Coop Ramps Up May General Meeting: Plastics Recycling...Nuts and Bolts Kim Nadel now coordi-nates...

Next General Meeting & Annual Meeting on June 26The General Meeting of the Park Slope Food Coop is held on thelast Tuesday of each month. The next General Meeting andAnnual Meeting will be Tuesday, June 26 at 7:00 p.m. at the Con-gregation Beth Elohim Temple House (Garfield Temple), 274Garfield Place.

The agenda is in this Gazette and available as a flyer in theentryway of the Coop. For more information about the GM andabout Coop governance, please see the center of this issue.* Exceptions for November and December will be posted.

Volume BB, Number 13 June 21, 2007

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

“It’s a constant process ofeducation,” said Sandler-Phillips. “A miniscule per-centage of members areactually participating in therecycling program. We findthat many otherwise educat-ed and enlightened peoplearen’t that sure what the Cityrecycles—never mind whatthe Coop recycles. So we aretrying to raise the awareness.

We are trying to have peoplethink about the volume ofdisposables we are sendingto landfills.”

At this point, each day’seffort can yield a truckload ofbags full of plastic, whichCoop drivers cart to Green-point for processing. Number5 plastic travels to Massachu-setts, where the entrepre-neurial firm Recycline grinds

and melts it, adds coloring(devoid of heavy metals), anduses injection molding tofashion it into toothbrushand razor handles and plasticplates that are sold at theCoop.

Recycling PartnershipKathryn Lively, a customer

service associate with Recy-

By Walecia Konrad

Coop members seekingworkslot credit forattending the General

Meeting will be subject tonew rules that have been inplace provisionally sinceMarch 2006 and have nowbeen approved at the ParkSlope Food Coop GeneralMeeting held on May 29. Inaddition, an administrativechange concerning voter eli-gibility at the Annual Meetingwas also passed by the mem-bership.

Before the formal propos-als were presented, the meet-ing began with the traditionalopen forum, during whichmembers are free to voiceopinions and raise concernsthat are not on the meeting’sagenda. One member sug-gested that more care betaken for members sufferingfrom asthma at the Coop. Sherecommended Swiffers be

used during shifts for sweep-ing instead of regular broomsbecause they collect moredust. General CoordinatorJessica Robinson commend-ed the suggestion to showconcern for asthmatic mem-bers, but she said that a solu-tion “wasn’t a no-brainer.”The Coop doesn’t sell Swif-fers and because of thethrow-away aspect of them,they aren’t considered envi-ronmentally friendly. It wasthen recommended that themember look into presentingthis issue as an agenda itemat a future meeting.

Next, Coop member OrvilleNelson recommended thegeneral meeting start with areading of the PSFC missionstatement. “It’s a beautifuldocument and if we found away to read it at each meetingwe would all be reminded whywe are here.” The suggestion

May General Meeting: New Rules For WorkslotCredit For GM Attendance

Coop Ramps UpPlastics Recycling

C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 1 2

IN THIS ISSUEDavid Meltzer & the Disciplinary Committee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Quick & Easy Coop Meals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Candidates for Board of Directors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6June Annual Meeting & General Meeting Agendas . . . . . . . . . . 7 Coop Hours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Coop Calendar, Workslot Needs,

Governance Information, Mission Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Community Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Letters to the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Classified Ads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

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

By Hayley Gorenberg

Three dedicated squads and the Coop members who haul their plasticto Union Street are working to decrease the size of our environmentalfootprint on the Earth.

The plastic recycling effort has ramped up from a once- to thrice-monthly collection schedule (see box), trying to pick up recycling plasticwhere New York City’s limited recycling program leaves off.

Twelve-year Coop member Regina Sandler-Phillips, who works themonthly Thursday evening recycling shift, has until recently handledadditional education work, like helping to pull together the Coop’s plas-tic FAQ’s (http://foodcoop.com/files/PlasticRecyclingFAQ.pdf).

Members discuss Coop issues at the May General Meeting.

CoopEventHighlights

Sat, Jun 23 •Pocketbook, Purse and Bag Exchange: 10:00 am

Tue, Jun 26 •Board Elections, Annual and General Meeting:7:00 pm

Sat, Jun 30 •Adult Clothing Exchange: 9:30 am

Fri, Jul 6 •Film Night: Bloquero, 7:00 pm

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

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cline, said the companychose Number 5 plastic forthe characteristics of its poly-mers. “It can be recycledagain and again and it does-n’t lose its integrity. Othersmay break down over timeafter they’ve been groundand melted a few times.”

Commenting on Recy-cline’s work with the Coop,Lively said, “It’s really agroundbreaking partnership.The reason for the success ofthis project is the army of vol-unteers you have over there.They’re just really devoted.”

“It’s a matter of makingsure we’re getting all Number5, and everything’s clean.One of the problems withrecycled plastic from con-sumers is, the contaminantsare really high. With theCoop, that’s not the case sofar. It’s their diligence thatmakes us successful.”

The Coop’s participationwith Recycline is distin-guished because the plasticmaterials are post-consumer.Another of Recycline’s notablepartnerships is with Stoney-field Farms, which suppliesabout 65% of the material thecompany uses for toothbrushand razor handles, “but that’scoming mostly from a post-industrial process,” Livelynoted.

Recycling ExpertiseExpertise—as well as com-

mitment—runs deep on therecycling squads. LloydHicks, a Coop member forabout two years, recentlybecame a recycling squadleader and for the past twoyears worked on policy con-cerning electronics recyclingat the nonprofit recyclingoutfit Inform. “My day jobwas all about recycling, sothat’s what brought me tothat shift,” he said.

In addition to dealing with“e-scrap” like circuit boardslithium batteries, and lead-ed-glass television and com-puter monitors, Hicks workedon “lifecycle assessments” forplastic packaging, helpingcompanies quantify theimpact of plastics, from usingoil to make resins, to theexpense of molding plastics,to eventually collecting andrecycling them, dumping

them in landfills, or inciner-ating them, “so from cradleto grave, the impacts of plas-tics,” he said. “We were look-ing at air emissions, water,solid waste generation for acouple different resin types.”

Some of the work fed intocalculators to quantify thebenefits of additional recy-cling. “It’s a way of giving atool to back up some of thedesign changes that need tohappen,” he said.

At the Coop, Hicks has oflate focused on the use ofplastic bags. “What we’redoing is very much appropri-ate: we’re charging folks forbags.” His perspective is col-ored by his time living in Ger-many and Sweden, where hesaid paying for plastic bagswas compulsory, whereas atthe Coop, “it’s more an honorsystem.”

But rather than having theCoop enforce payment forbags, Hicks would like to seea statewide approach, andremarked with approval thata “bag tax” bill was recentlyintroduced in the stateassembly.

On the recycling side, heurged “more consistent col-lections for the bags. If peo-ple knew there was a place tocome and put them…. ButReceiving isn’t set up for it.”

Meanwhile, he forecaststhat the city will begin col-lecting plastics coded 3through 7 within the nextcouple of years. Thus, thesorting challenges will con-tinue, as the opportunities torecycle increase.

Hicks explained that, forinstance, #6 and #7 plasticsare clear and can look decep-tively like #1. Meanwhile, nei-ther the city nor the Coopaccepts #6, and #7, whichHicks referred to as “the wild-card” may be corn-based,with a lower melting pointthat “can really mess up therecycling process. There’s alot of discussion now in theindustry about how to man-age a natural resin…com-postable plastic. It actuallycould be really screwing upthe recycling process.”

Nuts and BoltsKim Nadel now coordi-

nates logistics for the three

six-member recycling squads—with hopes one day ofadding additional squads sothat Coop members don’thave to track which Thursday,Saturday, or Sunday of eachmonth is a recycling date.

Partly as a liaison withGeneral Coordinator JessicaRobinson, Nadel helps bringin new squad members,works on training for them,and even brainstorms how todeal with storing bags of plas-tics if a driver doesn’t showup to cart them away.

Nadel’s environmentalaptitude runs through her “dayjob,” as well. She heads theNiche design firm and hasworked as an “eco-interiordesigner” since the early1990’s. “I incorporate recycledcontent in my practice,” shesaid. “I incorporate sustain-ability in my work, but youcan’t really tell by looking atthe designs.” Instead, shesaid, she reduces toxic con-tent in materials, with “low-emitting floor sealer, furniturethat doesn’t off-gas, low-VOCpaints.” She also incorporatesrecycled materials, includingcontent in concrete counter-tops, engin- eered recycledflooring, and reclaimed woodwaste.

Speaking on behalf of theEnvironmental Committee,Nadel urged that everyone“reduce, or reuse or, even bet-ter, refuse the plastic bagsthat we acquire when shop-ping….we all try to have anextra plastic bag or collapsi-ble bag when out so that wedon’t have to accept thestore’s plastic bags.”

The plastics recyclingsquads currently have open-ings for collection work andparticularly for drivers withlarge vehicles who can trans-port recyclables to Green-point. In the words ofSandler-Phillips, “Our recy-cling program does not workwithout drivers.”

Coop members interestedin getting involved with the recycling squads shouldcontact Kim Nadel atecobluedolphin@ gmail.com.

Recent RecyclingSnapshot

The Saturday recyclingsquad in May 2007 collected2.5 bags of #1 plastics (of thetype that New York City’s pro-gram does not accept); 3.5bags of #2; .25 bags of #4; 11bags of plastic film (plasticbags, dry cleaner bags, etc.);and 8 boxes of #5 plastic.

In April 2007, the Saturdaysquad collected 3 bags of #1;2 bags #2; 1 bag of #4; 19 bagsof plastic film; 9 boxes of #5;and 1 bag of trash, in theform of “unacceptables” ordirty but otherwise recyclablecontainers. ■

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

A Coop member takes careof cardboard recycling.

Nadel urged that everyone‘reduce or reuse or, even better,

refuse the plastic bags weacquire when shopping.’

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 website:

www.foodcoop.com

Recycling

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TO THE EDITOR:This is in response to several

points Board Candidate DavidMeltzer made in his statement pub-lished in the May 24, 2007, Gazette. Toset the record straight, I was and con-tinue to be a member of the Discipli-nary Committee that presented aHearing before a random panel whenMeltzer’s own Coop behavior wasseriously at odds with Coop policy,and which led to his lengthy suspen-sion from the Coop. My discussingthis interaction with the DisciplinaryCommittee is NOT a violation orbreach of his privacy as Meltzer him-self published his troubles in theGazette and The New York Times. I won-der why he has left these circum-stances out of his detailed Boardstatement?

The first point is short. Someoneinterested in the PSFC governancewould know that our monthly GMstake place on Tuesday nights, not theWednesday’s Meltzer indicated. Also,his statement that he would not be a“rubber stamp” and thus not approve whatthe GM has voted on goes againstwhat the GM, that is, what the entireCoop membership, has decided ishow they want the Coop run. Meltzer,who claims to be a 14 year member,must well remember the last timeBoard members decided they were“above” the wants and desires of therest of us. We spent months dealingwith the very unproductive aftermath,losing valuable time in deciding realissues facing us.

