#chief gowanus

[niibaataa]

Some Indigenous Poets to Read

Disclaimer: Some of these poems deal with pregnancy, colonialism, substance abuse, murder, death, and historical wrongs. Exercise caution.

Tacey M. Atsitty [Diné] : Anasazi, Lady Birds' Evening Meetings, Things to Do With a Monster.

Billy-Ray Belcourt [Cree] : NDN Homopoetics, If Our Bodies Could Rust, We Would Be Falling Apart, Love is a Moontime Teaching.

CooXooEii Black [Arapaho] : On Mindfulness, Some Notes on Vision, With Scraps We Made Sacred Food.

Trevino L. Brings Plenty [Lakota] : Unpack Poetic, Will, Massacre Song Foundation.

Julian Talamantez Brolaski [Apache] : Nobaude, murder on the gowanus, What To Say Upon Being Asked To Be Friends.

Gladys Cardiff [Cherokee] : Combing, Prayer to Fix The Affections, To Frighten a Storm.

Freddy Chicangana [Yanacuna] : Of Rivers, Footprints, We Still Have Life on This Earth.

Laura Da' [Shawnee] : Bead Workers, The Meadow Views: Sword and Symbolic History, A Mighty Pulverizing Machine.

Natalie Diaz [Mojave] : It Was The Animals, My Brother My Wound, The Facts of Art.

Heid E. Erdrich [Anishinaabe] : De'an, Elemental Conception, Ghost Prisoner.

Jennifer Elise Foerster [Mvskoke] : From "Coosa", Leaving Tulsa, The Other Side.

Eric Gansworth [Onondaga] : Bee, Eel, A Half-Life of Cardio-Pulmonary Function.

Joy Harjo [Muscogee] : An American Sunrise, Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings, A Map to The Next World.

Gordon Henry Jr. [Anishinaabe] : How Soon, On the Verve of Verbs, It Was Snowing on The Monuments.

Sy Hoahwah [Comanche/Arapaho] : Colors of The Comanche Nation Flag, Definitive Bright Morning, Typhoni.

LeAnne Howe [Choctaw] : A Duck's Tune, 1918, Iva Describes Her Deathbed.

Hugo Jamioy [Kamentsá] : PUNCTUAL, If You Don't Eat Anything, The Story of My People.

Layli Long Soldier [Lakota] : 38, WHEREAS, Obligations 2.

Janet McAdams [Muscogee] : Flood, The Hands of The Taino, Hunters, Gatherers.

Brandy Nālani McDougall [Kānaka Maoli] : He Mele Aloha no ka Niu, On Finding my Father's First Essay, The Island on Which I Love You.

dg nanouk okpik [Inupiaq-Inuit] : Cell Block on Chena River, Found, If Oil Is Drilled In Bristol Bay.

Simon J. Ortiz [Acoma Pueblo] : Becoming Human, Blind Curse, Busted Boy.

Sara Marie Ortiz [Acoma Pueblo] : Iyáani (Spirit, Breath, Life), Language (part of a compilation), Rush.

Alan Pelaez Lopez [Zapotec] : the afterlife of illegality, A Daily Prayer, Zapotec Crossers.

Tommy Pico [Kumeyaay] : From "Feed", from Junk, You Can't be an NDN Person in Today's World.

Craig Santos Perez [Chamorro] : (First Trimester), from Lisiensan Ga'lago, from "understory".

Cedar Sigo [Suquamish] : Cold Valley, Expensive Magic, Secrets of The Inner Mind.

M. L. Smoker [Assiniboine/Sioux] : Crosscurrent, Heart Butte, Montana, Another Attempt at Rescue.

Laura Tohe [Diné] : For Kathryn, Female Rain, Returning.

Gwen Nell Westerman [Cherokee/Dakota] : Dakota Homecoming, Covalent Bonds, Undivided Interest.

Karenne Wood [Monacan] : Apologies, Abracadabra, an Abecedarian, Chief Totopotamoi, 1654.

Lightning Round! Writers with poetry available on their sites:

Shonda Buchanan [Coharie, Cherokee, Choctaw].

Leonel Lienlaf [Mapuche].

Asani Charles [Choctaw/Chickasaw].

[thebusinessmagnate]

T.R. Ludwig: Bringing Renewable Solar Energy to New York City’s Flat Roofs at Brooklyn SolarWorks

Solar energy is a renewable resource that is generated by converting sunlight into electricity or heat. This sustainable energy is harnessed for generating electricity, heating, cooling, and for clean water. Solar energy can power up homes and business appliances as well as various industry applications. While being a sustainable resource that is comparatively better for the environment’s ecosystem and biodiversity altogether, the use of solar energy panels in today’s day-to-day living can increase a home’s value, can promote a pollution-free environment, is affordable in the long-term, can provide reliability on independent energy utilization, can be professionally installed anywhere, can help save a community’s economic savings, can generate large amounts of electricity, and more. 

Keeping in line with the imperativeness of the use of Solar Energy Panels in the world today, this article will delve into the use of Solar Energy Panels especially on challenging flat rooftops of residential homes, condos, co-ops, and commercial buildings. With a Solar Designing and Installation firm called Brooklyn SolarWorks (BSW), co-founded by T.R. Ludwig, Gaelen McKee, and Mark Cunningham – the company is established in New York City and provides its renewable energy services to residential, multifamily, and commercial buildings, that are only located in the state’s five boroughs – Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island. With T.R. Ludwig directing the company as the CEO, let’s learn how the co-founders have made flat roof solar panels possible with their innovative design and installation methods. 

Bringing Solar Panel Systems to NYC’s Urban Rooftops:

Co-founded in 2015 by T.R. Ludwig (Chief Executive Officer), Gaelen McKee (President), and Mark Cunningham (Chief Technology Officer), Brooklyn SolarWorks is led by three expert professionals in the field. The trio established a solar energy firm that provides designing and installation services in Gowanus, Brooklyn, NYC, in the U.S., with a shared vision to “make solar appealing, easy, and available for Brooklyn’s urban rooftops and homeowners.” The co-founders came up with this idea and vision because there were very less number of Solar Contractors who designed and installed solar panels for homes, commercial buildings, and other dwellings in the urban areas. Contractors were taking on more projects and contracts that required installations in suburban regions. This was due to the very challenging installation of the panels on densely urban constructed flat-rooftop buildings as seen in New York City. As a result, urban residences, commercial buildings, and flat rooftops were avoided. 

To address this challenge, Brooklyn SolarWorks’ co-founders clarified and proved that designing and installing solar panels on flat rooftops and in densely urban dwellings was not impossible. With their services, Brooklyn SolarWorks bridged this gap and strived to serve the local community of NYC’s five densely-populated boroughs. To overcome the challenges for flat rooftop owners, the efficient and professional team at the company adopts new and innovative methods through learning in-depthly about the city’s complex code, zoning, and permitting rules which allows making NYC solar installation and panel designing easy, accessible, affordable, sustainable, and possible with their award-winning and patented innovative creation of the “Brooklyn Solar Canopy”. Rather than expanding operations to other places, T.R. Ludwig and his two other co-founding partners have already completed 90% of their 1,000+ projects by choosing to elevate only NYC’s five boroughs, staying closer to the community and focusing on local clients and customers. 

The Visionary and Trailblazer in Clean Energy:

Recognized as a visionary and trendsetter, T. R. Ludwig is also named the “Trailblazer in Clean Energy” by City and State New York, for his influential efforts in revolutionizing renewables in NYC, alongside other industry leaders, innovators, and academic professionals. Having an educational background with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geology and Environmental Studies from Ohio Wesleyan University and an MBA in E-Business from Maastricht School of Management – T.R. Ludwig started his career as Owner of TR Ludwig Associates, Senior Accountant Executive at Gartner Inc., Vice President of Business Development at Ad Energy, Senior Regional Sales Manager at Sunrun, and then the CEO/Co-founder at Brooklyn SolarWorks in 2015. With his endeavors in the solar industry, T.R. Ludwig now stands as one of the USA’s first solar professionals to become certified as a NABCEP (The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners) Technical Sales. In 2018, the CEO headed Brooklyn Solar Canopy Company as CEO, and in 2022 co-founded EMO Electric.

About Brooklyn SolarWorks (BSW):

The company helps the five boroughs in NYC – Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island, save over 75% of costs in adopting sustainable solar energy practices, especially with Brooklyn SolarWorks’ services in design and installations. Providing a 30% deduction when applied through the Federal Solar Income Tax Credit or Investment Tax Credit (ITC), homeowners and commercial building owners who invest in Brooklyn SolarWorks and their panels, can pay an affordable cost with NYC solar tax incentives to the federal government. Aiming to decrease the use of fossil fuels, and increase the customer’s long-term investment and affordability rates with solar energy panels making the transition to a sustainable energy resource, directly increases NYC’s real estate market and decreases the rise in residents’ electricity bills. Therefore with Brooklyn SolarWorks driving towards a clean energy and green community, the brand is a trusted partner in making solar appealing and accessible.

