ofthe Park Slope Food Coop,including Christiane Wurmst-edt and Lise Hopkins.

I wandered through thestore and was impressed bythe bright colors, the wideaisles, the clear signage andthe broad range of products.

Many of the items werefamiliar from our store. ButNOFC focuses on local foodproducts, too. In a recentnewsletter, Allan Fickling, Per-ishables Buyer, noted a fewthat he was particularlyenthused about: “Justin PittsFarms Heritage Breeds beefand pork from Hillsville MS;the Shannon Gonsoulin Ranchin New Iberia will be providingbeef; Kenny and Jaime Mauthein Kentwood are doing milkproducts; Bittersweet Planta-tion Dairy, John Folse’s opera-tion in Gonzalez, will beproviding cheeses; we’ll havegoat cheeses from BelleEcorce Farms and local bakedgoods from Dong Phuong Bak-ery, Wildflower, La Boulangerieand Pious Breads.”

I met Jamie Katz and Natha-nial Kooperkamp standing at afolding table with a bowl ofmesclun for sampling. Theyare working with Our School atBlair Grocery (OSBG), anurban agriculture initiativebased in the Lower 9th Ward,arguably the neighborhoodmost devastated by the post-Katrina floods.

OSBG is named for, andinspired by, Blair Grocery,which many believe was thefirst black-owned business inthe Lower 9th. Founded post-Katrina by Nat Turner, OSBGworks with African-Americanteenagers, and last year began

partnering with Job 1 to trainstudents in urban agriculture.From an original 1 ½ acre gar-den plot, they will double insize next year, and their goal isto tend 40 acres of healthyfood crops. Katz said they weresupplying NOFC with micro-greens and herbs, and wouldbegin delivering tomatoes inthe next few weeks.

“The next few weeks?” Iasked, incredulous, thinkingof the long, cold, tomato-less winter we are facing inBrooklyn.

“This climate is amazing,”Katz replied. “We plant toma-toes at the end of summer andpick them in late fall. Becauseit’s so hot in July and August,the only crop that can surviveis okra.”

A Land of SurvivorsNew Orleans is a land of sur-

vivors. I have been visiting near-ly annually since Katrina, andhave felt the community’s angerand hopelessness give way to ashared feeling of determinationand enthusiasm.

One of the speakers at theceremony was New OrleansCouncilwoman Susan Guidry.She told the crowd, “Katrina

changed our lives in so manyways. And crazy as it seems,some of them are wonderful. Ican speak for myself. BeforeKatrina, I was an attorney anddid my grocery shopping atWhole Foods. It took Katrina topush me to become a memberof the New Orleans Food Co-op, and then in 2010, to run forthe City Council. I’m so proudfor all of us that we are cele-brating here today.”

That pride could be felt,and heard, in the rousingmusic that followed the cere-mony, and in the beamingfaces that filled the store. Itwas a pleasure and a privilegeto be part of the party. NewOrleans’ first true cooperativegrocery store seems to be offon the right foot as it dancesinto the future, supporting acommunity that was batteredbut never defeated, one wherefood and music have beendefining and sustaining valuesfor a long time past, andpromise to nourish growth fora long time to come. ■

New Orleans Food Cooperative islocated at 2372 St. Claude, Suite110. For more information, seewww.nolafood.coop.

Read the Gazette while you’re standing on line OR online at www.foodcoop.com

2 � December 15, 2011 Park Slope Food Coop, Brooklyn, NY

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The outside walls of NOFC are brightly painted with neighborhood murals.

Left to right: Rachel Riezman, NOFC Board President, JohnCalhoun, NOFC Founder, Rodrick Miller, NOFC member.

New OrleansC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 1

The Park Slope Food CoopAgenda Committee (“AG”) is seeking

qualified nominees to stand for election andserve on the committee.

The AG was established by the General Meeting (“GM”) tohelp facilitate the timely presentation of Coop business to

the members attending the monthly meeting.In addition to assembling the monthly agenda and

maintaining records of items submitted, the AG works with members who submit items forconsideration by the GM and may need assistance

formulating proposals and discussion points.The AG meets the first Tuesday of every month at 8pm at the Coop. Committee members are also required to attend five (5) GMs per year.

In addition, committee members caucus by telephone andvia e-mail as needed to facilitate committee business.Qualifications include a cooperative spirit, experienceworking in a committee environment, and an ongoing

interest in the business of the Coop. Interested memberscontact Ann Herpel in the Coordinators Office.

We are seeking an applicant pool that reflects thediversity of the Coop’s membership.

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By Danielle Uchitelle

What do you get whenyou take 150 Coop

members dedicated to partic-ipatory democracy andsqueeze them into a crampedroom on a rainy autumnnight? You get the NovemberGeneral Meeting, held in asmaller space than usual atthe Garfield Temple, giving uskind of a seated version of atypical shoulder-to-shoulderCoop shopping trip.

GM Chair Carl Arnoldcalled the meeting to orderwith an announcement thatthe Temple had decided itcould no longer provide aroom for childcare at the Gen-eral Meeting. The news wasgreeted by the muffled soundof crying (from parents, notbabies) punctuating theacoustically challenged space.It was then time for the firstitem of business, the ever-popular open forum. A mem-ber stood up to ask how weknow that organic food fromChina is really organic. “I buypumpkin seeds,” she said,“and I see that they come fromChina. But are they reallysafe?” Allen Zimmerman,Coop General Coordinatorand produce buyer, respond-ed. “How can we know thatfood products from China aresafe? We can’t. I don’t buy anyproduce from China because Idon’t trust that it will be safe.It’s hard to avoid all productsthat include ingredients fromChina,” said Zimmerman, “butwe try to buy as much foodnot from China as we can.”

A member rose to com-plain that many bulk itemscome up from the basementpacked in ridiculously smallamounts. Zimmerman agreed,saying, “When I’m shopping Ihate to pick through the Med-jool dates having only twodates per bag.” General Coor-dinator Joe Holtz respondedthat there were printedguidelines for packagingposted in the basement butthat it was not always easy toget members of the food pro-cessing squad to consistentlyfollow them.

Coordinators’ ReportsThe open forum having

concluded, the main body ofthe meeting got underway.Kicking off the Coordinators’reports, Mike Eakin said theCoop continues to enjoy goodfinancial strength, with mod-est year-over-year increases inkey metrics, including sales,operating income, and total

membership. Henoted that ourinventory has anaverage turnoverrate of 68 timesper year, meaningthe Coop theo-retically sells outw a l l - t o - w a l labout every 5 ½days. This con-sumption ratemight seem like adifficult conceptto imagine, but itbecame clearerwhen Allen Zim-merman got upto give hismonthly reporton produce. Zim-merman notedthat during thetwo weeks lead-ing up to Thanks-giving, the Coopsold 3,000 bags offresh cranberries,9,000 pounds ofonions, 5½ tonsof potatoes, and2,000 cases ofclementines. Alltold, 300,000pounds of pro-duce werereceived duringthis two week period. Andeach case of produce wereceive needs to be lifted mul-tiple times: from truck to con-veyor belt, from belt tobasement to cart, from cart tocooler, and eventually back tothe belt and up to the shop-ping floor. Zimmerman calcu-lated that on average eachcase of produce is lifted seventimes, meaning that Coopmembers hauled a total ofover 2 million pounds of pro-duce during this period. Nowonder we’re sore!

Board Member ElectionThe first item on the agen-

da was an election to fill avacant seat on the Board ofDirectors, an interim positionresulting from the recent res-ignation of a board member.Carl asked for nominationsand three names were calledout from the crowded room:Tim Platt, Jesse Rosenfeld,and Albert Solomon. Eachcandidate was given a fewminutes to address the meet-ing, stating their qualifica-tions and interest in theposition. Paper ballots werecirculated and attendees wereinstructed to vote yes, no, orabstain for each candidate.When the votes were counted,Tim Platt emerged the victor.

Disciplinary DiscussionThe two agenda items after

the election were for discus-sion, not for voting. First, mem-bers of the DisciplinaryCommittee and the HearingOfficer Committee presentedtheir recommendations forchanges to the Coop discipli-nary process. Committee mem-bers Yuko Uchikawa, MarianHertz, and Liam Malanaphy de-scribed the committee as abody that reviews cases of mis-conduct. Cases are researched,evidence is collected, chargesare brought, and a committeemember is assigned to presentthe evidence to other membersacting as a deciding group. Ifthe accused Coop member isfound guilty he or she can bepunished in various ways,including permanent expul-sion. The disciplinary hearingprocess, Yuko explained,involved gathering 15 randomlychosen Coop members—nineof whom ultimately serve as thedeciding group— plus theother members of the Discipli-nary Committee, and the Hear-ing Officer Committee and theHearing Administration Com-mittee. All told, Yuko reported,dozens of Coop members needto be mobilized for each hear-ing. Yuko described the pro-posed changes as an attempt to

streamline thed i s c i p l i n a r yprocess by givingcommittee mem-bers the option, incertain cases, ofusing “arbitra-tion,” “automatictemporary dis-missal” and “pre-s u m p t i v eexpulsion” (formembers withprior disciplinaryrecords).

Yuko promisedto present the fullr e c o m m e n d a -tions in writtenform in a forth-coming Linewait-ers’ Gazette article,and Carl openedthe floor forquestions anddiscussion. Onemember askedwhy it takes 15members to forma group to punisha Coop member,when it onlytakes 12 jurors toconvict a personof murder. Yukoexplained that 15are called to

serve on the deciding group inorder to make sure nine arepresent for the actual hearing.When asked how often a fulldisciplinary hearing had beenconvened in the previous year,the committee membersreplied that it occurred onlyabout once or twice a year.Another member voiced hisconcern that the proposedchanges amounted to “doingaway with trial by jury.”Malanaphy and Hertzresponded that the stream-lined process would only beused on certain cases, andwas not designed to com-pletely eliminate a hearingbefore Coop peers. Some inthe crowd did not appear con-

vinced. “I am horrified,” amember named James said,“that this proposal can lead toexpulsion without dueprocess.”

FTOP DiscussionAt the conclusion of the

allotted comment period, thethird and final agenda topicwas introduced, a discussionitem submitted by MichaelWest concerning the paucity ofFTOP work slots. As Coopmembership grows, more workslots are established as part ofthe permanent shift rotation,leaving fewer slots available forparticipants in the Future TimeOff Program, members whoseschedules are too erratic toallow them to work a normalshift. “Over the years, work gotscarcer and scarcer,” for FTOPmembers, said Michael. Heproposed that we discuss find-ing ways to make more workavailable for FTOP credit.

Carl called for commentsand a number of current FTOPmembers expressed their sym-pathy for Mike’s plight. A mem-ber named Dimitry agreed thatthere was a problem. “In thelast few years there has been areduction in available FTOPshifts,” he said. Other FTOPworkers disagreed: “I don’t havea problem getting shifts,” saidFTOP worker Charlie. GeneralCoordinator Joe Holtz, inresponse to a member ques-tion about reducing work slots,spoke with fervor about theneed to avoid reducing eitherthe length or the frequency ofshifts, though Michael declaredthat this was never his inten-tion, saying “All I’m suggestingis that we have a way for FTOPworkers to have the opportunityto work. That’s it.” As Carl calledthe comment period to an end,Michael summarized his feel-ings, which could describe theentire General Meeting for thisevening. “The Coop is a fasci-nating place,” he said. ■


Park Slope Food Coop, Brooklyn, NY December 15, 2011 � 3

If you are interested in the history of the Coop or in when and how particular subjects have been

discussed in the Gazette...

Send an e-mail to Len Neufeld, Gazette indexer, [email protected], to request PDF files of

either or both of the following indexes:

◆ An alphabetized list of the titles of all articles published in theGazette from 1995 to the present, with issue dates.

◆ An alphabetized list of all subjects (including people’s names) discussed in Gazette articles from 1995–98 and 2001 to the present,

with article titles, issue dates, and page numbers (subjects for the years 1999 and 2000 are being added).

Many of the Gazette issues referenced in these indexes are available as PDFs on the Coop’s website.

(The currently available issues cover the years 2006 to the present,plus selected issues from 1999, 2000, and 2005.)

Coop General Meeting Chair Committee (l to r): Carl Arnold, India Alexis, David Moss.

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Three days after ElectionDay, it was Veteran’s Day,another one of those holi-days that people have offand tend to use as anopportunity to make up anowed shift. Once again, theCoop saw a surge in make-ups. The 10:30 shoppingsquad saw 16 makeups, andfive absences. The 1 p.m.shopping squad had 15makeups—and only threeabsences.

