Volume FF, Number 15 July 28, 2011 Pulitzer Prize Winner Jake

“We thought we had a goodchance,” Bernstein admits,because the Bernstein-Eisingerstory penetrated the tight-lipped Wall Street communityto reveal some of the hiddenlevers at work behind the 2008financial crisis, in which certainWall Street firms deployedunorthodox mechanisms toprofit even at the expense oftheir own clients, in ways that“worsened the financial crisis.”

Summarized on the Pro-Publica website, www.propub-lica.org/series/the-wall-street-money-machine.com, theinvestigation revealed that,“Wall Street took advantageof complicated mortgage-based instruments to reapbillions, only to exacerbatethe eventual crash.”

It further noted that as thehousing market started tofade, bankers and hedgefunds scrambled for ways tomaintain the lavish bonusesand profits to which they hadbecome so accustomed,repackaging mortgages incomplex securities called col-lateralized debt obligations.The booming CDO marketmasked how weak the hous-ing market was, and exacer-

bated its collapse.The former Editor of the

Texas Observer, a bi-weekly inAustin, and the author of abook on former Vice-PresidentDick Cheney, Bernstein, a NewYork native, returned to the cityin August 2008 to work forProPublica, a high caliber on-line journalistic website. Pro-Publica has investigatedcontroversial issues rangingfrom fracking to the currentscandal in the Rupert Murdochempire.

Soon after theirmove back East, Bern-stein and his wife, Eve,joined the Coop,where she does bothof their shifts sinceinvestigation and newscycle reporting is nonine to five job. In fact,Bernstein told me thaton the food-process-ing shift Eve does forhim, her co-workerscall her “Jake.”

“The meatiest areasfor investigation arethose that uncoveraccountability and arepositive,” says Bern-stein. “That naturallybrings us to certain

areas. While a Pulitzer looksfine in retrospect, gettingstarted can be frustrating. Aswe learned more about theinvestments behind themortgage crisis, we felt, ‘MyGod, can you believe this isgoing on?” But first it’s just ablank page.”

The team worked on thestory constantly; spendingnights and weekends wasroutine. What led up to theprestigious award were the

Next General Meeting on August 30The General Meeting of the Park Slope Food Coop is held on thelast Tuesday of each month.* The next General Meeting will beon Tuesday, August 30, at 7:00 p.m. at the Congregation BethElohim Temple House (Garfield Temple), 274 Garfield Place.

* Exceptions for November and December will be posted.

IN THIS ISSUENOFA Farm Apprenticeship Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Not a Board in the Usual Sense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Safe Food Committee Report: Chinatown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Member Submission: More Democracy, Please . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Coop Hours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Coop Calendar, Workslot Needs

Governance Information, Mission Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Classified Ads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Community Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

By Alison Rose Levy

The first Brooklyn FoodConference took placein Park Slope in May

2009. Three thousand-eighthundred people (including500 children) attended. Fol-lowing the conference,numerous participatinggroups and individualsexpressed eagerness to buildupon the working relation-ships that evolved over theConference planning. So inresponse to these concernedBrooklyn citizens, ConferenceDirector Nancy Romer con-

vened meetings, which ulti-mately led to the founding ofthe Brooklyn Food Coalition(BFC). This grassroots organi-zation that, according to itswebsite, is committed tobuilding an inclusive, multi-racial, multi-cultural allianceof residents and community-based groups from all parts ofBrooklyn, to promote foodjustice, food security and asustainable food system inour borough.

In addition to planningthe Second Brooklyn Food

The Brooklyn Food CoalitionPlans Ahead for the 2012Brooklyn Food Conference

Pulitzer Prize Winner Jake Bernstein Uncovers Players Behind the Mortgage CrisisBy Alison Rose Levy

When Jake Bernstein won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting,there were no camera flashings, nor treks down red carpets. Therewas just a simple phone call to the ProPublica newsroom where

Jake, a ProPublica reporter (and Coop member), and his colleague JesseEisinger were gathered with their colleagues, awaiting word as towhether they had won for their series of investigative reports, The WallStreet Money Machine, published from April 2011 with ongoing updates.

C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 6


Volume FF, Number 15 July 28, 2011

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

Established1973

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CoopEventHighlights

Tue, Aug 9 • Safe Food Committee Film Night:

Chinatown 7:00 p.m.

Fri, Aug 19 • Blood Drive 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.

Sat, Aug 20 • Blood Drive 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.

Thu, Sep 1 • Food Class:

Fermentation Basics 7:30 p.m.

Look for additional information about these and other events in this issue.

Jake Bernstein, reporter and Coopmember, shared the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting.

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Kale growing at Rooftop Farms in Greenpoint.

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Where will the next genera-tion of New York State’s

organic farmers get theirstart? A new statewide pro-gram of the Northeast Organ-ic Farming Association ofNew York (of which the Coopis a member), the NOFA-NYFarm Apprenticeship Pro-gram, connects experiencedfarmers with indiv idualsinterested in learning howto start and run a farm. Foraspiring farmers, this is anew opportunity to starttheir farm-based learning;fo r exper ienced organicfarmers, i t ’s a chance toteach eage r l ea rne rs tofa rm. The L in ewa i t e r s ’Gazette spoke with RachelSche l l -Lamber t , theBeginning Farmer Coordi-na to r o f NOFA-NY inups ta te Roches te r, tolea rn more about theNOFA-NY Fa rm Appren-ticeship Program.

LWG: How many farms andfarmers are involved? Rachel: It’s a new project forNOFA-NY, and it has been agradually increasing numberof participants since we

launched the web-baseddirectory in February 2011.We have almost 70 appren-ticeship-seekers listed on theweb directory right now, and20 farms. This is a number wewill really increase for futureseasons, since we launchedafter many farms werealready through searching forapprentices.

LWG: Is there a growingdemand for new organicfarms and farmers?Rachel: Certainly. Accordingto the 2007 Census of Agricul-ture, the average age of afarmer in the United States is55. Farmers at this age arestill quite capable, obviously,but it is concerning that thenumber is skewed towardsretirement age. It raises thequestion of who will be grow-ing and providing food in thenext few decades. Anotherfactor is the increaseddemand for locally grownproduce, evidenced by newlocal farmers’ markets, locallygrown produce in stores andrestaurants and a clearlyheightened sense of aware-ness of seasonal and arti-

sanal food consumptionwithin the food-loving com-munities in the UnitedStates. There is a growinggroup of people, recent grad-uates, 20- and 30-some-things, as well as thoseseeking a second or thirdcareer, who are in training tobecome farmers for the longterm. So there is demand,and there is a supply. NOFA-NY works on both ends of thisspectrum, educating con-sumers about fresh, organic,local food but also to ensurethat people who want to farm

have the resources and train-ing to enter into farm busi-ness management and stayfarming for a long time if theyso desire.

LWG: The program does notdirectly match farmers andapprentices; instead itoffers an online directory,which the two parties use toconnect with each other.How have these connec-tions worked out? What arethe positives/negatives ofletting the matches happenindependently?

Rachel: We would not beable to tell an apprenticewhat farm would be the bestmatch for them, and wewould not be able to tell afarmer who his or her idealapprentice would be. Eitherone can filter their search inour online directory to nar-row their options—for exam-ple, to only see a specific typeof farm, or a specific level ofexperience in an apprentice.The detailed profiles areimportant to this process—either party can get a reallygood sense of whether thepersonality and details of theprofiled farm or apprenticewould be a good match. Fromthere, they can call or e-mailtheir top choices. I’d say thatthis freedom to search andnot be committed by anythird party’s opinion is a posi-tive—it should lead to muchhappier farmers and appren-tices. A negative is that wedon’t always get word on whohas matched themselvesthrough us! I personally try tokeep tabs on everyone’s sta-tus, but it’s not an exactmethod. I truly hope that thedirectory is serving its pur-pose, and I believe that overtime people will report backto me or refer others to theNOFA-NY program.

LWG: Each participatingfarmer needs to submit aneducational plan for poten-tial applicants; can youelaborate on that?

2 � July 28, 2011 Park Slope Food Coop, Brooklyn, NY

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

VALET BIKE PARKING IS HERE ON SUNDAYS!

Every Sunday through November 20, from3:30 p.m.–8:00 p.m., Coop members can

leave their bikes with our valet parking service, which is like

a coat check for bikes. Working members willcheck in and watch your bike for you.

Just drop off your bike, do your shopping or your shift, and hop back on. No locks, no worries, no theft. Service operates rain or shine.

Look for us in front of the yellow wall. (Note: no bike check-in after 7:30 p.m.)

Valet bicycle parking atthe Coop is brought toyou by the PSFC Shop

& Cycle Committee.

What Is That? How Do I Use It?Food Tours in the Coop

Monday, September 12 & 26Noon to 1:00 p.m. and 1:30 t0 2:30 p.m.You can join in any time during a tour.

If the weather is hotfind water

If you are latefind the sky—it is never late

If you are pressuredfind your breath

If you are lonelyfind your smile

If you are in painfind the part of you that is well

If you are depressedfind your heart and put a hand there

If loss grieves youfind gratitude for what you have

Endless torments await

Find the goodFocus there

The Park Slope Food CoopFinding you the goods

by Myra Klockenbrink

New York’s Next Generation of Organic Farmers:The NOFA-NY FarmApprenticeship ProgramBy Frank Haberle

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Park Slope Food Coop, Brooklyn, NY July 28, 2011 � 3

hours, days, months, (overeighteen of them) in whichthe two reporters followed upon infinitesimal leads, whichwith persistence, hard work,and luck produced moreleads, along with an enor-mous volume of data fromwhich, under the reporters’painstaking scrutiny, a pat-tern of financial activity slow-ly emerged.

In their initial foray intothe research, the team con-centrated on activity duringthe 2006-2007 period. As theytracked down records, in aneffort to “shake the tree,”Bernstein admitted, “It washard. None of this informa-tion is public. Among hedgefund managers, there is acode of silence. They don’ttalk, fearing investigations.”

