The Theater for The New City, 155 1st Ave., presents the 13th Annual Lower East Side Festival of the Arts . (scroll down for schedule) Friday, May 23rd, 6pm - 1am Saturday, May 24th, 10am - 1am 10am - 6pm - OUTSIDE ON E. 10th STREET - Cultural Fair, Performances, Food, Vendors! 2pm - 5pm - INSIDE - Performances for Kids and by Kids Sunday, May 25th, 6pm - 1am

Join us on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 as the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy hosts the latest installment of our 'Marketplace of Ideas' series featuring Sara Flocks, Co-Founder of Young Workers United. In 2007, San Francisco became the first place in the nation to guarantee paid sick days to every person employed full- or part-time in the city. Sara Flocks and her organization, Young Workers United, led the successful effort to pass the law by ballot proposition. Under San Francisco’s law, employees may use the leave for personal illness or to care for a sick family member. The policy is projected to increase workplace productivity, decrease employee turnover and reduce the spread of disease. Following San Francisco’s first-in-the-nation policy, Washington D.C. also mandated paid sick leave in 2008 and Congress is considering a bill to establish a national paid sick leave policy. WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2008 8:00-10:00 a.m. The Harvard Club 35 West 44th Street (bet. 5th & 6th Avenues) light breakfast will be served Space is limited. Admission is free. RSVP and registration are required.

United For Peace & Justice's fundraising 15-Mile bike ride through upper Manhattan "Pedal for Peace" pushes off at 11AM at Central Park North (110th Street) & Adam Clayton Powell Bl'vd; Registration at 10 AM. Register online on or site.

New York Times labor reporter Steven Greenhouse has written a really interesting, well researched book: The Big Squeeze. He's on book tour and will read and speak at Demos 220 Fifth Ave (26/27th St) 5th Floor at Noon on June 5, 2007. If fair wages and good working conditions are issues on your agenda, go. Below, the blurb: The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker takes a fresh, probing, and often shocking look at the stresses and strains faced by tens of millions of American workers as wages have stagnated, health and pension benefits have grown stingier, and job security has shriveled.

This is one of the more wonderful events in NYC: The Housing Works Bookstore Street Sale Tens of thousands of books for $1. Some serious good buys for book lovers and dealers, some trash. Add Huge crowds, t-shirts, snacks, vintange clothing $20 for a large, carefully packed bag and you have a uniquely NY scene. See you there early. Open Air Book Fair! Saturday, June 07, 2008 at 10:00 AM We're making our Open Air Book Fair a twice-a-year experience so you can stock up for summer. Crosby Street between Prince and Houston will be filled with thousands of books, records and CDs for a dollar a piece, plus clothing, shoes and accessories from Housing Works Thrift Shops for $20 a bag.

Domestic workers have been working to pass the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights since 2004. Take a stand, so the 200,000 NY women whose work helps make all else possible, don't have to wait another year. 11:00 am Rally and March from City Hall in Manhattan on Broadway South of Chambers to Union Square. Take the R/W to City Hall or 4/5/6 to Brooklyn Bridge

Dear Friends, Since our last email we have added Stephanie Low, Patti Kenner, Anne Hess and Craig Kaplan to our Host committee. On top of that Democracy for New York City has agreed to Co-Sponsor the event. These new hosts and DFNYC know we need to send Christine to Washington, because – by all rights – she should already be there. In 2006, Republican Vern Buchanan beat Christine Jennings by 373 votes in Florida’s 13th District (Sarasota and Tampa). With less than one half of one percent of the vote, the tiny margin triggered great controversy (sound familiar?). The Republican candidate ultimately won by 369 votes, although the mystery of over 18,000 “undervotes” in the district’s Sarasota County went unsolved. Ironically, Christine was running for the Congressional seat vacated by Katharine Harris (yes, that Katharine Harris), who made an unsuccessful bid for the Senate in ’06. Christine Jennings is a smart, self-made leader who rose from humble beginnings to become the CEO of a Florida bank. In the interest of justice, let’s help her take back this seat in 2008!

No, seriously. No such thing as bad luck…So Bring your Good Luck and your Friends For Some Fun with US Navy Commander (ret.) Eric Massa's 2008 campaign for Congress New York’s 29th District Friday, June 13, 2008 Drinks & Dancing 7:00 – 10:00 PM Jacques Rosas Studio Loft 442 West 49th Street Space is limited Friend $75 (If things are tight for you, $50) REALLY Good Friend $100 GO TO: www. actblue.com/page/massa2008 This event will be broadcast LIVE on WWW.PublicSquare.TV RSVP to Jacqui JSamuels [at] BlueTigerGroup [dot] Com

MoveOn.org is hosting a nationwide bake sale this weekend to raise funds for taking back the White House and expanding Democratic majorities in the House and Senate. Learn more here.

MoveOn.org is hosting a nationwide bake sale this weekend to raise funds for taking back the White House and expanding Democratic majorities in the House and Senate. Learn more here.

Join Chuck Schumer and Diane Benson (candidate for Congress) and a whole slew of NYC progressive activists for a fundraiser for Mark Begich for Senate. Check out this really cool invitation: RSVP TO: Ruth_Benedict_at_comcast.net Mark Begich is running against Republican Ted Stevens, perhaps the most corrupt politician in America today. More on Mark from his website:

Mark Begich, 46, is in his fifth year as mayor of Alaska's largest city... Under Mayor Begich, Anchorage's bond ratings have improved to among the top 5 percent in the country, some 9,200 new jobs have been created, the city enjoyed the second highest construction value in city history and property taxes dropped for the majority of Anchorage property owners between 2006-07.