‘Life Happens’Everyone knows that

missing the occasionalCoop shift is inevitable. Youget sick; your kids get sick.Your shift is scheduled on aholiday. “Life happens,” saysGeneral Coordinator AnnHerpel. At any given time,says Herpel, 25 percent ofCoop members owe a make-up. Given the relative easeof doing a makeup—if youshow up in time for a shift,for most squads, the squadleader is obligated to findsomething for you to do—doing makeups is as easy, orsometimes easier, than mak-ing a regular shift.

And maybe in a perfectworld, it wouldn’t matter ifpeople made up their regu-lar shifts. In a perfect world,equilibrium would beestablished, workers wouldcome in for makeups in theexact numbers to fill in forregular workers missingshifts. But it’s not a perfectworld, so instead, thingsget a little lopsided. Somedays, there is a makeupglut—far too much memberlabor and not enough work,which is just sort of annoy-ing. And other days, it’s theother way around, too many

shoppers, not enough labor,and that can lead to realproblems.

General Coordinator JoeHoltz is fond of saying thatas a Coop member, yourscheduled time is worthmore than your unsched-uled time. To really under-stand what he means, youhave to go back to the mid-1970s, when the Coop’smembership was measuredin the hundreds, not tens ofthousands. So when deliv-eries were expected, theCoop intentionally sched-uled enough receivingworkers to lug all the goodsupstairs (we were on thesecond floor back then).“But then we’d have two

people show up to receive adelivery that needed six,”Holtz says. “Those two peo-ple would schlep the foodup the stairs. It didn’t reallyhelp us if those other fourpeople came a week later ora shift later.” The Coop hadpurposely coordinated thenumber of workers neededfor the size of the delivery. Ifworkers didn’t show, thewhole system was thrown indisarray.

Moreover, says Holtz, ifpeople became lax aboutshowing up for their regularshifts, it undermined thewhole squad system, “theessential building block ofthe Coop.” One of the rea-sons the Park Slope Food

Coop has succeeded allthese years where othershave not is because of thesquad system, because ofthe sense of communityand ownership it engen-ders. Showing up monthafter month is what helpsfoster that.

So this is why, in the1970s, the Coop devised thecurrent makeup policy—two shifts owed for everyone missed. This remains

the Coop’s official policy,though squad leaders havediscretion on how to applyit, which can make thingsconfusing. Many squadleaders opt to give mem-bers one makeup if a mem-ber calls ahead of time andhas a decent track record,while others default to giv-ing two makeups for everymissed shift.

Even though the Coophas grown enormously sincethe 1970s, the logisticsremain essentially the same:The Coordinators knowwhen to expect multipledeliveries and they knowwhen the shopping floor isbusier. They intentionallyschedule more memberlabor at these times to getthe food off the trucks andonto the shelves and tomove shoppers through thecheckout lines. When peopledon’t show up for scheduledshifts and if there aren’tmakeups to cover, it can cre-ate huge problems. Receiv-ing can’t get food out fastenough and the shelves gounstocked. Checkout sta-tions go unmanned, and thelines back up. Childcare isunderstaffed and can’taccept as many children.

“A Blessing and a Curse”Sometimes the pendulum

swings in the other direc-tion—too many makeups,not enough places to putthem. Peter Drogin has beena squad leader for the 1 p.m.Monday A-week shoppingsquad for more than seven



CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS FOR THE MAY 2012 BROOKLYN FOOD CONFERENCE

Brooklyn Food Coalition is planning a conference for May 12, 2012.

Please join BFC as a member and help make this conference happen.

CopywritingGraphic Design

Social NetworkingWeb Development

OutreachResearch

Fundraising

To learn more and to volunteer please contact:[email protected].

You will receive FTOP credit for your work.

CHIPS is looking for a member whowould be able to advise on software,hardware and networking. Membershould be available to troubleshoot as necessary but also to help make

decisions on necessary upgrades, etc.CHIPS needs assistance in installing

new software and migrating datafrom old systems to new.

Member will earn FTOP credit.

CHIPS currently uses an old version of Quicken.

Knowledge of Quicken, Quick Booksand/or GiftWorks would be useful.

CHIPS uses Mozy for back up.

Interested persons can contact Pat Gauvey at [email protected].

Makeup GlutC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 1

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years. Mondays see a lot ofholidays, so Drogin sees alot of makeups, and he callsthe glut “both a blessing anda curse.” Drogin says he cer-tainly understands the needto miss a shift and make itup, and he has also beensaved by makeups. But moreoften than not, when he’sfaced with 15 or 20 extrapeople, all showing up atonce, crowding the entrydesk when there is notenough work to absorb allthe extra labor, it gets stress-ful. “It’s debatable whetherthe extra bodies are helpingme or hurting me.”

The General Coordina-tors agree. With 16,000members, it ’s inevitablethat we will get higher num-bers of makeups, and it’sclear that the attendancesystem, with its inconsis-tently applied rules thatallow some members tobasically rely on makeupsas a stand-in for regularshifts, is broken. Holtz saysthat some members mayargue that the makeup glutis proof that we can elimi-nate the thirteenth shiftfrom the calendar but theCoordinators disagree. Asthe Coop grows, so does theneed for labor. But havingmakeups show up wheneveris convenient for them, asopposed to when the Coopneeds the labor, has tochange.

Online Scheduling?One way to solve the

problem might be to createan online scheduling pro-gram that would allowmembers to review sched-ules online and schedulemakeups with a click of amouse. This would mean nomore strolling in any timeto do a makeup shift. If youmiss a shift, you’d have togo online and sign up for ashift. Coordinators wouldhave control in directingmember labor to times andsquads when it’s needed (asopposed to having everyoneshow up on a holiday orSaturday at 10:30). Such ascheduling program doesn’tcurrently exist, but withsuch a system even makeupshifts would become sched-uled time.

In the meantime, there’ssome agreement that it’sprobably time to standard-ize the makeup policy. Giv-ing squad leaders discretionbuilds trust and community,but it can also create asense of disgruntlement.Herpel points out the caseof one member who hasmissed three of the last 13shifts but has received sin-gle makeups for all of them,whereas if the member wasanother squad, missing afew shifts in a row wouldmean receiving doublemakeups. “It seems arbitraryand grossly unfair,” Herpel

says. “That doesn’t feel goodto many members.”

A possible solution is totake the makeups out ofsquad leaders’ hands and toweight them somehow. Missone shift, get one makeup.Miss two shifts get one and ahalf makeups. That halfwould disappear after a fewmonths, but if you missanother shift in a short peri-od, you’d then owe an addi-tional shift. Such a policywould discourage the kindsof members who seem tothink that making 50 percentof their regularly scheduledshifts is a decent trackrecord. It’s not.

On the flip side, Holtzsays, such a system couldalso have a reward, similarto getting a baker’s dozenwhen you buy bagels ordonuts. If you make severalshifts without missing one(or if you swap when youcannot make your shift), youwould receive a credit for ashift you could bank.

And really, that would bewelcome. Because as Her-pel points out, if 25 percentof Coop members oweshifts at any given point—and we’ve all been there—that means that 75 percentdon’t. That adds up toabout 12,000 members,working together, to keepthe Coop running smoothly.So maybe they do deservethat extra bagel. ■

What Is That? How Do I Use It?

Ask Me QuestionsAbout Coop Foods

Monday, December 19, 12 to 12:45 p.m.Friday, December 23, 10 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

You can join in any time during a question-and-answer session

on the shopping floor.

Look for tour leaders in produce aisle.

The Coop has joined the anti-fracking campaign andwe need you to make your

voice heard!

How to get involved:Sign the NY Statewide Ban on Natural Gas Drilling Petition

available in the Membership Office.

s Online @ http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/NY-Statewide-Ban-On-Natural-Gas-Drilling/

Submit a comment about the draft Supplemental Generic

Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS) to the DEC

s Go tohttp://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/76838.html

s Mail written comments to:Attn: dSGEIS Comments

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

625 BroadwayAlbany, NY 12233-6510

Attend letter-writing workshop @ Coop on 12/16, 12/17, or 1/3. See the

Calendar of Events in this issue of the Gazette.

Sign online petition to NY State Senate in support of Bill A07400 to suspend

hydrofracking in NY State.

s http://signon.org/sign/nys-senators-bring-bill.fb1?source=s.fb&r_by=351080

Makeup EtiquetteSome tips for making your makeup shift go smoothly from veteransquad leader, Peter Drogin:

Arrive early. The rule is, if you show up on time, the squad leaderson most squads are required to accommodate you. Be on the safeside, show up 10 minutes early. If you show up 10 minutes late,don’t be surprised if you are turned away.

Check in. With the incoming squad leader, not the outgoing one.Tell him or her you’re there for a makeup. And then get out of theway. Don’t mosey over to a checkout station because you always docheckout. When you’re a makeup—as opposed to a swap—you getlow priority in terms of job choices.

Go anywhere. You may normally be an outside worker but if theshopping squad has its fill of outside workers, the squad leadermay send you elsewhere—even to another committee. The Coop isaccommodating you by letting you do a makeup any time. You needto be accommodating in return.

Share your skills. If you have special training—as a cashier, a child-care worker, a line manager, etc.—alert the squad leader. Often, heor she needs to fill these specific gaps and having a trained sub onhand can be extremely helpful.

Be nice. Maybe you really like doing entry desk and got sent toreceiving. Maybe you love working in the coolers and wound upstocking bread. Don’t have a tizzy. This is the Coop. Be cooperative.

11-12-15 p1-16_Layout 1 12/14/11 6:41 PM

By Louise Maher-Johnson

The drinking water on myupstate rural farm might

also be your downstate urbandrinking water.

Our county aquifers arelarge connected under-ground lakes that flowtoward the NYC watershed inour town of Gilboa. What’smore, these huge contiguousaquifers are already compro-mised because of karst, avery fragile underground net-work of cavernous limestone,as exemplified by the nearbyHowe Caverns—not far frommy farm.

Karst, with its numeroussinkholes and caves allowssurface water to pollutegroundwater. Contaminantsfrom household septic sys-tems and farm and smallindustry run-off have alreadyentered our drinking water.

Hydrogeologist Paul Rubin

wrote, “We have THE mosthydrologically vulnerableaquifers anywhere.”

Countywide record floodshave also polluted ouraquifers with everythingimaginable from medicinecabinets, barns, plastic facto-ries, gas stations. And, again,these aquifers flow towardyour city drinking water.

New York has fertile farmland and abundant

water.... And the plan is to frack both, and send contaminants toward

your watershed.

If our farmland is allowedto be fracked, the repeatedpressure of 10,000 poundsper square inch will transferhorizontally through the frag-ile karst, which lies above andbelow aquifers. Cave collaps-es and the build-up ofmethane and radon in caveswill further threaten ourendangered bats, which, likehoney bees, are essential tothe balance of many otherecosystems.

Fracking waste water anddiesel fuel will penetrate intothe karst through streamsand sinkholes, even in a rainstorm.

Think of the cumulativeeffect of fracking and re-frack-ing one well, then the wellnext to it. There are to be six

or more wells drilled andfracked on a single well pad.Wells with cracked or agingcement casings and seals willleak toxins into undergroundpathways to our groundwaterlakes. There is no way of con-fining fracking chemicalsonce they move through themany cavernous openingsinto rapidly flowing aquifers.

The fact that our countyhas serious seismic faultsand a history of earthquakeswill facilitate collapses andwater contamination. Therehave been ninety-onequakes since 1973, includingthe largest in the state’sgasland area.

The S-GEIS does not men-tion or map karst or includean accurate map of seismicfaults. And although the DEChas outlawed drilling on 100-year floodplains, it usesobsolete floodplain maps.

Man-made mini-quakesand injections of toxins intoour caverns and aquifers, ourfloodplains and faults,should be banned.

New York has fertile farm-land and abundant water, thetwo most essential and soon-to-be-rare resources. And theplan is to frack both, andsend contaminants towardyour watershed.

The choice is betweenfracking and water, frackingand food.

Renewable energy. Now. ■

A Farmer Speaks Out on Fracking



Louise Maher-Johnson is a former member of the Food Coop who movedupstate to farm in Seward, New York. Louise read the text printed belowat the November 30th Public Hearing for the Supplemental Generic Envi-ronmental Impact Statement convened by the Department of Environ-mental Conservation. As an upstate farmer, Louise is extremelyconcerned about the impact of fracking on New York state’s water supplyand the viability and sustainability of small New York farmers like herself.The General Coordinators decided to share with you Louise’s statementas part of the Coop’s overall anti-fracking campaign.

