After the Blizzard, the Parking Wars in South Boston

Abstract: BOSTON — By dawn on Tuesday, the space savers were out in abundance on East Seventh Street in South Boston. Someone had staked out a neatly shoveled parking spot with a potted plant, its dead fronds trembling in the wind. Someone else had reserved a space with a hot-pink beach chair. Elsewhere in the neighborhood, the epicenter of the parking wars that erupt here after a snowstorm, the narrow streets were lined with bar stools and coolers, end tables and shopping carts, all meant as warnings: This shoveled-out space is mine until the snow melts. Occupy it at your own risk. Marguerite Maguire, who had an orange parking cone ready to guard her spot, was hoping to avoid the kind of confrontation she got into after a 2009 snowfall, when someone tried taking her space the minute she finished clearing it. “I told her, ‘Forget it, lady,’ and we yelled at each other for a few minutes until she pulled away,” Mrs. Maguire, 50, recalled. “I think she must have been new here.” Though not unique to Boston — Chicago, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are among the other cities that embrace it — space-saving after snowstorms has an impassioned history here, especially in scrappy, densely populated South Boston. When snow puts parking spots at a premium, as the blizzard that just left 18 inches of snow here did, snatching someone’s marked space can lead to hurled insults, slashed tires or worse — in 2005, a man was arrested after smashing a car window with a plunger during an argument over a freshly shoveled spot. “A lot of people around here carry screwdrivers in their trunk,” said Kim Rader, 35, who had just started digging out her Mazda and predicted it would be a two-hour job. Her boyfriend, Paul Melvin, 41, said he did not condone tire-slashing and other violent tactics but understood them. “I’d prefer to stay away from that sort of behavior,” Mr. Melvin said, “but at the same time, it’s very disappointing and frustrating when someone comes along and takes a space without earning it.” When Mayor Thomas M. Menino tried to limit the practice in 2004, saying it had gotten out of hand, and threatened to dispatch crews to remove what he called “this rummage sale” of space savers 48 hours after a snow emergency ended, the neighborhood known as Southie revolted. James M. Kelly, then the neighborhood’s representative on the City Council, warned Mr. Menino that residents had “more cones and barrels” than the city had “trucks to haul them away.” The 48-hour rule remains on the books, but some residents said Tuesday that it was rarely enforced. The biggest gamble is to stake out spots with shopping carts from the local Stop & Shop, said Bernie Trager, a lifelong Southie resident, because the store pays someone to go through the neighborhood and retrieve them. Mr. Trager, 54, digs out other people’s cars after snow for a fee, but does not dare move his own Dodge Ram and rely on a space saver. “Last year, I shoveled out a spot,” he said. “I came back, and somebody had moved my buckets and taken it. It was my landlady’s daughter. I took that one on the chin, but I’m not taking any more chances.” For the uninitiated, a local blog, Caught in Southie, helpfully lists the “unofficial rules” for saving parking spots, including: “If you move someone’s space saver and park your car in its place, you have no right to complain about what happens to your car. However, you are allowed to retaliate as long as you don’t get caught.” The blog also suggests it is safe to ignore the 48-hour rule, saying, “As long as you’re not the last one with a cone out, you’re cool.” But some residents chafe at neighbors who block off parking spots for weeks or even months. “If they could,” said Phyllis Simon, 62, “some people would do it until the last piece of slush is melted.” Mrs. Simon, a Southie native, said the most “awesome” space saver she had seen was a table set for two, complete with a bottle of wine. Mrs. Maguire said her weirdest sighting was a toilet — “I can’t imagine the person moving it every time they park,” she said — and Kevin Carroll, who marks his space with an orange cone, said his strangest sighting was “one of those old TVs in the wooden cabinets.” Space savers spotted Tuesday included a tripod, several containers of kitty litter, a stroller, a cat scratching post, an air purifier and a laundry basket full of folded clothes. None, though, rivaled the bust of Elvis Presley that someone used in 2009. Maria Bonanno, 18, who was coated in snow as she dug out her Volkswagen Jetta, paused when asked whether she had ever claimed someone else’s shoveled space. “Um,” she said. “Yeah, probably once.” There were no repercussions, she said, because it was a neighbor’s space and neighbors in Southie tolerate one another’s occasional slips. “If you’re friends with them, it’s all good,” Ms. Bonanno said. “I know enough people to get me out of trouble if I need to.”

Snow and Snowstorms
Automobiles
Boston (Mass)
Parking


Revamped Warriors Use Small Fixes for Big Gains

Abstract: Last season, the Golden State Warriors won 23 games in a lockout-shortened season, an equivalent to about 29 wins in a regular season, or four fewer than the Warriors (33-23) have already won this season. Such quick turnarounds are rare. Typically, rebuilding a franchise after an extended bout of dysfunction and losing takes seasons, not months. But starting in April, when they swapped Monta Ellis, a shoot-first, play-defense-never guard, and a couple of frontcourt players for the 7-foot center Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson, the Warriors have been on an accelerated timeline. It was not as easy as simply inserting a defensive ace like Bogut for Ellis, a guard who never paired well in the backcourt with the franchise centerpiece Stephen Curry. In fact, Bogut has hardly played because of injury, and when he has been healthy, his performance has drawn mixed reviews. As for Jackson, the Warriors immediately shipped him off to San Antonio for Richard Jefferson. The improvements have come not from a single tectonic shift, but many small tremors that have repositioned the Warriors as one of the deepest, most entertaining teams in the N.B.A. Curry, 24, may not cut an imposing figure, but his unique ability to splash home high-arcing jumpers from anywhere inside 30 feet sets the tone for the Warriors’ offense. His team makes more of its 3-point shots than any other except the Thunder, embracing a style invited by the plethora of bombers on the roster. Often the Warriors close the game with three guards, moving Jarrett Jack to point guard as Curry and the second-year shooting guard Klay Thompson cycle through a maze of screens. With so much action on the perimeter, the middle of the court opens up for David Lee and Carl Landry. The two big men have developed a nice chemistry, and Lee has been one of the premier pick-and-pop players in the league this season. In addition to nuanced scoring skills, Lee has a guard’s feel for pressuring a defense with a hard dribble and kick-out pass to an open shooter on the perimeter. Image The Warriors’ big men David Lee, above, and Carl Landry have developed good chemistry in the middle of the court. Credit Ezra Shaw/Getty Images Their three-guard alignment has taxed even the toughest competition, and the Warriors have gone to that lineup in winning a number of tight games against elite teams, notably the Heat and the Spurs. With a full off-season to develop a defense, Coach Mark Jackson and the assistant Mike Malone designed a system that could help protect the paint even when the Warriors played small. Over the first few months of the season, it paid off. Teams struggled to puncture the defense off the dribble, even though Lee has long been derided for his permissive defense. But the surprise has worn off, and teams have figured out how to take advantage of the Warriors’ conservative defense by throwing skip passes across the defense to open shooters. In the last month, only the Houston Rockets have given up more 3-pointers than the Warriors. Seven straight losses in February and a steep decline in defensive efficiency also coincided with the return of Bogut. Bogut has earned a reputation as one of the game’s best defenders, but there has been speculation that his presence in the lineup has actually hurt the defense because it forces Lee to guard power forwards. With Bogut on the court, Lee, whose defensive mobility is better suited to guarding big men who do not stray too far from the rim, now has to chase around more active players. The Warriors have overcome Bogut’s muted impact with superior depth. Not only have the recent draft picks Thompson and Harrison Barnes rapidly become productive players, the Warriors shored up the end of their rotation with underrated veterans. Landry and Jack, players passed over for their underwhelming physical profiles, have produced more than their share of clutch highlights. There are plenty of feel-good stories associated with the turnaround of this once-dismal franchise. But after raising expectations, the team’s struggles to reintegrate Bogut, who is again out for an extended period with a back injury, have complicated the narrative. Five months ago, an all-but-assured spot in the playoffs would have been a welcome result. Though a recent winning streak has restored confidence somewhat, the focus is on what’s not working. On the surface, the Warriors are a team 10 games over .500 with a talented young core. Yet they have actually been outscored on aggregate for the season and are susceptible to long periods of mediocre basketball. Still, their present struggles are relative and minor considering where the franchise was in the standings a year ago.

Basketball
Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry
Andrew Bogut


Stanford Women Oust St. John’s

Abstract: STANFORD, Calif. — One minute the St. John’s basketball team was forcing turnovers, making baskets and grabbing rebounds as if its players had tapped into a supercharged energy source. And then Stanford pulled the plug. St. John’s, a No. 9 seed, led the top-seeded Cardinal by 8 points after 10 minutes and trailed by 8 after 20 minutes on its way to a 75-49 defeat in the second round of the N.C.A.A. Tournament. Although it was far from a flawless performance, the Cardinal’s win spelled perfection for its seniors, who compiled a career record of 63-0 at Maples Pavilion. It was the first meeting between the teams, but the Cardinal had seen St. John’s type before: a young, hungry, scrappy squad playing as if it had nothing to lose. Four years ago, Florida State upset the Cardinal at Maples in a second-round tournament game. It was the last loss Stanford has sustained at home, and the Cardinal faithful no doubt experienced flashbacks when the Red Storm jumped out to a 22-14 lead. St. John’s was outscored by 61-27 the rest of the way. “They just got momentum going there,” said the Red Storm’s Da’Shena Stevens, who finished with 11 points, “and got it inside and hurt us. Then when we tried to pack it in, they hit open shots, so it was hard to try to take something away.” After producing 22 points in the paint in the first half, Stanford came out in the second and converted 4 of 9 three-pointers. Chiney Ogwumike, a freshman, scored all 13 of her points in the first half and added 12 rebounds. Her sister, Nnemkadi Ogwumike, a junior, finished with a game-high 22, earning praise from St. John’s Coach Kim Barnes Arico, who said: “I thought she made some extremely difficult shots. She did everything and we couldn’t stop her. I think she really wore us down.” The Cardinal, led by the elder Ogwumike, surged to a 23-point lead midway through the second half, setting the stage for the grand exits of Jeanette Pohlen and Kayla Pedersen, the team’s two senior starters. With a little over four minutes left, Pohlen left the game. While she had been relatively quiet, with 8 points and 4 assists, the ovation she received was thundering. No surprise there. It was so loud throughout that parents cupped their hands over their children’s ears, as if they were watching a 747 take flight and not a basketball team’s Final Four dreams. “Walking off the floor, I took an extra look around and saw Maples packed and all the fans cheering,” Pedersen said. “It was a very special moment.” The scene would have been unfathomable in the early days of Tara VanDerveer’s 25-season coaching reign at Stanford. Her first season, she said, 100 fans represented a big turnout. “I remember thinking, ‘Tara, you’re in a nightmare. Wake up. This is not happening,’ ” she said, adding, “It was depressing. It wasn’t until the third year we had any atmosphere.” The next stop for Stanford (31-2) is Spokane, and a third-round game on Saturday night against North Carolina. The Red Storm (22-11) will return home with the small comfort of knowing that for a few fleeting minutes, it was the better team. “We have been talking these past few days about consistency, and how impressive their program has been,” Barnes Arico said. She added: “They have played some great teams here and have won some tremendous basketball games. So to keep that level of play and that focus is really unbelievable and I think that is something our team learned from today. You can’t do it for 20 or 25 minutes. For them to be able to do it for 40 minutes night in and night our for 61, 62 games, whatever it is, is really a great accomplishment.”