The people who do gruntwork on the investment offer-ing were young, in their mid-twenties to thirties, andaccording to Bernstein, “Theywere terrified that theirinvolvement was going todefine their career. They did-n’t trust that you could talk toa reporter confidentially.”

The pair went from lead tolead to lead, finding peopleand getting little pieces ofinformation. But the dealswere private transactions,buried in lengthy investmentprospectuses written indense legalese. Finally, somepeople in the know did openup to the reporters, perhaps,Bernstein surmises, because“they had a guilty conscience,they felt that bad things hadhappened and that peoplesuffered. They wanted to getthe information out so thatpeople would learn and notrepeat the same mistake.”

As Bernstein and Eisingerpersisted, they piecedtogether what finally culmi-nated in a major story—theexposure of previouslyunidentified players in themortgage scandal embeddedin the 2008 financial melt-down, principally a hedgefund called Magnetar.

After the first installmentcame out, the team was stillon a learning curve in grasp-ing the complex story. “It was-n’t until the second story thatwe really understood what

was going on.” As it turnedout, Magnetar played multi-ple roles, which, though notstrictly illegal, were obscuredfrom those who acquired theirinvestments: it packagedinvestment instruments, andthen filled them with its ownhigh risk mortgages, whilealso serving as guarantor.

I asked Bernstein, inabsence of the firm commit-ment to investigative journal-ism at a place like ProPublica,how likely it was that thedouble-handed dealings heand Eisinger uncoveredwould have come to light.

“Not very likely,” he admit-ted, “without the time andresources we had to figure itout. But since we did have

them when we were assignedthe project, we collaboratedand just dove in.”

What many people don’trealize is that the decline ofnewspapers and the advent ofthe Internet has produced ahigher volume of information,but quite often there’s moresound than light. Accordingto some analysts, the field ofinvestigative journalism hasshrunk, while the ranks of PRpersonnel have swelled. In anepoch of complex infrastruc-tures and conflicting groupswith diverse agendas, tomake choices in a democracy,citizens need more in-depthinformation and analysis. Butthey’re getting less. That’swhy when two philan-

thropists, Herb andMarion Sandler,decided they wantedto support journal-ism to fill an informa-tion gap, they gottogether with Paul E.Steiger, a formerManaging Editor ofthe Wall Street Journal,and one-time Chair-man of the PulitzerPrize board, to fundProPublica.

“The New York Timesand the Wall StreetJournal still do goodreporting—but therearen’t that many oth-ers,” Bernstein pointsout. “There is lesstime and less money

devoted to high quality jour-nalism.” Without that sup-port, coverage of key socialissues and events remainssuperficial.

It took Bernstein andEisinger over a year and a halfto produce the series of articlestelling the Magnetar story forwhich they won the Pulitzer. “Itwas really difficult to report,and really difficult to write,”Bernstein says. “It was verycomplex, and our goal was to

make it understandable.Putting in that kind of effort isnot cost effective. Most metro-politan newspapers are nolonger willing to make that kindof investment.”

“Journalism, frankly, de-pends on being able to followthe life cycle to a story, alongwith the quality of editorialsupport a reporter gets,” saysBernstein. “We were up atthree in the morning debat-ing over a sentence with oureditor. But it’s exhilaratingbecause we’re all there forthe same reason, we want itto be good.”

What effect did the publi-cation of their story have?

“When the story came out,there was a huge reaction,and a lot of free-floatinganger. People felt, ‘We havebeen screwed, and we don’tknow how it was done.’

But after reading the story,

there’s a sense that ‘I finallyunderstand how this works,’”says Bernstein. “The value ofthis kind of journalism is thatinstead of people being shutout of knowing what hap-pened as the world changes,it has been explained andmade accessible.” ■

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

All the clues listed below consist entirely of consonants. Each cluecan be reconstituted into at least three different common words byadding appropriate vowels.

For example, the clue dbl can be turned into “double,” “edible” or“audible.”

The number of missing vowels may vary from word to word. Someclues can be expanded to more than three words.

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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.

Please protect your feet and toeswhile working your shift at theCoop by not wearing sandals or other open-toed footwear.

Thanks for your cooperation, The Park Slope Food Coop

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ProPublica staff celebrate winning the Pulitzer Prize. Jesse Eisinger,first from right, and Jake Bernstein, third from right, shared theprize.

Puzzle author: Stuart Marquis. For answers, see page 5.

Jake BernsteinC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 1


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Rachel: The term “apprentice-ship” is used in many differentways and has occasionallybecome synonymous withfarm labor with no added edu-cation or even inappropriatecompensation under theguise of a learning experience.Many farms do indeed offer atraining and experiential workopportunity, which is whatNOFA-NY wants to highlightto potential farm apprentices.Since learning and teachingstyles are dependent on indi-viduals, the farm profile is achance for the farmers toexplain how an apprentice canexpect to learn the farmingskills, farm management prac-tices, science and philoso-phies guiding that farm’sday-to-day work. NOFA-NYhas a mission to ensure thatfarmers are providing legalwork opportunities througheducating the farmers onthose laws, pointing them toDepartment of Laborresources on recordkeeping,and offering training work-shops at our annual winterconference in January. Ourorganization stands behinddefining an apprenticeship aspart of the professional devel-opment in a given field, work-ing towards an individual’scompetency as an indepen-dent practitioner of that trade.So an apprenticeship in farm-ing must be a chance for aninexperienced or semi-experi-

enced individual to build askill set and work towardbeing and viewing themselvesas a competent farmer.

LWG: NOFA continuesproviding support toapprentices after theprogram ends. Howdoes this work? Rachel: There is not a for-mal program for this, but weare proud of how active manyof our members are, and ofhow many of them we are intouch with on a regular basis.We anticipate that we cancontinue to hear from andwork with farmers as they“graduate” from apprentice-ship to other responsibilities.We may be offering furtherprograms in future years, butfor now it is through strongcommunity and relationships.

LWG: It’s clear what theapprentices gain from theirexperience, but what dothe farmers gain?Rachel: Farmers appreciatehaving workers who have aphilosophical bond with thefarm work. These workers caremore about the quality oftheir work, will engage farm-ers in discussion and beeager to learn how and whytasks are performed on thatfarm, and may be able to con-tribute and help solve prob-lems with that farmer. Thisisn’t to say the hourly workerswho aren’t apprentices donot also do these things, butfarmers that offer apprentice-

ships often do so to guaran-tee that they will have anenthusiastic and responsiblecrew of labor. Since farmerscare so greatly about provid-ing food and taking care ofthe land, many feel honoredand called to train new farm-ers, to continue the legacyand maintain the honor ofthe profession.

LWG: Is this a good opportu-nity for younger people or isit more geared for post-graduates/people ready togo immediately into farming?Rachel: Anyone who is inter-ested in farming could consid-er an apprenticeship, whetherit’s during summer break orfollowing a graduation, for alonger period of time. I per-sonally know people whoweren’t ready for college, whoended up working on farmsand becoming much moreaware of their character, theiraspirations, and then decidingthat they wanted to go to col-lege as a stronger, more direct-ed person. An apprenticeshipshould give a person a senseabout their desire to farmlong-term, but the work itselfis also amazing for buildingcharacter and good habits.

LWG: Are there urbanorganic farming educationprograms in New York Citythat our members shouldbe aware of? Rachel: There are, indeed,such programs in New YorkCity. Many have been in thenews lately—long-term pro-grams, school gardens, farm-ing schools, apprenticeshipsfor teens in botanical gardens.An internet search brings upmany results—someone inter-ested in farming should checkthose out, but know to ask lotsof questions about whetherthere is a set curriculum,whether there is compensa-tion, and the commitmentexpected. There is quite arange, and an apprenticeshould go into the searchprocess with a general idea ofwhat they are looking for. ■

For more information aboutNOFA-NY and the Farm Appren-ticeship Program, please visitwww.nofany.org.



Looking for

something new?Check out the Coop’s

products blog.

The place to go for the latest information on our current

product inventory.

You can connect to the blog via the Coop’s websitewww.foodcoop.com

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NMAKE YOUR OWN PSFC WORK SHIFT!Be a part of forming a new food co-op in the Fort Greene Clinton Hill area. Join us in getting ready to open our store and Buying Club on Putnam and Grand (near Fulton).

CREATIVE? WRITER? TALKATIVE? LAWYER? SOCIAL-BUTTERFLY? WEB-DEVELOPER?

MOREINFO

www.GreeneHillFood.Coop [email protected] 718-208-4778

LEFFERTS FARMFOOD COOPERATIVEWe are a newly-formed group made up of residents from Flatbush, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens and Crown Heights, working to develop a new medium-sized food cooperative in the area.

JOIN US: www.meetup.com/plgfoodcoop

WE NEED YOUR HELP!There’s no question Brooklyn needs more food cooperatives, but it’s not simple. Food co-ops are businesses and development projects created for and by the community.

JOIN OUR PLANNING GROUPIn order to make this happen, we need YOU! Why? Because as a member, you have experience with food co-ops. And as a worker/community member, you have experience we need—from organizational development, branding/messaging, finance/accounting, fundraising, to real estate development and community outreach. Even people you know or the groups you belong to are a valuable asset to the process!

GET INVOLVEDPSFC members will receive FTOP credit in exchange for their participation. Join our MeetUp group at www.meetup.com/plgfoodcoop or contact [email protected] for more information.

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Not a Board in the Usual Sense



By Ed Levy

Democratic processes areso deeply infused into

the Coop’s culture that thevery existence of a board ofdirectors may seem like aweird anomaly. But when theCoop became incorporatedunder New York State Coop-erative Corporation Law in1977, it took on some of thestructures demanded by thatlaw’s provisions, and blendedthem with its own traditions.

One result of that blend isthat our board of directorsdoesn’t meet in executivesession, that is, alone and inprivate. Ever. In fact, itsmain function is to receivethe advice of the membersas expressed in the GeneralMembership Meeting, andvote to ratify that advice, aformality that takes place atthe end of every GM. That isthe board’s entire raisond’être. As board member BillPenner remarked “Even justgetting together for a dinnerparty wouldn’t seem right.”