C O O R D I N A T O R S ’ C O R N E RPlus-Ones

Puzzle author: Stuart Marquis. For answers, see page .

Below is a list of 25 common words. Each word can be expanded byinserting a single additional letter somewhere within the word (not atthe beginning or end), to form a new word. The original letters shouldnot be rearranged in any way.

Each of the letters A through Z, excluding Q, is used exactly once toexpand these words. Some words can be expanded in multiple ways,but only one combination of expansions will use up all the letters.

As an example, the first word in the list, “inure,” can be expanded byinserting a “J” to make the new word “injure.” Having used the “J” forthis word, it will not be used for any further expansions.

inurecarboypaperwakendeletemealtickleseenwritecartontingelitsinpuredeserthabitatradialpunchrootneuralcanonplantearthenpeasant

WELCOME!

A warm welcome to these new Coop members who have joined us in the last two weeks. We’re glad you’ve decided to be a part of our community.

Jacob Kubi AckermanSarah AdamsonEmily AlexyAhmet ArsanKacy BelewKate Berry-MillettKenetta BerthoumieuxSusanna BreslaoukhovJoan BrownLaura BultElizabeth BurguenoKate CardonaMina CheongWalker ClarkJared Currier

Victor DaCruzKristin DahlJack DavenportMadeleine DavisJonathan DehanYolanda Del AmoPhoebe DheurleLaure DuboulozEdward DunnChristina EdlingRachel FernbachClaire FleuryCasey FridLaura GaertnerMaria G. Garcia Valdes

Alan GarciaJoseph GarciaJason GasparRachel GessertShona GibbonMichelle GomezRay GonzalesAnne GrierMichelle GrossMolly Hickey-SinowayKenneth HillmanErica HinojosaMax HinojosaChaya HoffingerYaacov Hoffinger

Elizabeth HohnEthan HonKathy HuangJohn HunterMegan IsenstadtSanae IzuokaRebecca JablonskyNicholas KempPam (Poranee) King-

petcharatLeah KraussMary KuhnNomi LermanDarrell LewisKaterina Leznik

Natasha LiegelSam MarksClay MatlinSarah McDougald KohnRandy McKelveyZoe McKelveyNoah MenciaVernice MillerCristina MilleurScott B. MorrisMark NakamotoJessica NealChloe O’BrienBrian O’HareScott Pasternak

Lauren PessoMi PuchonMarisa RagozinoPhilip ReylandLisa RoazenJessica RosenJane RosenbaumNaomi Safran-HonElizabeth SandellLynn ScabisPamela SibbleAndrew SmithMichelle J. SmithDana SommersJoseph Stephans

Kushya SugarmanSasha SumnerDaniel TateAndrew TergisBenjamin TyreeMiranda von DornumSara WalkerCarolyn WalshAlaina WilliamsMark E. WilliamsTracey WilsonSharon YeungElie ZaccaiSindhu Zagoren

Follow the Food Coop on@foodcoop

Puzzle author: Stuart Marquis. For answers, see page 16.

11-12-15 p1-16_Layout 1 12/14/11 6:41 PM


C O O R D I N A T O R S ’ C O R N E R

By Tracy Frisch

Slope Farm, in the DelawareCounty town of Meredith,

has become one of the majorproducers of pasture-raisedand finished beef for themetropolitan New York mar-kets. But if fracking comes tothe area, farmer Ken Jaffesays he’s “basically out ofbusiness.”

His biggest customer—thePark Slope Food Coop, in hisold Brooklyn neighborhood—buys 40 percent of his meat(one cow per week). The store,owned by its 15,800 workingmembers, spends millions ofdollars each year on foodsfrom New York farms. But inlight of the environmentalcontamination resulting fromthis type of natural gas extrac-tion, the Coop said, in anopen letter to the governorand state legislature, that iffracking came to New York, itwould have to stop sourcingagricultural products grownin the areas affected.

Jill Wiener, a cut-flowergrower on the board of theCatskill farm support groupFarmhearts, approves of thisprecautionary rejection. “Youcan buy from an organicfarmer who’s never going tolease their gas rights, but youdon’t know what their neigh-bors are doing.”

“You would be taking anagricultural district and turning

it into an industrial zone andyou just can’t get good, clean,wholesome food in the middleof an industrial zone,” Wienersays. “I wouldn’t want to eat acarrot grown in gaslands and Iwouldn’t want to feed it to any-one else, either.”

The Most PowerfulCarcinogens

Jaffe, too, finds it reason-able for consumers to want toavoid such food as suspect.No special testing is conduct-ed on animals, crops or foodproducts that could havebeen exposed to frackingchemicals and other haz-ardous—even radioactive—substances that find theirway into surface and groundwater as a result of fracking.“You’re dealing with some ofthe most powerful carcino-gens known to man, like ben-zene, toluene and xylene,which are illegal in drinkingwater over one part per bil-lion,” says Jaffe, who prac-ticed medicine as a familyphysician for 25 years andstudied epidemiology beforeswitching careers. “If they sayfracking fluid is 99 percentwater, that one percent isequivalent to ten millionparts per billion.”

Fracking creates abundantopportunities for spills oftainted water. Wells must befracked periodically to stimu-

late production. While mostof this water remains under-ground—”like unexplodedordinance” in the words ofone fracking opponent—theimmense quantities that doreturn to the surface end upin evaporating ponds or aretrucked away for disposalelsewhere, including munici-pal sewage plants (which areunequipped to detoxify suchtoxic soups).

Livestock VulnerableLivestock are attracted to

this salty wastewater, onereason they are particularlyvulnerable to being poisonedby fracking. When 19 cattledied from such a spill inLouisiana, necropsies showedthat their deaths were causedby ingesting hydrocarbons.Farmers in Pennsylvania—whose regulators gave Mar-cellus Shale fracking a coupleof years’ head start over NewYork and where dozens ofhousehold water wells havealready been renderedunsafe—have made numer-ous reports of illness andmultiple deaths in livestock,typically without any follow-up investigation. Accordingto Jaffe, the state did quaran-tine 28 cattle but didn’t runthe appropriate tests to findwhat likely sickened them.

Natural gas productionalso causes ground-level

ozone, which “kills adultswith respiratory conditionsand puts children with asth-ma in the hospital,” Jaffe says.Besides the human toll,ozone also is responsible formore crop damage andreduces yields more than allthe other major air pollutantscombined, according to themainstream agricultural liter-ature. (Ozone belongs in theupper reaches of the earth’satmosphere, where it protectshumans and other livingorganisms from the ravagesof excessive ultraviolet radia-tion from the sun.)

Of more than 90 species ofagricultural crops known tobe affected by ozone, clover,which is critical to livestocknutrition and pasture health,is one of the most sensitive.Like other legumes, it takesnitrogen from the air andfixes it in the soil.

“I wouldn’t want to eat acarrot grown in gaslands andI wouldn’t want to feed it to

anyone else, either.”

The magnitude of naturalgas-induced ozone levels isastounding. Internal com-bustion engines have longbeen considered the biggestsource of this pollutant, butan atmospheric study in FortWorth, Texas, showed thathydrofracking there causesas much surface-level ozoneas cars and trucks driving inthe city. In a sparsely popu-lated Wyoming county withone-fortieth fewer peopleper square mile than theCatskills, ozone readings atthe ground surpass those intraffic-congested Los Ange-les. Curiously, ChautauquaCounty, in far western NewYork, has 6,000 gas wells, themost in the state, as well asthe second-highest ozone

levels, Jaffe says.Jaffe’s vision of rural eco-

nomic development doesn’tthreaten health or our capaci-ty to feed ourselves. In theMeredith Landowner Coali-tion newsletter, he makes thecase that utilizing only halfhis town’s unused fields forpasturing livestock wouldconservatively increase farmrevenues by over $4 million,year after year without evenfactoring in direct marketing.It would put a lot of moneyback into the local economy,too—Jaffe figures that forevery acre he farms, hespends $3,000 a year locallyto pay the meat processor,trucker, cow-calf producers,and for hay and labor.

In early July, New YorkState released its draft envi-ronmental impact statementon fracking, a major steptoward approving and regu-lating it in the MarcellusShale. Acknowledging thatthe hydrofracking process haspolluted wells and contami-nated surface water, thereport proposes to ban thegas extraction process in theparts of the Catskills locatedwithin the New York Citywatershed (in order to safe-guard the city’s water supplythat flows, unfiltered, from itsCatskills reservoirs). Thestate also would protect thegroundwater supplies ofsome upstate cities and theunfiltered surface waterreservoir used by Syracuse.

For those drinking unfil-tered water in the 85 percentof the Marcellus Shale wherethe state is giving fracking agreen light, the report offerslittle consolation. Jaffe cal-culated that of the 1,140,000upstate residents who drinkgroundwater in the Marcel-lus Shale, the state wouldnot protect the drinkingwater of 840,000. ■


Farmers Get Fracked“Farmers Get Fracked” was originally published in the September-November 2011 issue of The Valley Table. Tracy Frisch, the author, is a long-time friend of the Food Coop and a New York activist for sustainablefarming and against the misuse of pesticides. The General Coordinatorswanted to make this portion of “Farmers Get Fracked” available to Coopmembers because Frisch features Ken Jaffee of Slope Farms — our pri-mary supplier for grass-fed and -finished beef. Ken has been active in theupstate anti-fracking campaign. Article reprinted with permission.

THANK YOU!

Thank you to the following members for referring friends who joined the Coop in the last two weeks.

Hannah Abbott Elizabeth Abbs AbbyMalinda Allen AnnieKen A.Charlene Bannon Mollie Berliss Matthew Bondy Charles Briefel Alison Brill Anna Brodbeck Patti Buffolano Cynthia C.Brad Canning Bora Chang Raphaele Chappe

EllaRose CharyMatt CholertonSuzanne ConnoleAnn CoombsWindsor CousinsCaitlin CoxSusan DaltroyMarilia DestotAndrew DrenthKaty DunnGeraldine DurandOasa DuVerneyJoe FenstermakerJosh FisherLeah FlaxVivian FongJorge Garcia-Spitz

George Gardner IIISharon GoldzweigAaron GoodmanTeri GorbeaLimor GorenDiana GradusLaura GrantKathleen GroganMatthew H.Daniel HalainenTravis HartmanJohn HildrethYaacov HoffingerIsabel JayJessaNatalie JohnSara Kiener

KirstenSarah KlevanKim L.Brent LandonCynthia LawsonNim LeeErica LessemAyana LewisJennie LivingstonJudith LoeblLenore Los KampDanny Lubin-LadenGiles LyonMonica Rose MahaBrook MartinezMathew MauricioJesse May

Tameika McLeanMeghan MilamMatthew MillsJeremy Moberg-SarverNancy MurukamiNancyAdam Newport-BerraMichael PerrineChristy PessagnoEmily PoppishJason PorterMusa A.A. RahmanElizabeth ReaghPatrick ReidStephanie RookerErica RosenErica Rosenblum

Heather RubiSallyHannah S.Georgia SanfordJustin ScarboroughUrsel SchlichtVictoria SchlimerJennie SchuelerGregory SeligSarah SeligDaniel ShortellSilkeNyaima SmithHarris J. SolomonMorgan SoloskiKeeli SorensenAngela Stepan

Thomas StephanosAshley SwinnertonMay TakahashiJohanna TaylorKallen TsikalasDamien VandercruyssenGeoff VidalMarcel WaldenTodd WarnockSarah WenkEric WhiteDaniel WileyNatasha Zaretsky

11-12-15 p1-16_Layout 1 12/14/11 6:41 PM

FridayDec 168:00 p.m.

A monthly musical fundraising partnership of

the Park Slope Food Coop and

the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture

53 Prospect Park West [at 2nd Street] • $10 • 8:00 p.m. [doors open at 7:45]Performers are Park Slope Food Coop members and receive Coop workslot credit.

Booking: Bev Grant, 718-788-3741

LeTha’s music is a dynamic soul-filled journey. Her emotionally charged show travels deeply from the delicate and vulnerable places captured in her songwriting to broad, soul-stirring heights accomplished through powerful vocals. Accompanied by global guitarist, Vita Tanga, using sounds and techniques from across the world. This is a show not to be missed.

The Mast — The seemingly eight-armed Matt Kilmer creates propulsive rhythmic tapestries on his hybrid drum set of frame

drums, djembe and cymbals, through which vocalist and electric guitarist Haale Gafori weaves

interlocking riffs and imagistic lyrics. They released their debut album, Wild Poppies, in June of 2011 and have been touring and playing various radio

shows, including WNYC's Soundcheck with John Schafer. Their album can be streamed at TheMastMusic.com.


