tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86711505933521051972024-03-04T21:49:52.472-08:00Good Gone Grad Girl Here are a few projects I worked on while pursuing my MA in journalism at NYU. Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671150593352105197.post-42586239532155425242016-02-09T16:00:00.000-08:002016-02-09T16:00:08.144-08:00Cat Cafés Are Clawing Their Way Into New Yorkers’ Hearts<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Ah-choo!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">My hand
automatically shoots up to cover my mouth. I knew when I came here this would
happen, but I just couldn’t resist. I take another swig of my coffee to release
the swelling in my throat. I’m sitting on the floor at Koneko (con-neh-co), a
brand new cat café in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. I’m playing with
Thomas, a sandy-colored tabby who is enthralled with the bright red string I’m
waving around his whiskered face. Little does he know, I’m having as much fun
as he is. But he’s not the only one watching the action. When I get up, I
almost step on another cat right behind me, nearly spilling my cappuccino.
They’re all around me, cuddling with visitors or lounging on shelves and bean
bags, purr-fectly at ease.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">From the
outside looking in, Koneko seems like an ordinary café—a glass display case
shows off an assortment of goodies, chairs and tables are filled with
customers, and a menu on a wall lists what you can order. It’s only when you
walk towards the back that you realize this café is special.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Koneko,
which takes its name from the Japanese word for “kitten,” claims to be the
first authentic Japanese-style cat café in America. A bonsai tree decorates the
counter by the cash register, a maneki-neko, or “beckoning cat” (a figurine
that is a symbol of luck and good fortune) sits on a shelf overlooking the
bistro, pictures of cats line the walls, matcha pops up on the menu and, oh
yeah, there’s a room in the back full of furry felines looking for playmates.
You can either choose to come in and eat, or pay $15 an hour to spend some time
with the kitties, with the option to bring in your food from the café. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">But, there is a big
reason why Koneko is different from cat cafés found in Japan—all the 15 cats at
Koneko are adoptable. In Japan, the cats are usually purebred and belong to the
café. At Koneko, the long and short-haired domestic cats come from rescue
organizations in the city, many of which <span style="color: black;">were pulled
from “at risk” lists, lists of cats scheduled to be euthanized. The café
provides second chances for the felines to find a nice home. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Cat
cafés didn’t exist in New York two years ago, and now their popularity is
climbing, allowing more cats to get the second chances they deserve. In fact,
you can say the trend is fur-balling—within the past year, three cat cafés have
landed on their feet in New York City, and Koneko is already the second one to
hit the Lower East Side. Meow Parlour was the first to debut in New York in
December 2014, but will now have to share ownership of LES (and cats can be
very territorial!). Recently, Brooklyn had a two-month long pop-up cat café
called The Cat’s Meow and SoHo will soon be the home of a permanent one called
Little Lions. Like every cat, each one has their own personality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The glass door swings open and in comes Benjamin Kalb, owner of Koneko,
in his mandatory slippers for the cats’ domain, what he likes to call the
“cattery.” <span style="color: black;">It’s the room in the back of the café that
is separated from the rest by a glass wall. </span>He is tall and skinny with a
head of dark hair and his brown, long-sleeved sweater hangs loose on him as he
pets his favorite little tenant. It’s the beginning of November, his business
has been open for half a week and he’s as alert as the cats, constantly looking
up to check the door for incoming customers. He doesn’t have to be too worried;
the business looks like it’s off to a good start. About eight people are in the
cattery with us and cats, usually aged between one and three, are giving them
permission to rub their bellies. Outside the glass room, customers are enjoying
their snacks and every once in a while, people will come up to the glass wall
and look longingly into the cattery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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“People sometimes walk by and see that we have artwork
related to cats on the wall and they seem to believe that it’s a cat-themed
café,” Kalb says, “and then they come in and look around and realize that we
have adoptable, real cats here.”</div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Indeed,
for Kalb, it’s all about creating a haven for cats and cat people. “The space
is for them, we’re just visitors,” he says. From the tip jar to the litter box,
the whole café pays homage to the four-legged feline. In the “catio,” a garden
for the cats, San Francisco street artist Tim Diet painted a mural that depicts
lovable cartoon cats like Garfield and Hello Kitty. In the cattery, there are
ramps and toys for the kitties, and soothing Japanese songs and the new <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Felines of New York</i> book for the humans.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Kalb
first got the idea to open a cat cafe after travelling to Japan for the first
time two years ago, before the trend came to America. While there, he visited
Calico, one of the most popular cat cafés in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo.
“It’s two floors, massive, they have maybe 50 cats,” he says, “And it’s just
amazing. Everyone was smiling. After I left and digested a little bit I was
like, why was there nothing similar to this in New York?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">____________</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Like Kalb, I
travelled through Tokyo two years ago and had my first experience at a cat café.
I was eager to check one out for myself. After all, it was brand new to me,
unlike anything there was back home. I arrived in Tokyo in the springtime when
all the pink cherry blossoms were in bloom. As I walked through the
astonishingly clean streets of the neighborhood of Akihabara, I passed the maid
cafés and the anime cafés to get to the cutest ones—the ones dedicated to furry
obsessions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">I came upon a cat
café called Neko JaLaLa. The windows were plastered with pictures of cats and
the tiny space was already packed to capacity with people. I had to come back
in 30 minutes to be allowed in. The place was just big enough to have
bookshelves, chairs, and around 15 cats running around the carpet pressing
their noses to visitors’ knees. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">At the café, I was
given a laminated rule book to read before entering the play area. Like the
American versions, you are not allowed to pick up or wake up any of the cats.
However, the rules concerning food are more lenient. At Neko JaLaLa you can pay
to feed the cats tuna and other treats, but some people take the liberty too
far. I watched as a man poured a can of beer into a bowl for a fuzzy black cat
to drink, and the cat took no time at all to guzzle it all down. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">American cat cafés
function differently than most of their Japanese counterparts, mostly when it
comes to health codes regarding food. This is why the trend has taken so long
to reach New York. After all, the café is half of the design. <span style="color: black;">At Koneko you can find green tea cheesecakes, matcha
lattes, pocky, and Japanese beer and sake. Meow Parlour is known for their
macaroons and cat-shaped cookies and Little Lions, the upcoming SoHo cat café,
will have a light food menu with items like scones and tea. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">But, having food and cats in the same space can be challenging,
especially when dealing with New York City’s Health Department. <span style="color: black;">There are a lot of things they have to comply with when
thinking about the cats’ health as well as the humans’. Even though people can
bring in food and drinks into all the cafés, drinks have to be kept on coasters
and if food is left unattended, it must be covered. They also go through
extensive cleaning regiments. For example, Koneko is closed every Tuesday so
that the cattery can be properly cleaned.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">With her
black cat slippers and bright cat shirt, Maria Catoni runs her hands down a
white cat’s back as she instructs a boy and girl not to pet the cats when they
are playing with mice-shaped toys. She’s one of the cattery guides at Koneko,
and knows her cat. Even though she works full time during the week as a graphic
designer, she’s here on the weekends because she simply can’t get enough cats. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“We
can’t handle food. That’s a huge health code violation right there. Like that
cup of coffee,” she points to a cup on a shelf and says, “I can’t touch it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The
cleanliness is especially essential for anyone with cat allergies (like yours
truly). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“I love cats, but
unfortunately I’m allergic,” says Andrew Linn as he hesitantly brushes his
fingers along the back of a orange cat lying on a red beanbag at Koneko.<span style="color: black;"> There is a motive behind why Linn </span>and his
girlfriend Jennifer Arbusc are visiting. “I’m hoping that the more times he
comes here, the more used to the dander he’ll get,” Arbusc says, “So maybe
he’ll build up an immunity.” <span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Moreover,
the space itself matters. When Meow Parlour opened last year, it had no choice
but to be split up into two different sections. One building houses the cats,
and the other is around the corner and sells the baked goods that workers then
deliver to the cat location. “The health department told us we couldn’t open
unless the food was kept separate from the cats,” says Drew Kimmis, whose
official title is “Cat Whisperer” at Meow Parlour, where he works with rescue
groups on finding the best cats for the café. Nevertheless, now it seems that
the health department is coming around to the idea that animals can be in the
same vicinity as food, just as long as there’s a barrier that can be sealed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Little
Lions, the upcoming SoHo cat café, is having more luck with the health
department. When the “cat sanctuary” opens towards the beginning of January, it
will have a set up like Koneko’s where a visitor can get coffee and cats in one
space, with only a glass wall to divide the areas. Owner Erin McShane wants it
to feel cohesive, to feel “homey.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">It is now the end of
Koneko’s first week of being open and Kalb is pleased with business so far. He
is taking an order from a customer when he notices a man sitting in the corner
watching him. He has been there for a few minutes already. A briefcase sits on
the floor and a pad of paper lays on the table in front of him. As Kalb soon
finds out, the man is a health inspector making his surprise visit on behalf of
the city of New York. Although Kalb had already made an agreement with the
director of the health department a whole year before opening, that didn’t stop
this health inspector from closing down his café.<span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">_________<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">I’m on my hands and
knees with my back arched and tail in the air in my cat’s pose at Meow Parlour,
where a “Yoga and Kitties” class takes place two days a week. The class is
exactly as it sounds—a group of people coming together to do 45 minutes of
Vinyasa yoga with cats crawling between limbs and onto laps at various times of
the workout. It’s my first yoga class, and definitely my first yoga class with
cats. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Ok, now move from
your cat’s pose into your downward facing d-o-g pose,” instructor Victor Cotto
jokes, “We don’t say that word here.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Cotto is a temporary
yoga instructor at Meow Parlour and believes that cats and yoga make a perfect
combination. “Yoga is a practice of mindfulness, being aware of your body in
space,” he says, “And this environment, where there are free roaming cats
around, makes you aware of that.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">He intends the class
to be a bit playful and peaceful at the same time, so you don’t take yourself
too seriously on the mat. He says, “Sometimes you’ll have a cat creep up right
next to you and snuggle. That’s really a soothing and calming thing when you
are in your final resting pose.” Peaceful is right—most of the cats around me
are sleeping, rolled up in corners of the café.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Now I’m in a warrior
pose and my thighs are starting to hurt, making me wish I was one of the cats
dozing off somewhere. Here it goes again… “Ah-choo!” Not one of the sleeping
cats flinch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Suddenly, two cats
start to fight right next to me. One is lying on a beanbag and clearly does not
want to give up his spot to the newcomer. The whole room becomes distracted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Cotto calls out the
felines, “Hey, that’s not very yogi-like of you.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">While cats can be
conniving and self-sufficient at times, they can also be a source of
relaxation. Sara Twist lives next to The Cat’s Meow, a pop-up cat café that is
now looking for a permanent space in Brooklyn. She has brought her daughter
Hero, 7, and her son River, 4, as well as their grandparents to check out the
cat café. It’s a new concept to them. Twist says that at first she didn’t
understand what it was, but after visiting The Cat’s Meow she gets it. “I love
to play with cats and this can satisfy my need.” Twist watches as her son plays
with a white cat, and says, “It’s also a great place to bring the kids to.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Unbeknownst
to many people, the first cat café actually opened in Taipei, Taiwan in 1998.
It was dubbed “Cat Flower Garden” and allowed café guests to pet kitties while
enjoying their tea and coffee. This new type of café quickly became a tourist
attraction and spread to Japan where the idea skyrocketed. They were the
perfect solution for citizens who were not allowed to keep pets in their
apartments. Today, Japan has over 150 cat cafés, with Tokyo alone claiming more
than 40. The first one in America was The Cat Town Café that opened in October
2014, in Oakland, California. It wasn’t soon after that Meow Parlour opened in
New York.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Kimmis of Meow
Parlour<span style="color: black;"> asserts that cat cafés are not meant to be
like a circus. “The most difficult thing to do,” he says, “is to manage
expectations. It’s hard to match that energy everyday. Sometimes [the cats]
aren’t in the mood to be affectionate with complete strangers.”</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Erin
McShane doesn’t want a circus—she is creating Little Lions because the
atmosphere would be comforting. “Some of this is selfish,” she admits. “I
wanted a place like Little Lions.” She already has three cats at home, and is
concerned with where her frenzy for cats might lead. “Without even having the
café open yet,” she jests, “I have already crossed over into cat lady
territory.” </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">_________</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Inside
the Manhattan Center of Animal Care and Control of NYC on a Thursday night is a
room full of 50 or so cats in cages that measure the length of the room. The
shelter closes in 15 minutes and these are the cats that will not be spending
the night with a new family. When a thin little kitten sees me, she stretches
and looks down from her miniature confine. Attached to her cage is a green
sheet of paper that displays her name: Dribble, and her status: stray. Her
temporary home is stacked upon others like Lincoln logs. She has a blanket, a
small toy and a tray of food and water, but that’s it. In the cage below hers,
a brown tabby cat is sleeping. Her name: Luigi; Status: Available. A tag pinned
to her data sheet reads, “I can go home today!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">For the
past 8 months, Christina Assainte has been working as an adoptions counselor at
this shelter. Her job is to match pets with homes, only it’s not that simple.