NCAA Basketball Tournament (Women)
Basketball
Stanford University
St John's University
College Athletics


Miami Back Opts for Draft

Abstract: Miami running back Lamar Miller will skip his final two seasons of college eligibility and enter the N.F.L. draft. Miller ran for 1,272 yards as a redshirt sophomore this season, becoming the first Miami back to top the 1,000-yard mark since 2002.

National Football League
Draft and Recruitment (Sports)
Football
College Athletics
University of Miami
Football (College)
Miller Lamar


Jihadists May Have Wrecked an Ancient Iraqi Site

Abstract: BAGHDAD — Iraqi officials said Saturday that they were investigating reports that Islamic State militants had destroyed Hatra, an archaeological site that dates to the first century B.C., two days after officials confirmed that the group had bulldozed another nearby site , the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud. Officials have been unable to review visual evidence, Qais Hussein Rashid, the deputy minister for tourism and antiquities, said in a telephone interview, because their local contacts have not had Internet access for several days. But, he said, “our local sources confirmed it to us.” Iraqis living nearby and across the country lamented the wholesale destruction of their heritage , with Kurdish and Shiite militias and army troops on the ground, and an international coalition bombing from the air, apparently unable to stop it. “We are in despair with the government,” Ali al-Nashmi, a professor of history at Mustansiriya University in Baghdad, said in a telephone interview. He was nearly in tears after hearing the reports about Hatra, which he said had been rare in Iraq for its classical ruins. “We are losing the country.” On its website, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities blamed what it called a less than concerted international effort to prevent the looting and destruction of Hatra, the most renowned of hundreds of ancient sites in Nineveh Province, which Islamic State militants have controlled along with its capital , Mosul, since June. “The response wasn’t at the required level,” the ministry said, “which encouraged the terrorist gangs to commit another crime by looting and destroying the Hatra site.” On Saturday, residents of Mosul and Nineveh Province offered new details about the destruction of Nimrud by the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. Salim al-Jabouri, who lives just across the Tigris River from Nimrud, a sprawling, ancient mud-brick city, recalled being startled to see bulldozers and other construction vehicles entering the site recently. He fetched binoculars to watch more closely, he said, and saw men he believed to be members of the Islamic State get out of cars and armored vehicles, walk closer to the ruins and “start bulldozing them completely.” Capt. Mohammad al-Lahaibi, a police officer in Mosul, said it had taken the militants three hours to destroy the site. Other residents said that before the bulldozing, the militants had begun removing objects and causing damage. The bulk of the destruction occurred on Wednesday, according to journalists at Mosul TV. Gov. Atheel al-Nujaifi of Nineveh said in a recent statement that the group was also looting the sites for artifacts to sell, despite its declarations that they violate Islamic law. “ISIS tries to disguise the looting of Iraq artifacts,” he said. “What has been destroyed so far is not more than what has been looted.” One Mosul resident, Muaid, 40, who provided only his given name for safety reasons, seemed resigned. “Most of Mosul’s people are not satisfied with ISIS attitudes, but we can do nothing,” he said. “The government and the army left us prisoners.” He said the group had “fallen in people’s sights” after destroying other revered sites, including a mosque associated with the Prophet Jonah. Dr. Nashmi, the history professor, expressed frustration with the government and the international coalition, saying they could have seen a military or construction convoy heading to Hatra across the desert and responded, perhaps by bombing. He has been calling for action to stop the destruction. “They didn’t listen to me,” he said.

ISIS,ISIL,Islamic State
Iraq
Archaeology
Arts and Antiquities Looting
Islam
Terrorism


Phung Tuu Boi - Botany - Vietnam

Abstract: A LUOI VALLEY, Vietnam — Phung Tuu Boi reaches down to inspect one of the spiny shrubs lined up in a row before him. A few feet away, a cow grazes serenely in this emerald valley in the hills of central Vietnam. Mr. Boi, a forester and director of the Center for Assistance in Nature Conservation and Community Development in Hanoi, points to the cow. “See this?” he says. “Very, very bad.” An invisible poison clings to the soil beneath the cow’s muddy hoofs. During a short stretch of the Vietnam War this patch of ground served as an American Special Forces air base, and while the soldiers departed long ago, a potent dioxin from the Agent Orange that they stored and sprayed here lingers still. Mr. Boi, a lively, passionate man whose enormous smile rarely leaves his face, has dedicated his career to repairing the ecological damage left by what people here call the American War. And while he has had much success in the last 30 years, his task is far from over. When Mr. Boi began working here in 1975, he found an ecosystem decimated by war. Aerial spraying of defoliants like Agent Orange had destroyed large swaths of forest. Without live roots to anchor the soil, monsoon rains washed away the topsoil and its nutrients, allowing invasive grasses to take over and prevent forest regeneration. A botanist by training, Mr. Boi’s initial goal was to reforest the denuded land. But he soon realized the forest ecosystem was not the only thing struggling to recover from Agent Orange. The Pako, Ta Oi, Catu and Kinh people of A Luoi valley (called A Shau during the war) eke out a meager existence in a region with one of Vietnam’s shortest growing seasons. (This reporter visited the valley on a grant from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.) These tribal groups, who live in one-room huts with dirt floors and no indoor plumbing, depend on forest products to survive, and Mr. Boi came to recognize that his work was as vital to them as to the tigers and elephants whose habitat he was working to restore. Mr. Boi enlisted the help of the Australian acacia tree. The acacia grows up to six and a half feet per year and, after five years, can be harvested to make paper and furniture. The tree also improves the soil and quickly provides the canopy that trees need to take root. “It’s a good model for forest restoration,” said Chris Dickinson, a conservation biologist and technical adviser with the World Wildlife Fund for Nature in Hue, Vietnam, adding that the acacia “grows on poor nutrients and can shade out the grasses.” The trees also provide residents with a cash crop. “The demand for acacia is seemingly insatiable,” Dr. Dickinson said. “Ikea uses it for garden furniture.” Mr. Boi has used this humble acacia tree to reforest thousands of hectares in central Vietnam. Emboldened by these successes, he has applied his botanical model of remediation to tackle a far more difficult problem. Though dioxin has dropped to relatively low levels in areas that were aerially sprayed during the war, studies by Canadian scientists have shown that numerous highly contaminated spots remain at certain places where American forces stored Agent Orange. The cow that caught Mr. Boi’s attention grazes on one such “hot spot,” the former A So air base in Dong Son, where scientists from Hatfield Consultants in Vancouver, British Columbia, have measured soil levels of TCDD, the dioxin in Agent Orange, more than 200 times greater than the residential standard set forth by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Dioxin takes decades to break down. Remediating this site would require millions of dollars, and when it comes to financing, the more heavily populated hot spots in Danang and Bien Hoa take precedence. If the Dong Son hot spot were in New Jersey or Florida, a barbed wire fence and a warning might be enough to deter people from entering the area, but such solutions break down in the face of extreme poverty. “You put up a fence, and the people are so poor that anything they can get their hands on, they’ll take down and use,” said Wayne Dwernychuk, an environmental scientist who did studies for Hatfield Consultants. “Their economy is geared to agriculture,” Dr. Dwernychuk said. “If you take that land out of the production cycle, it’s very hard to rationalize to them when they don’t see the problem.” He added that the chemical that taints this soil could not be seen, smelled or tasted. Pointing to the former air base’s most contaminated site, Mr. Boi said: “The local people are poor and uneducated, and they don’t understand. Children come here to play and they collect insects and other things to eat.” Dioxin accumulates in animal fats, and the molecules also glom onto soil particles that can be ingested through inadequately washed root crops like manioc. Poor sanitation and a diet that relies on fowl that peck on tainted soil keep dioxin exposure a constant threat. Dr. Dwernychuk and his colleagues have found elevated TCDD levels in the blood and breast milk of local residents, evidence that the chemical continues to make its way into the food chain. Nguyen Van Phom, the mayor of Dong Son, blames dioxin for the health problems he says plague 60 of the 240 families in the village. Whether these conditions, which include limb deformities and deafness , are the result of dioxin remains unproved, though the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences has linked Agent Orange exposure in American veterans to an increased risk of some health problems, including cancer and diabetes . The Canadian studies prompted the Vietnamese government to move more than two dozen families off the most contaminated ground, but efforts to educate residents about the risks have proved difficult. Most cannot read and many speak only faltering Vietnamese, relying instead on tribal dialects. Mr. Boi has developed a low-tech solution to overcome these problems: a fence made of trees covered with cactus-sharp needles to deter humans and animals alike. Mr. Boi hopes this so-called green fence will not only discourage trespassers, but also provide them with an economic incentive to leave the barrier intact. Once mature, the trees he has chosen to make up the fence, Gleditschia australis, produce a fruit that residents can sell to make soaps and medicinals. Gleditschia, a type of honey locust, is disease and insect resistant, and its thorns and soft wood should deter residents from cutting it down for firewood. The green fence promises a workable solution to a costly problem, said William H. Farland, a former scientist with the Environmental Protection Agency who is vice president for research at Colorado State University. “It’s very expensive to clean dioxin up to background levels,” Dr. Farland said. “The main issue is to prevent human exposure, not just to clean up the soils.” While a full remediation project would cost millions of dollars, Mr. Boi estimated that his project could be done for just $30,000. Last December, with the help of a $10,000 grant from the World Bank and the aid of about a dozen farmers, Mr. Boi planted the first 10,000 seeding trees. But despite its auspicious start, the project has hit a few snags. Though hardy, the locust trees failed to thrive in soil stripped of its nutrients by rains that followed defoliation decades ago, and a spate of intense storms flooded the site shortly after planting, drowning many of the seedlings. With their thorns still small, the trees that survived made attractive food for wandering livestock. Today, only a single row of small trees remain. In the face of these challenges, no one would fault Mr. Boi for returning to his comfortable office in Hanoi and moving on to something else. But he views this setback as nothing more than a necessary learning experience. With the lessons gleaned from his initial failure, he has developed a new plan. Before his next round of planting, Mr. Boi will bolster the soil with fertilizers. Then he will plant larger seedlings, and in addition to the original locust fence, he will add rows of acacia on either side to create a three-layer fence. The acacia will help protect the locust trees, improve the soil and provide another cash crop for residents, Mr. Boi says, pointing to a photo schemata of the fence that he carries with him everywhere, sharing with anyone who will listen. Mr. Boi needs $20,000 more to finish the fence. He has received no government financing and has resorted to spending his own money to keep the project alive. But Mr. Boi refuses to give up, even if it means digging deeper into his own pockets. Success is his only option. If he gives up on this project, the cows will continue to graze on tainted soil, and another generation of children will grow up eating insects caked with dioxin-rich dirt.

