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Rebuttal

We Take Clouds for Granted
Clouds are changing, and we need to find out if it’s just temporary or from global warming.
By Gavin Pretor-Pinney and Taylor Maggiacomo

New York Times

My rebuttal: I beg to differ. I never take clouds for granted.

See #clouds at https://ourcitylife.art.blog/ for instance.

Mr. Pretor-Pinney is an author in Somerset, Britain, and the founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society.
I founded the Cloud Appreciation Society in 2005 because I believed we should all pay more attention to the sky. It was originally just a lighthearted idea — I felt I needed to stand up for clouds.
In Britain, where I live, they’ve always received a bad rap because they have a habit of raining on our barbecues. The Society was for anyone who, like me, believed that clouds are one of the most evocative, dynamic and accessible aspects of nature.
Over the past two decades, tens of thousands of people have joined the Society from all around the world, and I’ve come to realize there are also weightier reasons for paying more attention to clouds. Some relate to our mental health, and how the sky is an ever-present resource for us. Others relate to atmospheric science, and the way changing cloud cover in a warming climate could shift how clouds regulate temperatures below, which is the subject of my guest essay this week.
The world has changed in both these domains over the life of the Society. Our need to be out in nature for well-being has never been greater. Our attention economy is, of course, dependent on getting us to look down — at our devices. Looking up at the sky is something we can all choose to do at any moment. It is a way to lift our perspective.
Tuning in to the sky encourages you to slow down, to follow a narrative with no beginning and no end, to find what is common between us rather than what divides. No one, as far as I am aware, has ever come to blows over the beauty of a sunrise.
The scientific case for paying more attention to the sky is, I now believe, even more profound. That these most dynamic aspects of nature should change as the global climate heats up has, to me, always seemed likely. Now, the science is starting to show us how, and the stakes are high. The sky, it turns out, is both mirror and messenger. It reflects our need for wonder, and it carries the signals of what lies ahead.

New York Times

I shot these for A

And now I am sharing with you

My friend A shared that, like me, she loves miniatures. I believe many of us do.

It may be a feminine preference, I don’t know, but I do like these.

Note that the two photos on the bottom were from earlier capture of earlier windows.

Data mining is bringing us a superb analysis of the effects of urban renewal on the stable, if impoverished, community of Puerto Ricans who were upended when Lincoln Center was built. And, folks, it turns out there is a lot of data.

Afterlives of San Juan Hill is the CENTRO project that compiled the analysis. The results and illustrations are now on exhibit at the Hunter College CENTRO, 3rd Avenue and 119th Street. The project was led and curated by Dr. Cristel M. Jusino Diaz with Christopher Lopez. Researchers were: Jorge R. Soldevila Irizarry, Laura Colón Meléndez, Damayra I Figueroa-Lazu.

Lunch & lecture

What I learned from David Gelles at the Baruch luncheon the other day:

MBA, management by absence, was the proud invention of Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia’s owner and founder.

David Gelles, journalist and author, **Dirtbag Billionaire**

Through 501C-4 Patagonia was able to channel its funds to both political and environmental causes.

Short and sweet presentation. Gotta read the book for details!

Intriguing

The appeal of tiny things is oddly and exceedingly appealing.

At least it is to me, and you?

“You are icons”

W 10th & Hudson Environs of **our speakeasy adventure**

My doorman remarked on my late night arrival. I said, “I was pulled into a speak.”

My friend D asked the bouncer at this unmarked [or, perhaps, mismarked] venue what the line was and next thing we had a table.

Our ages, though D is more than a generation my junior, made us stand out at this West Village speakeasy.

The youngsters around us were appreciative and friendly. We got every courtesy as they passed our corner perch. A fellow helped me up when we were ready to leave.

One young woman took our picture, murmuring “You are icons,” in approving tones.

The loud tunes had D dancing in her seat, and me repeating “what” in every attempted conversation.

We had eaten down the block at The Warren before going to the theater, so this detour was drinks. Kudos for the joint’s beautiful deep raspberry-colored mocktail.

Thanks to D’s willingness to look behind the curtain (it’s a speak, folks) and take a seat at that coveted table, we had a blast.

Oh, and an extra special thanks to the maitre d’ (bouncer) who brought us in from the sidewalk to the club. Yeah, we cut the line and VIPed our way in!

A red carpet moment.

Lines for pizza

It’s proported to be the best, a declaration supported by block long waits. My friend D had affirmed how good the pizza at l’industrie was.

I only have pictures to give as proof.

To be fair, there were lines at other parlors in the West Village. Those eagerly awaiting their take away from John’s, a stalwart of many years, surprised me.

Dance is good

The first two performances at the NY Live Arts for its 15th Season are co-presented with L’Alliance New York’s Crossing the Line Festival. bLUr (on stage Oct 2-4) is choreographed by NYC’s own Kimberly Bartosik. The Kenyan-American artist and choreographer, Wanjiru Kamuyu, brings us Fragmented Shadows (Oct 15-17).

See this listing at the post A-List.

I have stubbornly [and wrongly] referred to this Guggenheim Museum experience as Works in Progress or sometimes, also erroneously & Progress. It is in fact, Works & Process. The series has been showcasing works in advance of their full staging for many years. It is a concept I find particularly intriguing.

On September 14, 2025, the work being showcased is a new piece by Jamar Roberts for the New York City Ballet. NYCB Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan will moderate a discussion with Roberts, and company members will perform excerpts from the work. The piece mixes fashion with ballet, with costumes by Dutch designer Iris van Herpen.

Tickets: 7pm, Sunday, September 14th.

Or the worst

Someone needs to expand on this script, ripped from the headlines.

Here’s the bones: poor but noble girl, [it’s her talent that signals her worth], becomes successful at her art. In the peak of her career, she wins the greatest prize.

She is wooed by the descendent of the most accomplished of all of America’s families.

Sure the patriarch made much of his money at bootlegging, but her beau’s forebears included a president, a statesman, a senator. They had brought Camelot to DC.

She was wooed then won by the Jr. who was prominent in his own way.

Some might say that he was notorious and unconventional. She signed on to this marriage, crown prince of MAHA and unsung girl from the Oakies. Of course, neither was young at this point; they each had matured to their own fame. No longer girl and prince.

Our aspiring princess should have seen that her prince was more than a bit unhinged.

He was in a position to do more harm than good. He was an acolyte of dark forces, perhaps the prince of evil himself.

Can she be saved? Can she become a hero in her own story?

Plotlines and dialogue required.

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For an antidote, click to hear some music.

Grounded

Surprises are the enemy of tranquilty.

Surprises are at the heart of spontaneity.

Sometimes you need the jolt of the unexpected.

Other times, you want the quiet of dependability.

It’s easier to respond to what you know with enthusiasm.

The strange can feel unwelcome and therefore unwelcoming.

Sticking to the familiar can take you into a rut.

Don’t you need a challenge?

Try that other road; open a new door. Choose else.

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