Results tagged “ice”

Suck It, Santa: Arctic Circle Really Melting Away

According to CBS News, data from a British team of explorers suggests "the Arctic will be ice-free in summer within 20 years, and that much of the decrease will happen within 10 years." The Catlin Arctic Survey was working with the World Wildlife Fund, and the WWF warns, "Such a loss of Arctic sea ice cover has recently been assessed to set in motion powerful climate feedbacks which will have an impact far beyond the Arctic itself...This could lead to flooding affecting one-quarter of the world's population, substantial increases in greenhouse gas emissions from massive carbon pools and extreme global weather changes."

     

The Arctic is making a cameo in New York this month, as the Brooklyn Museum houses The Distance Between What We Have and What We Want by Tavares Strachan. "In 2005, Tavares Strachan journeyed to the Alaskan Arctic and worked with a skilled team to extract a single two-and-a-half ton piece of ice from a frozen river. This ice block was shipped to the Bahamas (the artist's birthplace) and exhibited there in hot summer weather, kept cold in a specially designed freezer powered by solar energy," which is now at the museum. The sun keeping the ice freezing? Far out man.

Snow Fallout

Yesterday's rare snow day with the Department of Education closing public schools was a blessing for children and a mess for parents. One mother told the Post, "When I found out it was a snow day, it was too late to make arrangements. When you count on school every day, it's hard to find people to take care of your kids. Had I known [Sunday] afternoon, it might have been easier."

  

In a 1996 article about the ultra-rich, the NY Times points out that Billy Cosby's Manhattan sidewalk is heated and therefore "remains opulently snow-free," which also leaves him lawsuit-free. The ultra-non-rich use the archaic shovel, but the job still gets done, and you may even receive a thank you for your hard work. Not everyone does their duty of de-icing, however.

Chances are you're not trying to ride your bike anywhere today in this mess, but anyone who's tried to pedal over the bridges connecting Brooklyn with Manhattan this week was in for a treacherous trip, because the city has yet to adequately plow or salt the bike and pedestrian paths. As of last night, much of the Williamsburg Bridge path (pictured) remained impassible on two wheels, and commenters on Streetsblog say both the Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge remained unsalted and icy.

As more and more people are held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody as authorities decide whether to deport them, the issue of detainee treatment is becoming a bigger issue as some are dying during their waits. Today, the NY Times has the harrowing details of one man's death while in custody for over a year--it turned out he had cancer and his lawyers and family contend officials refused to believe he was sick.

A developer will break ground Thursday on what will be the city’s only rooftop ice rink (the Chelsea Piers Sky Rink is on the second floor, not the roof, and it’s been a while since skaters frolicked on the old Madison Square Garden roof rink.)

Say goodbye to the maddening ear-poison of Kool Man’s “Pop Goes the Weasel,” and harken back to the more civilized jingle of a bygone era: the gently ringing bell of the retro Good Humor ice cream truck. On Sunday Adam Kuban got the scoop of the week when he happened upon this atavistic enabler of sweet teeth outside the Museum of Modern Art.

The Neighbors Project has created a way to Thank You For Shoveling, with a polite little card campaign. Their website explains: "When you're trying to get somewhere during the winter -- work, bar, grocery store, gym, etc -- there's nothing more frustrating than being delayed because you're wading through inches of snow, or slipping and falling on the ice. It's a recipe for resentment on your block. So help spread the word about how much...

With the winter weather causing more difficult driving conditions, last night a dump truck jumped a divider on Route 3/Meadowlands Parkway. Fifteen cars piled up behind it, causing hours of traffic issues. Twenty-eight people were injured, five were treated at hospitals, and one died. Route 3 was closed for 8 1/2 hours Sunday night until 6:30AM this morning, and residual delays are expected. Other accidents occurred in the icy conditions and a tow truck operator...

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