First, Sidney Carter was laid off from his job as a dishwasher, when the restaurant where he was working lost business as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last month, Carter lost his apartment, after his savings ran out and the states eviction moratorium expired. Since then, he has been living in a tent in Touhy Park, 7348 N. Paulina St., joining a dozen or so homeless men and women who began camping out in the six-acre park in July.

I just came here one day and I saw the tents, and I just started hanging out here, said Carter, 49. Its safer out here than riding the train all night. You do what you have to to survive.

A tent and a sleeping bag donated by neighbors calling themselves the Rogers Park Solidarity Network keeps Carter warm, even as temperatures at night approach freezing. The Night Ministry bus delivers meals and medical care once a week. A Just Harvest and Rogers Park Food Not Bombs also donate food to the homeless.

There have long been homeless jungles in Margate Park, in Uptown, and at Roosevelt Road and Des Plaines Street, alongside the Dan Ryan Expressway. This year, though, tents have been appearing in neighborhood parks, as a result of the economic distress caused by COVID. Homelessness was already on the rise in 2020, and the pandemic has only made the homelessness crisis worse, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge declared earlier this year.

Its hard not to see it as an effect, said 49th Ward Ald. Maria Hadden. Go up Lake Shore Drive. You see more people camping out. Were definitely seeing more people unsheltered during the pandemic. Some of them may previously have been able to crash with a friend, but thats no longer considered safe because of COVID.

Elsewhere in Haddens ward, homeless people are sleeping under the viaduct at the Howard Street L station.

Over the weekend, Hadden held a public meeting outside the Touhy Park Fieldhouse to announce a plan to find permanent housing for the campers. On Thursday, officials from the Department of Family and Support Services will drive the homeless to the Broadway Armory, where theyll be able to sign up for one of 20 available units. Hadden is calling it an Accelerated Housing Event, or Rapid Rehousing. Those who apply should have permanent homes within two weeks to a month. Funds from the federal CARES Act have enabled the city to speed up the process, which previously took as many as 200 days.

Theyre going to take us downtown to get state IDs, said Jerome Smith, a 70-year-old ex-Marine who has been sleeping in the park since the summer. I had one, but Im homeless. I been on the L. They stole my wallet.

Life in the encampment has been pretty good, Smith said. They give us sleeping bags, blankets, food, snack packs. Still, Smith is longing to sleep indoors.

All I want is a one-bedroom or a studio, he said. I got all my stuff in storage by the Red Line. Im gonna have my own little place. Im an interior decorator. I got everything. Get me in. Break that tent down.

Smith said campers use restrooms at Walgreens and Jewels, but during the meeting, Hadden heard from residents who complained that the homeless have been urinating and defecating in alleys. Since the park fieldhouse is usually closed, the alderman is working with the park district to install a portable toilet.

Drinking and drug use are also problems in the encampment. Men sit by the fence at the north end of the park, sipping from Miller High Life tallboys. On Oct. 17, Carter watched as paramedics pulled the body of an overdose victim from a tent an incident confirmed by the alderwomans office.

Some are dope fiends, some are addicts, Carter said. Ive seen a guy OD. Just a bad shot of heroin.

The Rapid Rehousing event does not necessarily mean the end of Touhy Park encampment, Hadden said. Some campers may refuse housing, either because its in a part of town where they dont want to live, or for personal reasons. If they do, the city has a policy of not forcing the homeless out of parks.

It still doesnt mean people might not live in Touhy Park, the alderwoman said.

Carter wont be one of them; he plans to be at the Broadway Armory on Thursday, to sign up for housing.

Im just passing through, he said. Im not going to be in the park when the weather really hits hard. Im hoping I can get some kind of housing the same day, and then go back to work.

See the original post here:
A Rapid Rehousing Event Looks To Help the City's Homeless - Chicagomag.com

The digitization of the art world is in full swing, given a hefty push by the Covid-19 pandemic. Arts professionals accustomed to dealing with traditional mediums, such as painting, struggle to make their material intelligible to digital natives. While digital content should ideally serve as a teaching tool that leads viewers back to the original artwork, the two modes of communication are not always compatible. The dazzle of the newer media can overwhelm the smaller, quieter art of earlier times, as is the case with the two immersive Van Gogh experiences now on view in New York. Such presentations function as autonomous entertainments, effectively superseding their sources.

Google Arts & Culture recently launched an online hub, Klimt vs. Klimt: The Man of Contradictions, devoted to the Austrian Art-Nouveau master Gustav Klimt (1862-1918). It is chock-a-block with features that will be familiar to anyone who spent time in lockdown browsing art-related websites: videos, of course; digital slide shows with seductive zoom features; a virtual Klimt exhibition that could never be duplicated in real life, both because of the cost and because some of the paintings no longer exist. As one would expect from Google, the Klimt site is technologically impressive and easy to navigate. High-resolution images were solicited from the worlds foremost Klimt collections, including those at the Belvedere, Albertina, Leopold Museum and Wien Museum in Vienna and the Neue Galerie in New York. The project was overseen by Franz Smola, curator of 19th- and 20th-century art at the Belvedere. The stories that accompany the artworks were for the most part scripted by the Belvedere, or by the institution responsible for the visuals.

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Klimt vs. Klimt: The Man of Contradictions Review: Exploring an Art-Nouveau Master Online - The Wall Street Journal

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For Shelby Cooper, the day marked her last after 18 years in the cake decorating department. She came in as a cake decorator having known the job from a previous position at SuperValu. She recalls her first training prior to coming to Mason Brothers was one hour long. She picked up a thing or two since then and exits as the cake decorator supervisor.

