Copyright 2008 The New York Sun Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:33:46 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Christina Rogers :: Stories from The New York Sun http://www.nysun.com/authors/Christina+Rogers istoll@nysun.com (Ira Stoll) webmaster@nysun.com en-us CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/new-york/green-fun-comes-to-fulton-street-at-habana-outpost/14363/ Wed, 25 May 2005 00:00:00 EST A restaurant in Fort Greene has found a new way to energize Brooklyn's cultural scene - by harnessing sunlight. Habana Outpost, the city's first solar-powered dining and cultural center, swung open its doors this past weekend for its inaugural six-month summer season. The combination restaurant, flea market, artist community center, performance space, and car wash is an homage to all things green, featuring bio-degradable products, a food compost, refurbished and recycled furniture, and even a... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/new-york/competition-frays-food-co-op-nerves/14290/ Tue, 24 May 2005 00:00:00 EST The fee-fi-fo-fum call of supermarket giants such as Fairway and Whole Foods heading to Brooklyn next year has done a lot to shake the nerves of the Park Slope Food Coop. But the 32-year-old co-operative market may find its biggest competitor much closer in size: a corner gourmet grocery half a block away that offers organic produce without the monthly work commitment. Union Market, the latest gourmet food store to swing its doors open on the brownstone-lined streets of Park Slope, carries a... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/new-york/ratner-delivers-on-affordable-housing/14165/ Fri, 20 May 2005 00:00:00 EST The city joined forces with the owner of the New Jersey Nets, Bruce Ratner, to announce a deal yesterday that would bring more than 2,000 units of "affordable housing" to Brooklyn as part of the proposed Atlantic Yards development plan. Mr. Ratner, who hopes to build an arena nearby for his professional basketball team, agreed to set aside half of the development's 4,500 new rental units for low- and middle-income families, and, for the first time, expanded upon the details of the plan. Under... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/business/pepsi-exec-likens-america-to-middle-finger/14104/ Thu, 19 May 2005 00:00:00 EST A top executive at PepsiCo compared America's position in the global marketplace to a middle finger during a speech to the graduating class of Columbia Business School. Many of those in attendance viewed the comments Sunday evening by the president and chief financial officer of PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi, as insulting and unpatriotic. "My family had flown a great distance and spent a large sum of money to come celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and were quite disturbed that the president... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fund-takes-wing-for-the-8000-avian-commuters-city/14046/ Wed, 18 May 2005 00:00:00 EST More than 8,000 hawks, falcons, and other predatory birds soar through the New York skies each year en route to migratory destinations along the Eastern Flyway. Some make pit stops in Central Park, perch on lampposts and architectural ornaments around the city, or nest in the rafters of large bridges. Others, like the celebrity Fifth Avenue pair of red-tailed hawks, Pale Male and Lola, enjoy the city's real estate so much they decide to make it their home. To help protect the habitats of winged... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/new-york/deal-brewing-to-bring-beer-distributors-to-red/13763/ Fri, 13 May 2005 00:00:00 EST A deal to bring the city's largest beer distributor and the Brooklyn Brewery to the Red Hook piers, where the Queen Mary 2 will dock next year, hinges on the resolution of a legal dispute between the Port Authority and the piers' current tenant, American Stevedoring Incorporated. The Red Hook-based container shipping company and its subsidiary, American Warehouse, both occupy piers 7 through 10 on lease by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The Port Authority is suing American... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/new-york/students-rally-against-sudan-violence/13510/ Mon, 9 May 2005 00:00:00 EST As college students across the country brace for finals week, a group of Yeshiva University undergraduates sought another way to put their lessons to use this weekend. Having banded together to help raise awareness about the mass genocide in Darfur, eight members of a new student-run organization, Not Now Not Ever, held their first rally to speak out against the violence in Sudan and urge the White House to take action. The rally drew more than 300 participants to Central Park, many from other... