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Socrates Sculpture Park Emerging Artist Fellowship Exhibition
The great sculptor Mark Di Suvero should be given some sort of presidential metal for his amazing generosity. Twenty years ago this maverick broke ground on a breathtaking triangular piece of Long Island City waterfront across from East Harlem, on what had been an abandoned landfill and an illegal dumpsite. On this plot, he established the four and a half utopian acres known as Socrates Sculpture Park. Since 1986, over 500 artists have been featured in more than 50 exhibitions there. The current show of 20 emerging artists is more than good enough to prove that my own personal truism, "Ninety-nine percent of all public sculpture is crap," may no longer be accurate. Almost all of the art here is coming from artists who are interested in outdoor sculpture as more than a decorative object or tedious propaganda tool.
Bourne gets school-cost lesson
BOURNE - The cost of the town's new elementary school isn't just increasing - it's exploding. The Bourne Early Childhood and Elementary School will need an additional $13.2 million to become a reality, said Rick Howe, chairman of the school building committee. School officials were predicting a cost overrun of roughly $7 million, and were ''stunned'' to open the bids and discover the hefty increase. ''We're working wildly with our consultants to figure out how this came to pass,'' Howe said. The new school, which is set to replace the Hoxie and Otis Memorial elementary schools, was originally approved more than three years ago at $26.8 million. Due to delays involving a land swap to secure access to the school along the Scenic Highway, construction costs, materials and other expenses have risen dramatically.
New Ontonagon River Bridge to open today
ONTONAGON -- The Michigan Department of Transportation will open the new Ontonagon River Bridge on M-64 today, now that all of the railing has been installed and pavement markings are complete. Opening of the new bridge that spans the Ontonagon River, originally anticipated the first week of September, was pushed back because of a delay in delivery of the railings. Railings were installed as each section was delivered. Contractors also relocated a flashing traffic signal from the U.S. 45/M-38 intersection to the new M-64/U.S. 45/M-38 intersection. Traffic on U.S. 45 will now be required to stop for traffic on the new route at M-64 and M-38. Concrete pavement repairs on U.S. 45 (River Street) will begin shortly, and should be complete this fall.
The 2006 Self-Service and Kiosk Show wrap-up
A few short decades ago, the "store of the future" was a catalog showroom where customers filled out paper forms on clipboards, then waited while their products were rolled down the line to the checkout. IBM's view of tomorrow's retail store is very different; paper gives way to digital display, conveyor belts give way to bottom-of-basket scanners and wireless payment mechanisms. Actually, there is still a conveyor belt in IBM's future, at the heart of its new Model 171 self-checkout unit. While most large-format self-checkout units so far have used a carousel for bags, the 171 uses a long conveyor belt and in many ways resembles a conventional checkout. The new linear construction allows full maintenance access from the front of the machine, making it possible for the first time to put them back-to-back; a shielded front and non-weight-sensitive metal enclosure mean kids will no longer upset the weighing mechanism by leaning against the device.
FEMA plan calls for cottages
WASHINGTON The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Monday it will extend the time Hurricane Katrina's victims can live in the agency's travel trailers and mobile homes. But FEMA also announced it had solicited formal bids from Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and Texas for an experimental $400 million pilot program that would allow some hurricane victims to trade in their travel trailers and mobile homes for more permanent housing, most likely modular homes dubbed "Katrina cottages." Under FEMA policy, most hurricane victims get up to 18 months of housing assistance. But FEMA has extended that time period before. Some victims of Hurricane Andrew, which decimated South Florida in 1992, lived in FEMA trailers for years. "We clearly have every intention to extend the time period beyond the 18 months," said Gil Jamieson, FEMA deputy director of Gulf Coast recovery.
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