In one week, they can bring in over 100 cats, averaging 20 per day within the
five centers in New York, but they only succeed in making around 10-12
adoptions a day. Not to neglect the other animals, but it’s especially hard to
lower the numbers of cats in the shelters. The number easily outweighs dogs
because cats can breed in larger amounts. The cats that don’t get picked by
families go onto the euthanasia list. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Assainte
says that the rescue centers that the cat cafés partner with play a big role in
helping them make more adoptions happen. She says, “A fair amount of cats get
pulled from the list each day and they take them that same day.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The
focus is completely on adoption at The Cat’s Meow where Anne Levin works as a
volunteer. The Cat’s Meow is the only cat café in New York to be run by a
not-for-profit rescue organization, the Brooklyn Bridge Animal Welfare
Coalition. She says that since it is a nonprofit organization, it can house
cats who have special needs and put them up for adoption. For example, Bobble
is a kitty with </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">Cerebellar Hypoplasia, which gives her problems with fine
motor controls. Other occupants of the pop-up include a</span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> mother cat and her five kittens,
nicknamed Jackie and the Jackson Five, who are too young to be vaccinated and
so cannot be handled by people yet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“These cats wait in cages or foster
homes for years before being adopted,” Levin says. November 29<sup>th</sup> was
the last day the pop-up shop was open, but the group is determined to find a
permanent spot by January or February and are currently raising funds through
their Indiegogo crowdfunding site.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">So far,
Meow Parlour has made around 75 adoptions in the year it’s been open, but
Kimmis, says, “It’s more of a tourist attraction than anything else.” And,
tourists, he says, “Aren’t looking for cats.” So, Meow Parlour has been
starting to host more events such as the “Yoga and Kitties” class and comedy
showcases. If only they had access to Lil Bub, Grumpy Cat or another social
media cat personality. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Even if
you don’t come to adopt, heed the black sign above the sink in Koneko with a
quote from Sigmund Freud: “Time spent with cats is never wasted.”</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Although this trend
is still in it’s early stages, I predict that New Yorkers will see more cat
cafés clawing their way into the city. Not only are they entertaining tourist
attractions, but they also serve as calming places to relax, sanctuaries filled
with lattes and cat love.<span style="color: black;"> More importantly, they house
kitties that need that extra help to get adopted. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Plus,
cat cafés are popping up around the world already. There’s Lady Dinah’s Cat
Emporium in London, La Gatoteca in Madrid, Pee Pees Katzencafe in Berlin, and
Le Café des Chats in Paris, to name a few. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">While
the feline is still considered the finest and fiercest in Japan, Tokyo has
expanded the cat idea to incorporate other animal-filled cafés, including ones
with dogs, rabbits, owls, goats, and even snakes. It may not be too long before
New York City chases the bait. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Today
marks a month after Koneko opened and Benjamin Kalb is preparing to serve a
couple of lattes to new customers. It took a few conversations, but he has
settled everything with the health department after his café closed to the public
for only one night. Of his situation he says, </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“They had never seen anything like it before.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Right now he’s
excited about a visiting family who are thinking about adopting. So far, he has
made 6 adoptions happen and says there are several applications that have been
placed on other cats as well. He grins. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“Many people who go to shelters see cats at their worst—malnourished,
sick—and here,” Kalb says, “They’re calm and in a cat-friendly environment and
that allows for their personalities to shine, and I think ultimately entices
people to adopt the cats.”</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The
family consists of David Weiner and his daughter Sarah, 13, and son Zach, 11,
who are in the cattery looking for a cat that will be the right fit for their
family. As a freelance light designer, Weiner needs one that can mesh with his
hectic schedule. They have a few to choose from. It’s late afternoon and most
of the cats are doing what they do best and napping, but Dirty Hairy, Teddy,
Sammy Stripes, Buster, and Remy are alert and ready to play. Zach’s blond,
curly hair bounces around as he plays a round of “cat soccer” with the gray
tabby Buster and the white and orange Remy, a Japanese Bobtail. They will think
overnight about their choice, but they have narrowed it down to Buster and
Remy. One will become a member of their family. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671150593352105197.post-57760636999958052642016-02-09T15:46:00.000-08:002016-02-09T15:46:27.715-08:00ELLE: Creating Street Art With Gumption <div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Oh my god, you’re a girl!” A police
officer grabbed ELLE’s arm and twirled her away from a gate in Brooklyn she was
spray painting late at night. “What’s a girl like you doing graffiti?” he asked.
ELLE said nothing. He cuffed her, and with her conjoined hands in his, he
smiled and said, “I want to take you out to dinner,” but he wasn’t done. “We
can really have fun with these handcuffs….” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">It was ELLE’s
worst experience in her seven years of doing graffiti and street art, and she
has experienced quite a bit. Despite being chased by a man masturbating and
arrests in Manhattan, Brooklyn and San Francisco, she feels the consequences
for beautifying streets is worth it. Far from a mere tagger, ELLE has painted
billboards, installed pieces in the New Museum in New York and the Urban Nation
Museum in Berlin, collaborated with renowned graffiti photographer Martha
Cooper in a live exhibition, and has created art for big brands such as Guess,
Lyft, and Mishka. In 2015, she was even commissioned by IKEA to create a poster
now on sale worldwide. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Her art follows
her inside where it dons the walls in her “live-in studio” in Brooklyn. Paint
is splashed on the floor and a self-made wall blocks off the living room from
her stash of Liquitex spray paint and stores of personalized stickers. “I’m
definitely not getting my deposit back,” she says. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">As she lounges
on a couch in her studio, ELLE, in her upper 20s, reveals a softer, laidback
side that doesn’t come across on her website. Instead, a tough, intimidating
girl stares back at the camera. In order to protect her identity, she wears sunglasses,
masks and wigs in her photos and videos and doesn’t reveal her real name. “New
York has gotten really hard to get up in,” she says, “If you go out, you’re
pretty much in jail.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Here, away from
any law enforcement, her face is exposed and clean, but her outfit messy. She
wears a black tee with cutoff sleeves, ripped jeans spotted with residue from
her work, and chipped purple nails. It’s no surprise that her rings also spell
out her alias. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“If there’s
anything that would represent me as a person it would be this,” ELLE says as
she plays with a Swiss Army Knife she made into a necklace after discovering it
at a thrift store. She shows off the side with purple “bowling ball glitter.”
“It’s got a knife that is abstract and beautiful, but also hard and sharp,” she
says, “It’s me in a switchblade, like feminine and not at all at the same
time.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Just like her Swiss
Army Knife, ELLE uses a variety of tools to pull off her undercover graffiti
and commissioned pieces, mostly because she “just gets bored” with one style.
She uses fire extinguishers, rollers, stickers, spray paint, and silkscreens,
to fill the streets with thousands of her tags, murals, wheat pastes, and bus
shelter ad replacements that oftentimes feature people dressed in animal
costumes or her name in uppercase. On one wall of her studio is a bright,
multicolored life-sized drawing of herself, naked and covered in eyes. On top
of her head sits the head of a coyote—her “spirit animal.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">From the time
ELLE was young, she loved to create art, and growing up in the Bay Area with
her “gypsy family,” including two sisters and a brother, developed her love of
travel. She studied food science at the University of California, Davis, but
after a study abroad trip to Paris had her taking classes in the Louvre, she
switched her major to art. “I was like, ‘What am I doing? I don’t want to spend
the rest of my life in a basement,’” she said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Not long after,
she decided to move to a “closet” in New York. She felt uninspired, taking up
random jobs, until she found herself in Chelsea one day. It was not what was
inside the Chelsea galleries that stirred her artist spirit. Instead, she saw a
work of Gaia’s on the street, a big hog head with a man body wearing an argyle
sweater. She started experimenting with wheat pastes. She boiled wheat and
water and glued her first creations to walls in Brooklyn—rats with mohawks
fighting with laserguns. The day after her first “up” on a wall, the blog
“Brooklyn Street Art” put a picture of her work online.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">That was enough
to get her engaged in the street art scene. “At the time I didn’t have space to
be making art, so it was really a perfect place to be putting my work,” said
ELLE. Soon, she was making friends who were already “up” around Manhattan and
Brooklyn. She would often go out painting with Dick Chicken, Rambo, and Sey5.
Nevertheless, “the dudes” did not invite her to join a crew, so she decided to
make her own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">That’s when she
came up with her moniker—ELLE, meaning “she” in French. “I wanted to be the
obvious feminine one, because at first you think it’s all dudes, but the more
you learn, you realize there are women in it,” she said. G’ARMY, or Girlie
Army, was born, ELLE’s own crew. “The crew G’ARMY is less graffiti and all
kick-ass women that do really amazing things. We need support and it’s hard to
find,” she said. As photographer Martha Cooper said, </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">“Putting your name up is a powerful thing.”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bomit runs
Bomit.com, a sticker operation that sells to those looking to tag. He has known
ELLE since she first became a street artist, and recognizes the pressure she’s
up against as a female street artist. </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">“I
can say that it’s a heavily male-dominated game so it’s pretty amazing that she
has made such a big mark,” he says, “It takes a high level of courage,
perseverance, and determination.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">After all the
work ELLE has put in, she can finally live off the money she makes from her
art. Commissions are constantly rolling in. While she was in Iceland two weeks
ago, painting the streets of Reykjavik, Reebok commissioned her to design a
yoga pant and bra for next year. She gets creative freedom, but the sketch is
due soon. Also, thanks to her sponsor Liquitex, she can travel anywhere in the
world and free paint will be waiting. Mexico, Israel, Iceland and Malaysia are
a few of the countries where ELLE has literally left her mark, revamping the
streets around her. In the next few weeks she plans to paint the side of a
hotel, beautify a school, and put up some glow-in-the-dark ELLE posters for
Halloween. Eventually, she’d like to move to LA, have an outdoor studio, and
“get the fire extinguisher and make a mess.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">ELLE is in the
middle of a transition. As she is getting paid to do more murals and street
art, she is doing less illegal graffiti, but she’s fine with that. “There is
the whole culture of ‘oh, you’re selling out,’ but I don’t buy into that
because I just want to be making art,” she says, “If I can work with a company
that pays me for my art I don’t see a problem with that, and if people call
that selling out, that’s their problem.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">She’s also
considering another big change, one that could expose who she is—she might take
off her mask. “I’m doing more legal work and murals now,” she says, “It makes
less sense to be hiding my face.” Besides, she doesn’t want to continually run
from the police. “I don’t want to live in fear."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671150593352105197.post-27319229379242202612016-02-09T15:31:00.002-08:002016-02-09T15:31:15.624-08:00Watch Out Mr. Monopoly, It’s TV and Movies Turn <div class="MsoNormal">
It’s a Saturday night and a tiny store in Astoria, Queens is
packed with more than forty people huddled in groups, intently focused on
tables in front of them. Instead of gambling or playing pool and video games,
everyone is playing board games. But these aren’t your grandmother’s board
games—many of the classics like Clue, Monopoly, Risk, and LIFE have rolled the
dice and have come out with versions based on popular movies and TV shows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even in this specialized hole-in-the-wall where hardcore
board gamers unite to battle it out the old-fashioned way, many of them are
playing board games that reference popular culture. Tonight, a room favorite
seems to be the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star Wars</i> X-Wing
Miniatures Game, where fans can play with imperial fighters to complete
missions in a variety of scenarios. This petite shop is Geekery HQ, a heaven
for gamers that recently opened in September. Syrus Gabales, co-owner, mostly
sells board games that target a new generation of gamers. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Before, board games were very geeky,” Gabales says, “Now
more TV shows and movies are making them mainstream, driving everybody to this
new niche movement.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Board games have been around since the 1840s in America, but
they seem to be a trend today. On September 30<sup>th</sup>, Monopoly released
a new version of their 112-year-old game based on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Back to the Future</i> for the movie series’ 30<sup>th</sup>
anniversary. This past summer, Risk came out with a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Game of Thrones </i>edition of their classic and LIFE came out with an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Inside Out</i> version of theirs. In 2013,
Mrs. Peacock, Colonel Mustard, and the rest of the gang had to step aside for a
new edition of Clue featuring the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Big
Bang Theory</i> characters. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDjb9FtHDoT5Xsze_6BTdIV6hT5z0zQINJ2tGtc4wbiUsp2llr2-2p2scOiKQ-ORAhdUA_OtetiYIid0PYss3z2_p-n-oRsQnVWiegkGE5N_Ohj7YcX9z8Fc6O3rang6NhCYHjaCRgISo/s1600/61Bii3r6wlL._SL1200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDjb9FtHDoT5Xsze_6BTdIV6hT5z0zQINJ2tGtc4wbiUsp2llr2-2p2scOiKQ-ORAhdUA_OtetiYIid0PYss3z2_p-n-oRsQnVWiegkGE5N_Ohj7YcX9z8Fc6O3rang6NhCYHjaCRgISo/s640/61Bii3r6wlL._SL1200_.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ryan B. sits in the back of Geekery HQ and plays the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Stars Wars</i> board game with a new friend.
