Bee-Line #40 bus driver Leroy Clarke, who has been delivering dozens of workers to Westchester Medical Center throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, in Mount Vernon May 13, 2020. Rockland/Westchester Journal News

The 40 bus ferries healthcare workers to Westchester hospitals so they can help saves lives, says the bus driver who delivers them.

Leroy Clarkes 84-year-old mother died in early April from the coronavirus. He was on his way to her apartment in Brooklyn from his home in Cortlandt Manor when he found out shed taken her last breath.

The sad part is that Saturday when she passed away my sister asked me to come help, Clarke said. I was 20 minutes away from the house when she passed away. I was so mad I didnt get to talk to her.

His mothers death confirmed for Clarke the risks posed by the deadly virus that has claimed the lives of thousands of other New Yorkers like Louise Clark, a mother of seven.

People board the 5:40 a.m. Bee-Line bus Route 40 on East Prospect Avenue in Mount Vernon, April 8, 2020. (Photo: Mark Vergari/The Journal News)

And it reminded him how critical it is that he continue going to work every day, driving a bus to hospitals and nursing care facilities in Westchester County so others can save lives.

It doesnt bother me because I tell you something, its my job and I love it, Clarke said. It makes me proud that I can take these people to work, you know.

Clarke, 61, has been driving for Westchester Countys Bee-Line for 23 years. On a typical day, before the pandemic hit, he would be driving the 60 bus, from the Bronx up into White Plains.

Thatchanged in March.

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Ridership on the Bee-Line has plummeted from around 83,000 riders on a typical weekday to 22,000 last week, a decrease of 73%. Saturday service is down nearly 60%, from 38,000 to 16,000 and Sunday ridership dipped 63%from 23,000 to 8,500.

Fares have been waived and theres a partition separating drivers from passengers. Routes have been rejiggered so essential workers can get to and from work on buses that provide enough room for social distancing.

So, as dawn breaks, Clarke finds himself at Petrillo Plaza in Mount Vernon, driving the 40 bus that ferries health care workers north to Westchester Medical Center, White Plains Hospital and nursing homes along the way.

Passengers are pictured on the 5:40 a.m. Bee-Line bus Route 40 on East Prospect Avenue in Mount Vernon, April 8, 2020. (Photo: Mark Vergari/The Journal News)

They enter through the rear door of an articulated bus that can hold 100 but most mornings about 20 get on. They are mostly nurses aides, kitchen workers and housekeeping employees sporting the logos of the places where they work.

With fewer stops to make, Clarke stays ahead of schedule most mornings. At the White Plains Metro-North station he waits a little longer so passengers heading north by train from the Bronx can get on for the last leg of their trip north.

The county, working with its bus operator, Liberty Lines, decided to switch to an enhanced Saturday schedule on April 1. That means hourly service, which is traditionally focused on a busy midday.

Hospital workers and others had raised concerns about overcrowded buses.

So buses were added as needed to a dozen lines that course through the Bronx, White Plains, Yonkers, Harrison and New Rochelle, county officials said. Many of those additions came in the morning peak hours. At the request of Westchester County Medical Center, extra buses were added to routes serving the hospital.

We knew we would get into a situation where we would have some overcrowding because in general the weekday service focuses on morning and afternoon peaks, said Michael Swee, the principal planner for the countys Department of Public Works and Transportation. Saturday service is focused on a midday peak. So we knew we were going to have some issues. We tried to figure out which routes would need more trips before we switched to an enhanced Saturday service.

Workers went out and counted passengers and drivers offered their input.

People wait for the 5:40 a.m. Bee-Line bus Route 40 on East Prospect Avenue in Mount Vernon, April 8, 2020. (Photo: Mark Vergari/The Journal News)

Were getting calls from passengers saying for instance the 6 a.m. Route 7 from Mount Vernon to New Rochelle is overcrowded, Swee said. We get that input and we work with our operator to add trips or adjust schedulesIts a dance were doing on a daily basis, as most everyone is.

Across the country, transportation officials are facing similar challenges.

In Boston, transit officials have been using automatic passenger counters to identify routes that serve large numbers of health care workers.

In San Francisco, transit officials are using the counts to identify ridership trends, which tells them where and when to add service.

Theyve noticed, for instance, that demand peaks earlier in the day but is less pronounced than it had been before the pandemic, according to research by the TransitCenter, a New York City-based research and advocacy group. And ridership tails off after 5 p.m.

Critical to the effort is listening to drivers, said David Bragdon, the TransitCenters executive director.

The drivers know whats going on, Bragdon said. The drivers know where people are. And its really important because you want to reduce the crowdingFor a while even New York was running buses in some wealthier parts of town where nobody is working. So the buses there are empty and theyre running buses elsewhere that are really crowded.

Bragdon says the Bee-Line should adopt a similar approach once the pandemic passes and redesign routes to fit demand, especially in low-income areas where buses play a critical role in getting people to work.

Clarkes union head, Carlos Bernabel of Transport Workers Union Local 100, said his drivers have been communicating what they see to managers to alleviate crowded conditions that existed weeks ago.

At the beginning we were crowded, Bernabel said. But the people who are taking the bus now, most of them are workers, they understandIts been a challenge.

Clarke, meanwhile, is adjusting to life on his new route.

Bee-Line #40 bus driver Leroy Clarke, who has been delivering dozens of workers to Westchester Medical Center throughout the pandemic, arrives at his first stop in Mount Vernon May 13, 2020. Clarke, 61, has been driving for Bee-Line for 23 years. His mother recently died from COVID-19 but he continues to drive because he feels he owes it to his riders to get them to work every day. (Photo: Tania Savayan/The Journal News)

Im not scared of anything because I try to keep myself healthy, he said. I wear the protective gear.I feel confident. I dont have a problem with it.

He still checks in with passengers from his old route, including the White Plains woman who regularly brought him home-cooked Indian meals.