The board doesn’t makepolicy, offer advice, initiatechange, or play any kind ofpro-active role whatsoever.Board President John Urda,like all the other boardmembers we spoke to, wasemphatic about this: “We arenot on the board in order tomake change. The meetingsare for that.”

The board, says JohnUrda, is as a legal necessity,based on New York State’sCooperative CorporationLaw. That law states thatevery cooperative shall havea board with officers electedin staggered terms, alongwith a president and vice-president, a secretary and atreasurer.

By law, board membersmust be 18 years or olderand members of the Coop.

There are f ive regularlyelected Coop board mem-bers, plus a sixth. TheCoop’s bylaws state, ‘Thereshall be a Board of Directorsconsisting of five personselected by the membershipat the annual meeting, andone of the paid Coordina-tors, ex officio.’

The board is not just a rub-ber stamp for the GM. JohnUrda signs legal documentsfor the Coop, and the boardas a whole must watch outthat nothing we do is illegalor financially reckless.

I f , on a wild night, theGM voted to grant everymember a monthly stipendof a hundred and fifty dol-lars, the board would pru-dently vote it down. On theother hand, if the meetingdecided to end the bikevalet program, it is almostcertain the board would rat-ify its decision, even if allthe board members wereavid shopper-cyclists andtotally bent out of shape bythis decis ion. As Johnpointed out, a board mem-ber could speak out againsta measure in the GeneralMeeting, vote no on it as amember, and then, once itis passed, switch hats andvote to formally approve it

as a member of the board ofdirectors.

The board is also thebody that pro forma ratifiesanything decided by referen-dum. The decision of the ref-erendum to sell organicmeat was confirmed by theboard at the June 2001 GM.The referendum decision onselling beer was confirmedby the board at the January2002 GM.

If you’ve seen the StephenFrears film The Queen, withHelen Mirren, you mayremember the scene inwhich the prime ministerhands Queen Elizabeth thespeech she is going to deliv-er to the nation about thedeath of Princess Diana. Atthe last moment, the primeminister asks if she wouldn’tmind inserting an additionalphrase into the speech.“What choice do I have?”replied the queen.

The board is l ike that.Except in very narrow cir-cumstances, the board hasno choice. If the board mem-bers actively opposed thewill of the meeting, afirestorm would ensue (andon rare occasions, has).

In the 1990s, a group of 3board members rejected theadvice of the members at

the GM to form a committeeto study buying the buildingadjacent to the Coop. Thisrejection was met with ahighly charged and negativeresponse.

Because of the uniqueform of direct democracythat the Coop has evolvedover the years, which is sin-gular even among coops,according to Urda, the Gen-eral Meeting has become akind of legislative body,town meeting, and board ofdirectors meeting all rolledinto one.

Should the board decideto assume more authoritythan granted to it by the by-laws, its members are sub-

ject to recall, according tothe NYS Cooperative Corpo-ration Law. Removal can beinitiated by a petitionsigned by five percent of themembers, and requires avote of three fourths of aspecial meeting called todeal with the issue, “provid-ed that at such meeting notless than ten per centum ofthe entire membership vote,personally or by mail.”

The Board MembersBoard President John

Urda, as an attorney for theNew York State Departmentof Environmental Conser-vat ion, invest igates oi l

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Conference which will takeplace in May 2012, today,two years after the first con-ference, the BFC is wellorganized, offering an infor-mative website and a wholerange of activities.

Brought together by ashared vision of workingtoward a more sustainablefood system, the BFC joinedforces in February 2011 withthe Open Space Institute(OSI.)

Coop member NancyRomer serves as BFC’s founderand General Coordinator, withAdriana Velez as BFC’s Com-munications Coordinator. TheCoalition has three main areasof activity: community orga-nizing, public awareness andeducation, and research andadvocacy. All of these effortsarose from the BFC’s firm grassroots foundation; it’s struc-tured into ten neighborhoodgroups.

Romer points out that,“It’s natural for people froma neighborhood to gettogether. They feel that theyhave both a borough andneighborhood identity. Theyknow the same hangouts,the same difficulties, theyhave more in common tohave a conversation, build asense of community, andthey can identify specificsthat a neighborhood mightneed.” For example, the Sun-set Park BFC knows that toreach community members,it’s good to offer publicity inthree languages, Spanish,Chinese, and English.

With ten neighborhoodgroups in total (Sunset Park,Bed-Stuy, Bushwick /Will iamsburg, and ParkSlope, among others), theBFC reflects Brooklyn’sdiverse population, allowingBFC to encompass a fullrange of issues for trans-forming the food system,while prioritizing its initia-tives effectively.

In each neighborhood, BFCmembers work together onprojects that can change thefood system on the local, andoften national level. On aver-age, most of the groups haveat least twenty participants.

Each group defines its pri-orities and initiates two out-reach projects. The Bed-Stuygroup is compiling a compre-hensive neighborhood goodfood guide, and supportingcommunity school gardens.The Park Slope group is pro-moting food movementdiversity by featuring anevening series of films relat-ed to food issues.

“We ask neighborhoodgroups to make allianceswith four other neighbor-hood organizations,”says Romer.

Being part of thelarger organizationallows the neighbor-hood groups to accessstructure, support andtools for their efforts,while also shaping BFC-wide initiatives. Plus, allneighborhood groups canwork together to developresources all organizersshare, as well as build volun-teer participation for a widerange of community projects,such as urban farms andcommunity gardens, foodpantries, farmers markets,

special events, and, ofcourse, the Food Conference.

“Whatever we do, wealways get feedback andinput from the neighbor-hood groups—and try tofind out from the groupswhat do they want to pur-sue,” notes Romer.

Key initiatives are improv-ing school food nutrition, aswell as raising awareness andaddressing issues of food jus-tice so that all people in allareas of Brooklyn have accessto quality nutritious food. Aspart of an outreach effort togrow two school food gar-dens in Bed Stuy, the Bed-Stuy neighborhood groupheld parent workshops togive parents skills in how toorganize to get better foodsfor their children. One hun-dred parents attended.

The BFC regularly offersskill-sharing events andmaterials to support its par-ticipants in building aware-ness in their communities.Currently a range of publicpolicy outreach materials arein production, and the BFCwebsite offers online infor-mation about food resources.

The mapping and researchcommittee developed a map-ping tool (www.ebrelsford.com/survey/locations/map)that compares food access indifferent neighborhoods, dra-matically revealing inequitiesin the food system. “Whenyou collect data and then dis-play it in this map format, youreally see how the foodoptions in some communi-ties are terrible, and howimpossible it is to shop forhealthy food in those areas.You begin to see in a morefine-tuned way,” says Romer.

In the website section“Find Food,” there are manyresources to help peoplefind sources of affordablefresh food in their communi-ties; farmer’s market, CSA’s,community gardens, andnutrition friendly local busi-nesses are listed with loca-tion and contact informationin this section of the BFCwebsite. At the first BrooklynFood Conference, GeneralCoordinator Joe Holtz metwith community membersworking on startup coops.This session was so popularthat, according to Romer,

the group continued to meetmonthly to share ideas andstrategies, ultimately form-ing the Food Coop AllianceNYC. Along with David Buck-ell, Romer wrote a proposalto New York City CouncilSpeaker, Christine Quinn,requesting the allocation ofa special fund for foodcoops. The 2011 City Councilbudget allocated $50K forthat purpose.

In addition to its neighbor-hood groups, BFC includes anumber of active issue-orient-ed committees, including apolicy committee, a confer-ence committee, an anti-racism committee, and amapping and research com-mittee. The BFC also partici-pates in research andadvocacy efforts with partnerorganizations to aggregateinformation about food issuesand trends, and to advocatefor food policies that willimprove food access and qual-ity for Brooklyn citizens. TheBFC actively organized to helppass the federal Child Nutri-tion Act. Along with the 2012conference planning, theBFC’s 2011 policy priorities

include the federal Food &Farm Bill, and ongoing workon children’s nutrition.

The BFC policy committeehas developed awareness-raising materials for theupcoming U.S. Food andFarm Bill, which will be usedfor education and outreach.“We are not in a position towrite legislation but we caneducate people about theimportance of the U.S. FarmBill for the current andfuture direction that thefood system takes,” saysRomer. The materials willallow people to understandhow the bill relates to them,so that they can, if they wish,contact Congress and advo-cate for specific goals.

Throughout this coming fall,BFC will be planning the Sec-ond Conference. People canwrite to [email protected] to volun-teer, with more people neededin the time preceding the May2012 Food Conference.

But, Romer emphasizes,“It’s not just about going tomeetings. If you want to workwith us and are really excitedabout the project, you canget FTOP credit. As the timeleading up to the Conferencegets closer, we will need staffof every kind. Right now, weneed everything from cre-ative ideas and skills to peo-ple who can create leaflets.We need event planners aswell as people with contactswith those who can speakand make financial contribu-tions. Right now is the for-mative stage, and wewelcome people to becomeinvolved.” ■

Clockwise from right: Red Hook Community

Farm; Children visitingStone Barns; Key initiativeof BFC is that everybody in

Brooklyn has access toquality nutritious food.

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Brooklyn FoodC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 1

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For over two years, there’s beendiscussion at the Coop regard-

ing whether or not we should stopstocking Israeli goods. Membersrepresenting many opinions havewritten letters to the Gazette whichhave sparked debate among themembership.

To resolve the issue, a vote,clarifying the opinions of theentire membership, is necessary.The fairest way to take this vote isby referendum. Every memberwould have the opportunity tovote on whether the Coop shouldparticipate in the global nonvio-lent Boycott, Divestment andSanctions (BDS) movement insupport of Palestinians’ humanrights. At the General Meeting onTuesday, July 26, attendees dis-cussed a proposal on conductingthis referendum. The proposaldoes not decide the issue itself: itonly determines the methodused to make this decision. Vot-ing by referendum is the mostdemocratic method available tous, protecting individual privacy,allowing time for reflection, andensuring that the result accurate-ly represents the position of themajority. We hope that this pro-posal for referendum will bepassed at a future GM.

