The fan. Got house down to Actually Matching Outside Air Temperature in finite time; set up to experiment with running it in the bedroom overnight. (It has been Too Warm For Cuddles, which is Bad.)
Made the nonsense lavender-and-honey Welsh cakes for breakfast. I was sure I had picked way too much lavender but it actually fit in the measuring spoon pretty much perfectly, and wound up being noticeable but not Overwhelming.
New Murderbot novelette! I have not launched right into reading it because I am just about a quarter of the way through a System Collapse reread (and fascinated by how little of it I remember, though I concede I've read it many fewer times than All Systems Red...) so I'm going to finish that first. Which I am not expecting to take me very long.
Having spent a bunch of time poking around Wikipedia, I've gone back to Nerve and Muscle and, now almost two whole pages in, it is making significantly more sense than my previous attempt. (I have not yet started making myself notes on neuroanatomy but I am definitely considering it.)
It is The Time Of Year when strawberries are relatively cheap, so after dinner we wandered down the hill in service of me getting my steps, and us getting some exposure to The Breeze, and acquiring me a giant box of strawberries, and also picking up Ice Lollies to consume on the way back up.
Realised I could stick a jug of water in the fridge. This has made hydrating significantly easier. (I do not do well at drinking water that isn't Cold, and the magic ice dispenser on our freezer is currently out of action.)
The online Oxfam shop. Shortly to be on their way to me: a pair of cargo shorts; two pairs of linen cargo trousers; a book I previously had out from the library but which I wanted to have a reference copy of at least briefly for writing purposes.
So, I am looking for a fanvid made for festivids for “Snow White: a Tale of Terror” called “Bare your Teeth” using Lady Gaga’s teeth by vidder e- transitions back in 2010.
I seem to remember having accessed it either through YouTube or Vimeo at some point but all of the old links I have found link to a download on the vidder’s personal website, which no longer exists.
I’m hoping for a link or if someone had downloaded it at some point and still has it, I would be forever grateful.
Almost 2 years ago I left tech and switched my focus to working with mission-driven organizations, communities, and practitioners to explore, design, and deliver better project and organization endings. My project is called The Wind Down and has evolved into a consultancy, a community of practice, and a newsletter. Along the way, I have to make a few decisions about how I was going to broadcast and drive forward my career shift.
Understanding that I am not the only person out there who might be boldly embarking on a big career change, I wanted to share a few minor — but meaningful! — things that I did to help me pluck myself out of my old world and into this new one.
Unfollow and Disconnect
I am old enough to remember when LinkedIn would show exactly how many connections you had and it was a badge of honor to finally hit the coveted 500+ zone. These days, connections are cheap and easy, and you sometimes don’t even remember how you acquired them all.
As part of my “rebranding”, I went through my connections and (as best as I could) unfollowed people who I was happy to stay in touch with but who were doing work that I no longer cared to hear about. I really didn’t care to see any more of those “We are excited to announce Feature X or Version Y” for companies I no longer cared about being affiliated with.
In the case that I couldn’t even remember who the person was or how we’d even ever become connected, I just removed the connection. I doubt anyone even noticed or cared, and it created a feed more focused on the connections who were doing more aligned work and participating in discussions I did want to take part in.
Un-Slack
I did something like this when I left the Support Driven Slack
As part of my professional development, I’d also joined many Slack communities where I could connect with my peers in tech. The one I was most engaged in was Support Driven, which was community for tech support professionals. I have gotten hired through that community, I hired many people from the community, I received invaluable support from the peers there, and I made some amazing lifelong IRL friends around the world.
HOWEVER, once I was out of tech, I found that I was still spending a TON of time in that community, and it was unfortunately becoming a colossal time suck. So, it was with a heavy heart that I stepped back.
In this case, I did it in phases. I first took a lengthy pause and broadcast it by changing my name in the Slack to something like “Camille Will Be Back In A Few Months”. Then I signed the community out of my Slack desktop app. I set myself a reminder to sign back in in a few months and determine whether I wanted to take it further.