Visit More : https://thebusinessmagnate.com/t-r-ludwig-bringing-renewable-solar-energy-to-new-york-citys-flat-roofs-at-brooklyn-solarworks/

[citylifeorg]

$1.6 Billion Project to Protect Gowanus Canal From Sewage Overflow, Add 3.6 Acres of Public Waterfront Space

Rendering of public space design atop first tank site. When Completed, Underground Storage Tanks Will Dramatically Reduce Pollution into the Gowanus Canal 3.6 Acres of Public Waterfront Space to Include Waterfront Esplanades; Spaces for Community Gathering, Performances, and Environmental Education; a Kayak Launch; and Ecosystem Restoration New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Chief…

[stanandcharleyandfriends]

COVID-19 pet boom has veterinarians backlogged, burned out

May 23, 2021 - Kelli Kennedy, Associated Press

Veterinary clinics around the country, including Brooklyn, have been overrun by new four-legged patients, adding to stress among veterinarians and their staff. Vets interviewed by the Associated Press have extended hours, hired additional staff and refused to take new patients, and they still can’t keep up. Burnout and fatigue are such a concern that some practices are hiring counselors to support their weary staffs.

Approximately 12.6 million U.S. households got a new pet last year after the pandemic was declared in March 2020, according to a COVID-19 Pulse Study by the American Pet Products Association. 

Meanwhile, fewer people relinquished their pets in 2020, so they needed ongoing care, experts said. And as people worked from home and spent more time with their pets, they’ve had more opportunities to notice ailments that could typically go untreated.

VERG (Veterinary Emergency and Referral Group), a 24-hour emergency and specialty animal hospital on Fourth Avenue in Gowanus, Brooklyn, reported a 40 percent jump in emergency care since the pandemic began. That’s also meant more pet hospitalizations, straining various specialties like surgery and cardiology.

“The demand continues to grow,” causing extreme weariness in a profession known for its big-hearted workers, said Verg’s chief medical officer, Dr. Brett Levitzke.

“Fear of the unknown with the pandemic leads to more intense emotions from our clients,” said Levitzke.

He’s seen expletive-laced outbursts and threats from pet owners, and also outpourings of love, with cards and baked goods. After the toll on the staff became noticeable, they hired a compassion fatigue specialist for support.

“Unfortunately, compassion fatigue, anxiety, and depression already plagued our profession, and the pandemic has certainly taken it to another level,” Levitzke said.

Vets were already struggling to meet the pre-pandemic demand, with veterinary schools unable to churn out enough doctors and techs to fill the void.

Banfield Pet Hospital, one of the largest national providers of preventive veterinary medicine, which has a location on Atlantic Avenue in Boerum Hill, had approximately half a million more pet visits in 2020 than in 2019. And its telehealth service more than doubled in volume from March through the end of last year.

During the gloomiest stretches of the pandemic, Dr. Diona Krahn’s veterinary clinic in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been a puppy fest, overrun with new four-legged patients.

Typically, she’d get three or four new puppies a week, but between shelter adoptions and private purchases, the 2020 COVID-19 pet boom brought five to seven new clients a day to her practice. Many are first-time pet owners.

Like many veterinarians across the country, she’s also been seeing more sick animals.

“Everyone is working beyond capacity at this point,” said Krahn, who added evening hours last year.

Krahn left her practice three months ago and now oversees nine veterinary and animal hospital clinics across Utah and Idaho under Pathway Vet Alliance. “All of my practices are booking out several weeks in advance.”

Thrive, another veterinary hospital primary care group, with 110 facilities across the U.S. but none in Brooklyn, reported a 20 percent increase in demand during the pandemic. Both repeated a common refrain — as humans spent more time with their pets, they were more in tune with their ailments — big and small.

“With COVID, a lot of people became powerless to the ones closest to them,” said Claire Pickens, a senior director at Thrive, “but the one thing they still had the ability to control was caring for their pet.”

Clinics have been forced to streamline, having patients fill out forms online or by phone pre-appointment because hiring additional staff often isn’t an option.

“The industry is growing at a rate that it can’t fill all the roles needed to keep up with the increased demand for services,” said Pickens.

Veterinary positions are projected to grow 16 percent by 2029, nearly four times the average of most other occupations, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics. Vet tech jobs are expected to increase nearly 20 percent in the next five years.

“We are still short staffed despite active seeking of additional staff,” said Dr. Katarzyna Ferry, Veterinary Specialty Hospital of Palm Beach Gardens.

[oaklandalcohol]

Drinking in New York: Day 1

I’m staying in Bushwick, but I made it Death & Co in Manhattan yesterday for a few drinks. Now, I’m coming from California, and I’m very entrenched in cocktail culture there, so my expectations for Death & Co were high. I’ve perused that beautiful cocktail book before, and I was eager to try what they had to offer.

With cocktail bars, I tend to be more critical. Especially a bar that has a published cocktail book and a well known reputation: they set the bar pretty high for themselves. Approaching the bar, it was obvious that we had arrived; on a typical New York block with random stores with bright awnings, Death & Co had an austere wooden exterior outside of which stood a man with an iPad. Bingo.

We went there early, right after they opened at six, and the place hadn’t started buzzing yet. It was moody and dark inside, yet stylish.  Death & Co has been around for about a decade, so it’s a type of ambiance that has been replicated at newer cocktail bars who aspire to that level of chic.

The menu itself was sprawling. I understand that this is part of their style, but it’s the type of menu that doesn’t appeal to me either a drinker or a bartender. As a bartender – I can’t imagine having to memorize all those drinks and know what was in every unmarked cheater bottle on the bar. As a drinker, having to choose from 30+ drinks is exhausting, and I rarely make it to the end of the list before I settle for the first or second interesting drink I see. This is something that has been studied by psychologists: decision fatigue. Perhaps if I were planning on staying there for 3+ hours with the express mission of making my way through the entire list – then it would be appealing. But I was there for one or two, and I decided to order off menu for my second drink because I wanted a specific gin.

The drink that I did order on the menu – the Poniente – was a delicious twist on a Martini with Noilly Prat dry vermouth, Tio Pepe fino sherry, Old Raj gin and olive oil. As a martini drinker on a sherry kick, it hit the spot.

However there was one thing that I was hoping for that didn’t hit the spot: local product on the back bar. In the Bay Area, we’re starting to celebrate all the new local distilleries that are doing new and exciting things. I had a conversation with the bartender about the lack of local product, and he told me that often times local products are cost prohibitive especially because often times local products don’t differentiate themselves from other tried and true products. One of the chief examples he gave me was gin (and I absolutely agree on his point): too many gin makers are trying to mimic London dry gin. My bartender told me that it doesn’t make sense for them to stock a gin that is more expensive but in many ways similar to tried and true brands like Beefeater.

I thought this was an interesting point, but when I looked at their back bar, I noticed they had several St. George products – otherwise known as the Bay Area’s most prominent and celebrated local distiller. Death & Co had the terroir gin on the back bar. My bartender said that the terroir gin offers an interesting and unique flavor profile unlike any other gin they can get – and that’s why they stock it.

I wonder if part of the tacit reason they stock St. George and not other native New York (or East Coast) products also has to do with marketing. At a big name bar like Death & Co, what does it take to get your spirit on the shelves? How much market prominence does a brand need in order to solidify a coveted space on those crowded shelves?

My second drink was a Martinez with NY Distilling’s Chief Gowanus gin. It’s a product I’ve had before, but never in a cocktail. It is quite a funky gin, distilled from rye whiskey and aged for a few months. I absolutely love the quirky, big personality of this gin which is high in both rye and juniper flavors.

The bartender was right – the products on the back bar have to be memorable. I had tried that gin once before perhaps six months ago, and it stuck with me, which is why I tried it again.

My knowledge of this region’s craft distilling scene is still pretty limited. While I’m here, I’m keeping my eyes open for new, interesting spirits I’ve never tried before. My experience on Death & Co was overall good, but knowing that my mission is to find something new and exciting and local to New York, I was disappointed by their lack of local spirits. And surprised to see my hometown favorite on the back bar. I’m hoping that local bottle shops will have more treasures for me. The hunt is still on.

[jdpink]

On June 30, 2019, a warm and windy Sunday, a 32-year-old up-and-coming accountant named Haley Keating sat in the open courtyard of a Brooklyn bar celebrating a job promotion she’d just received that morning.

Then from out of the blue sky came hundreds of pounds of catastrophe.

Steel scaffolding 12 stories above plummeted from an adjacent condo under construction, blown off the roof by a sudden gust. The heavy frame crashed into the courtyard, smashing into Haley’s head, causing serious and long-lasting brain trauma that reversed the promising trajectory of her life.

Nearly three years later, the limited liability corporation that owns the condo building, 243 Development LLC, and one of its principals, Vadem “Dean” Brodsky — who was also site safety manager on the project — have yet to pay a dime in penalties for this.