Bee-Line #40 bus driver Leroy Clarke, who has been delivering dozens of workers to Westchester Medical Center throughout the pandemic, at his first stop in Mount Vernon on May 13, 2020.(Photo: Tania Savayan/The Journal News)

My regular passengers, I miss them, he said.They call to see how I am doing. They always bring me good things to eat. My wife is not quite happy with it, but you know.

At home, he tries to keep a safe distance from his wife and two daughters to prevent infecting them.

I sleep in a different room because Im on the buses every day, he said.

A few weeks back, Bernabel said a local nonprofit came by the garage where Bee-Line drivers start their day and delivered pizza and drinks as a way to say thank you to Clarke, fellow bus drivers and mechanics.

There would be no fight against COVID-19 if our bus operators werent getting nurses and other hospital workers to the front lines, said Tony Utano, the president of Local 100. They really are heroes.

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Bee-Line driver lost mom to coronavirus, makes sure others get to work saving lives - Lohud

In the month since Oakland began closing some neighborhood streets to through traffic, a move replicated by other cities across the country, a core truth of the slow streets movement has become clear the more exuberant claims for the program might be overstated, but its benefit to nearby residents is very, very real.

Nor will it vanish on the day next month? when shelter-in-place orders end. Instead, slow streets fit into a larger rethinking of the role that pavement can play in large American cities.

Weve opened a lot of Oaklanders to the idea that people can use streets in all sorts of ways, said Ryan Russo, director of the citys Department of Transportation. Where things go from here, well have to figure out.

Since Oakland put its first barriers up, similar initiatives have been launched in San Francisco, Alameda and Redwood City. San Mateo, Berkeley and San Jose are all exploring the idea of letting restaurants place seating on closed-off asphalt. Urban centers from New York to Seattle have restricted access to streets large and small.

Still, Oaklands initial move to provide protected space stands out.

The program launched on April 11 with the closure of 4.5 miles of streets around the clock to nearly all traffic except for people heading to or from their homes, emergency vehicles and delivery vans. Several expansions later, 20 miles of residential blocks are now tucked behind temporary barriers.

This is far short of the 74 miles announced as the citys overall plan a number so big it attracted nationwide attention at a time when people were being ordered to stay close to home. But that number was always a target, and the city expects to add more segments by the end of May.

In terms of providing a relief valve thinning out crowded official public spaces so people can exercise or seek fresh air with enough room to maintain social distancing theres a gap between reality and hype.

Last Saturday, on a pleasant spring afternoon, I rode my bicycle past Lake Merritt and saw no shortage of people filling portions of the sidewalk or dotting the lawns. But on Alice Street, a cordoned-off slow street within three compact blocks of the lakes western edge, I had the asphalt to myself. The same was true of a car-free corridor leading from Wayne Avenue to East 19th St. on the east side of the lake.

In terms of (counterbalancing) the popularity of the lake and parks, were realizing theres still work to be done, Russo admitted this week. In terms of people being able to go outside in their neighborhood and feel comfortable, feel safe in the roadbed, the slow streets are serving their purpose.

That was evident a few days later, when I revisited the streets set aside in North Oakland. The scenes werent festive so much as relaxed: couples walking hand in hand, parents with young children piloting bikes and scooters even smaller than they were. One couple was jogging the mother behind a baby stroller, the father gripping the leash of a large white dog.

I love it, grinned Yvonne McGrew, who has lived on Howe Street since 1973. Its a street that seems bucolic. Its also near enough to the Rockridge BART Station that impatient commuters would cut through the tangle of small blocks to shave a few moments off their drive.

You would never have seen that kids on bikes, McGrew said, pointing to one pair of helmeted adventurers. Youd see adults and their dogs, but not the kids. And Im catching up with neighbors Id hardly ever see.

There was a similar mood late Wednesday afternoon in San Francisco, which is trying out several slow streets as well.

Page Street was empty except for the stray passer-through, perhaps because Golden Gate Parks Panhandle is a block to the south. But Lake Street in the Richmond District was another story, a widely spaced promenade of families getting fresh air at the end of the day, joggers loping past mansions, even a pair of surfers on their bicycles, boards attached securely on the side.

On Kirkham Street in the Inner Sunset, meanwhile, theres now a basketball hoop outside one home near Funston Avenue. Kids from the neighborhood use the gently sloped blocks as an elongated chill-out zone.

Its kind of free-range out here, offered Sebastian Haas, a ninth-grader who lives near 15th Avenue. He had a skateboard; his younger brother had a go-cart the pair had built in their garage.

I asked if there was much traffic in this quiet-looking area before restrictions came down in March. Actually, yeah. This gives you a chance to get outside and not think about it.

Seattle has now gone so far as to announce that 20 miles of its streets will remain closed permanently to through traffic. Neither Oakland nor San Francisco are prepared to take such an emphatic step, at least not yet.

Before anything is made permanent, we need to have a conversation as a whole community, Russo said. As he points out, traffic diverted from one street in usual times is likely to head to others but we dont have that right now.

What we do have is a glum but growing awareness that the path ahead is murky. There wont be some magic day where every adult is back in the office and all the kids are at school.

Its becoming increasingly clear that crisis recovery is a slow road, said Jamie Parks, director of the Livable Streets program at San Franciscos Municipal Transportation Agency. In fact, he promised additions next week to the four protected street segments now in place: Slow streets will be in place for as long as theyre needed.

This is as it should be.

The impacts of the slow streets initiatives are modest, not sweeping. But they offer another alternative to neighborhoods that in recent years have come to feel increasingly constrained even before the pandemic arrived.

John King is The San Francisco Chronicles urban design critic. Email: jking@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @johnkingsfchron

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Oakland and SF's 'slow streets' aren't going away that's a good thing - msnNOW

I would pay $10 for someone to unload my dishwasher. I recognize this isnt a lot of money, but were running it two or three times a day lately, so there is an opportunity for a nice supplemental income. Im just so tired of doing it.

Then again, I could eliminate that need entirely, because I would pay $100 to be able to sit and eat at a restaurant. It doesnt even have to be a good restaurant. I just want to have someone bring me food, and when Im done, for someone else to collect the dirty plates.