After those few months were up, I signed back in, looked around, and decided I was ready to be gone. So I changed my name to “Camille Is Gone Forever” to ensure that anyone who was looking for me would know that that Slack was no longer a place to find me.
I still miss the folks there. They are some of the kindest and most helpful people on the planet, and they also delivered the kind of snark and camaraderie you can only get from beleaguered support people. However, I needed to move on. My work is rooted in endings and I think I handled that one quite well.
Find The Others
The process of reimagining myself wasn’t just a series of cuts and goodbyes. I also made a lot of new connections and reached out to deepen relationships with people I’d been wanting to get to know better. As I was introduced to new people, I would connect to them on LinkedIn, and to those people who I didn’t know (but would eventually like to!) I gave a follow. As I continued to do this, I grew a network that was more relevant to the direction I was trying to go, and I *also* started to get a better sense of the kind of conversations that were happening in the non-profit/civil society — a space that is still, in many ways, pretty new to me.
In addition to LinkedIn, I also signed up for podcasts and newsletters related to this work and sent a LOT of cold emails introducing myself to potential contacts and collaborators. Fortunately, many of the people I reached out to were kind and exceedingly generous with their time, knowledge, and guidance.
Build new community
For years before I formally left tech, I was already slowly starting to connect with people interested or already actively working in closure and other types of social change. As part of that, in early 2023, I was looped into a monthly accountability session called Sense and Respond. In January 2024, the person running that session reached out to tell me that she wanted to pull together some of the monthly attendees into a community called IMMA, where we could meet more regularly to share advice, commiserate, celebrate, and essentially grow our practices “separately but together”.
IMMA’s small but global, virtual community was instrumental in helping me get The Wind Down off the ground. I made dear friends and contacts there and marked some vital milestones. While I stepped away from the group earlier this year, I do genuinely question if I’d still be on this path if I hadn’t had those folks giving me so much encouragement and genuinely helping me structure my days. Working alone is not for everyone — heck, I don’t really love it! — but if you are going to be working alone, finding others to do it with (as contradictory as that may seem) can make a huge difference.
Shifting careers after you’ve built a strong network in one industry or profession is not an easy thing. People in your previous field know you and see you in a certain way and will often continue to reach out to you to discuss that work. Meanwhile, you are often unknown in the spaces where you’d like to establish a presence and generate a good living. It can be frustrating trying to uproot yourself and get stuck in in a new place.
I have found that what helps more than anything is time and consistency. The more that you can do and show good work in your new field, the more you will draw attention to what you are doing now and who you are now. And the more you are getting positive attention in this new space, the more the old career can fall into the past, as a meaningful time in your life that help propelled you into this new and better, post-pivot now.
In May 2023, after a spike in deaths on Rikers Island, city jail officials suddenly stopped notifying the media shortly after an incarcerated person passed away.
Frank Dwyer, a spokesperson for then Department of Correction Commissioner Louis Molina, told THE CITY at the time that notifying the public after each death was a “practice, not a policy” — which had only started at the end of de Blasio administration amid the pandemic.
The reversal of that practice was slammed by advocates and criminal justice experts who’ve viewed it as an attempt by the Adams administration to hide or minimize tragic stories.
On Monday, the City Council is set to approve legislation that would formally require jail personnel to notify family and the public within 24 hours.
There have been 41 fatalities in city lockups since the start of the Adams administration in January 2022, including eight this year. The 19 deaths in 2022 marked the highest fatality rate in city lockups in 25 years based on population. There were 38 deaths over the last four years of the de Blasio administration.
City Councilmember Carlina Rivera (D-Manhattan), the legislation’s primary sponsor, cited THE CITY’s coverage about the lack of transparency in jail death reporting.
“This legislation directly responds to what is a troubling pattern of secrecy and neglect,” she told THE CITY. “And really, thanks to your reporting, a lot of times, when I would hear about a death, it was because of the story that was published by your paper.”
The vote comes two months after Laura Taylor Swain, the chief district judge for Manhattan federal court, ruled that she will soon appoint an independent “remediation manager” to enact stalled reforms. She has asked both sides — city officials and the Legal Aid Society — to submit potential candidates for the role by the end of August.