Shelby Cooper readies another cake for delivery in the cake decorating room at Mason Brothers, Wednesday, June 30, 2021. It was her last day on the job. She's moving on to the next big journey of operating Over the Rainbow Floral in Wadena.Michael Johnson/Pioneer Journal

She left Wednesday still cranking out cakes with ease and finesse. A recent busy day had her decorating 110 cakes with care. She's likely completed hundreds of thousands over her career. And she not only can still look at the cakes, she said she still likes the frosting. That says a lot as there's about 700 pounds of the sweet stuff passing through the decorator work stations each day.

Cooper, a Wadena resident, saw the change from a small decorating room to a large expansion with room for a whole team of cake decorators. She's even gone outside those four walls and helped set up food shows and food sets at stores. While they used to be able to come in at 5 a.m. to complete orders, it's now more like 2-3 a.m. to make the truck delivery times.

"My role has changed a lot in these 18 years," Cooper said.

While it might be easy to give up the 2 a.m. schedule starts, leaving behind her family of coworkers was a tough change for Cooper.

"They are a great family," Cooper said. "It's an amazing company to work for. It's like a big family. I mean you've got people who have worked here for 60 years."

Cooper is not near retirement yet. Her leaving Mason Brothers is only to allow her take over her new position as owner/operator of Over the Rainbow Floral in Wadena. In fact, she transitioned from Mason Brothers on Wednesday, straight into the floral business on Thursday. She said she's excited about the opportunities to grow in that business alongside her daughter, who plans to help.

Also leaving on Wednesday was Karlene Snyder, who's been in cost accounting for nine years at Mason Brothers. She's been in accounting most of her life, some 50 years and said it just seemed like the right time to retire. She added that she's enjoyed the family of people she's been able to work with while there.

Karlene Snyder, cost accountant for Mason Brothers, works her final day on the job, Wednesday, June 30, 2021.

Her future plans involve a move to Little Falls to be closer to her grandchildren. She also hopes to travel, see more of her family and just relax.

Another staff member who has left her position but has remained on until her replacement can be found is graphic designer Jessi Hubbard. Hubbard has been the brains behind many of the signs that show off the Mason Brothers products throughout their assortment of locations in the Midwest. She's also been with Mason Brothers for nine years, leaving on the same date she was hired, May 21.

Hubbard is not yet reaching retirement, rather she is reaching a point where her own business, TJ Designs, is growing to the point where she needs to start putting more energy into it. In that business based in Miltona, Hubbard and her husband Terrance create custom items of all kinds (from bean hole boards to interior signage) using a laser engraver and printer that shows off her amazing graphic design skills.

Graphic designer Jessi Hubbard cuts out a banner for Abby's Bakery on Wednesday, June 30, 2021, at Mason Brothers.Michael Johnson/Pioneer Journal

With three people in the graphics department, and no replacement yet found, Hubbard continues to do contract work for Mason Brothers then head home and continue her entrepreneurial endeavors. She cares about the work so much she doesn't want them to be without the quality work they need.

"There's a lot of potential and I haven't had a ton of time to dedicate to it," Hubbard said. She looks forward to that home business being her main focus in the near future.

While the three ladies all work on opposite sides of the Mason Brothers complex in Wadena, all shared a common feeling of genuine love and pride in the work that they have done for the company. They also all recognized that they were one big family in the end, looking to each other for help at times and looking to leave the company better than they found it.

Link:
Mason Brothers trio leave their mark on the business - Wadena Pioneer Journal

For House Beautifuls 125th anniversary this year, we're digging into some of our favorite spaces from our archiveincluding, so far, decorator Sister Parishs New York Apartment and the West Hollywood home and studio of designer extraordinaire Tony Duquette, dubbed "the house of a magician." Here, we revisit a piece about the Clinton-era White House, from 1994, which was first published in our March issue that year.

27 years ago, then-First Lady Hillary Clinton gave House Beautiful an exclusive look at the newly redecorated White House, just over a year after her husband, then-President Bill Clinton, took office. To further explore this historic undertaking, we spoke to Matthew Costello, PhDthe Senior Historian of the White House Historical Association and the Vice President of the David M. Rubenstein National Center for White House Historywho provided some background information about the redecoration of the Peoples House during the Clinton administration.

In addition to working with Little Rock, Arkansas-based interior designer Kaki Hockersmith on the redecoration of what is arguably the most famous historic house in all of the United States, Hillary Clinton also collaborated with Richard Nylander,who was the Chief Curator and Director of Collections for the Preservation of New England Antiquities in Boston, Massachusetts. Nylander helped to oversee the project as a member of the Committee for the Preservation of the White House," explains Costello.

Of course, the Clintons knew that changing the decor of the Peoples House from administration to administration has gotten more and more difficult and more and more expensive, as Hillary Clinton told House Beautiful in 1994. We have to try to find a style to stand the test of time. Mrs. Reagan and Mrs. Kennedys renovations were built on by us, not discarded, the First Lady continued. Thats the way the house should be treated and dealt with from year to yearchanged but in a way that reflects the continuity. Its not necessary to be historically accurateits more the creation of a mood, an atmosphere.

To see the Clinton-era White House for yourselfand to read more of Hillary Clintons insight about this remarkable venturetake a trip back to 1994 through our latest archive dive.