COOP HOURS

Office Hours:Monday through Thursday

8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.Friday & Saturday

8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.Shopping Hours:

Monday–Friday8:00 a.m. to 10:00* p.m.

Saturday6:00 a.m. to 10:00* p.m.

Sunday6:00 a.m. to 7:30* p.m.

*Shoppers must be on a checkout line 15 minutes after closing time.

Childcare Hours:Monday through Sunday

8:00 a.m. to 8:45 p.m.Telephone:

718-622-0560Web address:

www.foodcoop.com

This Issue Prepared By:Coordinating Editors: Stephanie Golden

Erik Lewis

Editors (development): Dan JacobsonCarey Meyers

Reporters: Gayle FormanTom MatthewsDanielle Uchitelle

Art Director (development): Michelle Ishay

Illustrators: Paul BuckleyMichael Cohen

Photographers: Ingsu LiuAnn Rosen

Traffic Manager: Barbara Knight

Thumbnails: Saeri Yoo Park

Preproduction: Yan Kong

Photoshop: Bill Kontzias

Art Director (production): Lynn Cole-Walker

Desktop Publishing: Joe BanishMidori NakamuraLee Schere

Editor (production): Michal Hershkovitz

Puzzle Master: Stuart Marquis

Final Proofreader: Nancy Rosenberg

Index: Len Neufeld

Advertising: Peter Benton

P L A S T I C S

RECY

LING

Monthly on the...Third Thursday

December 157:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.Special Sunday Date

December 1810:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.

Second SaturdayJanuary 14

10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.On the sidewalk in front of the receiving

area at the Coop.

What plastics do we accept?Until further notice:

• #1 and #6 type non-bottle shaped contain-ers, transparent only, labels ok

• Plastic film and bubble wrap, transparentonly, no colored or opaque, no labels

• #5 plastic cups, tubs, and specificallymarked caps and lids, very clean and dry(discard any with paper labels, or cut off)

•NOTE: We are no longer accepting #2 or #4 type plastics.

PLASTIC MUST BE COMPLETELY CLEAN & DRY

We close up promptly. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the

collection end time to allow for inspection andsorting of your plastic.


The Linewaiters’ Gazette is published biweekly by the Park SlopeFood Coop, Inc., 782 Union Street, Brooklyn, New York 11215.

Opinions expressed here may be solely the views of the writer. TheGazette will not knowingly publish articles that are racist, sexist, or oth-erwise discriminatory.

The Gazette welcomes Coop-related articles, and letters from members.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINESAll submissions must include author’s name and phone number andconform to the following guidelines. Editors will reject letters andarticles that are illegible or too long. Submission deadlines appearin the Coop Calendar opposite.

Letters: Maximum 500 words. All letters will be printed if theyconform to the guidelines above. The Anonymity and Fairnesspolicies appear on the letters page in most issues.

Voluntary Articles: Maximum 750 words. Editors will reject articlesthat are essentially just advertisements for member businesses andservices.

Committee Reports: Maximum 1,000 words.

Editor-Writer Guidelines: Except for letters to the editor, whichare published without editing but are subject to the Gazette letterspolicy regarding length, anonymity, respect, and fairness, allsubmissions to the Linewaiters' Gazette will be reviewed and ifnecessary edited by the editor. In their review, editors are guidedby the Gazette's Fairness and Anonymity policies as well as stan-dard editorial practices of grammatical review, separation of factfrom opinion, attribution of factual statements, and rudimentaryfact checking. Writers are responsible for the factual content oftheir stories. Editors must make a reasonable effort to contactand communicate with writers regarding any proposed editorialchanges. Writers must make a reasonable effort to respond toand be available to editors to confer about their articles. If thereis no response after a reasonable effort to contact the writer, aneditor, at her or his discretion, may make editorial changes to asubmission without conferring with the writer.

Submissions on Paper: Typed or very legibly handwritten andplaced in the wallpocket labeled "Editor" on the second floor at thebase of the ramp.

Digital Submissions: We welcome digital submissions. Dropdisks in the wallpocket described above. The email address forsubmissions is [email protected]. Receipt of yoursubmissions will be acknowledged on the deadline day.

Classified & Display Ads: Ads may only be placed by and on behalfof Coop members. Classified ads are prepaid at $15 per insertion,business card ads at $30. (Ads in the “Merchandise–Non-commercial”category are free.) All ads must be written on a submission form(available in a wallpocket on the first floor near the elevator). Classi-fied ads may be up to 315 characters and spaces. Display ads mustbe camera-ready and business card size (2"x3.5").

Printed by: Tri-Star Offset, Maspeth, NY.

11-12-15 p1-16_Layout 1 12/14/11 6:41 PM



C O O P CA L E N D A RNew Member Orientations

Attending an Orientation is the first step toward

Coop membership. Pre-registration is required for

all of the four weekly New Member Orientations.

To pre-register, visit foodcoop.com or contact the

Membership Office. Visit in person or call 718-622-

0560 during office hours.

Have questions about Orientation? Please visit

www.foodcoop.com and look at the “Join the Coop”

page for answers to frequently asked questions.

The Coop on the Internetwww.foodcoop.com

The Coop on Cable TVInside the Park Slope Food CoopFRIDAYS 2:30 p.m. with a replay at 10:30 p.m.

Channels: 56 (TimeWarner), 69 (CableVision).

General Meeting InfoTUE, DEC 27GENERAL MEETING: 7:00 p.m.

TUE, JAN 3AGENDA SUBMISSIONS: 8:00 p.m.

Submissions will be considered for the Jan 31

General Meeting.

Gazette Deadlines

LETTERS & VOLUNTARY ARTICLES:Dec 29 issue: 12:00 p.m., Mon, Dec 19

Jan 12 issue: 12:00 p.m., Mon, Jan 2

CLASSIFIED ADS DEADLINE:Dec 29 issue: 7:00 p.m., Wed, Dec 21

Jan 12 issue: 7:00 p.m., Wed, Jan 4

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ED

S Bread VouchersWednesday, 4 to 6:45 p.m.The Coop is looking for members to processvouchers for the Bread Department, reviewingprices, completing voucher forms and inputtinginformation into Mac-Excel spreadsheet.Member must be organized, detail-orientedwith legible handwriting. Please contact ReneeSt. Furcy at [email protected] or in per-son Mon-Thu 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Laundry and Toy Cleaning. Tuesday, 8:30 to 10:30 p.m.This work slot has two responsibilities. You willload laundry into dryer, fold it and redistributeit around the Coop. While the laundry is wash-ing/drying, you will clean toys in the childcare

room. You will be working with a partner onthese tasks. Please contact Annette or Jana inthe Membership Office for further information.

Vitamin WorkerWednesday, 12 to 2:45 p.m.On this special shift, you will be working withthe Receiving Coordinator to check-in vitaminorders, organize vitamin area in the basementand on the shopping floor. You will label prod-ucts and shelves, and related tasks. If interest-ed, contact the Membership Office.

Receiving MaintenanceTuesdays, 9 to 11 a.m.The Coop is looking for members to do variouslight maintenance tasks throughout the Coop.

You will work under the supervision of a staffperson. Must be willing to clean, sort returnedbottles, work in the backyard organizing, liftingup to 25 lbs.

Attend a GMand Receive Work Credit

Since the Coop’s inception in 1973, the GeneralMeeting has been our decision-making body. At theGeneral Meeting (GM) members gather to makedecisions and set Coop policy. The General-Meeting-for-workslot-credit program was created to increaseparticipation in the Coop’s decision-making process.

Following is an outline of the program. For full details, seethe instruction sheets by the sign-up board.

• Advance Sign-up required:To be eligible for workslot credit, you must add your

name to the sign-up sheet in the elevator lobby. The sign-ups sheet is available all month long, except for the day ofthe meeting when you have until 5 p.m. to sign up. On theday of the meeting, the sign-up sheet is kept in theMembership Office.

Some restrictions to this program do apply. Please seebelow for details.

• Two GM attendance credits per year:Each member may take advantage of the GM-for-

workslot-credit program two times per calendar year.

• Certain Squads not eligible:Eligible: Shopping, Receiving/ Stocking, Food

Processing, Office, Maintenance, Inventory, Construction,and FTOP committees. (Some Committees are omittedbecause covering absent members is too difficult.)

• Attend the entire GM:In order to earn workslot credit you must be present

for the entire meeting.

• Signing in at the Meeting: 1. After the meeting the Chair will provide the

Workslot Credit Attendance Sheet.2.Please also sign in the attendance book that is

passed around during the meeting.

• Being Absent from the GM:It is possible to cancel without penalty. We do ask that

you remove your name if you know cannot attend. Pleasedo not call the Membership Office with GM cancellations.

Park Slope Food CoopMission Statement

The Park Slope Food Coop is a mem-ber-owned and operated food store—analternative to commercial profit-orientedbusiness. As members, we contribute ourlabor: working together builds trustthrough cooperation and teamwork andenables us to keep prices as low as possi-ble within the context of our values andprinciples. Only members may shop, andwe share responsibilities and benefitsequally. We strive to be a responsible andethical employer and neighbor. We are abuying agent for our members and not aselling agent for any industry. We are a partof and support the cooperative movement.We offer a diversity of products with anemphasis on organic, minimally pro-cessed and healthful foods. We seek toavoid products that depend on theexploitation of others. We support non-toxic, sustainable agriculture. We respectthe environment. We strive to reduce theimpact of our lifestyles on the world weshare with other species and future genera-tions. We prefer to buy from local, earth-friendly producers. We recycle. We try tolead by example, educating ourselves andothers about health and nutrition, coopera-tion and the environment. We are com-mitted to diversity and equality. Weoppose discrimination in any form. Westrive to make the Coop welcoming andaccessible to all and to respect the opin-ions, needs and concerns of every member.

Our Governing Structure From our inception in 1973 to the present, the openmonthly General Meetings, to which all members areinvited, have been at the center of the Coop’s decision-making process. Since the Coop incorporated in 1977, wehave been legally required to have a Board of Directors.The Coop continued the tradition of General Meetings byrequiring the Board to have open meetings and to receivethe advice of the members at General Meetings. TheBoard of Directors, which is required to act legally andresponsibly, has approved almost every General Meetingdecision at the end of every General Meeting. Boardmembers are elected at the Annual Meeting in June.Copies of the Coop’s bylaws are available on the CoopWeb site, foodcoop.com, at the Coop Community Cornerand at every General Meeting.

Next Meeting: Tuesday, December 27, 7:00 p.m.The General Meeting is held on the last Tuesday of eachmonth.

Location The Temple House of Congregation Beth Elohim(Garfield Temple), 274 Garfield Place.

How to Place an Item on the AgendaIf you have something you’d like discussed at a GeneralMeeting, please complete a submission form for theAgenda Committee. Forms are available on the Coop Website, foodcoop.com, in the rack near the Coop CommunityCorner bulletin board and at General Meetings. Instructionsand helpful information on how to submit an item appearon the submission form. The Agenda Committee meets onthe first Tuesday of each month to plan the agenda for theGM held on the last Tuesday of the month. If you have aquestion, please call Ann Herpel at the Coop.

Meeting FormatWarm Up (7:00 p.m.) • Meet the Coordinators • Enjoy some Coop snacks • Submit Open Forum items • Explore meeting literatureOpen Forum (7:15 p.m.) Open Forum is a time formembers to bring brief items to the General Meeting. Ifan item is more than brief, it can be submitted to theAgenda Committee as an item for a future GM.Reports (7:30 p.m.) • Financial Report • Coordinators’Report • Committee ReportsAgenda (8:00 p.m.) The agenda is posted on theCoop Web site, foodcoop.com, the Coop CommunityCorner and may also appear elsewhere in this issue.Wrap Up (9:30-9:45) (unless there is a vote to extendthe meeting) • Board of Directors’ vote • Meeting evalua-tion • Announcements, etc.

A l l A b o u t t h eG e n e r a l M e e t i n g

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Slowing Down the DEC on the Fast Track to Frack NY State

Governor Cuomo and the Department of Environmental Conservation are putting theenergy industry on a fast track to frack New York State. Why the hurry? The NYS DECrecently issued a Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS)which, if accepted, will allow hydro-fracking to begin. We now have until January 11 tosend comments to the DEC. The Food Coop’s Environmental Committee is organizing aseries of workshops to provide guidance for writing an effective letter to the DEC, com-menting on their regulations. Stop by at any point during one of the workshop sessions.Bring friends—Coop members and non-members are welcome! Other sessions will beheld Saturday, December 17, 3–5 p.m., and Tuesday, January 3, 12–3 p.m.

