BEACON TRANSCRIPT – Ever since 1926, New York City’s records have included a set of statutes collectively known as the Cabaret Law. Beginning with the Prohibition, this has been technically making it illegal to dance and boogie in most of the city’s clubs and bars.

Although possibly not the most known law, and probably among its most unexpected for the “City that Never Sleeps”, the Cabaret Law is reportedly all set and ready to be repelled.

The Cabaret Law, to Be Repelled After 91 Years

According to the Cabaret Law, only places with proper licensing are legally permitted to allow people to dance while also serving beverages and food.

The statutes first started being applied during the Prohibition, but as these fell, they mostly stopped being enforced. These records also suffered various alterations throughout the decades, but that doesn’t mean that fines haven’t been given because of it.

The Cabaret Law has been rarely enforced in recent years, but some report that it has still managed to affect and shape New York City’s nightlife. According to some, obtaining the legal permit for a nightclub might be scaring some off from even trying. In contrast, the number of DIY and underground venues has reportedly increased in recent years.

A Brooklyn councilman, Rafael Espinal, is all set and ready to repel the Cabaret Law. On October 31, he will be present in front of the New York City Council with a bill, one which he says has the 26 required for passing. Thanks to his bill, the Prohibitions-old set of statutes should be repelled, and all should be free to go ‘Footloose’.

Ben Snarle, a spokesperson for the mayor, is reported as having stated that “The mayor strongly supports repealing the law.”

However, Snarle also points out that some of the regulations that came with the cabaret license should still be applied. Namely, he emphasized the need for mandatory security cameras, or certified security guards at all of the larger venues, among others.

Image Source: StaticFlickr

BEACON TRANSCRIPT – Uranus, the seventh planet from the Sun will be at opposition this week, and as pointed out by astronomers, it will be visible almost with the naked eye on October 19.

The planet should be visible for most of the night, and it can be located by looking for the Pisces constellation. According to NASA, its bluish-green tint should make it even easier to spot, and its light makes it clearly visible for binoculars.

Seeing the Planet with the Naked Eye, Made Possible by Two Astral Events

Uranus will be especially visible and easy to spot these days mainly thanks to there being two concomitant astral events. Besides the fact that the planet will be at opposition, there is also a new moon on the way.

As the moon is in this transition phase, the night sky will be darker than if there would have been a half moon, and can’t even be compared with full moon periods.

Nonetheless, the fact that Uranus is at opposition is the crucial factor. Basically, this means that the planet has reached opposition in its orbit and is in direct opposition to the Sun. The Earth, which is right in the middle of this, will have one of its best views at the seventh planet thanks to it. This alignment also means that the two planets and the Sun will be making a perfect line.

Uranus was calculated to orbit the Sun in 84 Earth years. As opposed to all other planets, it was also determined to rotate in direct opposition, and these are just some of its odd features.

For those looking for the planet in the night sky, this should be easier to spot thanks to its bluish tint. From Earth, Uranus will rise around sunset from the east and will set at sunrise, in the west, after being visible all night.

Visibility conditions and best viewing hours will vary according to location and the cloud coverage.

Image Source: Wikimedia

BEACON TRANSCRIPT – The MacArthur Foundation released the names of its 2017 MacArthur Fellow Grants, also known as the “Genius Grant”. This year’s MacArthur Fellowship will be awarded to 24 “extraordinarily creative people”, coming from very diverse domains.

The 2017 MacArthur Fellow, a Non-Applications Award

The so-called Genius Grant is awarded each year by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. It is usually awarded to anywhere in between 20 to 30 people that work in any field. According to the Foundation, the people that get a fellowship are not getting rewarded for a past accomplishment.

Instead, this is considered an “investment in a person’s originality, insight, and potential”.

The Foundation also states that “Their work gives us reason for optimism and inspires us all.”

The 2017 MacArthur Fellow Grants include, this year, a painter and a playwright, a computer scientist and a mathematician and statistician. A historian, human rights activist, a historian, and psychologist are also among those awarded.

The full list of fellows, which come from a wide array of disciplines can be accessed on the Foundation’s site. This also offers a short description of each of this year’s MacArthur’s fellows and their work.

The Foundation decided to reward the people that have “shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction”.

For this, each fellow will be receiving a $625,000 award, which is paid “with no strings attached”, over a period of five years.

The Foundation sees this as an “investment” in their potential. According to media reports, some of those awarded consider it a chance of really bringing their projects to life, and/or a way of “facilitating” their work.

The names of the 2017 MacArthur Fellows are:

•  Njideka Akunyili Crosby,
• Sunil Amrith,
• Annie Baker,
• Greg Asbed,
• Jason de Leon,
• Emmanuel Candes,
• Regina Barzilay,
• Dawoud Bey,
• Nikole Hannah-Jones,
• Cristina Jimenez Moreta,
• Rhiannon Giddens,
• Taylor Mac,
• Viet Thanh Nguyen,
• Rami Nashashibi,
• Trevor Paglen,
• Kate Orff,
• Derek Peterson,
• Damon Rich,
• Betsy Levy Paluck,
• Stefan Savage,
• Tyshawn Sorey,
• Jesmyn Ward,
• Gabriel Victora,
• Yuval Sharon.

Image Source: VIMEO 

BEACON TRANSCRIPT – Starting Friday, October 06, National Geographic together with the New York City officials will be bringing the deep ocean closer within reach.  They are doing so through the National Geographic Encounter: Ocean Odyssey.

This is the first entertainment space from National Geographic, and it is set up in Times Square, New York, New York. Nat Geo is presenting this as a “digital underwater dive” that will allow visitors to immerse themselves in the ocean but leave “completely dry”.

The Deep Ocean of the Ocean Odyssey

Nat Geo announced from the start that no live animals would be involved in this exhibition. Instead, this virtual ocean would be created through a mix of technology and photography. Photos and animations were used to replicate a series of underwater experiences that play out on screens.

Some of these are even up to 40 feet tall and make use of the latest technological advancements. Namely, the exhibit will be an interactive one, as visitors can induce movement by using hand motions. For example, they could “induce” a sea lion to flip and do tricks by replicating the actions with their hands.

Visitors can walk through a kelp forest maze, and witness a “battle” between two Humboldt squids which will be life-sized and on opposing screen. The grand finale of the tour will see the guests putting on 3D glasses and stepping into a smaller IMAX theater which should resemble a submarine.

In here, they will see some 120,000 fish and even a 50-foot humpback whale. The exhibit will include comments from marine biologists and ocean education exhibits.

This deep ocean adventure on land was created with the help of SPE Partners, the visual effects team behind the immensely popular Game of Thrones.

A ticket for the National Geographic Encounter: Ocean Odyssey will cost $32.50 for children and $39 for adults, and is estimated to take some 90 minutes from start to finish.

Image Source: Pixabay