Read the original story below:

When the Clintons were ready to show their refurbished private quarters to the public, they invited House Beautiful to take the pictures and tell the story

By Marian Burros

Photography by Oberto Gili

Produced by Margaret Kennedy

The initial photographic glimpse Americas armchair decorators had of the first familys refurbished White House led them to describe the Clintons as fanciers of Victorian style at its most Baroqueintensely vibrant colors, swags and festoons, tassels and gilding.

But a personal peek at the Clintons private quarters provides a different view, one far more reflective of the people who live thereunpretentious and comfortable. Theres hardly a tassel in sight.

We wanted to create an atmosphere that was warm and welcoming and suited to how a particular family lives and spends its time, said Hillary Rodham Clinton in an exclusive interview for House Beautiful. The challenge and the obligation is to sustain the historic significance and integrity of the house because it is a living museum, so you start with some givens.

The White House was not always treated as a living museum. Until the beginning of the 20th century, first families had generally redecorated in whatever style was currently fashionable. The simple furniture of the early 19th century was later replaced by curlicues, elaborate frescoes, Turkish curtains, even fringe hanging from one of the fireplaces. In 1882 an enormous screen of Tiffany glass was installed in the Cross Hall on the first floor. At one time, Mrs. Clinton pointed out, part of the long center hall on the second floor was used like a conservatory with rattan furniture, swings and big plants.

Efforts to give a period look to the house, which was first occupied by John and Abigail Adams in 1800, began in the early 1900s, but reproduction furniture was used. It wasnt until Jacqueline Kennedy lived there that museum-quality pieces became the focal point of the public rooms. It was then that the White House Historical Association was formed, along with a Curators Office and Residence Staff. Some of the furniture and fine arts used in Mrs. Kennedys redecoration had been moldering for years in storage; much else had been sold off because it was considered outmoded.

The Clintons, both history buffs, are anxious to carry on tradition. We need to have either a timeless or a historical sense of the White House, Mrs. Clinton said, because changing it from administration to administration has gotten more and more difficult and more and more expensive. We have to try to find a style to stand the test of time. Mrs. Reagan and Mrs. Kennedys renovations were built on by us, not discarded. Thats the way the house should be treated and dealt with from year to yearchanged but in a way that reflects the continuity. Its not necessary to be historically accurateits more the creation of a mood, an atmosphere.

What is historically appropriate for the public and quasi-private rooms that the Clintons have redonethe Oval Office, the Treaty Room and the Lincoln Sitting Room off the Lincoln Bedroomis not necessarily what the family wants to live with in the part of the mansion that is called the private quarters. In fact there is a striking difference between the decorating schemes of the two areas.

Referring to the intensity of the colors and the richness of pattern in the Lincoln Sitting Room and the Treaty Room, which the President uses as an office on the second floor, Mrs. Clinton said, We like color but we dont always like to have as much vibrancy. We like colors that are strong pastels.

Fortunately those are some of the colors Nancy Reagan used when she redecorated the private quarters on the second and third floors, because Mrs. Clinton was determined to keep whatever was salvageable from past schemes. For example, the curtains in the West Sitting Hall were retained, but the carpet in the East and West Sitting Halls and the Center Sitting Hall was worn though usable. It was moved to the third floor, where it brightens a smaller space that had been covered in an even more worn carpet of drab brown.

There was one exception to the make-do rule: the hand-painted wallpaper in the master bedroom that was covered with little birds. President Clinton told Kaki Hockersmith, the Little Rock decorator who is responsible for the White House refurbishing, to get rid of the birds. They reminded him of an Alfred Hitchcock movie.

While the Treaty Room, the Lincoln Sitting Room and the Oval Office are done in deep reds and golds with blues or greens, the private quarters are pastel tones of yellow, peach, pink, green and blue. The color scheme of the redecorated West Sitting Hall takes its cue from the old yellow draperies that frame the double-arched window. This is where the Clintons frequently gather and entertain guests, and it contains many of the familys personal mementos.

In Arkansas the kitchen in the Governors Mansion was the gathering place for family and friends. In Washington the small pantry, once Margaret Trumans bedroom, has been turned into an eat-in kitchen.

We love the second floor of the White House, Mrs. Clinton said. We are left totally alone. We dont have the Secret Service people following us and we can tell the staff we will take care of ourselves, so its like being in your own house when you are up there. I wanted a kitchen because I knew we needed a private place to have our meals. Even though the dining room is lovely, its a big formal space. We use the kitchen for breakfast every day and for lots of dinners when we are not entertaining. We heat up lots of leftovers. My husband might come home from a golf game and I throw something together for him. And Chelsea eats there every night.

The private quarters have florals, chintzes, linens and silks that create what Hockersmith calls an English country feeling. Chelsea, her mother said, wanted a much less fancy room, so we took down the crystal chandeliers and put up brass things to tone it down and make it more of a teenagers room.

In addition to having a strong opinion about the master bedroom wallpaper, the President was involved in the plans for the Oval Office and for the Treaty Room. Its very important that each president make his own space, and make a statement that reflects his personality, said Hockersmith, who had many conversations with the President about his preferences. The President wanted a lot more energy, something patriotic.

The Presidents two offices reflect the youth and vigor of his administration: strong colors and dark, rich words that are in sharp contrast to the subdued feeling that his predecessor preferred. In the Oval Office, pale blue and cream have been replaced by Prussian blue, crimson and gold. There are a number of John F. Kennedy photos and mementos as well as a Benjamin Franklin bust by Houdon and a bronze by Frederic Remington. Mrs. Clinton said the President was particularly anxious to have the famous Childe Hassam The Avenue in the Rain, with its many American flags, in the Oval Office.