More important, however, is hisbelief that Squad Leaders should beable to make their own rules and reg-ulations. While it is true that eachsquad has its own particular quirks,the Coop functions as well as it doesbecause of these rules. Rules whichMeltzer and his co-squad leader tookadvantage of. It was presented ingreat detail at the Hearing heldbefore a randomly chosen HearingGroup that Meltzer and his co-SLwould share their shift, one coming inhalf way through the shift so theother SL could shop and leave. Fur-ther, the idea that a SL can “award” amember a free shift, while seeminglya “nice way to play,” opens up thosewho don’t get this reward to bad feel-ings. And who is to make theseawards? The SLs themselves who arealready breaking Coop rules. Ohyeah—this “policy” was in place intheir squad.

Finally, his complaint that the dis-ciplinary process that now entailsthree separate committees is “bur-densome, expensive, and unfair” part-ly came into being because of theMeltzer Hearing experience. Prior tothe separation of duties, the oneexisting committee acted as investi-gators and judges and we believedthis was inherently unfair to Coopmembers. The system now has a sepa-ration of powers that provides a muchmore fair system for the accused Coopmember to deal with. That’s why the

GM voted to approve these changes inOctober 2006. I wonder…was Meltzerat that GM?

In CooperationKaren Kramer

TO THE EDITOR:I am disturbed by the failure of a

candidate for the Board, DavidMeltzer, to have disclosed informa-tion which I believe bears directly onhis fitness to serve. Mr. Meltzer wasthe subject of a disciplinary hearingconcerning abusing his status as aSquad Leader by awarding days off to“deserving” squad members, shop-ping during a shift and leaving early,and directing his squad to refuse worklate in the shift. That hearing, heardby a group of randomly selected Coopmembers, resulted in his suspensionfrom the Coop for six months.

I want to make clear that I was amember of the Disciplinary Commit-tee at that time, although neither Inor any other member of that com-mittee had any part in the panel’sdeliberations which resulted in thesuspension. We merely presentedinformation to the panel, as did Mr.Meltzer. But it seems imperative tome that, before voting for Boardmembers, this information be men-tioned. Mr. Meltzer’s defense includ-ed accusing Coordinators ofconspiracies against him, of abridge-ment of his constitutional rights, andsimilar grandiose (and, ultimately,rejected) notions. This sense of enti-tlement to break Coop rules, andutter lack of remorse, remains evi-dent in his attacks on the disciplinaryprocess as he now seeks a place onthe Board. I hope that Coop mem-bers will give serious thought towhether an individual who believesthe rules don’t apply to him, and whobelieves that efforts to enforce thoserules constitute conspiracy andvendetta, belongs in a position ofBoard member.

In cooperation,Robin Germany

TO THE EDITOR:With regard to the current Board of

Directors elections, I am sure my fel-low coopers would be interested inknowing that one candidate, DavidMeltzer, is the former squad leaderwho was only recently suspended fromthe Coop for 6 months after a discipli-nary committee found him guilty ofrepeatedly cheating the Coop by notworking his full shift and by signing inothers who were not even there.

I find it curious that he failed tomention this in his candidate state-ment, since I’m sure that voters wouldhave appreciated the insight this factprovides into his disdain for discipli-nary committees and his novel ideason squad rights and attendance.

I would hope that Coop memberswould not vote for someone who, as asquad leader––a position of trust andresponsibility––demonstrated such alack of regard for his fellow workers, aswell as for the Coop and its rules.

I therefore urge you to voteAGAINST David Meltzer and for BillPenner, Elizabeth Tobier and JohnUrda.

In CooperationLaura Sunderlin

TO THE GAZETTE:I have just received my proxy vote

form and candidate statements fromthose seeking election to the board ofdirectors.

I am deeply concerned that one ofthe candidates is a person who wassubject to a serious disciplinaryaction several years ago, was judgedguilty by a randomly-chosen jury ofCoop members (not coordinators),and was as a result suspended fromthe Coop for some time. This personalso sought to publicize his “case” inthe pages of The New York Times and theGazette for some time, and has neveracknowledged any wrongdoing. In facthe has publicly presented himself as avictim of a “conspiracy” by the coordi-nators. The disciplinary proceedingswere not about missing shifts orshopping while working; the infrac-tions concerned misusing one’sauthority as squad leader and com-mitting deliberate deception.

It is telling that part of this candi-date’s statement complains that thereare now three disciplinary commit-tees. Not long after that case, thecommittee decided that for practicalreasons in terms of the workload, andout of concern for the perception offairness in the proceedings, it wouldbe best to divide their functionsamong three separate groups. Anexplanation and proposal to that

effect was presented at a GeneralMeeting and was approved. Onewould think that a person who hadloudly complained that the discipli-nary committee had too much powerwould approve of such a self-initiatedchange. However, it is much moreself-serving to use innuendo about“three disciplinary committees,” as ifthe paid coordinators had dictatorial-ly seized three times as much power.And by the way, how is dividing theresponsibilities of disciplinary pro-ceedings “expensive” or “unfair?”

I think that a person who has beenjudged guilty of a very serious malfea-sance should not have the right toserve on the Board of Directors, espe-cially when this candidate’s statementfails to disclose that history. It is quiteironic that this candidate expressesconcern that a small group may“stack” the vote at a general meeting.It is my great concern that memberswho vote for this Board of Directors,unaware of the history of one of thecandidates vis-à-vis the Coop, mayinadvertently elect someone who car-ries a destructive personal agenda,rooted in his own misconstrued per-ception that he was wronged.

Michael Esterowitz

TO THE GAZETTE:I have read the statement of the

candidates to the Board, and noticedthat one of the candidates, DavidMeltzer, has proposed giving squadleaders the discretionary authority torelease squad members he or shedeems deserving from their work shiftresponsibilities.

In my opinion, this is truly an awfulidea, and contrary to our essentialphilosophy as a cooperative. Givenhuman nature and predictable groupdynamics, how could the perception,if not the actuality, that certain peopleare favored in the dispensation ofsuch rewards ever be avoided? We aresuccessful as a coop preciselybecause everyone, except those whoare disabled, is subject to the samework requirements and rules.

I read the coverage in the Gazettereporting on a disciplinary hearing ofwhich Mr. Meltzer was the subject,which involved the kind of squadleader behavior that he now proposesbe made into standard procedure. Ibelieve such a policy would have dis-astrous consequences and oppose itvehemently.

Michael Esterowitz

DEAR EDITORZ: Well another year and I hope you’ll

continue to support us at the Co-Opas well as WBAI election in November.We thank you for our many good con-versations in Child Care, on the Shop-ping Floor and sometimes elsewhere.Recently I received an EMail fromDavid Meltzer, another candidate—foronce!—who is not endorsed by theGenerals. Looks good, and one of hisideas, for members to approve meetingdecisions, I hadn’t thought of. (Anoth-er one—that squad leaders give out“furloughs” to deservingly fatiguedmembers!—is highly suspect.) Then Iwrote him a hot reply—let’s gettogether—Or we’ll throw *all* oursupport to you…Which produced atepid reply that, DUH, he would acceptour endorsement of we cared to give it.

Park Slope Food Coop, Brooklyn, NY June 21, 2007 � 3

Editor’s Note: The following letters address David Meltzer’s fitnessfor the Coop Board of Directors based on Mr. Meltzer’s previouscase before the Disciplinary Committee. That case was covered

extensively in past issues of the Gazette. Because the facts of that caseremain in dispute––and this is the last issue of the Gazette to be pub-lished before the election––we have given Mr. Meltzer the opportunityto respond. His response appears at the end of this section.

David Meltzer and the Disciplinary Committee

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Wehehelll! That’s a real teamplayer for you, eh? Partlybecause of all the excitementhe had generated, We did notsend a letter to the May 24thGazette! Which could damageour campaign—though withthe kind of supporters wehave, we suspect that *noth-ing* much can damage thatsupport.

Not to mention that mostof David’s “ideas” were ours,without attribution or evenmention of my name. Butcrucially, David failed to men-tion that he is the DavidMeltzer, the squad leader whowas suspended for six monthsby a disciplinary hearing for,among other things, signingpeople in when they weren’tthere! No one has a right to dothat, so if this question is notanswered no one shouldendorse him, including us.Since he won’t return Emailsor speak to me on the phoneas I asked, we’ll be sure to askthis question at the AnnualMeeting, and we’re sure we’llget an answer then. So for themoment sorry, David, youwon’t be getting many votesfrom the CCD!

Now we’ll try to explainour Campaign for Co-OpDemocracy (CCD). Turn to thestatement of Our DearLeader Kim-Jung Holtz onPage 11 of your June 7th issuefor all the lies and half truthsand worse than that, viciousinnuendos you can stomach.We’d like to revise the wholething to something resem-bling the truth, but let it suf-fice to say that the word“dedicated” can be applied tothe worst scoundrel, “overallstability and smooth func-

tioning” could be applied aswell to Nazi Germany or mod-ern Saudi Arabia,“encourag[ing] memberinvolvement” is the veryopposite of what our town-meeting-star-chamber sys-tem does—representationwould be ace we assure you,and “putting [our] best inter-ests of the Co-Op ahead oftheir own interests” is a rot-ten ploy that clearly, blatantlydoes nothing but impugn themotives of all that questionthe views of Dear LeaderGeneralissimo Holtz and hismealy-mouthed lieutenants.

Oh, we forgot to say thatabove all we are for representa-tive democracy, which for allits faults will preserve muchof the transparency and account-ability that the current regimeso “smoothly” and thorough-ly destroys.

Sincerely,Albert Solomon

DAVID MELTZER’SRESPONSE

I wish to thank the Linewait-er ’s Gazette for providing anopportunity to respond tothe letters that cast doubtsupon my fitness to serve onthe Coop Board. I was notsurprised by the vehementnature of their comments, asMs. Germany and Ms. Kramerwere members of the Disci-plinary Committee that pros-ecuted, these charges.

I am proud of the eightyears that I served as squadleader. I am proud that Istood up in support of mysquad. I am proud that everymember of my squad came tothe hearing to demonstrate

their support. I have neverdenied the fact that oursquad’s procedure was toallow for a “sick day” on rareoccasions. Coop members dohave other lives and obliga-tions. We believed that thispolicy improved squadmorale. I have also neverdenied that my fellow squadleader and I split our shifts.The late night squad leaderhas to do the count-out andthe lockdown; it was notunusual to leave the Cooplong after everyone else left.To compensate for this, onesquad leader came in 30 min-utes later, and stayed to dothe extra concluding tasks.Both of these practices werelong established squad pro-cedures before I became thesquad leader. I recognizedthe benefits of these actions,and carried them forward.

When the charges werebrought, we offered to medi-ate the issues and to resign assquad leaders. We were toldthat we were to be expelled.At the hearing, we were notallowed to cross-examinewitnesses, and had evidencesuppressed. After midnight, acompromise decision wasreached. We were not expelled,nor were we exonerated.Rather, we were suspendedfor six months. The decidinggroup also determined thatwe were to be allowed toreturn to our squad, and evenserve as squad leaders, afterthe suspension was conclud-ed. One week before Ireturned to work, Mr. Holtzinformed me that he was notpermitting my return to oursquad. I requested that hespeak to members of thedeciding group. He refused.

