Picture courtesy Sarah Shanfield.Sarah communes with the globeWhile there are good reasons to be skeptical about the Mayan calendar prediction that the world will end today, The Local decided to ask journalist, savant, thought-leader, and Local contributor Sarah Shanfield for words of advice and comfort.
Q.
Sarah, the end of the world seems to be predicted with frightening regularity these days. How have you felt in the past when it turned out to be a false alarm?
A.
No one was more upset at the failure of the rapture than me. I had not even started my taxes and was going to wait until the last fiery demon rode away in a chariot made of rabid wolves to see if I’d be alive enough to have to actually sit down and file them. Boy, was I wrong! I have learned not to put too much belief in these human predictions. Still, I won’t do any Christmas shopping until acid-filled pigs stop falling from the sky on Friday and then, only then, will I venture to the Union Square holiday market.
Q.
Coming from California as you do, we know you’re an earthquake expert. Do you expect the end of the world to involve earthquakes, as well as other disastrous phenomena, or not necessarily?
A.
Humans – and living organisms in general – are very smart. We defy the laws of nature time and time again (like you said, I’m from California. Nature, gravity and logic are all defied by the faces of my mother’s friends). Especially after Sandy, I don’t question the power of a humankind to be able to survive whatever the earth or the forces that be will throw at him or her. Read more…
If you’re seeing this post a little after 7 p.m., then you’re watching David Simon, creator of “Treme” and “The Wire,” do his thing at the BMW Guggenheim Lab. If you missed the live stream, check back here soon for an archived video of higher quality.
Scott Lynch If you don’t feel like fighting the crowds down on Houston Street to hear David Simon (writer and producer of “The Wire” and “Treme”) speak at the BMW Guggenheim Lab tonight, why not watch the event stream live, right here at The Local? Grab some popcorn (of the praline variety, of course) and check back here as the 7 p.m. start time nears, to watch Mr. Simon talk about capturing cities on film.
Michelle Rick Good morning, East Village.
DNA Info previews this Sunday’s Middle Feast, a hummus making competition that will official crown the city’s best. Turns out, making hummus is a good two-day process: one contestant soaks Bulgarian-grown chickpeas for a day before cooking them for six hours. As we reported earlier this week, popular East Village spot Chickpea will be closed until July, eliminating one potential competitor for the prize.
The Times profiled Nublu, the eclectic Avenue C venue, calling it a club where anything goes (at least musically). It is also, it seems, a popular place for musicians such as Norah Jones and Moby to enjoy a quiet evening. Run by Ilhan Ersahin, the space is also home to a record label of the same name that produces records by artists who have developed their style at the club.
BBC radio host Richard Bacon was at 7A yesterday to interview David Simon, the creator of HBO series “The Wire.” Mr. Simon said nothing significant has changed in Baltimore’s poorest neighborhoods since he made the show. “The drug war is still the drug war,” he said.
And, in case you haven’t seen it yet, watch TV producer Casey Neistat receive a ticket for not cycling in a bike lane on Second Avenue. He then proceeded to demonstrate the futility of sticking to the designated lanes by crashing into anything in his way. The video had around 200,000 views early yesterday and is now pushing a million, thanks to coverage from New York magazine, The Huffington Post and TV networks.