Vietnam
Environment
Trees and Shrubs
Defoliants and Herbicides
Forests and Forestry
Agriculture
Boi Phung Tuu
Agent Orange


Despite Several Blows to Shabab, Worries Persist About Their Resilience

Abstract: NAIROBI, Kenya — The Shabab are not having a good week. On Tuesday, African Union forces said they had killed six commanders of the Shabab, the powerful Islamic insurgent group that has terrorized Somalia for years. Among the six killed in the Janale area, the African Union said, were a Yemeni explosives expert and a Kenyan trainer. This followed the announcement on Monday that the Pentagon had killed Hassan Ali Dhoore , a senior member of the Shabab’s security and intelligence wing, in an airstrike. And a few days before that, the African Union said that allied forces — which include the African Union troops, Somali security services and American air power — had killed more than 20 “terrorists.” Still, analysts question how effective this strategy is. Just like in other battle zones, such as Afghanistan or Iraq, Somalia’s militants have proved resilient in the face of superior firepower. Last month, the Pentagon said it had killed 150 Shabab fighters in an airstrike. But since then, there have been several deadly Shabab attacks, including the suicide bombing of a cafe in Galkayo, a town in central Somalia that had not been considered a hotbed of Shabab activity. “What we’ve seen time and time again is that there’s a whole swath of middle-ranking commanders who are well trained, experienced and eager to step into the shoes of their departed colleagues,” said Cedric Barnes, the Horn of Africa project director for the International Crisis Group, a research organization that studies conflicts. The recent strikes against the Shabab will “hurt them, no doubt,” he said, “but they tend to regenerate.” Somalia has been steeped in various degrees of chaos and bloodshed for more than 25 years, since its central government collapsed and clan-based warlords tore apart the country in a battle for resources and power. A glimmer of hope appeared in 2011 when African Union troops pushed Shabab fighters out of Mogadishu , the capital. But Somalia’s political class is widely considered corrupt and ineffective, and analysts say that Somalia’s leaders squandered the opportunity that the Shabab withdrawal presented. In the past year, the Shabab have steadily rebuilt, killing hundreds of African Union soldiers in well-executed guerrilla attacks and countless civilians in suicide bombings. They have expanded into new areas, including traveling by sea to a small town on Somalia’s northeastern coast, and they have been purging their ranks. Last week, the Shabab publicly killed a Tanzanian fighter suspected of being a spy. The American government, which has invested billions of dollars in trying to stabilize Somalia, has tried to check the Shabab’s momentum by stepping up airstrikes and staging a few commando raids. But it seems there is little appetite for a larger military intervention. The Shabab are expected to stage more assassinations and suicide missions, possibly in June, during the holy month of Ramadan, when being martyred is considered especially auspicious for the afterlife. The Shabab are also likely to try to disrupt the Somali government’s plans to hold limited elections this year. “In the next few months,” Mr. Barnes said, “it’s going to get nasty.”

Al Shabab
Somalia
Terrorism
African Union


Whiplash Ends a Roller Coaster Week

Abstract: For three straight days, the stock market collapsed in the last hour of trading. On Friday, it merely swooned. Until 3 p.m., things looked awful as investors drove the Dow Jones industrial average down nearly 700 points at one point, to below 8,000 for the first time in five years. Then the market made a U-turn, surging higher with the Dow climbing nearly 900 points in less than 40 minutes. The rally fizzled in the last 20 minutes of trading and the Dow closed down 1.5 percent — but it was a far cry from its 8 percent decline at the start of the trading day just six and a half hours earlier. “We just don’t see turnarounds like this,” Howard Silverblatt, chief index analyst for Standard & Poor’s, said about the late afternoon rally. “These swings are enormous.” It was one of the wildest moves in stock market history, and perhaps a fitting conclusion to the worst week in at least 75 years. The Dow and the broader Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index both closed down 18 percent for the week. The Dow has never had a week that bad in its 133-year history. The S.& P. has fallen slightly more only twice before — in 1929 and 1933. This month was the first time that the S.& P. had fallen by more than 1 percent for seven days in a row. In the credit markets, conditions went from bad to worse. Borrowing costs for banks and companies jumped once again as investors sought safety in Treasury bills despite earlier signs that the government might take equity stakes in troubled companies to try to halt the credit crisis . It was the worst single day for junk bonds ever, and the cost of borrowing shot up for even blue-chip companies: I.B.M. agreed to pay 8 percent interest on $4 billion of 30-year bonds, about twice the rate at which the federal government borrows money. On Friday evening, after a meeting of finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of 7 countries, the Treasury secretary, Henry M. Paulson Jr., confirmed that the government would move quickly to buy stakes in financial institutions. But the details he provided fell far short of what investors were seeking. Indeed, while policy makers have taken a stab at many extraordinary efforts to restore confidence, none have alleviated panic in global markets so far. Because the $700 billion financial stabilization plan will take several weeks to have an impact, investors say officials must present significant details on the more fast-track effort to recapitalize banks to get them to lend money to each other and other businesses again. “We have to do something,” said Robert C. Doll, vice chairman of BlackRock, the big investment firm. “At the end of the weekend, before the markets open up on Monday, these guys have to have something to say. And it can’t be, ‘Everything is O.K., just calm down.’ ” Investors will be watching for any new developments in Washington this weekend after Mr. Paulson signaled that countries stopped short of agreeing to a globally coordinated approach to stem the crisis. In addition to the G-7 meetings, which go through Sunday, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank are also holding annual meetings. Politicians were busy in Washington, and on Wall Street, things were anything but calm. Friday in New York began with a now-familiar feeling: dire expectations of what the opening bell would bring after stocks in Asia and Europe plummeted by as much as 10 percent. Scott Black, president of Delphi Management in Boston, said he had taken to waking up at 3 a.m. to check on foreign markets. When he arose before dawn on Friday, he was distressed. “I am worried,” he said. “I have a fiduciary responsibility to my clients.” At the open, the Dow Jones industrial average quickly sank nearly 700 points. But suddenly, shares of struggling financial companies surged, the Dow regained all of its losses in less than half an hour, and a cheer went up on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange. By about 10:20, stocks had started to slide again, and President Bush tried to soothe frayed nerves with an appearance at the White House. “This is an anxious time,” he said. “But the American people can be confident in our economic future. We know what the problems are. We have the tools to fix them. And we’re working swiftly to do so.” If traders were paying attention to the president, it did not show. Over the course of several hours, stocks ground down, with the Dow losing more than 600 points and again falling below the 8,000 mark. In the afternoon, an investor walked into a Kansas office of the mutual fund company American Century Investments. The woman, who is two years from retirement, was worried about her small business account. She brought her unopened statement to John Leis, a director of personal financial solutions at the company. “She didn’t have the guts to open it even though she had conservative investments,” Mr. Leis said. “She asked me, ‘How bad is it going to be?’ ” The client was fortunate: her investments, in mostly government-backed bonds, were up 6 percent for the year. But Mr. Leis said the concern about her investments symbolized the fear among many everyday Americans who are watching the financial markets with trepidation. Back in New York, stocks were about to stage one of their most impressive rallies ever. Shortly after 3 p.m., the Dow surged by nearly 900 points, with companies like Exxon Mobil, Chevron and Boeing leading the way. While those companies have posted decent results this year, their shares have fallen significantly in recent months. Why stocks surged late in the day is the subject of much discussion and speculation among analysts and investors. Many said it was only a matter of time before stocks bounced back from the unrelenting decline of recent days. Many investors have been waiting on the sidelines either because they feared what would come next or because they expected prices to fall further. Barry Ritholtz, chief executive of Fusion IQ and author of a popular financial blog, The Big Picture, pointed out that investors were holding more cash than at any time since 2002, when the last bear market ended. Some of that cash appears to have come into the market later in the day when it looked like stock prices would not fall much further. Some analysts said the late-hour surge reflected bargain hunting by money managers who have watched stocks of premier companies like General Electric, Google and Exxon Mobil fall to their cheapest levels in years or decades. Google, for instance, opened trading at about $315 a share, about $100 below where it was just a week and a half ago. Shares of the company closed up modestly, at $332. “What I saw was people starting to buy at the really distressed prices and, when the market got better, they kept buying,” said Laszlo Birinyi Jr., president of Birinyi Associates, an investment firm in New York. Still, many investors said that although they were excited about buying beaten up stocks and bonds, they were worried that the sell-off was far from over. The recent spate of forced selling of stocks by hedge funds and other investors who had used lots of borrowed money to make big bets during the recent credit boom may not yet be over, they fear. “The problem is that in order to invest in this you have to make sure your base of capital is stable,” said Whitney Tilson, founder and managing director of T2 Partners, a hedge fund firm in New York. “Who knows when the dumping is going to end. Who knows how many hedge funds are going to go under.” Still, Mr. Tilson, describing current prices as “prosperously cheap,” said he recently allowed his investors to put more money into his funds — and a handful took him up on the offer. The benchmark 10-year Treasury bill fell 22/38, to 101 1/32, and the yield, which moves in the opposite direction from the price, was at 3.87 percent, up from 3.79 percent late Thursday.

