Ah, Bon?

Haven't indulged my intrigue with French language and culture in a while. Et vous, have you been feeding yours? To my pleasant surprise it appears that now's the time to rekindle the French connection at the Fall Festival chez Alliance Francaise. Heaps of cultural events -- many of which are already sold-out!-- for your perusal. Here, YGAT's top picks. Tickets for these are still available, but may not be for long. Call 212-307-4100 to order yours.

Music & Film: Nouvelles Vagues: From Godard to Audiard
With arrangements by Golden Globe-winning film composer Alexandre Desplat (The Queen, Syriana), the Traffic Quintet performs 15 evocative scores from the French New Wave. The scores will accompany new films for an evening of seductive sounds.
Where: Florence Gould Hall: 55 East 59th St.
Details: October 2 at 8pm, $30

Dance: FranceOff! Francophile choreographers show off what they can do in ... seven minutes.
Where: Performance Space 122: 150 First Avenue
Details: October 3 from 7pm & 9pm, $15

Cinema: The Best of Hors Pistes from Centre Pompidou
Where: Tinker Auditorium: 55 East 59th St.
Details: October 5 & 6 at 7pm, $10
Centre Pompidou presents their picks of the most interesting "outsider" films.
*Note to fellow foreign film buffs: Various languages with English subtitles

Dance: Pierre Rigal *NY Premiere
Where: Baryshnikov Arts Center: Howard Gilman Performance Space, 450 West 37th Street
Details: October 24-7, 7:30 pm; October 27, 7:30 & 9:30pm; $20
Pierre Rigal dares to turn evolution into a poem of pure and utter perseverance as he maneuvers from belly to feet in an explosive act of will, determination, form and power. Seeing, in this case, is believing.

Music: Meet the Composer: Alexandre Desplay
Where: Florence Gould Hall: 55 East 59th St.
Details: October 30, 7pm, $10
Film in French with English subtitles; Intro and Q&A in English. The versatile and accomplished film composer Alexandre Desplat presents a screening of the César-nominated film Read My Lips.

Bisou, Bisou

YGAT

For the Sake of Art

This Friday, get a taste of Venezuelan folklore when Eleggua, a troupe of Afro-Venezuelan women drummers plays a live show. Among the musicians, keep your eyes and ears peeled for 72-year-old Belen Maria Palacios, known to play a mean "Quitipla" (translated: bamboo tube).

What: Eleggua Afro-Venezuelan Women Drummers
When: 8:oo p.m.
Where: Symphany Space: 95th St. at Broadway
How Much: $27
Call: 212-864-5400
Sample the Sound

By the way, arts-loving neighbors, the Gugg's Works & Process series 2007 is smokin' hot!! And, rapidly selling out. My wish was to direct you to the tribute for Leonard Bernstein on Sept. 30/Oct.1 -- both shows, however, are sold out. As are most other upcoming performances. That being said -- or written -- here are two shows still available. If you have any desire to see these, I urge you to pick up the phone and order your tickets....now!

What: New Ballet
Newly-commissioned ballets by three extraordinary choreographers: Alison Chase, Amanda Miller, and Luca Veggetti. The performances combine a selection of the world's best dancers with music by John Adams, Fred Frith, and Paolo Aralla. Appearances by The Sirius String Quartet, electric guitar player Nick Didkovsky, and cellist Michael Nicolas.

When: Sept. 27-29 at 8 p.m.; Sept. 30 at 3 p.m.
Where: Columbia University's Miller Theatre: 116th & Broadway
Cost: Tickets $35 (for Gugg. members $21)
Call: 212-854-7799

What: Vanessa — New Visions
In anticipation of its New York premiere, New York City Opera cast members perform excerpts from Samuel Barber's tense and tragic score that was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. In a twisted tale of woe, Vanessa, tortured by a failed long-lost love, lives a shattered, isolated existence with her mother and niece.