The Linewaiter’s Gazette reporteralso supported my position,based upon her hearingnotes. She too was criticized.Finally, as the Coordinatorsdid not get the expulsion thatthey wanted, they merelychanged the rules so thatnow only members of theDisciplinary Committee candecide the charges.

The basic charge againstme was “uncooperativebehavior.” I am the presidentof the coop board where Ilive. Both of my childrenattended cooperative pre

schools, where I ran the OldFirst Tree Sale. I have been anAYSO coach, linesman andreferee. I volunteer at MS 51,where I was the stage manag-er for the Chorus perfor-mances. Maybe I was not theone being uncooperative.

When I ran for Coop Board,I hoped that this would be acampaign of ideas. I hope mycritics’ undeserved attacks onmy character do not distractthe membership from thevalidity of my ideas.

Sincerely,David Meltzer


The Diversity & Equality Committee (DEC) isdedicated to improving human relations andcommunications through impeccable interper-sonal interactions, policies and procedures inthe Coop. Our goal is to work toward preventingand eliminating discrimination in the Coop. TheDEC has met on a monthly basis since 2004 to pro-mote the ideal of equal and respectful treatmentbetween all Coop members and paid staff regardlessof each individual’s different identity. The DEC alsoaims to provide advocacy for individuals who feelthey have experienced discriminatory practices inthe Coop.

In order to be considered for the Diversity andEquality Committee, you must have at least oneyear of Coop membership, have an excellent atten-dance record, have the ability to be accountable, totake initiative, to work independently, be organized,and have an ability to work collaboratively with oth-ers. In addition, the committee meets monthly on sec-ond Thursday of the month from 6:30 pm–8:00 pm.These meetings are mandatory. Committee membersalso work outside the meetings on projects for theirsub-committees. Work on the Committee is recordedon an hour-for-hour basis.

The Committee is organized into subcommitteesby area. The specific sub-committee needs andskills are detailed below. In addition, we are lookingfor a secretary for the committee as a whole. Pleasespecify which sub-committee(s) interest you (eachmember participates in only one sub-committee).

To express interest contact Jess Robinson at theFood Coop via e-mail at [email protected] orphone at (718) 622-0560. Please be prepared toprovide a listing of your relevant experience, alongwith your Food Coop member number.

Committee SecretaryTo record and distribute the monthly DEC minutes.The necessary skills are:• Ability to comprehend what is being stated and

record it accurately in writing.• Ability to do word processing and distribute min-

utes via e-mail from home.

The Diversity Education Sub-Committee Needs 4-5 new members. The necessary skills are:• Committed to the concepts of “diversity”. Other

terms that “resonate” in the “industry” are “multi-cultural” “pluralism” and “inclusion”

• Superior Relationship/People skills—pro-active,savvy, and non-judgmental relating to all types ofpeople.

• Basic Group Facilitation—have experience leadingworkshops, ideally around diversity issues.

• Public Speaking skills, conflict resolution skills,and mediation skills

The Survey Sub-Committee Needs 4-5 new members with interest relevant toconducting a study of Coop members’ experienceswith bias or discrimination at the Coop. The neces-sary skills are:

• Data entry skills: Qualitative & quantitative dataanalysis software (such as SPSS) experience

• Writing skills for documenting and presentingstudy findings

Complaint Review Sub-Committee Needs 2 new members, a secretary and a memberwith mediation skills. The necessary skills for eachposition are:

• Mediator: Needs excellent conflict resolution andmediation skills; good editing and writing skills;compassionate; impartial; good investigativeskills; critical thinking skills; good interviewer;attend a hour and a half subcommittee meetingevery month in addition to the general DEC meeting.

• Secretary: Take dictation and detailed notes; transcribe and archive; data entry and generalcomputer skills; good editing andwriting skills; compas-sionate; impartial;good investigativeskills; critical think-ing skills; goodinterviewer; able toattend a hour and ahalf subcommitteemeeting everymonth in additionto the general DECmeeting

Diversity and Equality Committee Looking for Additional Members


AdultClothing ExchangeHave you noticed that Coop members

are great dressers?

The season is changing, and this is your opportunity to trade gen-tly used and beautiful clothes that you no longer wear with otherCoop members.

A clothing exchange is a community event that is ecologicallyresponsible and fun. Why support the consumer market and buy,when you can wear clothes that have already been well loved?

Bring items that you think othersmight enjoy–and a snack to share.

FREENon-members welcome

Saturday, March 109:30 a.m.—1:30 p.m.

in the meeting room

To bring Clothes…• Do not leave clothing in the Coop before

the hours of the exchange.

• Bring up to 15 items only

• Bring gently used, clean clothing thatyou are proud to be able to exchangewith it's new owner.

Unchosen clothing will be donated to a local shelter.

07-06-21 p 01-09 6/19/07 11:16 PM

When you’re not in themood to spend a lotof time cooking or

you’re in a rush and need toget something on the tablefast, if you’re like many peo-ple, you probably have a fewold standbys—tried and truequick and easy meals that fitthe bill.

One of my favorite fast andsimple meals made fromfood purchased at the Coopfeatures smoked chicken.Since it’s already cooked,there’s no need to spend timeat the stove.

I love it in the warm weath-er, cubed in a salad witharugula, tomatoes, onion andavocado, tossed in a dressingof balsamic vinegar, dry mus-tard, salt and pepper andolive oil. If I want a hot meal, Iwarm the cubed chicken withan Indian cooking sauce fromthe Coop and a vegetable likegreen beans.

My friend Martha, a long-time Coop member, buyschicken sausages with applesor herbs at the Coop whenshe wants a quick meat meal.She cooks them with pota-toes and a veg like chard. Shemakes this dish as often asonce a week.

In the warm weather, shelikes to make big salads withCoop produce. One of herfavorite quick salads com-bines romaine, radicchio,endive or arugula and water-cress with parmesan cheese,chick peas, blue cheese andalmonds – or some othercheese and nut for protein.She dresses the salad withbalsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Curious about what otherquick and easy meals ourmembers make with foodthey buy at the Coop, I spenta recent afternoon askingpeople about their favorites.Perhaps not surprisingly,pasta with a Coop-boughtsauce, topped the list.

Kelly Cribben andDagwood

Boca burgers are thequickest meal we can make.Usually I make a salad on theside. We don’t have a back-

yard or grill, so we just dothem in a frying pan. I putthem on a bun with Swisscheese, lettuce, tomato, redonions, alfalfa sprouts, may-onnaise, ketchup and mus-tard, all together. Dagwoodloves Happy Baby—which isfrozen baby foods. Hisfavorite is peas and carrots,but he also likes kale andspinach and multi-grains...

Dave KenneallyMy go-to last minute din-

ner option from here at theCoop is always a stir-fry.That’s because the Coop pro-duce is so good that if Ialready have organic soysauce or some hot chili pep-pers in the house all I have todo is come in here and gettwo or three vegetables and ahandful of rice and I have din-ner. I’m new to wok cooking,so I’m trying a lot of differentthings. I run the gamut of veg-gies from bok choy to cauli-flower—whatever looks goodthat day.

Sue Ohashi and Hannah,9 months

We buy almost all our foodat the Coop. Our fallbackfood is almost always tofu,vegetables and rice. We likesilken tofu cold with somesauce that we buy in China-town. But Hannah doesn’t eatthat, just the tofu. I also cookkale and broccoli, cookedquick in the wok. Hannah’sfavorite quick meal is organicavocado and cheese, particu-larly stinky gouda.

Rose EdwardsMy fast quick meal would

be spaghetti with groundturkey cooked with vegancubes and tomato paste... Idon’t make the ground turkeyinto meat balls, it takes toolong. I just scramble theground turkey into the pasta.I don’t put any cheese on top.Once in a while I’ll add frozengreen peas, lima beans orpeas and carrots. I make thisas often as once a week.

Brian UyedaI go with penne and pesto

sauce. I might steam broccolior asparagus. Some reallybusy weeks I make this two orthree times a week. But I trynot to overdo it. Right nowI’m just itching for some tofudogs.

Jessica SenecalI use the basil pesto a lot. I

like it with pasta but I alsoadd it to vegetables. But ifyou’re talking fast, then itwould just be the pesto andpasta, maybe with sun driedtomatoes. I like it with wholewheat or regular penne. Weeat this at least once a week.In the warm weather I’ll stillcook pasta. ■


Quick andEasy CoopMealsby Ann Pappert

PHO

TOS

BY L

ISA

CO

HEN

WHAT IS THAT? HOW DO I USE IT?

Food Tours in the CoopI wrote this for you

It was you I was thinking of when I opened the door to the idea of how

to eat better

I thought of your family and what it takes to feed them well the shopping, the schlepping, the storing and still, nothing yet cooked!

I thought of you coming home hungry tired from tiresome tasks and all the ditches you have to dig and fill again

I thought of the look on your face when a plate of fresh food freshly made with love was placed before you

How you paused very briefly

I saw you soften your heart open

And when you ate peace flowered in the room

Come talk to me about how to eat better It’s all in a day’'s work

at the Park Slope Food Coop

by Myra Klockenbrink

Mondays, June 25 (A Week)July 16 (D Week)Noon to 1 p.m. and 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Wednesdays, July 11 (C Week)2:30 to 3:30 then 4:00 to 5:00 p.m..

Or you can join in any time during a tour.

PHO

TO:JO

HN

H. S

HEA

LLY

II/T

HE

VIR

GIN

IAN

-PIL

OT

(VIA

GO

OG

LE)

New Members Deserve theRoyal Treatment!

The Orientation Committee is looking for energeticCoop members with a teaching or training back-ground who can work Sunday afternoons, Monday orWednesday evenings, or Wednesday mornings.Orienters lead sessions every six weeks, and on theweek midway between sessions you must be avail-able as backup for emergency coverage. Only Coopmembers with at least two years of membership willbe considered.Workslot credit will be given for training sessions.An annual meeting of the Orientation Committee ispart of the work requirement. For more information, contact the MembershipOffice or write to [email protected].

07-06-21 p 01-09 6/19/07 11:16 PM


Candidates for Board of Directors of the Park Slope Food Coop, Inc.Two full three-year terms and one one-year term are open.

To vote you may use a proxy or be present at the Park Slope Food Coop Annual Meeting, June 26, 2007.

Candidate Statements:(Statements are unedited and presented in alphabetical order.)

David Meltzer I have been a Coop memberfor fourteen years. I was aSquad leader for seven yearsand am currently a “cart-slinger.” I am running for theCoop Board as I believe thatchanges need to be made.Among the changes that Iwould like to institute are thefollowing:

1. General Meeting: I propose abandoning theanachronistic and outmoded system of voting at theGeneral Meeting. Voting should be accessible to allmembers, not just those who can spend a Wednes-day night at the General Meeting. Several issues ago,the Linewaiters’ Gazette boasted that “nearly 100 peo-ple” attended the meeting. Assuming a 50-49 split ina vote, 50 people can determine the course for aCoop of 14,000 members. The General Meetingallows for easy stacking, whereby interested partiescan pack the meeting with their friends, for the bene-fit of their pet issue. This is not democracy.