Some, troubled by dissent orseeking to avoid conflict, haveexpressed the desire that the Coop“remain neutral” and “avoid beingpolitical.” Unfortunately, it isimpossible for the Coop to main-tain a neutral stance in relation toIsrael. Stocking goods made in thiscountry, whose government sys-tematically violates internationallaw and human rights, carries theunintended consequence of pro-viding its illegal actions with eco-

nomic support. The same is true ofany investments the Coop mayhold in companies that profit fromthe Occupation. Such economicsupport makes all Coop memberscomplicit in the commission ofhuman rights abuses and the vio-lation of international law. Byignoring the issue, the Coop cur-rently is acting in support ofIsrael's actions without actuallytaking a vote from its member-ship. This contradicts growingopposition among the member-ship to Israel’s inhumane andillegal activities.

The Coop has in fact alwaysbeen a political institution, usingour buying power to support food,social and environmental justice.We have endorsed a number ofboycotts, including one againstCalifornia grapes to support work-ers' rights, and a 20-year long boy-cott of South African goods thatbegan the year the Coop opened.In 1987 we created a “Boycott Poli-cy” to streamline our decision-making around proposedboycotts. We currently boycottCoca-Cola in solidarity with aninternational community of work-ers and women negatively impact-ed by these companies’ products.In March, we enacted a boycott ofFlaum’s Appetizing Products. Thisproposal for a referendum on BDSis a continuation of our commit-ment to justice.

Many assume the issue of BDScould be decided at a GeneralMeeting. However, it’s unlikelythat the result of a GM vote wouldbe truly representative of the15,000+-member Coop. Suppos-ing 500 people—a high esti-mate—attended the GM to vote,this would still only represent 3%

of our membership. It’s impossi-ble to ensure that the views of this3% represent the wider member-ship, particularly since supportersand opponents would “pack” themeeting to sway the vote. Themeeting would invariably devolveinto acrimonious, intractable andinconclusive debate, creating anuncomfortable space for thosevoting. The GM accommodatesonly a minority of members, pro-vides inadequate time to discussthis issue in depth, as it warrants,and affords no opportunity formembers to deliberate andresearch the issue.

A referendum provides eachmember with time for reflection,self-education, and privacy to votetheir conscience, free from socialand political pressures present ata GM. It grants each member avoice, ensuring that results of thevote are truly representative, andallows those invested in the out-come to organize and hold educa-tional activities. There would be aperiod of months before memberswould fill out their ballots, givingthem ample opportunity to learnabout the issue.

Employing a vote via referen-dum is a unifying gesture indicat-ing the Coop's respect for theopinions and feelings of everysingle member. Implementing areferendum to decide such animportant issue is not only nec-essary; it is an excellent indicatorof the health of the Coop as ademocratic institution. If we con-duct this process successfully, itwill strengthen our community byreplacing the mistrust and avoid-ance we currently use to deal withthis issue with deeper respectand understanding. ■



SAFE FOOD COMMITTEE REPORT

ChinatownBy Adam Rabiner

Through documentaries such as Thirst and BlueGold, the Safe Food Committee’s film series Plowto Plate has examined the political, environmen-

tal, and economic tensions arising from the growingdemand for a precious and endangered naturalresource, namely water. In Chinatown, the film serieslets its hair down a little while these same tensionsplay themselves out as the backdrop of this classic1974 film noir crime drama directed by Roman Polans-ki and starring Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, andJohn Houston. Set in Los Angeles in 1937, the film isloosely based on historical battles over land and waterrights that took place in Southern California in the firsttwo decades of the 20th century.

Los Angeles at this time was a desert community,and in the film, it’s also suffering from a drought. The

City’s Water and Power Department is proposing thecontroversial Alto Viejo Dam to help solve the city’swater problems, but its chief engineer, Hollis Mul-wray, publicly denounces the project at a City Hallmeeting claiming it’s a dangerous project. Angryfarmers, yelling that their water is being stolen andtheir livestock starved, run their sheep through thepublic meeting, which ends in disarray. Other oppo-nents leave pamphlets on car windows that state,“Save our city. L.A. is dying of thirst,” and there arethreats to blow up the city’s reservoir as a waterbond issue passes.

Water plays a prominent role in the film, not justthematically, but physically as well. Mulwray visitsseveral water facilities operated by his department,tailed by Nicholson’s character, private detective J.J.“Jake” Gittes who suspects him of cheating on hiswife. He’s also trailed to a pond in Echo Park wherehe’s photographed rowing a boat with his suspectedmistress. “He’s got water on his brain” says the pho-

spills. He first became interested in Coop gover-nance when the decision about whether or notto sell beer was being debated and put forth asuccessful proposal to make beer sales condi-tional on the store’s expansion. That experiencewhetted his appetite for more participation.He’s now been on the board for about ten years.

Imani Q’ryn, who also serves on the ChairCommittee, was first elected to the board to filla vacancy. She told the Gazette, “We take ourmandate seriously. We value the democraticstructure of the Coop and are pleased to havepower in the hands of the membership.” Imani isa real estate and telecom broker, and a formeropera singer.

Elizabeth Tobier, a board member for nine years,is also Secretary of the Coop, responsible for keep-ing a record of the actions and decisions of theGeneral Meeting. (According to the cooperativelaw, the president and vice president must beboard members, but the treasurer (currently, Gen-eral Coordinator Tricia Leith) and secretary do nothave to be. Elizabeth has been a board member fornine years and secretary for ten. She said, “TheCoop is a great organization. If it does have a short-coming, it’s in the area of communication. It’s hardfor people to get their heads around the manage-ment and decision making structure. And there arenow so many committees, it’s difficult to get intouch with them.”

Bill Penner, a Brooklyn architect, has been aboard member for five years. His interest in Coopgovernance began when he became fascinated bythe Coop’s nonhierarchical, democratic structure.Bill also does his wife’s shift as a member of theReceiving Committee.

Audrey Komaroff , a Coop member for 37years, is the Parent Coordinator of MiddleSchool 51 in Park Slope. She remembers whenthe Coop had 400 members. When her husbandwas a city bus operator and his hours changedconstantly, she did the work requirements forboth of them, and when her daughter was born,before the Coop had maternity leave, she didtwo FTOPs. Audrey became a board member in2001 (when her daughter was old enough to beleft alone on GM nights).

In sum, this is no ordinary board. There are nodinner parties, no expense account junkets, andno executive conference room. Joined at the hipto the General Meeting, the board “meets” whenthe GM does, and eats the same organic snacks asthe rest of us. ■

MEMBER SUBMISSION

More Democracy, PleaseBy Noha Arafa, Hima B, Mary Buchwald, Thomas Cox, Emily Damron, Barbara Grossman, Gretchen Hilde-bran, Lisa M Hoff, Carol Horwitz, Dennis James, Tim Judson, Rebecca Manski, Bill Mazza, Nat Pinkerton,Sunita Prasad, Liz Roberts, Chris Seymour, Carol Wald, Ora Wise, and Ray Wofsy

Not a BoardC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 5

tographer. Soon Mulwray and a town drunk turn updrowned and Gittes narrowly escapes a similar fatein a deluge released from a large municipal Waterand Power pipe, a suspicious if not illegal dumpingactivity given the scarcity of water. In one scenethere’s the distinct sound of dripping water. Thesewet scenes are contrasted with arid depictions ofLos Angeles’s dry river beds, muddied only by somesmall puddles.

Chinatown makes you realize that water and power(literally and figuratively) have always been inex-orably intertwined and always will be. Huston’scharacter, the villainous Noah Cross, explains whyhe, already a very, very rich man, schemed to makemillions more, “Why, the future; the future.” Hecould not have been more right. ■

Next Safe Food Committee meeting: Tuesday, August 9.Park Slope Food Coop, second floor, 7 p.m. Water andrefreshments will be served.

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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 checkoutline 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

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.

P L A S T I C S

RECY

LING

Monthly on the...Last Sunday

July 3110:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.

Second SaturdayAugust 13

10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.Third Thursday

August 187:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.

On the sidewalk in front of the receivingarea 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.

This Issue Prepared By:Coordinating Editors: Stephanie Golden

Erik Lewis

Editors (development): Erik LewisJoan Minieri

Reporters: Frank HaberleEd LevyAlison Rose Levy

Art Director (development): Eva Schicker

Illustrators: Lynn BernsteinEthan PettitDonna Evans

Photographers: Rod Morrison

Traffic Manager: Barbara Knight

Thumbnails: Kristin Lilley

Preproduction: Peter BentonHelena Boskovic

Photoshop: Terrance Carney

Art Director (production): Dilhan Kushan

Desktop Publishing: Kevin CashmanMidori NakamuraOliver Yourke

Editor (production): Lynn Goodman

Puzzle Master: James Vasile

Final Proofreader: Nancy Rosenberg

Index: Len Neufeld

— that could affect yourshopping privileges —

are coming to the Coopon September 12!

Starting on September 12 the Checkout/Cashier stationswill know your member status

and your household status. A “suspension” could impact

your ability to shop.

Contact the Membership Office or

pick up a flier at the Entrance Desk to

learn more.

11-07-28 pp1-16_Layout 1 7/27/11 5:30 PM Page 8

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S Check Store SuppliesMonday, 9:00 to 11:45 a.m.This workslot is responsible for restocking sup-plies on the shopping floor, at checkout lanes,entrance desks and the cashier stations, and inthe basement. This is a task- and detail-orient-ed job, ideal for someone who likes workingindependently and is pro-active. Please speakto Alex in the Membership Office or contacthim at [email protected] if you areinterested.

Bathroom Cleaning12:00 to 2:00 p.m.Work with a partner to deep c lean theCoop’s bathrooms. Tasks include scrubbingfloor tiles, cleaning toilets, mopping floors

and stocking the bathrooms. You will workwith only natural cleaning products. Thisjob is perfect for members who l ike toclean and are conscientious about doing athorough job.