When: Oct. 29 at 7:30p.m.
Where:Guggenheim Museum: E. 89th & Fifth Avenue
Cost: $25
Call: 212-423-3587

Really, get your tickets now....or, don't say I didn't warn you.

YGAT

Donate Your Old Computer

Is a clunky computer taking up precious real estate on your kitchen counter top? Why not donate that old thing you think you might use again -- but haven't touched in three months.

Here's your chance to rid counter-top clutter, and donate the gray box to a good cause.

The Hewitt School hosts UES Computer Recycling Day this Saturday.

Why Recycle Your Old Computer Equipment?

Computers contain hazardous substances that can get into ground water – CRT screens contain up to eight pounds of lead. PerScholas will upgrade and recycle your computer so that students in the Comp2Kids program can learn on them. Without computers, these kids don't have a chance at succeeding in today's classrooms. And, forget about tomorrow's workplace.

What Can You Recycle?

Computers. Laptops. Monitors. Printers. Cables. Cell Phones. Equipment can be in working or non-working condition. Keyboards, mice, Internet networking devices (i.e., routers) also appreciated.

When: Saturday, Sept. 29, 9a.m. – 3 p.m.
Why? Benefits Perscholas & its Comp2Kids program here in New York City
Drop-off Location(rain-or-shine):45 East 75 th St. (Madison-Park)
More Info: www.UESrecycles.com

Heading mountainside and can’t lug your computer to the drop-off?

Arrange for a pickup by e-mailing: info@UESrecycles.com

Geez. Isn't it something. To think, it's not even April or Earth Day or anything. Nice.

I guess now's the time to transfer all those dusty files from my old, to my new, laptop. Hmm, may be time to upgrade the 'ole Lexmark printer, as well.

That's right! The Upper East Side. We recycle. Yeah, we do.

See you there -- closer to noon, than to 9a.m. though!

YGAT

Alan Greenspan Ruffles Feathers at Y

Posted by Your Girl About Town

If you take away one thing from reading this blog, let it be this: Where there is a will, there is more often than not, a way. No matter what anyone will tell you.

So, YGAT was hasty in getting her ticket to Greenspan. I was told yesterday the event was long sold out. Ok. But, there are typically press passes available, right? How about one of those? Nope. All had been doled out by last week's end. Hm, in a flash, a new challenge set before me.

As it goes, at being told I could not go, I then really wanted to go. It became a mission. I needed to be there. I made a few calls. Still, nothing. Best bet, I was informed -- though not likely to produce tickets -- was to show up an hour early and wait in the cancellation line.

So, that's what I did. Well, a half-hour early. A Girl's got to work to pay the bills, right? There were about 20 people in front of me, 10 in back. I huddled with two men in front of me, from Russia, and a woman in front of them, who said she lived in Australia. Mayhem erupted in the foyer as mobs of people entered (tickets in hand) the 92nd St. Y, which on this night solidified its role as neighborhood -- city, really -- hub.

We stood. Anticipation grew. Conversation bandied about. Would we get tickets? Could we absorb these pearls of knowledge dangling in front of us -- like carrots just out of reach? Pacing ensued. Fingers tapped on hips. Ten minutes to 8pm. A gang of line-waiting hopefuls was taken to purchase tickets. Ah, so close. A long 10 minutes passed. Eyes darted to-and-fro. Who among us would be the chosen ones?

My cohorts -- who had been strangers just moments before -- and I were ready to place bets. Jokes slipped out. Wouldn't it be horrible if everyone .... in front of you ... got a ticket and you were cut-off? Ha, ha ... ha? Nervous laughter ping-ponged off the walls. We were like anxious kids, fingers pressed up against the glass, lusting over chocolate bon bons.

Just then, the next group of five -- which included me! -- was escorted to the ticket window. We grown adults let out cheers, exhales of relief. Phew. Economic policy. A ticket in Row J. Score. A preview of Greenspan's new book, The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World (the 544-page tome published by Penguin Press on September 17).