He has been playing board games since he was a kid and has noticed the shift in
the type of games and people playing them. “It definitely brings in a new
community,” he says. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This shift to traditional entertainment could mean that
millennials find it nice to unplug for entertainment. Yet, even in time away
from smartphones and laptops, consumers want to bring part of the digital world
with them. It appears that collecting $200 for passing GO doesn’t get old if
the board is infused with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Games of
Thrones</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star Wars </i>characters. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But just because the updated board games are exciting,
doesn’t mean they are necessarily better. John D. is an NYU dental student and
likes to come to Geekery HQ to unwind with a board game. “The designers have to
be very careful,” he warns, “People who are really familiar with games know
when a game doesn’t have good mechanics.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Across from John, Rolando Garcia nods in agreement. “I’d
rather play a better game, instead of my favorite brand,” he says as he makes
his next move. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671150593352105197.post-27119920478793707032016-02-09T15:27:00.002-08:002016-02-09T15:27:46.734-08:00TV Revivals Should Remain Unscheduled<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="261" src="//giphy.com/embed/SttwFKP4HkwKc" width="480"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://giphy.com/gifs/70s-that-show-90s-kid-SttwFKP4HkwKc">via GIPHY</a><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Nostalgia
is one thing that never gets old. There’s something satisfying about watching
reruns of TV shows, especially those from your first discovery of the
mesmerizing talking box. I admit, I’m not ashamed of knowing every line to all
ten seasons of <i>Friends</i> or laughing hysterically at an old episode of <i>The
Office </i>on Netflix. On the other hand, nostalgia should stop at revivals of
TV shows. Bringing a show back from the land of no ratings can easily tarnish
the reputation of a classic. That yearbook photo with you in braces and the
awful turtleneck should remain in the past just like your favorite TV shows. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Recently,
it seems that streaming services and channels want nothing more than to revisit
shows of yesterday, especially ones popular in the ’90s. Netflix is relying on
revivals for 2016, with family favorites <i>Full House </i>(1987-1995), <i>Gilmore
Girls </i>(2000-2007), and a fifth season of <i>Arrested Development </i>(2003-2006)<i>
</i>in the works. But the leader in streaming is not alone--FOX plans on
resurrecting the <i>X-Files </i>(1993-2002) and Showtime wants to bring <i>Twin
Peaks</i> (1990-1991) back to life after 24 years. Even the Disney Channel has
brought back <i>Boy Meets World</i> (1993-2000) in the form of <i>Girl Meets
World </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">this past year</span>. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">But,
what is the motivation for returning to the past? Is it the lack of creativity
in the writers’ room? In truth, what platforms like Netflix and Showtime want
to do is capture an audience that already exists without having to draft and promote
a whole new show. It’s certainly easier to begin a project with characters
already fully formed, connected to histories that viewers are comfortable with.
However, revivals can never recapture the magic that the initial shows sparked
in fans. To me, they are like movie sequels—they might sell a lot of tickets,
but ultimately they don’t compare to the original and leave fans disappointed. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Fuller House</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> will be the revival of <i>Full House,</i> the sitcom that
followed three men and their attempts to raise three girls in San Francisco, is
easily the most anticipated of the revival shows. Despite the name, the new
season has half of the original cast with some members planning to make guest
appearances, including John Stamos who played the girls’ Uncle Jesse. However,
there has been no mention of whether or not the Olsen twins, who together
played the youngest girl Michelle, will be returning to the set. Some would
argue that they were the ones who made the show to begin with. The show will
now pick up with the eldest daughters and their children. I grew up watching <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Full House</i> and love the characters the
way they appear in my memories and reruns I watch from time to time. I’m not
excited to see the girls with their own kids and John Stamos, although still
attractive, now twenty years older and still playing cool. Some things are best
left to the imagination. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671150593352105197.post-81128528280996057772016-02-09T15:22:00.003-08:002016-02-09T15:22:40.226-08:00The Tired Thriller (Review)<div class="MsoNormal">
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Perfect Guy </span></i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">is at times scary, but not worth the
theatre ticket.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFq4H2V2-MKcw_KxmKoq1olT7iR8lGyxjJ2zXFmqE3BrjNcr7_GVGE-4SGsHfBnApRms4JDB7BgIassypp8CN-WfEexNekQjMwfsI3HcB_BNW1_6398uZHhRcoxzDQAbUKT3SmuQoQM6E/s1600/11990665_1629088497330078_7139387877498609490_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFq4H2V2-MKcw_KxmKoq1olT7iR8lGyxjJ2zXFmqE3BrjNcr7_GVGE-4SGsHfBnApRms4JDB7BgIassypp8CN-WfEexNekQjMwfsI3HcB_BNW1_6398uZHhRcoxzDQAbUKT3SmuQoQM6E/s640/11990665_1629088497330078_7139387877498609490_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cue the steamy
shower, menacing stares, and hidden cameras. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Perfect Guy</i> may take place in the internet-age, but it belongs
back in the 1940s in the capable hands of Hitchcock. Instead of taking the plot
into new territory like in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Gift</i>—the
other psycho-stalker movie in theatres right now—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Perfect Guy</i>, directed by David M. Rosenthal, clings to the
clichés of its genre. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Leah, played by
Sanaa Lathan (Contagion; AVP: Alien vs. Predator), is a headstrong lobbyist who
dramatically breaks up with her boyfriend. Her biologically clock is ticking
(she is 36 after all!) and Dave (Morris Chestnut) isn’t ready for kids. In one
scene she is on her bed crying, but the next she is at a bar meeting the charming
Carter, played by Michael Ealy (Seven Pounds; 2 Fast 2 Furious), who works as
an IT security expert. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">At first, there
is nothing but bliss in Leah’s newfound relationship. Her doting friends call
him “the perfect guy” (surprise, surprise).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He wants children and recites cheesy lines like, “For you,
it’s always going to be yes” and “I think I just made the boyfriend hall of
fame.” He even gets along with her family on a trip to San Francisco. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">That’s when the story
takes the turn we expected all along. They stop at a gas station on the way home
to Los Angeles and Carter beats a man for talking to Leah. Naturally, this
scares her and she calls the relationship off, hurtling Carter into a downward
spiral of crazy. He uses his IT skills to be the perfect stalker—watching her
in the parking lot as her heels echo on the concrete, watching her from hidden
cameras, and watching as she gets back together with Dave, lying beneath the
bed when the couple get intimate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">There are only
so many mysterious closets, ghostly silhouettes, and gloved hands set against
pulsing, suspenseful music before déjà vu sets in. Tyger Williams’ script is
lacking in originality, and carries shells of characters the audience never
gets a chance to connect to. Leah is nothing more than a piece of prey until
the end, and we’re barred from the stalker’s mindset, which could have
transformed this movie into something more profound. Even the movie’s title
feels tired and uninspired. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Perfect Guy</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> is eerily reminiscent of the recent <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Boy Next Door </i>(2015), in which another
woman, played by Jennifer Lopez, is the victim of a jealous stalker. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Boy Next Door</i> didn’t fare well when
it came to reviews for the same laziness this film displays in its execution,
and without a J. Lo to keep it afloat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Still, some
scenes do leave a lasting chill. As generic as they are, we wouldn’t want them
to happen to us. Audience members let out groans of fearful disgust when Carter
snuck into Leah’s house to press his lips against her lipstick residue on a
wine glass, smell her pillow, and ceremoniously place her toothbrush in his
mouth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">If clichéd
thrillers do indeed thrill you, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Perfect Man</i> might be worth the money. If not, save the $15 theatre ticket
for a film that doesn’t reek of grandpa’s rustic armchair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671150593352105197.post-51905545954818228302016-02-09T15:14:00.004-08:002016-02-09T15:14:39.299-08:00MTA Jump Onboard--Platform Screen Doors Would Stop Subway Deaths (Commentary)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPF9tWzrqJCRarWYPziChK5rgOFRPCipEQYRMuH_8BoncyFDE1CcdnJ2oBjK-O4Wwf0UgA4-Mc_GJuhk9R81yasSc7-ypekbXgTZR0H_OKKj8YkpvMTSaTt2RMt3qlzUvDICw7xB5RGNY/s1600/NYC_Subway_R160A_9237_on_the_E.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPF9tWzrqJCRarWYPziChK5rgOFRPCipEQYRMuH_8BoncyFDE1CcdnJ2oBjK-O4Wwf0UgA4-Mc_GJuhk9R81yasSc7-ypekbXgTZR0H_OKKj8YkpvMTSaTt2RMt3qlzUvDICw7xB5RGNY/s640/NYC_Subway_R160A_9237_on_the_E.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Around 8:40 a.m.
on a cold Sunday in November, a couple waits patiently on the platform for the
D train in the Bronx. Their agenda for the morning? To get breakfast in
Chinatown. Then, in an instant, their plans change. A stranger pushes the
husband, the 61-year-old Wai Kuen Kwok, in front of the speeding train. The
conductor sees the falling man, but it’s already too late. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Imagine being on
those tracks, looking into the headlights of an oncoming train with
milliseconds to live. It’s a terrifying thought. I take the subway at least
twice a day, and I constantly worry about getting too close to the platform
edge, especially during rush hour when mobs of New Yorkers huddle like penguins
on an icy cliff. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">It’s the reality
of a nightmare that took place five months ago, a reality that wouldn’t have
happened if more safety measures were in place—I’m talking about platform
screen doors (PSDs) at subway stations. PSDs are transparent walls, usually
made out of glass or plastic, that run along the edge of the platform. Sliding
screen doors open and close in front of the subway’s doors when it comes into
the platform. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">At the time of
Mr. Kwok’s murder, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">New York Times</i>
reported that 49 people had been struck and killed by subway cars. By the end
of 2014, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">New York Post</i> reported that
58 had lost their lives, a death per week on average. The Metropolitan Transportation
Authority (MTA), which oversees New York’s subway system, released a report in
2013 that reveals this number has only fluctuated slightly in the past ten
years. This means that in the past decade, more than 550 riders met their
demise in New York’s </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">dripping and
dungy subway system.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">These doors are
a safety precaution that is needed now more than ever—in 2014, the MTA saw the
most traffic in the last 65 years at 1.7 billion customers, according to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">NBC 4 New York</i>. In a time when we have
the technology to prevent these deaths, it’s disgraceful that we don’t use it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">In addition to
saving lives, the barriers can also eliminate trash fires, get rid of vandalism
on sides of subways, stop thrill-seekers from riding on backs or tops of
trains, and offer quieter stations, according to Westinghouse <span class="MsoPageNumber">Platform Screen Doors, a company that has installed many of
the platform screen doors in cities across the world, including the first set
installed in Singapore.</span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Trash is a big
concern. Most New Yorkers have watched rats scurry across piles of Coca-Cola
cans, plastic bags, and newspapers in the underground stations. It’s not a
pleasant sight. The trash that collects on the rails cause fires, resulting in
delays and ruined equipment. With PSDs, there would be far less delays.