LeTha & The MastLeTha’s music is a dynamic soul-filledjourney. Her emotionally charged showtravels deeply from the delicate andvulnerable places captured in her song-

writing to broad, soul-stirring heights accomplished through pow-erful vocals. Accompanied by global guitarist, Vita Tanga, usingsounds and techniques from across the world. This is a show notto be missed. The Mast—the seemingly eight-armed Matt Kilmercreates propulsive rhythmic tapestries on his hybrid drum set offrame drums, djembe and cymbals, through which vocalist andelectric guitarist Haale Gafori weaves interlocking riffs and imag-istic lyrics. They released their debut album, Wild Poppies, inJune of 2011 and have been touring and playing various radioshows, including WNYC's Soundcheck with John Schafer. Theiralbum can be streamed at TheMastMusic.com.Concert takes place at the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture, 53 Prospect Park West(at 2nd St.), $10, doors open at 7:45. The Very Good Coffeehouse is a monthly musicalfundraising partnership of the Coop and the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture. To book a Coffeehouse event, contact Bev Grant, 718-788-3741.


Governor Cuomo and the Department of Environmental Conservation are putting theenergy industry on a fast track to frack New York State. Why the hurry? The NYS DECrecently issued a Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS)which, if accepted, will allow hydro-fracking to begin. We now have until January 11 tosend comments to the DEC. The Food Coop’s Environmental Committee is organizing aseries of workshops to provide guidance for writing an effective letter to the DEC, com-menting on their regulations. Stop by at any point during one of the workshop sessions.Bring friends—Coop members and non-members are welcome! Another session will beheld Tuesday, January 3, 12–3 p.m.

Live Green, Die GreenNow is the time to educate yourself on green burial and cremation options for your elderlyparents, and ultimately—inevitably—yourself and others you love. Get the low-down onyour final carbon footprint now! We will discuss burial vaults, caskets on the market, greencemetery spaces in areas just outside the city and more. Coop member and former maga-zine writer Amy Cunningham felt so moved by the memorial service she helped plan for herelderly father, that she decided to pursue a second career in funeral service. She is arecent graduate of the American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service.

PSFC DEC General MeetingItems will be taken up in the order given. Times in parenthesesare suggestions. More information on each item may be avail-able on the entrance table at the meeting. We ask members toplease read the materials available between 7 and 7:15 p.m.

Meeting location: Congregation Beth Elohim Social Hall (Garfield Temple), 274 Garfield Place at Eighth Avenue.Item #1: Hogging FTOP slots (45 minutes)Discussion: “People who sign up for multiple FTOP slots—sometimes 5 over a 3-dayperiod—blocking other members from finding convenient work times.”

—submitted by LaTanya HallItem #2: Proposal to mark item’s origin and/or manufacturer (45 minutes)Discussion: “I propose to have every item in the Coop marked with its country of origin,in addition to mentioning whether that area is a conflict zone or not.”

—submitted by Gil SmuskowitzExplanation: “In this way people can educate themselves on the origin of their purchas-es and decide if they are comfortable supporting conflict zones (or buying imported,non-U.S. products).”For information on how to place an item on the Agenda, please see the center pages ofthe Linewaiters’ Gazette. The Agenda Committee minutes and the status of pendingagenda items are available in the Coop office.


Governor Cuomo and the Department of Environmental Conservation are putting theenergy industry on a fast track to frack New York State. Why the hurry? The NYS DECrecently issued a Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS)which, if accepted, will allow hydro-fracking to begin. We now have until January 11 tosend comments to the DEC. The Food Coop’s Environmental Committee is organizing aseries of workshops to provide guidance for writing an effective letter to the DEC, com-menting on their regulations. Stop by at any point during one of the workshop sessions.Bring friends—Coop members and non-members are welcome!

Agenda Committee MeetingThe Committee reviews pending agenda items and creates theagenda for this month’s General Meeting. Drop by and talk withcommittee members face-to-face between 8 and 8:15 p.m.Before submitting an item, read “How to Develop an Agenda

Item for the General Meeting” and fill out the General Meeting Agenda Item SubmissionForm, both available from the Membership Office or at foodcoop.com. The next GeneralMeeting will be held on Tuesday, January 31, 7 p.m., at Congregation Beth Elohim SocialHall (Garfield Temple), 274 Garfield Place at Eighth Avenue.

Food Class:Post-Holiday Cleanse

Join registered holistic nutritionist and chef Talia Chai as shedemonstrates three quick and easy recipes that will boost yourenergy, improve your mood, and reduce the post-holiday bulge.She will discuss the benefits of cleansing and how to incorpo-

rate it into everyday life. She is currently enrolled in the Chef Training Program at theNatural Gourmet Institute, where she is learning how to make these whole, real foodstaste delicious and look beautiful. Menu includes warm and spicy ginger tumeric tea;super alkaline green vitality juice; simply satisfying everyday smoothie; nourishing misosoup with mineral-rich sea vegetables; raw cleansing salad. Materials fee: $4. Food classes are coordinated by Coop member Susan Baldassano.

dec 16fri 5–7 pm

dec 16fri 8 pm

dec 17sat 3–5 pm

dec 18sun 12 pm

dec 27tue 7 pm

jan 3tue 12–3 pm

jan 3tue 8 pm

jan 5thu 7:30 pm

Susan Baldassano, Coordinator

For more information on these and other events, visit the Coop’s website: foodcoop.comAll events take place at the Park Slope Food Coop unless otherwise noted. Nonmembers are welcome to attend workshops.

Views expressed by the presenter do not necessarily represent the Park Slope Food Coop.

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Film Night: Wo Ai Ni MommyIn the last decade, China was the leading country for U.S. interna-tional adoptions. There are now more than 70,000 Chinese chil-dren being raised by American families. Eight-year-old Fang SuiYong, aka Faith Sadowsky, is one of them. After being abandonedat two, sent to a city orphanage for two years, and then taken inby a loving Chinese foster family, Faith’s life is suddenly upended

when she’s adopted by Donna and Jeff Sadowsky, a Jewish family on Long Island. Wo Ai NiMommy explores, for the first time, what adoption feels like from the child’s perspective.This intimate and honest story is told in real time by Faith as she tearfully parts ways withher birth culture, language and foster family. It documents her struggle to adapt to a new lifein America and offers a rare glimpse into a personal transformation that she, her Americanmother, nor the filmmaker could have ever imagined. Stephanie Wang-Breal has been pro-ducing stories for television since 1999. She has worked with various media outlets includ-ing CNN, MTV, the Biography Channel and UNICEF. To book a Film Night, contact Faye Lederman, [email protected].

Sleep S.O.S. for FamiliesIn this 90-minute interactive workshop with a family-sleep expert and a clinical psycholo-gist, we’ll discuss the most common reasons families with babies and toddlers don't sleep,how you can get more rest, and feel better as a family. With focus on internal factors thatmight prevent you from getting the sleep you need (i.e. fears and emotions) and externalfactors (i.e. apartment layout or normal sleep transitions), we’ll trouble-shoot your family’ssleep woes, and help you get back on track! Natalie Nevares is a Coop member andfounder of Mommywise, a personalized service that helps families with babies and toddlersresolve chronic sleep issues through customized sleep-coaching programs.

Knit and Sip SeriesCalling all knitters and crocheters. Please bring yarns and needles and be prepared to knitand crochet hats, scarves and handwarmers. All finished items will be donated to “OccupyWall Street.” We will also accept yarn donations for our cause. Naeemah Senghor is a knitter,crocheter and raw-foodist and loves to organize swaps and community events. She has beenorganizing “Knit & Sips” all over Brooklyn. She has been a Coop member for several years.

A Child’s View from Gaza:Children’s Drawings

From Dec. 2008 to Jan. 2009, Israel waged a military assault on Gaza, “Operation CastLead,” which left 1,400 Palestinians dead and thousands more injured. To mark thethree-year anniversary, we present children’s drawings in response to this trauma aswell as excerpts from an upcoming documentary shot in the aftermath of the Gaza mas-sacre. Join us for the panel and discussion to follow the presentations. Speakersinclude activist Susan Johnson, Palestinian filmaker Fida Qishta, art/play therapistBetty Eigen, and editor/reporter Philip Weiss. Moderators: Hima B. is a Coop memberand an independent filmmaker. Dennis James is a Coop member and retired attorneyliving and writing short stories in Brooklyn. RSVP is encouraged: [email protected].

Auditions for Our Coop Kids’ Variety Show

Auditions for Coop members ages 4-18, today and Saturday, January21, 2 – 5 p.m., in the Coop second floor meeting room. To reservean audition spot contact: Martha Siegel, 718-965-3916,

[email protected]. You must audition to be in the show.Polished act not required for audition; we can help you polish it.

Singers and other musicians, poets, jugglers, stand-up comics, rappers, dancers,magicians, gymnasts, etc. (no lip-syncing please).Performance date is Saturday, March 10, 7:00 p.m., at the Old First Church.

Safe Food Committee Film Night:Chow DownOne man’s struggle to reverse his severe heart disease ... withdiet. “It’s very rare to get such insightful breakdowns of thehuman condition measured in a way that speaks across allbackgrounds. There are no easy answers in changing diet, butthere are solutions. Chow Down takes a realistic approach to

the matter and should be required viewing for all adults in America.”—Anderson Vision.Visit www.plowtoplatefilms.com for more information. Free and open to the public.Refreshments will be served.

Rob Garcia’s 99% Band & Debbie DeaneRob Garcia’s 99% Band will performnew and old music of protest andinspiration, featuring world-class jazzmusicians who are also Coop mem-

bers. Drummer/composer Rob Garcia has collaborated withJoe Lovano, Dave Liebman, Wynton Marsalis, Joseph Jarman,Woody Allen and Diana Krall. Perennial (by Rob Garcia 4) wasnamed in “The 10 Best Jazz Albums of 2009,” by The NewYork Observer. “Remarkable drummer,” said The Village Voice.Nir Felder, guitar; Barry Bryson, trumpet; Jenny Hill, tenorsax; Alexis Cuadrado and Jim Whitney, bass; Todd Isler, per-cussion; Rob Garcia, drums; plus many more. NativeBrooklynite Debbie Deane will be performing her soulful songswith Jim Whitney on bass and John Mettam on drums.Debbie’s latest CD, Grove House, a musical smorgasbord of jazz, folk and funk, wasreleased on musician Ravi Coltrane’s RKM label. Come out to hear some lush vocalsand seductive hooks. “A languid, yet crisp and emotive delivery, and soul to burn…”said JazzReview.com.Concert takes place at the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture, 53 Prospect Park West(at 2nd St.), $10, doors open at 7:45. The Very Good Coffeehouse is a monthly musicalfundraising partnership of the Coop and the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture. To book a Coffeehouse event, contact Bev Grant, 718-788-3741.

jan 7sat 10–11:30 am

jan 7sat 2 pm

jan 7sat 7 pm

jan 8sun 10 am–1 pm

jan 10tue 7 pm

jan 20fri 8 pm

jan 6fri 7 pm

Auditions for Our Coop Kids’ Variety Show

Integrative Bodywork

Practicing Self Care

Financial Planning

PSFC JANUARY General Meeting

Food Class

Film Night

Agenda Committee Meeting

Valentine-Card Making

Safe Food Committee Film Night

jan 21

jan 22

jan 28

jan 29

jan 31

feb 2

feb 3

feb 7

feb 11

feb 14

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WHITHER THE GAZETTE:OUR NEWSLETTERNEEDS REFORM

DEAR MEMBERS:The 9/8/2011 Gazette contained two

anti-BDS letters by Jesse Rosenfeld,each approaching the 500-word limit.The 8/25/2011 issue had two by Con-stantine Kaniklidis together exceed-ing 500 words. The 11/3/2011 issuereprinted Irvin Shonfeld’s “Don’t Sup-port the Referendum” from the9/22/2011 issue. The editor’s note pre-ceding the letter explained that theoriginal had “typographical errors.”

But typos are common in publish-ing; why not print a correction—theusual practice. Curious—as it wasone of the hot-button BDS letters—Ichecked the original.

There were three typos: Israeli sol-dier Gilad Shalit’s first name was mis-spelled. And from this passage in the9/22 original...