The President was equally engaged by the plans for the Treaty Room, which was the Cabinet Room in the last half of the 19th century. The pale green walls are now red; the chintz draperies have been replaced by a deep red linen patterned with trompe loeil swags and tassels.

My husband wanted an office in the residence, Mrs. Clinton said, and a library for his books. Just after the election the Clintons were in the kitchen of the Governors Mansion and Mrs. Clinton was talking to Kaki Hockersmith about the redecoration. I actually got my husbands attention for fifteen minutes to talk about what he wanted, she said and laughed. His answer: a masculine, comfortable, historical room.

To find the appropriate period pieces for the White House was a matter of rooting around in the basement and traveling out to the storage facilities in a nearby Maryland suburb. Mrs. Clinton said she poked around in the basement, but her decorator spent a lot of time out in Maryland. Thats what I love about the White House, Mrs. Clinton said. There are all these things that go back in time.

Furniture, fine arts, lamps, even chandeliers were moved from other rooms and, according to Kaki Hockersmith, Mrs. Clinton did some of the rearranging herself. She loves to move furniture, Hockersmith said. The First Lady also enjoyed filling the shelves in second-floor Center Hall bookcases with interesting historic pieces that came out of storage: the only likeness on display in the White House of President Buchanan; a bronze sculpture of Calvin Coolidges chow, Tiny Tim; a gilt bronze mantel clock with a figure of George Washington. Mrs. Clinton is also planning to bring part of the White Houses new collection of crafts pieces up here. The Clintons brought most of their furniture with them and some of it appears in the third-floor Central Hall, which functions like a double drawing room.

The Lincoln Sitting Room, one of Richard Nixons favorite places, was redone in high Victorian style to make it a more fitting companion to the Lincoln Bedroom, which contains a suit of furniture bought by Mary Todd Lincoln. The small room is filled with sunlight that is filtered through silk curtains, giving the room a magical golden glow.

We took a lot of wonderful pieces out of storage and put them back into play again, said Hockersmith. The Clintons love history and wanted to make a comfortable sitting room that relates to the Lincoln bedroom.

The Sitting Room draperies were donated by Hockersmith, who had used them in a decorator showhouse in Arkansas earlier in the year. The room is filled with objects and paintings from the period: several Lincoln prints, two of Grant, an 1864 print of Lincolns New Years reception at the White House, a program from the Lincoln inaugural ball.

People weve entertained have been so excited to see what could, within reason, be called a historically correct room, Mrs. Clinton said, and if you have an invitation to a Lincoln party on the wall that just makes peoples eyes bug out.

Mrs. Clinton said that other rooms will be refurbished as they need it. And she continues to search for items that are historically appropriate. She would like, for example, to see more maps in the Map Room on the ground floor where she and the President conduct many of their interviews. This is the presidents house, she said, and we have an obligation to care for it and make sure it reflects well, not just on this president but on this presidency and the country.

The cost of the refurbishing was $396,429.46, and it came entirely from private donations to the White House Historical Association. The $50,0000 appropriated by Congress was returned to the Treasury.

Both the President and Mrs. Clinton have read extensively on the White House but she said her husbands level of awareness and historical sense are much deeper than hers. He has educated himself about this house and the objects of this house. He gives a great tour and never gets tired of it, a fact confirmed by several people who have been escorted after one of the Clintons small dinners.

He just adores the whole sense of what this house is and represents, so for him its a labor of love.

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Inside the Clinton White House, Designed by Kaki Hockersmith - HouseBeautiful.com

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TikTok in tears as a mom goes viral for making people feel "seen and valid" at Pride. Posted by her daughter, Amber Taylor (@hey_atay), this emotional footage has now been viewed over 3.5M times. the comment section has been flooded with over 12K heartfelt responses. In the video, Amber's mom holds a sign that reads, "If your parents aren't accepting of your identity, I'm your Mom now... ...Drink some water. Wear your seatbelt. Make sure you eat. I love you!". And judging by the reactions to Mom's sign, it's clear this is a message many people needed to receive. After reading her sign, complete strangers pull Amber's mom in for a tight embrace, often with eyes full of tears. TikTokers, deeply moved by Amber's video, jumped in the comments to praise her loving mom. "There is so much emotion behind each one of those hugs. They needed that hug. So happy youre doing this," one user wrote. If there's one thing our world needs more of, it's love, kindness, and acceptance!. We should all be thankful for people like Amber and her mom working hard to spread love to their fellow human

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Mom is 'saving lives' by normalizing less-than-perfect reality - Yahoo Lifestyle