Far East South and Southeast Asia and Pacific Areas


Learning From a Native Speaker, Without Leaving Home

Abstract: THE best way to learn a foreign language may be to surround yourself with native speakers. But if you can’t manage a trip abroad the Internet and a broadband computer connection may do the job, too, bringing native speakers within electronic reach for hours of practice. Web-based services now on the market let people download a daily lesson in French or Hindi, pop on their headsets, and then use Internet telephone service and the power of social networks to try their conversational skills with tutors or language partners from around the world. For those who want to polish their high-school German before a vacation, or to master snippets of well-intoned Mandarin Chinese to charm a future business host in Shanghai, these sites offer alternatives to more traditional tools like textbooks and CD-ROMs. LiveMocha ( livemocha.com ), for example, is a free site where members can tackle 160 hours of beginning or intermediate lessons in French, German, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, Hindi or English. There is no charge for tutoring; instead, members tutor one another, drawing on their expertise in their own native language. Members chat online by typing messages, by talking or, if they have a Webcam, by video, in exchanges with others who want to tutor or be tutored. English speakers learning Spanish, for example, can write or speak descriptions of a vacation and receive feedback on their grammar and choice of idioms from native Spanish speakers on the network. A Spanish speaker, in turn, may seek advice from the English speaker about English assignments. LiveMocha introduced its Web site in late September 2007, said Shirish Nadkarni, chief executive of the company, which is based in Bellevue, Wash. Since then, he said, about 200,000 users from more than 200 countries have joined. “It’s a community of like-minded learners who can leverage their native language proficiency to help one another,” he said. The name “LiveMocha” is meant to evoke the relaxed atmosphere of a coffee shop. The site is still in beta, or testing, phase, Mr. Nadkarni said. Advertising will soon be added, as well as charges for some premium content and services. Paul Aoki, director of the language learning center at the University of Washington, Seattle, signed up at LiveMocha primarily to see if his students might benefit. He says he thinks the site’s social networking component makes it useful. “It seems to be a pretty powerful opportunity for people around the world to connect with language partners,” he said. He also likes the chat capability. “Doing voice and text chat simultaneously is very useful,” he said. “If you don’t understand something your language partner is saying,” he said, even when people at the other end speak slowly, “they can type it out and you can read it.” Curtis J. Bonk, a professor of education at Indiana University in Bloomington, is specializing in ways to integrate online technologies into teaching. He says LiveMocha is part of an explosion of educational resources for language learning on the Web. “You no longer have to learn language as an individual in a silo somewhere, using a canned program on a CD-ROM,” he said. “Instead, you have thousands of tutors to pick from — if the first one doesn’t work out, you can choose another.” Another electronic-based language learning program takes a different approach: podcasting. Praxis Language, based in Shanghai, offers free lessons in Mandarin Chinese ( ChinesePod.com ) or Spanish ( SpanishPod.com ) as podcasts. Many lessons include business-based vocabulary on topics like how to hire a courier in China, said Ken Carroll, a co-founder of Praxis. While the podcasts are free, transcripts, exercises and other services typically cost $9 to $30 a month, he said. For $200 a month, members can receive daily tutoring from professional, native-speaking teachers by way of Skype, the Internet-based telephone service. Mr. Carroll says ChinesePod has more than 270,000 visitors a month, several thousand of them paying about $240 a year for a combination of premium services. Most of the paying customers live in the United States, he said. “They tend to be thirty-somethings, slightly mature, with some kind of business connection to China,” he said. Mike Kuiack, an investment banker in Vancouver, British Columbia, who often travels to China, was an off-and-on student of Chinese for eight and a half years before he signed on to ChinesePod. He has since been studying diligently for a year and a half, paying about $240 a year for premium services. Since he started using the service, he said, his vocabulary has grown as much as it did in all of the previous years of study combined. “Speaking and listening skills were what I needed,” he said. “The podcasts have been very useful for this. Part of the reason I’ve made so much progress is that they are so enjoyable.” He works on lessons whenever he has a moment. “I listen when I’m stuck in traffic,” he said, “and also at my PC, where I can listen and read at the same time.” The studying is starting to pay off at work. “I don’t try to conduct negotiations in Chinese,” he said, “but now at least I can listen to what’s going on in meetings.”

Language and Languages
Computers and the Internet
Tutors and Tutoring
CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory)
LiveMocha
Nadkarni Shirish
Shanghai (China)
Washington (State)
Praxis Language


As It Happens, Romney Paid More Taxes Than He Owed - High & Low Finance

Abstract: Mitt Romney ’s tax returns tell us some things about him. They tell us a lot more about the sad state of the tax laws in this country. When the candidate released his tax returns this week, the fact most noted was the low 14 percent effective tax rate paid by one of the wealthiest people in America, one with income of more than $20 million in both 2010 and 2011. Others were surprised to see how easy it was for Mr. Romney to effectively transfer millions of dollars each year to his children, tax-free, thus escaping estate and gift taxes. But what really stands out is the mind-numbing complexity of tax laws, and about how hard it seems to have been for even the high-priced help Mr. Romney can afford to get things right. In one case, the trustee for one of the Romney trusts sent two letters to the Internal Revenue Service electing to use an apparently irrelevant section of the tax code, and in the process misstated the facts involved. That mistake did not affect the taxes owed, but another error was more significant. It appears that the return filed by that trust overstated capital gains realized by nearly $300,000, causing Mr. Romney and his wife to pay about $44,000 more in taxes than they owed. People who invest in hedge funds and partnerships, as the Romneys do, end up with all kinds of little things to put on their tax returns because those funds pass on tax benefits and obligations to their investors. So the Romney returns are filled with references to such things as Section 988 gains and Section 59(e)(2) deductions. The former relates to foreign exchange profits and the latter to an election that funds can make to save taxes under some circumstances. There is another section of the tax law that provides for a tax credit for employers who hire particularly deserving people, like workers who have been on welfare for a long time. Congress tends to change the list every so often, so a company could get a credit for hiring a “disconnected youth” in 2010 but not in 2011. That section saved Mr. Romney and his wife exactly $1 in taxes in 2010. The savings from foreign tax credits were much larger — $129,697. That inevitably raised questions about just which countries the Romneys paid taxes to. The answer seems to be that they do not know. They got the credits through partnerships in which they invested, and the partnerships seem to report totals, not details, to the limited partners. There is one interesting tale buried in the details of the tax returns that concerns a profit not available to you or me, even if we had enough money to make the investment. Back in 1999, the year Mr. Romney left Bain Capital, the private equity firm that presumably is the source of much of his wealth, he got one of those deals that connected people often got in those days. He was allowed into a hot initial public offering. Such offerings were not really public, of course. To get in, you had to have an in. Those who had such a relationship were colloquially known as “friends and family” of the company going public. When Goldman Sachs went public that year, Mr. Romney, a customer of the firm, was allowed to buy 7,000 shares at $53 each, the stated offering price. By the end of trading that first day, he had a paper profit of $121,625 on that one $371,000 investment, as the price of the shares rose above $70. That one-day gain would have been enough, all by itself, to give him income higher than 92 percent of Americans that year. He did not sell then, which is why we know about the transaction. Instead, he held on for more than a decade. He watched the stock soar to $250 in 2007 and fall below $50 in late 2008, when the financial crisis was at its worst and Goldman’s very survival seemed questionable. In late 2010, he decided to sell, and got more than $160 a share. Being a friend of Goldman produced $750,000 in capital gains for Romney trusts. It turns out that timing was good. Goldman’s shares declined with those of all the other banks in 2011, and now are worth little more than $100 each. You have to suspect, however, that he might have sold so that he would not own the stock when he announced he was running for president. A few months earlier, Goldman paid $550 million to settle allegations by the Securities and Exchange Commission that it had acted improperly in creating mortgage securities that subsequently blew up, and it is not hard to imagine Democrats trying to turn that act of friendship against him. It was another investment in Goldman that produced the overpayment of taxes. That investment was in the Ann D. Romney Blind Trust, which benefits the candidate’s wife. As it happens, the investment was made in an account at Goldman Sachs maintained by the trust. An excerpt from the account statement is included in the return. For some reason, Goldman said on the statement that it knew when the 1,775 shares of Goldman were bought, on Nov. 6, 2009, but not the purchase price. The shares were sold on Dec. 3, 2010, for $286,567, a price of less than $162 per share. Not knowing the cost, the Goldman statement showed that entire amount was profit, but put in a footnote saying “gains may be incorrectly stated and should not be used for tax reporting purposes.” PricewaterhouseCoopers, the accounting firm that prepared the tax returns, seems to have arbitrarily assumed a cost of $9,820 for the shares, less than $6 per share, and reduced the profit by that amount. The trustee, R. Bradford Malt, a partner at Ropes & Gray, a major Boston law firm, accepted that and filed the return. If the date of purchase is correct and the shares were bought on the open market, where they were trading for around $172, there was no profit. Instead there was a capital loss of around $20,000. It appears no one in the Romney camp had noticed that error until I asked about it. Much of the Romneys’ income comes from carried interest, an unusual tax provision that allows employees and executives of private equity firms to pay low taxes. While those executives do not invest in the partnerships that buy and sell companies, they are compensated out of the partnership profits and allowed to treat the proceeds as capital gains, which are taxed at just 15 percent. That is the principal reason the Romney tax rate is so low. Mr. Romney was allowed to keep getting carried interest on new Bain partnerships for many years after he left the firm, and in 2010 he assigned the proceeds from a couple of partnerships to the Ann Romney trust. In the tax return for that trust, Mr. Malt signed letters electing to use Section 83(b) of the tax code in connection with Mr. Romney’s carried interest from two Bain partnerships. Such an election may or may not be legal, but it is certainly unnecessary. The section is normally used to let executives pay taxes on profits from restricted stock grants at capital gains rates. Since carried interest is already taxed at those rates, there would seem to be no reason to file that form. Moreover, to qualify for Section 83(b) treatment, the grant must involve restrictions. Mr. Malt’s letters stated that the carried interest “is subject to forfeiture if I cease performing services for the partnership.” Just who was that “I” is not clear. The trust performed no services, and neither did Mr. Malt. Nor do the Romneys claim to have done any work for the partnerships. Moreover, the Romney campaign says the interest is not subject to forfeiture. In other words, the letters are untrue. When asked, the campaign conceded as much, but said there was no harm in filing the false statements since the tax obligation was not affected. It appears that Mr. Malt signed some letters he took to be boilerplate without bothering to read or understand them. Under the estate tax law now in effect, your estate is to be taxed if you leave more than $5 million to recipients other than your spouse or charities. If you try to give large amounts to somebody before you die, there is a gift tax. But there are loopholes, well known to the wealthy but not to most of the rest of us. One involves what are called “grantor trusts.” Mr. Romney and his wife, Ann, set up one for their five children in 1995, and it now has more than $100 million in it. Presumably they put only $2 million in it — that was the limit in 1995 — but it has grown rapidly over the years. Mr. and Mrs. Romney are not entitled to the income earned by the assets in the trust. That money belongs to the children. But the parents pay the taxes on the profits out of their own accounts. It amounts to a way to transfer millions of dollars to the children each year without incurring gift or estate taxes. Such is the state of American tax law, circa 2012. It is so complex that even experts get confused, and some of those most able to pay can legally pay lower rates than people who earn far less. In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Joseph P. Kennedy, a notorious Wall Street operator, as the first chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. It turned out that Kennedy’s understanding of how the system had been abused in the past was a great asset in his new job. A President Romney would probably enter office knowing more about loopholes in the tax code than any of his predecessors, and could, if he so chose, be an effective advocate for reform. Whether or not Mr. Romney wins, the disclosure of his tax returns provides the rest of us with an insight into just how dysfunctional the system has become.