This one's long overdue, a NYC Kossack-Eating Liberally meetup -- post-primary and pre-Netroots Nation. Eating Liberally will be providing tasty treats, and we're inviting Kossacks to bring dishes if they wish to. If you are bringing something, please coordinate with Kerry and Matt at Eating Liberally (email Kerry: kerry at urbaneden dot net). And we will have a special guest!! Miss Laura will be in town and wants to see everyone! (Exact location and start and end times to be determined, but probably from 7 PM to 10 PM at Prey, as per the usual)

British Folksinger Laura Marling will perform an early show at The Mercury Lounge on Houston Street. You can listen to her on her site as well as hear her debut album. She appears with a British Afro-beat-bluegrass group (is there such a combo?) Mumford & Sons which starts at 6:30. $12 in advance $14 at the door. Beer extra. There are very few seats at the Mercury Lounge. If not standing is urgent, get there early early. New Yorker snippet review is here.

The annual ritual of the raising the rents (of stabilized tenants) in NYC will occur on June 19 at the Great Hall of Cooper Union, 7 East 7th Street, at the corner of 3rd Ave. A tenant press event will occur at 4:30 and the drama itself begins at 5:30 PM. If you've never gone, you'll get an interesting and important piece of NYC culture. I suspect that the NYC Rent Guidelines Board will, as usual, raise rents, impose hardships, on low and moderate income tenants and go home. Can you remember a day when the Board tried to raise Mr. Bloomberg's rent? Oh yes, he's an owner! He gets a tax rebate. Look for screaming tenants waving signs. That's the place.

Sustainable South Bronx Presents: 2nd ANNUAL HUNTS POINT HUSTLE 5K RACE SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 2008 9:00AM Hunts Point Riverside Park Lafayette Ave and Edgewater Rd. Bronx SUPPORT THE SOUTH BRONX GREENWAY!! Proceeds from this race go to urban forestry efforts along the route including: tree planting, tree maintenance, green walls, planted medians and other vegetated surfaces. For more information click here or contact Erin Jarvis at 718.617.4668 X 21 Sustainable South Bronx 890 Garrison Avenue, 4th Fl. Bronx, NY 10474 718.617.4668 Fax: 718.617.5228 ssbinfo_at_gmail.com

This came from Norman Siegel's campaign Saturday, June 21st March and rally for fallen firefighters with Norman Siegel The march will begin at 10 a.m. outside the Old Deutsche Building on Liberty Street and head to City Hall for a rally at 11:30 a.m. Civil Rights Attorney and Public Advocate candidate Norman Siegel will be speaking and is expected to take the stage around noon. Union members and elected officials will also be there.

Join us the morning of Monday, June 23 for a breakfast discussion with Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney that will feature a lively conversation on the status of women in society and the policies necessary to close the gender gap. Guest speakers include:* Kim Gandy President, National Organization for Women Hon. Christine Quinn Speaker, New York City Council Congresswoman Pat Schroeder President and CEO, American Association of Publishers, Inc. *list in formation Moderated By: Andrea Batista Schlesinger Executive Director, Drum Major Institute for Public Policy MONDAY, JUNE 23 8:00am-9:30am Kimmel Center at New York University Shorin Performance Studio 60 Washington Square South, 8th Floor New York, NY 10012 Space is limited. RSVP and registration are required. Admission is free. Please RSVP by email to: dmi@drummajorinstitute.org or by phone to 646.274.5700.

This comes from the Harrison campaign. And let me just add that Steve Harrison's very consistent stand against Bush's Iraq Quagmire is one contrast with Mike McMahon's more ambiguous position (see here, here, and here for McMahon's shifting or unclear position). Please Join Us for a Reception Supporting Democratic Congressional Candidate Steve Harrison FEATURING AUTHOR AND SYNDICATED COLUMNIST NORMAN SOLOMON as he talks about the current state of politics and formally endorses Democrat Steve Harrison in New York's 13th District. Monday June 23, 2008 6:00pm to 8:00pm The LGBT Community Center 208 West 13th Street | New York, NY 10011 General Admission: $50 per person

A Special Evening to Support State Senate Candidate Don Barber Tuesday, June 24, 2008 7:30-10:00PM Hill Country 30 West 26th Street New York, NY 10010 RSVP: www.actblue.com/page/barbeynyc624 Minimum: $50 per person / Suggested: $100 per person Hosted by: Jake Abraham & Katie Sammis, Megan Barber, Steven Anthony Behar, Steve Buscemi, Patrick Canavan, Pearl Collings, Brian Keeler, John McBride & Nance Shatzkin, Cara Nichols, Jenna Rosenberg With musical appearances by Dan Zweben (of Obama TV fame) and other guests Don Barber is running for New York's 51st State Senate District (central New York State) as the Democratic nominee. Don is a true public servant, currently serving as the Town Supervisor of Caroline, in Tompkins County (Ithaca is the county seat.) As both a farmer and contractor, he is intimately aware of the needs of many New Yorkers, from the working class to small business owners. Don is a life-long environmentalist, has testified before US Congress to protect the Finger Lakes, and has been working on environmental initiatives in government since 1983.