In this July 1, 2013, file photo, protesters raise Hong Kong colonial flags during a march in a downtown street at an annual pro-democracy protest in Hong Kong. A national security law enacted in 2020 and COVID-19 restrictions have stifled major protests in Hong Kong including an annual march on July 1. (AP/Vincent Yu)In this July 1, 2011, file photo, a protester shouts slogans as thousands of people march in Hong Kongs downtown street. A national security law enacted in 2020 and COVID-19 restrictions have stifled major protests in Hong Kong including an annual march on July 1. (AP/Vincent Yu)In this July 1, 2018, file photo, thousands of protesters march along a downtown street during an annual pro-democracy protest in Hong Kong. A national security law enacted in 2020 and COVID-19 restrictions have stifled major protests in Hong Kong including an annual march on July 1. (AP/Vincent Yu)In this July 1, 2018, file photo, a poster of Chinese President Xi Jinping with his eyes blocked by words Not my president is seen as thousands of protesters march along a downtown street during an annual pro-democracy protest in Hong Kong. A national security law enacted in 2020 and COVID-19 restrictions have stifled major protests in Hong Kong including an annual march on July 1. (AP/Vincent Yu)In this July 1, 2019, file photo, protesters flood the streets as they take part in a annual rally in Hong Kong. A national security law enacted in 2020 and COVID-19 restrictions have stifled major protests in Hong Kong including an annual march on July 1. (AP/Kin Cheung)In this July 1, 2020, file photo, police display a public announcement banner showing the warning to protesters in Causeway Bay before the annual handover march in Hong Kong. A national security law enacted in 2020 and COVID-19 restrictions have stifled major protests in Hong Kong including an annual march on July 1. (AP/Vincent Yu)In this July 1, 2019, file photo, a protester holds placards during a rally on the 22nd anniversary of the former British colonys return to China. A national security law enacted in 2020 and COVID-19 restrictions have stifled major protests in Hong Kong including an annual march on July 1. Placards read: Carrie Lam step down, revoke evil law, investigate police. (AP/Kin Cheung)In this July 1, 2019, file photo, a protester breaks a glass wall as they try to enter the Legislative Council in Hong Kong. A national security law enacted in 2020 and COVID-19 restrictions have stifled major protests in Hong Kong including an annual march on July 1. (AP/Kin Cheung)In this July. 1, 2020, file photo, protesters against the new national security law march and gesture with five fingers, signifying the Five demands not one less on the anniversary of Hong Kongs handover to China from Britain in Hong Kong, A national security law enacted in 2020 and COVID-19 restrictions have stifled major protests in Hong Kong including an annual march on July 1. (AP/Vincent Yu)In this July. 1, 2020, file photo, Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, right, stands next to democratic lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting, during a fund-raising event before the annual July 1 handover march in Hong Kong. A national security law enacted in 2020 and COVID-19 restrictions have stifled major protests in Hong Kong including an annual march on July 1. (AP/Vincent Yu)In this July 1, 2020, file photo, pro-democracy lawmaker Andrew Wan, center, is detained by police officers after being sprayed with pepper spray during the annual handover march in Hong Kong, A national security law enacted in 2020 and COVID-19 restrictions have stifled major protests in Hong Kong including an annual march on July 1. (AP/Vincent Yu)In this July. 1, 2020, file photo, police officers detain protesters during the annual handover march in Hong Kong, A national security law enacted in 2020 and COVID-19 restrictions have stifled major protests in Hong Kong including an annual march on July 1. (AP/Vincent Yu)In this July 1, 2020, file photo, police officers detain protesters against the new security law during a march marking the anniversary of the Hong Kong handover from Britain to China in Hong Kong. (AP/Vincent Yu)In this July. 1, 2020, file photo, a reporter falls after being sprayed with pepper spray by police during a protest in Causeway Bay during the annual handover march in Hong Kong. A national security law enacted in 2020 and COVID-19 restrictions have stifled major protests in Hong Kong including an annual march on July 1. (AP/Vincent Yu)In this Dec. 12, 2020, file photo, Jimmy Lai who founded the Apple Daily, is escorted by Correctional Services officers to get on a prison van before appearing in a court in Hong Kong. A national security law enacted in 2020 and COVID-19 restrictions have stifled major protests in Hong Kong including an annual march on July 1. (AP/Kin Cheung)In this March 4, 2021, file photo, Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong, one of the 47 pro-democracy activists is escorted by Correctional Services officers to a prison van in Hong Kong, A national security law enacted in 2020 and COVID-19 restrictions have stifled major protests in Hong Kong including an annual march on July 1. (AP/Kin Cheung)In this May 28, 2021, file photo, pro-democracy activists Leung Kwok-hung, known as Long Hair, left, and Lee Cheuk-yan raise their hands as they are escorted by Correctional Services officers to a prison van for a court in Hong Kong. A national security law enacted in 2020 and COVID-19 restrictions have stifled major protests in Hong Kong including an annual march on July 1. (AP/Kin Cheung)In this March 2, 2021, file photo, some of the 47 democracy activists are escorted by Correctional Services officers in Hong Kong. A national security law enacted in 2020 and COVID-19 restrictions have stifled major protests in Hong Kong including an annual march on July 1. (AP/Kin Cheung)In this July 1, 2019, file photo, protesters flood the streets as they take part in a annual rally in Hong Kong. A national security law enacted in 2020 and COVID-19 restrictions have stifled major protests in Hong Kong including an annual march on July 1. (AP/Kin Cheung)In this July 1, 2003, file photo, tens of thousands of people pack a Hong Kong street while marching to Hong Kong government headquarters to protest the Hong Kong governments plans to enact an anti-subversion bill that critics fear will curtail civil liberties. A national security law enacted in 2020 and COVID-19 restrictions have stifled major protests in Hong Kong including an annual march on July 1. (AP/Vincent Yu)

HONG KONG In 2003, public opposition to a proposed national security law for Hong Kong swelled an annual protest held on July 1 to hundreds of thousands of marchers.

A few months later, the Hong Kong government dropped the legislation, and the idea remained largely dormant for more than 15 years. Then last year, the central government in Beijing unveiled a surprise: a national security law it had drafted and quickly imposed on the semi-autonomous city. It took effect on the eve of July 1.

Since then, Hong Kong authorities have used the law and COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings to stifle major protests. The organizer of the annual march said it wouldnt try to hold one this year; three smaller groups have applied for police permission to do so, but it seems unlikely that will be granted.