I propose that voting be done by all members onissues that concern us. The General Meeting willserve as an avenue of discussion, and may vote ontime sensitive or emergency issues. Any vote takenat the General Meeting would need to be approvedby a vote of all members. Voting should be availableon line and at the Coop itself. Coop members wouldoversee the voting as workslot credit.

Finally, I will not merely provide “rubber stamp”approval of any General Meeting vote where themeeting has been packed, where the vote was not inthe interests of a majority of the cooperators, orwhere the members in general should receive a vote.

2. Squad Rights and Attendance. It is my beliefthat the individual squad leaders have a better gripon what makes their squad work than the paid coor-dinators. I propose allowing the squad leaders theopportunity to experiment with the attendancerequirements. Should a squad leader wish to allowthe squad membership one sick/vacation day peryearly cycle, let their squad try. This will lead togreater morale among members, as sickness, familyevents or plain exhaustion after a tough day wouldnot lead to make-ups or suspensions.

Bill PennerI am writing to ask for yoursupport to continue as one ofthe six members of the Boardof Directors of the Coop. Mycandidacy has been endorsedby the Coop’s General Coordi-nators.

I have been a member ofthe Coop for almost sevenyears and I have served on

both the receiving committee and the CHiPS soupkitchen committee preparing meals with food donat-ed by the Coop and others. In my life outside theCoop, I am a 44 year old architect with my own archi-tectural firm which I started five years ago in Brook-lyn. Prior to receiving my degree in architecture, Iapprenticed as a chef and cooked professionally for6 years. The Coop is an important part of my life, it isa place were I connect with my passion for food andrealize the significance of food and food productionin our society as a cultural, environmental, and eco-nomic force of incredible importance.

The Board of Directors meet every month in pub-lic at our General Meeting. Every member can voteon proposals that are brought before the GeneralMeeting. Because the Coop is a corporation, it isalso required to have a board of directors. At theend of each General Meeting, the PSFC Board voteson taking the advice of the membership. This ishow the Coop combines its corporate structurewith its town hall style of democracy. As a memberof the Board, I see my role as one of oversightrather than one of advocacy. I focus on maintaininga thorough knowledge of open issues and concernsof the membership by attending General Meetings,reading the Gazette, and staying in contact with Gen-eral Coordinators. I make a particular effort famil-iarizing myself with the monthly financialstatement, and I believe being well informed of thefinancial condition of the Coop is one of my biggestresponsibilities as a board member.

The Coop’s continued financial stability maintainsour low prices which enables many people to benefitfrom the beauty of good food while supporting theCoop community and values. The amount of moneythat members save shopping at the Coop is substantial,

Elizabeth TobierTo my fellow Coop members,Greetings…I am interested in your votes to reelect me toour Coop’s Board of Directors, where I have been serving for4 years.

After joining the Coop in 1990, I enjoyed years of carry-ing out various work shifts such as cashier, receiving worker,office worker, maintenance worker and inventory counter. Ifinally attended a General Meeting in 1999 and haveattended most of the meetings since then. Since 2002, asthe elected Coop Secretary, I have been recording the meet-

ing minutes.The main reason I am interested in continuing on the Board is that I agree with

the Coop’s method of governance, which is to hold open meetings—and onlyopen meetings. We do not allow executive sessions where non-Board membersare not permitted to attend. I agree that our Coop runs best when the Board lis-tens to and concurs with the decisions of the members as expressed by the Gener-al Meeting vote results.

Even though the General Meetings can be a little tedious, I encourage everyoneto attend one on occasion, as they are an essential side of our cooperative.

My profession is office manager/bookkeeper and my main interests are animaland environmental protection and the work of water researcher Masaru Emoto.

The Coop’s General Coordinators have endorsed my candidacy.Please contact me with any questions about the Board or the Coop’s meetings.

Sincerely,Elizabeth [email protected] ■

John UrdaI am running for re-election to the board with theendorsement of the General Coordinators and wouldappreciate yours as well. Since I joined the board six yearsago, the Coop has seen some serious changes—andalthough our growth has begun to slacken, the challengesare not going away. One of the biggest challenges will bemaking sure that the Coop remains the Coop while wecontinue to manage the recent growth and deal withchanges that are an inevitable part of being a big business.

For a board member, the key issue is his or her view of theboard’s role. I believe that the main function of the board is simply to ensure that thedecisions of the general meeting do not violate the law or sound business judg-ment—it is not a pulpit for board members to impose their views on the Coop. As aboard member, I will respect the will of the membership by voting to approve theirdecisions, so long as they are legal and will not undermine the Coop’s business—andfor the past six years as board member and president, that is exactly what I have done.

That being said, board members should also serve as a resource for the mem-bership and the General Coordinators. They attend the monthly meetings andshould therefore have a wide knowledge of Coop issues. Board members mustnot only defend the Coop’s way of doing business and the principles expressedin the mission statement, but also speak to the issues that arise in the meetingswith an informed, sensitive voice.

This is the best store in the world—actually, it’s more than a store—and it gotthat way because of a great governance system that allows regular Coop membersto run the show. It should stay that way. Thank you. ■

Albert SolomonTo our loyal and stead-fast supporters over theyears, Thank You! Youknow why you are there,we know why we arehere, and we know whatwe are doing. Whatgood is another boring

and irrelevant candidate statement? To those whodon’t know who or what the campaign for Co-OpDemocracy is, please read our letters over the last fewyears, or talk to us in the street or on the shoppingfloor or address us at [email protected] or 718-768-9079. With best wishes and hope for the future, and insolidarity with the Co-Op we are:

Nom de GuerreAlbert B. Solomon PACVID1.COM Scribe to the World (Technical/Medical Transcriber,

Photographer, Collector) Entertainer (Singer, Comedian, Whistler, Instrumen-

talist) World Evangelist for Homeopathy Singin' Candidate for the 2007 WBAI Local Station

Board Enfant Terrible of the

Park Slope Food Co-Op HOBCES (at) YAHOO.COM 718-768-9079 WBAI.net LISTENERFORUMS.net ■

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

07-06-21 p 01-09 6/19/07 11:16 PM


in fact it is in the millions of dollars each year. This sav-ings is true power for people of all economic back-grounds and allows members to make healthy decisionsfor themselves and their families while supporting the

environmental and the social mission of the Coop.I have been honored to have had the opportunity to

serve the Coop as a member of Board of Directors forthe last year. The late President of the Board, IsraelFishman used to say that the Coop saved his life—thedifferent view points and different people all working

together for a common purpose gave him the perspec-tive and patience to see beyond himself towards whatwas really important. I am reminded of this cherishedthought each time I attend a meeting and when I shop.

Cooperatively yours,Bill Penner ■

During the past several years, I have often felt as ifthe Paid Coordinators believed that they were thebosses, and that we squad members were theiremployees. Squad members had to stock itemsaccording to the drum beat of the Coordinators. Ibelieve that the Coordinators should consult with theSquad Leader to determine how best to use the allot-ted work shift time.

3. Member Emeritus. The paid coordinators haveretirement options, how about the rest of us? I believethat if you have been a member of the Coop for 15years, and have attained the age of 55, you should beexempt from a workslot. This is not a mandatoryrequirement, and I would hope that many memberskeep working in the spirit of cooperation.

4. Disciplinary Proceedings: Did you know thatthere are now three disciplinary committees? Didyou know that only members of one disciplinarycommittee can vote on charges brought by anotherdisciplinary committee? This process is burdensome,expensive and unfair. I propose a panel of mediatorsbe available for any disputes between individualmembers or between individual members and thepaid coordinators. Mediators would receive workslotcredit for their valuable services. Mediation shouldbe mandatory prior to any disciplinary proceeding. Inthe event that the Mediation did not reach a success-ful agreement between the parties, the findingsand/or recommendations of the mediator should beprovided to all members of the voting disciplinarycommittee.

5. Cartwalkers: It is time to end any debate on the

usefulness of this service. As a cartwalker, I have pro-vided a valuable service to both people who driveand people who walk. I also believe that cart walkersprovided extra security for the shoppers walkinghome or to the subway station. I believe that this ser-vice should be expanded to allow to shopping anddeliveries to be provided for any Coop member whois infirm, and otherwise unable to make it to theCoop.

Summary: The Park Slope Food Coop is one of theinstitutions that make Brooklyn special. No store hasbetter produce, or a greater variety of wholesome andfairly priced food. However, I believe that the member-ship deserves more compassionate and innovativeleadership. It is time to address the issues that I havestressed above. I want to be a voice for all Coop mem-bers. Change is good. ■

David Meltzer

Bill Penner

JUNE Annual Meeting & General Meetingfor Tuesday, JUNE 26, 7:00 p.m.

ANNUAL MEETING AGENDA:Item #1: Presentation of the auditedfinancial report for the year endedJanuary 28, 2007Members will have the opportunity to questionour outside auditor, Cornick, Garber & Sandler,following the presentation. Members will thenvote whether to acccept the audited statement.

Item #2: Board of DirectorsElectionElection: There are two openings for full three-year terms and one opening for a one-year term.

GENERAL MEETING AGENDA:The agenda of the General Meeting has twostandard items.

Item #1: Renewing the Services ofthe AuditorProposal: “To retain the services of Cornick,Garber & Sandler, to perform an audit of theCoop for the fiscal year ending: 2/3/08.” — submitted by the General Coordinators

Item #2: Election of Officers of the Park Slope Food CoopElection: Following the election of members tothe Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting, we must elect officers of the corporation at theGeneral Meeting—president, vice president, secretary and treasurer.

[PSFC Bylaws: “Article IV, Officers: §2. Officersshall be elected by the Board of Directors of thecorporation at the meeting held in the month of June. §3. The President and Vice-Presidentshall be, at the time of election, directors of thecorporation.”]

Board of Directors ElectionThe Role of the Board

From our inception in 1973 to the present, themonthly General Meeting has been the decision-making body of the Coop. Since the Coop incor-porated in 1977, we have been legally requiredto have a board of Directors.

The Bylaws of the Park Slope Food Coopstate: “The portion of the Board of Directorsmeeting that is devoted to receiving the adviceof the members shall be known as the GeneralMeeting. …The members who gather to giveadvice to the directors may choose to vote inorder to express their support or opposition for

any of the issues that have come before themeeting.”

The Board of Directors, which is required toact legally and responsibly, conducts a vote atthe end of every General Meeting on whether toaccept the advice of the members as expressedin their vote(s) during the GM.

The Election ProcessEach year the Coop must, by law, hold an

Annual Meeting. This is the only meeting whereproxies can be used. Those members who can-not attend the Annual Meeting may be repre-sented, if they wish, by a proxy.

If you submit a proxy but come to the AnnualMeeting in person, your proxy will be returned toyou when you register.

Members who have a current membership asof Saturday, June 16, are eligible to vote in theelection of Directors at the AnnualMeeting either in person or byproxy.

Proxy packets are mailedto members in mid-May. Ifyou do not receive a packet,please call the office or pickone up at the entrance doorof the Coop. ■

Location: Congregation Beth Elohim(Garfield Temple) 274 Garfield Place atEighth Ave.