As for the death notification bill, it is currently sponsored by 30 Council members, just four potential votes away from a supermajority that could override a mayoral veto.
Rivera said she’s confident she’ll be able to garner additional support needed for a supermajority in the 51-seat body.
The Adams administration has testified against the legislation, arguing that jail officials need more time to notify family members of deceased people in custody.
“The timeframes for notification do not allow the department enough time in all cases to contact the next of kin and make a compassionate notification,” Francis Torres, DOC’s former first deputy commissioner, testified during a September 2024 Council hearing about the bill and several other pieces of legislation.
The bill essentially codifies many practices already in place.
After major blowback from advocates and criminal justice experts, the DOC a few months later began to once again notify media on a select list after each death. The city’s Board of Correction also already conducts death reviews and makes them public.
“It’s unfortunate that we need legislation to set forth basic provisions for how deaths in custody should be treated,” Jennifer Parish, the director of criminal justice advocacy at the Urban Justice Center, told THE CITY.
“But the past administrations show that we do need to require that the deaths be made public, fully investigated, and that families be given this information right away,” she added.
The legislation would require the BOC to produce those reports within 180 days with findings and recommendations to prevent similar deaths.
DOC and Correctional Health Services , which oversees healthcare for people behind bars, must respond to these recommendations within 30 days, according to the legislation.
Torres, and the head of the city’s Department of Investigations (DOI), have argued that the BOC’s internal probes would create a conflict with other mandatory death reviews done by other government groups.
In response to that concern, the bill specifies that BOC should stand down if some other agency, like DOI, is involved in the probe.
The key provision of the bill requires jail officials to let next of kin know about the death within 24 hours — and document all the steps they take to get in touch with families, including language interpreter use when needed.
Additionally, the department must post basic information about the death on its website within 24 hours after next of kin is notified. That includes name, age, race, gender, and the facility where the death occurred. That information can be withheld if a family member has not been contacted.
The DOC must also notify the city’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and Board of Correction within 24 hours of learning about a death in custody.
The DOC press team under former Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi during the last six months of the de Blasio administration would issue press releases announcing the death of anyone behind bars.
The release typically included basic information like the person’s name, housing facility, date and time of death.
In July 2023, Molina — who has since moved on to be commissioner of the city’s Department of Citywide Administrative Services — defended the new policy to keep the media and public in the dark.
He argued that other correction departments he has worked for (Westchester County and Las Vegas) didn’t routinely tell reporters when people in custody died. He also noted that his department alerts the BOC, the state attorney general, and the federal monitor whenever there is a death.
He claimed the DOC changed its media-alert practice so it could give family members of people who died more time to be notified and properly grieve.
“Most importantly we notify the next of kin … so we can share the very devastating news,” Molina testified during a board hearing two years ago. “For the dignity of that person’s family, and the dignity of their transition, we feel that we want to be able to empower the families.”
But when the Correction Department previously issued press releases it was always only after relatives were notified first.
Following widespread criticism of the new death reporting policy, DOC’s press team created a special list of news outlets it now uses to notify certain reporters after deaths occur behind bars.
Deaths at Rikers
Most recently, Christian Collado, 51, passed away on Tuesday while receiving “palliative care” while in DOC custody at the Bellevue Hospital Prison Ward, according to jail officials.
Collado was in jail awaiting robbery charges and a separate federal criminal case in Pennsylvania, according to court records.
“Mr. Collado’s brother visited him through his illness and was with him when he passed,” DOC said in a press release issued a few hours after his passing.
His attorney desperately tried to have him released, noting he was suffering from late stage cancer.
“He couldn’t sit through a trial,” Judah Maltz told the Queens Eagle. “Is he going to come into the courtroom on a hospital bed or a wheelchair and wear a mask on his face?”
“It would have been horrible,” he added.
DOC’s press release said the department notified DOI, Board of Correction, state Commission of Correction, state Attorney General, federal monitor, district attorneys, and his attorney.
The bill was watered down from its initial version.