That sounds nice, doesn't it?

I find myself putting a dollar figure on a lot of things that I wish I could have right now because of the coronavirus, and I cant imagine that Im the only one. We are finishing our second month of this lockdown, with no end in sight, grinding along in this sort of alternate reality.

Two months of this &#$*% already.

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Some of the things we took for granted, every day of our lives, almost feel like mirages. Did we really go see movies in an actual movie theater? And fly on cramped airplanes for business or even -- gasp -- for pleasure?

Did we really fill stadiums and arenas to watch sporting events with thousands of other people, and do it like it was no big deal at all?

How was that even possible?

And so, from the confines of my quarantine, I decided to put a dollar figure on everything Im missing. Please feel free to send me your additions to the list. (Or, if you can sneak into our house, that deal with the dishwasher still stands.)

Here we go ....

I would pay $1 to walk my dog today without someone diving across the street to avoid me. Honestly, I feel like Im playing a game of coronavirus chicken, waiting to see if the other person will get off the sidewalk first.

I would pay $2 to shake someones hand without feeling like a social pariah. Can you imagine the look youd get right now if you even extended your hand towards a stranger? Theyd sooner call 9-1-1 than shake it.

I would pay $3 for every EMT, nurse, doctor or first responder I could safely hug.

I would pay $5 for my kids to have a playdate with their friends. If this playdate its taking place in another house, make it $50. Sleepover, $100. Weekend away -- hang on, Ill need to check the balance in our savings account.

I would pay $8 for an effective way to keep my glasses from fogging up when I wear a face mask. So I can either protect myself from the virus, or I can actually see where Im going? Is that how its going to be for the next few months?

I would pay $10 a month to support NJ Advance Medias team of journalists. Actually, I already do. Would you consider doing the same?

I would pay $20 to find a recipe online that I like and, without a hint of guilt or fear, head out to the supermarket that very minute to buy the ingredients.

I would pay $25 to sit at a bar, order a cold draft beer and strike up a conversation with a stranger or the bartender. Add a cheeseburger, and double that.

I would pay $30 an hour for a babysitter. This is twice the going rate. I know, I know, why bother if everything is closed anyway? Heres the plan: Wed go out the front door, sneak in through the garage and hide in the attic for four hours.

I would pay $40 for an hour at the gym. Of course, at this point, I would spend most of that hour wheezing on the floor.

I would pay $50 if (insert name of politician here) would just stop talking. Heres my daily update: Its the same as yesterday, and tomorrow isnt looking much better.

I would pay $75 for a good nights sleep.

I would pay $80 for one news cycle -- just one! -- that didnt make me wish I could throw the TV off the roof.

I would pay $100 to watch a live sporting event. I dont care whos playing, or what sport, or what level -- it can even be soccer! I dont need a seat. Ill bring a cooler and sit on that.

I would pay $150 for a well-prepared steak, served right as it comes off the grill, with a perfectly matched glass of red wine. Throw in some crispy fries, and ... great, now I need to wipe the drool off my keyboard.

I would pay $200 to have our teachers back in their classrooms where they belong.

I would pay $250, in a check made out to the charity of your choice, never to again have to hear or read the words, Its just the flu.

I would pay $500 to guarantee that our summer vacation go on as scheduled. We have a lovely rental a block off the beach in Long Beach Island. Its even a short walk from the amusement park called Fantasy Island, and yes, the idea that the rides and arcades will be open in early July does, indeed, feel like a fantasy.

I would pay $1 million for things to be normal for even a week. Yeah, I cant afford that. But Im guessing youd all chip in to make that happen.

Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Steve Politi may be reached at spoliti@njadvancemedia.com.

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Heres everything Id pay good money for as the coronavirus quarantines drag on - NJ.com

SINGAPORE - Property and infrastructure group Lendlease on Thursday (May 14) announced the appointment of Gan Chong Min as its Singapore-based managing director for investment management, Asia.

Mr Gan joins the Australia-based group's Singapore leadership team and reports directly to Ng Hsueh Ling, managing director for Singapore and chief investment officer for Asia.

In his new role, Mr Gan will drive global stakeholder management and the overall performance of Lendlease's assets at Paya Lebar Quarter, Jem, Parkway Parade and Setia City Mall under its various real estate private-equity funds and joint ventures.

He replaces Kelvin Chow, who has taken on a new role as the chief executive officer of Singapore-listed Lendlease Global Commercial Reit.

Mr Gan is an industry veteran, whose last held post as the Shanghai-based managing director of fund management at CapitaLand saw him undertake end-to-end responsibility in the formulation and execution of the group's fund strategy as well as its institutional investor relations across Asia, Europe, North America and the Middle East.

He also led a team of senior executives managing four large private-equity real estate funds with a portfolio of nine Raffles City-branded mixed-use commercial assets comprising retail malls, international grade A offices, hotels, serviced residences and residential apartments.

Said Mr Ng: "With a track record of managing high-value real estate funds and large-scale integrated mixed-use assets, Chong Min is well suited to lead our regional investment management business in its next phase of growth. His addition to our Asia investment management team and Singapore leadership team will no doubt be a key driver to the continued delivery of good outcomes to Lendlease and our investors."

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Lendlease names Singapore industry veteran to head Asia investment management business - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE - Application for the Direct School Admission (DSA) exercise for admission to secondary schools and junior colleges in 2021 will open on Tuesday (May 12), with the selection process moving online in the light of the Covid-19 situation.

In total, 146 secondary schools and 20 junior colleges (JCs) are participating this year in DSA, which gives students the opportunity to get into a secondary school or JC based on their achievements and talents, in addition to their academic performance.

The DSA scheme recognises talent in non-academic areas such as sports and the arts, and grants Primary 6 pupils places in secondary schools before they sit the Primary School Leaving Examination.

To ensure the safety of all students and school personnel in view of the coronavirus pandemic, DSA schools will not hold any physical trials or face-to-face interviews as part of their selection process, said the Ministry of Education (MOE) in a statement on Monday.