One reason why appears to be the behind-the-scenes intervention of one of the most powerful men in the city right now: Frank Carone, chief of staff to Mayor Eric Adams.

Six months before the accident, Brodsky, as one of the principals of 243 Development LLC, fired an independent site safety manager as a cost-cutting measure. Brodsky himself then assumed the job, checking on his own development’s safety adherence.

Two weeks before the accident, Werize was aware the tie-backs had been removed from the roof scaffolding and told Brodsky they were sending a crew to dismantle it. Brodsky then intervened and ordered the crew Werize sent there to stop what they were doing and immediately relocate to a different job site he stated to be “more important.” The crew never returned to get the scaffolding job done.

Eighteen days before the incident, there are no further entries into the daily log of scaffolding inspections at the site that’s required by law. When DOB showed up hours following the collapse, they cited Brodsky for this as the official site safety manager. That violation was later settled without a fine.

https://www.thecity.nyc/brooklyn/2022/3/20/22988275/gowanus-scaffold-frank-carone-eric-adams-lobbyist-condo-developer

[nofomoartworld]

Hyperallergic: Art Movements

Troy Richards and Knut Hybinette, “the seeing glass” (2017), VR simulation, 5 minutes (courtesy the artists, © Troy Richards and Knut Hybinette)

Art Movements is a weekly collection of news, developments, and stirrings in the art world. Subscribe to receive these posts as a weekly newsletter.

The National Endowment for the Humanities announced that it will award up to $1 million in emergency funds for cultural institutions impacted by Hurricane Harvey. The storm has displaced thousands of people and has so-far claimed more than 30 lives. Houston’s theater district was particularly hard-hit, with almost every venue reported to be waterlogged. The Blaffer Art Museum, the Houston Center for Photography, the Menil Collection, and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston have reported their facilities and collections as safe. The Rockport Center for the Arts suffered severe damage according to an announcement by its executive director Luis Purón.

The Los Angeles City Council voted 14-1 to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day.

William Eggleston will release Musik, an album of his synthesizer compositions, on October 20.

The Delaware Art Museum unveiled “the seeing glass,” a virtual reality experience created by artists Troy Richards and Knut Hybinette. The work is described as a three-dimensional reimagining of Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s 1875 painting “La Bella Mano.”

Thirty-two-year-old Curtis Valentine died following an altercation at the Head Too Heavy Gallery in Bushwick last weekend. Anyone with information can contact the NYPD confidentially by calling (800) 577-TIPS.

A new statue of Martin Luther King Jr. will be unveiled outside the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta on Monday. Designed by Martin Dawe, the King sculpture joins nearby memorials to Confederate general and alleged Ku Klux Klan leader John Brown Gordon, and US Senator Richard Russell, a staunch opponent of Civil Rights legislation and a supporter of racial segregation.

Benjamin Grajeda Regalado, the head of Mexico’s federal police, announced the creation of a task force committed to the protection of the country’s cultural heritage.

The Berkshire Museum declined an offer of $1 million from a group of anonymous donors calling for the suspension of a planned auction of 40 works from the museum’s collection at Sotheby’s. The museum controversially decided to deaccession the works, including two paintings donated directly by Norman Rockwell, last month.

(via ozmarecords.com)

The Voyager golden record was published on vinyl and made available for order online. The original gold-plated copper records were attached to NASA’s Voyager 1 and 2, and contain a selection of photographs, music, and sounds “intended to communicate a story of our world to extraterrestrials.” The mission status of the two probes can be accessed here.

Trevor Paglen and the The Nevada Museum Of Art launched a crowdfunding campaign for the Orbital Reflector, a mylar balloon sculpture that will orbit Earth for several weeks before burning up upon re-entry into the atmosphere.

The Washington Square Association — a Greenwich Village neighborhood group — voiced objections to Good Fences Make Good Good Neighbors, a collaboration between Ai Weiwei and the Public Art Fund. The project involves the installation of over 300 site-specific security fences across New York City.

Demolition began on Robin Hood Gardens, the renowned Brutalist estate designed by Alison and Peter Smithson, despite years of campaigning and heritage efforts.

The University of Manchester digitized a collection of over 150 letters by mathematician and codebreaker Alan Turing. The documents were recently re-discovered by Professor Jim Miles during an inspection of an old filing cabinet on campus.

In accordance with his wishes, Terry Pratchett’s hard drives were destroyed by a steamroller at the Great Dorset Steam Fair. The late novelist instructed his estate to destroy all traces of his unfinished work.

Transactions

Dread Scott, “A Man Was Lynched by Police Yesterday” (2015), nylon, 84 x 52 1/2 in, hangs outside Jack Shainman Gallery on West 20th Street in Chelsea, Manhattan (image © Dread Scott, courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York)

Dread Scott’s “A Man Was Lynched by Police Yesterday” (2015) was acquired by the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego. According to ArtNews, the Whitney Museum of American Art is in the process of acquiring an edition of the work.

The Parrish Art Museum acquired the art, archives, and resources of the James and Charlotte Brooks Foundation.

The South Street Seaport Museum received $4.5 million from the City of New York to stabilize and restore the Lightship Ambrose (LV-87).

The Victoria & Albert Museum acquired a sapphire and diamond cornet designed by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria.

The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis received a $20,000 grant from the Dana Brown Charitable Trust in support of its ArtReach and LEAP Middle School Initiative youth education programs.

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden acquired 11 works by Japanese photographers, including Eikoh Hosoe, Minoru Hirata, Tatsuo Kawaguchi, Miyako Ishiuchi, Kōji Enokura, and Takashi Arai.

Koji Enokura, “Symptom—Lump of Lead to the Sky: Mountain in Nagano (P.W.-No. 47)” (1972), gelatin silver print, 21.7 x 30.2 cm (© Michiyo Enokura; courtesy Taka Ishii Gallery New York)

Transitions

Bo Rothstein resigned as professor of government and public policy at Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government. Rothstein resigned after learning that Leonard Blavatnik (for whom the school is named) had also donated funds to Donald Trump’s inauguration. A number of academics signed an open letter in 2015 opposing Blavatnik’s £75 million (~$97 million) donation to the university’s School of Government, insisting that the university “should stop selling its reputation and prestige to Putin’s associates.”

Marek Olszewski, the president of Poland’s national tourist organization, was fired after telling a reporter that he had removed the Auschwitz memorial from the itinerary for foreign journalists’ visits.

The Singapore Art Museum abandoned its search for a new chief executive officer and director.

Jeffrey Herbst resigned as president and chief executive of the Newseum in Washington. The Freedom Forum, the museum’s parent foundation, is reportedly considering an outright sale of the struggling institution.

The Hammer Museum elected three new board members: Linda Janger, Glenn Kaino, and Dean Valentine.

Mary Colleen Heil will step down as president of the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design in June 2018.

George-Ann Tobin plans to retire as the National Gallery of Art’s endowment chief later this Fall.

Tessa Praun was appointed director of the Magasin III Museum and Foundation for Contemporary Art in Stockholm.

Lieven Bertels was appointed director of the Momentary, a planned satellite space of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Site work is currently scheduled for early 2018.

Claire Shea was appointed deputy director of Para Site.

William L. Coleman was appointed associate curator of American art at the Newark Museum.

The 2018 edition of the 2018 Biennale de Montréal was cancelled due to its deficit of CAD 200,000 (~USD 160,000).

Housing gallery will open at 424 Gates Avenue, Brooklyn — the former space of American Medium gallery. According to Eileen Isagon Skyers, Housing’s creative director, the gallery aims “de-gentrify the space, effectively supporting the practices of black artists and non-black POC.”

Interference Archive will relocate to a new building three blocks away from its present space at 131 8th Street in Gowanus, Brooklyn.

Accolades

Judith Linhares, “Dance II” (2017), oil on linen, 3 1/2 x 25 1/2 in (courtesy the artist and Anglim Gilbert Gallery, San Francisco)

Judith Linhares received the Artists’ Legacy Foundation’s 2017 Artist Award.

The Bessies 2017 awards for Lifetime Achievement in Dance and Outstanding Service to the Field of Dance were awarded to Jawole Willa Jo Zollar and Eva Yaa Asantewaa respectively.

Danielle Dean was appointed Artist-in-Residence for the Cranbrook Academy of Art’s photography department.

Jochen Volz received Independent Curators International’s 2017 Agnes Gund Curatorial Award.

The Underground Museum received the Ellsworth Kelly Award from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts.

The Seattle Art Museum announced the finalists of the 2017 Betty Bowen Award.

Sarah Branch, Kiana Carrington, Linda Diaz, Donnay Edmund, Claire Kim, Alexandria Ryahl, and Alexa Smithwrick were selected for the Downtown Brooklyn Arts Management Fellowship [via email announcement].

Opportunities

Smack Mellon is accepting submissions for its upcoming fall exhibition, UPROOT. The application deadline is September 13, 11:59pm.

Obituaries

(via Flickr/Terror on Tape)

Blanche Blackwell (1912–2017), heiress and lover of Ian Fleming. Supposedly inspired the character of Pussy Galore.