07-06-21 p 01-09 6/19/07 11:16 PM

This Issue Prepared By:

Coordinating Editors: Stephanie GoldenErik Lewis

Editor (development): Phyllis EckhausTom Moore

Reporters: Hayley GorenbergWally KonradAnn Pappert

Art Director (development): Mike Miranda

Illustrators: Rod MorrisonCathy Wassylenko

Photographers: Lisa CohenIngrid CussonKevin Ryan

Traffic Manager: Monona Yin

Classified Ads Prep: Heather Cottrell

Saturday Coordinator: Deborah Alperin

Text Converters: Joanne GuralnickAndrew Rathbun

Proofreader: Susan Brodlie

Thumbnails: Saeri Yoo Park

Photoshop: Adam Segal

Preproduction: Stephanie Bee

Art Director (production): Doug Popovich

Desktop Publishing: Jennifer Rauch Andrea SummersMaxwell Taylor

Editor (production): Louise Spain

Final Proofreader: Janet Mackin

Post Production: Jessica Tolliver-Shaw

Index: Len Neufeld

Puzzle Corner

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–Friday

8:00 a.m. to 10:00* p.m.Saturday

6:00 a.m. to 10:00* p.m.Sunday

6:00 a.m. to 7:30* p.m.*Shoppers must be on a checkout line

15 minutes after closing time.

Childcare Hours:Monday through Saturday

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

8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Telephone:718-622-0560

Web address:www.foodcoop.com

The Linewaiters’ Gazette is published biweekly bythe Park Slope Food Coop, Inc., 782 Union Street,Brooklyn, New York 11215.

Opinions expressed here may be solely the viewsof the writer. The Gazette will not knowingly publisharticles that are racist, sexist, or otherwisediscriminatory.

The Gazette welcomes Coop-related articles, andletters from members.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

All submissions MUST include author’s name andphone number and conform to the followingguidelines. Editors will reject letters and articlesthat are illegible or too long. Submission deadlinesappear in the Coop Calendar opposite.

Letters: Maximum 500 words. All letters will beprinted if they conform to the guidelines above.The Anonymity and Fairness policies appear onthe letters page in most issues.

Voluntary Articles: Maximum 750 words.

Submissions on Paper: Typed or very legiblyhandwritten and placed in the wallpocket labeled"Editor" on the second floor at the base of the ramp.

Submissions on Disk & by Email: We welcomedigital submissions. Drop disks in the wallpocketdescribed above. The email address forsubmissions is [email protected] of your submissions will be acknowledgedon the deadline day.

Classified & Display Ads: Ads may only be placedby and on behalf of Coop members. Classified adsare 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 asubmission form (available in a wallpocket on thefirst floor near the elevator). Classified ads may beup to 315 characters and spaces. Display ads mustbe camera-ready and business card size (2"x3.5").

Recipes: We welcome original recipes frommembers. Recipes must be signed by the creator.

Subscriptions: The Gazette is available free tomembers in the store. Subscriptions are available bymail at $23 per year to cover the cost of postage (atFirst Class rates because our volume is low).

Printed by: Prompt Printing Press, Camden, NJ.


Coop Plastics RecyclingALL PLASTIC MUST BE COMPLETELY CLEAN AND DRY

What plastics do we accept?•#1 and #2 non-bottle shaped containers and #1 and #2 labeled lids. Mouthsof containers must be equal width or wider than the body of the container.

•All #4 plastic and #4 labeled lids.

•#5 plastic tubs, cups & specifically marked lids and caps (discard any withpaper labels).

•Plastic film, such as shopping bags, dry cleaning shrouds, etc. Okay if notlabeled.

When?•Second Saturday of each month: 12:00–2:00 p.m.

•Third Thursday of each month: 7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.

•Last Sunday of each month: 10:00–12:00 p.m.

Where?On the sidewalk in front of the receiving area at the Coop.

Coming Soon!

Challenging new

puzzles and word games

from the recently-formed

Gazette Puzzle Committee.

07-06-21 p 01-09 6/19/07 11:16 PM

Park Slope Food Coop, Brooklyn, NY June 21 2007 � 9

Our Governing Structure From our inception in 1973 to the present, the openmonthly General Meetings have been at the center of theCoop’s decision-making process. Since the Coop incor-porated in 1977, we have been legally required to have aBoard of Directors. The Coop continued the tradition ofGeneral Meetings by requiring the Board to have openmeetings and to receive the advice of the members atGeneral Meetings. The Board of Directors, which isrequired to act legally and responsibly, has approvedalmost every General Meeting decision at the end ofevery General Meeting. Board members are elected atthe Annual Meeting in June. Copies of the Coop’s bylawsare available at the Coop Community Corner and atevery General Meeting.

Next Meeting: Tuesday, June 26, 7:00 p.m.The General Meeting is held on the last Tuesday of eachmonth.

Location The temple house of Congregation Beth Elohim (GarfieldTemple), 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 in the rack nearthe Coop Community Corner bulletin board and atGeneral Meetings. Instructions and helpful informationon how to submit an item appear on the submissionform. The Agenda Committee meets on the first Tuesdayof each month to plan the agenda for the GM held on thelast Tuesday of the month. If you have a question, pleasecall Ellen Weinstat in the office.

Meeting FormatWarm Up (7:00 p.m.)• Meet the Coordinators• Enjoy some Coop snacks• Submit Open Forum items• Explore meeting literature

Open Forum (7:15 p.m.)Open Forum is a time for members to bring brief itemsto the General Meeting. If an item is more than brief, itcan be submitted to the Agenda Committee as an itemfor a future GM.

Reports (7:30 p.m.)• Financial Report• Coordinators’ Report• Committee Reports

Agenda (8:00 p.m.)• The agenda is posted at the Coop Community Corner

and may also appear elsewhere in this issue.

Wrap Up (9:30-9:45) (unless there is a vote to extend the meeting)• Meeting evaluation• Board of Directors vote• Announcements, etc.

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

Attend a GMand Receive Work Credit

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

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

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

name to the sign-up sheet in the elevator lobby. Some restrictions to this program do apply. Please see

below 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.

• Childcare can be provided at GMs:Please notify an Office Coordinator in the Membership

Office at least one week prior to the meeting date.

• 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.

• Is it FTOP or a Make-up?It depends on your work status at the time of the

meeting.

• Consider making a report…...to your Squad after you attend the meeting.

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.We seek to maximize participation at everylevel, from policy making to running thestore. We welcome all who respect thesevalues.

New Member Orientations

Monday & Wednesday evenings: . . 7:30 p.m.Wednesday mornings: . . . . . . . . . . 10:00 a.m.Sunday afternoons: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:00 p.m.

Be sure to be here promptly—or early—as webegin on time! The orientation takes about twohours. Please don't bring small children.

Gazette Deadlines

LETTERS & VOLUNTARY ARTICLES:Jul 5 issue: 7:00 p.m., Mon, Jun 25Jul 19 issue: 7:00 p.m., Mon, Jul 9

CLASSIFIED ADS DEADLINE:Jul 5 issue: 7:00 p.m., Wed, Jun 27Jul 19 issue: 7:00 p.m., Wed, Jul 11

General Meeting

TUE, JUN 26

GENERAL MEETING: 7:00 p.m.

The agenda appears in this issue and is availableas a flyer in the entryway.

TUE, JUL 3

AGENDA SUBMISSIONS: 8:00 p.m.

Submissions will be considered for the Jul 31General Meeting.

The Coop on Cable TV

Inside the Park Slope Food Coop

FRIDAYS 2:30 p.m. with a replay at 10:30 p.m. Channels: 56 (TimeWarner), 69 (CableVision).

C O O P CA L E N D A R

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S Office Data EntryWednesday, 4:30 to 7:15 p.m.Are you a stickler for details and accurate onthe computer? Do you like working indepen-dently? If this sounds like you, then Office DataEntry will be your perfect shift. You will receivetraining and Coop staff will always be availableto answer questions. Please speak to RoccoArrigo in the Membership Office if you wouldlike more information. Workslot requires a six-month commitment.

Kitchen CleaningWednesday, 8:00 to 10:00 a.m.Deep clean all three kitchens in the Coop: child-care, meeting room, staff room. You will workindependently to clean countertops, cabinets,

drawers, kitchen equipment, sinks, and refrig-erators. Reliability is a must as you are theonly person coming to do this job on your day.Please speak to Adriana in the MembershipOffice, Monday to Thursday, 8:00 am to 2:00p.m. if you are interested.

CheckwritingWednesday, 6:00 to 8:45 p.m.You will transfer information from vouchers on tochecks to pay some of the Coop bills. Neat andlegible handwriting, particularly writing digits, amust. You will be working independently sogood attendance record needed. A 6-monthcommitment to the work slot is required. Pleasespeak to Andie Taras through the MembershipOffice at 718-622-0560 prior to joining the shift.

Wall Chart UpdatingSunday, 8:00 to 10:45 a.m.This is the perfect job for a detail-oriented person who likes a quiet and pleasant workenvironment. You will be trained by a staff per-son who will always be available to answerquestions. You are part of a team of two to threepeople, but you will work on your own. If inter-ested please speak to Camille Scuria in theMembership Office.

Vitamin AssistantSaturday, 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. or 8:30 to 11:00 p.m.Are you a detail-oriented worker who can workindependently and in a busy environment? The

C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 1 0

07-06-21 p 01-09 6/19/07 11:16 PM

FRI, JUN 22

GOOD COFFEEHOUSE MUSICPARLOR: Brooklyn Women’s Cho-rus. 45 women singing together tocreate one powerful voice forpeace and justice. Show starts at 8p.m., doors open at 7:30. $10adults, $6 kids. 53 Prospect ParkWest at 2nd St. 718 768-2972.

SAT, JUN 23

CELEBRATION OF THE SUMMERSOLSTICE IN PARK SLOPE. Markthe day with a simple, fun event onyour block or in your building. Jointhe All Slope Solstice Shout Out at8:31 p.m. For info visit:www.stoopendous.org

CARLTON AVE. STREET-LONGSTOOP SALE: 10 a.m.—4 p.m.from Park Pl. to Pacific St. Ourstoops will be filled with old andunused treasures from closets andcellars for sale. Sponsored by theCarlton Avenue Association, raindate Sunday June 24.

THU, JUN 28

ALBUM MAKING BEES at Memo-ries Out of the Box! Bring yourphotos and stories and make thatalbum you’ve been meaning tomake! Resources, refreshments,tools and support provided week-ly! No fee! Thursdays 7—9 p.m.and Sundays, 4-8 p.m. MemoriesOut of the Box. 633 Vanderbilt Ave.btw St. Marks and Prospect Place.718 398-1519

FRI, JUN 29

OD COFFEEHOUSE MUSIC PAR-LOR: Margot Leverett—Klezmer-Bluegrass Fusion. Klezmerclarinetist Margot Leverett joinsforces with some of NYC’s topbluegrass players to explore theshared musical spirit of two gen-res literally worlds apart. Showstarts at 8 p.m., doors open at7:30. $10 adults, $6 kids. 53Prospect Park West at 2nd St. 718768-2972

DANNY SPOONER IN CONCERT:Australian and British traditionalsongs with concertina & guitar.Rousing sing-along choruses. 7:30p.m. Community Church, 40 E. 35St., NYC. Presented by the FolkMusic Society of NY. $20. Info:www.folkmusicny.org. 718 965-4074.