Instead, the interviews and selection process for shortlisted DSA candidates will be conducted via electronic modes (e-modes) at the applicants' primary school for secondary school DSA applications, and at the applicants' secondary school for JC applications.

This ensures there is no intermingling of students across schools, and that safe distancing measures are adhered to.

Students will be provided with access to video-conferencing capability, as well as standardised and suitable venues and equipment to ensure fairness in the selection process.

The DSA schools will use e-modeswhich the students are already familiar withso as to avoid creating additional workload for the students.

This includes conducting interviews through video conference and performance tasks, where the students may be asked to perform tasks, such as simple pencil sketches or musical performances, so as to demonstrate their attributes and potential in a specific talent area.

The format and task will depend on the student's area of talentas well as the school's selection criteria.

Ms Lo Yen Nie, principal of Haig Girls School, said the primary school will ensure that there are rooms for students to do their e-interviews and school personnel present to provide them with technical assistance if required.

Other forms of support also include the loan of musical instruments for audition purposes, if needed.

In addition, mock interviews, which are usually conducted by the school to help its students boost their confidence when speaking about their talents, will be moved virtually this year to ensure that they continue to receive the same level of support for their applications.

MOE recognises that there may be limitations in assessing students via e-modes for certain talent areas, such as team sports, but it reassures students that schools will adopt a holistic approach towards selection.

In addition to the interviews and selection via e-modes, schools will also consider other factors such as the student's co-curricular activity (CCA) records and their past achievements.

DSA schools may also seek additional inputs from the student's current school.

Principal of Raffles Institution (RI) Frederick Yeo said that 15 out of 21 of its selected talent areas are sports such as hockey, judo and track and field.

As such, students whose talents lie in sports would have to demonstrate their relevant skills set through the video interview, in lieu of physical trials.

In order to assess students holistically, he added that they will also be assessed for soft skills such as confidence and resilience which can be teased out from the way in which they share their experiences.

RI will be liaising closely with primary schools to schedule interview slots for the shortlisted applicants.

The selection period for the DSA secondary schools is from July 1 to Sept 14, while the period for DSA junior colleges is from June 29 to Sept 4.

Education Minister Ong Ye Kungsaid last week that the DSA scheme will try to take in as many students as it did last year. It had 3,500 students who successfully applied to secondary schools through DSA last year.

Housewife Diane Wee, 45, whose 12-year-old daughter is studying at St Hildas Primary School, will be applying for DSA to Tanjong Katong Girls School through sailing.

She is not worried about this years application going online as her two older children had gone through the same process. I will remind my daughter to relax and be herself when the time comes to prepare for the interview, which is a few months down the road.

Cedar Girls Secondary School student Althea Lim, 16, will use her strong academic results in subjects such as literature and history to apply to Hwa Chong Institutions Humanities Programme, and she prepared her portfolio of documents almost a month ago.

Im glad that the applications have shifted online in view of the Covid-19 situation, as this ensures that peoples health, safety and convenience are prioritised, she said.

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Coronavirus: Direct School Admission exercise to open on May 12, with selection process going virtual - The Straits Times

Perhaps you never realised that you needed a moat. But now that you know there are houses out there which have them, that little voice in the back of your head is calling to you.

An Englishmans home may be his castle, but there are some features of the average castle which nobody needs. A dungeon, for example why would you want a cellar designed to bedark, damp and unpleasant to be in? And, frankly, raising a portcullis every time you wanted to drive into the garage would be an endless faff.

But theres something about the idea of having a moat which cant help but make you grin. And that particular piece of medieval design is one of the features of Kirk Hall.

The bulk of the house, which lies in the heart of Norfolk lies, isnt medieval at all, but rather an attractive Grade II-listed family home which dates from about 1840 with various later additions, such as the main faade thats on the market for 1.15 million via Savills.

Its situated a short drive from Thetford Forest (the largest lowland pine forest in Britain), and there is no doubt that the magnificent grounds of Kirk Hall take inspiration from the East Anglian landscape in which they lie.

The house is surrounded on all sides by formal lawned areas that fade away into shrubs, herbaceous borders, orchards and woodland underplanted with spring bulbs.

As well as featuring a moat around some of the property, Kirk Hall also features its own lake.

Nature follows you inside, with exposed oak beams throughout the 4,000sq ft property, while there are fine views of the gardens from the dining area in the open-plan space which incorporates most of the living, eating and sitting space, beautifully-framed beneath the distinctive vaulted ceiling by a full height window.

There are several more formal rooms are to the front of the house, including elegant dining and drawing room both double aspect with the latter having a rectangular bay with delightful window seat looking out the moat.

Theres also a large office, spacious utility and boot room, while upstairs there are either four or five bedrooms, depending on how you choose to arrange things.

Kirk Hall is on the market for 1.15 million via Savills see more pictures and details.

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A home in East Anglia bursting with character, with grand gardens, open plan living space and its own moat - Country Life

**

Xavier: This is our latest Covid-Era interview, this one with Seattle conceptual/expressionist sculptor Tom Gormally. Over the years, I have been in several group shows with Tom and I have always been super-impressed by his mix of hand-carved elements set into conceptually-charged mindscapes and often humorous, rebus-type combines. I jumped at the chance to talk to another sculptor and as you will see my level of glee was absolutely palpable!

Xavier: Please take a moment to introduce yourself and describe your work for us!

Tom Gormally: I have been studying and making art, with many different materials, for over forty years. I primarily work with wood and light to create sculptural scenes that combine contemporary structure and folk-art aesthetics to lay out my thoughts and feelings as I process whats happening in the world around me. Also, the folk art of the American Southwest blended with a sense of scale and physical presence that came from my time as a jet mechanic in the Navy stationed in New Mexico during the Vietnam era.

The influence of folk art and my time in the military were some of the first inspirations for my art, and those threads from that time in my life have remained strong influences on both the style and substance of my work.

Xavier: How long have you been working as a sculptor?

Tom Gormally: I started art school in 1973 and attended graduate school, where I created art and taught undergraduate classes from 1977-79.