Tobe Hooper (1943–2017), film director. best known for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974).

Howard Kaminsky (1940–2017), publisher.

Fredell Lack (1922–2017), violinist.

Paul Oliver (1927–2017), music and architecture historian.

Bernard Pomerance (1940–2017), playwright.

Alan Root (1937–2017), wildlife filmmaker.

Sue Steward (1946–2017), writer and broadcaster. Expert on Latin and world music.

David Tang (1954–2017), fashion entrepreneur and collector.

Bea Wain (1917–2017), singer.

Agnes Wilcox (unconfirmed–2017), actor and founder of Prison Performing Arts.

Ibrahim Yazdi (1931–2017), Iranian dissident.

The post Art Movements appeared first on Hyperallergic.

from Hyperallergic http://ift.tt/2iM0Z9Q via IFTTT

[mrhenryharrell]

April 27 Green Energy News

Headline News:

An energy startup, LO3 Energy, is developing and running the Brooklyn Microgrid, an effort to create a localized, sustainable energy market in the neighborhoods of Park Slope and Gowanus. It is a test run in small-scale energy trading, which has already recruited and linked up dozens of consumers and residents with solar panels. [Curbed]

There is a strong renewable energy target set by almost 50% of the major companies of the US. A report from the World Wildlife Fund, Ceres, Calvert Research and Management shows that increasing numbers of investors are promising to rely on clean energy. In the process, they are already saving $3.7 billion per year. [Insider Tradings]

London’s largest electric vehicle charging network, Source London, will only use renewably-sourced electricity in the future. Source London is working with energy supplier SSE Energy to see its electricity come entirely from wind and hydro. Source London plans to reach 1,000 charger points by the end of this year. [Clean Energy News]

Apple is building a new data center in Denmark, and it has some interesting ideas on how to power the data center with renewable energy, while also giving back to the community. Excess heat generated by the data center will be captured and returned to the local district’s heating system, which will warm up homes in the community. [Networks Asia]

At the Bloomberg New Energy Finance conference in New York on April 25, chief economist for oil giant Total, predicted that sales of electric cars will surge from about 1% globally in today’s new car market to up to 30% of the market by 2030. If that happens, he says, demand for petroleum-based fuels “will flatten out, maybe even decline.” [CleanTechnica]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

April 27 Green Energy News posted first on Green Energy Times

[italiandisheslover332]

These Days, Even a Michelin Star Chef Has to Market Takeout

For almost three years, the chef T.J. Steele declined to use distribution at Claro, his Michelin celebrity dining establishment in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn. He ignored the constant entreaties from online delivery firms like Grubhub and also DoorDash, which were often sent out to his personal e-mail address. Creating a distribution operation would certainly have called for a time-consuming overhaul of the menu. It simply had not been worth the effort. Yet as a result of the coronavirus, Mr. Steele has actually had to make some compromises to remain in organisation. He has actually registered with Grubhub and also Caviar, another delivery solution. He has actually developed a menu that shuns facility, hard-to-deliver items like tuna tostada in support of cozy offerings like chicken-- a food he never ever believed he would serve. (He has constantly chosen turkey.). Mr. Steele has likewise had to obtain used to seeing shipment vehicle drivers mishandle his carefully constructed meals. As well as he has found out to package certain orders in aluminum foil containers so the recipes do not need to be eliminated from their delivery vessels to be warmed in the stove. " Before, we were a Michelin celebrity dining establishment where individuals would certainly have a bunch of mezcals and also hang out for a while and invest money," Mr. Steele said. "Now we're sending chips and also salsa and soup to individuals.". Before the coronavirus made shipment a necessity, dining establishments across the country-- from mom-and-pops to significant chains like McDonald's-- were slowly starting to transform themselves as logistics procedures, using software application to track orders on different shipment platforms or explore containers and also food selection things created to take a trip. Currently, what started as a constant advancement is taking place at terminal velocity, as even proprietors and chefs that had lengthy resisted shipment, like Mr. Steele, adjust to the pandemic. Someday this month, Grubhub added even more than four times as many restaurants to its application as it carried its previous record day. Demand has actually additionally increased for Ordermark, a company in Los Angeles that gives hardware to assist dining establishments manage delivery orders. best cook , approximately about 300 dining establishments signed up in a month. In March, greater than 1,000 have joined. " Oftentimes, the restaurants weren't established for delivery-- they don't actually have menus that are made for takeout or shipment," stated Alex Canter, the chief executive of Ordermark. "They're needing to swiftly make adjustments. And for those dining establishments, it's a life-or-death situation.". Also as distributions have ballooned the last few years, their high quality has been irregular. Frequently, the food arrives soggy and cold, in ripped paper bags or crumpled pizza boxes. Numerous dining establishments take into consideration distribution applications a required wickedness since of the huge third-party commissions. And also some restaurants do not have the infrastructure to carry out a successful delivery organisation. Matt Le-Khac had actually always envisioned his restaurant in Brooklyn's Williamsburg community as a celebration area-- a location for people to share Vietnamese food in an intimate setup, with Vietnamese radio hits playing in the background. He never intended to provide his sautéed mushrooms as well as grilled shrimp lollipops on Grubhub or Uber Eats. Yet this month, Mr. Le-Khac converted the restaurant, Bolero, into a delivery as well as takeout procedure, with a line of four tablets established at bench like a command facility. Where he when stored dishes, he began keeping paper bags as well as plastic to-go containers. He likewise revised the food selection, getting rid of a detailed gelatinous meal that would crumble en route as well as changing a beef item to make it function for delivery. The shift hurt. Sales fell 70 percent. His staff of 20 needed to be reduced down to simply 2. And Also Mr. Le-Khac needed to give up control over the eating experience. " I'm not expecting the delivery person to explain that this sauce chooses this beef wrapped in betel leaf," he claimed. "So we mark the sauces. Once the client gets the distribution, they can piece with each other what opts for what.". The coronavirus has actually devastated the restaurant industry in the United States, especially the independent businesses, which make up concerning two-thirds of the dining landscape. Experts approximate that 75 percent of independent restaurants that have been closed to safeguard Americans from the infection will not survive the dilemma.

[biofunmy]

What Rappers Wore to the Genius Barbecue Concert in Brooklyn

Genius, the media company that is the online repository of annotated song lyrics, held a barbecue concert at its Brooklyn headquarters earlier this fall, featuring some of the buzziest names in hip-hop.

While Doja Cat performed, other acts, including Lil Tjay and Young Baby Tate, hung out at the loftlike offices near the Gowanus Canal, mingling with the company’s young founders. Here’s what they wore.

Doja Cat

Age: 24

Occupation: rapper and music producer

Your outfit has a lot of checks and yellow.

This is a Fashion Nova piece. I thought, for Genius, why not? Because it’s yellow and black.

The earrings are not small.

I wish I wore the bigger ones. These are Tanaya Henry. She does beautiful jeweled pieces like this, and bodysuits out of chain mail.

What does it say around your neck?

It says “Nasty.”

And are you?

I kind of am.

Ilan Zechory

Age: 35

Occupation: co-founder and president, Genius

You’re wandering around in flip-flops and socks.

I just found slides a couple years ago. I always want to wear them the most, and I just rolled in.

This looks like a very comfy flannel shirt.

Iro. It’s really soft.

Tell me about your pants.

These are joggers from a discontinued brand called Jack Threads. I knew the guy who owned it, and he sent me a gift certificate and I had to buy something. And I bought these pants and proceeded to wear them six million times. I make fun of these pants, and I get made fun of for wearing these pants. I’m wearing them. I’m not proud of it.

Is this what you wear to work?

I have a variety of things I wear: T-shirt and jeans, Nikes and Reeboks.

Jacques Morel

Age: 30

Occupation: senior correspondent for “Genius News”

You’re an on-air star.

I’m a reporter, just like you.

You seem a lot cooler than me. You literally have a razor blade hanging from your ear.

Fair. Shout out to Johnny Nelson Jewelry. He makes black-inspired jewelry: Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela.

What’s black-inspired about the razor blade?

This is just fire.

You’re wearing a Carly Rae Jepsen T-shirt.

I love Carly Rae Jepsen. I saw her show back in July — that’s where I got this — and it felt like group catharsis.

What’s on your feet.

These are Rick Owens Ramones. Rap carries fashion trends like a bee carries pollen. A lot of these things weren’t thought of with us in mind. To see what artists like Pyer Moss are doing, reclaiming the space for black faces and black bodies … me wearing stuff like this makes me feel like, Yeah, I’m here: I’m a young black man and I wear Rick Owens.

Tom Lehman

Age: 35

Occupation: co-founder and chief executive, Genius

The colorful sweater and your big hair — you look like a delightful clown.

The hair is a bit of an issue. I’ve been told it’s a distraction. These jeans are just very classic Levi’s. On top I’m wearing a recycled cashmere sweater from a company, Tricot, I started with my friend Rémi. It means “sweater” in French.