Commuters could actually expect to get to their stations without their train
stopping every ten minutes. The MTA might not have to hire as many cleaners
either, which could significantly reduce costs on their end. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The doors would also
allow the MTA to air-condition the stations, said Richard Barone, the Director
of Transportation Programs for the Regional Plan Association. The walls
restrict the cold air from escaping into the tunnels. Many international cities
have this feature, but New York doesn’t, even with the humid summers that often
climb to above 90 degrees.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Whether the MTA
cares or not, PSDs are being installed in many major cities around the world,
whether they are at all stations or just a few lines. The World Metro Database
found 50 cities around the world with PSDs in August 2014, with some having
half-high platform gate doors, or PGDs. Beijing, Bangkok, Copenhagen, Seoul,
and even the Airtrain for the John F. Kennedy Airport use the doors. While it’s
true that New York has a century-old system, other cities around the world are
retrofitting their aging stations, such as Paris, Hong Kong, Sao Paolo, London,
and Tokyo. Popularity is only increasing—Honolulu will be the first U.S. city that
will have the doors by 2017. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I was amazed at
the efficiency and cleanliness of the subway while I was teaching in Shanghai
last year. To compare New York’s rails is comical and honestly, humiliating.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The MTA does
understand all this. They have been looking into creating PSDs since 2007 when
Crown Infrastructure offered to fund them at all stations and even find
engineering firms, as long as the city allowed them to use the doors for
advertising, according to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Business
Insider</i>. This would have been a wise move for the MTA since they would have
received a portion of the revenue from the advertising sales as well. It was a
deal that Alex Davies, transportation reporter at <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Business Insider</i>, wrote about again six years later when the MTA
was reconsidering installing the doors after two high-profile murders in 2013.
At the time, Davies reported that Crown was still interested in working with
the MTA.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Instead of
taking them up on their offer though, the MTA started a safety campaign in 2013
to show commuters the dangers of the subway through the only thing they could
afford—posters. These could be found in all subway cars, stations, fare
machines, and on Metrocards, but the number of deaths stayed consistent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cost had been
the deciding factor in shying away from the doors from the beginning, despite
the proposed deal. In 2013, MTA President Thomas Prendergast said that it would
cost approximately 1.5 million per station to install platform doors, according
to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">NBC 4 New York</i>. With 468 stations,
it would cost roughly $702 million. Prendergast was also concerned that the
construction itself would be impossible. The stations date back to 1940, and
all are unique with the need for platform edge reinforcement and electrical
upgrades. Also, the current subway car doors wouldn’t align with wherever the
screen doors would be constructed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7emla6BkJ1Vlf3RMqGx3BEIJnlslbEMCHbFaoKuEzl4AoSaRC0_YKNw7UBfnMnZoOdQ-JHgd5gA3YGoRkVgJB9mnkfaho3OWmCJ2GJRouQ-0r-XriXDqtzjV7v1KQsFo2seYzycDrhKs/s1600/Nyc_subway_34st_station.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7emla6BkJ1Vlf3RMqGx3BEIJnlslbEMCHbFaoKuEzl4AoSaRC0_YKNw7UBfnMnZoOdQ-JHgd5gA3YGoRkVgJB9mnkfaho3OWmCJ2GJRouQ-0r-XriXDqtzjV7v1KQsFo2seYzycDrhKs/s640/Nyc_subway_34st_station.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">If that’s the
case, then the MTA might as well at least incorporate these capabilities into
the 7 and Second Avenue lines since they are currently expanding them. As
Anthony Milano, Vice President of Crown Infrastructure, said to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Business Insider</i>—“That’s why you work
with engineers.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">In September 2014,
the MTA released their 2015-2019 Capital Plan, a $32 billion proposed strategy
to fix New York’s subways, buses, and railways for the next five years, $15
billion of which still needs funding. In November, Kevin Ortiz, spokesman for
the MTA, told <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Time</i> that the MTA had a
contractor designing a PSD system, but funds for these doors are not seen
anywhere in the 227 page Capital Program proposal. This is true despite the MTA
stating that, “safety is our top priority” at the beginning of the plan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">There are items
in the plan that are indeed necessary, such as the $7,200 million worth of new
subway cars, stations, elevators, and tracks. However, other items could easily
be substituted by the life-saving barriers, especially since the new subway cars
and stations could be designed to fit platform doors. For instance, the MTA
plans to construct more “Help Points,” and an “intrusion detection technology.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">The Help Points are granted one
hundred and fifty six million dollars, in order for them to be installed at 246
more stations. These blue-lighted devices provide buttons to access assistance
and information. While these might be beneficial to lost tourists, if someone
falls into the path of a speeding subway, there won’t be time for an onlooker
to run and press a button, wait for someone to answer, describe the scene, and
then wait while the person comes to the rescue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">The MTA also explains that $56
million would be used toward an “intrusion detection technology” that would alert
train crews or the Rail Control Center if anything “substantial falls onto the
tracks.” But, similar to the Help Points, if a person were to fall or be pushed
off the platform in front of a train, there wouldn’t be enough time to stop it,
especially in such cases as Mr. Kwok’s murder where his body was still in the
air when the train hit him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">These new additions are ridiculous
and costly. If PSDs were installed, they would also be unnecessary. In place of
these, there would be enough money to build PSDs at more than 140 stations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">PSDs are a smarter investment that
can save lives and keep the underground tunnels cleaner. In my opinion, the MTA
is using the safety items in the Capital Plan as Band-Aids, avoiding what they
will have to eventually do in the future. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Considering that it took 12 years
to build the $1.4 billion Fulton Center, and the doors aren’t making it into
any proposals soon, it could be a long time before we see these essential
platform doors in New York. I think it’s about time the MTA jumped onboard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671150593352105197.post-14189593998498137422016-02-09T15:06:00.003-08:002016-02-09T15:06:36.471-08:00How to Tour New York Using the B Subway Line: 7 Stops That Are a Must-See<div class="MsoNormal">
To a tourist who might be from a place without much public
transportation, a subway map can be confusing to navigate. So many multicolored
lines and dots intersecting at various points can give any newcomer a headache.
But, it is possible to see a lot of New York using just one subway line, and
the B-line allows you to do just that. What’s more, it’s possible to see all of
these attractions in one day, depending on how much time you spend at each stop
of course. The B-Line operates from the Bedford Park Boulevard in the Bronx to
Brighton Beach in Brooklyn on weekdays from 6 am to 11 pm.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">1. 81 Street- Museum
of Natural History/<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Central Park West:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Start the day off right with a visit to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sarabeth’s</b> at 423 Amsterdam Ave. for a classic New York brunch,
only two blocks away from the B subway station. Try the famous Lemon Ricotta
Pancakes, the Almond Crusted French Toast, or the Salmon Eggs Benedict. As far
as brunch goes, expect to spend at least $20 per person. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Next, stop by the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">American
Museum of Natural History</b> which opens at 10 am and borders Central Park. It
is one of the largest museums in the world with 45 exhibition halls and an
impressive collection of dinosaur bones. Even if you spent three days roaming
around the halls, you wouldn’t be able to see everything, but with just an hour
or two you can wander through the past and be amazed. The museum takes
recommended donations at the door. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After the museum, take a midday walk along <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Central Park</b>. Visit the John Lennon <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Strawberry Fields” memorial at 72<sup>nd</sup>
Street. The memorial is directly across from the Dakota Apartments where the
member of The Beatles was murdered in 1980. Walk back to the B subway station by
the museum and head to the next destination. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Other notable
attractions in the area: <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
New York Historical Society, The Beacon Theatre, and Shake
Shack</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">2. 7 Avenue/<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">53 Street (Connects
to: D and E):<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Three more stops along the B-line brings you to midtown
Manhattan where the famous <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Carnegie Deli</b>
has stood at 854 7<sup>th</sup> Avenue and 55<sup>th</sup> Street since 1937.
You might want to split one of their towering pastrami sandwiches weighing in
at over a pound and a slice of cheesecake while you look at pictures of celebrities
at the deli on the wall. The “Woody Allen” sandwich is a mix of pastrami and
corn beef with pickles on the side for $30. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Other notable
attractions in the area:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Carnegie Hall and the Ed Sullivan Theater</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">3. 47-50 Street-Rockefeller
Center/<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">6 Avenue (Connects
to: D, F, and M):<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You will come out of the subway right into 30 RockWatch or
join in the ice skating at the ice rink in the middle of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rockefeller Center</b>. During the holiday season, a giant Christmas
tree sits in front of the ice rink, a perfect photo opportunity. If you’re
still hungry after all the pastrami, then head over to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Magnolia Bakery</b> and sample some colorful macaroons. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Other notable
attractions in the area:</b> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Top of the Rock, Radio City Music Hall, St. Patrick’s
Cathedral, and Saks Fifth Avenue</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">4. 42 St.- Bryant
Park/<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">6 Avenue (Connects
to: D, F, M, and 7):<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just to see the lights and action, walk over a few streets
to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Times Square</b>, a destination that
all tourists must see. It’s the heart of New York, where Broadway stars perform
and giant billboards compete for your attention. Just watch out for the
creepy-looking Mickey Mouse and Spiderman trying to charge you for photographs
with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Other notable
attractions in the area:</b> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
New York Public Library, Bryant Park, and the Theatre District</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">5. 34 St-Herald
Square/<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">6 Avenue (Connects
to: D, F, M, N, Q, and R):<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here you can find the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Empire
State Building</b> nearby, a building so popular that you often have to wait in
line for one to two hours to take the elevator to the top for a minimum price
of $32 a ticket. Still, there are not many tourists that do not love the view
from the 86<sup>th</sup> or 102<sup>nd</sup> floor of the entire city. Also, if
you have some extra time in your day, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Herald
Square</b> is a shopper’s paradise. With <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Macy’s</b>,
B+H Photo and Video, and the Manhattan Mall.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Other notable
attractions in the area:</b> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Koreatown, High Line Park, and the Museum of Sex</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">6. West 4
Street-Washington Park/<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">6 Avenue (Connects
to: A, C, D, E, F, and M):<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Washington Square Park is home to the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Washington Square Arch</b>, a famous monument built in 1892 marking the
centennial of George Washington’s inauguration as President. It is modeled
after the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arc de Triomphe in
Paris, France. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Other notable
attractions in the area:</b> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
NYU, Union Square, Cooper Square, and McSorley’s Old Ale
House</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">7. Brighton Beach/<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Brighton 6 Street
(Connects to: Q):<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To finish off the day, exit at <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Brighton Beach</b> and head for the shore. Walk along the beach
enjoying a sunset (hopefully in the summer time). It is a 20 minutes walk until
you get to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Coney Island</b>, an
amusement area with rides, food, and a boardwalk. Coney Island is the
birthplace of the hotdog, and therefore the perfect place to grab some franks
for dinner at <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nathan’s Famous</b> at
1310 Surf Ave. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Other notable
attractions in the area: <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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New York Aquarium, Coney Island Museum, and Coney Island
Circus Sideshow</div>
Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671150593352105197.post-56158878004563512582015-02-28T19:26:00.002-08:002015-02-28T19:26:55.743-08:00Q+A: Gabriel Barcia Colombo—Digital Collector<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;"><i>A Q+A I did for my Writing and Reporting II Class at NYU:</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">When Gabriel Barcia Colombo was a kid he
collected random stuff—everything from hot sauces to insects. These days,
Colombo collects people through digital art, passionately preserving moments
and memorializing individuals. The NYU professor has projected videos of his
friends into jars, a 1950s housewife into a blender, and created a vending
machine that distributes human DNA. Most recently, Colombo has collected New
Yorkers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">His art installation “New York Minute”
encircles the giant atrium beneath the skylight oculus of the new glass Fulton
Center, a subway station that connects 10 lines. The piece features slow
motion, video portraits of New Yorkers—in-between advertisements—on 52 screens
up to 32 ft. long. A basketball player spins a basketball on his finger. A
businessman throws money into the air. A little girl blows bubbles.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSIkoHdp3AnLQ1BStimZDBLSGdHSUgwlwLPUafiX3b3Fv2kyyr7kHsqFEHwv2TXdGEbbdwwIq_1G0QfTKKb-vmDIlypNl5mE4EpiSAVc6iURYfunNCXfxL2THQtd4jotPNxSt0i5tmJ0/s1600/colombo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSIkoHdp3AnLQ1BStimZDBLSGdHSUgwlwLPUafiX3b3Fv2kyyr7kHsqFEHwv2TXdGEbbdwwIq_1G0QfTKKb-vmDIlypNl5mE4EpiSAVc6iURYfunNCXfxL2THQtd4jotPNxSt0i5tmJ0/s1600/colombo.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gabriel Barcia Colombo giving his TED talk in 2012</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">What
is the idea behind "New York Minute?"</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">To slow down the little moments. New
Yorkers are very familiar with this term because of the frenzied lifestyle we
lead. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">The
term originated in Texas around 1967.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">Yes. The saying goes: A New Yorker does in
an instant what a Texan would take a minute to do. I want this piece to slow
people down. I want people to look up from their phones. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">Why
are New Yorkers always in a hurry today? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">I think the pace of life is
too fast due to our connection to digital media and social networking. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">How did you get this commission?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">I'd been working with the
MTA on a previous project called Springfest, which involved poetry on the walls
at Grand Central Terminal. Words were projected onto the walls and then
assembled into poetry. Then they commissioned me for the Fulton concourse, which
I visited several times before filming and constructing the piece. It’s
easily the largest scale art installation I’ve done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">What do you think of the new Fulton
Concourse?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I think it’s
amazing! I think the architecture of the space is really incredible and it
feels a little like a space ship because everything is so clean and
silver-looking. The “Sky Reflector-Net,” which is the piece that’s on the
top—the James Carpenter piece—is incredible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBV2Lr-xmH-WKQC8ebawrSDezaBRoPitvCH1sg-iCkXEPSckbly6YqJbgij_x5bUlN_WzdH7Mn0EufB0JNIh-IO4fzL3pAKGLD-T8DLLMgcJAVjkX-JmqvYj2luikIzrJX-HYJsEVm2As/s1600/BN-FM066_NYFult_J_20141110150209_670.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBV2Lr-xmH-WKQC8ebawrSDezaBRoPitvCH1sg-iCkXEPSckbly6YqJbgij_x5bUlN_WzdH7Mn0EufB0JNIh-IO4fzL3pAKGLD-T8DLLMgcJAVjkX-JmqvYj2luikIzrJX-HYJsEVm2As/s1600/BN-FM066_NYFult_J_20141110150209_670.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;"></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;"><br /></span></b></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;"><br /></span></b></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;"><br /></span></b></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;"><br /></span></b></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;"><br /></span></b></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;"><br /></span></b></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;"><br /></span></b></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;"><br /></span></b></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;"><br /></span></b></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Which
subway line is your favorite?<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">The F because it’s the
fastest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">What
do you usually do on the subway?</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">I listen to music and read,
but I also like to people watch. There are so many different types of people in
New York.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">How
did you choose which New Yorkers to include in your piece? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">There was an open call. I
ended up filming 52 New Yorkers many who I met while working in various jobs
around the city. The girl who is dressed up as the Statue of Liberty in the
piece is actually a girl I met while I was working at a bar years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">What is so great about capturing people on film?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">It’s fascinating to me to memorialize moments, even simple ones. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSk9rTp7FihfwWdGSNE_klzk8dD2lWt0e9GQdJEBKZSWMVu0blf4chZGtm6OshmGMQS3h6JD3gr5VE3dZy7LsrZpsALEfdCQA69Czif3mgJHS1Pzz6tjCWWPWKGva_W2QCoeP0Hzl8Kvc/s1600/BN-FM068_NYFult_J_20141110150209_670.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSk9rTp7FihfwWdGSNE_klzk8dD2lWt0e9GQdJEBKZSWMVu0blf4chZGtm6OshmGMQS3h6JD3gr5VE3dZy7LsrZpsALEfdCQA69Czif3mgJHS1Pzz6tjCWWPWKGva_W2QCoeP0Hzl8Kvc/s1600/BN-FM068_NYFult_J_20141110150209_670.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">You have done two TED Talks. What were
they about?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The first TED
Talk that I did was about my video art pieces, my installations. It was about
these people that I filmed and I would project into different materials,
whether they were bottles or blenders or jars. It was asking how we could immortalize
people through video. The second one was about this vending machine that I
built that sold human DNA. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Human DNA!?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">[<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">nods</i>] That was a collaboration with
another TED fellow who runs an open source bio lab in Brooklyn called Genspace.
