Zoe Schlanger

For the first time since 1936, the recipient of the Nobel Peace prize was awarded in absentia. Today in Oslo, there was an empty chair on the stage where Liu Xiaobo, 54, would have been, were he not currently serving an 11-year term on subversion charges from the Chinese government.... continue reading on Gothamist

The hotly-anticipated new Jay St.-Metro Tech station opened today, fixing the failure of transport design that senselessly hit many commuters with a double fare. Since 1933, the Jay St./Borough Hall and Lawrence St./MetroTech Stations have stood nary a block away, but transferring from the A/C/F to the R meant traipsing... continue reading on Gothamist

The Senate is where good things go to die, but the move by Democrats yesterday to table a vote on the DREAM Act and DADT may have eluded the legislative grim reaper. Faced with a GOP filibuster, majority leader Harry Reid called for a delay on the vote, according... continue reading on Gothamist

Jemma Redgrave in a scene from The Great Game: Afghanistan (John Haynes) While this theater season has seen multiple productions on the Middle East, the spotlight has been almost exclusively on Iraq and Israel. Now the "Graveyard of Empires" has its turn center stage with The Great Game: Afghanistan,... continue reading on Gothamist

Rendering by architects Jordan Yamada and Peter Zaharatos The Third St. entrance to Prospect Park could be the site of a pretty neat piece of interactive urban design in the near future. The entrance was closed to cars in 2009 and has been sorely lacking permanent vehicle barricades ever... continue reading on Gothamist