Id say that Ive been working as a sculptor since my first appearance in a gallery group show in 1975, so about 45 years.

Xavier: Very cool! So do I sense a kind of Joseph Beuys, personal/ autobiographical approach to making the work or something else, something more?

Tom Gormally: My work is largely very personal in nature, and sometimes autobiographical. A lot of my work is a manifestation and a means of processing events or situations in the world (particularly relating to politics/the environment) that have impacted me emotionally.

**

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Xavier: Lets talk about your process for a bit. It looks to me like you like to work in metaphor, but with a sense of humor, perhaps akin to someone like Dennis Oppenheim or Bruce Nauman, but with a more personal scope and size. Can you tell us a little bit about the processes that you go through to make a piece, perhaps using a sculpture that you have made in the past or one that you are currently working on. Do you start with the idea or are the materials a starting point for you? This is very exciting to me as a sculptor its been awhile since Ive had a chance to talk to another sculptor about their processes.

Tom Gormally: Thats a great question, thanks! Looking back, Ive found that I tend to work in series that are often inspired by a single idea that can be anything from a metaphor that hits me as I fall asleep, to a book or a crutch found in a second-hand shop.

Typically, after having the idea I start to write about the concept and draw/sketch out ideas. Theres a phrase I like from Japser Johns that Ill paraphrase: Take an object. Do something to it. Then do something else to it; the simplicity of starting from one object or metaphor/idea and modulating it stepwise by just following my intuition clicks for me. For instance, the piece Im currently working on is part of my Fox series, and so is a modulation of the core idea that right now in our country the fox is in the henhouse.

However, for this particular piece, I started with a series of drawings in watercolor which informed one of the first modulations of the core form, that the fox would be partially submerged.

Xavier: That is my favorite Johns quote as well. And is very definitely a guiding principle for my work !

Tom Gormally: Thats fantastic!

Once I get to the drawings, then I think about scale and materials. On this most recent piece, I decided to carve the fox first. All of the foxes in this series have been hand-carved, and so carving the fox first really informs the feel and the scale of the piece. Once I get to the point where I have a polished-enough fox that I can visualize in the scene, I start work on constructing the other elements. Sometimes I need to see the central figure in situ to recognize what does and doesnt excite me about what Ive visualized. Sometimes elements are thrown out, and other times I realize that I need to make additions to get to the visual impact that Id envisioned.

The stacked-elements of Brancusi inform a lot of the structural decisions I make, in adding or subtracting levels to the piece. I try to keep the overall macro level structure of the piece fairly simple, but make the interactions within and between components and levels complex.

Lastly, light elements and internal lighting have always played a big part in my work, and so thinking about how I want light to highlight or shroud certain aspects of the structure and form is an important part of my thinking, particularly when it comes to materials.

**

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Xavier: Can I get you to speak a little bit more about Brancusi; your relation to him and how it affects the form of your work. You start to go into it and I missed following up on itcould you elaborate, please!

Tom Gormally: One of the things that I always really appreciated about Brancusis work is how he took folk-like elements from Romanian architecture and folk art and reinvigorated these influences through his own modern vision. The results were stacked abstract forms that draw the eye up towards a more dynamic sculptural element at the apex. I am doing that with my work as well. There are geometric forms that I stack (or layer) in my own way, with a carved sculptural form at the apex. These forms lead the eye up from the floor (or sometimes down from the ceiling) to the central element that acts as a focal point for the narrative of the piece.

I wrote papers on Brancusi when I was an undergraduate; I loved his work. One of his famous quotes stays with me, inspiring me to follow his example in being uncompromising with his pursuit and execution of his personal vision. Rodin wanted to hire Brancusi as a studio assistant Brancusi said, an acorn cannot grow beneath a mighty oak.

Despite the opportunity to work under one of the greatest sculptors of his time, Brancusi turned it down because he wanted to maintain the autonomy of his artistic expression, without being influenced by Rodin.

Xavier: That is an excellent point, though I do have to say that I have been lucky enough to take classes. work with and TA for some wonderfully impressive artists from Wayne Thiebaud to Lynn Hershman Leeson and have valued any advice or mentoring that each could give.

Moving right along, I would like to explore further, how metaphor works in your art. When I was in undergraduate school, we had installation artist Robert Irwin talk to us about how, for him art was all about communication and that that meant metaphor. How does language and/or metaphor fit into your work?

Tom Gormally: As far as metaphor, one through-line in my work is that I want the viewer to engage in an exercise in interpretation when theyre looking at my work, and a lot of that is done through metaphor. In addition, I feel that the folk-art aesthetic adds accessibility and provides an entry point so that the viewer can interpret the piece through their own experiences and perspective.

Xavier: Also, along the lines of language, a good amount of your work looks almost like you make stages or frames, upon which you create your statements or sentences. Does that ring true?

Tom Gormally: Yes! This definitely rings true with me. Ive often wanted to create stage sets for a play or a dance, as I feel like the way I work could easily translate to that!

A lot of the time the statements or sentences that are said on those stages end up being the names of the works, or paraphrased at least, to provide a little more room for interpretation.

**

**

Xavier: Do you see your foxes as being like the heroes in your pieces, the ones generating action in the pieces?

Tom Gormally: Thats really interesting, actually. Could you clarify if you mean like prototypical heroes in a mythological sense or protagonists in a narrative sense?

Xavier: Yes, but that would cut off an avenue of discussion. Which or both are you thinking?

Tom Gormally: The foxes are definitely center-stage in these pieces and are the agents generating action, so I would say that theyre a protagonist, but theyre definitely not heroes or heroic they are still the main force of movement, but that force is humorously insidious!

Xavier: Oooh! Sounds awesome! Please explain!

Tom Gormally: I dont want to say anything too explicitly, but this series began in late 2016 following an analogy that came to me while falling asleep: that the FOX was in the henhouse. The fox is kind of a Vaudevillian comically terrible character, whose hijinks are at once horrifying and mesmerizing.

If you look at the figuration of the fox, theres a lot of smirks, winks, and smarminess!