Romney Mitt
Romney Ann
Federal Taxes (US)
Presidential Election of 2012
Goldman Sachs Group Inc
Bain Capital
Income Tax
Taxation


Things to Do in Westchester, July 19 to 25, 2015

Abstract: A guide to cultural and recreational events in the Hudson Valley. Items for the calendar should be sent at least three weeks in advance to westweek@nytimes.com. Comedy ELMSFORD Westchester Broadway Theater Joe DeVito, Mike Gaffney, Melvin George II, John Iavarone, Steve Marshall and Johnny Rizzo. July 25 at 6:45 p.m. $90 for dinner and show. Westchester Broadway Theater, 1 Broadway Plaza. 914-592-2222; broadwaytheatre.com. PELHAM Rockwells Joey Kola, Charles McBee and Bryan McKenna. July 25 at 9 p.m. $10, plus $10 minimum. Rockwells, 105 Wolfs Lane. 914-738-5881; rockwellsusa.net. ROSENDALE Rosendale Theater Comedy 2 Nite Market, stand-up. July 24 at 9:30 p.m. $5. Rosendale Theater, 408 Main Street. 845-658-8989; rosendaletheatre.org. WEST NYACK Levity Live Bruce Bruce. Through July 19. $25 and $35. Jim Norton. July 23 through 25. $25. Levity Live, 4210 Palisades Center Drive. 845-353-5400; levitylive.com. Film NYACK The Rivertown Film Society “Timbuktu,” directed by Abderrahmane Sissako. July 22 at 8 p.m. $8 to $11. The Rivertown Film Society, 58 Depew Avenue. 845-353-2568; rivertownfilm.org. PLEASANTVILLE Jacob Burns Film Center “Gershwins and the Hollywood Musical,” multimedia presentation by Philip Harwood. July 21 at 7:30 p.m. $15 and $20. “A Poem Is a Naked Person” (1974), documentary by Les Blank. July 22 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. $7 to $12. “Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me,” documentary by James Keach. July 23 at 7:30 p.m. $7 to $12. Director’s cut of “Little Shop of Horrors” (1986), directed by Frank Oz. July 25 at 9:30 p.m. $7.50 to $12. Jacob Burns Film Center, 364 Manville Road. 914-747-5555; burnsfilmcenter.org. ROSENDALE Rosendale Theater “Saint Laurent,” directed by Bertrand Bonello. July 20 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. $5 and $7. “National Theater Live: ‘Man and Superman,’ ” screening of the play by George Bernard Shaw. July 26 at 3 p.m. $10 and $12. Rosendale Theater, 408 Main Street. rosendaletheatre.org; 845-658-8989. For Children BRONX The New York Botanical Garden “Family Dinners With Mario Batali’s Chefs,” meal prepared by chefs Frank Langello and Dan Drohan and activities for ages 4 to 12. July 19, 5 to 7:30 p.m. $35 and $85. The New York Botanical Garden, Southern Boulevard. nybg.org; 718-817-8700. BRONX Wave Hill Family Art Project: Floating Flowers. July 19, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Stories in the Garden: Creepy Crawlies and Wriggle Worms. July 22 at 2 p.m. Free with admission to the grounds. $2 to $8; members and children under 6, free. Wave Hill, 675 West 252nd Street. 718-549-3200; wavehill.org. CHATHAM PS21 Chatham “Light Up Troy,” circus artists from the Montreal National Circus School. July 24 at 7:30 p.m. $5 to $18. PS21 Chatham, 2980 Route 66. 518-392-6121; ps21chatham.org. GARRISON The Philipstown Depot Theater “The Music Man, Jr.,” musical. July 23 through 26. $10. The Philipstown Depot Theater, 10 Garrison Landing. philipstowndepottheatre.org; 845-424-3900. KATONAH Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts Dancing at Dusk: Turkish Music and Bellydance. July 22 at 5 p.m. $5 and $10. Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, 149 Girdle Ridge Road. 914-232-1252; caramoor.org. PEEKSKILL 12 Grapes Music and Wine Bar Kids’ open mike for musicians ages 6 to 17. July 19 at 6 p.m. Admission is free. 12 Grapes Music and Wine Bar, 12 North Division Street. 914-737-6624; 12grapes.com. PLEASANTVILLE Jacob Burns Film Center “Animal Crackers” (1930), starring the Marx Brothers. July 19 at noon. $7 to $12. Jacob Burns Film Center, 364 Manville Road. 914-747-5555; burnsfilmcenter.org. ROSENDALE Rosendale Theater “Inside Out,” animated film. July 24 through 30. $5 and $7. Rosendale Theater, 408 Main Street. 845-658-8989; rosendaletheatre.org. YONKERS Alamo Drafthouse Cinema “Muppets Most Wanted,” directed by James Bobin. July 20 to 23 at 11 a.m. $1 to $3. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, 2548 Central Park Avenue. drafthouse.com/yonkers; 914-226-3082. YONKERS Hudson River Museum “Frozen,” animated film screening and singalong. July 25 at 8 p.m. Free. Hudson River Museum, 511 Warburton Avenue. 914-963-4550; hrm.org. Music and Dance ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, at Bard College Stephin Merritt, indie pop. July 24 at 8:30 p.m. $25 to $65. Lea DeLaria, jazz. July 25 at 8:30 p.m. $25 to $65. Ethel Smyth’s “The Wreckers,” American Symphony Orchestra. July 24 at 7:30 p.m. and July 26 at 2 p.m. $24 to $95. The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, at Bard College. 845-758-7900; fishercenter.bard.edu. ARMONK Hudson Stage Company, at Whippoorwill Hall, North Castle Public Library Stephen Schwartz and Friends, show tunes. July 26 at 4 p.m. $125. Hudson Stage Company, at Whippoorwill Hall, North Castle Public Library, 19 Whippoorwill Road. 914-271-2811; hudsonstage.com. BEACON Beacon Riverfront Park The Beacon Jazz Festival, Sun of Goldfinger, Karl Berger/Ingrid Sertso Quintet, George Coleman Jr.’s Rivington Project and other performers. July 25, noon to 6 p.m. $20 to $65. Beacon Riverfront Park, Red Flynn Drive. beaconjazz.com. BEACON Towne Crier Cafe Battle of the Blues Harps. July 19 at 7:30 p.m. $25. The Jim Kweskin Jug Band, country and blues. July 23 at 7:30 p.m. $35. Marcia Ball Band, blues. July 24 at 8:30 p.m. $45. James Maddock Band, with Chris Barron, rock. July 25 at 8:30 p.m. $25. Betty and the Baby Boomers, folk. July 26 at 7:30 p.m. $15. Towne Crier Cafe, 379 Main Street. 845-855-1300; townecrier.com. BETHEL Bethel Woods Center for the Arts Brad Paisley, country. July 24 at 7:30 p.m. $38.50 to $103.50. Lawn 4-pack is $122. Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Road. bethelwoodscenter.org; 866-781-2922. BRONX Wave Hill Alan Hampton. jazz and pop. July 22 at 7 p.m. Free with admission to the grounds. $2 to $8; members and children under 6, free. Wave Hill, 675 West 252nd Street. 718-549-3200; wavehill.org. BRONXVILLE Bronxville Summer Concert Series Plan B, rock. July 23 at 6:30 p.m. Free. Bronxville Summer Concert Series, Park Place. 914-337-6040; bronxvillechamber.com. CHATHAM PS21 Chatham Guy Klucevsek and Alex Meixner, accordion. July 25 at 8 p.m. $15 to $25. Ashley Bathgate, cello, and Karl Larson, piano. July 26 at 2 p.m. $15 to $25. PS21 Chatham, 2980 Route 66. ps21chatham.org; 518-392-6121. COLD SPRING The Chapel Restoration Yalin Chi, piano. July 19 at 4 p.m. Donations accepted. The Chapel Restoration, 45 Market Street. chapelrestoration.org; 845-265-5537. CROTON-ON-HUDSON Croton Free Library iiii , jazz. July 25 at 7:30 p.m. Free. Croton Free Library, 171 Cleveland Drive. 914-271-6612; crotonfreelibrary.org. HUDSON Club Helsinki Hudson Iris Dement, country. July 19 at 8 p.m. $35 and $45. Club Helsinki Hudson, 405 Columbia Street. 518-828-4800; helsinkihudson.com. HYDE PARK Vanderbilt Mansion Historic Site Tours of the formal gardens by the Vanderbilt Garden Association. July 19 at 1 and 4 p.m. Free. Vanderbilt Mansion Historic Site, 119 Vanderbilt Park Road. 845-229-6432; vanderbiltgarden.org. KATONAH Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts Nicholas McGegan and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, classical. July 19 at 4:30 p.m. $15 to $73. Lukasz Kuropaczewski, guitar. July 23 at 7 p.m. $25. Jon Batiste and Stay Human, jazz. July 24 at 8 p.m. $46 to $88. Francis Poulenc’s “Dialogues des Carmélites,” Orchestra of St. Luke’s. July 25 at 8 p.m. $20 to $110. Eroica Trio, classical. July 26 at 4:30 p.m. $19 to $59. Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, 149 Girdle Ridge Road. caramoor.org; 914-232-1252. MARLBORO The Falcon Alexis P. Suter and the Ministers of Sound, soul and blues. July 19, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tisziji Munoz Quartet, jazz. July 19 at 7 p.m. The Bucky Pizzarelli and Ed Laub Duo, jazz guitar. July 23 at 8 p.m. Peter Prince and Moon Boot Lover, funk and soul. July 24 at 7 p.m. Gabriel Butterfield Band, blues. July 25 at 7 p.m. Erik Lawrence Quartet, jazz. July 26, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Larry Moses’ Latin Jazz Explosion. July 26 at 7 p.m. Donations accepted. The Falcon, 1348 Route 9W. liveatthefalcon.com; 845-236-7970. NEW ROCHELLE New Rochelle Library Green Twist of Fate Band, reggae and pop. July 23 at 7 p.m. Free. New Rochelle Library Green, Huguenot and Lawton Streets. newrochelledowntown.com; 914-632-8254. NYACK Edward Hopper House Art Center Erik Lawrence Ensemble, jazz. July 23 at 7:30 p.m. Suggested donation, $5. Edward Hopper House Art Center, 82 North Broadway. 845-358-0774; edwardhopperhouse.org. PAWLING Daryl’s House Gedeon Luke and the People, funk and soul. July 19 at 8 p.m. $10 and $15. Eric Hutchinson and Tess Henley, pop symphony. July 22 at 8 p.m. $25. Dirty Dozen Brass Band, soul and funk. July 23 at 8 p.m. $20 and $25. John Sebastian, rock. July 24 at 8 p.m. $40 and $55. David Bromberg Quintet, folk and blues. July 25 at 8 p.m. $40 and $55. Back To The Garden 1969, rock. July 26 at 7 p.m. $20 and $25. Daryl’s House, 130 Route 22. darylshouseclub.com; 845-289-0185. PEEKSKILL 12 Grapes Music and Wine Bar Mike Milazzo, blues and country. July 22 at 8 p.m. No cover. JP Patrick and Friends, R&B. July 23 at 8:30 p.m. No cover. Jessi Mason and the Mainlines, folk and pop. July 24 at 9:30 p.m. $5 and $10. Johnny Feds and Friends, blues. July 25 at 10 p.m. $10. 12 Grapes Music and Wine Bar, 12 North Division Street. 914-737-6624; 12grapes.com. PEEKSKILL Bean Runner Cafe Simon Boyar, percussion. July 19 at 4 p.m. $10. The Tin Pan Band, jazz and blues. July 24 at 8 p.m. $15. Sage, jazz and blues. July 25 at 8 p.m. $15. Joe Nott Band, blues and rock. July 26 at 5 p.m. $10. Bean Runner Cafe, 201 South Division Street. 914-737-1701; beanrunnercafe.com. PEEKSKILL Downtown Peekskill The Ninth Annual Peekskill Jazz and Blues Festival, Slam Allen, Johnny Feds & Friends, Cocomama, Ray Blue and the Lagond All-Stars. July 25, 4 to 10 p.m. Free. Downtown Peekskill, 914-737-6624; downtownpeekskill.com/festivals. PEEKSKILL Paramount Hudson Valley Arrival, Abba tribute band. July 25 at 8 p.m. $30 and $35. Paramount Hudson Valley, 1008 Brown Street. 