The measure originally required the DOC to issue reports on compassionate releases and data related to those appeals filed by sick detainees. The legislation also initially ordered Correctional Health Services (CHS) to make public its reviews into deaths in custody.
Criminal justice-reform advocates held a protest outside City Hall against deaths on Rikers Island, Nov. 3, 2022. Credit: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY
CHS does conduct so-called morbidity and mortality reviews after each death in custody, according to Jeanete Merrill, assistant vice president of communications and external affairs at NYC Health + Hospitals.
But CHS does not create any “reports” tied to those reviews, she told THE CITY last year.
“Any materials resulting from these reviews are comprised entirely of protected patient health information and are, therefore, not shared externally,” she said.
Additionally, morbidity and mortality reviews are privileged under New York State Public Health law, she noted, and thus not viewable by the public.
Rivera said the bill was adjusted in an effort to get all the different city agencies involved on board.
“There was a lot of back and forth with the administration to demonstrate why we needed to implement this bill and codify these procedures,” Rivera told THE CITY. “We ultimately came to a proposal that all sides seem to be satisfied with.”
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The eighth annual Queens RockFest (QRF) will transform the Forest Park Bandshell into a thunderous rock n’ roll hub on Saturday, July 12, from 12 noon to 8:30 p.m. Queens rock and metal fans will descend on Forest Park for a high-energy day of roaring riffs and valiant vocals.
Founded by George Wasek, QRF producer and drummer of Manhattan-based band Channeling Owen, the lineup features seven of the heaviest hard hitters in the Queens rock scene: Broken Nails, enTrance, Terror Garden, Love Conquers All and more. The main headliner is Red Hot, an all-female Mötley Crüe tribute band that has performed at nationally renowned venues and kick-started the hearts of classic rock fans.
Red Hot, an all-female Mötley Crüe tribute band, rocking out at one of their shows. Photo via Red Hot on Facebook
The Forest Park music festivities will also feature NYC-style hot dogs from Maspit Dogs, a beloved hot dog vendor from Maspeth, prize giveaways, and band merchandise available for purchase throughout the day. All monetary proceeds will benefit the Wounded Warriors Project, a service organization dedicated to uplifting and empowering veterans. The admission is free for music fans to attend.
Terror Garden performing at 89 North Music Venue in Patchogue, NY. Photo via Terror Garden on Facebook
The concept for a Queens rock festival derived from Wasek’s desire to play more music in the public eye. As a professional instrumentalist with nearly four decades of experience, Wasek is aware of the challenges that independent musicians face, including the struggle to find venues that will allow them to showcase their original or cover songs.
A collage of bands playing at Queens RockFest in the Forest Park Bandshell, situated at Woodhaven, NY. Photo via Queens RockFest website.
“The work, although gratifying, is often a great challenge and at times can be a struggle like any struggling musician will tell you,” Wasek stated in the All About Queens Rockfest section of the website.
Wasek’s desire evolved into a mission of lending the microphone to local bands in NYC, presenting opportunities for exposure and expression — all done in CBGB fashion. The favorable reception has motivated Wasek to host QRF every year, creating a space for musicians to hone their craft.
“I wanted to create a venue to promote original bands who got their start in Queens and the NYC Area,” Wasek continued in the section.
Love Conquers All performing at Berlin NYC in Manhattan. Photo via Love Conquers All on Facebook
This year, Q104.3, NYC’s premier classic rock radio station, announced QRF on the airwaves by broadcaster Maria Malito, as shown on a Facebook post on Thursday, July 3. This commercial speaks to the growing popularity of QRF, highlighting the need for more rock-centric events in the Big Apple.
Now back in its eighth year, QRF has become an annual music mecca in Southwest Queens, beckoning rockers and metalheads to celebrate the energetic genre with fellow rockers across the city.
An advertisement of Queens RockFest, featuring the bands slated to perform on Saturday, July 12 at the Forest Park Bandshell in Woodhaven, NY. Photo via Queens RockFest website
This book was a very well done AI skeptic book that was rooted in deep knowledge of the history of artificial intelligence, and it brought to light some interesting points that I had never thought about.