I could see Alan Greenspan sitting there cross-legged in front of me, his dark socks pulled up so high I was guessing they reached his knee under his dark pants leg. Surrounding me, a rapt audience, immaculate in black and pin-stripe suits and pin-straight hair.

So, what of this knowledge attracting the horde of bees to honey. Get to it, Girl, you say? Well, Ok then.

This man, who grew up on the Upper West, attended George Washington high school, Julliard, NYU, described himself as an introvert. Of course, an introvert with plenty of opinions.

Medicare's the New Social Security

In are the Democrats. Out are the Republicans. But, said, Greenspan, the Democrats are acting like Republicans.

"You cannot run government this way. It's unethical. If you try to solve the Medicare gap solely from the tax side, this will fail. The increase in taxes would have to be so large that it would put the whole economy in jeopardy," said Greenspan.

And, he sees no single proposal from a presidential candidate confronting the issue. His solution? Medicare benefits are going to have to be cut.

"Nobody wants to face this. They are fearful. Baby Boomers getting set to retire are presuming they are going to get the current level of benefit. They're not. Tell them now. Then, they would be able to adjust their retirement policy and push back retirement 3-4 years. We know now we can't pay the bill ... Let's tell them."

And, he was not shy in saying that it is near certain that the amount of co-pay for the wealthiest Americans will rise significantly.

Sure enough, the question was fired: You've been accused in 2004, Alan Greenspan, of recommending subprime loans. What's your response?

A resolute and quick "Not guilty," was his response.

In his opinion, a global forces was at work. Some 15-20 countries, he said, have experienced the same housing boom. Is there a single cause? "Yes, the end of the Cold War." After the Iron Curtain fell, the rate of growth in the developing world doubled that of the developed world; there was a flood of foreign direct investment; and, more exports arrived on the shores of the developed world, he said. "And, the developing countries were saving more."

Should the Fed have expanded regulations to patrol institutions offering subprime loans?

"No. The Federal Reserve is made up of accountants. We are not equipped to handle fraud. If we had started to take action, it would have looked like we were regulating, and that would have been worse," said Mr. Greenspan.

"It was bad reporting. Let me get the facts straight. If you took out a prime adjustable rate mortgage in 2002 and refinanced at 18 months, you made a big profit. Even if you refinanced significantly later, you'd still be ahead. I was never talking about subprime. I was talking about prime. The press kept pulling it up and saying in reports of the speech I made in February. I wasn't. I'm innocent."

Was it misinterpretation or deliberate, the getting it wrong?

Without hesitation, said Mr. Greenspan, "Deliberate. I regret to say," then after a brief pause of reconsideration, "No, I don't regret saying at all."

On the Iraq War? An audience member asked the heated question -- Was it all about oil?

"I wasn't saying the administration was going to war because of oil. I was concerned that Saddam's behavior over 30 years looked increasingly like an attempt to control Middle Eastern oil. And somebody like Saddam in control of the that oil flow could control the entire industrial world."

Yes, he said, oil is currently $80/barrel. But, had Saddam had a nuclear weapon, we'd be looking at $140/barrel, if not more, said Greenspan.

"The fact is, if there had been no oil under the sands of Iraq, Saddam would not have been a problem."

Through all the jargon, and talk abouts, some serious questions answered. The crowd was not disappointed.

Walking up the aisle leaving the auditorium, an audience member could hardly contain himself, saying to his wife, "I think he's wrong on Medicare."

I bet he does. Bad news is never pleasant to swallow.

YGAT

Gossip Girl, Go Home

This show? One reason I don't watch much TV. The plot swirls around a gang of high school kids traipsing about the Upper East Side.

It serves as a reminder that while I may love living here as a single woman, raising children here? Doping up in central park, cruising in limos, making rounds at Madison Avenue boutiques. Can't see it. How about climbing trees, running, just being girls...learning?