914-739-0039; paramounthudsonvalley.com. PIERMONT The Turning Point Clifton Anderson Quintet, jazz. July 19 at 7:30 p.m. $25. Doc Richmond’s Jazz Jam. July 20 at 8 p.m. $5. Matthew Szlachetka, folk and blues. July 23 at 8 p.m. $10. Popa Chubby Band, blues. July 24 at 9 p.m. $30. Joe Louis Walker Band, blues. July 25 at 9 p.m. $25. Rez Abbasi Acoustic Quartet, jazz. July 26 at 7:30 p.m. $25. The Turning Point, 468 Piermont Avenue. turningpointcafe.com; 845-359-1089. PORT CHESTER The Capitol Theater Deep Purple, rock. July 25 at 8 p.m. $55 to $125. The Capitol Theater, 149 Westchester Avenue. 914-937-4126; thecapitoltheatre.com. RYE The South Pavilion, Rye Town Park Billy and the Showmen Band, R&B. July 21 at 7:30 p.m. Free. Parking is $4 after 5 p.m. The South Pavilion, Rye Town Park, 95 Dearborn Avenue. 914-967-0965; ryetownpark.org. SOMERS Lasdon Park, Arboretum and Veterans Memorial The Ridgefield Symphony, classical. July 24 at 6:30 p.m. $5. Lasdon Park, Arboretum and Veterans Memorial, 2610 Amawalk Road. 914-864-7268; lasdonpark.org. TARRYTOWN Tarrytown Music Hall Randy Newman, soft rock. July 26 at 8 p.m. $58 to $128. Tarrytown Music Hall, 13 Main Street. tarrytownmusichall.org; 877-840-0457. WOODSTOCK Bearsville Theater Strand of Oaks, rock. July 23 at 9 p.m. $15. Blake Mills and Sam Outlaw, blues. July 24 at 9 p.m. $18 and $20. Hiss Golden Messenger and Mail the Horse, country and rock. July 25 at 9 p.m. $15. Left Banke, rock. July 26 at 8 p.m. $15. Bearsville Theater, 291 Tinker Street. 845-679-4406; bearsvilletheater.com. WOODSTOCK Maverick Concert Hall Cassatt String Quartet, classical. July 19 at 4 p.m. $25 and $40. Steve Gorn, bansuri flute. July 25 at 8 p.m. $25 and $40. Latitude 41, classical. July 26 at 4 p.m. $25 and $40. Maverick Concert Hall, 120 Maverick Road. maverickconcerts.org; 845-679-8217. YONKERS Hudson River Museum NO BS Brass Band, jazz and soul. July 24 at 8 p.m. Free. Hudson River Museum, 511 Warburton Avenue. 914-963-4550; hrm.org. Outdoors BRONX Bronx Museum of the Arts “The Bronx’s Main Street: Walking the Grand Concourse With Sam Goodman,” guided walking tour. July 19, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Free. Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse. 718-681-6000; bronxmuseum.org. CARMEL Putnam County Veterans Memorial Park The Putnam County Fair, animals, entertainment, food, horse show and games. July 24. 25 and 26. Free. Putnam County Veterans Memorial Park, 201 Gipsy Trail Road. putnam.cce.cornell.edu. OSSINING Teatown Lake Reservation Backlighting for Moths and Beetles. July 25 at 8 p.m. Free. Life in Teatown Lake. July 25 at 10 a.m. $7; members, free. Teatown Lake Reservation, 1600 Spring Valley Road. teatown.org; 914-762-2912. YONKERS Untermyer Gardens Conservancy Tours of the Persian garden and estate restoration. July 19 and 26 at 11 a.m. $10. Untermyer Gardens Conservancy, 945 North Broadway. untermyergardens.org; 914-512-0436. Spoken Word ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, at Bard College “Conjunctions: Francine Prose, Michael Cunningham and Bradford Morrow Celebrate Bard’s Legendary Literary Journal.” July 23 at 8 p.m. $25 to $500. The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, at Bard College. 845-758-7900; fishercenter.bard.edu. BRONX Bronx Museum of the Arts “Women of the Young Lords: The Revolution Within the Revolution,” panel discussion. July 23 at 6:30 p.m. Donations accepted. Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse. bronxmuseum.org; 718-681-6000. CHAPPAQUA Chappaqua Library Susannah Marren discusses her book “Between the Lines.” July 22 at 7 p.m. Free. Chappaqua Library , 195 South Greeley Avenue. 914-238-4779; chappaqualibrary.org. KATONAH Katonah Museum of Art Gallery talk by Emilie Clark. July 19 at 1 p.m. Free with museum admission. $5 and $10; members and children under 12, free. Katonah Museum of Art, 134 Jay Street. katonahmuseum.org; 914-232-9555. MOUNT VERNON St. Paul’s Church “Anne Hutchinson’s Brief Life Near St. Paul’s Church,” lecture. July 22 at 1 p.m. Free. St. Paul’s Church, 897 South Columbus Avenue. 914-667-4116; nps.gov/sapa. SLEEPY HOLLOW Hudson Valley Writers’ Center “Lyrics as Poetry: Hip Hop,” discussion with Toni Blackman. July 24 at 7:30 p.m. $10. Hudson Valley Writers’ Center, 300 Riverside Drive. writerscenter.org; 914-332-5953. Theater ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, at Bard College “Oklahoma!” — musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Through July 19. $20 to $55. The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, at Bard College. 845-758-7900; fishercenter.bard.edu. ELMSFORD Westchester Broadway Theater “Godspell,” rock opera by Stephen Schwartz. Through Aug. 9. $54 to $84 for dinner and show. Westchester Broadway Theater, 1 Broadway Plaza. broadwaytheatre.com; 914-592-2222. Image PEEKSKILL Marcy B. Freedman will perform two different works with the same title, “In Bed With a Big, Bad Wolf,” on July 26, from 3 to 5 p.m., at the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, 1701 Main Street. Tickets are $15 and $20. For further information: 914-788-0100 or hvcca.org . Credit Gene Panczenko GARRISON Boscobel House and Gardens The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival: “The Winter’s Tale” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” along with Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare’s “An Iliad” and Mary Zimmerman’s “The Arabian Nights.” Through Aug. 30. $32 to $84. Boscobel House and Gardens, 1601 Route 9D. hvshakespeare.org; 845-265-9575. POUGHKEEPSIE Powerhouse Theater “The Last Match,” drama by Anna Ziegler. Through July 19. $30. “The Light Years,” drama by Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen. July 23 through Aug. 2. $40. Powerhouse Theater, 124 Raymond Avenue. 845-437-5599; powerhouse.vassar.edu. STONY POINT Penguin Rep Theater “My Name Is Asher Lev,” by Aaron Posner. Through Aug. 2. $40. Penguin Rep Theater, 7 Crickettown Road. penguinrep.org; 845-786-2873. TARRYTOWN Carriage House Theater “The Understudy,” comedy by Theresa Rebeck. Through July 26. $30 and $35. Carriage House Theater, at Lyndhurst, 635 South Broadway. lyndhurst.org; 914-631-4481. WOODSTOCK Maverick Concert Hall “Eats, Shorts and Leaves,” Actors & Writers. July 24 at 7 p.m. Suggested donation, $10. Maverick Concert Hall, 120 Maverick Road. maverickconcerts.org; 845-679-8217. WOODSTOCK Woodstock Playhouse “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” musical by Richard Sherman, Robert Sherman and Jeremy Sams. Through July 19. “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940,” comedy by John Bishop. July 23 through 25. $32 to $40. Woodstock Playhouse, Routes 212 and 375. woodstockplayhouse.org; 845-679-6900. WOODSTOCK Woodstock Shakespeare Festival “Much Ado About Nothing,” by Shakespeare. Through Aug. 9. Donations accepted. Woodstock Shakespeare Festival, 45 Comeau Drive. birdonacliff.org; 845-247-4007. YORKTOWN HEIGHTS Yorktown Stage “All Shook Up!” Jukebox musical by Joe DiPietro. July 25 through Aug. 1. $19 to $28. Yorktown Stage, 1974 Commerce Street. yorktownstage.org; 914-962-0606. Museums and Galleries BEACON Beacon “Beacon 3D,” outdoor public art exhibition. Through Oct. 15. Dawn to dusk. Beacon, various locations on Main Street. beacon3d.org; 917-318-2239. BEACON Howland Public Library “Art Works 2,” group show. Through Aug. 2. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. Howland Public Library, 313 Main Street. 845-831-1134; beaconlibrary.org. BEACON Matteawan Gallery “Deconstruct,” group show. Through Aug. 30. Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Matteawan Gallery, 464 Main Street. 845-440-7901; matteawan.com. BEACON Mount Gulian Historic Site Tours of the historic home, Dutch barn and restored garden. Sundays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 1 to 5 p.m. through Oct. 25. $4 to $8; members, free. Mount Gulian Historic Site, 145 Sterling Street. mountgulian.org; 845-831-8172. BEACON RiverWinds Gallery “The Bubble Makers,” paintings by Dana Wigdor. Through Aug. 2. Wednesdays through Mondays, noon to 6 p.m.; second Saturdays, noon to 9 p.m. RiverWinds Gallery, 172 Main Street. 845-838-2880; riverwindsgallery.com. BETHEL Bethel Woods Center for the Arts “Written in Stone,” sculptures by Harry Gordon. Through Oct. 12. “Threads: Connecting ’60s and Modern Rockwear,” from the collection of Andy Hilfiger. Through Dec. 31. $6 to $15; children under 3, free. Daily, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Sept. 7. Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Road. bethelwoodscenter.org; 866-781-2922. BRONX Bronx Museum of the Arts “Bronx Calling: The Third AIM Biennial,” group show. Through Sept. 20. Thursdays through Sundays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Fridays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse. 718-681-6000; bronxmuseum.org. BRONX The New York Botanical Garden “Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life,” including paintings, works on paper and a reimagining of Kahlo’s garden. Through Nov. 1. $10 to $25; children under 2, free. Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The New York Botanical Garden, Southern Boulevard. 718-817-8700; nybg.org. COLD SPRING Buster Levi Gallery Paintings and sculpture by Jennie M. Currie. Through Aug. 2. Fridays through Sundays, noon to 6 p.m.; and by appointment. Buster Levi Gallery, 121 Main Street. 845-809-5810; busterlevigallery.com. ELMSFORD Greenburgh Public Library “The Female Muse: Reflections on Life, Love and Loss,” paintings by Donna Faranda. Through July 31. Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Greenburgh Public Library, 300 Tarrytown Road. 914-721-8225; greenburghlibrary.org. GARRISON Manitoga/The Russel Wright Design Center House, studio and landscape tours. Through Nov. 9. $10 to $20. Manitoga/The Russel Wright Design Center, 584 Route 9D. 845-424-3812; russelwrightcenter.org. GREENBURGH Madeleine Gutman Gallery “Captivation Through Visual Inspiration,” photographs by Monica Marrow. Through Sept. 15. Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Madeleine Gutman Gallery, 177 Hillside Avenue. greenburghartsandculture.org; 914-682-1574. HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON Upstream Gallery “Paper Works 2015,” group show. Through July 26. Thursdays through Sundays, 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Upstream Gallery, 8 Main Street. upstreamgallery.com; 914-674-8548. HUDSON 510 Warren Street Gallery “Landscape Thoughtography,” photographs by Jonathan Pazer. Through July 26. Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 6 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. 510 Warren Street Gallery, 510 Warren Street. 518-822-0510; 510warrenstgallery.com. HUDSON BCB Art “Big Collars,” paintings by Barbara Friedman. Through Aug. 16. Thursdays through Sundays, noon to 6 p.m.; and by appointment. BCB Art, 116 Warren Street. 