First Phase of High Line Is Ready for Strolling - ArtsBeat Blog - NYTimes.com

• By Robin Pogrebin

• Standing on a newly renovated stretch of an elevated promenade that was once a railway line for delivering cattle — surrounded by the community activists, elected officials and architects who made the transformation happen — Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg cut a red ribbon on Monday morning to signify that the first phase of the High Line is finished and ready for strolling. (Panoramic view here and a map here.)

  Calling the High Line, which opens to the public on Tuesday, “an extraordinary gift to our city’s future,” Mr. Bloomberg said, “today, we’re about to unwrap that gift.’’ He added, “it really does live up to its highest expectations.”

  The first portion of the three-section High Line, which runs along the Hudson River from Gansevoort Street to West 20th Street, will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. There are entrances at Gansevoort Street (steps) and at 16th Street (elevator); exits are located every few blocks.

Garden Writers Association | Plant a Row for the Hungry

• People Helping People

  Since 1995, American gardeners have donated over 14 million pounds of herbs and vegetables to feed the hungry in our local neighborhoods and communities.

  Support Plant A Row and help make a difference in your community.

  PAR Hotline 1-877-492-2727

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America’s Most Endangered Rivers of 2009 announced today

•  From outdated flood control schemes to harmful dams and mining projects, our nation’s rivers and clean water are at risk. American Rivers, the nation’s leading river conservation organization,  released America’s Most Endangered Rivers: 2009 edition spotlighting ten rivers in need of urgent action.

  “Our nation is at a transformational moment when it comes to rivers and clean water,” said Rebecca Wodder, president of American Rivers. “Water is life, yet our nation’s water infrastructure is so outdated that our clean drinking water, flood protection and river health face unprecedented threats.

• This year’s report highlights the sorry state of the nation’s water infrastructure — our drinking water, wastewater and stormwater systems, and our dams and levees – and the need for green, 21st century investments to protect clean water, public health and safety, and the fish and wildlife that depend on healthy rivers.

  Rivers in Alaska, California, Georgia, Idaho, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Washington and Wisconsin are on the list this year.

  “Being named as one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers is not an end for the river, but rather a beginning,” added Wodder. “With the listing comes a national spotlight and action from thousands of citizens across the country. These ten rivers have a chance to be reborn, and to serve as models for other rivers all across America.”

10 Most Disturbing Bugs - Oddee.com

• 
• The Lymantrid moth (Calliteara pudibunda) is widespread in Danish beech (Fagus sylvatica) forests. The species has one generation in Denmark, with the dull grey moth flying during June. Each female can lay 300-400 eggs which she normally does very near the place where she emerged from the pupae. The small caterpillar is very hairy and can easily be transported by the wind. In late autumn the caterpillar is fully grown, is about 5 cm long and is very beautifully coloured. Pupation takes place among leaves on the ground where a silken cocoon is made. (Photo by: Malgorzata Tomkowicz)

Maya Lin: Above and Below | ArtBabble

• Above and Below, is a major documentary produced by the Indianapolis Museum of Art featuring landscape sculptor Maya Lin’s new installation at the IMA and the recent development of her work. This video reveals behind-the-scenes footage from the Walla Walla Foundry in Washington State, Lin’s Manhattan studio, and an underground cave system in Bedford, Indiana – her inspiration for the work Above and Below at the IMA. Interviews from leading curators and scholars of art, as well as architectural and geological history highlight Lin’s dynamic and expansive career. Importantly, the documentary includes several interviews with Maya Lin, shot throughout the duration of this project.