Plastics RecyclingSaturday or Sunday, 9:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.,11:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.Join in the Coop's effort to be a betterenvironmental cit izen. Work outside infront of the Coop with other members ofthe Recycling Squad accepting returnedplastic containers, making sure they areclean and meet the Recycling Squad crite-ria. Stack and pack plastic for recycling.Must be reliable and willing to work out-

doors in all kinds of weather. You will needto contact Membership CoordinatorCynthia Pennycooke via phone, Monday toFriday, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., or via e-mail [email protected], prior tobeing assigned to this shift.

Cashier Subs LedgerThursday, 6:00 to 8:45 p.m.Do you like working with numbers, have gooddata-entry skills and can work independently?Attention to details (especially working withnumbers) is a must. The position requires goodattendance and a six-month commitment tothe work slot. Please contact Kathy Hieattthrough the Membership Office or [email protected] or if you are interested.

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,see the 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, August 30, 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 gC O O P CA L E N D A R

New Member OrientationsAttending 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, AUG 2AGENDA SUBMISSIONS: 8:00 p.m.

Submissions will be considered for the Aug 30

General Meeting.

TUE, AUG 30GENERAL MEETING: 7:00 p.m.

Gazette Deadlines

LETTERS & VOLUNTARY ARTICLES:Aug 11 issue: 12:00 p.m., Mon, Aug 1

Aug 25 issue: 12:00 p.m., Mon, Aug 15

CLASSIFIED ADS DEADLINE:Aug 11 issue: 7:00 p.m., Wed, Aug 3

Aug 25 issue: 7:00 p.m., Wed, Aug 17

11-07-28 pp1-16_Layout 1 7/27/11 5:30 PM Page 9



Joy! What Is It? Where Is It? How Can I Get It?

Come and learn specialized eastern and Mayan secrets to discovering what it is that may beblocking you from your own power, strength and joy. You will be introduced to EmotionalFreedom Techniques (EFT) and the Four Agreements, which show you how to reduce oreliminate your emotional blockages, past traumas, pain, anger, phobias, fears and traumamemories. Carolyn Meiselbach is a long-time member of the Coop. She has an advancedcertification in both hypnosis and EFT, with a private practice in Carroll Gardens.

The Gems of ExcellenceA Geotran introduction. A brain-mind empowerment course for joyous-successful liv-ing. Want to love again, but feel isolated? Would like your creativity back, but lostyour passion, focus and drive? Do worry, fear and fatigue steal your joy away? If youare to willing and open to transform your old patterns it can be done with ease andfun. The body is like a magnet, and when these experiences are in cellular memory,the body attracts the same experiences. Doctors and other professionals have usedthese techniques for daily stresses, eating disorders, robbery, rape and emotionssuch as anger, anxiety, fear and others. This unique technology will be demonstrat-ed by Marija Santo.

Peeling the Onion: A Workshop on Research

Are you frustrated by how long it takes to find useful information about a giventopic? Overwhelmed by the Internet and all the data out there? Unsure when totrust a source? Unable to translate your information needs to concrete queries?Learn about the current information environment and how to navigate its layersfor more fruitful searching sessions. Whether you’re a student, a communityactivist, an independent journalist or just someone who wants to be more effi-cient, come for research tips and tricks (and bring your own to share)! MelissaMorrone is a public librarian in Brooklyn and a member of the librarians’ collec-tive Radical Reference.

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. The next General Meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 30, 7 p.m., at Congregation Beth Elohim Social Hall (GarfieldTemple), 274 Garfield Place at Eighth Avenue.

Nutrition Response TestingDigestive Problems? Bad Skin? Overweight? Low Energy? These are just a few of thechallenges that will respond to a custom-designed nutrition program. Nutritionresponse testing is a precise, analytical tool that enables us to identify the underlyingreason your body is creating symptoms. Then we can test you for the most precise sup-plementation, the perfect diet and create a personalized program just for you! Coopmember Diane Paxton, MS, LAc, is the owner and principal of Inner Fire IntegrativeHealth Services, with offices in Manhattan and Park Slope.

Safe Food Committee Film Night:ChinatownPlow to Plate will be screening the 1974 psycho-mystery-noirclassic film Chinatown, which was inspired by the historicaldisputes over land and water rights that raged in southernCalifornia during the 1910s and 1920s. Starring JackNicholson, Faye Dunaway and directed by Roman Polanski.

Special guests will be on hand for a post-screening discussion.

Healthy ThyroidLearn how to heal your own thyroid and free yourself of weight gains, depression, indi-gestion, hair loss and possibly medication. Some topics of the talk: food that sabotagesand food that heals the thyroid; how water impacts the thyroid; vitamins and mineralsthat matter; emotions, stress and the thyroid; how to pick a good endocrinologist andwhat to ask him/her; how to interpret thyroid blood test results. Coop memberMagdalena cured herself from years of Hashimoto’s Disease, which is an auto-immunedisease causing hypothyroid. She was told it was incurable. Today she teaches how toself-heal with food, supplements, water and stress management.

Blood DriveFact: Less than 3% of the population donates blood, and 90% will use blood sometime in their life. Presented in cooperation with New York Methodist Hospital. For fur-ther information about blood donation, call 718-780-3644.

Intro to Fertility AwarenessLearn how to chart your menstrual cycle events in order to achieve or avoid pregnancy. Thisworkshop will describe the basic tools used to interpret the body’s signals, indicating fertileand infertile days. By paying attention to these signs, a woman is able to prevent or achievepregnancy depending on her wishes. Women with menstrual issues, irregular cycles or com-promised fertility may also find charting helpful. Open to both women and men. Coopmember Kim Chinh is currently in training to become certified as a Holistic ReproductiveHealthcare Practitioner through a Canadian program: Justisse Healthworks for Women.

PSFC AUG General MeetingMeeting Agenda to be announced. For information on how toplace an item on the Agenda, please see the center pages ofthe Linewaiters’ Gazette. The Agenda Committee minutesand the status of pending agenda items are available in the

Coop office. Meeting location: Congregation Beth Elohim Social Hall (GarfieldTemple), 274 Garfield Place at Eighth Avenue.

NOFA LocavoreCooking Challenge

Several experienced cooks—all Coop members—will demonstrate how to make deli-cious dishes using the great variety and abundance of foods the Coop carries within a200-mile radius. Come to sample the delicious offerings and take home recipes thatyou may easily use at home. The Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York(NOFA-NY) was founded in 1983, and has grown steadily along with the growth oforganic farms in New York state. It is an organization of consumers, gardeners andfarmers, working together to create a sustainable regional food system that is ecologi-cally sound and economically viable. Through demonstration and educational opportu-nities, it promotes land stewardship, organic food production and local marketing.

jul 30sat 2 pm

jul 30sat 5 pm

jul 31sun 12 pm

aug 2tue 8 pm

aug 7sun 12 pm

aug 9tue 7 pm

aug 14sun 12 pm

aug 19-20fri-sat 11 am–6 pm

aug 28sun 12 pm

aug 30tue 7 pm

aug 30tue 7–9 pm

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.

11-07-28 pp1-16_Layout 1 7/27/11 5:30 PM Page 10



Food Class:Fermentation Basics

Raw, vitamin-rich and full of probiotics, traditionally lacto-fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi and half-sourpickles are both delicious and healthy. They are also easy tomake. Chef Michaela Hayes will discuss fermentation basics

and demonstrate how to prepare these foods. She developed the “pickling” positionwhile at Gramercy Tavern, expanding her preservation repertoire to include ferment-ed pickles such as kimchi and nuka-zuke (Japanese rice-bran pickles). She learnedabout the sauerkraut business and began co-packing and creating pickles and jamin Santa Cruz, CA. Based in Brooklyn, she teaches pickling, canning and fermenta-tion through her company, Crock & Jar. Menu includes classic sauerkraut; kimchi;half-sour pickles. Materials fee: $4.

Film NightFilm to be announced.To book a Film Night, contact Faye Lederman, [email protected].

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. The next General Meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 27, 7 p.m., at Congregation Beth Elohim Social Hall(Garfield Temple), 274 Garfield Place at Eighth Avenue.

Understanding Your ToddlerToddlers can be delightful, confusing, frustrating and exhausting—all in the span offive minutes! Understanding the toddler’s developmental changes can help parents nav-igate the often demanding toddler years with increased patience and skill. This work-shop will explore the reasons for toddlers’ behavior. We’ll discuss balancing the needsof the child and the parents, and ideas for handling common challenging behaviors,such as tantrums and defiance. Pre-registration requested: to register, [email protected]. Coop member Becky Plattus and Sharon Connor aresocial workers and early-childhood and parent educators.

What Are Nutrient-Dense FoodsYou trust that everything you and your family eat is nourishing, but in truth, most of it onlyadds unnecessary energy and not enough of the nutrients that make health soar. Come andlearn about the nutrient-dense foods that we, just like our ancestors, need for flourishinghealth. You won't look at your grocery shopping cart the same way again. Andrea Ramirez isa health coach for women with chronic digestive, auto-immune and hormonal issues.

Fibroids, Cysts and PMSParticipants will learn five effective, natural ways to eliminate fibroids, cysts andPMS. Learn the underlying causes of hormonal imbalance, how to resolve them andhow to boost energy and clarity through beneficial diet, appropriate exercise and theuse of natural supplements. Advanced registration suggested: call 646-483-4571.Coop member Rebecca Curtis is a licensed and registered health and fertility coach,through the New York State Department of Education and the American Association ofDrugless Practitioners, specializing in women’s issues and hormonal balance.

Safe Food Committee Film NightFilm to be announced.

The Very Good CoffeehouseCoop Concert SeriesPerformers to be announced.Concert takes place at the Brooklyn Society for EthicalCulture, 53 Prospect Park West (at 2nd St.), $10, doors openat 7:45. The Very Good Coffeehouse is a monthly musical

fundraising partnership of the Coop and the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture. To book a Coffeehouse event, contact Bev Grant, 718-788-3741.