And I went there and started discovering this whole other world of possibility
for art with bio-tech which I had not really known about before. We decided to
get this collection of people’s DNA and then put it in a vending machine and
sell it as if it were a luxury item. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Do you think we will get to the point
where we will have our own digital clones?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I think we
already do to a small extent. I think like the way we interact with social
media is sort of like having a small clone of ourselves online. [<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">laughs</i>] I mean obviously there’s no free
will, like we don’t have our Facebook account posting things without us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">Do
you have any future projects in mind?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">I'm working on a series of projects right now as well as a
second edition of the DNA vending machine that will be displayed in London at
the V&A Museum as part of a show titled "What is Luxury?" </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">It will be up from April ‘til September.
The DNA vending machine looks into the future. Access to biotechnology is just
going to increase so ownership of one’s own DNA might become a luxury. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">What is your favorite thing to teach your
students?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">How to create meaningful
interactions through art. Art is a communication tool and should be used as
carefully as any other form of communication. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">What are some projects you’ve assigned in
your classes at NYU?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">[<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">he laughs</i>] I try to teach really
interesting things that they won’t get elsewhere. So I taught a class called
“Pop-Up Windows Displays” which is about making interactive window displays in
New York. And a class called “Ready-Mades,” which is what I’m teaching right
now actually, which is about finding vintage objects and putting sensors and
new technologies in them to make them have new personalities. And then last
semester I taught a class called “Haunted House” where we made an immersive
theatre haunted house as the final for Halloween. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I understand Westfield, the company that
manages the Fulton concourse, lost some ad revenue because of the “New York
Minute” art installation. </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">It became a
battle between them and the MTA about how much art was going to be on these
screens. So I think it’s still undecided about how much art there will be after
my project. My project is up until March and I don’t know what’s happening
after that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">When do your video portraits play? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The first month
that Fulton opened they came up every minute on all the screens and now its
every thirty minutes. There’s nine different things that come up on the big
screens over the course of a day. The chance of seeing the same things are
pretty slim. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">With
everything that grabs our attention today, what is the appeal of digital art to
the New Yorker? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">I think digital art is
appealing because we interface with so much content digitally already. There
are digital screens on busses, in subway terminals and its only a matter of
time before art makes its way onto these screens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
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Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671150593352105197.post-62708582367777226352014-10-31T23:20:00.001-07:002014-10-31T23:20:40.182-07:00It’s All Fun and Games, Until Someone Gets Hurt<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>An assignment about two years after Hurricane Sandy:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiniDhEfI-AlfUT4U1cpmS6h5qCKrpY3-dIBc0_jMn_0r4VPP5USBdJUQlwKi__w5h-Zp2SLpQUM0UJS4fkQ974uvQ47PjSun-hMQ2HEyrWSjtNRrouOtPSmd-5j3RY9KmPQbg6JGhXyQ/s1600/IMG_2611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiniDhEfI-AlfUT4U1cpmS6h5qCKrpY3-dIBc0_jMn_0r4VPP5USBdJUQlwKi__w5h-Zp2SLpQUM0UJS4fkQ974uvQ47PjSun-hMQ2HEyrWSjtNRrouOtPSmd-5j3RY9KmPQbg6JGhXyQ/s1600/IMG_2611.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The sun is setting on a nice, warm October night at Coney
Island in Brooklyn. A group of kids are playing in the sand. They throw
fistfuls of it at each other and laugh so hard they have to grasp at their
sides between throws. It is finally the end of the day, the sun is setting over
the water, and their parents look relaxed.</div>
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As a tourist destination, Coney Island has it
all—cheese-covered Nathan’s hotdogs at their original storefront, amusement
rides from coasters to Ferris wheels, bars on their boardwalk, the New York
Aquarium, Coney Island Museum, and the beach with its soft sand. Known for its
“freak shows” and Nathan’s annual July Fourth International Hot Dog Eating
Championship, Coney Island has been called “People’s Playground” or “America’s
Playground” since the nineteenth century.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMpv2QQuOUjQevxinPS5YR-vV81Fn0zJQ_Si-130g-8-VOSLN-AcrzJxnslSdzlZnEQFbHS6QXhj9_HbcxzNDaBb6Wid8KisKFVtlcjXzLOR9D9ZqQiMFQVJdE52LO-HMOrS3pYTQW7Kk/s1600/IMG_2710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMpv2QQuOUjQevxinPS5YR-vV81Fn0zJQ_Si-130g-8-VOSLN-AcrzJxnslSdzlZnEQFbHS6QXhj9_HbcxzNDaBb6Wid8KisKFVtlcjXzLOR9D9ZqQiMFQVJdE52LO-HMOrS3pYTQW7Kk/s1600/IMG_2710.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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“Coney Island is like a tomb—looks good on the outside, but
everything on the inside is dead,” says Pastor Constance SanFilippo-Hulla, 65,
sitting in her crowded office at Coney Island Gospel Assembly. Hidden behind
stacks of books and papers, she is dressed all in black as if she is about to
attend a funeral. A portrait of her father, who founded the church in 1957 and
passed it down to her, hangs on the wall above her head. Bottles of water and
boxed food are stacked against the far wall. She tells me I shouldn’t have
walked here alone because there have been a lot of murders in the area, and
offers me a ride to the subway station when I leave. She shows me an obituary
of a teenage boy who was shot in the head down the street.<br />
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At approximately 100x100 feet, the church is one of the
largest in Coney Island, and once had two fully operational levels. That is,
until Hurricane Sandy ravaged the East Coast on October 22, 2012, taking 285
lives along with it, including two elderly people from Coney Island. The storm
raged on during the church’s Founder’s Day.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidA-Cs7iYumY75PedCx2wzfghbGyGrKAZszSbDaANMeaUiGnFCRfEK4o7RDz66_KufKrDTA-ZAziMIGURUzaQLN0IwIMV2Xe7NHtd3Bu9cwgYmrb_vqFJGnN5H8iC69XegG-ZZMjjWevo/s1600/IMG_1836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidA-Cs7iYumY75PedCx2wzfghbGyGrKAZszSbDaANMeaUiGnFCRfEK4o7RDz66_KufKrDTA-ZAziMIGURUzaQLN0IwIMV2Xe7NHtd3Bu9cwgYmrb_vqFJGnN5H8iC69XegG-ZZMjjWevo/s1600/IMG_1836.JPG" height="419" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Photo courtesy of Fred Rodriquez)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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Two years later, the church is preparing to celebrate
another Founder’s Day, but is still without a functional basement which was
once used for housing volunteers, youth group meetings, pageant rehearsals,
offices for the Sunday school education department, and the annual Founder’s
Day banquet. Also in the basement were computers, a TV, a thousand new donated
books, filing systems with people’s records, a boiler, and the breaker panel.
According to SanFilippo-Hulla, the water was 25 feet high in the lower level
when the storm ended. The parking lot and roof were ruined and the cross in the
front fell down. In all, the damage amounted to a monetary value of two million
dollars, but the emotional drain carries on. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhochfMvK-TLhZt8JOKEJrKQRnNe-f1x794pqFNdJLEgXWQfpUfd5LcADDsro3Za-V1uOpJgRyTiWrbEm51uHyczTDasOkMNjThB2YYdNnZID9dazu9rEJgWzMF5xoOsPPo24P22Va37k/s1600/IMG_0983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhochfMvK-TLhZt8JOKEJrKQRnNe-f1x794pqFNdJLEgXWQfpUfd5LcADDsro3Za-V1uOpJgRyTiWrbEm51uHyczTDasOkMNjThB2YYdNnZID9dazu9rEJgWzMF5xoOsPPo24P22Va37k/s1600/IMG_0983.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Photo: courtesy of Fred Rodriquez)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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“Not something I ever want to experience again,” says Savone
James, an assistant pastor who has been living in Coney Island her entire life.