What does the tongue on your sneakers say?

It says, “Have a Nike day.”

Why did you pick them?

I love Air Maxes. I like to say, “The only thing missing in an Air Max is a good insert.” In this particular case I was really taken with the color scheme.

Tell me about your large camera.

This is a Pentax 6-by-7 medium-format camera. I have it for my hipster cred. It has this nice wood grain handle, and it’s totally manual.

If your company goes bankrupt, it’s stuff like this that they’re going to point to.

Personal expense.

Young Baby Tate

Age: 23

Occupation: rapper and music producer

Oh my, is that a stuffed-animal backpack?

Yes it is. It’s like a rainbow cheetah.

Is that your spirit animal?

Honestly, yes. This is me. I just love anything rainbow, and this reminded me of Lisa Frank. I love her. Sometimes I call myself Lisa Frank Lauryn Hill.

Those earrings are something else.

This was actually custom made for me by a woman in New York, J. Papa.

Tell me about your boots.

I love a little bobo boot. I don’t like to wear heels when I perform because I’d probably fall and break my neck.

Would you call your top a bustier?

A bustier or a corset. I’m not sure what the difference is. I found this at a little store in Little Five Points in Atlanta. It’s sexy but it’s still cute.

Tia Hill

Age: 23

Occupation: producer and correspondent on “Genius News”

Nice jump pants.

I got them from Asos or something. I love a good baggy pant, tight top combo.

What is it about that silhouette?

I love Aaliyah.

I was going to say the Fresh Prince.

I love Fresh Prince. But I like being comfortable at work and, aah, relaxed from the waist down. And then I have a ton of crop tops and tube tops. And then jewelry to accentuate my clavicle area.

Very specific. And hoops.

I always wear hoops. I feel like I always have big hair, up in an Afro puff or an Afro. Big hoop, big hair.

Everybody here has such styling shoes.

These Adidas are not too chunky, like the Filas everyone has. And I’ve never seen anyone with this colorway.

Lil Tjay

Age: 18

Occupation: rapper

Let’s start with your chain.

My chain comes from Izzy the jeweler. I’m happy with his work. I love my chain. Two-toned Cuban-linked. White gold. Yellow gold. Prone set. With nice diamonds.

It has a dollar sign with a “B” in the middle.

SB. That’s my team.

What kind of jeans do you like?

The kind I have on now are called Kasubi. I like Amiri jeans. Off-White — I like them too.

And you’ve got the big Dolce & Gabbana sneakers.

It’s just for today. I’m not even saying I’m like a big fan. Not one of my favorites.

What’s one of your favorites?

I love Jordans. It’s not a step-out fashion designer shoe, but that’s my comfortable shoe.

Briana Mendez

Age: 25

Occupation: sales assistant, Genius

Tell me about your furry hat.

I got it at Urban Outfitters. I threw it on and I was like, “Damn, I look cute.”

Your hoops are ovular.

I got these at a beauty supply store in Chinatown. I was drawn to the shape. It’s like a little raindrop.

You mentioned that you are proud of your shirt.

It’s by a designer, Barragán, and he is a Mexican designer based in Brooklyn. I’m so proud to rep for my community, always. The chain comes with the shirt.

Destiny Rogers just stopped her entire entourage to compliment your shoes.

These are retro Jordans, limited-edition women’s. Women are taking up more space in street wear. They’re fuzzy. I don’t think this is real fur.

Something tells me it’s not.

And I wouldn’t want to wear an animal. I reminds me of a cute little panda.

Sahred From Source link Fashion and Style

from WordPress http://bit.ly/2R9Y7mx via IFTTT

[parkspring4-blog]

4th AVENUE IND STATION

I’ve explored the 4th Avenue IND station at 9th Street in Park Slope before for Forgotten New York, way back in 1999 when the station was almost in ruins. Since then, the station has been cleaned up considerably, but repairs have been carried out only halfway; the project must have run out of money, and surprisingly, there’s been very little news about its completion, and I’ve seen no outcry about it from local residents or politicians. I’ve always been interested in this unusual elevated station and its partner, the Smith-9th Street station, the next station to the west, because they are the only two elevated stations the IND constructed in the 1930s. 

One of my favorite subway websites is Vanshnookenraggen, the pseudonym of Andrew Lynch, who writes about a NYC subway system that never was, or one that never will be. Entries talk about subway lines that were never built; Lynch is also a cartographer, and produced detailed system maps of these “lost” systems. One was the IND Second System, which would have placed subways under 2nd Avenue in Manhattan, the northeast Bronx, southeast Queens, places they don’t go today and likely never will. Work actually got started, asome stations were built, but depression, war and new recessions happened; you know the rest.

Well, some sections of this Second System would have been elevated. What would an IND Elevated look like? For those unfamiliar with subway history, the IND was developed by NYC beginning in the 1920s to compete with the IRT (the number lines) and BMT (many of the letter lines) and had a much different design esthetic than the older lines; less ornamentation and mosaics, and a much more utilitarian look. It’s immediately apparent when you compare stations on the A/C/E and F lines, say, to the stations of the 4/5/6 train. As it happens, the 4th Avenue and Smith/9th Stations pointed the way to what prospective IND elevateds would have looked like–concrete-clad viaducts instead of iron pillars, for example.

The IND was built on two trunk lines in Manhattan on 6th and 8th Avenues, and forayed into the Bronx on the Grand Councourse, Queens on Queens Boulevard, and Brooklyn as far as Park Slope, where it originally ran as far as Church Avenue. Today’s A through G lines mostly run on tracks built for the Independent.

In 1940, the city purchased the IRT and BMT and “unified” the subway with the IND. Many more free transfers between lines were instituted, but it wasn’t really until two key connections between the BMT and IND were made at the Manhattan Bridge and in the East River tunnels in the 1960s that trains from the two old rivals could truly intermingle. Though there are plenty of free transfers to the IRT, because the cars and tunnels are narrower on the IRT (which was the “original” subway going back to 1904) there is no such intermingling of IRT cars on former BMT and IND lines to this day. True integration has never been accomplished.

The IND built just two elevated stations in Brooklyn in 1933, the tallest station in the system, Smith/9th (tall enough to let tall masted ships on the Gowanus Canal) to pass beneath it; and the Fourth Avenue station, lower because it is built just west of a tunnel entrance. There had been plans for the IND to build an elevated station that would connect the Roosevelt Avenue station in Queens with the Rockaways which would have been elevated in Glendale and Ridgewood, but the Depression and World War II canceled those plans; in 1956, the Transit Authority reached the Rockaways anyway by rehabbing a Long Island Rail Road trestle over Jamaica Bay that had burned in 1950, and then extending the A train over the former Fulton Street Elevated to meet it.

At the Fourth Avenue IND elevated station (opened July 1, 1933), the tracks are close to the ground, but still high enough to require bridging over the avenue. Engineers came up with a beautiful arch bridge with Art Deco accents. For the first few decades of its existence, the windows on the platforms were clear and allowed a view north to the Williamsburg Building and south toward Bay Ridge.

The windows on the arch bridge had been painted brown for many years, since at least the 1970s; I remember grime-caked windows you could see through as late as the Sixties. The MTA was tired of vandals graffiting and breaking them, so the agency just painted them opaque. Now and then, though, the paint flaked off and permitted a view.

For much of the last decade now the MTA has been rehabilitating the windows and has actually finished with the eastern set, but has installed an opaque covering on the windows, apparently so no one will think about breaking them. I’m not sure when, or if, the western set will reopen, and that set of windows remains covered by plywood.

Three of the original Art Deco-influenced pencil-shaped entrance signs remained in place through years of neglect, and were rehabilitated along with the rest of the station. Details on the arched bridge, as well as the brick viaduct between 3rd and 4th Avenues, also reflect Art Deco design elements.

If you’re not familiar with this area of Brooklyn, it may be a bit hard to believe, but the IND at this point quickly dives back underground, where it stays until it connects with the older Culver Line at Ditmas Avenue. The reason is geography: the land slopes sharply upward here (the Slope in Park Slope).

Why elevate two stations in the first place? It was considered more architecturally sound to elevate the subway over the then-busy Gowanus Canal rather than tunnel under it. As a product of that construction, the Smith-9th St. station is the highest elevated station in NYC, rising more than 87 feet above the street. It takes two escalators to get up and down.

Heading in, 4th Avenue reflects the overall IND design formula: off-white glazed brick tiling with simple color tile informational and directional signage. A little-known IND design element held that all IND stations between express stations were tiled the same color, with the color changing at an express station. This rule holds true even here on this elevated stretch, as the Bergen, Carroll, Smith-9th, and Fourth Avenue stations are all tiled in light green. The color changes to yellow at the “express” center-platformed 7th Avenue station, with following stations all tiled yellow until the “express” Church Avenue station, which is maroon.

I’ve placed “express” in quotation marks because the F and G lines, which run here, feature no express service and haven’t, with the exception of local platforms being closed for trackwork, for decades. Recently, the express tracks on the Culver Viaduct, to which this line connects, were in use while the Metropolitan Transit Authority rehabbed several stations.

