by Whitney Barrat

WHILE ENJOYING A SLOW, PURPOSEFUL WALK up Dekalb Avenue one recent night, a half-smile of contentment on my face and a green rolled mat tucked under my arm like a spare limb, thoughts of YouTube and the magic of in-flight Internet capability swirled through my mind. Perhaps not altogether surprisingly, I had just emerged from a yoga class at Lucky Lotus.

Upon moving to Clermont Avenue a year and a half ago, I immediately located the necessities: a farmer's market, laundromat, and coffee shop. But another basic need was satisfied when I discovered a yoga studio just around the corner. Founder and teacher Ava Gerber attributed her decision to open Lucky Lotus to this same sentiment. "Through yoga I got turned on to Dharma and loved that it wanted to uplift all and help everyone to achieve their highest and happiest potential. I have lived here for many years and there was no yoga center in the neighborhood, so I decided to become a yoga teacher and open," Gerber said.

by Howard Pitsch

Q. Like many who took to the ballot for Barack Obama, why were you so intrigued with him?

I became aware of Obama a few days before he made his 2004 speech at the Democratic National Convention. He struck me as someone who was sober, serious, intelligent and centered. I read his book Dreams From My Father and continued to follow his activities in the senate.

Q. What do you mean by his being centered?

When he campaigned for the senate awfully hard for a guy who didn't yet have an opponent. In one interview he explained, "When your name is Barack Obama, you have to try just a little bit harder." That impressed me.

Q. How did you start the group, "Brooklyn for Barack"?

Along with some other organizers, I started the group by using a function on the barackobama.com website. After four days, 70 people joined up. Initially, I didn't feel qualified to be a leader of a grassroots effort, but my father was an educational administrator, so I certainly applied what I had learned about administration from him.

by Howard Pitsch

Q. Hope you break a leg! You know that old saw means a wish for good luck on stage. With today's money crunch, how will BAM break a leg for continued funding?

Artistic and capital expansion of the BAM Next Stage Campaign will come from corporate and private contributions, along with major support from the City and the State. The BAM Endowment Fund supports our programs and operations. Specific funds are dedicated to BAM's mainstage, education, and community initiatives. As BAM's Endowment grows through the Campaign, so will the impact on supporting BAM programs via increased distribution.