PSFC SEPT General MeetingMeeting Agenda to be announced. For information on how toplace an item on the Agenda, please see the center pages ofthe Linewaiters’ Gazette. The Agenda Committee minutesand the status of pending agenda items are available in the

Coop office. Meeting location: Congregation Beth Elohim Social Hall (GarfieldTemple), 274 Garfield Place at Eighth Avenue.

sep 1thu 7:30 pm

Susan Baldassano, Coordinator

sep 2fri 7 pm

sep 6tue 8 pm

sep 10sat 12 pm

sep 10sat 3 pm

sep 11sun 12 pm

sep 13tue 7 pm

sep 16fri 8 pm

sep 27tue 7 pm

Agenda Committee Meeting

Food Class

Film Night

Safe Food Committee Film Night

Naturally Overcome Candida & Yeast Overgrowth

Food Drive to Benefit CHIPS Soup Kitchen

oct 4

oct 6

oct 7

oct 11

oct 15

oct 15–16

11-07-28 pp1-16_Layout 1 7/27/11 5:30 PM Page 11

REMEMBERING THE PSFCMISSION STATEMENT

TO THE EDITOR:I am sure that many Coop members

who are in favor of boycotting productsfrom Israel are against legalized abuseof human rights everywhere. However, Iwonder if they have asked whyBDS (boycott, divestment, sanctions) isconcerned only with the Israeli-Pales-tinian conflict with no mention of civilrights violations anywhere else.

Leaving aside the question of accu-racy of BDS charges against Israel, myquestion is, why stop with that country?Why discriminate? PSFC’s missionstatement includes the commitmentsto diversity and equality, and opposi-tion to discrimination in any form. So inview of those principles, howabout boycotting EVERY country violat-ing the civil rights of ANY group?

Such countries aren’t hard to identi-fy. On their web sites Amnesty Interna-tional and the Human Rights Watch listmany countries that legally sanctionand practice civil rights abuses, rangingfrom discrimination to torture, based,among other things, on gender,race, national identity, political affilia-tion, or sexual preference. Predictably,the lists include Sudan, Iran, Iraq,Saudi Arabia, China, Afghanistan,Tunisia, Turkey, Algeria and (yes!) thePalestine authority, among many oth-ers—including the United States.

A BDS referendum should go all theway, reflecting the Coop’s principles ofdemocracy and egalitarianism byproposing a boycott on products fromevery country on those lists.

So if it passes, instead of buyinghumus from New Jersey and Queens,maybe the Coop can arrange to getit from Iceland (named in the 2011Global Peace Index as the most peace-ful country), or just grow our own chick-peas so we’ll be sure to havesomething to eat.

In other words, the BDS propos-al has logical implications thatare absurd. But logical absurdity isthe least of the problems. A boycottwould have destructive results, notfor the Middle East, but for the Coop.

Boycotting products from Israelwill have no effect whatever on theMiddle East. It will have a profoundeffect on the PSFC by alienating aconsiderable number of membersand dividing the community thathas prided itself on harmony in diver-sity. Our Mission Statement ends withthe words “We strive to make the Coopwelcoming and accessible to all, andto respect the opinions, needs andconcerns of every member.”

We joined the Coop to buyfood. Divisive global political move-ments have no place in its policies.

Ruth Bolletino

OUT THERE

DEAR EDITOR:My family enjoys its shopping

experience and the feelings of com-munity at the Coop. We like seeingmembers of the surrounding neigh-borhoods and feeling like we areinvolved in a community that is com-mitted to bringing a quality service toBrooklyn and helping other neighbor-hoods establish their own coops.

I feel that this enjoyment is beingthreatened by outside politics, namelythe BDS movement’s efforts to bringits agenda of delegitimizing Israel.This is not related to food quality butto something “out there.” I do notcome to the Coop to deal with the pol-itics of “out there,” especially whenIsrael seems to be constant focus of“out there.” I am glad that there is notconstant reference to other issues“out there,” but it makes one wonderwhy this particular focus when it cre-ates such divisiveness on somethingnot related to food quality and theshopping experience.

I come to the Coop to shop andattend General Meetings to hearabout food quality and serviceimprovement issues. I want to contin-ue to do so without feeling uncom-fortable. There are products I do notbuy because of the political situationfrom where they originate but I wouldnever make anyone else feel uncom-fortable because of my personal poli-tics. I hope that the Coop willcontinue to be a place where everygroup can feel at ease shopping andmake their own choices on whether ornot to purchase an item.

Please keep the politics of “outthere,” outside. Let’s maintain thegoal of bringing the highest quality offood and service to the Coop andmaking everyone feel welcome.

Sincerely,Gloria Blumenthal

HOW DO I DEBATE THEE?LET ME COUNT THE WAYS

TO THE EDITORSIt is hard to keep from diving into

the discussion on whether or not theCoop should join the boycott ofgoods from Israel, as so many mem-bers are doing. Judging from the con-cerned (and often infuriating) letterson this matter, the proposal has pro-voked wide interest.

However, the issue before us at themoment is not the proposed boycottitself, but the process by which the Coopwill use to resolve the matter. Shouldthe decision be made: a) at a GeneralMembership meeting? b) by referen-dum of all members? c) not at all (pre-venting the membership from votingon the proposal altogether)?

AFTER we make that decision as to“process” presumably at the upcom-ing General Meeting, then we can alldecide the merits of the particularviewpoints.

There’s another aspect of “process”

that I want to address as well—the wayin which the discussion has alreadybegun to take place. It’s one thing tohave conflicting opinions. It’s quiteanother to be intentionally fed misin-formation, or to mock, falsely charac-terize or disparage those whodisagree with you. It’s not all right to dothat. Let’s end the rhetorical slam-ming, now!

For example, we’ve been told—bypeople who know better—that whilethe Coop has indeed boycotted indi-vidual corporations we have neverboycotted a geographical area. Butthat’s not true. The Coop participat-ed in the boycott of the entire stateof Colorado, for one, to protest thatstate’s anti-gay policies (eventhough it temporarily affected salesof Celestial Seasons and other com-panies located there). And we partic-ipated in the boycott of South Africaand the fight against apartheid. Sowhether one supports or opposesthe proposal to boycott Israeli prod-ucts, there is certainly precedent inthe Coop’s history for a “geographi-cal” boycott of Israel.

One also has to be very careful notto ascribe motivation to those whodisagree with you. While I have notyet been called a “self-hating Jew” onthe pages of the Gazette, there havebeen clear intimations by some whooppose the boycott of Israel that I andothers are anti-Jewish, or are support-ing an effort that “is not about humanrights after all,” or “Do I hear ‘Jews’from off-stage?”

I’ve been moved to my viewsopposing the Israeli government’sactions through experiences that arejust as vivid, powerful and heartbreak-ing as anyone else’s. And I’m sure Icould sling the rhetoric with the bestof’m, but is that really the way wewant to conduct this discussion? Idon’t appreciate the snide attacks,quoted above, as to my motives insupporting the boycott. I’d hope thatmost Coop members, regardless ofour positions on this particular issue,would agree with me on the need toconduct a fair discussion. Right?

Mitchel CohenBrooklyn Greens/Green Party

ON HOLDING AREFERENDUM ABOUTJOINING THEINTERNATIONAL BDSMOVEMENT

TO THE EDITOR:We continued an important discus-

sion at the July 26th GM—overwhether We Of the Park Slope FoodCoop will hold a referendum onwhether We As the Park Slope FoodCoop will join the international move-ment to Boycott, Divest and SanctionIsrael because of Israel’s treatment ofthe Palestinian people living underIsraeli military occupation (BDS).

Participants in the BDS Caucus andthe More Hummus Caucus and indi-



viduals expressed opinions over thepast year. At the July GM we discussedwhether to implement a referendum.We did not vote. The Agenda Commit-tee will schedule for an upcomingmeeting the vote on whether the ref-erendum on BDS will happen at theCoop. If/When the resolution passes,each and every member will beencouraged to submit a ballot and tovote yes or no on joining BDS. Themajority will rule. If a majority ofmembers vote to join the internation-al BDS campaign, the Coop will stopselling products made in Israel or thatdirectly support the Israeli militaryoccupation of Palestine.

We have an opportunity and aresponsibility to hold a referendumabout joining BDS.

As members of the strongest con-sumer cooperative we understand thedifference between our acts as indi-viduals and our actions as a collec-tive. The economic power andinfluence of our cooperative is a veryeffective tool. We make decisionstogether about what we want tosell/buy in light of our common val-ues. Some of those are (From the Mis-sion Statement which took 11 of us 7months to compose): trust, coopera-tion, teamwork, equality, ethics,respect, earth-friendliness.

We cannot and we will not avoidcontroversy. Our opportunity is tohold dissent within our communitywith all the mature, mutual respectthat we can institutionalize into a fairand transparent procedure for mak-ing a decision as a group. Our relativesafety in Brooklyn and the broaddiversity of our membership providesus a unique opportunity to confrontthis critically important issue thathas multiple implications for everyone of us, at home and as we travel.Coop members include Arabs of allkinds, Israelis of all kinds, Muslims ofall kinds, Jews of all kinds, and allkinds of all kinds who will be able tospeak, listen and vote. The world willlisten too.

We in the US have an unavoidableresponsibility. Our government is thehegemonic world power in a chaoticand violent time.

A debate at a GM over holding areferendum, and then implementingan inclusive vote over BDS will provethat we can debate a profound issueof our time with seriousness, dignityand mutual respect.

Susan Metz

HUMMUS

TO THE EDITOR:We, the undersigned 69 Coop

members, continue to oppose theproposal to hold a referendum to jointhe Global Boycott, Divest, Sanctions(of Israel) Movement.

The Coop is a buying agent for itsmembers. We keep prices low throughthe contribution of member labor.IL

LUST

RATI

ON

BY

ETH

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PET

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11-07-28 pp1-16_Layout 1 7/27/11 5:30 PM Page 12

People join for the prices and theproducts. It is not the Coop’s purposeto either promote or impose a parti-san political position on any member.It is wrong to imply otherwise.