Prior to the subway unification in 1940, there were free transfers between the IND and IRT/BMT, but they were doled out sparingly. The 4th Avenue Line, Brooklyn’s first subway, opened in 1915 and connected to the Manhattan Bridge, but ran to the Chambers Street station. The tracks were only later connected to the Broadway BMT.

The presence of a “Coney Island” tile sign, pointing to the southbound platform, at the 4th Avenue IND is a puzzlement. In 1933, when the station was built, the end of the line was at Church Avenue, and the line was only connected to the Culver Viaduct on McDonald Avenue in 1954. It’s possible that the city planned to build out this line to Coney Island from the jump, and created the signs in anticipation. 

Subway historian Joe Brennan, in Comments:

A major purpose of the IND was to make company-owned elevated railways obsolete– consider Eighth Avenue, Sixth Avenue, Fulton Street, and planned routes like Second Avenue.

The “Coney Island” sign turned out to be very premature, but the IND plan from the start was to continue this route onto the “Culver” elevated over McDonald Avenue to Coney Island. The subway contracts had a provision to let the city “recapture” portions of route from the operating companies. Before 1940 the BMT company was operating the city-owned McDonald Avenue route from its company-owned old (1880s) Fifth Avenue El. The plan was to close that down and route the new subway onto the McDonald Avenue line instead. I do wonder where the Coney Island terminal was going to be, if the city had not bought out the entire BMT system.

The “B.M.T. subway” sign was not about a free transfer. If you changed trains there you paid another nickel. I think this passageway was one of the many free transfers created in 1948.

In the 1970s, the MTA hired a design firm called Unimark, and chief designer Massimo Vignelli, to standardize subway signage. After different colors and fonts were used for several years, black signs with white trim and Helvetica type were settled upon, and the MTA has been quite thorough, especially in the last 30 years, in rooting out earlier signage and sign designs, with many beautiful enamel signs in a variety of fonts and colors eliminated. In the IND, in many cases the MTA has left the simply-worded tile signs in place, but placed somewhat redundant modern signs next to them.

The northbound platform of the station has gotten, thus far, the deluxe treatment with the rehabbed panels. The windows are now glazed polyurethane and aren’t opaque, though they do allow sun rays to streak onto the platform. Combined with the metal “ribs” of the superstructure, the effect is unique in the entire subway system.

At sunset, the colors are diffused into works of art.

It has to be emphasized that the “panorama” only exists on a short stretch of the northbound platform. The rest of it is a brick wall with filled-in windows, which were also originally glass but the city decided to simply cover them over rather than constantly replace the glass after angry vandals continued to break them. 

The Statue of Liberty can be clearly glimpsed from the west end of the platform, and through subway windows as it makes the curve on the viaduct west of the Smith-9th Street station. If you use a zoom lens you can obtain a good photo of the station through the ribs of the viaduct that spans 3rd Avenue.

The Fourth Avenue station is one of the subways’ unremarked-upon masterpieces. However, the city does not apparently have the money or the inclination to complete its excellent rehabilitation work to include the southbound set of picture windows over 4th Avenue, and that’s shame.

Please help contribute to a new Forgotten NY website

Check out the ForgottenBook, take a look at the gift shop, and as always, “comment…as you see fit.”

11/18/18

Source: http://forgotten-ny.com/2018/11/4th-avenue-ind-station/

[wineanddinosaur]

10 of the Best Barrel-Aged Gins You Can Buy Right Now

Barrel aging gin is nearly as old as the spirit itself. The slightly unusual practice dates back to the late 18th century, when oak casks were used to store and transport the juniper-infused spirit.

In recent years, a number of small-production American distillers have quietly spearheaded a mini barrel-aged revival. Each has its own interpretation of the style, and with so many variables within the production process — from base spirit, to botanicals, to oak contact — no two barrel-aged gins are the same.

This makes figuring out how to use barrel-aged gins difficult, but ensures the category is diverse and versatile, as VinePair recently found out after blind-tasting more than 20 varieties.

From aromatic, lightly honey-hued gins, to dark amber bottlings that could easily be mistaken for bourbon or Scotch, the category offers something for every palate. Here are 10 of our favorites.

New York Distilling Company Chief Gowanus

New York Distilling Company takes unaged, double-distilled rye whiskey and then distills it a third time along with juniper berries and Cluster hops. The spirit then rests for three months in oak barrels, giving it a faint, tea-stained hue. The result is an intensely aromatic gin that’s unlike anything we’ve  sampled before. Juniper, bergamot, and citrus peel aromas dominate, with subtler notes of fennel seeds and licorice. The light barrel influence is more apparent on the palate, where there are flavors of baking spices and Earl Grey tea. Mix with sweet vermouth, Curuçao, and a dash of bitters for an intriguing Martinez. Average Price: $42.

Big Gin Peat Barreled

Big Gin’s Peat Barreled spirit ages for just four months in single-malt casks, meaning the wood’s influence is much lighter (in both color and aromas and flavors) than many others in the category. The smoky influence from the peated barrels is barely apparent on the nose, though there is a surprising depth of vanilla and sweet baking spice aromas from the oak. The palate is well-rounded and creamy and tinged with anise, fennel, and licorice. The lasting finish is ever-so-slightly reminiscent of a peated single malt. Serve in a 50:50 Martini with high-quality vermouth in a Maraschino-liqueur-washed coupe glass. Average Price: $36.

Citadelle Réserve

Nuanced, delicate, and luxurious, Citadelle Réserve smells like it was concocted in a high-end perfumerie rather than a distillery. The French producer adds yuzu, genepi, and bleuet to its “Original” bottling, and rests the gin for a period of five months in five different types of wood (acacia, mulberry, cherry, chestnut, and French oak). Each lot is then blended in an eight-foot-tall, egg-shaped wooden barrel. Despite this heavy oak influence, the gin remains delicate. Its nose is rich in botanicals, including lavender, orange blossom, green tea, and blanched almonds. This is an ideal Martini gin — chill it, mix it 15:1 (the “Montgomery” ratio) with a dry French vermouth, and serve with lemon twist. Average Price: $39.

New Riff Distilling Kentucky Wild Gin Bourbon Barreled

New Riff ages this gin for five to seven months in freshly used bourbon barrels. This adds a pronounced vanilla character, which mixes with the spirit’s strong juniper, caraway seeds, and cedarwood aromas. The palate is consistent with the nose, with added flavors of fresh celery. Use in a zesty G&T with lots of lime. Average Price: $33.

GrandTen Distilling Wire Works Special Reserve

Garden herbs provide the predominant aromas in this gin, with basil, rosemary, mint, and sage seasoned with a touch of sweet baking spices. Double down on the gin’s herbal character by mixing with a very light tonic and handfuls of fresh basil and mint, or mix it with Lillet Blanc and Suze to highlight its sweet notes in a White Negroni. Average Price: $33.

Few Spirits Barrel Gin

Aged by the Chicago distillery for 18 months in new American oak barrels, this gin is complex and confusing — in a good way. To the eye, it looks like a classic brown spirit, but pour a measure and you’ll be met with intense aromas of fresh herbs, coriander seeds, citrus peel, and orange blossom. Only on the palate does it start to resemble a dark spirit, with baking spice notes, pepper, and candied ginger all present. Sip it on the rocks or neat, or use in a classic Negroni. Average Price: $48.

Falcon Spirits Botanica Spirtus Barrel Finished Gin

Falcon Spirits distills wine into a brandy base before infusing the spirit with botanicals like juniper, vanilla, lemon verbena, and galangal. The spirit then ages for a minimum of eight months in new French oak before it’s blended with a small amount of gin that’s aged for a shorter period. The rich honey color is slightly misleading, as the juniper-heavy palate makes it taste similar to a traditional gin. Mix with a healthy squeeze of lemon and top with tonic for a well-balanced G&T. Average Price $52.

Ransom Spirits Old Tom Gin

Ransom Spirits developed the recipe for this “historically accurate” Old Tom Gin with historian, author, and all-round cocktail guru David Wondrich. The Oregon distiller produces its base spirit from a corn and barley mash bill, then ages it for six to 12 months in used French oak wine barrels. The barley comes through on the nose and the palate, mixing with juniper, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. This is an ideal gin for a Negroni or a Martinez. Average Price: $39

Breuckelen Distilling Company Glorious Gin: Oaked

An experimental release from an independent Brooklyn distiller, this gin has a light amber hue from a period of aging in American oak barrels. It’s aromatically intriguing, with a strong scent of menthol and sweet lemon curd followed by vanilla bean and creamy white chocolate on the palate. A lovely sipping gin, this spirit would also work well in a Negroni or an Old Fashioned. Average Price: $48.

KOVAL Barreled Gin

For this small-batch, organic release, Chicago distiller Koval ages its dry gin for six months in barrels that previously held whiskey. The nose exudes juniper, coriander, and cedar, while its palate is rich in vanilla, malt, and cookie flavors, making it a bonafide gin/dark spirit hybrid. Sip this neat, on the rocks, or in an Old Fashioned. Average Price: $50.