I again quote Jacobson, who socapably caricatured the AshamedJews in his novel The Finkler Question,“and I hope these Jews don’t put afatwa out on him because he createda caricature.”

...the quotation-marks wereremoved, signifying that those wordswere the letter-writer’s own, not thequoted author’s—those came furtheron—and the word “fatwa” was italicized.

So why reprint the entire letter?And why this letter, with its question-able observance of the Fairness andRespect Policies about:

1) factual assertions (The letter accuses

“the boycott website”—unspecified—of “cries of execration” meaning pre-sumably ethnic slurs, curses, orexpressions of hate? Simply fact-check-ing pro-BDS websites, including one byCoop members: www.psfcbds.word-press.com, would dispel that notion.)

2) unwanted nicknames (The “AshamedJews” of the quote clearly targetsthe Coop’s pro-BDS Jews, who areaccused of “Jew-hatred” for goodmeasure. It is reminiscent of the“sel f -hating Jew” stereotype—apseudo-psychological “diagnosis”hurled en masse at Jews criticizingIsrael i government pol ic ies—avulgar appeal to tribalism target-ing apostasy, the supposed crimefor which the Bible prescribes ston-ing.) And

3) odious comparisons (of those Jewsto fatwa-decreeing clerics—was thisquip supposed to be funny?)

Are the editors allowing these dou-ble-letters and reprinting because theyagree with the anti-BDS position? Arethey intimidated by the strident anti-BDS cohort, perhaps themselves fear-ing accusations of anti-Semitism?

I’m of course grasping at straws.But this I can say with certainty—ournewsletter needs serious reform andrethinking—reform because the edi-tors seem to observe or ignore theirown guidelines arbitrarily—andrethinking because the Gazette staffhave misconstrued their indepen-dence, jealously guarding againstinterference from management whileinterfering too readily with memberexpression. They can cut or reject

outright member contributions orcommittee reports they disapproveof, and while their guidelines statethat all letters meeting Gazette criteriawill be printed, they’re allotted thefewest words and can be rejected (orgiven special treatment, as we seeabove) by editors broadly interpret-ing those criteria. The staff forgetsthat the Gazette is not their privateproperty—it’s a Coop committee—the staff’s workslot.

Simply put, should the editors setthe rules that control member sub-missions, or should that be deter-mined by the General Meeting? Isubmit it should be the latter. Theeditors can indeed be the guardiansof good writing, fairness and accuracy,but they should not be imposing theirown agendas on member expressionin the guise of that responsibility.

David Barouh

POPULAR SUPPORTFOR BDS MOVEMENTIN EUROPE

COOP MEMBERS:In Europe, the BDS (Boycotts,

Divestment, Sanctions) campaign andpublic pressure targets Israel’s illegalsettlements in the West Bank: theagricultural products produced in thesettlements and exported by “compa-nies” that bear responsibility for com-plicity with Israel’s violations ofinternational law.

What are Israel’s violations of inter-national law? After the 1967 war,Israel became the occupying power inthe West Bank, Gaza and EastJerusalem. International law (GenevaConvention) is clear about the obliga-tions of an occupying power:

(1) It is illegal for an occupyingpower (Israel) to transfer its ownpopulation to live in the occupiedterritory (Palestine); (2) It is illegalfor an occupying power (Israel) touse the resources of the occupiedterritory (Palestine) for its own bene-fit; (3) An occupying power (Israel) isresponsible for the health, welfareand human rights of the occupiedpeople (Palestinians).

In 2005, there was a Palestinian callfor a global, non-violent BDS move-ment (Boycotts, Divestment, andSanctions), to apply “pressure” onIsrael until Israel’s policies in theoccupied Palestinian territories com-plied with international law.

The following are two of the manyrecent BDS campaigns in Europe:

Italy: two Italian supermarkets:Coop Italia and Nordiconad decidedto boycott all Israeli agricultural prod-ucts. The supermarkets were unableto differentiate whether productscame from West Bank settlements orinside the Green Line (Israel).

In November 2011, Europeansheld 60 ‘Boycott Israel’ actions in 10European countries. In a EuropeanDay of Action Against Israeli Agricul-tural Exporters under the banner

‘Take Apartheid off the Menu.’ Cam-paigners in Belgium, Britain, Ger-many, Switzerland, Norway andSweden picketed supermarkets, call-ing on consumers to boycott prod-ucts from Israeli “agricultural exportcompanies” and on supermarkets tostop selling them. Many focused onCo-Operative supermarkets, whichare traditionally thought to havehigher ethical standards than othersupermarkets. Since the ‘agriculturalexport companies’ mislead con-sumer about the origin of the pro-duce they sell , campaigners arecalling for a complete end to tradewith these companies. In Belgium,campaigners held lobby actions atthe offices of the Ministry of theEconomy, to protest the sale in Bel-gian supermarkets of produce grownin Israel’s illegal settlements in theWest Bank.

Europe’s popular support for BDSis part of the Palestinian led globalmovement for boycotts, divestmentand sanctions against Israel untilIsrael complies with international law.

References: Haaretz, 5/23/2010;Electronicintifada.net

Mary BuchwaldBrooklyn For Peace

COMPROMISE ON BDS?

DEAR MEMBERS:When Coop member Ruth Bolletino

writes in the last issue of the Gazettethat it’s time for a compromise on theissue of the Coop’s continuing to buyhummus from Israel, this should betreated as a serious proposal.

Ruth asks that we prepare a list of“every country that sanctions and vio-lates the civil and human rights of anygroup,” and work our way through it10 countries at a time. That’s oneidea. Here’s another one:

We indeed create a list of coun-tries that violate human rights, butorder it based on how much aidthat country ’s mil i tary receivesfrom the taxpayers here in the Unit-ed States for the last 10 years. Inthat case, Israel and Egypt wouldrank #1 and #2.

Since 2001, Israel has received $27billion in overt U.S. aid (of which $22billion was direct military aid, exclusiveof purchases), and Egypt has received$17 billion in total U.S. aid (of which$13 billion was for military purposes).

In fact, one-third of all U.S. foreignaid goes exclusively to those two coun-tries. Anyone see a pattern there, espe-cially for U.S. weapons manufacturers?

Other main recipients of U.S. tax-payer largesse (rounding out the topfive) include Colombia, Jordan, andPakistan, with several African coun-tries suddenly receiving an upsurgein U.S. aid in the last few years, asthe U.S. and China go head to headon that continent. I’m all for boy-cotting products from all of thosecountries.

Another way to conduct a boy-


We welcome letters from members. Submissiondeadlines appear in the Coop Calendar. All let-ters will be printed if they conform to the pub-lished guidelines. We will not knowingly publisharticles which are racist, sexist or otherwise dis-criminatory

The maximum length for letters is 500words. Letters must include your name andphone number and be typed or very legiblyhandwritten. Editors will reject letters that areillegible or too long.

You may submit on paper, typed or very legi-bly handwritten, or via email to [email protected] or on disk.

AnonymityUnattributed letters will not be published

unless the Gazette knows the identity of thewriter, and therefore must be signed when sub-mitted (giving phone number). Such letters willbe published only where a reason is given to theeditor as to why public identification of thewriter would impose an unfair burden of embar-rassment or difficulty. Such letters must relateto Coop issues and avoid any non-constructive,non-cooperative language.

FairnessIn order to provide fair, comprehensive, fac-

tual coverage:1. The Gazette will not publish hearsay—that

is, allegations not based on the author's first-hand observation.

2. Nor will we publish accusations that arenot specific or are not substantiated by factualassertions.

3. Copies of submissions that make substan-tive accusations against specific individuals willbe given to those persons to enable them towrite a response, and both submissions andresponse will be published simultaneously. Thismeans that the original submission may notappear until the issue after the one for which itwas submitted.

The above applies to both articles and letters.The only exceptions will be articles by Gazettereporters which will be required to include theresponse within the article itself.

RespectLetters must not be personally derogatory or

insulting, even when strongly criticizing an indi-vidual member's actions. Letter writers mustrefer to other people with respect, refrain fromcalling someone by a nickname that the personnever uses himself or herself, and refrain fromcomparing other people to odious figures likeHitler or Idi Amin.

LETTERS POLICY

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cott—and a step towards effectuatinga serious compromise—would be forthe Coop to refuse to sell goods notfrom Israel in general but only thosethat are manufactured or grown byIsraeli settlers in the colonized terri-tories. Surely Ruth and other Coopmembers would meet me halfway andsupport that idea, no?

One writer in the last Gazette, MarcyTardio, wrote quite movingly aboutwhy she loves the Coop, and that weshould not vote at all on volatile issuesthat people feel strongly about. How-ever, the Coop DID vote on whether ornot to sell meat (I was on the losingside of that vote, and still feel very bit-ter about it), or hummus (again!) fromthe company “Sonny & Joe’s”, which isin the midst of an organizing campaignby the Industrial Workers of the World(I support that boycott).

Since there are many sources ofmost products, for the Coop to pur-chase and sell a particular brand froma particular country means that othersources are excluded. Not voting,then, actually turns out to be a “vote”in favor of the practices of those com-panies or countries. There really is noavoiding these matters.

Same too, as far as I’m concerned,with products from Israel. But I’m will-ing to take a step towards compro-mising with those who disagree. By allmeans, let’s try to hammer out honestcompromises. Let’s immediately banall products made by Israeli settlers inthe colonized territories. And allproducts made by corporations inEgypt too. Agreed?

Mitchel CohenBrooklyn Greens/Green Party

ELEMENTS OFAPARTHEID UNDERINTERNATIONAL LAW

DEAR MEMBERS:Two of these essential elements are:(1) inherent racism, this as opposed

to the essence of the Palestinian-Israeliconflict as a clash of competitivenationalist aspirations for self-determi-nation in the same land, and

(2) legally codified racial domina-tion, as opposed to Israeli law explic-itly mandating equality.

Note that the apartheid accusa-tion is rooted in the 1975 “Zionism isRacism” resolution of the UN Gener-al Assembly, revoked in 1991 formoral repugnancy, and today seeksto transform a territorial and politi-cal dispute into a “racial” conflict viadistortive analogy, lacking congru-ence with apartheid as defined byinternational law authorities(ICERD), or by ICSPCA, and others.Contrast with the PalestinianAuthority’s announcement (2011)that any future Palestinian State willbe judenrein (Jew-free) and prohibitJewish citizenship and land owner-ship (PLO Ambassador MaenAreikat, UN Address), thus constitut-ing religious and ethnic discrimina-

tion within an Islamic state.Such a charge ascribes ethno-

nationalist/racist acts and intent to amultiethnic, multiracial, and reli-giously plural nation (Arabs = ~20% ofIsrael’s population, and over a millionIsraelis not practicing Judaism), andone in which wholly absent are theother elements of apartheid underinternational law:

(3) religious coercion,(4) racial segregation laws,(5) indoctrination of racial ideology.(6) Suppression of free speech: even

BDS’s Omar Bhargouti writes freelywithin the putative “apartheid” state.

(7) Media censorship: Al-Quds, thePalestine Report, and JerusalemTimes are Palestinian newspapers,publishing freely in Israel.

(8) Political party bans: Hadash,Ra’am Ta’al, and Balad are Palestinianparties represented in the Knesset.

(9) Discriminatory land access: theapartheid charge repeats the slanderthat the Israeli government reserves93% of the land for Jews. In fact: allsuch land is not sold to Jews either,but rather is leased out by the IsraeliLands Authority (ILA) and equallyavailable to all citizens of Israel,roughly half of the Israeli land farmedby Arabs leased from the ILA (“LegalStatus of the Arabs in Israel”, Interna-tional Journal of Middle East Studies,and “Can Arabs Buy Land in Israel?”,Middle East Quarterly).

(10) Bar against political participa-tion: Arab citizens vote and serve inall strata of government (RalebMajadele, a Muslim minister, is one of14 Arabs currently serving, with 49past serving Arab Knesset members),serving on and bringing frequentlysuccessful suits before the SupremeCourt (Arab Salim Joubran is perma-nent Justice on the Supreme Court).

And although not an essential ele-ment, absent is the customary ele-ment of a bar from militaryparticipation: contrary to the oft-repeated myth that Palestinians arebarred from serving in the nationalservice or military (both are open toall Israeli citizens, but non-compulso-ry for Palestinians, who however mayserve freely), approximately 3,000Palestinians currently serve in theIsraeli military (Palestinian scholarRhoda Ann Kanaaneh (2009)).

Thus, an objective assessment ofthe apartheid accusation on the ele-ments under international lawdemonstrates judicial inapplicabilityto Israel. Israel may be arguablyaccused of many things. Apartheidstate is not one of them.