Xavier: Lets talk a little but more about the fox in a different sense. Your work has a kind of Midwest feel to it, reminding me peripherally of folks like Terry Allen who use a good amount of humor in their work. How do you feel that humor works in your art?

Tom Gormally: Funnily enough, I grew up in the midwest and actually showed at the same gallery as Terry Allen when I was in grad school! The Morgan Gallery in Kansas City.

Xavier: That is very funny! I love his work and, though you would never think this about me, I especially love his music! We had a bunch of Montana artists come to my undergraduate school, because Mike Sarich who taught art at UNR was from Montana. I got to meet Terry Allen as an undergraduate and have a few drinks with him and the professorsback in the day!

**

**

Tom Gormally: Humor is one of the most important aspects of my work. Its a fundamental part of my personality and a major way that I identify with my Irish heritage, particularly dark humor, storytelling, and wise-cracking.

A lot of my work comes from processing very intense, serious, and sometimes dark concepts and emotions. The humourous aspects take the edge off of that, and humanize in a similar way to the folk aesthetic that I talked about earlier. Additionally, I use humor as a way of processing and healing and reorienting myself and others around me in my own life.

I feel like, in large part, Irish culture and stories passed on to me in my own life were done by this pivot between serious storytelling and wise-cracking about that same story to lighten some of the impact of what was being conveyed.

Xavier: Any examples from your life or childhood?

Tom Gormally: It was the way that my whole family behaved as I was growing up. Even when what was being relayed was serious, there was always an element of humor. And then when I went to Ireland during the peace process to participate in the Horsehead International Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition, I found that same culture/attitude/style that I had grown up with!

Xavier: Very cool, family and history is very important to understanding who one is. Could you go into how you work with both found objects and things that you sculpt into personal forms. How do those two seemingly, disparate languages work together in your work?

**

Tom Gormally: Found objects become the focus of or a part of a work when they initiate a story. Sometimes they sit in my studio for months or years before I look at them and think about how theyre connected to the world, and that connection sparks a dialog between story and form that plays out in the scenes that I conceptualize and create!

Often the found object isnt in it its original form, I transform it to fit it with the story that Im telling and then base the aesthetic of the piece off of my visualization of that story.

Xavier: Do you ever feel as though you know already what it is you need and are just waiting for the objects to show up?

Tom Gormally: No, the process is almost always the other way around!

**

**

Xavier: Cool! How can people find your artwork? Do you have a website?

Tom Gormally: Yes my website is TomGormallySculpture.com.

I also post work in progress regularly on Instagram.

**

Go here to read the rest:
Interview With PNW Sculptor Tom Gormally! On Foxes, Crutches and the Apocalypse! Our Ten-Year Anniversary Continues! - seattlepi.com

FLOYD Mayweather is said to have earned over a $1billion in a boxing career that saw him go undefeated in 50 professional fights.

And although he has been forced to deny he's broke because of his lavish spending, should he be hard-up there's always his mega car collection he could sell.

Pretty Boy has amassed his own fleet of dream motors which is said to be worth 20million.

It includes a series of Rolls-Royces worth over a staggering 3million, as well as four Bugatti Veyron supercars that cost 1.7million.

But what's unique about 'Money' Mayweather's cars is that they mostly come in two colours - white or black - and are divided between his two mansions in LA and Las Vegas.

In Los Angeles they're black, and in Las Vegas they're white.

Scanning through 43-year-old Mayweather's Las Vegas collection in his palatial Nevada abode, you'll see some wondrous toys.

The most exceptional being the car collector's favourite, the Bugatti Veyron.

Just like Cristiano Ronaldo, Mayweather is a huge fan of the Italian car maker.

He seemingly owns four - one in white, one in black, and the exceptions to the two-tone rule being in red and silver.

The other vehicles include a Lamborghini Aventador (275,000), as well as a Ferrari 488 worth around 238,000.

There's even a classic Porsche 911, but the Bentley Mulsanne - the most expensive Bentley you can buy with a starting price of 238,700 - takes centre stage.

Occasionally, in true Mayweather style, he'll throw in a wad of notes to show off the interior of his motors in an Instagram post.

And he'll even park them in front of a private jet, just to show off his impressive range.

In LA it's a similar story.

Living in a plush Beverly Hills mansion, Mayweather has a big garage to fill.

And the former light middleweight couldn't wait to show us what he had in his bunker.

Astonishingly, we spotted FIVE Rolls-Royces worth over 2million.

There was a classic Phantom, like in his Vegas pad, costing 355,000, a Phantom Drophead Coupe coming in at 367,000, a Dawn valued at 264,000 and a Wraith costing 364,000.

On top of that, a large Cullinan that would've set him back around 300,000. There was also another Ferrari 488, as well as a Mercedes Maybach (172,000).

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Recent additions to Mayweather's LA fleet are his Mercedes G63 AMG (155,000), and he even has his own branded van.

For Mayweather it's clear.

It's doesn't matter if it's black or white, as long as it's luxurious and expensive, that'll do.

View original post here:
Floyd Mayweathers 20m supercar collection has white vehicles in Las Vegas and same motors in black in LA - The Sun

On Tuesday, when Singapore was at the midpoint in the four-week Covid-19 circuit breaker meant to last until May 4 to stem the spread of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced the extension of the period by another four weeks to June 1.

Existing measures were also further tightened. Entry restrictions to hot spot areas such as popular wet markets were put in place to control crowding. The number of businesses deemed essential services and allowed to operate was cut.

The extension of the measures aims to minimise people movement and prevent mingling in the community. One key reason was that the daily number of unlinked cases - infections that cannot be traced to previous cases - did not decline even after two weeks of the circuit breaker, indicating the continual presence of undetected cases in the community.

Naturally, people are disappointed that the circuit breaker has to be extended. The coronavirus situation has also produced various negative reactions that both leaders and people themselves have to deal with. In this essay, I will share some suggestions on how to handle negative reactions and avoid the pitfalls produced by our human biases.

The tightening of the circuit breaker measures would have dismayed and inconvenienced many, even though support packages for businesses and workers will be extended through next month.