FRI, JUL 6

DANCING FOR ANIMALS, a non-profit organization, is holding Fri-day night dance parties. EveryFriday through July 6, enjoy anevening of dancing while helpinganimal welfare organizations atthe same time! Intro dance class9-9:30 PM. General dancing 9:30-12:00 AM (music for all partnerdances played). Dance TimesSquare, 156 W. 44th St., 3rd Floor.212-946-1824 www.dancingforani-mals.org

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Community calendar listings are free. Please submit your listings in 50 words or less by mail, themailslot in the entry vestibule, or [email protected]. Submission deadlines are thesame as for classified ads. Please refer to the Coop Calendar in the center of this issue.*Denotes a Coop member.


Coop’s vitamin buyer needs you to help hercheck in orders, organize the vitamin sup-ply area in the basement and on the shop-ping floor, label vitamins and supplements,and other related tasks. You will be trainedby Edite and will report directly to her. Ifinterested please contact the MembershipOffice.

Office SetupWeekday mornings, 6:00 to 8:30 a.m.The Coop needs an early riser with lots ofenergy to do a variety of physical tasksincluding: setting up tables and chairs, buy-ing food and supplies, labeling and puttingaway food and supplies, recycling, washingdishes and making coffee. Sound like yourdream come true? This job might be for you.Please speak to Adriana in the MembershipOffice, Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m.to 2:00 p.m.

W O R K S L O T N E E D S


Since 1962 the United States has imposed an economic,

commercial and financial embargo on Cuba. Bloqueo

examines its effects, the reasons for its implementation,

and why it has endured for so many decades. Giving a

historical and current picture of the embargo, and featur-

ing voices from the streets of Havana, the Cuban

countryside, and those involved in the Cuba solidarity

network, Bloqueo (or blockade) lets Cubans speak for

themselves about how they have been affected by this

policy, and what it means to live in Cuba today. In

addition, the film looks at the successes that have

made Cuba a model in healthcare, environmental stew-

ardship, and other arenas. Directed by Heather

Haddon and Rachel Dannefer.

Rachel Dannefer has been a member of the coop sinceSeptember of 2006. She is currently an MPH candidate at Columbia University. Previously she worked for HeiferInternational as coordinator of the National ImmigrantFarming Initiative, and prior to that she worked atGreenmarket as director of the New Farmer Development Project. Rachel’s love for food, farming, people, and justice is reflected in Bloqueo, which Rachel produced with her co-filmmaker Heather Haddon. The film was shot during theirjourney to Cuba in 2001 on theannual IFCO/Pastors for PeaceCaravan to Cuba.

A discussion with Rachel willfollow.

FREENon-members

welcome

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

Friday, July 6 • 7:00 p.m. at the Coop

SUMMERTIME

...and the living is easy.

But don’t forget your coop shift!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

Your co-workers will love you for it!

07-06/21 p 10-16 6/19/07 11:31 PM

BLOOD DRIVE THANK YOU

DEAR JOE,On behalf of the patients whose

lives you have touched, we would liketo thank you for hosting the ParkSlope Food Coop Blood Drive onApril 26-28, 2007.

We know you believe whole-heart-edly in our “Life Saving” cause. Weappreciate being given the opportuni-ty to come into your organization todo our good works. I know that themembers also appreciate being theopportunity to donate while theyshop or work on a squad at the Coop.

The members of the Park SlopeFood Coop always make us feel verywelcome when we come. We appreci-ate that you advertise for the drive inyour paper and even have peoplepass out flyers the day of the drive.We appreciate the office staff whomake the announcements encourag-ing the members to donate. They aregreat!

The need for blood has never beengreater in the New York City area aswell as in the rest of the country. Onlythrough the efforts of our friends andneighbors can we continue to ensurean adequate blood supply to meetour patients’ needs. Thank you onceagain!

We look forward to working withyou again in July.

Yours truly,Grace Gehrke

Supervisor, Blood Donor RecruitmentNew York Methodist Hospital

CHANGING YOURPROXY VOTE

DEAR EDITOR,A member recently indicated that

they may want to change their votefor the Board of Directors election.

The vote is in the form of a proxy.When more than one proxy is submit-ted by a member, the proxy with latestdate is the one that is counted. Thereis nothing wrong about submittingmore than one proxy and it is not inany way considered an attempt tocommit fraud.

Blank proxy ballots are available atthe entrance desk and in the 2nd floorlobby.

If you attend the Annual Meetingon June 26 then your vote at the meet-ing will count instead of your proxy.

In case you missed the last Gazetteissue, the General Coordinatorsendorsed candidates Bill Penner, Eliz-abeth Tobier and John Urda.

Sincerely,Joe Holtz

General Coordinator

MEDIATING COOP DISPUTES

DEAR COOP MEMBERS,Regarding David Meltzer’s point #4

about the Coop’s Disciplinary Pro-ceedings in his Board Of Directorscandidate statement…

David proposes that “…a panel ofmediators be available for any dis-putes between individual members orbetween individual members and thepaid coordinators.” As a Coop mem-ber, I am aware that our DisciplinaryProcedures already offer mediation asan option in disputes between mem-bers.

He then says “Mediation should bemandatory prior to any disciplinaryproceeding.” As a professional media-tor I’d like to point out to David thatmediation is a voluntary dispute res-olution process and if someone ismandated to participate in it, it is notmediation.

David goes on to say that “In theevent that the Mediation did notreach a successful agreementbetween the parties, the findingsand/or recommendations of themediator should be provided to all

members of the voting disciplinarycommittee.” I’d also like David toknow that as the neutral party in aproceeding mediators do not deliverfindings or recommendations. Thislimitation is set by both tradition andlegal precedent.

Andrew Gary Feldman

PROTECT THE BEES!

TO THE EDITOR:I am a bee keeper in the western

Catskills, where for the most partother keepers have not been affectedby colony collapse disorder (CCD)recently reported in the Gazette. I havebeen concerned with our sudden lossin bees and agree with the points inthe Gazette’s article. I do wish to sharesome comments a friend, who is amedical intuitive, wrote to me. Heradvice has proven to me to be righton over the last 15 years and she isalso former bee keeper living in NewMexico. Not all states report CCD.

She wrote to me: The bees are saying that they are

tired of being mistreated…largehoney producers will rob all thehoney and feed them corn sweeten-ers. It’s like they have forgotten thatthe bees stay because they WANTto…because we make it easy for themto have a safe home…they’ve beenweakened by mistreatment…andthey are rebelling!!! New Mexico is sogreen…and the bee-loved plants are3-4 times more than normal and theyseem to be calling the bees!

So, I think you need to meditatewith them…keep making the con-tract, especially with thequeen…stress your stance as caretak-er, promising love and protection,with the understanding the bees willshare pollen, propolis and honey.Acknowledge the lovely partnership.This seems to give them so muchstrength!!!!

David Douglin

A GOOD DOCTOR ISHARD TO FIND

TO THE EDITOR:But you certainly knew that already,

right?He emits no ultraviolet lightTo lead you to his expertiseIn battling sickness and disease.So possibly it’s best to lookNot in an office but in a book.Great authors have been medicosRenowned for issuing golden glows.Take Dr. Anton Chekhov, for oneHis insights could not be outdone;And Rabelais, the comic master,Whose laughter brought relief much

faster.William Carlos Williams knewHow to cheer poor mothers who were

blue,As did Walker Percy, a novelistAnd healer, not a solipsist;For stories galore, there’s Somerset

Maugham:Great understanding if not too warm,A trait as common as Union JacksIn the sympathetic Oliver Sacks.And then, if you’re seeking someone

to frightenDisease away, there’s Michael Crich-

ton.Doctor-writer-healers all,And their books are ready for a house

call.Leon Freilich

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.

LETTERS POLICY


07-06/21 p 10-16 6/19/07 11:31 PM

was well received as an agen-da item for possible future dis-cussion.

Coordinator’s ReportsMike Eakin started the

coordinator’s report segmentof the meeting with theFinancial Report duringwhich he reviewed the pre-liminary financial statementsfor the first 16 weeks of thefiscal year ending May 20,2007. He pointed out thatPSFC expenses are about onepercentage point higher overthe same period a year earli-er, to $1.4 million Eakinblamed personnel costs asthe number one risingexpense. But he also men-tioned the $23,000 the Cooprecently paid to rewire andmove security equipment.Equipment was overheatingin the former, smaller space.The Coop also spent $16,000on flood control repairs.

Eakin highlighted thatCoop sales are up 4 percentover the same period lastyear, despite the fact thatmembership is down abouttwo thirds of a percent.

During the question peri-od after the report, memberAlbert Solomon wanted toknow why the $23,000 repairhad not been brought to ageneral meeting, quoting theCoop rule that says anyexpense over $10,000 shall bebrought to the membershipfor a vote. Some other mem-bers also commented on thisin relation to the Coop’s poli-cy of prepaying a certain per-centage of the building’sunderlying mortgage.

General Coordinator JoeHoltz explained that a repairis not a new expense, andonly new expenses arebrought to the general meet-ing. One recent example: the$325,000 approved at theApril meeting for a newexit/entrance at the Coop. “Asfor the mortgage prepay-ment, we’ve been announc-ing that for years, it canalways be discussed,” Holtzsaid. “As general coordina-tors we are continually dis-cussing what’s fair for us todecide and what not todecide,” he said.

General Coordinator AllenZimmerman next gave hiscustomary produce report,this time touting the Coop’sorange flesh watermelons asa “flat out 10,” and preparingmembers for the excitinglocal growing season ahead.The week of the meeting theproduce aisle went from car-rying six or eight local itemsto 20. Members can check thelist of daily local items post-ed at the front and back ofthe produce aisle.

On The AgendaJoe Holtz started the dis-

cussion on agenda items witha housekeeping proposal sub-mitted by the general coordi-nators. Under the proposal

the record date for voting eli-gibility of members at annualmeetings and other meetingsof the membership would be10 days prior to the meetingdate. Until now, any memberwho joined only 2 days beforethe annual meeting wasallowed to vote. Under thenew rule, members will haveto join ten days before themeeting to be eligible to vote.(The annual meeting, whichthis year will be held June 26before the general meeting, iswhen the membership votesto elect PSFC board membersand often when the auditedfinancial statements are pre-sented.)

Holtz explained that thePark Slope Food Coop isrequired to comply with theCooperative Corporation Lawand the Not-For-Profit Corpo-ration law. Under the latter,the record date for organiza-tions like the PSFC “must benot more than fifty nor lessthan ten days” before themeeting. In other words, saidHoltz, the Coop’s two day pol-icy is not allowed. The general

coordinators chose 10 days asthe new record date becausethey wanted to provide theshortest time possible underthe law for new members tobe eligible to vote, said Holtz.He also explained that thisrule does not apply to votingat general meetings.

During the discussionperiod, member AlbertSolomon motioned for anamendment to the coordina-tors’ proposal, changing the10-day record date to 30days. He argued that theCoop’s government structureis vulnerable and that newmembers could “pack a meet-ing” to swing the vote in aparticular way. “Just becausethat’s never happened before

doesn’t mean it can’t hap-pen,” said Solomon. Themotion was seconded but theamendment was defeated ina vote of 85 against and 7 infavor. The original proposalwas then voted on andpassed with a vote of 90 infavor and 1 against.