The article 10 of the Best Barrel-Aged Gins You Can Buy Right Now appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/buy-this-booze/10-best-barrel-aged-gins-2019/

[usnewsaggregator-blog]

New York Today: New York Today: Finding the Perfect Tree

New Post has been published on http://usnewsaggregator.com/new-york-today-new-york-today-finding-the-perfect-tree/

New York Today: New York Today: Finding the Perfect Tree

Photo

The holiday season is here. Credit Victor J. Blue for The New York Times

Good morning on this seasonable Friday.

As you figure out what to do with your Thanksgiving leftovers, it’s time for many New Yorkers to begin preparing for the next holiday season.

Buying the perfect Christmas tree for a tiny studio apartment or a spacious living room can feel overwhelming. So we sat down with veterans in the business to collect the best tree-hunting tips.

What tree should you buy?

The most popular tree you’ll see being sold on New York sidewalks is the Frasier Fir. This bushy evergreen has a mild, aromatic scent. “It has the least amount of needle fall, which people appreciate,” Scott Lechner, the manager of SoHo Trees, said.

The Balsam Fir is well known for its strong and spacious branches, which makes it a perfect tree for ornamentations. It’s also one of the most aromatic species. “They’re more Rockwellian, more traditional, more Americana,” Mr. Lechner said.

Continue reading the main story

The Noble Fir is the “Cadillac of Christmas trees,” according to Greg Walsh, owner of Greg’s Trees. These regal evergreens are mostly shipped from the Northwest, which makes them pricier than other trees.

Continue reading the main story

Continue reading the main story

The Nordmann Fir, vendors said, is the rarest and most expensive of all Christmas trees. Originally from the Caucus Mountains, the Nordmann Fir is known for its attractive foliage and silver hue. “It’s the most elegant of Christmas trees,” Mr. Lechner said.

What’s a good price for a Christmas tree?

Average prices range from about $35 to $200.

Prices primarily vary according to the size of the tree. (The most common size for New York apartments is 5 to 6 feet tall.)

Trees shipped from the Northwest Pacific states and Canada tend to be more expensive because of high shipping costs.

And like city real estate, location matters. Sellers adjust their prices for the neighborhood they’re selling in — places like SoHo and Williamsburg tend to have pricier trees.

But you can negotiate. Vendors said it’s part of the tradition, and they’ll help you find a tree that fits your budget.

Where can you buy a Christmas tree?

Garden stores, sidewalk vendors, and supermarkets and big-box stores, like Whole Foods and Home Depot.

There are also 18 designated parks and playgrounds with vendors — like Washington Market Park in Manhattan and McCarren Park in Brooklyn.

Continue reading the main story

And you can buy trees online.

Where do Christmas trees come from?

Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan and Pennsylvania harvest the most Christmas trees in the nation. Frasier Firs sold in New York are mostly shipped from North Carolina, while Douglas Firs are largely from Pennsylvania, sellers said. High-quality sellers in New York said they also ship their trees from Canada, especially from the Beauce region near Quebec.

Here’s what else is happening:

Weather

= c_phrase

= temp °= temp_unit = c_high ° = c_low °

With a high near 50, it’s like the weather knows it’s time for sidewalk shopping. Now all you need is some hot cider.

Be sure to look up from your phone or shopping bags this Black Friday and appreciate the clear skies and crisp fall temperature. Saturday is looking to be even nicer, with a high in the mid-50s. Then things will cool a bit on Sunday.

In the News

• Security was prominent at this years Thanksgiving Day parade, but paradegoers seemed to mostly focus on the balloons and floats passing by. [New York Times]

Photo

The singing Christmas tree float, a new addition to this year’s parade. Credit Vincent Tullo for The New York Times

• Despite losing their homes to a fire that ripped through an apartment building in Upper Manhattan, dozens of families joined together for a Thanksgiving dinner. [New York Times]

• The Trump SoHo hotel, struggling financially, is dropping the president’s name. On a recent night, some guests embraced the brand, while others were simply there for a cheap room. [New York Times]

• A man from Sudan’s dream to move to the United States came true when he obtained a visa and settled into Brooklyn. Now he dreams of one day reuniting with the wife he left behind. [New York Times]

• After spending 28 years in prison, a Connecticut man was freed the day before Thanksgiving when he entered an Alford plea: pleading guilty to lesser charges without admitting guilt. [New York Times]

Photo

Leroy Harris, left, greeted his sister and niece outside New Haven Correctional Facility. Credit Jessica Hill for The New York Times

• The former congressman Maurice D. Hinchey, who built a reputation as a champion of environmental advocacy and blue-collar workers, died at 79. [New York Times]

Continue reading the main story

• Meet the two men who are competing for what may be the most coveted job on Wall Street: running Goldman Sachs. [New York Times]

• Nickelodeon’s relentlessly cheerful animated character, SpongeBob SquarePants, has made his Broadway debut with a $20 million musical that “explodes off the stage.” [New York Times]

• The New York Police Department named Terence Monahan the new chief of department. [New York Post]

• In a class-action suit filed against the city, a family living in New York City Housing Authority units claim their child’s health was damaged as a result of lead-poisoned water. [NBC New York]

• Today’s Metropolitan Diary: “The Cranky Fishmonger”

• For a global look at what’s happening, see Your Morning Briefing.

Coming Up Today

• Burn off that turkey with guided hikes through Alley Pond Park in Queens, Central Park in Manhattan, Willowbrook Park on Staten Island, Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx and Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Times vary. [Free]

• Join the National Park Service and Lower Manhattan Historical Association to celebrate the end of the American Revolution, with a parade, performances and more at Federal Hall and Evacuation Plaza. 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. [Free]

• George Balanchine’s “The Nutcracker” returns for the season with performances by the New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center, through Dec. 31. 8 p.m. [Ticket prices vary]

Continue reading the main story

• Laugh off your Thanksgiving leftovers at “Decorative Soap: The Truth is in the Turkey,” a soap opera-themed comedy show at the Peoples Improv Theater Loft in Chelsea. 9 p.m. [$7]

• Nets host Trail Blazers, noon. (YES). Islanders at Flyers, 4 p.m. (MSG+). Devils host Canucks, 7 p.m. (MSG+). Rangers host Red Wings, 7 p.m. (MSG 2). Knicks at Hawks, 7:30 p.m. (MSG).

• Alternate-side parking remains in effect until Dec. 8.

• Weekend travel hassles: Check subway disruptions and a list of street closings.

The Weekend

Saturday

• Check out the Holiday Train Show, a display of model locomotives zipping through famous city landmarks, at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. [Prices vary]

• The Brooklyn Holiday Bazaar brings local vendors, food and drink, live music and activities to 501 Union and the Green Building in Gowanus, Brooklyn. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., through Sunday. [Free admission]

• Take a Thanksgiving kitchen tour, where you can learn about colonial cuisine while tasting some old-world recipes, at Historic Richmond Town on Staten Island. 1 to 5 p.m., through Sunday. [$8]

• See the musician and singer Oscar D’León, “El Gigante De La Salsa,” in a concert at the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts in the Bronx. 8 p.m. [Tickets start at $50]

• Islanders at Senators, 7 p.m. (MSG+). Devils at Red Wings, 7 p.m. (MSG+2). Knicks at Rockets, 8 p.m. (MSG).

Continue reading the main story

Sunday

• Children can jam out to the music of Bob Marley during a family-friendly concert at Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg. 11:30 a.m. [$12]

• A choir and symphony orchestra perform “Messiah…Refreshed,” a modern take on Handel’s “Messiah,” at Carnegie Hall in Midtown Manhattan. 2 p.m. [Ticket prices vary]

• … And the New York Eastern Symphonic Orchestra plays a concert celebrating Albanian Independence Day at St. George Theatre on Staten Island. 7 p.m. [Tickets start at $50]

• Looking ahead: On Wednesday, TimesTalks hosts an advance screening of “I, Tonya,” a film about the scandalous American figure skater Tonya Harding, followed by a conversation with the actor Margot Robbie and director Craig Gillespie.

• Jets host Panthers, 1 p.m. (FOX). Rangers host Canucks, 2 p.m. (MSG). Nets at Grizzlies, 6 p.m. (YES).

• For more events, see The New York Times’s Arts & Entertainment guide.

And Finally…

Photo

A Manhattan tree market in 1903. Credit via Library of Congress

How did Christmas trees first pop-up on New York City sidewalks?

It is long believed that a woodsman from the Catskills by the name of Mark Carr was the first to sell Christmas trees in New York ��� in 1851. A couple of weeks before Christmas Day that year, Mr. Carr loaded two ox sleds with “thrifty young firs and spruces” and headed for the city, according to an 1878 New York Daily Tribune article.

He paid a silver dollar for the right to sell his lot of trees on a strip of sidewalk at Vesey and Greenwich Streets in TriBeCa. His evergreens quickly sold out. He returned the next year and other peddlers followed his lead, establishing the prosperous holiday sidewalk tree industry.

