Neighborhood fun

MidCity meditation

The Amma Center is pleased to offer a 4 week series exploring



Contemplative Practices





Mindfulness Meditation: January 19



Bringing the mind to rest in the present moment without resistance, judgement or attachment





Centering Prayer: January 26



Meditation drawn from ancient prayer practices of the Christian contemplative heritage emphasizing prayer as a personal relationship with God





Movement Practices including Tai Chi, Chi Gong and Walking Meditation: February 2



Using the body as a tool for deepening concentration and focus





Loving-kindness Practice (Metta): February 9



Meditation on universal love and friendliness



Monday evenings 715 – 845 p.m.



Space is limited to 10 people. There is a suggested fee of $ 10 per session (sliding scale available.) For more information and/or to reserve you place, call 813-9544 or email am.signorelli@gmail.com.

Bailout for food

Cripple Creek Theatre Bailout Bash January 10th


January 10, 2008 9p.m. to 2a.m. for the Cripple Creek Theatre Bailout Bash. $10 gets you all the soup and libations you can consume.
Location: 2900 Grand Route St. John at N. White Street in Mid City. For more information please contact us at 504-891-6815 or info@cripplecreekplayers.org

Small is Beautiful coffee and talk

I will be anchoring the Christmas Day coffee counter for Fair Grinds stalwarts (whereas owners Robert and Elizabeth graciously open the door and brew coffee to give away all day. As there is no staff, they welcome volunteers like me to help and then donate all of the offered tips to whatever non-profit the volunteers want. cool, huh? another example of local, owner-operated decision making).

The Small is Beautiful copy fund will be the recipient this year. I will be there all am and will have some info for people to read and pick up to take home and read about the issues we talk about in our study group monthly; come by if you like to say hello or talk, but let's try to schedule Tuesday 12/30 for the next study group at 5:45 pm at FG.


Dar

Save Mid City School

Parents and Other Concerned Citizens:

Neighbors for Morris Jeff School has spent the last year fighting to get an excellent public elementary school opened in our neighborhood that reflects our diversity and has universal access. We have succeeded in getting the support of the School District. Mr. Paul Vallas, the Schools Superintendant, has committed to:

* Open an "incubator" school with early elementary grades, on a temporary location in the community, in the Fall of 2009 or 2010.

* Granting a community board full authority over the school, including selecting a principal, budget, and curriculum

* Building a $19 million facility for a new Morris Jeff School at a location approved by the community.

We need your input and support in order to make it happen. Please attend!

Community Meeting

for the

New Morris Jeff

Elementary School

Thursday, December 11th, 6:30-8:00pm
Bibleway Baptist Church Activity Center
3308 Orleans (Orleans & N. Hagan)

Childcare is available. RSVP with number and ages of children needing childcare. RSVP to Karin Barbee at 482-3393, or email morrisjeffschool@gmail.com.

Refreshments and food will be served.

Neighbors for Morris Jeff School is a grassroots group of parents and community members from Bayou St. John and Mid City.

Small is Beautiful Fair Grinds meeting details

I think the land trust issue is one we could (and maybe should stay on) for a few more meetings. I hope we can meet in mid December, if the middle Wednesday works for some/most/ let's do it (at 5:45 again?).
Fair Grinds again is best for now, until we find another Uptown location. But let me thank Robert (and Elizabeth for being on call for Robert while he was in the meeting) for the use of their place once again; we love coming, we just want to make sure that our Uptown friends don't have to travel so far every meeting!
To clarify a point from last night:
land trusts are not a non-taxable entity usually; the way many of them work is to BUY the land from the city or the seller (so the city makes money whether its a developer or a land trust) and then-from money raised among members and earned income from rent on land trusts or sale of right of use to make improvements- the land trust has money to make tax payments if needed.
Sometimes, innovative assessors see the value of the land trust and reduces the tax burden as they understand that to assess a non-sellable asset is a little crazy, but mostly, land trusts continue to pay assessments as a property owner as anyone else would.
This is the main reason why people do not need to fear working with their city or town government on these; there is no special deal being asked and it is a well traveled legal road already.

The argument that this is a all or nothing argument is interesting (the idea of large pieces of land being made land trusts at once), because I think what I have seen is land trusts work best when in mixed use areas, with smart development happening around them and for a variety of uses, like affordable rental property, farmland preservation and wildlife and natural habitats.

Let's continue this conversation and I will make some copies of land trusts from other places for the next meeting.

New theater company latest offering

Jeff Davis clean-up day October 19th at 11 am

Everyone who bikes from Mid-City to Uptown knows Jeff Davis is really notorious for trash and broken glass. Lacy Underalls from the Big Easy Roller Girls is organizing a clean up for the bridge so we don't all have to suffer from the risk of flat tires anymore!

Hi

My name is lacy smith, also known as lacy underalls of the Big Easy Roller Girls (BERG). BERG is organizing a clean up of the S. Jeff Davis Parkway overpass by Xavier.

Although the bike path running in the middle of the overpass is a great way to connect uptown and midcity, it is often littered with trash and glass, making it dangerous for cyclists. As a group that understands the need to have a hazard-free surface to roll on, we rollergirls want to clean it up!

The clean up will take place on October 19 at 11 am. We will meet at the statue at the foot of the overpass on Tulane Ave. We'll bring some push brooms and trash bags, but encourage everyone to bring their own brooms, bags and dustpans! (In the event of rain, we will reschedule).

We're inviting Tulane Law School's Environmental Law Society, Critical Mass, Metro Bicycle Coalition, MidCity Neighborhood Association and you! Please pass this along to anyone that may be interested.

Thanks!

lacy underalls
Big Easy Rollergirls

Must see premier in Mid City

From one of the city's most celebrated chefs who manned a soup kitchen to the hardware store owner who kept looters at bay while providing vital supplies, director Hanson Hosein and producer Tom Powers have captured the spirit of resilience and innovation of New Orleans' independent business owners in their documentary film, Independent America: Rising from Ruins. It is the inspirational story of the small businesses that risked everything to resurrect their neighborhoods after the worst natural disaster in American history -- even as they are now challenged by government policies skewed to favor corporate chain retailers.

What: World Premiere of Independent America: Rising from Ruins (www.independentamerica.net)

Where: Massey's Professional Outfitters (upstairs), 508 N. Carrollton Ave,

When: Saturday August 30, 2008; 6-9 pm

6 pm - First seating

7 pm – Light refreshments and discussion with filmmaker

8 pm – Second seating

Who: Open to the public. Suggested donation: $10, with proceeds benefiting Stay Local


Seating is limited: call 232-7821 or email dana@staylocal.org to reserve a space.

This film is being held in conjunction with a daylong conference, "New Orleans Speaks: We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For."

For more information about the conference, or to view a trailer of the film, go to theneworleansinstitute.org

Broad Street Market

Broad St. Bazaar Flea Market & Community Services
(contact broadstbazaar@msn.com for more info)

WHEN: 4th Saturday of every month, beginning
Saturday, September 27. 9 am – 3 pm.
WHERE: Robert’s parking lot, Broad St. @ Bienville
WHAT: Flea market vendors, neighborhood garage
sales, artists and crafters who work with
recycled materials. Plus healthcare
screenings, and personal services like
braiding, manicures and massage.
WHY: To help revitalize the Broad St. corridor and
link to the Bayou Rd. development district,
which has a Fresh Market every 4th Saturday.

FEATURING: Jazz Brunch with food by Ruby Slipper
and jazz musicians from the neighborhood; kids’ activity area and daycare services; pet adoptions

VENDOR FEE: $20 for 10 x 12 space, BYO tent