Archives for July 2011

Op/Ed: Getting Gay Married is Good for the Economy—and the Neighborhood

July 31, 2011 By WG News + Arts Leave a Comment

Men kissing at recent New York Gay Pride Parade, 2011. Photo by Eric Wolman

Interview with Teresa Toro

WG: According to financial analysts, New York will be impacted in a very positive way by the new gay marriage legislation. It could bring in millions? TT: Everyone understands that weddings are a billion dollar industry. With same-sex couples in the mix, and New York not requiring residency for same-sex marriages, we should definitely see a major boost in the local economy. In June 2011, the Huffington Post noted: “In a 2007 report, former city Comptroller Bill Thompson found gay marriage would pump $142 million into the economy of New York City alone.” Our city government recently announced its “I Do” campaign to encourage same-sex couples to marry here. It’s on the official nyc Guide online.

Jill Satterfield—Spiritual Radical, School for Compassionate Action

July 24, 2011 By Genia Gould Leave a Comment

Jill Satterfield in her Williamsburg loft. Photo by William Hereford

Teaching What “Is”— Interview with Jill Satterfield

Hanging from silks, or sweating in heated rooms, and taking poses to extremes are just a few of the dozens of ways that yoga is being taught today. In North Brooklyn recently, WG ran a story about no less than 17 unique yoga studios that have opened in the last few years, in a two-part series [January and March ’11] called “OMMMM My God, So Many Yoga Studios.” This month, we had the opportunity to interview Vajra Yoga and Buddhist meditation teacher Jill Satterfield, who moved to Williamsburg in March. We spoke about the yoga scene and her thoughts on yoga’s continuing and growing popularity.

Movie Review: Hood to Coast: a Woodstock of running races

July 19, 2011 By Philippe Theise Leave a Comment

In the documentary "Hood To Coast" Thunder N' Laikaning's Jason running his last leg of 197-mile relay race.

Hood to Coast | Dirs. Christoph Baaden & Marcie Hume | 102min | Doc | 2011 | US

Hood to Coast, a documentary playing through Thursday at indieScreen, follows four 12-person teams as they participate in a 197-mile relay race in Oregon. The event, which began in 1982 and attracted 12,000 runners in 2008, has evolved into what one commentator calls a “Woodstock on wheels” (the teams travel in vans). A Phish show in running shoes would be just as accurate: preppy fraternity brothers, friendly punks with dyed hair, Old & in the Way men, and lots of other unpredictable characters crowd the gorgeous roads of the route.

BOE: Brooklyn Oenology: watermelons & bing cherries will dance on your tongue

July 9, 2011 By Mary W. Yeung Leave a Comment

brooklyn oenology boe cabernet promo card
Last night, I gathered a few friends for an impromptu tasting of summer wines by Brooklyn Oenology’s Alie Shaper. The group consisted of socially responsible, wine-loving people of diverse ages—no high-falutin’ flaw / fault-hunting critics or winos (as far as we knew).

Here are the results: The guys liked the Shindig best, a dry, crisp white wine which is a blend: 90% Vidal Blanc and 10% Riesling. It’s very crisp, with a hint of lemon and green apples, the perfect accompaniment for seafood or salads. The girls picked the 2010 “Friend” Riesling as their favorite, sweet, yet complex, with summer fruit notes: lemons? pineapples? honey? The group also liked the 2009 Social Club White; it’s a well-priced Chardonnay with notes of apples, papaya, mineral, and a hint of ginger. The 2009 Cabernet Franc Rose could be a crowd pleaser at summer parties, as it’s light and refreshing; a real thirst quencher; watermelons and bing cherries will dance on your tongue.

Several years ago, Shaper, an aerospace engineer from Long Island, joined the Brooklyn artisanal food movement and went into the wine making business. She founded Brooklyn Oenology and created eight different wines in a few short years. Today they are served at over forty restaurants in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island and Long Island. Among them are Momofuku Noodle Club, Back Forty, Tribeca Grill, Fette Sau, Buttermilk Channel, The Palm House at Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and M.Wells, a celebrated eatery in Queens.