Constantine Kaniklidis

LET’S VOTE ON BDS

TO THE GAZETTE,I want to address this letter to all

the Coop members who have beenarguing against having a referendumon the boycott of Israeli-made prod-ucts. This has nothing to do with the

underlying issue; I am insulted anddisgusted by the disrespect of ourmembership implied by opposing ourbeing allowed to vote. The broadmembership of the Coop deserves tomake this decision!

I can’t quite fathom the anti-BDS-ers’ continued efforts to not allow areferendum to happen. It is thisrefusal, and not any difference inopinion, that is splitting the Coop. Asa long-term member, I can assure youthat we have survived many disagree-ments, and that once a vote has beenheld, very few people on whicheverside loses will leave in dismay.

Let the vote happen! Allow a rea-sonable time for (more) argumentspro and con (but not pro or con hav-ing the referendum!), and establishreasonable ground rules for thevote—say, requiring a 50% participa-tion rate and a 2/3 (of those voting)approval to establish a boycott.

Enough debate about process. Letthe campaigns begin.

Brent Kramer

WHAT KIND OF COOPDO WE WANT TO BE?

DEAR COOP MEMBERS,What kind of Coop do we want to

be? Do we want to be a place wherepeople of all different perspectivesand outlooks can come together andfind common ground in their interestin healthy fresh food and their will-ingness to be part our collectiveenterprise? Are we to be a communi-ty where we can assume that eachperson who joins it will act for thegood of the community as a wholeand will not inflict damage on thatcommunity and pain on its mem-bers, even for a cause she believes instrongly? Or are we to be a placewhere anyone can promote any polit-ical agenda, and exploit the goodname of our Coop?

The members promoting a referen-dum on joining the BDS movementclaim “avoiding discussion on animportant issue does not buildunity—it builds anxiety and mistrust.”So they have imposed a discussion ofthe Middle East conflict upon us.They want the Coop to be “welcomingto everyone who would express them-selves on this issue.”

But the discussion they offer isnot an honest one. This group con-ducted a program in the Coop onDec 4. It was attended by about 20people in addition to the organizersand presenters. I do not doubt thepresenters sincerely believe them-selves to be advocates of peace. Yet,they appeared singularly unknowl-edgeable regarding certain facts,and in some case transmitted infor-mation that was outright wrong. Noteverything expressed at this pro-gram was consistent with the truepursuit of peace.

What kind of peace activist wears aT-shirt with the emblem of the terror-

ist organization responsible for the1974 murders of 17 Puerto Ricans, 1Canadian and 9 Israelis at Lod air-port? What kind of peace activist sug-gests that suicide bombings directedagainst civilians is justified? Whatkind of peace activist stays silentwhen someone says that, and will notunequivocally say “murder of civiliansis wrong in all cases”? Is this the“expressions on this issue” we want towelcome at the Coop? Or does it“build anxiety and mistrust”?

Please join me and more than 200others in telling these “peace activists”to drop their BDS campaign at theCoop. The Coop doesn’t want or needthis discussion. Send an email [email protected] or read myblog stopbdsparkslope.blogspot.com.

Barbara Mazor

SUSTAINABILITYOR POLITICS?

DEAR MEMBERS: The parochial push of the BDS peo-

ple is about as helpful to the mainte-nance of the Coop as a vote toreaffirm apple pie as American.Rather than strum that tune onceagain, I propose that the Coop joinwith other like organizations and worktoward preserving the sustainabilityof local farming. Why?

This past summer farms in upstateNew York and in New Jersey experi-enced environmental stress thatreduced the availability of certaincrops. The leading edge of global cli-mate change is up upon us and unlesswe can put into place the best mea-sures to reduce that impact, everymember of the PSFC will feel the eco-nomic effect.

Water conservation and drainage,less use of fertilizer, herbicide andpesticide, legislation to support sus-tainable farming practices is not justsome slogan, it will be the key to acontinued relatively secure food sup-ply. If the Coop wishes to send a voiceon any issue, let it first be a call toarms in a world where we face severeenvironmental challenges.

To spend $10,000 dollars on a ref-erendum to support or decline BDSwill do nothing to fundamentallyback the prime purpose of the Coop.I propose the formation of an InterCoop Sustainability Committeewhose purpose will be to gather thebest information and work withother food coops to propose thestrong legislation to meet the com-ing climate change in support ofsensible agriculture.

This is something that will benefitall of us, not set one part of the Coopagainst the other. It is also necessary.With a strong voice for positivechange, the Coop can contribute tomaking a better world not as pie inthe sky, but as part of the solution to athreatened food supply.

Rodger Parsons



C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 1 4

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WALKERS ARE A WASTE

DEAR MEMBERS:A member has asked me why I am

opposed to shortening the workslotsbecause we now have so many members. Myanswer is not that it would be difficult to do(the Management can move mountainswhen it wants!) but that the vast increase inmember labor has been hidden by an equal-ly vast increase in workslots. And even soManagement claims there are not enoughmembers to fill the available slots!

Most noticeably we have the Walkers,about five on each shift, which comes out to700 workslots, 4.38% of the total. TwoUpstairs Entrance workers, one Line Manag-er, two? Packing Helpers. Much as the Walk-ers are fun, it is not the responsibility of theCo-Op to reduce parking on the street, andcertainly not at such a huge cost. We don’thave to have SO MANY walkers.

And what about returning some of our invest-ment—Isn’t this part of the Cooperative Prin-ciples that our management nevermentions?

We can buy more (get bigger shoppingcarts). We are NOT a “food store,” we are whatthe membership wants us to be—and whenhave we been asked? Because one of thebiggest putrescences of our non-governmentis that there are no standards as to when wemust be asked (I would suggest changesinvolving more than 150 workslots. Addingone workslot per shift = 140 workslots. Andasking by referendum, not the exclusive littlecabal we call the General Meeting).

I support the Co-Op being more political.Do you support stopping the boycott againstIsrael? Preventing a referendum? Or coercingthe proposers to withdraw their motion?

Walkers are extremely wasteful of memberlabor!

When was the Boycott issue brought up? Ilooked through all the agendas and only founda discussion item submitted in October! NowI’m looking at the August 11 Gazette which says adiscussion item was brought by William Mazzaand Carol Wald of PSFCMIBDS. Reporter Ed

Levy used the expression “hotly debated,” butthere were no other signs of heat. General Coor-dinators Joe Holtz (who makes 10 percent extra)and Jess Robinson preferred a vote by the GMto a referendum because the GM would havemore “diversity of opinion” or would be bettereducated on the issue than the general mem-bership. Huh??? Liz Roberts balanced thescales by saying the meeting would be“packed,” and “ ‘would invite the rule of themob.’ “ Some of the nonsense that comes out ofthe mouths of our general coordinators isbeyond belief!

In any case, not to worry—The next propos-al, No. 540 according to my Agenda Commit-tee sheet dated 11/1/11, is also a discussionitem, and is 14th among 18 pending items. At3 items per month plus mandated items, thisshould take at least 8 months, and another 8for the proposal itself. Enough time, onewould think, for the Israelistas to cool down,but don’t bet on it!

Finally, a Referendum or GM vote is notthe only way. Even if the proposal is voteddown, we have a right to a Petition!

In solidarity, I remain—albert

[email protected]

GREEN CHRISTMASI’m dreaming of a green ChristmasJust like the ones we need todayWhere the solar panelsReplace the flannelsThat once waved on roofs each way.

I’m dreaming of a green ChristmasWith every plastic bag I’ve seenSuperseded whollyBy paper slowlyTo make packages all green.

I’m dreaming of a green ChristmasWith all-electric cars so clean.May your veggie garden bear cuisineThat will match your life in being green.

Leon Freilich


The Diversity and Equality Committee Seeks New Members

Are you interested in Issues of Diversity, Equality and Inclusion?

The Diversity and Equality Committee is dedicated toimproving human relations and communication in

all policies and procedures in the Coop. Our goal is towork toward preventing and eliminating discriminationin the Coop. If you are interested in issues of diversity,

equality and inclusion, you can help us to achieve ours goals by becoming a member of the DEC.

We are currently seeking new members, with experience in conflict resolution and mediation,interviewing, and leading and organizing workshops,ideally around diversity. General computer skills and

editing and writing skills are also helpful.

Requirements:• Must be a member for at least one year

• Have good attendance record• Attend monthly committee meetings on

Thursdays from 6:30-8:00 p.m.• Participate in subcommittee work as needed

We seek members who are reflective of thediversity of the Coop membership.

If interested, please send an email with your name,PSFC member number, and details of your relevant experience to [email protected].

Please put “Diversity and Equality” in the subject line.

L E T T E R S T O T H E E D I T O RC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 1 3

Coop members donated $2155.11 to help the CHIPS soup kitchen

rebuild from fire damage sustainedin September. Your generosity made

it possible for CHIPS to reopen byThanksgiving and serve hot meals to

our neighbors in need.

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By Sensho Wagg

In September, a descriptionof a study on the estrogenic

activity of chemicals releasedfrom plastics was posted onthe Park Slope Food Coop’sEnvironmental Committeeblog, Ecokvetch, which youmay reach on the home pageof Park Slope Food Coop’swebsite by clicking on Envi-ronmental Committee Blog orw w w . e c o k v e t c h . b l o g -spot.com. It’s under the head-ing Plastics. It offers the wholestudy to read or download.

The photo with the blogpost was of a baby enjoyingmilk from a plastic bottle.After reading the study I seethis photo in a different light.To understand read on.

If we choose to continue touse plastics for food storage,purchasing food, take-outmeals, home storage, etc.,let’s face some facts.

The study states that mol-ecules from plastic, and addi-tives used to make plastic,leach into food at an acceler-ated rate when the plastic isexposed to common stresses

like the UV radiation fromsunlight, microwave radia-tion, and boiling or dish-washing. This leaching evenhappens in the BPA-free plas-tics. Ouch. And we thought itwas safe to go into BPA-freewater. But please read on.

Also, plastic products thatare used with food are oftenmade of undisclosed combi-nations of compounds andresins. One single part of amultipart product like a babybottle may contain 5-30chemicals. So the baby bottlein the photo, with all of itsparts, may contain, plus orminus, upwards of 100 differ-ent chemicals. And almost allof these chemicals can leachinto food from the productwhen it’s stressed.

I’m not a scientist, but theshocking truth is document-ed in detail in this study: invitro and in vivo studies areshowing that there is actualestrogenic activity (EA) fromthe leaching of these chemi-cals into food.

Estrogenic activity is oneof the things that has been

shown to be increasing theincidence of early secondarysexual characteristics in chil-dren (significantly loweringthe age of the onset of men-strual periods among otherthings). EA makes cellular,molecular, systemic changes,which the study says canmake actual changes in cells,organs and behaviors of cellsand organs.

Epidemiological studies,these experts say, stronglysuggest that chemicals pro-ducing EA changes are mea-surable in certain pop-ulations. This is the reasonthe researchers performedthis exhaustive study. Itseems that EA changes canbe serious and are on the rise.

The study sampled morethan 500 commercially avail-able plastic products andfound that most of them,even the BPA-free ones,released detectable levels ofEA when under the commonstressors I mention.

However—and this is thegood news—the study identi-fied all manner of additives

used in plastics manufacture,including antioxidants, clari-fiers, colorants, inks, etc.which do not have detectableEA in any stage of the manu-facturing process. They canbe used to make flexible non-transparent or LDPE (#4)plastic items that are EA-freeeven after exposure to thestressors! And when themanufacture is performedcarefully, not only is the prod-uct safe in this way, but it canhave all of the properties ofregular intended use at “min-imal additional cost.”

The study also concludedthat many scientists believeit isn’t appropriate publichealth practice to ignorethese findings. And these sci-entists say that the long-termeffects, from this generationto future generations, are notunderstood. This is under-scored, it said, by the factthat it has been shown thatproducts which do not createthese undesirable effects canbe made at similar cost.

Can we influence plasticmanufacturers to change

E N V I R O N M E N T A L C O M M I T T E E

W O R D S P R O U T S R E P O R T

By Paola Corso

Ben Yagoda, author of Memoir: AHistory, says outstanding mem-

oirists show readers that they havethought long and hard about them-selves and their experiences. Theirwork is what he calls “well consid-ered.” Coop authors Jacob Slichterand Donna Minkowitz proved justthat as they read in October tolaunch a new season of Word-sprouts, the Park Slope Food Coop’sReading Series. This report, the sec-ond of two parts, closes withSlichter’s memoir.