July 1 is a glorious day in the eyes of Chinas long-ruling Communist Party, marking the date that Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997. Protests on that day have varied in size over the years, as public grievances against the government waxed and waned.

The 2019 protest was a large one. Hundreds of thousands of people marched against a proposal that would have allowed the extradition of criminal suspects to mainland China for trial. That same day, a group of hard-line protesters broke into and vandalized the legislature.

Thousands took to the streets last year, despite police having refused permission for a march and the security law having taken effect just hours earlier. Some set fires and ripped paving stones from sidewalks and scattered them in the streets. Police arrested hundreds, including the first 10 under the new security law.

Image courtesy of AP/Kin Cheung

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PHOTOS: The rise and fall of Hong Kong's July 1 protests | The Associated Press - Business Mirror

The most searched for celebritiesfrom across mid Essex havebeen revealed in an interactive map.

The map links place names with their most searched-for public figure on Wikipedia.

It includes a wide-reaching spectrum of celebrities, and counts 18th-century poets and wrestling champions among its pinpoints.

The link between the location and the celebrity ranges from their place of birth, their current home or a connection.

Produced by The Pudding, an online publication which debates culture in visual essays, the map covers villages, towns and cities across the UK.

And replacing Braintree on the map is The Prodigy.

The band hail for Braintree and was formed in1990 by keyboardist and songwriter Liam Howlett.

Lead singerKeith Flint sadly died two years ago.

Witham has been replaced on the map by singer Olly Murs.

The number one hitmaker, 37, was runner-up in the 2009 series of X Factor.

He has since gone on to have a successful recording career.

Witham was replaced by Olly Murs. Picture: PA

Halstead takes the name of Matt Cardle.

Cardle, 38, who won X Factor back in 2010 grew up in the town.

Bocking, meanwhile, has been renamedAugustine Courtauld after theyachtsmanand BritishArctic explorer who was born there in 1904.

Black Notley is replaced with John Ray theEnglish naturalist born in the village in the 17th century.

Coggeshall is given the nameDavid Nightingale Hicks after theinterior decorator and designer born in the town.

Matt Cardle features on the map

Kelvedon is renamedCharles Spurgeon after the 19th centuryParticular Baptistpreacher.

Earls Colne is replaces withHugh de Vere, 4th Earl of Oxford, and Sible Hedingham withEdward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford.

Not surprisingly, the Queen is the most searched for person connected to London's upmarket Mayfair district, while Margaret Thatcher has the honour in Grantham, Lincolnshire, which was her birthplace.

Ed Sheeran is the most searched for person in Halifax, while its Winston Churchill with Aberdeen and Bristol.

The Bee Gees have the most searches for Manchester, whileThe Beatles are tops for Liverpool.

The Pudding map states: Person/city associations were based on the thousands of People by city or town pages on Wikipedia.

The top person from each city was determined by using median pageviews (with a minimum of 1 year of traffic).

We chose to include multiple occurrences for a single person because there is both no way to determine which is more accurate and people can 'be from'multiple places."

The People Map of the UK website is based on data collected and processed using Wikipedia from July 2015 to May 2020.

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Wikipedia map reveals most searched for celebrity in Braintree | Braintree and Witham Times - Braintree and Witham Times

Pre-pandemic, it would be hard to imagine spending as much time as we do now in our homes. Our maxed-out spaces must function as offices, remote schools, gyms and all-day cafes (not always the chic kind). If these walls could talk, they would tell tales of togetherness but also boredom, frustration, and burn-out.

In the early 20th century, Swiss theorist and psychiatrist Carl Jung proposed that the home is powerfully symbolicand psychologically significant. Far more than shelter from the outside, our homes are a reflection of ourselves, our identity, he argued. How we construct this space is, therefore, closely connected to our inner narrative and mental state of mind. A large body of modern research supports this idea, laying the foundation for environmental psychology, or the study of how the built environment influences our mood and behaviors. Surprisingly, everything from how you arrange your sofa to how much sunlight filters through your rooms can have an impact on your emotional and physical health, whether youre aware of it or not.

Our homes can be incredibly important tools for shaping our daily experiences, says Lindsay T. Graham, PhD, a research specialist at the Center for the Built Environment at the University of California at Berkeley, CA. How theyre organized, decorated and furnished can be curated to evoke a varied palette of feelings, and she adds, serve as a form of emotional regulation. Greenwich, CT-based interior decorator Kate Gelfand has studied the healing potential of public and private spaces and finds that our interior worlds can truly aid recovery and healing, and work to support wellness and personal growth. Consider it decorating therapy for the 21st century. Here, seven research-backed solutions to boost your health and happiness and turn your home into a restorative sanctuary for youand those you share the couch (and laundry duty) with.

First, honestly assess what you like and dont like about your space. Make a specific, actionable plan to tackle the problem areas, which can save your sanity. In a well-known study, researchers at the University of California-Los Angeles asked working families to film self-guided tours of their homes. Participants who dwelled on things that needed fixingsuch as unfinished projects, repairs or chaotic areashad weaker recovery of cortisol, the bodys stress hormone, at the end of the day compared to those who described their homes as restful and relaxing. Interestingly, this finding did not apply to the men in the study, only the women who historically have been socialized to be feel more responsible for the upkeep of the home, even in a partnered relationship, says Darby Saxbe, PhD, the studys lead author and director of Dornsife Center for the Changing Family at the University of Southern California. When the housework and improvements pile up, Saxbe explains, your domicile represents a source of demands, rather than a haven from the outside world. If you need to hire a pro for tricky projects, do it: Its money well-spent if it eliminates mental stress.

