Corporal Works of Mercy: Why the progressive left should embrace faith-based social service spending by Daniel Kreiss.  "I had always been deeply skeptical of the claims of religion... It was not until I worked on the staff of St. Martin de Porres Homeless Shelter in Lewiston, Maine, that I fully appreciated the redemptive aspects of religion, and the near necessity of this grounding in many people’s lives who were struggling on the margins with drug and sexual abuse, poverty, and racism."

So Splendid, It's Strange: Ryn Gargulinski.  "If you ever want to do anything strange, simply fall in love. Being in love makes you do weird things. Like whirl breathless down Madison Avenue in a sweeping, skipping motion. Or smile so wide your face cracks sideways. You no longer cut the line at Starbucks or hog two subway seats..."

Life Through a New Set of Eyeballs: Here comes 2003 by Ryn Gargulinski.  "Remember that thrill you used to get when things were fresh and new?  That tingle from your first dip in the ocean, the joy of your first two-wheeled bicycle ride, the absolute rapture at catching a butterfly...?"

Ho Ho Ho and a Bottle of Gatorade: Delight in the Modern Day Santa by Ryn Gargulinski.  "To wrench us out of our quagmire of Scrooge-like depression, let us dwell on something fun and frivolous -- the holidays... So let's take a gander at what Santa in 2002 -- how agreeably he has kept up with the times."

Unleash Your Inner Poet: by Ryn Gargulinski.  "Everyone is born a poet.  Everyone is born with the potential to be a mass murderer, too, but that's a different story altogether.  To unleash the poet within is a heck of a lot safer and, I am sure of it, much more fun."

Ryn Gargulinski's winter columns: Let's Paint The Town, Brooklyn. "Forget the run-of-the-mill red.   Think tangerine orange, pulsing pink and zipadee-do-da blue.  I am talking about painting the town.  Now that the winter doldrums have gnawed their stubby teeth into our bones, we may be felled by that post-brouhaha depression. Besides buying one of those artificial sunlamps, what can we do?"

2001

Deck The City Halls: "New Yorkers are slowly bouncing back, just in time for the holiday season. Either that or we are indulging in what my mother back in Michigan calls "shopping therapy."" 

Ryn Gargulinski takes An Autumnal Walk Through Brooklyn.   "I also remember getting a book on how to become a werewolf.  We intended to give it a whirl but part of the ritual was finding a big hill somewhere overlooking a cemetery due east 32.65 degrees south of sunrise on Wednesday with a full moon."

Ryn Gargulinski on the values of trash/treasure -- Brooklyn Collects. "When I saw the Salvation Army truck parked in the middle of Bay 35th Street around the corner from my job, I thought I had just found heaven..."

Erik Seadale observes the results of Election 2000. "... Junior, who has a tendency to break out with stress, will be a one-termer (doesn’t look good in the history books) like his dad.."

Deborah Au-Yeung hangs with Richard Douglas and other local artist/musicians in D.U.M.B.O. (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass section of Brooklyn).