Ho-ho-holiday season is upon us and that means holiday boutiques and bazaars. We visited the awesome Felt Club today, saw many talented designers (and a bunch of friends among them — so fun!) and now we’re inspired!

Anyway, on November 22 from 10 am to 3 pm, we’ll be at the Beethoven Street Elementary School 5th Annual Holiday Boutique with holiday shopping for all, raffles, food, games and crafts for the children.

3711 Beethoven Street
Los Angeles CA 90066 (Mar Vista) Map

NEW YORK - “Leaving Brooklyn? ‘Oy vey!’” That’s on a Department of Transportation - approved sign motorists will now see as they cross the Williamburg Bridge into Manhattan from Brooklyn, home to a large Jewish population.

Oy vey is an original Jewish expression of dismay or hurt. In this case it implies “We’re so sad you’re leaving.”

Other signs from the Brooklyn Bridge to the Belt Parkway welcome motorists to the borough:

“Not Just A Borough, An Experience”; “Name It…We Got It”; “Like No Other Place in the World”; “Believe the Hype.”

The sign was originally rejected by the DOT, which also nixed a sign reading “Leaving Brooklyn: Fuhgeddaboudit!” at the Verazzano Narrows Bridge.

(Props to Yahoo Odd News, and Landline Magazine Trucking News)

It’s back to the salt mines. Maybe we can help assauge the weeping and gnashing of teeth with a money-saving coupon and some nifty products to apply it to.

Starting August 16 you can save $4 off any purchase of $25 or more by using coupon code AUG4. Good through August 31, 2005.

You can’t avoid school but at least you can wear some good stuff. The coupon can be applied to anything in the Rotem Gear shop but these designs are just dying to go to school:

Want to see more cool vintage designs?

TAIPEI, Taiwan - Environmentally conscious Taipei authorities are taking a novel approach to this year’s annual ghost month, when Taiwanese burn thick stacks of paper money to appease the spirits of the dead: they’re providing small garbage bags to limit the amount of immolated cash.

To insure that wandering ghosts will not disturb the peace and prosperity of the living over the ensuring 12 months, many Chinese burn copious amounts of paper money and set up tables laden with food during the seventh month of the lunar year — ghost month.

But in recent years Taipei’s authorities have become increasingly concerned that large stacks of immolated cash are adding to the city’s already serious air pollution problems.

As a remedy, the Taipei City Government said on Friday it will distribute a bag for each household in which symbolic amounts of paper money can be placed.

“You can address the bag to wandering spirits in general or to specific dead persons of your choice,” the government said in a statement, adding that municipal garbage trucks would dispose of the bags in high-powered incinerators.

This year’s ghost month observance began on Aug. 5 and will continue until Sept. 3. It is marked not only on Taiwan, but in Chinese societies throughout the world.
(AP Odd News)

(Photo from dev_in_taiwan)

It’s still a little harsh being a part of the Jew Crew outside a few select first world countries, but if you want to wear it out peep the Jewish Watch.

Besides being, um, made in Israel, it displays in English or Hebrew, toggles between Hebrew and Gregorian calendars at sunset, and alerts you when it’s time to recite the Shema, light candles on Erev Shabbat, and other important events (never again will we miss a performance of the sardonically irreverent “Dibbick Schmibbick, I Said More Ham,” or “Bubbie Stole the Kishka”).

Our favorite part, though, is that while it’s programmable for any location in the world, it only comes pre-programmed for the classic seven Jewish hangout spots: Jerusalem, London, Tel-Aviv, Paris, New York, Buenos Aires, and Los Angeles. What, going somewhere else you think you’d rather be?

(The above props to Engadget!)

Rotem Gear wants to know if it runs perpetually late, of course.
You can check Jewish Watch here. (Fashion Police Alert: it’s not pretty.) But hurry! It’s almost Friday evening!.