Continue reading the main story

By 1880, more than 200,000 trees were being shipped to New York each year.

In the 1930s, the former Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia, seeking to reduce street peddling, established regulations that would require vendors to apply for selling permits. After much public outcry, the City Council in 1938 adopted what has been called the “coniferous tree exception,” which allows vendors to sell and display Christmas trees on a sidewalk without a permit in December as long as they have the permission of owners fronting the sidewalk and keep a corridor open for pedestrians.

The rule has brought flocks of vendors from across the country and the pleasant smell of pine trees to New York City ever since.

New York Today is a morning roundup that is published weekdays at 6 a.m. If you don’t get it in your inbox already, you can sign up to receive it by email here.

For updates throughout the day, like us on Facebook.

What would you like to see here to start your day? Post a comment, email us at nytoday@nytimes.com, or reach us via Twitter using #NYToday.

Follow the New York Today columnists, Alexandra Levine and Jonathan Wolfe, on Twitter.

You can find the latest New York Today at nytoday.com.

Continue reading the main story

Original Article:

Click here

[nyfacurrent]

Event | ArtW Global Commemorates the Fifth Anniversary of Hurricane Sandy with WATERSHED Red Hook

NYFA will participate in the large-scale public art project and public forum, taking place on October 26 and 28, 2017, in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

On October 26 and 28 at Red Hook Library, The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) will participate in WATERSHED Red Hook, a large-scale public art project and public forum presented by ArtW Global in commemoration of the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Sandy and in collaboration with The Fifth Avenue Committee’s “Turning the Tide Environmental Justice Initiative,” a community-based collaboration for New York City Housing Authority residents who live in the Gowanus and Red Hook Houses. WATERSHED Red Hook will raise awareness and continue community dialogues regarding the climate change realities of the watershed, waterfront, and mixed-use community of Red Hook, Brooklyn.

The public art project will be realized by internationally-recognized, Brooklyn-based NYFA affiliated artist Anita Glesta on the sidewalk outside of Red Hook Library (7 Wolcott Street at Dwight Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn 11231) on Thursday, October 26 from 6:00 PM - 9:30 PM (Rain Date: Saturday, October 28, 6:00 PM - 9:30 PM). The site-specific work will transform the sidewalk of the library into a virtual seascape, where viewers are brought into dialogue with each other and their surroundings.

In tandem, speakers including Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Glesta, NYFA Executive Director Michael L. Royce, and NYFA Board Member and ArtW Global Founder Marjorie W. Martay will deliver short remarks around climate change from various community-centric perspectives inside the library on Thursday, October 26 from 6:00 - 8:00 PM. Deputy Brooklyn Borough President Diana Reyna, NYFA Board Chair Judith K. Brodsky, community advocates, and design and sustainability experts will continue the conversation in a round table discussion at the library, led by Alexandros Washburn, Founding Director of the Center for Coastal Resilience and Urban Xcellence (CRUX) at Stevens Institute of Technology, on Saturday, October 28 from 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM. From 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM, ROODGALLERY (373 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn 11231) will present an exhibition of Glesta’s prints, drawings, and a projection of WATERSHED (on through November 4). All events are free and open to the public (more below).

“Red Hook has felt the devastation of Superstorm Sandy, and the succession of hurricanes across the Caribbean and the Southeast United States reminds us that the ‘new normal’ is the unprecedented destruction wrought by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria,” said Glesta, a third-generation Brooklynite. “My goal in creating WATERSHED is to create a conversation that inspires action to help mitigate the effects of future storms in affected communities like Red Hook,” she added.

Glesta, a 2002 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow in Architecture/Environmental Structures and 9/11 New York Arts Recovery Fund recipient (administered by NYFA) whose work has been Fiscally Sponsored through NYFA, is informed by the physical properties of a site, as well as by its traces of human history. Her realized works encompass numerous artistic approaches, from object-making to time-based installation sculpture and digital works, including the creation of mediascapes and actual landscapes. Glesta’s Red Hook installation is a continuation of her WATERSHED series, a public art/public space initiative that highlights how climate change is impacting peoples’ lives in intimate ways. In September 2015, WATERSHED was projected onto the face of the National Theatre in London, England, and in April 2016, WATERSHED was viewed as an immersive video production covering the entire floor of the lobby of the New York Customs House on Ellis Island.

Since 1971, NYFA has provided working artists and emerging arts organizations with the concrete resources that they need to survive. After Hurricane Sandy, NYFA administered a Hurricane Sandy Emergency Relief Fund for individual artists that was supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, and the Lambent Foundation. The vast majority of grants ranged from $1,000 to $5,000 and were meant to assist artists who experienced damage or loss as a result of the hurricane.

Title: WATERSHED at Red Hook Library Date and Time: Thursday, October 26, 6:00 PM - 9:30 PM Rain Date: Saturday, October 28, 6:00 PM - 9:30 PM Location: 7 Wolcott Street at Dwight Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 Cost: Free and open to the public About: Debut of public art project by internationally-recognized, Brooklyn-based NYFA affiliated artist Anita Glesta. The site-specific work will transform the sidewalk outside the library into a virtual seascape where viewers are brought into dialogue with each other and their surroundings.

Title: Opening Remarks at Red Hook Library Date and Time: Thursday, October 26, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Location: 7 Wolcott Street at Dwight Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 Cost: Free and open to the public Participants:

Eric Adams, Brooklyn Borough President

Karen Blondel, Fifth Avenue Committee, T3 Turning the Tide Environmental Justice Community Organizer

Brian Filiatraut, Director of Sustainability, Poly Prep Country Day

Anita Glesta, NYFA Affiliated Artist

William Kenworthey, Principal, Region Head of Planning, HOK

Marjorie W. Martay, NYFA Board Member and Founder/Director ArtW Global

Carlos Menchaca, City Councilman District 38

Michael L. Royce, Executive Director, NYFA

Carolina Salguero, Founder/Director, PortSide NewYork

Alexandros Washburn, Founding Director of the Center for Coastal Resilience and Urban Xcellence (CRUX) at Stevens Institute of Technology

Dan Wiley, Community Coordinator, Office of Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez

Title: Round Table Discussion at Red Hook Library Date and Time: Saturday, October 28, 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM Location: 7 Wolcott Street at Dwight Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 Cost: Free and open to the public Participants:

Moderated by Alexandros Washburn, Founding Director of the Center for Coastal Resilience and Urban Xcellence (CRUX) at Stevens Institute of Technology

Karen Blondel, Fifth Avenue Committee, T3 Turning the Tide Environmental Justice Community Organizer

Judith K. Brodsky, Chairperson, NYFA

Ann Goodman, Author, Adapting to Change: The Business of Climate Resilience

Vlada Kenniff, Director of Sustainability Programs, NYCHA

William Kenworthey, Principal, Region Head of Planning, HOK

Dana Kochnower, Community Outreach and Senior Policy Advisor, NYC Mayor’s Office of Recovery and Resilience

Paul Mankiewicz, Visiting Associate Professor, Pratt Institute, and Executive Director of the Gaia Institute      

Carlos Menchaca, City Councilman District 38

Thaddeus Pawlowski, Associate Urban Designer for the Office of Chief Urban Designer of the City of New York, Department of City Planning

Diana Reyna, Deputy Brooklyn Borough President

Carolina Salguero, Founder/Director, PortSide NewYork

Aaron Scheinwald, Coordinating Attorney – Storm Response Unit, New York Legal Assistance Group (NLAG)

Dan Wiley, Community Coordinator, Office of Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez

Jason E. Smerdon, Associate Research Professor, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

Title: WATERSHED at ROODGALLERY Date and Time: Saturday, October 28, 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM Location: 373 Van Brunt Street, Brooklyn 11231 Cost: Free and open to the public About: ROODGALLERY will present an expanded look at Glesta’s WATERSHED series by exhibiting prints, drawings, and a projection from the project. The exhibition will be on view through November 4, 2017 (gallery hours by appointment).

Sign up for NYFA’s bi-weekly newsletter, NYFA News, to receive announcements about future NYFA events and programs.

Images from top: Still from Anita Glesta’s WATERSHED installation at New York Customs House on Ellis Island, April 2016; Rendering of Anita Glesta’s forthcoming WATERSHED installation at Red Hook Library; and still from Anita Glesta’s WATERSHED installation at New York Customs House on Ellis Island, April 2016

[usanewstoday-blog]

‘OJ: Made in America’ Is Longest-Ever Oscar-Winning Movie

‘OJ: Made in America’ Is Longest-Ever Oscar-Winning Movie

“O.J.: Made in America” broke a record at the 89th Academy Awards on Sunday night as it won the Oscar in the Best Documentary Feature category — it is now the longest ever film to win an Oscar. According to the New York Times, the then-Soviet Union film “War and Peace” was the previous record-holder at 7 hours, 11 minutes (431 minutes), which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film…