Even though SanFilippo-Hulla says that Coney Island lives with a “certain
degree of flooding,” James says that most of New York wasn’t prepared for
Sandy. “Nobody was anticipating the degree of loss,” James says as she reflects
upon the smell of the ocean in the upheaval of her apartment. She had to stay
in a hotel and then with a friend for a few weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Brother Fred Rodriquez can’t hide his sarcasm when he says
he had to live in a hotel room for seven “glorious” months when his house was
leveled. His six brothers and sisters and their six houses were all destroyed
as well, he says. Same thing was true for Mary Gangainey, an usher at the
church. She says, “they had to tear everything down to the bare bones” in order
to renovate her house, costing her $12,000 out-of-pocket and her insurance had
to pay even more. Gangainey lived in a high-rise for eight months, a situation
she calls “horrific” because there was no heating and the complex was full. To
this day, she is still doing repairs to her backyard. </div>
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According to SanFilippo-Hulla, the church custodian was in
the building when the hurricane struck. He awoke to water up to his chin in his
room in the lower level. Since the water had gotten to the electrical cords, he
kept getting electric shocks as he fought his way out the door. </div>
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Although the Gospel Assembly has only 100 members in its
congregation, and the structure was severely damaged, the church cared for up
to 3,000 people a day during and after the hurricane with food, clothing,
money, and shelter, according to SanFilippo-Hulla. To her, the people come
first. “Our church is in an impoverished area so we help the people,” she says,
“The building is not a priority. It’s still very important to us, but the
people is our priority. In aiding the community, we made this compromise.” </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4f6zwUznnEDqKf1F-CBpXeVQGA_AuihmI1i4bW6DIrqkFKnyRdkFGq6P9yRWTCiU5EV8QB3y1gzC8HWr64T42oWIoq1P4RsFRs0-zs4sck6y4f4vs_uESV16p8A-QBAS3yM_48rrlMeg/s1600/IMG_2462.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4f6zwUznnEDqKf1F-CBpXeVQGA_AuihmI1i4bW6DIrqkFKnyRdkFGq6P9yRWTCiU5EV8QB3y1gzC8HWr64T42oWIoq1P4RsFRs0-zs4sck6y4f4vs_uESV16p8A-QBAS3yM_48rrlMeg/s1600/IMG_2462.PNG" height="263" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Photo: courtesy of Fred Rodriquez)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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And aid they did. She tells me that the Red Cross recognized
her after Hurricane Sandy. From a drawer in her desk, she takes out a
red-ribboned medal. “HERO” is written in block letters at the top of the
bronzed circle. As a gospel choir begins to practice in another room, she says
that everyone who works at the church is a volunteer—no one receives a
salary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without the aid of
organizations like the Red Cross, Americorps, the DOE Fund, Habitat of
Humanity,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and Occupy Sandy,
SanFilippo-Hulla is not sure how they would have been able to help.</div>
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Even with Red Cross stations set up in front of the church
and free meals being provided for those in need two years ago, the church could
not receive aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). As a
religious establishment, it does not qualify. Their insurance didn’t cover them
either. As for donations from the community, SanFilippo-Hulla says it’s not
possible. “Everybody was digging themselves out,” she says. So even two years
later, the church has a long way to go to being fully operational. </div>
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Besides the church, SanFilippo-Hulla worries about the
residents of Coney Island. “From what I have experienced and observed, there
two different planets. There is the corporate planet and then there are the
people who live in poverty. They never meet, and nothing is ever extended,” she
says.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXOcXQCXQ2eRpcwj4H3PJHjdzvRwNq7N6zTSnUlBX24295zEe4-Cr5JopamRc1_F31pKa01sGy7QFhwS1NAxiEaEkGuD15QF1IwSjq3Afx7ZvAR3YF_CAh3gdesfoAF_gswlKgdd4Sqo/s1600/IMG_2681.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXOcXQCXQ2eRpcwj4H3PJHjdzvRwNq7N6zTSnUlBX24295zEe4-Cr5JopamRc1_F31pKa01sGy7QFhwS1NAxiEaEkGuD15QF1IwSjq3Afx7ZvAR3YF_CAh3gdesfoAF_gswlKgdd4Sqo/s1600/IMG_2681.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>The amusement parks are doing fine. Many of the rides and
businesses have been rebuilt. The new Thunderbolt rollercoaster opened this
past summer on June 14<sup>th</sup>. It costs ten dollars to take the 2-minute
ride that took $10 million to make, according to the Coney Island History
Project. Even with all the expandsion underway, the Alliance for Coney Island
has created Coney Corps and #Coneyrecovers, initiatives to help residents find
jobs and local businesses to succeed. </div>
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Yet, just two streets away from the boardwalk, there are
cracked sidewalks, empty lots, and small markets with minimal lighting. Such is
Mermaid Ave—a struggling community street with hardships still to overcome. A
new eyeglass store with a “Stronger Than the Storm” sign has just opened up
halfway down the block. The owners are giving away free Snapples to people who
buy $100 eye-exam. People come in asking for free Snapples all day, but apparently
do not have enough money to buy a pair of glasses. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC6oB9GNx9XlcXOgHUCpGuguvK63tC1FOQ0adQtcl-TDXs99Ce0c2txw-Ni7prVg4MaktGIYqbScG6ZjHewTpc5a7mE-rcBZPDqKAzocdhs-TS85rna_SxElTWbfaeeek84BFzeu56-WU/s1600/IMG_2010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC6oB9GNx9XlcXOgHUCpGuguvK63tC1FOQ0adQtcl-TDXs99Ce0c2txw-Ni7prVg4MaktGIYqbScG6ZjHewTpc5a7mE-rcBZPDqKAzocdhs-TS85rna_SxElTWbfaeeek84BFzeu56-WU/s1600/IMG_2010.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Photo: courtesy of Fred Rodriquez)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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SanFilippo-Hulla and James both acknowledge that the city
did set up mental health programs for residents, but they see no sense in this
when basic needs such as shelter and food go unmet. The pastor says that many
of the buildings have not been repaired and still have mold, rot, and leaking
pipes. “Hurricane Sandy just compounded the need that was already here,” says
James. SanFilippo-Hulla passionately sits up in her chair and says that the
programs are, “Worthless, because if you are sitting with no food and roaches
and mice crawling all over you and rats. I don’t need to talk to you about
what’s wrong. I need to change the situation that you are living in. You’ll get
healthy mentally real quick.” </div>
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Coney Island Gospel Assembly may have a long road of
recovery ahead even two years after Hurricane Sandy, but that is not what
worries the church volunteers the most. It is education. SanFilippo-Hulla says,
“It is the answer out of poverty. Kids can learn…but we have been let down and
dumbed down.” James is worried about the lack of mentors. She says that,
“Nobody is telling them that they are good at other things.” </div>
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Derrick Brown, a former professional basketball player comes
in the office towards the end of the interview. He is there to talk to Sam and
Chris, two high school boys who are failing in school (names have been changed
to protect identity). Chris is fighting gang members and had to change schools
because of violence. Sam has a fractured home that reflects in his schoolwork.
SanFilippo-Hulla says that basketball is their escape. Brown says, “They only
want to follow people who are famous. They want to live the ‘baller’s
life.’”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He hopes to open their
eyes to what else is out there. For now, they all agree that the church is the
only place the students have for support. And with no more resources in their
lower level, the fight to keep these kids off the street and out of the
obituaries is harder than ever. </div>
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<o:p> </o:p> </div>
Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671150593352105197.post-75329930513465040432014-10-31T22:39:00.002-07:002014-10-31T22:39:40.648-07:00Much Love for An Orange Couch<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>One of my assignments-a feature story:</b></div>
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“How <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you</i> doing?”
“Smelly Cat.” “Could she BE more out of my league?” “We were on a break!”
Central Perk. A golden frame. An orange couch. To any <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Friends</i> fan, these images and phrases conjure up episodes and characters
that carried the TV show for ten seasons, when most shows to this day are lucky
to last for two or three. Twenty years later, and there’s still so much love
for the show.</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Friends</i>, a comedic
sitcom about six New Yorkers in their twenties, created by David Crane and
Marta Kauffman, celebrates its 20<sup>th</sup> anniversary since it first
premiered in September 1994 on NBC. In celebration, Eight O’Clock Coffee
Company has set up a mini “Central Perk,” the gang’s old hangout, in SoHo at
199 Lafayette Street. The shop opened to the public on Wednesday and will be
serving free coffee to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Friends</i>
fanatics until October 18<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyV4Aur-b430eQF9uARyAu7BB6SwazD-vfakDFDVCypzn166VPn5-i9WR9oFDT4YW6UzQPCh09M2XTGtLXjemsWgkPVVhCP7kblS55WEhQtSr0JioFFH4ZGQFFdkaGeYubciLjopjP7oA/s1600/Friends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyV4Aur-b430eQF9uARyAu7BB6SwazD-vfakDFDVCypzn166VPn5-i9WR9oFDT4YW6UzQPCh09M2XTGtLXjemsWgkPVVhCP7kblS55WEhQtSr0JioFFH4ZGQFFdkaGeYubciLjopjP7oA/s1600/Friends.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Alike so many my age, I have watched the show since I was a
child, and loved every minute. On school nights with TV trays set up, my brother
and I would watch and learn from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Friends.</i>
It was a show that brought us together, when at other times we would fight
about who had to feed the dog or what movie to choose. We both agreed on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Friends</i>. To this day, we both quote the
show and erupt into laughter. The show didn’t have too much adult humor, and
the jokes were never crude.</div>
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On opening night at four o’clock, I expected to see a line
full of teenagers and twenty-somethings reliving the 90s, the prime of their
youth. Instead, the two-hour line was made up of people of all ages. It wrapped
around the brick pop-up shop with the familiar “Central Perk” signs in the
windows and continued for several blocks. I got in line behind four women in
their late fifties/sixties who were just as excited to see the pop-up shop as
the many 28-year-olds I talked to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
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The four have been friends for a very long time, two of them
for more than forty years. They had just arrived in New York for the first time
from Idaho, and were grateful that they found out about the shop on the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Today Show</i> that morning. Sue Leavy, 61
years old and now retired, said the show comes with an assortment of good
memories since “we raised our kids during that time.”</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSQ7atPrL3twVcd70IHNmuw36le5LCd6l39U-zbpt7X0XTlyjOXDe4IK0T-YQpHgwQQK_rvufK1sdpCjF2IjMldyENtHWmpmoFC2Z_vkcgbRAj8NSyHzqfbb6pfAXAussiSfnxNanjhms/s1600/Friends5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSQ7atPrL3twVcd70IHNmuw36le5LCd6l39U-zbpt7X0XTlyjOXDe4IK0T-YQpHgwQQK_rvufK1sdpCjF2IjMldyENtHWmpmoFC2Z_vkcgbRAj8NSyHzqfbb6pfAXAussiSfnxNanjhms/s1600/Friends5.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a>At one point in line, I heard cheering coming from the
entrance. James Michael Tyler, who played the Central Perk manager Gunther,
appeared for a half-hour and will continue to make appearances at
“Central-Perk” throughout the month. Now 52, he doesn’t look like he has aged
much at all. His gray suit looked very much subdued compared to how his
character dressed in the show. Gunther was known for being grouchy, fawning
over Rachel, wearing eccentric bright ties, and having translucent yellow hair.
Before he sat down on the orange couch with some Central Perk Roast coffee, he
said he is, “Very excited. Very thankful,” about being present. According to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Buzzfeed</i>, he dyed his hair platinum
blonde just for the 20<sup>th</sup> Anniversary celebration.</div>
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I ran into Jessica Gaston and her friend Brett Gibson,
fellow students at Hunter College, on their way out of the pop-up shop. Both
are 28 years old and easy examples of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Friends</i>
fanatics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They enjoyed the replica
of “Central Perk.” It took them back to their childhoods, although they
admitted that they still watch reruns on TBS and TV-LAND all the time. Gaston
said, “It made me realize how old I was. It must be exciting to know that you
are apart of something and twenty years later you see this line and the impact
it has on people.” But, what impact did it have on her? She explained how the
show always makes her happy after a long, hard day. Gibson agreed and said she
likes the actors’ comedic timing. She does her best impression of Monica: “I
know!” </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6uSV43LR3BF-F6gicOeY-DkAPyFXgfmm2PlE7cByJC4YhqSe7-Am5p5RU0sfPhPTwvqQnOgdJUOUIMZdp_tFTP_OAi5PGVA4dt9YzJkapsmN1AqymsFTztLL7f3q5mnTbO2z4tGVDyQA/s1600/Friends3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6uSV43LR3BF-F6gicOeY-DkAPyFXgfmm2PlE7cByJC4YhqSe7-Am5p5RU0sfPhPTwvqQnOgdJUOUIMZdp_tFTP_OAi5PGVA4dt9YzJkapsmN1AqymsFTztLL7f3q5mnTbO2z4tGVDyQA/s1600/Friends3.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>Not everyone felt that the line justified the
experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>25 year old Or Baran
was visiting from Israel and was told about the event from a friend. He said,
“I’m going to limit myself to 45 minutes to an hour because it’s just like, to
get a coffee.” Although he liked the show, its true not all tourists have the
time to wait in such a long line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Tyree Brown, a brand ambassador for Eight O’ Clock Coffee,
was working the exit, making sure that only 74 people were staying inside the
room at all times, a small number compared to the 300 waiting in line.</div>
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When I finally got to the front, I could see the white dog,
“Pat,” that Joey bought in “The One Where Eddie Moves In” through the window.