518-828-4539; bcbart.com. HUDSON Carrie Haddad Gallery “Abstraction,” Adam Cohen, Elizabeth Coyne, Donise English and Chris Duncan. Through Aug. 23. Mondays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Carrie Haddad Gallery, 622 Warren Street. carriehaddadgallery.com; 518-828-1915. HUDSON Jeff Bailey Gallery “BrightAirBrilliantFire,” Todd Knopke. “Smooth Jazz,” Irena Jurek. Through Aug. 2. Fridays through Sundays, noon to 6 p.m.; and by appointment. Jeff Bailey Gallery, 127 Warren Street. baileygallery.com; 518-828-6680. HUDSON John Davis Gallery “Nicolas Carone: The Fictitious Image.” Through July 19. Paintings by Janice Nowinski. July 25 through Aug. 16. Thursdays through Mondays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and by appointment. John Davis Gallery, 362 1/2 Warren Street. 518-828-5907; johndavisgallery.com. HYDE PARK The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum “The Spirit of the Gift: Gifts of State and Affection.” Through Dec. 31. $6 and $9; children under 15, free. Daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Oct. 31. The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, 4079 Albany Post Road. 845-486-7745; fdrlibrary.marist.edu. KATONAH Katonah Museum of Art “Inside the Outside: Five Self-Taught Artists From the William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation.” July 19 through Oct. 11. $5 and $10; members and children under 12, free. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Katonah Museum of Art, 134 Jay Street. 914-232-9555; katonahmuseum.org. KINGSTON One Mile Gallery “Let’s Go Away for Awhile,” group show. Through Aug. 8. Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m.; and by appointment. One Mile Gallery, 475 Abeel Street. onemilegallery.com; 845-338-2035. LARCHMONT Kenise Barnes Fine Art “Cool and Collected ‘15,” group show. July 23 through Sept. 10. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and by appointment. Kenise Barnes Fine Art, 1947 Palmer Avenue. 914-834-8077; kbfa.com. LARCHMONT Mamaroneck Artists Guild “Summer Scenes,” group show. Through Aug. 1. Tuesdays through Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m.; and by appointment. Mamaroneck Artists Guild, 126 Larchmont Avenue. mamaroneckartistsguild.org; 914-834-1117. MAMARONECK Bullseye New York Gallery “Glass: In the Nature of Things,” group show. Through Aug. 15. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bullseye New York Gallery, 115 Hoyt Avenue. bullseyeglass.com; 914-835-3794. MOUNTAINVILLE Storm King Art Center “Lynda Benglis: Water Sources,” large-scale sculptures. Through Nov. 8. “Outlooks: Luke Stettner,” site-specific outdoor installation. Through Nov. 29. $8 to $12; members and children under 5, free. Wednesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Storm King Art Center, Old Pleasant Hill Road. 845-534-3115; stormkingartcenter.org. NEW PALTZ Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, at the State University of New York at New Paltz “The Stories We Tell: Hudson Valley Artists 2015,” group show. Through Nov. 8. Suggested donation, $5. Wednesdays through Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, at the State University of New York at New Paltz, 1 Hawk Drive. newpaltz.edu/museum; 845-257-3844. NYACK Edward Hopper House Art Center “Elinore Schnurr: Outside Looking In,” photographs. Through Aug. 2. “John F. Simon, Jr.: The Ever Present Sun.” Through Aug. 16. $2 to $7; members and children under 16, free. Wednesdays through Sundays, noon to 5 p.m.; and by appointment. Edward Hopper House Art Center, 82 North Broadway. 845-358-0774; edwardhopperhouse.org. OLANA Olana State Historic Site “River Crossings: Contemporary Art Comes Home,” group show. Also on display at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site in Catskill. Through Nov. 1. $10 and $12; children under 12, free. Children under 16 admitted free at Thomas Cole. Olana State Historic Site, 5720 State Route 9G. rivercrossings.org. PEEKSKILL Bean Runner Cafe “Recent Work,” George Dubinsky. Through Aug. 16. Sundays through Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursdays, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Bean Runner Cafe, 201 South Division Street. beanrunnercafe.com; 914-737-1701. PEEKSKILL Field Library “Musings: Works in Clay,” sculpture by Jo-Ann Brody. Through July 31. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Wednesdays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Field Library, 4 Nelson Avenue. 914-737-1212; peekskill.org. PEEKSKILL Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art “The 7 Deadly Sins: Lust.” Through July 26. “Love: The First of the 7 Virtues,” group show. Through Dec. 6. $2 to $5; members and children under 8, free. Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 6 p.m.; and by appointment. Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, 1701 Main Street. 914-788-0100; hvcca.org. PELHAM Pelham Art Center Faculty and student showcase. Through Aug. 7. “Knit Knit Bomb Bomb,” outdoor yarn installation. Through Aug. 31. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pelham Art Center, 155 Fifth Avenue. 914-738-2525; pelhamartcenter.org. PORT CHESTER Clay Art Center “My Name Is Nobody,” Matthew Smith. Through Aug. 24. Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and by appointment. Clay Art Center, 40 Beech Street. 914-937-2047; clayartcenter.org. PORT EWEN Duck Pond Gallery, at Town of Esopus Library Drawings and watercolors by James Martin. Through July 25. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Fridays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Duck Pond Gallery, at Town of Esopus Library, 128 Canal Street. 845-338-5580; esopuslibrary.org. POUGHKEEPSIE The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Mid-Hudson Bridge “Bridge Music,” sound installation by Joseph Bertolozzi. Through Oct. 31. Dawn to dusk. The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Mid-Hudson Bridge. josephbertolozzi.com. POUGHKEEPSIE Mid-Hudson Civic Center The Ultimate Comic and Trade Expo. July 25 and 26. $7 to $15; children under 5, free. Mid-Hudson Civic Center, 14 Civic Center Plaza. 845-454-5800; midhudsonciviccenter.org. POUGHKEEPSIE Vassar College, Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center “Punctuating Space: The Prints and Multiples of Richard Artschwager.” Through Sept. 6. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. Vassar College, Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, 124 Raymond Avenue. 845-437-5632; fllac.vassar.edu. POUND RIDGE Pound Ridge Public Library “The 40th Annual Ground Glass Photographic Group Show.” Through Aug. 22. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Pound Ridge Public Library, 271 Westchester Avenue. 914-764-5085; poundridgelibrary.org. PURCHASE Neuberger Museum of Art of Purchase College “Plastic: Art in an Era of Material Innovation.” Through Aug. 23. “Gold,” group show. “Teresa Margolles: We Have a Common Thread.” Through Oct. 11. $3 and $5; members and children 12 and under, free. Tuesdays through Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Neuberger Museum of Art of Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Road. www.neuberger.org; 914-251-6100. RHINEBECK Betsy Jacaruso Studio and Gallery “Essence of the Valley,” group show. Through July 31. Thursdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and by appointment. Betsy Jacaruso Studio and Gallery, 43 East Market Street. betsyjacarusoartist.com; 845-516-4435. RHINEBECK Montgomery Row Second Level “Faces,” photographs and illustrations by John Rizzo and Carol Rizzo. Through July 31. Daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Montgomery Row Second Level, 6423 Montgomery Street. 845-876-0543; montgomeryrow.com. RIVERDALE Elisa Contemporary Art “A Trek Across Nepal,” Marie Danielle Leblanc. Through July 31. Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and by appointment. Elisa Contemporary Art, 5622 Mosholu Avenue. elisacontemporaryart.com; 212-729-4974. SAUGERTIES Cross Contemporary Art “Supreme Fiction,” paintings and prints by Catherine Howe. Through July 26. Thursdays through Mondays, noon to 6 p.m.; and by appointment. Cross Contemporary Art, 81 Partition Street. 845-399-9751; crosscontemporaryart.com. TIVOLI Tivoli Artists Gallery “Mixed Media and Collaborations,” group show. Through July 26. Fridays, 5 to 9 p.m.; Saturdays, 1 to 9 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. Tivoli Artists Gallery, 60 Broadway. 845-757-2667; tivoliartistsco-op.com. WASSAIC The Wassaic Project, Maxon Mills “Deep End,” group show. Through Sept. 20. Fridays, 5 to 7 p.m.; Saturdays, noon to 7 p.m.; and Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. The Wassaic Project, Maxon Mills, 37 Furnace Bank Road. wassaicproject.org; 347-815-0783. WHITE PLAINS ArtsWestchester “Revisiting Arcadia: Contemporary Landscapes,” group show. Through Aug. 29. Tuesdays through Fridays, noon to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, noon to 6 p.m. ArtsWestchester, 31 Mamaroneck Avenue. 914-428-4220; artswestchester.org. WHITE PLAINS White Plains Public Library “Hidden in Plain Sight: White Plains Architecture.” Through Aug. 2. Mondays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. White Plains Public Library, 100 Martine Avenue. 914-422-1480; whiteplainslibrary.org. WILLOW James Cox Gallery “Wilna and Nan: Two Woodstock Originals,” art and photography of Wilna Hervey and Nan Mason. Through Aug. 2. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. James Cox Gallery, 4666 Route 212. jamescoxgallery.com; 845-679-7608. WOODSTOCK Byrdcliffe Kleinert/James Center for the Arts “Nina Katchadourian: New Sortings.” Through July 19. Wednesdays through Sundays, noon to 6 p.m.; and by appointment. Byrdcliffe Kleinert/James Center for the Arts, 36 Tinker Street. 845-679-2079; woodstockguild.org. WOODSTOCK WFG Gallery “Linear Life,” paintings by Irwin Berman and Sheri Warshauer. Through July 19. Mondays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. WFG Gallery, 31 Mill Hill Road. 845-679-6003; wfggallery.com. YONKERS Blue Door Gallery “#Off the Page,” group show. Through Aug. 1. Thursdays and Fridays, 3 to 8 p.m.; Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Blue Door Gallery, 13 Riverdale Avenue. bluedoorartcenter.org; 914-375-5100. YONKERS Hudson River Museum “Envy: One Sin, Seven Stories,” installation by Adrien Broom. “Carla Gannis: The Garden of Emoji Delights.” Through Sept. 26. $3 to $6; members, free. Wednesdays through Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Hudson River Museum, 511 Warburton Avenue. 914-963-4550; hrm.org.