Workslot Credit ForGeneral Meetings

The second agenda item,also presented by the Gener-al Coordinators, dealt withformalizing recent rulechanges on how memberscan receive workslot creditfor attending General Meet-ings. General Coordinator

Jessica Robinson and AnnHerpel, an office coordinator,presented the proposal andgave attendees some impor-tant history. At the January2006 General Meeting mem-bers voted to allow work slotcredit for attending a GM totwice a year, up from once ayear. In addition, membersare no longer penalized ifthey sign up to attend a GMand then don’t make it. Since

those changes were made,typical meeting attendancehas jumped from 50 atten-dees to over 100. All otheraspects of the Coop’s meet-ing attendance policy werenot addressed at the JanuaryGM but provisional changeswere made and reported onat the March 2006 meetingwith the promise that officecoordinators would returnwith a proposal in approxi-mately a year. At the May 29meeting, the changes werenow coming up for a vote.

Eleven rules concerningGM attendance were modi-fied or clarified concerningeverything from how to han-dle FTOP credits, what to doif you are “active” to work on

the night of the meeting youwant to attend, to whichtypes of squads are omittedfrom the program.

Most of the changes weredesigned to streamline thepolicy. For example, it usedto be that only one personper squad could go to thesame meeting. That rule isnow eliminated. “It’s all mucheasier now,” said Robinson.

Nonetheless, one elementof the policy sparked lots ofdiscussion; the longstandingrule that in order to receivecredit for attending a meet-ing you must sign up at theCoop by 5 p.m. the day of themeeting. Many of the atten-

dees had not realized thatpolicy existed and discoveredjust then that they would notbe able to get credit for com-ing because they had notsigned up.

Robinson explained theadvanced sign up is neces-sary because attendees aregiven a packet of informationprior to the meeting with theagenda and information onhow the meeting is run. In

addition, signing up ahead oftime allows the office to dosome advance administrativework so that members getcredit for attendance in atimely fashion. It’s also help-ful to know roughly howmany people are coming tothe meeting to make sureenough chairs and snacks areprovided, said Robinson.

Another member thensuggested advanced sign upbe made available throughthe PSFC website so infre-quent shoppers wouldn’thave to make a special trip tothe building. Robinsonagreed with that idea andsaid she would look into it.

During the discussion,member Albert Solomon

motioned for an alternate pro-posal to be considered thatwould abolish workslot creditfor meeting attendance. Hisreasoning: the governmentalsystem of the Coop is flawedand should be changed to arepresentative system. There-fore, no incentives shouldexist for members to come tothe General Meeting and voteon proposals.

Because of the magnitudeof the alternative proposal,Solomon was asked by thechair to submit it to the agen-da committee for considera-tion at a future meeting.Solomon then moved tooverrule the chair and wasdefeated. The original pro-posal to approve the detailsof the Coop’s General Meet-ing for Workslot Credit Policywas approved with a vote of82 in favor, and three against.

When Should Members Retire?

Longtime Coop memberBarbara Drake ended theagenda with a discussionitem suggesting the PSFCconsider changing the mem-ber retirement age from 75 tosomething lower. Currentlymembers who are able towork must do so until they are75 years old. “I think 75 toretire is a bit much,” saidDrake, who explained thatshe drives to the Coop fromStaten Island and in badweather it can be rather roughgoing. I think if you have along history and a good workrecord you should be allowedto stop working earlier.”

The item sparked a livelydiscussion with several oldermembers suggesting Ms.Drake switch to an FTOP workslot so she can have moreflexibility concerning whenshe works. Glenn Moller, amember of the agenda com-mittee who worked with Ms.Drake on the item, said per-haps a policy that combinesyears of service would makesense. For example, after 20years of service if you reachage 65 you’ll be forgiven yourworkslot. Moller went ontosay, however, that languagelike this might discourageolder members who want towork from doing so.

Joe Holtz concurred withthis last thought telling astory from years ago whenseveral senior membersadvised him not to make anyhard and fast rules aboutwhen they should stop work-ing. “We’ll tell you when we’reready,” Holtz quoted them assaying.The discussion endedwith the conclusion that theissue of member retirement ismore complicated than it mayseem on the surface and defi-nitely warrants further discus-sion on a future agenda.

Coop Secretary ElizabethTobier then presented theminutes for the March gener-al meeting and the Coop’sboard of directors votedunanimously to accept themembership actions takenduring the evening. The meet-ing was then adjourned. ■



Coop members gather at the Congregation Beth Elohim (Garfield Temple) for the MayGeneral Meeting to discuss workslot credits, retirement age and other issues.

Meeting

In order to receive credit for attending a meeting,you must sign up at the Coop by 5 p.m.

the day of the meeting.

PHO

TOS

BY IN

GRI

D C

USS

ON

07-06/21 p 10-16 6/19/07 11:31 PM


Friday, June 297:30 p.m. at the Coop

FREENon-members welcome

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

Past Life RegressionThrough Hypnosis

DO YOU HAVE THE FEELING THAT YOUHAVE LIVED BEFORE?

Have you ever just met someone and feltlike you have previously known them?

Are there other countries or cultures thatseem familiar to you?

Well there might be an explanation forthis.

Through hypnosis we can tap into thesubconscious mind, as well as enter into a peaceful trance-like state to retrievememories of our past lives.

Relax and take a journey within.

Gain: • Realizations • A deeper understanding of who you are• Retrieve memories • Pass beyond death and back again

Bring: A blanket to lie down on or a comfortable lawn chair to relax into A note book to write down anything that comes up

Jeffrey T. Carl, CHt, a Coop member, is a certified clinical hypnotherapist,and a member of I.A.C.T. Jeffrey is also certified in past regression thoughthe Wiess Institute.

W I T H J E F F R E Y T . C A R L , C H T .PROGRAMS

Thursday, June 21 throughSunday, June 24The following programs will happen withinfour days of publication of this issue. For fullads, please look at the May 24 or June 7issues or pick up copies of the flyers in theCoop.

Sat, June 2310:00 am Pocketbook, Purse and Bag

Exchange

Sun, June 2412:00 pm Creating Meaningful Work with

Stacey Antoine Savariau

Do you buy bottled water?Check out our Doulton, Brita and Pur

water filters instead!

These filters remove biohazards, chemicals and minerals, and can save up to $500 a year ormore over the cost of bottled water.

You can find the filters on the top shelf of Aisle 2 above the water

Illustration by graphic artist Sidy Lamine Dramé, originally appeared in Baobab magazine, published by ALIN (Arid Lands Information Network), based in Nairobi,Kenya. Mr. Dramé’s main focus has been illustrating extension and training materials on rural development. He has been the principal illustrator for Baobab,

since 1991.

07-06/21 p 10-16 6/19/07 11:31 PM


07-06/21 p 10-16 6/19/07 11:31 PM


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

CLASSES/GROUPS

ARTISANS! Sell your Brooklyn-madecrafts at a wonderful new craft fair onthe Redhook Promenade on theweekends (by Fairway). It’s very lowcost for a space and the organizerscouldn’t be nicer. Call or email TedBerger (212-246-3788 or [email protected] for an application). Thefair is juried; applicants need to sub-mit photos of their work.

COMMERCIAL SPACE

PROFESSIONAL OFFICES available.Ideal for massage therapist,acupuncturist, psychotherapist, etc.Be part of a holistic center, either in abeautiful Soho section or in an excel-lent Brooklyn neighborhood. Doctorwill introduce all patients to you. Forinformation call 212-505-5055.

EMPLOYMENT

YOUTH PROGRAM DIRECTOR-ST.FRANCIS XAVIER ACTION CENTERseeks a program director to manageeffective delivery of programs. Dailyoperations, fiscal oversight, fundrais-ing and staff supervision, fundraisingand staff supervision. F/T or P/T forright candidate. Cover letter/resumeto [email protected] Fax 212-616-4994.

MERCHANDISE

TEMPUR-PEDIC MATTRESSES,NECK pillows, comfort products &accessories. Mattress comes with a20-year guarantee & a 3-month trialperiod. The ultimate in comfort &pressure relief. Truly will improve thequality of your sleep. Call Janet atPatrick Mackin Custom Furniture—aT-P dealer for 10 yrs, 718-237-2592.

THINKING of buying a water filter?Join lots of PSF Coopers who useMulti-pure for drinking, cooking, ice,tooth brushing, rinsing fruit & veg,knowing lead, mercury, giardia,cysts/dry cleaning solvents, gasolineadditives, particulate matter areremoved from water supply & plumb-ing. Ede Rothas [email protected].

MERCHANDISE-NONCOMMERCIAL

CEILERCISER, new plus accessories,$200; Braun 10-cup coffeemaker, $15;vintage table radio (wood, solid-state, circa 1960), $50 or BO; gold-plated jewelry signed by artist(vintage), $20–40. Call 718-768-1598.

FISHER 26” ladies bike. Exc. condi-tion. Extra long twin-size innerspringmattress, like new. No Sat. calls,please. 718-756-3279, 347-276-3300.

RAINBOW GATHERING RIDESHARE. Man & woman seek four oth-ers for round trip. Travel in trucknamed Momma G. Beds & kitchen inback. Be willing to pay $275 in gas &repair fees. Be licensed, drive a shift.Leave NYC on Wed. 6/27. Leave thegathering 7/7. Jeffrey 718-638-1848.

PEOPLE MEETING

DAY HIKE-Experienced but aginghiker looking for hikers to go on dayhikes. Moderate hikes, 4-6 miles. Ihave a car. Call Vinne 718-638-5628or [email protected]

SERVICES

TOP HAT MOVERS, INC., 145 ParkPlace, Bklyn. Licensed and InsuredMoving Co. moves you stress-free.Full line of boxes & packing materialsavail. Free estimates 718-965-0214.D.O.T. #T-12302. Reliable, courteous,

excellent references & always ontime. Credit cards accepted. MemberBetter Business Bureau.

SPRING YOUR FLOORS TO LIFE bysanding and refinishing! Floormechanic will install, repair, refinishwooden floors. Reasonable prices.Good references. Call Tony—Cellphone: 917-658-7452.

MADISON AVENUE HAIRSTYLIST inPark Slope one block from coop-byappointment only. Please call Maggieat 718-783-2154 at a charge of $50.

NEED AN ELECTRICIAN CALL ARTCABRERA, celebrating 35 yrs in theelectrical construction industry. Nojob too large or small specializing introuble shooting, 220 wiring, fans,lights, total or partial renovations.Expert in Brownstone renovations.Serving Park Slope since 1972, origi-nal coop member, P.S. resident.718-965-0327

ATTORNEY-EXPERIENCED PersonalInjury Trial Lawyer representinginjured bicyclists & other accident vic-tims. Limited caseload to insure max-imum compensation. Member of theNYSTLA & ATLA. No recovery, no fee.Free consult. Manhattan office. ParkSlope resident. Long time PSFC mem-ber. Adam D. White 212-577-9710

EXPRESS MOVES. One flat price forthe entire move! No deceptive hourlyestimates! Careful, experiencedmover. Everything quilt padded. Noextra charge for wardrobes and pack-ing tape. Specialist in walkups. Thou-sands of satisfied customers. GreatCoop references. 718-670-7071

CAREER SHRINK Ray Reichenbergcan help you get more control of yourlivelihood. Unlock from toxic workrelationships. Gain insights aboutrelationships at your present job orbegin a new job search. Acquire skillsnecessary with certified career coachand psychotherapist “Dr. Ray”917-627-6047.