We are all free to choose our politi-cal positions. We can even choose torefrain from taking a position. TheCoop’s community has already beenstrained by one presentation of BDS.We cannot afford further identifica-tion with the blacklisting of Israel.

More Hummus, PleaseRhudi Andreolli Maurice AppelbaumRebeccah Appelbaum Shena Gitel AstrinConnie Bell Greg BellSteven Berke Gloria BlumenthalRobert Blumenthal Ruth BolletinoElisa Bonneau Rita BrookoffMatthew Brown Darrin CabotNathalie Cabot Chana CraykMeir Craykt

THE REAL DEAL

TO THE COOP MEMBERSHIP:Letters in the Gazette have

described the global movement forBoycott, Divestment and Sanctionsagainst Israel (BDS) as a Palestinian-initiated project whose leaders haveopenly called for a one-state solution


to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.The right of return being a core

issue of BDS, anyone consideringsupport for the Coop’s associationwith this project needs to be awarethat the goals of BDS preclude theexistence of the state of Israel in favorof a happy-ever-after scenario whereJews live safely and securely in peaceand harmony amidst a Muslim major-ity. Helping to bring about this fanci-ful vision is regarded by BDSsupporters as somehow in keepingwith the Coop’s mission.

As a Coop member since the mid1970s, I don’t recall any objections toboycotting Coca-Cola or supportingthe United Farm Workers and themovement to end apartheid in SouthAfrica. But proponents of Coop affilia-tion with this radical non-solution tothe Israeli/Palestinian conflict wouldhave us believe that the extremepolarization this would create withinour Coop community isn’t a bad thing.

One last comment: It’s been sug-gested that the Jewish ethnicity ofsome boycott supporters adds legiti-macy to their claims. But the well-known fact of Jewish diversity ofopinion about Israel (from BDS sup-porters, to the more liberal J-Street, tothe more conservative AIPAC) doesn’tadd any moral authority to the BDSmovement.

An upcoming General Meeting mayinclude an agenda item to vote onwhether or not to hold a referendumfor the Coop to affiliate with the BDSmovement by boycotting Israeli prod-ucts. Those of you who recognize thatthis affiliation will cause extreme dis-tress to many Coop members andthose who even minimally supportthe mere existence of the state ofIsrael may wish to attend and vote“No” on this proposal.

(Meeting agendas are announcedin the Calendar of Events in the Gazetteedition preceding each meeting.)

Sylvia Lowenthal

THE ILLOGIC OF BDS

TO THE EDITOR:I like many others oppose any pro-

posal to have the Coop join the Boy-cott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS)movement against Israel.

The many recent letters favoringthis proposal deflect rather thanaddress the issues. One writer sug-gests that in the simple act of defend-ing the anti-BDS position, thedefenders are “passive aggressive”.There is delicious irony in beingoffered a lesson in rhetorical civilityfrom defenders of a movement thatcouches its position in the hyperboliclanguage of demonic ascription,Israel as “apartheid state”. Argumentby demonization is not argumentabout ideas. It is a distortive analogy,with no congruence with apartheid asdefined by international law authori-ties (ICC (Rome Statute), ICERD,ICSPCA), ascribing diabolic intentionto a nation that is multiethnic, mul-tiracial, and religiously plural (withAfrican, Yemenite, Georgian, and overa million Israelis who don’t practiceJudaism), and one in which religiouscoercion, racial segregation laws,indoctrination of racial ideology,media censorship, political partybans, are absent, and in which Arabcitizens vote and serve in all strata ofgovernment from cabinet to Knesset,serving on and bringing successfulsuits before the Supreme Court.There are no saints in geopolitics—not Israel, not the United States, norArab regimes—but vilification, andselective delegitimization, is notargument, and so again fails toengage true issues.

This is not made any more cogentby the argument of another writerthat, after all, the Coop did in the pasttake a stand on South Africa’sapartheid, failing to note the criticaldifference: there was within the Coopno “pro-apartheid” faction. This pre-sent issue is not “manifest” but clearlyexhibits a spectrum of views, pro andcon, a proposal in fact that is deeplypolarizing/disunifying.

Another writer objects to repre-senting the BDS movement as “anopposition to the two state solution”,but then goes on to clarify—apparent-ly by argument from self-contradic-tion—that what it “openly call[s] for is

a one-state solution”; clearly, to advo-cate a one-state solution is to opposea two-state solution, with a binationalstate a non-solution (the eclipse ofIsrael by demographics) in the guiseof a solution (one now abandoned ashopeless even by one of its majororiginal proponents, Noam Chom-sky), again not truly engaging the realissues. This is also the case with theclaim (not right) of return—no such“right,” that changes the character andnature of a country, is recognizedunder international law—whichignores the equivalent number of Jewsdisplaced from Arab lands. The “claimof return” is an argument made in badfaith: sincere solutions to theIsraeli/Palestinian problem must nec-essarily include and be realistic alsofor Israel.

Nor is the claim that the very fact ofa Jewish state (a multiethnic, multira-cial, and religiously pluralistic state)is objectionable in any way persua-sive, and certainly no more objection-able than Muslim, Catholic,Protestant or Eastern Orthodoxstates.

For these reasons, please opposethe divisive/politicizing BDS proposal.

Zusha Dean Audrey EliasMickey Elias Eli EliavShayna Eliav Arthur FinnCarol Freeman Riva FreemanJordan Goldberg Felicia GlucksmanBeth Halpern Devorah HershkopSamuel Hertz Esther HertzelSheldon Jacobson Constantine KaniklidisEric Kim Maureen KushnerChaya Lang Tzvi LangDavid Leveson Margaret LevesonChana Lew Sylvia LowenthalSandy Mandel Abie MazorAvishay Mazor Barbara MazorJacob Milkens Juliet MilkensPaula Morrell Poppy O’NeillJan Orzeck Rodger ParsonsRachel Ravitz Lila RiemanMichael Rieman Jill RobinsonMirele Rosenberger Jesse RosenfeldTzivia Chaya RosenthalYaacov Rosenthal Ruth SeligerMuskie Silberberg Naftali SilberbergRivkah Siegel Nancy SpitalnickMarion Stein Ronald J. SteinAllen Tobias Baruch Weisman

We welcome letters from members.Submission deadlines appear in theCoop Calendar. All letters will beprinted if they conform to the pub-lished guidelines. We will not know-ingly publish articles which are racist,sexist or otherwise discriminatory

The maximum length for letters is500 words. Letters must include yourname and phone number and betyped or very legibly handwritten. Edi-tors will reject letters that are illegibleor too long.

You may submit on paper, typed orvery legibly handwritten, or via emailto [email protected] oron disk.

AnonymityUnattributed letters will not be

published unless the Gazette knowsthe identity of the writer, and there-fore must be signed when submitted(giving phone number). Such letterswill be published only where a reasonis given to the editor as to why publicidentification of the writer wouldimpose an unfair burden of embar-rassment or difficulty. Such lettersmust relate to Coop issues and avoidany non-constructive, non-coopera-tive language.

FairnessIn order to provide fair, comprehen-sive, factual coverage:

1. The Gazette will not publishhearsay—that is, allegations notbased on the author's first-handobservation.

2. Nor will we publish accusationsthat are not specific or are not sub-stantiated by factual assertions.

3. Copies of submissions that makesubstantive accusations against spe-cific individuals will be given to thosepersons to enable them to write aresponse, and both submissions andresponse will be published simultane-ously. This means that the originalsubmission may not appear until theissue after the one for which it wassubmitted.

The above applies to both articlesand letters. The only exceptions willbe articles by Gazette reporters whichwill be required to include theresponse within the article itself.

RespectLetters must not be personally

derogatory or insulting, even whenstrongly criticizing an individualmember's actions. Letter writers mustrefer to other people with respect,refrain from calling someone by anickname that the person never useshimself or herself, and refrain fromcomparing other people to odious fig-ures like Hitler or Idi Amin.

LETTERS POLICY

C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 1 6


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read blood test results. Magdele-

na Wszelaki (HHC) 646-580-0121.

www.yatracoach.com.

ZUMBA FOR PEOPLE OVER 60. A

slow dance & fitness routine that

anyone can do. Come one come

all! Have fun. Learn Latin dance

just like regular Zumba! If you are

over 60 you will be glad to pay the

$10 for an hour of dancing. Come to

the basement at 53 Prospect Park

West Fridays at 12:30 p.m. sharp.

VACATION RENTALS

VACATION-PENNA. country house

rental: 4 BR, 2 bath, private pond

and stream, large lawns, full

kitchen and screened porch. 3

hours from NYC. Available various

weeks in June, July, August or Sept.

$600/wk. Great for families and

kids. Call 718-622-8175.

HUDSON VALLEY COTTAGES.

Friendly, historic, 3-season com-

munity in Northern Wetchester. 1-

hour train ride to NYC. Enjoy

organic community garden, hiking,

tennis, pool, wifi cafe, social activ-

ities. 1-3 BR cottages. $35k-$129k.

www.reynoldshills.org/bungalow-

shop. Contact: Mel: 347-307-4642

or [email protected].

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


CLASSIFIEDSTo 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.


Follow the Food Coop on

@foodcoop

11-07-28 pp1-16_Layout 1 7/27/11 5:30 PM Page 14

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



THANK YOU!