Art
The arts
Theater
Music
Hudson Valley


New Owners to Reopen Window Plant, Site of a Sit-In in Chicago

Abstract: CHICAGO — The 250 workers who staged a December sit-in at a Chicago window factory to protest losing their jobs were celebrating Thursday, after another window manufacturer announced plans to reopen the plant and start hiring back the displaced workers within months. The sale of what had been Republic Windows and Doors to a California company, Serious Materials, for $1.45 million, was completed in bankruptcy court this week, with company officials promising United Electrical Workers Local 1110 to rehire all the laid-off workers at their former rate of pay. “We see this opportunity to expand our operations in direct relation to the stimulus package, which includes the greening of federal buildings and the weatherization assistance program,” said Sandra Vaughan, the chief marketing officer for Serious Materials, which also manufactures energy-efficient windows and building products in Boulder, Colo., and Vandergrift, Pa. Ms. Vaughan said it could take months to get the company’s equipment up and running in Chicago, but to former Republic Windows workers like Armando Robles, a father of five who lost his health insurance in January, the prospect of the factory’s reopening was “a dream come true.” “They are promising to hire all of us back sooner or later, but they will start with a small crew,” said Mr. Robles, 39, who had been a maintenance technician. “Having another company reopen the factory was always our hope when we occupied the factory in December.” Serious Materials’ acquisition of the 125,000-square-foot warehouse that housed Republic Windows comes just days after Republic Windows’ former owner, Rich Gillman, ceased operations at his new window plant in Red Oak, Iowa. Mr. Gillman opened that factory late last year as a nonunion plant, after abruptly shuttering the one in Chicago. “We are sad that the inability to make the company succeed represents a loss for more than 100 workers and their families, and investors who held great hope for this enterprise,” Mr. Gillman said in a statement. Melvin Maclin, 55, a former technician at Republic Windows, said his bitter emotions of the last few months turned to joy this week, after learning that he could soon be back at work, cutting designs into glass windows at the Chicago plant. “When I got the phone call, I woke up my wife, and we did a little victory dance,” Mr. Maclin said. “This is not only a victory for the Republic workers, but for laborers and unions everywhere.”

Republic Windows and Doors
Layoffs and Job Reductions
Windows
Chicago (Ill)
Demonstrations and Riots


U.S. Seeks Ryder Cup Miracle of Its Own

Abstract: Two years after its Ryder Cup unraveling at Medinah Country Club, the United States team keeps looking for reasons to believe in a brighter day. No Tiger Woods in the lineup this time around at Gleneagles ? Well, didn’t the Americans’ only victory over the Europeans in recent years come when Woods did not play in 2008? No victory on the road since 1993? Re-enter Tom Watson, the baritone-voiced, sun-wrinkled United States captain and Scotophile who led that 1993 team. Ted Bishop, the P.G.A. of America president who recruited Watson, was even moved last month at the P.G.A. Championship to find a silver lining in the European star Rory McIlroy’s latest victory. “The last time that a European player won the Open Championship and P.G.A. Championship in the same year, the United States won the Ryder Cup, and that was in 2008, when Padraig Harrington accomplished that same feat,” Bishop said. “So on behalf of Tom and our entire Ryder Cup team, I want to thank Rory McIlroy for winning yesterday and setting a stage for the United States victory in September.” It has been a long period of adjustment for the American golf establishment, which once had a firm grip on Samuel Ryder’s Cup. But there can be no denying that this is a European-dominated competition now (the Europeans have won seven of the last nine) and also no denying that the Ryder Cup remains, despite the Eurocentric honor roll, one of the consistently best competitions in international sports. It seemed that its great, suspenseful run was ending when the Europeans romped to lopsided 9-point victories in 2004 at Oakland Hills near Detroit and in 2006 at the K Club in Ireland. The Americans, inspired by Paul Azinger, a resourceful captain, won convincingly, too, in 2008. But the last two editions were back to being classic nerve-janglers, brimming with chutzpah and chokes, and they shared the same ending: a 14 1/2-13 1/2 victory for Europe. In 2010, at rain-soaked, mud-spattered Celtic Manor in Wales, it came down to the final singles match, in which Graeme McDowell closed out Hunter Mahan on the 17th hole. In 2012, with the Americans holding an imposing 6-point early on the final day at Medinah, it came down to the second-to-last singles match, in which Martin Kaymer sank a 5-foot putt on the 18th hole to beat Steve Stricker. That finished off, depending on one’s perspective, the most remarkable comeback or collapse in the Cup’s 85-year history. European golf fans called it the Miracle at Medinah or el Milagro de Medinah. American fans, including the tens of thousands reduced to silence on site that Sunday, would probably prefer to forget the whole thing. Regardless, it should make Watson’s motivational task easier at Gleneagles in his beloved Scotland. “We’re not going to Gleneagles to have a nice time,” he told Golf Digest recently . “We’re going there to bring back the Ryder Cup. Win at all costs, basically. We’re taking charge. I want players who hate losing as much as I do. No, more than I do. And I think I’ve got them.” Such intangibles seem essential in light of the Europeans’ much greater familiarity with Gleneagles and even more essential given the world rankings . The Europeans had four in the top six the week before the Cup, led by McIlroy, who is back at No. 1 after winning his two latest major titles this year. They also have Sergio García, back at No. 3, who has yet to win a major but routinely saves some of his finest golf for the rah-rah atmosphere of Ryder Cups. They have Henrik Stenson at No. 4 and Justin Rose at No. 6. The Americans are without the injured Woods, no longer the Woods of yore even when ambulatory. They are also missing Dustin Johnson, the big-hitting intimidator who was undefeated at Medinah but is taking an extended leave of absence from the game for personal reasons. Jason Dufner, last year’s P.G.A. champion, is also injured. And the team is without the two American golfers with the hottest hands in recent weeks: Chris Kirk and Billy Horschel, who both peaked after Watson had named his three captain’s picks: Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson and Mahan. “This is the most bizarre situation coming into the Ryder Cup I’ve ever seen,” said Dave Stockton, a former United States captain. Still, Stockton, who played on the 1977 team with Watson, believes in his leadership. “I think it’s brilliant picking him,” Stockton said. “He’s the right man in the right place at the right time.” Watson still has ample talent at his disposal, including the two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson and his friend Rickie Fowler, who has had a remarkable year of nearly winning majors. The United States has a fiery and fast-emerging talent in Jordan Spieth. It also has familiar veterans like Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk, who is back to No. 5 in the world at age 44. But that pair could also set a collective record for Ryder Cup scar tissue. The truth is, the Americans have been highly motivated plenty of times only to fall short. Merely wanting it, even craving it, will not be sufficient no matter how many earnest, history-infused clubhouse speeches Tom Watson delivers. But there can be a certain freedom in being the clear underdog, as the Europeans and their current captain, the Irishman Paul McGinley, remember well from their own underdog days. “We are under no illusions how big this task is; it’s not a case of turning up and the Americans are going to roll over,” McGinley said on Wednesday at Celtic Manor. “We’ve seen that in the past, certainly from a European perspective, how not being on form or question marks being raised about the team can really galvanize themselves. We will not be underestimating America; I can assure you of that. We will be absolutely ready for this.” Scotland, which last hosted the Ryder Cup in 1973 at Muirfield, is presumably readier, too, with the much weightier business of deciding the nation’s future now in the rearview mirror. “I think maybe the referendum could have been done a little bit further apart from the Ryder Cup, but be that as it may, that’s it, and you’ve got to go with it,” said Bernard Gallacher, a former European Ryder Cup player and captain from Scotland, referring to Thursday’s vote on independence from Britain. “Hopefully we can concentrate on the golf this week. It’s a nice place, Gleneagles.” It is also a homecoming of sorts for the Ryder Cup, which did not officially begin until 1927 at Worcester Country Club in Massachusetts but had something of a trial run in 1921. That was the year an all-star team of American golfers traveled across the Atlantic to face a British team in a match bankrolled by the American magazine Golf Illustrated. The British, who presumably would not have thought to label themselves Europeans in those days, ended up the clear winners at Gleneagles. Foreshadowing for 2014?

Golf
Ryder Cup
Tom Watson
Rory McIlroy
Tiger Woods


Another Possible Kentucky Derby Qualifier for Pletcher

Abstract: Winning Cause won the $200,000 Lexington Stakes at Keeneland to give the trainer Todd Pletcher another possible Kentucky Derby qualifier. Pletcher must decide whether the 3-year-old will join the top contender Verrazano and several other of his horses on May 4 in the Derby.

Horse racing
Kentucky Derby
Todd Pletcher