ATTORNEY-Personal injury empha-sis, 29 yrs. experience in all aspectsof injury law. Individual attentionprovided for entire case. Free phoneor office consultations. Prompt, cour-teous communications. 18-yr. FoodCo-op member; Park Slope resident.Tom Guccione, 718-596-4184.

PARK SLOPE SAT TUTOR. I am a col-lege English professor and I receivedmy MFA from Columbia University.I’ve been teaching for over 7 years. Asan SAT tutor, I assess individualstrengths and weaknesses, targetingthose specific areas. We all learn dif-ferently. Reasonable rates, excellentref. 917-797-9872 or [email protected] www.beritander-son.com

DON’T LEAVE your memories in abox! Get them back into your life orlet us do it for you. High school, col-lege years? Weddings? Baby pic-tures? Anniversary? Reunions? Is abox any place to keep your life?Memories Out of the Box, 633 Van-derbilt Ave. (St. Marks & ProspectPlace) 718-398-1519. www.memo-riesoutofthebox.biz.

LEARN TO SING with confidence.Graduate of Manhattan School ofMusic offering private voice lessons.Work on breath control, projection, dic-tion, stage presence & more. Also, askabout piano lessons. call 347-423-8274.

SERVICES-HEALTH

HOLISTIC DENTISTRY in Brooklyn(Midwood) & Manhattan (Soho). Dr.Stephen R. Goldberg provides familydental care utilizing non-mercury fill-ings, acupuncture, homeopathy,temporo-mandibular (TM) joint ther-apy & much more. For a no-obliga-tion free initial oral examination, call212-505-5055. Please bring X-rays.

HOLISTIC OPTOMETRY: Most eye doc-tors treat patients symptomatically byprescribing ever-increasing prescrip-tions. We try to find the source of yourvision problem. Some of the symptomsthat can be treated include headaches,eye fatigue, computer discomfort,learning disabilities. Convenient ParkSlope location. Dr. Jerry Wintrob, 718-789-2020. holisticeyecare.com

ALL OF LIFE IS CHANGE. I can helpyou manage change so it doesn’tmanage you. And as a Dating Coachas well as a NYS Licensed Psy-chotherapist, I can also help youeither find and build a satisfying rela-tionship, or help you end one andmove on. Call Charley Wininger,L.M.H.C. 718-783-3222. Seewww.therelationshop.com

RELIEVE LOWER BACK and neckpain, shoulder, chronic tension andstiffness - poor digestion - headache- insomnia - stress. Rejuvenate body,mind and spirit with shiatsu. Specialfirst session offer $80. Contact Clau-dia Copparoni. 14 yrs experience.c l c o p p a @ h o t m a i l . c o m ,718-938-5573.

PSYCHOTHERAPY—compassionate,caring therapist with 20+ years ofexperience (and longtime Coopmember) can help you through pasttraumas, grief issues, depression,anxiety or other life conflicts. AcceptsGHI, 1199, United Health Care. CallJanice Essa, LCSW at 718-677-1412.

CHALLENGES WITH HEALING?Holistic consultant can help youdetermine what is blocking yourprogress. With the help of theDesigned Clinical Nutrition/FlowerEssences/Herbs/Energy Balancing alldone with Nutrition Response test-ing your healing challenges can besorted out and resolved. Call718-526-1698. Ask for Leonora

VACATIONS

BERKSHIRES vacation rental—4 BRhouse on beautiful clean lake. Quietwooded setting. Well-equippedkitchen. Canoe, rowboat, kayak.$1100 per week. Call Marc,718-768-4768.

LAKE HUNTINGTON summer com-munity, first 2 or 3 weeks in July. 2 1/2hours from NYC in Catskills. Ideal forkids: pool, lake, tennis, basketball,etc. Wooded grounds. Modern, brightbungalow with deck, 1 bedroom plus2 lofts. Many Food Coop members.$650 per week, 718-857-0090 [email protected].

GREAT SUMMER RENTAL. Beautiful,spacious 3 bed home with all ameni-ties-2 bath, w/d, d/w, microwave, etc-on lovely hillside horse farm 2 hrsfrom NYC. wonderful views, horsesgrazing 100 ft. away yet minutes toculture and beauty of the Berkshires.Pool & swim pond on property. Avail-able July. 718-768-4177

CUTE, RUSTIC, CARRIAGE HOUSEavailable June 30 - July 7. FalmouthMaine. 6 Houses from Ocean Cove,swimming, kayaking. $500. Alsoavailable month of Sept. Tracy,718-768-8519

WHAT’S FOR FREE

FREE INITIAL ORAL EXAM in holisticdental office for all Coop members.X-rays are strictly minimized so bringyour own. Dr. Goldberg’s non-mer-cury offices in Soho or in Midwoodsection of Brooklyn. For info pleasecall 718-339-5066 or 212-505-5055.

To Submit Classified orDisplay Ads:

Ads may be placed on behalf of Coop membersonly. Classified ads are prepaid at $15 per insertion,business card ads at $30. (Ads in the “Merchan-dise–Non-commercial” category are free.) All adsmust be written on a submission form. Classifiedads may be up to 315 characters and spaces. Displayads must be camera-ready and business card size(2" x 3.5" horizontal).

Submission forms are available in a wallpocketnear the elevator.

Plastic RecyclingDrivers Needed

The Plastics Recycling Squads are looking for dri-vers to transport plastic recycling collected at theCoop to the recycling plant in Brooklyn. Driversare needed for shifts on Wednesday, Saturday, andSunday. Drivers must have a large capacity vehicle(van or truck) for the volume of recycling collected.You need to be able to lift and work independently.

Reliability a must as you arethe only person coming todo this job on your day.Member should be pre-pared to store recyclingcollected on Saturday or

Sunday in their vehicle or home until recycling cen-ter opens on Monday. Wednesday drivers must beavailable to drop off the recycling at the centerbetween 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. when the recyclingfacility is open. Member will be reimbursed formileage according to IRS reimbursement rates. Ifinterested please contact Office Coordinator Cyn-thia Pennycooke at [email protected] or drop by the Membership Office tospeak to her.

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THANK YOU!

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

Sophie BalcoffHeidi BlackwoodSarah BlustNaomi BooneDiana BoyerRobert BraunBarbara BritoIsil Celimli Deanna ChristmanColinSue CollinsEllen Daniels

Adrienne DavisJoseph DesrosiersAndrea DyallShanee EpsteinMary Angel FloresHelen ForgioneErica FranklinBetsy G.Jessica GreenbaumRob HarlowLeah HartogJared Horowitz

Claire HoustonOlen HsuElizabeth JonesJudith JonesNina KangMargaret KellyAaron KirtzMatthew KlineThaddeus KnouseAnanda La VitaJudy LefkowitzLillian

Louise LippinJamilah MagnussonMichael MartakShawn MartinakShilo MayerErnell McClenonGrace MengRachel MichaelZenola NorwoodMichael OrioEryka PeskinAlyssa Pinsker

Fabricia PradoHeloise RathboneHila RatzabiHannah RaweAlexander ReinertNaftali RutterAsta SchuetteTeddy SchultzDorothy SiegelMichal ShiloIlana SichelRebekah SmithShannon Sodano

Michelle SolomonJonathan SorokoLauren Stephens-

DavidowitzBrian TubbsJill UlicneyCheryl WalrondBenjamin WheelerChester WhiteDarcy WhittemoreSharada WinstonValerie WorkGregg Zukowski

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.

Ronald AbramsNatalie AgeeDavid AignerJessica AisenbreyRyan AndersonColleen ArmstrongJean ArmstrongRandi BarrosGabriel BonannoRonald BookerLindsay BourgetSean BowlingRoane BradleyDeborah BraunStacey BrossiaMolly BrownEllen BruceAngelika BrudniakAlison BuckleyMaureen ButkiewiczRuby CamposRisa ChubinskyHeather ClarkRobert (Bob) CofresiRyan ConleyErin ConsidineBrian Curry

Stephen DeanLaura DeOliveiraAndrew DiSalvoEmily DouglasElizabeth DowMark DrahozalSherri FeldmanAngelina FisherRonald Fisher-DaynKarine FleurimaLaramie FlickMegan FlynnAdam ForbesDiane FungEric FungJessica GableAshley GamellRyan GarfineShawana GarfineLucas GarmonNicole GerberSteven GerberJustin GerryChase GreyeGabriella Gruder-PoniEbru GrundyJan Grznar

Gina GuddemiArielle GuyBeth HalpernNadia HamdiJennifer HampClayton HardingKatherine HarveyAndrea HernandezThomas HilbinkJustAsia Deborah

HodgeTodd HoldenDK HollandSue HolmbergCoquille HoushaurJennifer HsiehA. HyattAnita InzDavid InzRichard InzKevin IrelandAdam JaffeeCacheta JeanPierreMullery JeanPierreRobert JohnsonAko JonesPaul Kahlon

Lola KalmanMargaret Ambler

KampTakanori KasugaKaren KerrKelly KnightKenneth KohanowskiJesse KuklakisJessica L’EsperanceMalina LakeEmily LavelleRyan LearyChris LeathersSimon Leaver-Appel-

manYachet LebovitsBrian LetwinGrigory LiboBarbara LobronCamila MachadoChelsea MaoErin McElhinneyDiana MelendezLee MillerNadine MoiseMichelle MooneyJanice Moreno

Naomi MorseAnise MotenSimone MyersStephen O’ConnellMary O’SullivanJohn OdonTemitayo OgunbiyiRoland OlivaGenevieve OrioCarrie PagnuccoMichael PalmerGillian PancottiMatthew PerrelloKiersten PiccininniBrad PowellJoseph PuglisiElin RaunHelen ReingoldThabit ReneAnne RiesPeter RowlandBlake RoyerBrieana RuaisDavid SalamonChiara Scandone-

PuglisiVictoria Schaub

Paul Schneider

Martin Seck

Elyce Semenec

Laurent Servius

Nicole Servius

Chyna Sha

Michael Short

Lucy Simic

Youssef Sitamon

Citabria Stevens

Curnell Thompson

Segen Tilahun

Michael Tritter

Suki Valentine

Matt Vanek

Christopher Varmus

Christine Visich

Kristen Wall

Linda Wall

Amy Weber

Stephanie Wilks

Erica Wood

Evelina Yagudaev

Evgeniy Yakubov

Surf’s Up

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Coop Ramps Up May General Meeting: Plastics Recycling...Nuts and Bolts Kim Nadel now coordi-nates...

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Transcript of Coop Ramps Up May General Meeting: Plastics Recycling...Nuts and Bolts Kim Nadel now coordi-nates...