Those isolated at home or in their dormitories will find it increasingly difficult to cope - psychologically and in their daily functioning.

For example, working from home through telecommuting saves commuting time but may also create tension between work and personal or family life when individuals are unable to juggle competing demands now occurring in the same physical location (home) and time period.

Working parents with young children in particular may find it difficult to balance working from home and having to attend to children's needs given that schools and childcare facilities are closed.

It also becomes more challenging if demanding supervisors expect their subordinates to attend online meetings and work outside their normal working hours. Those in positions of power need to be more respectful of the people they lead and not encroach on hours after work.

In addition to having to multitask and deal with competing demands, dealing with a pandemic like Covid-19 is already a stressful experience that can readily generate negative emotions or reactions.

People may experience fear (Will I get infected?), anxiety (Will my business survive the extended circuit breaker?), hopelessness (We will never recover), loneliness (There is no one that I can turn to), confusion (Is it better to wear or not wear a mask when I am jogging outside?), anger (This violation of the safe distancing rule is unacceptable!), feelings of injustice (This differential treatment of the two violations is unfair - it's double standards) or even denial and engage in bargaining behaviours (Can I just not wear the mask for this one time?) or withdrawal behaviours (I don't care any more).

ST ILLUSTRATION: MIEL

For some individuals, boredom, feelings of injustice or self-centred interests will override their sensibility and sense of social responsibility, and they will violate circuit breaker measures (either negligently or knowingly) or even influence others to do likewise.

Negative emotions can easily get magnified. They can create a negative spiral that gets out of control and proportion when we do not recognise that the feelings are driving our attitudes and actions, do nothing to address them or reinforce the feelings by engaging only with others who share the same sentiments.

All of us need to learn now how to deal with negative reactions and mitigate their impact, especially when it is possible that the Covid-19 crisis will get worse.

How then to respond effectively to deal with negative events and manage our negative gut emotions and reactions? I suggest we adopt what I call the 3Rs approach - refrain, reflect and resolve.

Refrain Refrain means to control the impulse to immediately argue, advocate or act in a way that is driven by how we are feeling at the moment.

It worsens the situation when others are also consumed with emotions and not thinking rationally. Never react in a patronising or provocative manner - it will only intensify the experience of our negative emotion. For example, if someone in line is standing too close to you, gently gesture to the person to observe the safe distancing marking on the floor, and do so with a smile.

More generally, when dealing with disagreement, be composed, not confrontational. It helps to be calm and cordial. Ask questions to clarify and ascertain facts.

Treat others with dignity and respect, and they will become more reasonable, and more likely to focus on the positives than magnify the negatives.

Reflect Think through and identify the information or event, and the sources of our stress and strain.

Learn to see things from another's perspective. Reflect on how things have come to this situation where we have to deal with negative events and why we are reacting negatively. This often involves reinterpreting the situation because we tend to first interpret things in a way to fit our beliefs and position.

Rather than see the prolonged circuit breaker period as a nuisance, we can reframe the experience as an opportunity to take control of our diet or learn a new skill. We may want to relook our business model, consider a job switch, rearrange work priorities or revisit career goals.

Make an effort to gather information from multiple sources and try to be objective. Consult others who have expertise, especially those who can be trusted to tell the truth and provide sincere advice. Identify and acknowledge the mistakes we may have made.

Resolve Take concrete actions to reduce damage and stressors, repair relationships and resolve issues. Be humble and seek help when needed.

When there are disagreements, focus on common and complementary interests, even if differences remain.

So, when negotiating work-related arrangements to adjust to the circuit breaker measures, both employers and employees need to aim for win-win outcomes. This often involves being gracious and generous in spirit, without compromising facts, truth and integrity.

When an issue is successfully resolved, learn from the experience and identify relevant features of the solution process to adapt and apply to other situations or future ones.

In a crisis, people must learn to deal with their negative emotions, and leaders too need to manage these public reactions. But how people react is also influenced by their leaders' attitudes and actions.

So, leaders in all sectors and at all levels need to understand how negative reactions emerge and how they relate to the major types of human cognitive biases. They should self-reflect regularly to avoid themselves falling prey to these biases when they make decisions and judgment calls.

I have previously written on various well-established human biases. Let me reiterate three types of biases that we need to guard against in this circuit breaker period.

Overconfidence bias Overconfidence is ubiquitous when humans make judgments and decisions. Most people are also overconfident about the accuracy of their forecasts.

There is a substantial gap between what people think they know and what they actually know.

Research shows that this disconnect between self-belief and reality is larger for people with higher academic achievements, experts in various fields, and those in positions of authority and power.

Confirmatory bias Confirmatory bias is the human tendency to selectively seek out and interpret information in a way that will likely confirm one's preconceived belief or position. We see what we expect to see.

The same decision, event, statement or data can mean something very different to different individuals or groups.

The problem of confirmatory bias gets more severe if the authority structure and dynamics in the policy team encourage groupthink, where members of a highly cohesive group withhold dissenting views to go along with majority opinion. Many misunderstandings and incorrect conclusions could have been avoided if decision makers had asked: "What else could it mean?"

Causal attribution bias When we try to understand or explain why we do well, we tend to attribute our own successes to internal factors such as our own ability, effort, plans, choices or judgments.

But we tend to attribute our failures to external factors - we say bad luck, the task is difficult, the problem is complex, or the situation has changed.

And when we make causal attributions about others, we tend to do the reverse - we see external factors in their successes and internal factors in their failures.

That is why public perceptions often differ significantly from leaders' perceptions. Consider, for example, the spike in Covid-19 cases among foreign workers in the dormitories. Leaders may say this is due to a rapidly evolving situation that is uncertain, complex and volatile.

But the public - especially when they do not have relevant information or understand trade-offs involved - is more likely to attribute the negative outcome to the leaders' problem-solving ability, believing that they were careless or incompetent.

Conversely, leaders may choose to credit a serendipitous or positive outcome to good policy design and execution. But the public is more likely to attribute it to luck, or to take the view that a leader with ample resources should be expected to produce such results.