Mess can really, well, mess with your psyche. Why? Seeing piles of stuff everywhere overstimulates your brain, making it work harder and draining your resources, says Saxbe. Clutter is a nagging visual cue of all the things you have to do, which taxes your stress response system. To control the jumble, deal with items quickly in the momenthang up coats, keep or chuck school papers, put laundry in drawersrather than let things accumulate until the end of the day (or week, month). Theres also nothing wrong with visually hiding clutter that cant be totally eliminated, says Saxbe. Store work papers in a stylish filing cabinet or use a chic, paneled screen to conceal an office nook so youre not thinking about stacks of expenses during dinner or before bed.

Color therapy (or chromotherapy) has long been practiced as a form of holistic healing, focused on how the spectrum of light and color affect mood and physical health. Granted, its not an exact science since perceptions of color are often influenced by past experiences and cultural references. But, in general, reds and oranges have the longest wavelength, which requires the eye to adjust and stimulates the body. Blues and greens, on the other hand, require very little adjustment, and are considered more restful (blue, in particular, has been shown to lower blood pressure). You can level out the energy in your house accordingly, but keep in mind that everyone finds different tones soothing, says Graham, who points out that comforting spaces are often reconstructions of our past. You might unconsciously be drawn to colors that remind you of well-loved placessuch as the pastels tones in your best friends bedspread. Pay attention and work these details into your space for subtle inspiration.

Its remarkable how we can live in shared quarters with others but not actually talk or connect that much. Maybe everyone is sick of each other (enough family time!) but the layout of your space can also steer people together or apart. Researchers point out how chairs on the porch facilitate emotional expression (otherwise known as chit-chat) and inside, modular furniture that can be rearrangedinto an L-shape or tte-a-tte configuration, where two people face each other with their own backrestsinvite conversation, says Gelfand, who recommends interchangeable sectional sofas by Living Divani. Or consider Yogibos body-confirming chair, which makes it easy to plop down and catch-up, wherever people feel like gathering in the house.

Adjustable lighting is essential to a happy home, says Gelfand. Basking in the natural rays is great, but you can overdo itresearch shows that rooms with too much sunlight are actually stressful for office workers (who are now likely WFH). Instead, opt for solar shades or airy linen curtainsstylish, modern options let in light but reduce glareand floor lamps with arms that can be articulated to swivel 360-degrees and dimmed to reflect your lighting preferences. The bulb matters, toobut not just the wattage, says Sarah Barnard, a Santa Monica, CA-based, WELL and LEED accredited designer who specializes in environments that support wellbeing. Look at the kelvins, which are printed on the box and measure the color temperature on a scale from 1,000 to 10,000, she says. A bulb with 2,700 kelvins will create a cozy, inviting ambiance (great for the kitchen, living and bedrooms) while 5,000 kelvins mimics crisp daylight (and is best for task lamps, for example).

Hardwood floors might appeal to your minimalist aesthetic, but science favors plusher surfaces. In a small study, researchers in Japan measured brain waves of subjects and found that those who walked on carpet versus wood experienced more restful alpha waves, indicating that carpeting might alleviate stress. Another reason to go cushy underfoot: Carpets absorb noise, which can buffer the acoustics of any interior. In a soon-to-be-published study, Graham found that in an open-office setting, people who identify as extroverts are more stimulated and distracted by noiseto the point of it being detrimental to productivitycompared to introverts who are bothered by noise but can tune it out, she says. You dont need to go wall-to-wall at home, but Gelfand finds people often dont think big enough. Most of your floor should be covered by the carpet, your furniture should be fully on it, and in a bedroom, it should extend up to your bedside tables so your feet hit a soft surface when you get up. As for textures, Gelfand prefers natural wool or a mix of jute and chenille for maximum comfort.

Forest bathingor the meditative practice of being surrounded by treesis a proven health booster. Specifically, breathing in the phytoncides, or aromatic oils released by trees, can aid immunity and decrease anxiety, among other positive outcomes. You can also reap the benefits by bringing nature inside: Pipe in forest-y scents, incorporate furniture and dcor with salvaged or responsibly-sourced woods, and go for botanical or earthy artworkscientific evidence shows that merely looking at nature scenes can lower stress. Barnard, for her part, designed her own Kale Tree line of wallpaper and furnishings inspired by flora and fauna; and potted plants of all kindsfrom monstera deliciosas to parlor palmsare therapeutic on many levels.

TORTOISE GENERAL STORE

In the end, dont get so caught up with the Instagram of it all, or the need to make every room impeccably styled and unrealistically perfect, that you forget a simple fact: A restorative, healing home is defined by how you feel when you live inside it, says Saxbe. Also, adds Graham, spaces should evolve along with the inhabitants. The dcor, layout or arrangements you have now might not suit you in a few years, so its healthy to reassess your surroundings and make changes every so often. Nothing needs to be forever or permanent, which can take the weight of decision-making off your shoulders and, literally and figuratively, create space for you.

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The Psychology of House Cleaning: How Tidying and Decorating Can Lead to Happiness - Vogue

Any ideas of settling down into normal married life were dashed for Nathan Komar when he returned to Syracuse from his honeymoon on Feb. 4, 1916.

Just as he was about to settle in for his first dinner at home with his new wife, the former Rose Gais, Komar was served with papers by an attorney.

He was being sued for $10,000, roughly $243,000 in todays money, by the indomitable Libbie Kodish, who for the previous five years, had thought she was to become the next Mrs. Nathan Komar.