Slichter read from So You WannaBe a Rock & Roll Star, recalling hisdays as the drummer for the bandSemisonic. Kirkus Review called thebook “a wry and sharply realizedaccount” of one rock group’s riseand fall. The following excerpt—with its spot-on details and ever-so-frank self-reflection—is a backstagepass to the music scene:

So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Starexcerpt:

Until touring with Dan and John, Ihad spent little time in rock clubs.These dark caverns of stale beer andcigarette smoke were now home to myafternoon routine of loading equipmentfrom the van to the stage and settingup my drums. The club staff and housetechs, covered in gothic tattoos and666 shirts, blasted frighteningly

aggressive rock over the house soundsystem while I assembled my kit, inse-curity furrowing in my brow. Dan andJohn were familiar faces to the clubemployees. For now I was known as“new guy,” a moniker given to me byConrad Sverkerson, the legendarystage manager at First Avenue.

The settings I found myself in gavelittle comfort to my strained nerves.The typical dressing room was a cor-ner of the cracked concrete floor of theclub’s basement, where a ripped-upcouch with at least one broken leg satsurrounded by empty beer kegs andcrumbling plaster walls covered withscatological poetry and Magic Markerpenis art. At the Hurricane, I hungmy bags from the pipes to keep theroaches out. John cautioned me thatthis very practice had ruptured a ceil-ing pipe at the Seventh Street Entry,covering the musicians with shit andpiss. The house managers told stories,like one about the singer of some bandwho “shoved one of the microphones uphis butt last week.” And which mikewas that? I was embarrassed by mysensitivity to the crudeness of it all. Ifelt like one of the children in thesinging Family von Trapp. At 32, Iimagined I was the oldest tenderfoot inthe history of rock-and-roll.

Jacob said he didn’t write his mem-oir for himself or for the band but forpeople who want to be in a band. In

doing so, he pokes fun at himself ashe reflects back on his stardom. Iasked him a few follow-up questions:

Corso: Tell us about your writingprocess. Were you always so open aboutyour vulnerabilities and exposing themwith self-deprecating humor or did thiscome in later drafts?

Slichter: After I sold the book (onthe basis of a book proposal), I satdown to write and realized I had aproblem. The proposal had hyped mysuccess, but in fact, I wasn’t a rockstar, as the title suggested. My bandhad a couple of hit songs, but no oneknew who I was. Then it occurred tome that the disconnect between therock-star dream and my reality madefor an interesting story. Whereas mostrock memoirs are written by famousrockers who recount their lives ofrock-star excess, mine was a sort ofanti-rock-star story focused on otherthings: stage fright; the strange busi-ness of record deals, payola, and MTV;and the ways in which the insanity ofthe music business becomes yourown as you fight your way through thestar-making machinery. For instance,our hit record, which sold over a mil-lion copies, was deemed a disap-pointment by the record company,and I actually found myself swayed bythat thinking. These were the sorts ofthings I was able to let myself docu-ment once I let go of pretending I wasa rock star. So by owning up to all of

that, writing the book helped meprocess the whole experience I wasdescribing for the readers.

Corso: Did using wit in the bookhelp release some tension youmay not have been able to outwardlyexpress on stage or with the band?

Slichter: Yes. I always take thestage with the intent of conqueringthe audience, but that kind of brava-do is actually attended by all kindsof insecurity. Describing that insecu-rity, along with my daydreams ofever-elusive star status, not onlymade it a funnier book, but a truerone.

Corso: How would you comparedrumming with writing?

Slichter: When you switch fromone creative realm to another (drum-ming to writing, for instance) you real-ize how universal certain principlesare. ‘Prune away the extraneous stuffand trust that something simple canbe powerful.’ ‘Don’t try to drum/writeas the drummer/ writer you wish youwere but aren’t. Just be yourself.’

Corso: One last question. Hasbeing a drummer helped with yourCoop work shifts, say around closingtime?

Slichter: I’m sorry to report thatdrumming has not helped me becomea better bagger of raisins and slicedmangos. ■

Coops authors who’d like to participate in aWordsprouts event for a work shift creditshould contact co-curator P.J. Corsoat [email protected].

Memoirists Minkowitz and Slichter

Plastics and Estrogenic Activity their formulas? Maybe not today. But that’s worththinking about.

What we CAN do is givesome thought to stoppinguse of plastics—at least with our food.

After reading and digest-ing this study, I was amazedat how little nod I have beengiving to how much plastic, inhow many forms, I/we use asa matter of course. Thinkabout it and you may havethe same “Aha” I did. It blewme away.

And the bigger question ishow do we know whatamount we, our children andour children as yet unbornare exposed to, which canchange our bodies in waysthat have never been consid-ered and aren’t even under-stood?

RIGHT NOW we canchoose to use glass, metal,wood, paper and fabricsinstead of plastics for food. Infact, the PSFC is looking ateliminating offering newplastic bags in the store. ■

Please see “How to Shop without aPlastic Bag” at www.ecokvetch.blogspot.com.

11-12-15 p1-16_Layout 1 12/14/11 6:41 PM

Classified advertising in the Linewaiters’ Gazette is available only to Coop members. Publication does not imply endorsement by the Coop.


To Submit Classified or Display Ads:

Ads may be placed on behalf of Coop members only. Clas-sified ads are prepaid at $15 per insertion, display ads at $30.(Classified ads in the “Merchandise–Non-commercial” cate-gory are free.) All ads must be written on a submission form.Classified ads may be up to 315 characters and spaces. Dis-play ads must be camera-ready and business card size (2" x3.5" horizontal).

Submission forms are available in a wallpocket near theelevator in the entrance lobby.

ADVERTISE ON THE WEBIf your ad would benefit from broader exposure, try theCoop's web page, www.foodcoop.com. The ads are FREE.


BED & BREAKFASTTHE HOUSE ON 3rd ST. B&B -

serving Park Slope for over 20

yrs. Lovely parlor floor thru apt.

sleeps 4-5 in comfort & privacy,

queen bed, bath, double living

room, flatscreen, kitchenette,

deck overlooking yard. Visit our

web site at houseon3st.com or

on FB, a link is on the site. Call

Jane at 718-788-7171. Let us

host you!

TOFU’S RETREAT-Holistic B&B in

the Berkshires. Set on 5 acres with

mountain & pasture views. Guests

have their own floor w/private

bath, lvg room. Organic breakfasts

included. Chemical-free in-ground

pool in summer. 2 nite wknd min

stay. Includes choice of 2 mas-

sages or consult w/naturopath.

Call for info 917-648-1600.

MERCHANDISESET OF CHINA — Royal Holland,

white with 8 thin blue stripes at

the edge of each piece — 40 piece

set — dinner plates, soup, salad,

cups and saucers. Perfect condi-

tion, no chips or discolorations.

Used only a few times. $75 or best

offer. Call: 718-965-2184.

PETSPET NANNY. Retired social work-

er, 35yrs. exp. with all breeds,

esp. rescues and traumatized

dogs. One dog at a time gets the

run of my lrg. apt. Your dog will

rarely be alone. Arrange a meet

& greet. Unbeatable loving care

at unbeatable low rates! Call

Jane at 347-860-2142 or email

[email protected].

SERVICESEXPRESS MOVES. One flat price

for the entire move! No deceptive

hourly estimates! Careful, experi-

enced mover. Everything quilt

padded. No extra charge for

wardrobes and packing tape.

Specialist in walkups. Thousands

of satisfied customers. Great

Coop references. 718-670-7071.

MADISON AVENUE HAIR STYLIST

is right around the corner from

the Food Coop — so if you would

like a really good haircut at a

decent price, call Maggie at 718-

783-2154. I charge $60.00.

ATTORNEY—Personal Injury

Emphasis—30+ years experience

in all aspects of personal injury

law. Individual attention provided

for entire case. Free phone or

office consultations. Prompt,

courteous communications. 20+

year Food Coop member; Park

Slope resident; downtown

Brooklyn office. Tom Guccione,

718-596-4184.

ARE YOU LOOKING for a depend-

able, reliable and trustworthy

housekeeper? Call Vivian at 347-

295-1684.

EXPERT Editing & Coaching: Help

preparing and polishing your most

important communication tools:

resumes, cover letters, speeches,

articles, presentations. Carol

Becker 718-853-0750.HEALTH

HOLISTIC DOCTOR in Naturo-

pathy stimulates body’s natural

ability to heal chronic conditions,

allergy, skin, muscle, cancer sup-

port with homeopathy, physical &

chelation therapies, bioenergetic

acupuncture, lab tests, hair analysis

& more. Research Director. 20 years

exp. As Featured in Allure

Magazine. Dr. Gilman 212-505-1010.

HOLISTIC DENTISTRY in Man-

hattan (SOHO). Dr. Stephen R.

Goldberg provides comprehensive

family dental care using non-mer-

cury fillings, crowns, dentures,

thorough cleanings, non-surgical

gum treatments with minimal X-

rays. For a free initial exam in a

nutrition-oriented practice and for

insurance information, please call

212-505-5055.

OVERCOME OBSTACLES AND

REACH YOUR POTENTIAL.

Thoughtful, caring therapist, 18

years experience with adults and

children. Talk therapy, play therapy,

eclectic approach. Park Slope office

near Coop. Geri Ness 718-789-6739.

HOLISTIC PHYSICIAN using bio-

identical hormones, diet and nutri-

tional supplements to treat a wide

variety of ailments including aller-

gies, digestive disorders, inflamma-

tory conditions, osteoporosis and

thyroid disease. Over 20 years expe-

rience. Insurance reimbursable,

Medicare accepted. Please call

Marjorie Ordene, MD 718-258-7882.

CLASSIFIEDS

inure + J = injurecar + Z = czarboy + X = boxypaper + U = pauperwaken + E = weakendelete + P = depletemeal + D = medaltickle + R = trickleseen + V = sevenwrite + H = writhecarton + O = cartoontinge + W = twingelit + F = liftsin + K = skinpure + G = purgedesert + S = desserthabitat + N = habitantradial + C = radicalpunch + A = paunchroot + B = robotneural + T = neutralcanon + Y = canyonplant + I = pliantearthen + M = earthmenpeasant + L = pleasant

PuzzleAnswers

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Community calendar listings are free. Please submit your event listing in 50 words or less [email protected]. Submission deadlines are the same as for classified ads.

Please refer to the Coop Calendar in the center of this issue. An asterisk (*) denotes a Coop member.

SAT, DEC 17 Holiday Craft Fair: Step Into

Your Local EconomyFabulous

handmade items that will make

unique gifts for your friends and

family at our craft market. Lunch

and baked goods will be avail-

able for purchase. 10am-4pm at

Brooklyn Ethical, 53 PPW @ 2nd

St. www.BSEC.org.

SUN, DEC 18 Free Concert at Brooklyn Public

Library. Location: Central

Library in the Stevan Dweck cen-

ter.Time 4 pm. Free admission.

Adela Peña and Harumi Rhodes,

violins, Ah Ling Neu, viola,

Roberta Cooper, violoncello,

Peter Weitzner, double bass.

TUE, DEC 20 The Brooklyn Women’s Chorus

is having open rehearsals to

invite new members. No audi-

tions. Try it out for free, no com-

mitment. Tuesday evenings at

7:30 at the Brooklyn Society for

Ethical Culture Prospect Park

West at 2nd St. For informa-

tiom.www.brooklynwomenscho-

rus.com/ or call Bev Grant at

718-788-3741. We strive to rep-

resent the diversity of the

women of Brooklyn; all women

are welcome and encouraged to

join. Brooklyn Women’ Chorus.

THU, DEC 22 SETTING THE TABLE: A cooking

class for new and expectant par-

ents. Learn how to prepare sim-

ple and delicious healthy meals

for your growing family, and dis-

cuss how you can find meaning

creating a Jewish atmosphere

around your family table. Time

6:30–9:30pm http://www.hazon.org/

programs/setting-the-table.

WED, JAN 4 FOLK OPEN SING: Come sing

with us the first Wednesday of

every month. Bring voice, instru-

ments, friends. Children welcome.

Cohosted by the Folk Society of

NY, the Ethical Culture Society &

the Good Coffeehouse. At the Eth-

ical Culture Society, 53 Prospect

Park West. 7:30–10:00 p.m. Info:

718-636-6341.

11-12-15 p1-16_Layout 1 12/14/11 6:41 PM

11-12-15 p1-16 Layout 1 - Park Slope Food Coop...Marigny, the New Orleans Food Co-op (NOFC) offers...

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