Since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, Singapore has rightly emphasised that what is at stake are people's lives and livelihood, that people's well-being must be at the centre of what we do in managing the crisis.

We can be realistically confident that we will defeat the coronavirus if we are self-disciplined and socially responsible, and if we find our leaders trustworthy.

Our trust in leaders increases if they are able to solve urgent practical problems, say what they mean and mean what they say, are objective, transparent, fair and accountable when they make judgments and decisions, and understand, empathise with and prioritise the people's needs and concerns.

Also, regardless of who we are, we need to better understand why people react the way they do, and how to deal with negative emotions and experiences. This affects our adaptability and resilience as individuals, families, organisations and a society.

When we understand people's perceptions and reactions, we will all be more psychologically prepared to face the Covid-19 crisis and its great disruptions, both now and in the future.

David Chan is director of the Behavioural Sciences Institute and professor of psychology at the Singapore Management University.

See original here:
A toolkit to deal with negative reactions in the Covid-19 crisis - The Straits Times

By Wayne T. McCabe

President, Sussex County Historical Society

Sam Hills grocery store, located at the corner of Spring Streetand Moran Street in Newton, was the last store on Spring Street to have a structural canopy over the sidewalk. In the mid-19th century, virtually all of the stores along Spring Street had such structures that provided protection to pedestrians from both the sun and rain. Retractable canvas awnings eventually replaced these fixed structures.

Commonly known as the Old Foundry Building, this building was constructed for George Nelden and Samuel Bodine, stove founders, in 1859. When originally constructed, this brick building was two stories in height, with a one-story and a two-story section attached to the rear of the main building. The building was constructed of locally manufactured brick, with the Spring Street front being four window bays wide. The street level front of the business was a simple door in the middle and flanked by two double hung windows.

Edward C. Moore dramatically altered the building with the addition of a third floor on the front section of the complex in 1882. The rear of the expanded building became four stories in the rear on the Moran Street side as the road goes downhill toward Trinity Street. This newer storefront was designed to reflect the style used in the late 1870s to early 1880s, which used large plate glass windows flanking a recessed entryway to the store. Wood panels with ornate moldings were normally installed beneath the large plates of glass for support, about two feet above the level of the sidewalk. In the case of this building, there is a doorway on the right hand side of the storefront that leads to a set of stairs providing access to the second and third floors.

By 1890, the foundry was no longer doing business on the site and a hardware store occupied the first floor of the front building, with the rear sections being used for storage of stock. The second and third floors of the front section were occupied by a printing company.

In 1897, S. Hill Jr. operated a grocery on the first floor of the corner building. A barber and a doctor, along with a residence, were located on the second floor. The barber pole striping was painted on the right side supporting column of the structural awning.

The sign on the second floor wall denotes the offices of Dr. N. Jacobus, who treated chronic diseases. The third floor provided the meeting rooms of the local chapter of the Improved Order of Red Men (I.O.R.M.). Their emblem can be seen between the middle windows on the top floor with the letters T.O.T.E. set on top of an old-fashioned battle axe. The I.O.R.M. is reputedly the oldest patriotic fraternal organization of American origin. Chartered by Congress, the fraternity traces its origins back to 1765 and claims to have been descended from the Revolutionary War era Sons of Liberty. The structure of the organization was patterned after the great Iroquois Confederation and its governing body. The I.O.R.M. still exists today and, in part, focuses its efforts on raising funds to assist Alzheimers research.

By 1912, a two-story and one-story section had been added to the east side of the existing rear portion of the building. These wood-framed additions were scheduled to be abandoned upon the completion of a new garage that was being constructed behind 130-144 Spring Street.

Sometime during the 1920s, the F.W. Woolworth Company took up occupancy of this building and became a very successful business on the street. By 1936, Woolworths had outgrown this space and acquired a one-story building at 141-143 Spring Street from John and Charles Hendershot, and relocated their business. That same year, Sears, Roebuck & Company moved into the corner building.

The store on the right side of the Old Foundry Building was originally constructed in 1863 as a blacksmith and harness makers shop by John and James English. As with several local businesses in town, the English brothers moved further east on Spring Street, thus allowing for the expansion of their growing company.

Here, in 1888, Fred Walker opened an ice cream parlor and confectionery. In 1909, Walker sold the business to his son-in-law Sutton Paddock, who continued the same trade. Three years later, in 1912, Paddock sold the business to William Klingener, who ran the commercial venture for many years.

The accompanying photograph shows the building when it was the home of S.J. Paddocks restaurant and ice cream parlor. A teen-aged girl, in her Sunday finery, is seen standing in the front doorway of the restaurant. The sign on the far right, partially hidden by a tree, advertises the sale of root beer, ginger ale, sarsaparilla, and birch beer bottled by A.B. Brickner in Newton. The a-frame advertising sign, placed in the street, notes that the restaurants address was 129 Spring Street. Apartments were located on the upper two floors.

Today, the Beehive Thrift Shop, operated by the Auxiliary of Newton Medical Center, occupies the first floor of the Old Foundry Building, while Sensible Addictions is the first floor tenant in the old Paddock building.

The ornate picket fence seen in the bottom right corner of the photograph was in front of a three-story wood-framed dwelling next to Paddocks establishment.

The three-story brick building on the left side of the image is located on the west side of the intersection and was known as the McCarter Building, constructed in 1864. Howells hardware and paint store was located on the first floor there for many years. In 1903, there was a harness shop on the second floor, and the Young Womans Christian Association was located on the top floor. In the middle of the last century, the Town of Newton had its municipal offices and the police department on the second floor. Today, the entire building is the home of McGovern and Roseman, P.A., a law firm specializing in general civil practice, litigation, land use, and criminal law cases. The firm acquired the structure in 1970 and, following renovation work, occupied the building in 1972.

Sussex County Historical Society President Wayne T. McCabe may be contacted at sussexhistorian@juno.com

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Hills Grocery and Paddocks Ice Cream Parlor in Newton - New Jersey Herald