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/new-york/washington-square-renovation-slated/13279/ Wed, 4 May 2005 00:00:00 EST After more than 40 years of proposals, schemes, and false starts, the renovation of the 10-acre Washington Square Park is scheduled to begin late this summer. The renovation, to unfold in two phases over a period of three years, calls for sweeping changes to both the landscape and the layout of the park at the bottom of Fifth Avenue in Greenwich Village. "The restoration is a bit of a patchwork of several eras of design," the city parks commissioner, Adrian Benepe, said of the $16 million... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/business/street-vendors-fight-proposed-restriction-of-3/13290/ Wed, 4 May 2005 00:00:00 EST A bill that would overhaul the city's street-vending regulations will receive its second hearing at the City Council today, amid objections from store owners who say it would restrict retail privileges and vending associations that say it would impede First Amendment rights. Introduced last month by Council Member Philip Reed, a Democrat of Manhattan, the proposed law would amend vending regulations and increase the number of vending licenses issued by the city. "Right now, the rules are... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/influx-of-college-grads-to-bring-summer-of-change/12984/ Thu, 28 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST They have conquered Williamsburg, colonized the genteel streets of Carroll Gardens and Park Slope, and are moving eastward to Bushwick. Some have defected from Brooklyn altogether, pioneering north to settle new territories in Jackson Heights and Astoria, Queens. Meanwhile, others are eyeing north and east Harlem. They may not have the economic might or real estate prowess of developers, but the thousands of college graduates who pour into New York each summer in search of jobs, higher... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/new-york/questions-raised-after-deadly-passover-fire/12876/ Wed, 27 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST Soot-marks smeared against the wall, a trail of blackened footprints, and a half-charred door were all that remained yesterday as visible reminders to tenants of 104 Ross St. of the fire Monday that claimed the lives of three boys, leaving a tight-knit Jewish community in South Williamsburg to mourn during the Passover celebration. More than a day after the flames engulfed the Matyash family's apartment, injuring 10 other people, including two sisters who leaped from the second-story window... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/new-york/3-boys-killed-in-brooklyn-fire/12801/ Tue, 26 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST A Passover observance turned deadly yesterday morning when a stove left on, in keeping with chasidic practice, caused a fire at a Williamsburg apartment that killed two teenage brothers and their 7-year-old nephew. Four other family members, three neighbors, and three firefighters were injured. Shortly before 6 a.m., neighbors were awakened by screams coming from a second-floor apartment. Many watched as members of the Matyash family pounded on the windows, shrieking for help. Symah Matyash... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/education/changes-seen-in-stress-on-gres-in-graduate-school/12685/ Fri, 22 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST More than 10 years after taking her SATs, Candy Chang recently found herself sitting in a nondescript testing suite on 34th Street, her head crammed with trig formulas and obscure definitions, waiting to take the Graduate Record Examination. Three hours later, she emerged from the testing room, her mind reeling. "It just seems so foreign to all the things that I do as a person in the real world," Ms. Chang, 28, now a graduate student at Columbia University, said. "It made the test seemed a lot... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/new-york/mercury-to-push-86-today-in-summer-heat-preview/12511/ Wed, 20 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST Prepare to swoon. Temperatures are expected to reach record-breaking highs today as a warm southwesterly wind swoops through the Northeast. At New York City, meteorologists predict the thermometer will reach 86 degrees today, more than 20 degrees higher than the mid-April average high. The Central Park record for April 20 is the 90 degrees recorded on this date in 1927. Temperatures at La Guardia Airport and at Long Island's Islip Airport - where weather records don't date back as far - are... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/new-york/cellular-phone-battery-recharging-hits-the-streets/11820/ Thu, 7 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST It can happen to anyone, and often it does. It starts with the ominous bleep, then the flashing battery icon. You try to warn the other caller, but in mid-sentence, your cell phone shuts down, leaving the screen blank and you standing on the street corner dumbfounded, murmuring a futile "Hello?" If Murphy had a law for modern-day communication, it might go something like this: A cell phone's battery will only die when you need it the most. It's a scenario that two entrepreneurs, Tom Kim, 25... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/internet-use-in-real-estate-deals-is-gaining/11847/ Thu, 7 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST A realtor with Prudential Douglas Elliman, Jacky Teplitzky, was baffled when her client, a San Francisco-based banking executive, recently purchased a spacious $2.5 million four-bedroom condo on the Upper West Side - without first seeing the property in person. "I kept asking him if he was sure," Ms. Teplitzky said. "And he insisted he was. He had taken a virtual tour on the Internet, saw the photos and floor plan, and said it was as good as being there in person." While the typical homebuyer... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/workers-of-the-plaza-make-plans-to-move/11411/ Thu, 31 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST One of the city's most recognizable institutions, the Plaza Hotel, will close its doors on April 30 for a renovation. A number of employees expect to lose their jobs. The New York Sun's Christina Rogers spent some time this week at the hotel talking to workers about their best memories of working at the hotel and their plans for the future. There was a time when Artie Gobin would not let anything stand between him and his job as a waiter at the Plaza Hotel. Neither a cold nor a death in the... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/new-york/residential-permit-program-study-planned/11046/ Thu, 24 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST The days of drivers endlessly circling the block looking for a parking space may be numbered in neighborhoods surrounding downtown Brooklyn. Next month, the Department of Transportation will launch a feasibility study in Brooklyn for establishing the city's first residential parking permit program, an initiative that could become a model for other high-density parking areas throughout the boroughs. "A lot of people will be looking at this study and its results to see if it is viable as a... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/modernist-buildings-come-of-age/11078/ Thu, 24 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST A prominent glass-walled tower on the Paterson Silk Retail building was toppled earlier this month, altering the two-story expanse of glass and brick designed by modernist architect Morris Lapidus to make way for a Bank of America branch at the edge of Union Square. For some, the demolition was a victory; for others, an outrage. The disagreement is merely the latest in a debate among preservationists over the importance of architecture from that era. Not more than 50 years ago, the goals of... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/new-york/bible-society-turns-gallery-into-a-museum/10495/ Mon, 14 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST After closing its gallery in October, the American Bible Society plans to reopen it in May as the nation's first scholarly museum dedicated to Biblical art and artifacts. Along with a sleek, new interior, the Museum of Biblical Art will offer exhibitions, educational programs, and public programs exploring religious art. "Typically, when scholars or historians view religious art they talk about color and composition," the new museum's director, Ena Heller, said. "But we often forget that these... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/east-river-waterfront-plan-earns-partial/10373/ Thu, 10 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST The city planning department this week unveiled a final concept plan for the East River waterfront, showing in detail how the city will reconnect Lower Manhattan to the riverfront and recapture some of the street vitality that once occupied the slips and docks downtown. "We hope to bring the uses of the city to the water's edge and start thinking about how they work together," the director for city planning in Lower Manhattan, Michael Samuelian, said. Community Board 1 was "rather pleased" with... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/new-york/guess-who-the-city-is-hiring-to-do-some-planning/9992/ Thu, 3 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST New York has long lagged behind such cities as Paris, London, and Tokyo in its reputation for cutting edge architecture. Recently, though, it has had its internationally recognized triumphs, such as Yashio Taniguchi's expansion of the Museum of Modern Art and Richard Meier's shiny new condominiums in Chelsea. While private developers and wealthy cultural institutions are busy molding the city's skyline, the Department of City Planning has begun helping to bring some of that high design to the... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/new-york/closing-of-candy-world-is-sweet-sorrow/9850/ Tue, 1 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST Laurie Hernandez stood at the cash register with a small tower of candy jawbreakers and truffle boxes tucked under her chin. Taking one last look around the troughs of crimson jellybeans and chocolate-covered almonds, she lamented the loss of her favorite candy apples. "You can't buy good candy apples anywhere these days. They come packaged and with coconuts. I hate coconuts," she said. "Only here do they make them right." "Here" is Candy World, a 30-year-old neighborhood staple on Chambers... Christina Rogers http://www.nysun.com/new-york/gates-gazing-2005-02-28/9783/ Mon, 28 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST DORIS ZAMBRANO, 72 Retiree Cali, Colombia Q: Did you come to New York City to visit "The Gates"? A: No, we came to New York to visit, and our visit coincided with "The Gates" - and I think it is delightful. What do you think of them? Frankly, it sounded like it was going to be something silly and perhaps ugly. But I find it very interesting. And it has made everyone like going out to look at it, so the park is full of people enjoying themselves, taking pictures, and having fun. I think it has... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/new-york/orange-is-leaving-the-park/9701/ Fri, 25 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST Starting Monday, 5,290 tons of steel, 165,000 bolts and self-locking nuts, 315,491 linear feet of vinyl tubes, and 1.067 million yards of traffic-cone-orange fabric will be packed up and carted off to processing plants across the country for recycling. All that will be left of the 23 miles of "The Gates" will be the memories. But before "The Gates" are gone, hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to fan out through the park this weekend to watch the bright, nylon fabric twist and... Christina Rogers http://www.nysun.com/new-york/gates-gazing-2005-02-25/9704/ Fri, 25 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST LUIZ PINTO (with his horse Cookie) Carriage driver, Manhattan Q. Has "The Gates" been good for business? A. It's been great. I can't complain at all. I have had customers from Germany and France, as well as upstate and New Jersey. It is winter break for a lot of schoolchildren, so their parents bring them in for the day. And surprisingly, I have had a lot of New Yorkers. How is business now compared to a typical February day? Usually, I make about two or three rides a day on a weekday. Now I am... Christina Rogers http://www.nysun.com/new-york/gates-gazing-2005-02-24/9637/ Thu, 24 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST JILL SHENTON, 36 Customer Service Coventry, England Q. Is this your first time visiting "The Gates"? A. Yes. Actually, I don't know anything about them. I don't get it. What are they supposed to represent? What was your initial reaction when you entered the park? I think they spoil the park. I would have rather seen the park without them, like how it looks in the movies, instead of all camouflaged. I can understand why people that live here might like it. It's a change. But they really ruin it... Christina Rogers http://www.nysun.com/new-york/gates-gazing-2005-02-23/9576/ Wed, 23 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST JASON ELDRIDGE Artist, Cape Cod, Mass. Q. Did you come down specifically to paint "The Gates"? A. Yes, I used to live in New York 15 years ago and I remember there being talk about this project, so there was no way I was going to miss it. And I think anything that brings people out and gets people commenting on things is doing its trick. What was your initial reaction to the piece as an artist? I think it is extremely optimistic, especially for this time of the year where there is so many grays... Christina Rogers http://www.nysun.com/new-york/gates-gazing-2005-02-22/9513/ Tue, 22 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST The spiritual leader of the Jodoshinshu Buddhist Temple on Riverside Drive, Reverend T. Kenjitsu Nakagaki, 43, was interviewed at "The Gates" before a ceremonial walk through Central Park. Q. Is this your first time visiting "The Gates"? A. No, I have been here three or four times already because we are one of the sponsors. What do you think about them? They change the atmosphere of Central Park. They are a little bit like the Japanese torii gates. These are Shinto gates found in Japan that... Christina Rogers http://www.nysun.com/new-york/gates-gazing-2005-02-18/9447/ Fri, 18 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST KIMBERLY KISSAM, 36 Photographer/Boston Q. Did you come to New York specifically to visit "The Gates"? A. No, I did not. But it was on my list of things to do because I had heard a lot about it in Boston. What was your initial reaction? At first, when I was coming down on the bus, I could see "The Gates" from my window and I didn't like them at all. I thought the park looked like a construction zone. They seemed really intrusive. The park is the one place where people can come and connect with... Christina Rogers http://www.nysun.com/new-york/gates-gazing-2005-02-17/9356/ Thu, 17 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST Don Sinisi, 55, who lives in Bensonhurst, works as a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Q. What