Once inside, “Central Perk” became part coffee shop, part souvenir shop, and
part mini-museum. To the left of the room were costumes worn by the main
characters—Monica’s red, see-through shirt and Phoebe’s polka-dotted brown
jacket, for instance. Phoebe’s guitar sits nearby. On the walls are black and
white stills, a collage of scenes from all ten seasons. </div>
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Underneath a large framed picture of the cast, was a case
full of memorabilia from the show: Ross’ “Science Boy” comic book from “The One
With the Mugging,” a Soap Opera Digest magazine with Joey’s face on the cover
from “The One With Joey’s Interview,” “Buffay the Vampire Layer” porn video
with Pheobe’s sister on the cover from “The One Where Chandler Can’t Cry,”
Monica and Chandler’s wedding announcement and engagement rings, Rachel’s
sonogram of her baby girl from “The One Where Rachel Tells Ross.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtF3Nz7y1zime7OInlvSbZlH1n3oHIRHCRB2-OOhN261I6fDlgNv_juK83uaBWAVkIIRNFpkZ6Cvktsal56gIVyZs7dJCE8om-gJbnFguDN5OubZvf3OfxYMa7Sbd8jnUHwAcpBhqVC9k/s1600/Friends4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtF3Nz7y1zime7OInlvSbZlH1n3oHIRHCRB2-OOhN261I6fDlgNv_juK83uaBWAVkIIRNFpkZ6Cvktsal56gIVyZs7dJCE8om-gJbnFguDN5OubZvf3OfxYMa7Sbd8jnUHwAcpBhqVC9k/s1600/Friends4.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>For such a small space, there was a lot of activity. A
photographer took pictures of people on the orange couch which sat next to the
original green armchair and on the black and red rug from the set. A
Gunther-look-alike barista served free coffee next to a gold coffee machine
from the show that never actually worked, said James Michael Tyler. A souvenir
booth sold Central Perk mugs, T-shirts, key chains, posters, iPhone cases, and
even the complete ten-season set. </div>
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According to James Michael Tyler, while filming, the cast
were the only ones who got to sit on the orange couch. With an event like this,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Friends </i>fans get to feel special,
imagining themselves as part of the environment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Gaston said, “It’s something about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Friends</i> that makes you feel like they’re your friends.” </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWCV1rnX4357-18Ny_8ZDxJ8_pC6WDB1V5AECWrl_jYh9xG2s1KL_8dnohSTNgsvsBJ_Rz8XWUsF_e847Xfte5w-Ev0ux18SLBJMZPjOL-t8pCv9RYHH9iXiAko_9rM_P3tzSsirFJpe4/s1600/Friends2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWCV1rnX4357-18Ny_8ZDxJ8_pC6WDB1V5AECWrl_jYh9xG2s1KL_8dnohSTNgsvsBJ_Rz8XWUsF_e847Xfte5w-Ev0ux18SLBJMZPjOL-t8pCv9RYHH9iXiAko_9rM_P3tzSsirFJpe4/s1600/Friends2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671150593352105197.post-69412595833911167912014-09-24T19:55:00.002-07:002014-09-24T19:55:22.454-07:00Article Published in Bedford+Bowery<div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_39126" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-align: center; width: 530px;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://bedfordandbowery.com/2014/09/with-homelessness-up-bowery-mission-is-in-urgent-need-of-pantry-items/" target="_blank">With Homelessness Up, Bowery Mission is in "Urgent Need" of Pantry Items</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://bedfordandbowery.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/bowerymission.gif" style="color: #fb592d; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="(Photo: Ilyse Liffreing)" class="size-full wp-image-39126" height="347" src="http://bedfordandbowery.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/bowerymission.gif" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="520" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="color: #999999; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 4px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">
(Photo: Ilyse Liffreing)</div>
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The pantry at The Bowery Mission is bleakly bare. Where once enough food was stored to fill up the small shopping carts of the homeless who came in looking for comfort every two weeks, now the organization has to suggest its members come only once a month. It’s in <a href="https://twitter.com/BoweryMission/status/513880440072327168" style="color: #fb592d; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">“urgent need”</a> of more food.<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span id="more-39119" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></span><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Usually at this time of the year, the Mission, at 227 Bowery, receives more donations. But the shelves are nude two and a half months before they usually start to notice a reduction of canned goods, according to Matt Krivich, Director of Operations and Community Relations. While The Bowery Mission receives the bulk of its food from entities like City Harvest, Whole Foods, and the Food Bank for New York City, it needs more individuals to donate canned goods. The building is open 24 hours every day, taking donations as well as online. Bread, bananas, meat, and drinks are plentiful. However, foods like pasta, rice, beans, vegetables, and soup are just as essential and now in minimal supply.</div>
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<a href="http://bedfordandbowery.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/bowerymission4.gif" style="color: #fb592d; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="(Photo: Ilyse Liffreing)" class="size-full wp-image-39121" height="398" src="http://bedfordandbowery.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/bowerymission4.gif" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="520" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="color: #999999; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 4px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">
(Photo: Ilyse Liffreing)</div>
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At the rate the organization gives out meals, Krivich says the cans might last the rest of this week, but as of now there is “not enough for 200 people.” The mission serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner (about 1,000 meals per day) at its locations, and gives pantry food to about 80 to 100 people a day, he says.</div>
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Last week, Lt. Patrick Ferguson of the Ninth Precinct noted an<a href="http://bedfordandbowery.com/2014/09/villagers-ask-cops-to-do-something-about-cyclists-and-squatters/" style="color: #fb592d; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">uptick in homelessness</a> in the East Village, and statistics bear it out: citywide homelessness is up 6 percent since Bill De Blasio became mayor, Washington Square News <a href="http://www.nyunews.com/2014/09/24/baratta-2/" style="color: #fb592d; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">reports</a> today. Krivitch believes it’s at its highest since the Great Depression. The Bowery Mission website states that one in every 152 New Yorkers is homeless — 52,000 live in shelters, while another 3,200 sleep on the streets.</div>
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<a href="http://bedfordandbowery.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/bowermission8.gif" style="color: #fb592d; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="(Photo: Ilyse Liffreing)" class="size-full wp-image-39125" height="319" src="http://bedfordandbowery.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/bowermission8.gif" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="520" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="color: #999999; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 4px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">
(Photo: Ilyse Liffreing)</div>
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Most people travel long distances to get to the pantry and the daily meals, Krivitch says. They come from the Bronx or Staten Island. “It shows me that some of those pantries are distributing less and something is putting a strain on their resources.”</div>
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To accommodate a wide array of needs, The Bowery Mission also provides clothing, shelter, showers, biblical services, counseling, free clinics, a women’s center, and summer camps for children. There are 6-month residential housing programs available to those who need to turn their lives around and stay off the streets. Right now, 80 men are housed in the program, and as soon as the renovation is done to the building, there will be 140 beds. There are also about 200 men who make the chapel their bedroom every night.</div>
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<a href="http://bedfordandbowery.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/bowerymission18.gif" style="color: #fb592d; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="(Photo: Ilyse Liffreing)" class="size-full wp-image-39124" height="345" src="http://bedfordandbowery.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/bowerymission18.gif" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="520" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="color: #999999; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 4px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">
(Photo: Ilyse Liffreing)</div>
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Today they will have 100 men asking for pants, but will only be able to provide 30 pairs. About twelve pairs of shoes are on the ground underneath the shelf of pants, but there is not a variety of sizes. There are enough T-shirts, but no sweaters, long-sleeve shirts, or boots for the cold months ahead. Krivich says, “We do the best that we can.” But, he adds, “We don’t do it alone. We rely on our supporters and donators.” The Bowery Mission has a long history of this working. They have been around caring for those hurting since 1879.</div>
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Krivich points to his favorite photograph on the red wall of their upstairs meeting room. It shows immigrants from over 110 years ago, taking up all the room on the pews in the chapel at an old location of The Bowery Mission. “Our pews are still full more than 110 years later,” he says with a proud smile.</div>
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Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671150593352105197.post-28258953223099994572014-09-24T19:13:00.000-07:002014-09-24T19:37:41.990-07:001st Published Article of Grad School<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_38427" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px auto 15px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-align: center; width: 530px;">
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<span style="color: #fb592d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">My first article published in graduate school on Bedford+Bowery, which is now where I intern for this 1st semester: </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://bedfordandbowery.com/2014/09/look-for-painted-pubises-outside-of-the-calvin-klein-show-today/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Look For Painted Pubises Outside of the Calvin Klein Show Today</span></a></div>
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<img alt="(Photo: Ilyse Liffreing)" class="size-large wp-image-38427" src="http://bedfordandbowery.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/IMG_2726-520x357.jpg" height="357" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="520" /><br />
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(Photo: Ilyse Liffreing)</div>
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If you’re anywhere near 50 Varick Street today, you may want to head over there toot sweet. Not for the Calvin Klein fashion show (yawn), but for something far more colorful that’s happening outside of it at this very moment.</div>
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Remember Andy Golub, the artist who got arrested a few years ago for staging live body painting in Times Square? and who in June hosted a New York Body Painting Day, where 40 painted, fully nude models marched down Broadway?</div>
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<a href="http://bedfordandbowery.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/IMG_2734.jpg" style="color: #fb592d; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="(Photo: Ilyse Liffreing)" class="size-medium wp-image-38426" src="http://bedfordandbowery.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/IMG_2734-240x375.jpg" height="375" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="240" /></a><br />
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(Photo: Ilyse Liffreing)</div>
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He’s back for his second New York Fashion Week. On Sunday, he set up 20 feet away from the DKNY show, and it was quite a scene: on one part of 26th Street, guards stood protecting the entryway, velvet ropes lined the sidewalk, and models adjusted their poses for the firing squad of photographers. A little away from the crowd another line began to form around a naked woman and man, their bodies full of swirls of purple, pink, green, black, and yellow. Their faces looked just as serious as the models on the runway.</div>
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“They are the money. We are the love,” said Golub as he painted yellow stripes on the man’s arm. The art, he said, is “not about money. Not about status. It’s about, sort of, being true to yourself. I think that people on some level, some very right-brain level, they understand that. I think that we don’t really see that freedom and openness that often.”</div>
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Golub isn’t necessarily attacking the fashion world. “They look nice with their different outfits,” he admitted. “I’m not saying they don’t, but I’m interested in the inside of people, the spirit of people. That,” he points to the line of models, “sort of almost blocks the spirit of people. You become a representation of yourself in a sense. Especially when one person is designing the clothes and the other person is wearing it.” For his shows he wears a blue t-shirt with faces he drew himself. He hasn’t yet joined his models in their nudity, but he would if the chance came up.</div>
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(Photo: Ilyse Liffreing)<br />
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Nude model Halena Herrera, 27, who was bright with color and hanging off the lamppost, said she was there because she “loves the art.” Another volunteer model, 22-year-old Tahirah Cochran, said, “I feel like we’re just spreading the love.”</div>
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After Golub was arrested in Times Square in 2011, the charges were dropped. He insists that “full nudity is legal in New York if it’s a part of an exhibition or show. Cops tried to stop us, but the law is on my side.” He plans to have another New York Body Painting Day in the near future because “art is a great way of connecting with people.” In the meantime, you can find him outside of 50 Varick Street today from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.</div>
Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671150593352105197.post-75531492006043889342014-09-24T18:51:00.001-07:002014-09-24T18:51:15.241-07:00Good Gone Grad Girl IndeedWelcome to my blog all about grad school at NYU, my experiences in New York, and a collection of my articles, photos, and videos during my time at NYU. I am thrilled to be living in this city that has eluded me until this year :)<br />
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I like my cute, little New York room and so far have only seen one centipede creeping across the wall. Yay! For the first couple of weeks my roommate Katherine and I have had some troubles. We went without water for three days and without energy for two (we had to camp in the kitchen with only a few outlets that worked), <br />
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However, so far I have had excellent classes with plenty of cool guest speakers. Ben Kesling with the <i>Wall Street Journal </i>talked to us about social media, Geraldine Baum, previously with the<i> LA Times,</i> talked to us about how she covered 911 on the ground, Natalie Osterling with the <i>Wall Street Journal </i>discussed SEO with us, and Bob Kolker with <i>New York Magazine</i> talked to us about writing long-form articles about ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances. Thursday night was an event where editors at Vice, Mashable, and Buzzfeed talked about their international coverage. I have learned a lot already. <br />