What happened to igniting curious high school minds like Robin Williams did in Dead Poets Society? This show arm-in-arm with Miss lovely, befuddled South Carolina and whatever cracked-out celeb-of-the-day is strewn across the headlines (even the way the word celeb rolls off the tongue makes me cringe): It's pathetic.

Who do young girls have to look up to? Who will be the new Cokie Roberts, Condoleezza Rice, Madeleine Albright, Samantha Power, Maureen Dowd, Joan Didion, Katharine Graham, Hillary? Just one shred of something they can aspire to, just one nugget of compassion and real knowledge of the world beyond skinny jeans and heinous gossip. We can come up with something better. Can't we?

Gag me....with a spoon, GG.

May I suggest a little light reading for you: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. Yep, it's based on a true story, a real eye-opener.

YGAT

Suze Says: Go Gold & Viper

Suze Orman had a speech impediment as a child.

"When I tried to say beautiful, it came out boobiall," said the 56-year-old from the 92nd St. Y stage at 7:30 p.m.

To hear her speak confidently and effectively, crisply vocalizing her points, infusing them with emphasis and energy, you'd never know. It's astounding. And, it's just another hurdle the woman from the south side of Chicago -- raised in a household headed financially by her secretary mother -- overcame.

At age 30, she was a waitress at Buttercup Bakery making $400/month. She hoped to open a restaurant. But, her parents didn't have the $20,000 capital to lend her. The customers she had been serving for years, did. They pooled their monies and gave her a $50,000 bundle. On a napkin, one wrote,"For people like you to make your dreams come true."

She put the lump sum into a money market fund at Merrill Lynch.

"My broker was a crook," said Orman, "Within three months, the money, all of it, was gone."

What did she do? She took a job at Merrill Lynch earning $1,500/month. She studied to be a stock broker. As an employee, she sued Merrill Lynch (and could not be fired). Two years later, she was the 6th highest-earning stock broker there, said Orman. She won the case, and got the money back...with interest. She paid back those bakery customers who first believed in her. The rest, is history. "That's why I am passionate about this. Nobody is going to care about your money the way that you do" said Orman.

Orman greeted the 90-percent female audience, from teenagers to boomers, in a vibrant orange shirt to peppy music. Against a backdrop of falling stock and housing markets, the audience was eager for the author of Women and Money's financial advice.

"Sex, ladies," she started, "you can live without. Money, you can't."

The crowd shook with uh-huh's, nodding heads, and "yes!" exclamations.

She went on, "Women may fake orgasms; but, men fake finances."

Laughs ensued. Some semblance of a pep rally was igniting. Her message? "Ladies, you've got to take care of yourself before you take care of everyone else. Put on your oxygen mask before you put your child's on," she said. If you don't, how can you help them? she asked.

Orman said it was the women who called into her Saturday evening money advice show who inspired her to write Women & Money. She had tired of hearing stories of women lending their names to co-sign loans (because the people taking the loans couldn't qualify) and ending up in messy predicaments. According to Orman, women often say 'yes' out of love and tend not to say 'no' out of fear.

Here are some nuggets of advice she delivered:

*Home: Talk early and openly with your spouse about money. Get comfortable with the topic. "I refuse to believe that the man in your life does not want you to know. He is probably just as afraid as you are right now," said Orman. It's the biggest source of conflict in marriage, and there are too many highly-intelligent women who have no idea where their family's money is, said Orman, who end up shocked when one day it is no longer there.

*Real Estate: New York will not be hit as hard by the sub-prime collapse. Most buildings are co-op and require a minimum 50-percent deposit; there wasn't as much sub-prime lending here as in other states.

*Younger women: 401K. Stick with it. Don't touch it. The more stock prices go down, the more shares you are buying each month. For you, says Orman, who cares what's happening in the stock market?

*Eradicate credit card debt: No employee of Orman's is permitted to have credit card debt. Pay it off now. Don't put it off. It may take longer than you expect (YGAT's plan will take an entire year to achieve -- a year, gang, as in twelve months).