do you think about "The Gates"? A. I think they are fantastic. In the '60s, we called them happenings. ... And it has no bearing on any kind of artistic statement. It is just to put a smile on people's faces. How do you see people reacting to "The Gates"? It is a very typical New York reaction. New Yorkers refuse to be impressed. They refuse to admit that they are impressed. Do you... Christina Rogers http://www.nysun.com/new-york/gates-gazing-2005-02-16/9284/ Wed, 16 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST KALEY HOLMBOE Student/London Kaley, 16, was interviewed while standing on the Metropolitan Museum of Art roof deck looking down at "The Gates." Q. Have you had an opportunity to walk through the park yet? A. I haven't actually yet. But we will after our museum visit. What do you think about them? I think it is kind of different. It is strange. But I don't understand why. Do you think it is worth $21 million? I think that it might be a bit of a waste of money, to be honest. I mean, they are just... Christina Rogers http://www.nysun.com/new-york/gates-gazing/9216/ Tue, 15 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST MICHELE ROOT Toronto High School Art Teacher Q. Did you come to New York to visit "The Gates"? A. Yes, we flew in Friday night and have been here for three days. I am totally freaked over this. I have been following his work for about 25 years and even made a little bag with his sketches on it as a souvenir. I am an art teacher, and my students and I actually made signs and posters for the artist to say hello from Toronto. What was your initial reaction? Well, we wanted to be in an art project... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/new-york/gates-visitors-take-aim-to-preserve-the-ephemeral/9150/ Mon, 14 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST They stood on benches, knelt on pebbled paths, and balanced tripods on jagged rock outcroppings, all in attempts to capture a lasting image of the billowing nylon fabric strung throughout Central Park. For the throngs of visitors to Central Park this weekend, the sight of 7,500 steel gates woven through 23 miles of narrow pathways is a moment worth remembering. According to the city's Department of Parks and Recreation, visitors who ask one of the special Gates monitors -hired by the artist... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/new-york/haute-couture-meets-underground-art/8598/ Wed, 2 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST Last November, the fashion designer Yeohlee Teng decided to transform the gritty subway platform beneath Bryant Park into a glitzy urban runway when previewing her new line during Fashion Week. The idea of fusing glam with grit proved so successful that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority decided to do it again this year. Tomorrow, as metal scaffolding and stark white canvas tents cloak Bryant Park in preparation for another week-long foray into high-end couture, the MTA plans to roll out... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/national/dean-says-party-needs-stronger-vision/8462/ Mon, 31 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST Howard Dean, one of seven contenders vying for the Democratic Party's national chairmanship, met with supporters yesterday and called for a stronger party vision, denouncing efforts to adopt Republican values as a way to win elections. "In order to win elections, you have to have a clear difference between parties," Dr. Dean told a group of about 300 supporters in Manhattan. "We need to establish ourselves as a party of reform and a party of change." Dr. Dean only briefly referred to his... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/education/courses-at-home-and-abroad-for-the-mind-and/8482/ Mon, 31 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST After 13 years of teaching in dark, cavernous lecture halls, art history professor Judy Collischan wanted to give her students a more visceral experience of the contemporary art world. So she decided to take them directly to the source - a working artist's studio. "Sitting in a classroom, students don't get a sense of the context, color, or texture of the work or the people that make it," said Ms. Collischan, who teaches an art appreciation course, "Artist's Private Worlds," at Hunter College's... CHRISTINA ROGERS http://www.nysun.com/new-york/effects-of-subway-fire-could-be-felt-for-years/8165/ Tue, 25 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST The disruptions of subway service, and dislocations for hundreds of thousands of commuters, caused by a devastating electrical fire under Church Street will probably last for years to come, officials said yesterday. The fire, which raged from early Sunday afternoon into the evening, short-circuited wiring in a crucial signal-relay control room at the station at Chambers Street in Lower Manhattan. Officials are investigating the fire as an act of arson. It started after a homeless man ignited a...