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

Adam AbelMuriel AbeledoMacrina AivazianAmandaLeonard BaldassanoAmena BlackZezlie BlydenLeila BuckMaria CangianoApril CantorLindsay CaplanAdam ChasenBarnett CohenIsil CelimliMarna ChesterTy CitermanHilda CohenJason CovertBridget CrossBrett CrudgingtonEvan DaviesCindy DayShea Dean

Aditi DhruvJay DixitMaria EstradaElizabeth FoleyErin FrederickKen GarsonStephanie GoichmanSair GoldenbergJulie GoldsheidGraham & LaurenceRebecca HalleranAndrew HarmonTara HartJennifer HayashidaAlana HellerFryske HelmsClara HungrMichael IanelloElizabeth JonesElsie KaganJesse KaminashMira KaplanJohn KixMiller

Aaron KotlerE. KramerMahayana LandowneElizabeth LondonJenifer MacartneySharon MadanesTheresa MarchettaMargoChristine McCarthyMichael McGinnisMelanie McLaughlinDanae McLeodMeredith MendelsohnMatthew MillsNancyDaniel PackerVeronica PriceDavid RobinsonAnya RousZach SamalinTed SandsGeri SaxeAnthony Sepulveda

Sapna ShahImtiaz SiddiquiTayo SimpsonKim SkadanSharon SlaughterLeah SpigelmanKristina StrobelDaniel SoleSara SoudavarLisa SposatoJacquelyn StewartTara TabassiMarcy Perlman TardioMichael TumbarelloGrit VltavskyAshley VolzDanika VotavaErica WeitzmanKathryn WinderHelen WooLisa WoodChi-Hui YangRye Yong

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Community calendar listings are free. Please submit your event listing in 50 words or less to [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.

SUN, JUL 31

Awakening to Awe: Tikkun contributor Dr. Kirk

Schneider shows how we can draw on the power of

awe to renew a sense of adventure in our work, fam-

ily life and moral decision making. 11 a.m., Brook-

lyn Ethical Society, 53 PPW, www.bsec.org.

TUE, AUG 2

The Brooklyn Women’s Chorus is having open

rehearsals to invite new members. No

auditions. Try it out for free, no commitment. Tues-

day evenings at 7:30 (except Aug. 30.) at the Brook-

lyn Society for Ethical Culture Prospect Park West

at 2nd St. For information www.brooklynwomen-

schorus.com/ or call Bev Grant at 718-788-3741. We

strive to represent the diversity of the women of

Brooklyn; all women are welcome and encouraged

to join.

SUMMERTIME

If you plan on being away during one of your workslots, please make arrangements to have your shift covered.

One way to do it is to use the Shift Swap at www.foodcoop.com!If you plan on being away for eight weeks or more,

contact the Membership Office to take a leave of absence.Your co-workers will love you for it!

But don’t forget

...and the living is easy.

your coop shift!

11-07-28 pp1-16_Layout 1 7/27/11 5:30 PM Page 15

LET’S TOUR THE WORLD

BROTHERS AND SISTERS,Please, take my hand and let’s tour

the world, for it is a beautiful planetwe live in. Let’s see the beauty of Rus-sia, where dissidents are thrown tojail for voicing the ecological con-cerns; from there we’ll visitAfghanistan or perhaps India wherewomen are silenced and married offbefore puberty. We continue farther toChina, where personal freedom andexpression of speech are quashed.Let’s visit South America and toAfrica, where some countries havecorrupt regimes that abuse anddefraud their own people.

But we’re the Park Slope FoodCoop! We must do something aboutit! And do something we shall…! Howare we to do to fix all of this troubledworld? My answer is: buy and sellfood. That’s because we know food:it’s our special power and we’ll usewhat we do best to fix the world.

But if we’re so upset with say, Rus-sia, China or India’s abuses—wouldour Coop’s boycott stop these coun-tries from their bad behavior? Are weso important that these countries’rulers will amend their ways onaccount of the “mighty” Coop? Theanswer is “no” (but you knew thatalready...). However, when we boycotta country, it’s the people of this coun-try that we punish, not the state inwhich they live.

How about Israel? The same logicis applicable with the products ofIsrael: by proposing to stop buyingproducts from Israel, the Coop willlose in three ways: first, the Coop willlose by not getting good products forour members, some products thathave been selling for years; second,the Coop will lose by sanctioning thepeople who produce the food, nottheir country of residence (they mayvery well be the people whose politi-cal views is one that opposes oppres-sion); thirdly, by avoiding food from aparticular state—the Coop will be los-ing members.

However, there may be somethingto be gained by boycotting Israel: Wewill get a warm fuzzy, naïve, self-indulging sense of satisfaction:“there, we showed them!” (in fact we’llbe doing more harm than good.)

To do good, the Coop should con-centrate on what it does best: sellgood food. And by “good” I mean it in

the wide definition of doing Good,including honestly and fairly pro-duced food. If there’s evidence thatthe food we sell is used to oppress ordeny others their human rights, I saywe stop buying that product from thepeople that make that particularproduct. We’ve already done so bydeciding to buy for example, only“Fair Trade” coffee instead of boy-cotting the entire set of coffee pro-ducing countries. However,categorically avoiding a country’sproduct will likely harm honest, fair-minded farmers and producers andnot their countries.

In conclusion: say no to boycottingIsrael and say yes to “good” food.

Cooperatively,Yigal Rechtman

UN-NATURAL NATURAL

DEAR APPLEGATE:As a long-time consumer of both

organic and “natural” Applegate prod-ucts, such as your chicken, turkey andorganic beef hot dogs, I learned withdismay in the July 2 New York Times(see: www.nytimes.com/2011/07/02/business/02hotdog.com) and thenthrough a close reading of your Web-site, that these products may bechock full of carcinogenic nitratesand nitrites. As a science teacher, Ican instantly see the obfuscationregarding the so-called naturalsourcing of these preservatives aspresented on your Website. It doesnot matter if the nitrates/nitrites arederived from celery juice or sea salt;if they are extracted and then con-centrated by multiple orders of mag-nitude, it’s still going to dangerous.Very dangerous! (Both coal andpetroleum are 100% natural materi-als—pulled right from the bosom ofmother earth herself—and by this

reckoning, so would be any com-pounds derived from them.)

I have been feeding your hot dogsto my son—as well as enjoying quitea few myself—believing they wereuncured, i.e., no nitrites or nitrates ofANY derivation. I shop at the ParkSlope Food Coop—along witharound 15,000 other folks—and amgoing to make sure this informationis prominently shared with fellowCoop members, in order that theywill be able to make educated choic-es regarding this serious issue.(There is little scientific debate any-more about the carcinogenic hazardsof nitrates/nitrites, and thenitrosamines that derive from them.)

Although I realize yours is not theonly company which puts thesepreservatives in foods and then labelsthem “uncured,” I am at the momentquite angry that your business prac-tices would include obfuscation anddeception, if you can get away with it.(I also realize that the USDA encour-ages or even mandates such labeling,but the USDA has always been moreor less an industry puppet. I expectbetter from the manufacturers oforganic products!)

The fact that there are potentiallycarcinogenic curing agents at levelssimilar to that of conventional prod-ucts should be prominently displayedon your label. I really don’t give a“hoot” about your (or anyone else’s)“bottom line.” For my family, the bot-tom line is our health, and our abilityto take defensive measures againstthe increasing onslaught of danger-ous chemicals in our foods and in ourenvironment—curing agents includ-ed! Please reply!

Sincerely,Victor Jaroslaw

“SHOPPING, NOTPROFITS?” CORRECTIONAND REQUEST

TO THE EDITOR:In “Shopping, Not Profits?” (June

30, 2011), Danielle Uchitelle writes:“Unlike a charitable organizationsuch as City Harvest, for example, weare expected to pay federal, state,and local taxes on our businessincome, and pay we do: the lastaudited [Coop] financial statementlists payments of around $283,000for payroll taxes….”



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.

Alejandra AlvarezGabriela AlvarezFraser BaldryMathew BealeJessica BerenblumCandela BonaccorsoAkeeta Brazier-Brown

Willie BrownAdriana CabreraRyan “Ryler” CalabreseAshley “Brooke” ClupperAlexandra CollierTeresa CumminsCasey Davison

Simon DayEric EisenbergYoni GordonBhavi HansotyDavid HoltzJulius JordanJosh Kaminash

Andreas KarrasLonnie KleinAmit KumarKristen LombardiHelen LoweryMorgan MentzerAndrew Murphy

Mayda PezackaKrista PlanoChristina PolettoMeg RadlerDana RavivJulia RenedoCristian Rossel

Monia SayahErik SchmahlKerri SharoniValerie SuterRaleigh SwintonFilip SzymczykAllison Talis

Ashish VyasEric WaltariAnsley WatsonJoshua WeissJanell WilliamsRichard WIlliams

Actually, City Harvest and all othernot-for-profit organizations thatmaintain regular employees are alsoresponsible for payroll taxes, no lessthan the Coop.

Not specifically mentioned in Ms.Uchitelle’s article is sales tax, which theCoop charges to our purchases andthen pays to New York. Until recentlywe were not taxed on food purchases,but sales tax is now applied to certainprepared foods at the Coop.

It appears that not all preparedfoods are taxed under the new regula-tions. I have tried to verify the scopeof this tax change with Coop staff, buthave not received a definitive answerto date. It would be helpful if a clarifi-cation of this issue were published inthe Gazette.

Cooperatively yours,Regina Sandler-Phillips

[Editor’s note: The PSFC is not a not-for-profit corporation. It is incorporated under theNYS Cooperative Corporation Law. ThePSFC pays NYS Franchise Tax, whereas anot-for-profit does not pay this tax. All busi-nesses employing employees must pay payrolltaxes that include Medicare, Social Security,Federal, State and City withholding taxes,whether they are not-for-profit or not. Addi-tionally, all retail businesses must collectNYS sales tax on taxable items. Recently, itwas determined by the PSFC legal counselthat certain prepared sandwiches fell withinthe NYS sales tax category and sales tax hasbeen collected on these items.]

ON ALT. HOLIDAY Let others go climbing mountainsWhile some seek Roman fountainsOr take to exotic beachesAnd scuba among sea creaches.Highways are nearly buckling,Leading to white-knuckling,With the sun in punishment mode:Ready to explode?Travel broadens the mindBut traffic makes for a grind.So many places to view—New Zealand, China, Peru.But think of the airport throng;Worth the hassle to Hong Kong?A requirement of such vacationsIs rehabilitationsThanks but no thanks, folks—Rather cool off with Cokes. This summer I’m NYC-ing,Cozily websiteseeing.

Leon Freilich

C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 1 3

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Documents

Volume FF, Number 15 July 28, 2011 Pulitzer Prize Winner Jake