*Buy a home: Pay off the mortgage as soon as you can. "There's no better investment than a home," said Orman. Most homes appreciate 4 percent in value every year. In the next four years, some 2.2 million Americans are going to foreclose. Start saving now so you can jump in to swoop up one of those houses.

*Plan: Start an emergency fund that could fund 3-8 months of living expenses for a rainy day.

*Invest: Orman prefers exchange-traded funds (ETFs such as Vipers, Golds)

*Look offshore when investing: Orman suggests 80% in the U.S; 20% abroad

*Have a revocable living trust (with this, if you want to pass a house deed to a child, that child could have that deed in his or her name in two weeks (as opposed to up to two years), and save thousands of dollars. Plus, you can modify the document at any time.)

*Pay off student loans as soon as you can (this, though, is considered "good" debt)

Take advantage of the sub-prime collapse:
*Buy Municipal Bonds
*Invest for the long-term: Buy low/sell high (think in terms of 3-, 5-, and 10-year investments)

Note: Suze talked about her new "Save Yourself" TD Ameritrade program. If you put in $50/month you'll get $100 at the twelth month. There are no maintenance fees on the account and you can set up automatic paycheck deductions. You'll never know the money is gone. She gave the code out at the talk: Type in 701. And, read the instructions on how to get started.

Here, upcoming lectern heavyweights you don't want to miss at the 92nd St. Y:

Alan Greenspan: Sept. 18, 8p.m., $50. One day after his memoirs are published, on the boot heels of Ben Bernanke's decision on interest rates, this is the commentary everyone will be talking about. Reported the Times today, "With the latest jobs data, there’s no longer any doubt that the Fed will act to cut rates — perhaps by a quarter of a percentage point or a half — on Sept. 18."

Truth & Politics: Sept. 11, 8 p.m., $26. Has the current administration sacrificed truth for political wins? Times op-ed columnist Frank Rich speaks on the role of truth in the public arena with Times editorial page editor Andrew Rosenthal.

Mario Cuomo: Sept. 19, 8 p.m., $26. Gearing up for the 2008 election year, the former New York governor speaks his mind.

See you there.

YGAT

Pound Pavement: For the Cure

First, for your listening pleasure: Listen. Because it would just be wrong to know of such beauty ... and hide it away. A friend passed that on to me today. In turn, I pass it to you.

Then, get geared up -- this Sunday (!) is the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Central Park. Down with Big C. This crew is going to stomp it on out. Join in the fight against breast cancer. Only wish I would have found this 5K walk/run sooner!

The good news: Not too late to register. See you there, yes?

Where there's a will, there can be a cure for breast cancer. Running alongside 1,200 breast cancer survivors. Talk about inspiration. And, hope. Haven't done a c.p. race in a while ... and I can't think of a better, more worthwhile cause. Let's do this.

When: 9a.m., Sunday, September 9
Where: Central Park
Register Now: Here

Pull out your Pink tee-shirt. Eat some pasta. Start stretching.

YGAT

Gentlemen, Start Your Cognitions

Pop culture and politics are set to duke it out. In this battle of the brains (or, ehem, pithy articulation of the meaty bits in those brains) Media Scholar takes on Cultural Historian in the quest for an answer: Did Activism Vanish with the 60s?

You'll want a front-row seat for this cerebral thrashing. So you can feel the beads of sweat as they're swept from the intellects' brows.Plus, in its way, seeing those academics get all fired up over ideas they believe in is kind-of thrilling. I mean, you can't argue with passion. Or, actually, maybe you can.

What: Todd Gitlin vs. Greil Marcus
Where: The Whitney: 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street
When: 7 p.m.
Shell-out: 8 Bucks
Digits: 212-570-7715

By the way, do not underestimate the power of a search engine.

Remember my biker friend? He found me. On e-mail. At work. We're heading up North this Saturday on a day trip.

I know. Can you believe it?

Uncanny. And, so deliciously unexpected.

YGAT