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Tag Archives: new york times
NYT: The Organic Cotton Tote Goes All Status-y
ABC Carpet and Home Organic Cotton Tote
The New York Times, in one of their half charming, half roll-your-eyes stories, reports that you can now put away your fancy leather purse and instead carry a nice cotton tote. Of course, this being New York, not just any tote will do. The glitterati (and literati) are showing their stripes with just the right schlepping bag, preferably given away at a fashion or literary event in numbers no more than 300.
Seemingly democratic and certainly affordable (if not free), the tote might be the ideal carryall for these post-luxury recessionary times. The tote’s status is stealth. It telegraphs not money but access, ethics, culture — encapsulating the idea psychologist Daniel Gilbert popularized that happiness grows more through experiences than purchases.
This is true. If you believe that you can’t buy your way to happiness (say, with a Birkin), but ascribe to the New York notion that fulfillment is found in attending the latest cultural event within your particular sphere, then a tote bag proclaims this loud and clear. Indeed, lately I have been proudly using my organic cotton ABC Carpet and Home bag before I even knew this was a supposed trend. Yes, it came from a store and not some exclusive event, but it says, “I have good taste and I shop at stores with fair trade and sustainable wares. Bitches.”
Now the resurgence of the environmental movement, coupled with the graphic design boom and lowered screen-printing costs, has helped make totes ubiquitous. Anya Hindmarch, in 2007, designed the popular “I’m Not a Plastic Bag” canvas satchel, publicized on Oscar nominees with the help of Vanity Fair. Boutiques supporting young designers and sustainability, like Bird in Brooklyn, began giving away logo bags with purchases: the perfect size for the laptops we all have to lug hither and yon.
And today, for my trek out to Brooklyn, I chose an older, worn cotton bag from Olive & Bettes. I sort of liked the bag before (it’s a forgettable NYC boutique), but of course my esteem of it jumped up a notch when I saw the same one sitting at the desk of my ever-so-chic editor in chief.
So, do you ever carry totes instead of a fancy purse? What’s your tote of choice?
TODAY: Action Alert: Show Up at This Fracking Meeting!
Credit: emerille/Flickr
Fracking is such a great name for natural gas extraction. It sounds mean, unsavory, and harsh. And that’s exactly what it is.
And they want to do it in Upstate NYC.
Now, normally we New York City residents do a lot of ignoring when it comes to Upstate New York. It seems to exist solely for trips to see fall foliage and farmers market apples. But in this case, what happen in upstate will show up in your tap. If we aren’t careful, instead of drinking the water from your tap, you could be using it to light your oven.
Let’s back up for a moment and explain what fracking is. Fracking is a method used to get natural gas out of the ground. It involved pumping a proprietary (read: secret) mix of chemicals into the ground to force natural gas out.
While proponents make the usual rallying cry of, “It creates jobs!” many are pointing to disturbing instances of poisoned groundwater and lax regulations across the United States. The movie Gasland, from what I hear since I haven’t seen it my self, does an excellent job of driving home the substantial risks inherent in pumping chemicals into the ground, no matter how safe the disposal is reported to be. And honestly, if the New York Times cries foul, I’m inclined to agree.
Why does this concern you? Well, New York City gets it delicious clean tap water from upstate. And if fracking is allowed to happen up there, you might see the result right in your own apartment. Even putting that aside, if you like apples and milk from upstate, you would still oppose fracking, since it’s usually the farmers who have the land to lease to natural gas companies, who then poisons their cows and grounds.
New York Governor Cuomo is all for letting fracking happen. Why wouldn’t he be? Energy companies are outspending environmental organizations four to one.
But you can participate in this process. Today from 1:00 to 4:00pm and 6:00 to 9:00pm, there will be a public hearing on the subject. Go, show up, register your displeasure! It’s at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center at 199 Chambers Street.
Posted in Activism, Events, Health, New York, News, Sustainability
Tagged Activism, farmers market, Fracking, new york times, Protest, Upstate New York
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It’s Snowing…AGAIN
I flitted outside this morning to breathe in some fresh, cool air and take these photos. Yes, it’s snowing yet again. What is this? Upstate New York? What happened the the city being a heat sink?
Well, the New York Times offered an explanation yesterday: this isn’t a sign of impending doom (even though a group of crazies in the subway yesterday claims the end is in March…pack your bags!), it’s a result of the arctic air breaking through a sort of fence and rushing down here, while our warmer air streams up into Alaska and Canada, giving them a (relatively) warm winter. I’ll let the NY Times explain:
The immediate cause of the topsy-turvy weather is clear enough. A pattern of atmospheric circulation that tends to keep frigid air penned in the Arctic has weakened during the last two winters, allowing big tongues of cold air to descend far to the south, while masses of warmer air have moved north.
The deeper issue is whether this pattern is linked to the rapid changes that global warming is causing in the Arctic, particularly the drastic loss of sea ice. At least two prominent climate scientists have offered theories suggesting that it is. But others are doubtful, saying the recent events are unexceptional, or that more evidence over a longer period would be needed to establish a link.
So there is the big question: is this a temporary glitch in weather patterns? Or is something else (um, global warming) afoot?
Read the rest of the story here.
Community Food is Beautiful
You must go check out the beautiful photographs of canners, foragers, chefs, bakers, and brewers at the New York Times website. Their expressions – small wry smiles, jutted chins – seem to say it all: this is hard work, but we are proud to do it, and isn’t what we make awesome??
It’s a shame it’s all Cali people. Lord knows we’ve got plenty of good people here in NYC!
An Ode to the Wonderful Food Processor
I may seem a bit schizo sometimes, posting about wild parties and then mundane things. But it has to be said, life is made up of both the big things you’ll remember always, and the little things that make every day better. The food processor is one of those things.
Mark Bittman composed an ode to the food processor, and all the wonderful things it can do in your kitchen in the New York Times. Check it out; he speaks wise words.
Posted in Food, Recipes, Tips
Tagged cooking, kitchen, Mark Bittman, new york times, recipe, tools
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My Letter of the Week to My Reps
Way to go. I just saw the news about the so-called “Energy Bill,” which is really just democrats rolling over and showing their bellies to the Republicans.
“We can’t get the votes. It’s not possible.” Is that all we will ever hear from Democrats? At least Republicans get it done, even if I disagree with all of their policies. I had such high hopes when Obama got elected. I thought maybe since Democrats had taken it back, they would have the courage and conviction to undo Bush’s policies and steer us away from relying on oil from dangerous petro-states. To address the crisis of our time: climate change. To clean up the air and the Gulf. Instead we have…. Nothing at all.
Your legacy will be the Congress who was too scared to save our country from poisoning itself with oil and coal. Congratulations.
Sincerely,
Alden Wicker
New York, NY 10025
cleanhippie.wordpress.com
@aldenwicker
Posted in Activism, New York, News
Tagged climate change, Energy Bill, Gillibrand, legislation, new york times, vote, write your representative
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