She told newspapers that Komar had proposed marriage to her in the summer of 1911 when he was 19 and she was 17.

But whenever she pressed him for a wedding date, he told her he was waiting for his economic fortunes to improve. He was earning then just $3.50 a week.

While they waited, they met each others friends, looked at possible wedding venues, and places to live.

But their wedding was never scheduled.

Finally, in September 1915, Kodish demanded that a wedding date be chosen.

He promised her that a wedding would take place before the spring of 1916.

Well, one did. It was just was not with her.

"No siree, I didn't love her." A newspaper sketch of defendant Nathan Komar. Courtesy of World ArchivesCourtesy of World Archives

When Kodish first heard of Komars engagement with Gais, she said she fainted from the shock of it.

Then, she got a lawyer.

The jilted Kodish, which was a favorite adjective for newspaper reporters for her, had hoped to have the papers of her lawsuit delivered during the actual ceremony as a wedding present but the couple married quickly and then left immediately for their honeymoon.

(The Syracuse Herald called their nuptials a hurry-up affair which happened on a Tuesday.)

Libbie Kodishs breach of promise lawsuit, called in Syracuse newspapers at the time as a heart balm suit, was the first of its kind for many years in Onondaga County.

The trial began on May 9, 1916 with jury selection. Supreme Court Judge Leonard Callender Crouch presided.

Interest in the case was high and, during both days of the testimony, crowds completely filled the courtroom.

The public loved to read the salacious testimony between the former lovers and opinions on the case was split along gender lines.

A Herald reporter noticed that men and women had very different ideas about who was right and who was in the wrong.

On one side there was the men:

There were any number of men present. Many of them were married and conversed with each other in regard to what this new woman stuff leads to.

The single men looked a little scared when Kodishs attorney, William Harding, described some gentlemen as fiends in human form and professional heartbreakers.

Women, it was noticed, paid even closer attention to the testimony:

They leaned forward eagerly in the effort to not lose a word. Evidently most of them sympathized with the plaintiff for they said so out and out and hoped shed get good big damages.

One woman was heard to say if her husband was on the jury and didnt bring in a good verdict for that poor girl, hed SEE.

What both sides, and the jury, did see was a master performance by prosecutor Harding, who effectively made an emotional plea on behalf of Libbie Kodish.

For four or five years Nathan courted Libbie and she built up a dream of married bliss, he told the jury. He told her he loved her and would give her a nice home, making a show of affection, and now he says it was all a joke. You cant play with the heartstrings of a woman and then kick her over.

He called Komar a rascal and a reprobate, and said that Libbie should count her lucky stars that she ended up not marrying him.

(The fact the new Mrs. Nathan Komar, Rose Gais, was the daughter of a retired prominent clothing manufacturer in Syracuse, while Kodish was just a poor, working girl, certainly made the case against Komar easier.)

I ask you jurors to treat Libbie like you would your own daughters. For her suffering and troubles, $10,000 is not a cent too much.

Defense attorney Myron Melvin had a much more difficult job.

He argued that his client had never made a promise of marriage.

He asked the jury not to punish Komar for hugging and kissing Kodish, or for taking her out to the movies, theater, and for ice cream all those years.

I think, he told the all-male jury that our experiences as practical men proves that boys and girls at the ages of 17 and 19 will kiss each other put their arms around each other. In this day of enlightenment, there are some that will say that they should not have kissed until after they were married and others will say that they shouldnt kiss at all, on account of germs. But kissing and hugging is no crime.

The real victim of Rose Komar, who was having to suffer through this trial instead of beginning her happy married life.

Headlines from the May 11, 1916 Herald announces the verdict in Syracuse's "Heart Balm" trial. The court room was packed for both days of the trial. Courtesy of World ArchivesCourtesy of World Archives

It is probably little wonder that the jury returned with a verdict in Kodishs favor in less than three hours.

They awarded her $2,500 in damages. Though it was not the full $10,000 she asked for, the award was, the Syracuse Journal reported, one of the largest ever given for a breach of promise in the county.

Nathan Komar did not pay, was briefly jailed, bailed out by his new father-in-law, and then declared bankruptcy.

Libbie Kodish would celebrate her victory with a relaxing trip to Sayre, Pennsylvania in June where she had friends.

There she met another Nathan, a Nathan Staver, who was a prosperous painting contractor and interior decorator in Sayre. They fell in love.

On July 4, 1916, they were married.

I expect to stay right here in Sayre, she told the Syracuse Herald, and I am not a bit interested in anything at all in regard to Mr. Nathan Komar.

The Journal hoped that her victory in court, and in love, would be a warning to other triflers.

Read more

1986: Feeling drowsy? Maybe this history of Upstates Jolt Cola will perk you up!

1921: Socks, macaroni, and lingerie were some of the items to bid on at Syracuses grab bag auction

1931: The hair flew in Waterloo as two rival barbers competed to be crowned New Yorks fastest

1891-1924: Too short to join the fire department, an Auburn man starts his own, joined by his pony, Thelma

Check out our true-crime podcast

An invention from Upstate NY soon became the preferred method of execution across the United States -- the electric chair. In The Condemned, we trace the history of the chair through the stories of five men who were sentenced to death for their crimes. Explore our series here.

This feature is a part of CNY Nostalgia, a section on syracuse.com. Send your ideas and curiosities to Johnathan Croyle at jcroyle@syracuse.com or call 315-427-3958.

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1916: Syracuses men and women were divided over a $10,000 Heart Balm trial - syracuse.com