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Our first assignment of the semester was to cover New York Fashion Week. I wrote a piece about the protestors on the streets. Here are a collection of pictures I took of a mix of the fashionable models outside of the runway shows and the protestors on the streets:<br />
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<br />Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671150593352105197.post-81092580027882216292011-05-04T19:35:00.000-07:002011-05-04T23:41:47.846-07:00Campus Ghosts<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> Rumors are often spread about the ghost of Lone Mountain—a pregnant nun who killed herself after having an affair with a priest. Some consider it to be the actual story of Sister Agnes, a nun who attended the Women’s College and threw herself off the bell tower, despite the 1980’s movie <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Agnes of God</i> having a similar plot line, according to a recent article published in October 2010 in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Foghorn</i>. Some consider the rumor foolish, while other students haven’t heard. But how many other ghost stories are alive and present on campus? Do students actually believe what they hear? Most importantly, are any real? </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">The sky turned a maddening red and purple as senior Performing Arts and Social Justice major Kelley Greer and I walked up to the historic Lone Mountain building, once its own women’s college, with a mission to unravel the truth behind the ghost stories at the University of San Francisco (USF). The wind was strong and we hurriedly closed ourselves in the old structure, determined to stay to the early hours of the morning among the religious statues of the Virgin Mary and rumors of the ghost of the suicidal nun—an odd combination. With each hour passing and our eyes growing weary from our time spent studying, the hallways began to become dark and empty. As though the Gothic Spainsh architecture with the hanging chandeliers and sculpted pillars does not make the building spooky enough, lights in some classrooms were left on as if the professors wanted to make sure the ghosts could see their way around. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">Needless to say, we became quite jumpy as the night went on. Every sound of the wind would cause us to freeze and huddle together for protection. It was at one of these moments where Kelley, 21, said, “We should have brought a man with us,” and almost screamed at the sight of a shadow down the hall. Neither of us had the courage to approach it so instead, we moved up a floor. We convinced ourselves that it was probably just a chair’s shadow. Later, when we had built up enough nerve we went back down only to find that the shadow that we swore we saw was not there. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">Certainly, the possibility of seeing a ghost on our campus is highly likely if you are a person who believes that the spirit lingers on in a place where the dead are located. In this case, once located. Indeed, according to Professor of Architecture Steven Doctors, 55, the University of San Francisco was built on “all kinds” of cemeteries. Even babies were buried on the very top of Lone Mountain. He says, “These cemeteries were divided by ethnicities, and then supposedly all caskets were moved to Colma in the peninsula, except some skeletons that were sent back to China.” </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">At one time there was as many as 150,000 bodies buried where the university now sits and bones are found every so often during construction periods, according to Doctors. With a smirk he says, “The people of San Francisco did not want to live next to dead people anymore and so the Women’s College bought the land which was later bought by USF in 1978 to expand their lifespan.” As it has always been said, “from death comes life.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> But Doctors does not know whether he believes in ghosts or not. What he does know is the significance of a place and he can imagine how that could play a role in drawing potential spirits. Of this he says, “Places are always changing. Old lives fade away—new lives come in, new memories are formed. I imagine that the places still carry their importance.” </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">Kimberly Garrett, Program Assistant for the English Department, shares Doctors’ outlook on ghosts. Yet, she still feels like it is “crazy walking around the hallways,” referring to the eerie feeling she feels at night when USF’s “old school charm” shines through. An example is with the large mirror on the second floor of Lone Mountain where a staircase can be glimpsed through the mirror, although Garrett calls this an “optical illusion.” Even though Garrett, 32, has been working for USF for ten years now, she also attended as an undergraduate, graduating in 2000. During her four years in college, she described how she would make these scary homemade movies, along with her friends, using the school as a backdrop. These would be based around the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blair Witch Project </i>movie that came out in 1999. Together, they would get objects on campus like “forks from the old Lone Mountain cafeteria” and “stacks of books from the library” to create their film. Perhaps this was her way of making sense of the rumors.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">Senior Kelsey Ransick, 22, who is graduating this year with an Art History degree, has to agree with Garret and Doctors. She says, “The school may be creepy at times, but I believe its simply because it is old. There is a history to this school, but there are no ghosts that have come from it.” </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> Even though Doctors, Garret, and Ransick may not believe in the rumors, there are plenty of professors, students, and even priests on campus who do. In fact, in a recent survey I conducted, out of 200 students asked, 87 believed the rumors were true. Also, out of 200, 132 had heard of one or more ghost stories on campus. Sophomore Kyle O’Brien, 20, believes entirely in the Lone Mountain ghost story, and even adds that the ghost of the nun “hid the body of her baby in one of the nooks of the ceiling in Lone Mountain.” Chilling to say the least. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> While some students may be willing to fully adopt the stories, others are skeptical about the ghostly nun on campus, but still say they believe in ghosts. Dylan Wittrock, 21, is a sophomore who has a past accustomed to ghost stories. According to Wittrock, his father once worked at famous writer Edith Wharton’s old mansion that is supposedly haunted. With an awed expression, he says, “I do believe in ghosts. I probably wouldn’t if I hadn’t heard all these ghost stories.” For him, ghosts can be seen by only some people and are completely harmless. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> Senior Kevin Kunze, on the other hand, is convinced that ghosts can be dangerous and often cause mischief, especially the ones on campus, according to him. The story he talks about is one that nobody else brought up when asked about the ghost stories on campus. Kunze, 22, describes the story with excitement. He tells me he “likes telling ghost stories.” He begins with, “Once there was a man who died in Hays-Healy that had a pipe shot through his head…” </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> Apparently, the story goes that a man from London came to San Francisco to work on the construction of the Hayes-Healy dorm, according to Kunze. In fact, Kunze says that Hayes-Healy was one of the first buildings constructed, although he is not sure about the exact year. During the construction, a pipe shot out from somewhere and went right through his head. However, he did not die for a long time. Now he wanders around the Hayes-Healy dorm, Kunze says. Also he adds, “One time this medicine man was chased down by the Pipe-Headed Ghost and met his ultimate end.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> Who can say if this ghost story is actually true? Either way, it has affected Kunze, a filmmaker and Media Studies Major, to the point where he now uses ghosts in his film projects. In fact, the film he is working on right now is based off Philip K. Dick’s novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Transmigration of Timothy Archer</i>, which involves the suicide and ghostly reappearance of the son of a bishop. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> On top of that, Kunze brings up another reason why ghosts may be haunting the school and it has nothing to do with the fact that USF is built over graveyards. According to Kunze, there have been a lot of deaths that have occurred on campus. He says, “There was a boy who died of a cold in one of the dorms, several hushed up suicides, and a double homicide where an eighteen-year-old student was shot in front of Harney.” For Kunze, these deaths mean more ghosts on campus. He says, “If I was a ghost I know I would haunt USF, especially if I died here.” </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> Another strong believer in ghosts as well as an actor in Kunze’s upcoming film <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Transmigration of Timothy Archer</i> is Dave Pangaro, the Director of Presentation Theater. Presentation Theatre can be found in the Education Building on USF’s campus. Pangaro, 45, has worked as a Director of Presentation Theatre and before that the Director of Gill Theatre since 1984, and has seen some “strange things” in his time, he says. It is a common thing for theaters to be haunted, according to Pangaro, but hearing his stories could make a skeptic turn into a believer.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> All Pangaro’s ghostly encounters took place at the old Gill Theatre, home to the College Players, which use to exist where the new Kalmanovitz Amphitheatre is now. According to the USF website, Kalmanovitz is the “oldest existing school building on the main campus” and is 80-years-old. It was at this building where a gravestone once stood that read H. Peterson and where students were protected from countless fires, according to Pangaro. It was also at this building where Pangaro changed his mind about believing in ghosts. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> Pangaro says he used the balcony of the old theatre as storage and one day as he was cleaning up the theater he looked up at the balcony and saw three boys’ faces. When he looked back again they were gone. Another time he was in the theatre and a “mysterious” hand that was about 15 ft. off the ground pushed a cloth that was in front of a white wall for about 30 ft, according to Pangaro. Pangaro believes these ghosts to be former students, to be exact, “former College Players members.” He says, “Oh, I absolutely believe that some of them are lost.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">Since he had a grandma who was a psychic, Pangaro says he asked a psychic from the city to come check out the old theater. From this inspection, Pangaro says, “The psychic told me that the stairs leading up to the theater were definitely haunted.” So far there have been no ghostly apparitions in Presentation Theatre, according to Pangaro, and therefore no need for another psychic. <span style="display: none;">e<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> Junior English Major Zoe Bronstein may have had an experience that proves otherwise, at least that there might be paranormal activity in the Education Building. Ironically, Bronstein, 21, was rehearsing in ED040 in the Education Building for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Anges of God</i>, a play she directed last year, when a Public Safety officer shared with them personal ghost stories, according to Bronstein. She says, “The officer said he had the duty of locking up at night and once he saw a 6-year-old boy sitting on the stairs right by the vending machine. He said the boy was smiling and then when he turned back the boy was gone.” </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> Another thing the officer told the cast was that they get a lot of calls about a woman in a white dress being attacked by a group of men at the base of the Lone Mountain stairs, according to Bronstein. “Apparently, the officers got this call so many times that they thought it was a prank,” says Bronstein. But the officer continued on to say that they found out that this incident actually happened about 150 years ago when USF was still a graveyard, according to Bronstein. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> Director of Public Safety Dan Lawson, 59, backs up Bronstein’s story about the little boy on the stairs. For the past 8 years, Lawson has worked in Public Safety, but actually attended USF as an undergraduate, he says. Even though he never heard of any of the ghost stories while attending the school, now he is constantly talking about the paranormal activity that his officers see on campus, according to Lawson, and therefore was very serious throughout the interview. In fact, he says, “Officers at Education would always report spooky things like doors closing and weird noises being heard.” Yet, he also says, “Our officers appear to have good relationships with the ghosts.” No one has been hurt, according to him. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> Lawson called up Lieutenant Dean Coit, 55, who has worked at USF for about 10 years, and he relayed that “Multiple officers have seen the ghost boy late at night.” According to Coit, he is seen wearing 1940-50s style clothing, is seen walking in the hallways and sitting on the stairs, and comes along with noises and a feeling of cold. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> However many ghost sightings the officers see in Education, Lawson says the nun ghost story is “not true.” He says there was a nun named Sister Anges who went to the women’s college, but that is where the story ends. As for his own belief, Lawson says, “I think there are many possible dimensions, but I think it has more to do with our imagination.” This seems like a contradictory statement considering what his officers convey to him. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> Fr. Sean Michaelson, 42, coming from a parish meeting, says all the Fathers knew about the nun in Lone Mountain and were “unimpressed by what Public Safety had to say” about the subject. It seems as though the Fathers, at least Fr. Michaelson, enjoy the ghost stories, if not fully believe in the ghosts’ existence. Additionally, Fr. Michaelson talks about one ghost story that Fr. Gagen says is true. According to Fr. Michaelson, Fr. Gagen, the pastor of the parish, heard from one of the people who work in the parish that there was a ghost of a priest praying in St. Ignatius Church. According to the USF website, the church was dedicated in 1914, and one of the largest churches in San Francisco. Fr. Gagen, 57, says this priest was “fully vested for mass” and “walking back and forth at one of the altars along the western side of the church.” When this parish worker went over to see whom the man was, the “priest disappeared,” according to Fr. Gagen. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> It may be that believing in ghost stories is a mystery for some people. Professor of Psychology Saera Khan, 33, laughs when asked if she believes in ghosts. She says, “Ghost stories are fun because on one level you actually know the fabrications behind the story.” Khan says she doesn’t believe in ghosts, rather, she sees the telling of ghost stories as a way to “bond with people.” She says, “We all seek human connections when scared.” </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> After a good laugh she adds, “We might never know if some ghosts stories are real or not. It’s not like we can just ask that dead person about what we just heard about.”</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWKjAlT8YygAPWbcm1SHaGe7MX3y38F2C1VHi83eE-z2Pz6GeCeOgBC2zUYDTsMzs8B8sR2M2uWfOFHnVDCNrPpAuV8xHKt5IjL0pKWQl2Kdndo-rp6nNUtYiUCAn4M2EraOxBfrtdf4/s1600/Slide1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWKjAlT8YygAPWbcm1SHaGe7MX3y38F2C1VHi83eE-z2Pz6GeCeOgBC2zUYDTsMzs8B8sR2M2uWfOFHnVDCNrPpAuV8xHKt5IjL0pKWQl2Kdndo-rp6nNUtYiUCAn4M2EraOxBfrtdf4/s640/Slide1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> By Ilyse Liffreing</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><br />
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</div>Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com4