It gets into the history of AI, and a lot of that discussion is rooted in the type of probabilistic models that I learned about in grad school. It is discussing n-grams, Markov, and so on.
There is a discussion about how AI is an attempt to break labor and gets into a more detailed history of the Luddites. The Luddites were craftsmen, and machines were replacing their hard won skills with an inferior product. The machines that were doing this were also dangerous to their operators.
Various people involved in AI feel like there should not be any AI policy until it is thoroughly discussed, but the authors propose that existing laws should be used to limit the use of AI in areas where it can do harm. They quote Michael Atleson, an attorney within the FTC Division of Advertising Practices:
Your therapy bots aren't licensed psychologists, your AI girlfriends are neither girls nor friends, your griefbots have no soul, and your AI copilots are not gods.
For example, there should not be AI therapy or AI-driven law because the harm that can come from those things is great. Law has to do with the nuance of language, and generated language that no human really thinks through does not have the same nuance.
There were also good arguments for limiting the use of AI in education.
In August 2020, thousands of British students, unable to take their A-level exams due to the COVID-19 pandemic, received grades calculated based on an algorithm that took as input, among other things, the grades that other students at their schools received in previous years. After massive public outcry, in which hundreds of students gathered outside the prime minister's residence at 10 Downing Street in London, chanting "Fuck the algorithm!" the grades were retracted and replaced with grades based on teachers' assessments of the student work.
A lot of technology in education is designed to give an inferior education to poor kids and union-bust.
One thing that I did not know was that the little Gemini summary on a Google search uses 10-30 times more energy than search before this feature was added.
The authors see both AI doomers and AI boosters as two sides of the same coin. Both of these groups believe that the AI will become smarter than humans. The outcome is the only thing that they differ on.
The group that wants to consider the data used to train the models and the impacts that AI has on the present really does not want to get lumped in with AI doomers that think that the AI is going to eventually get so smart that it will destroy humanity. They are rooted in reality while the doomers are not. There was some criticism of how Vice President Harris was trying to get the people concerned with the present impact of AI to work with the doomers.
There were a lot of references Karen Hao's work. How has recently released the book "Empire of AI." Hao is an AI journalist specifically focused on OpenAI.
The weekend after the Presidential election in November 2024, I was seized by the need to meet some neighbors, face-to-face, to be in solidarity with. On a crisp fall morning, I made a sign that …
Nikki Coons and Summer Brady made history at WC 70 during the first Muay Thai trans-women title fight in the U.S. Photo credit: Walt Zink Photography courtesy of Warriors Cup Instagram.
July 11, 2025 By Jessica Militello
Warriors Cup will return to Long Island City on Friday, July 26, with another stacked lineup of Muay Thai fights at WC 71, just weeks after the promotion made history by hosting the first-ever Muay Thai trans women’s title bout in the United States.
The event will take place at Melrose Ballroom, located at 36-08 33rd St., and will feature a full slate of amateur and professional fights, including title bouts. The action is set to begin at 6:30 p.m., continuing the organization’s momentum after its groundbreaking June 27 card.
The elite Muay Thai promotion, which has made something of a second home at the Western Queens venue, located at 36-08 33rd St. in Long Island City, has a stacked lineup of amateur and professional bouts scheduled for Saturday, July 26. The event kicks off at 6:30 p.m., featuring multiple title fights where fighters will put it all on the line after weeks of intense training and preparation ahead of this star-studded spectacle.
Muay Thai fighters Cruz Nix vs. Jeremy Leake at WC 70 last month on June 27 at Melrose Ballroom. Photo credit: Walt Zink photography courtesy of Warriors Cup Instagram.
The promotion — the sole American partner of ONE Championship, the world’s largest martial arts organization — continues to dominate the East Coast combat sports scene. In addition to its Warriors Cup events, the organization collaborates with the Battle in the Basement series at Church St. Boxing in NYC and partners with RFC Promotions for mixed cards featuring Muay Thai and K-Series Kickboxing.
Founded by respected fight veterans Chris Tran, Eddie Marini, and James Guccione, Warriors Cup remains at the forefront of innovation and inclusivity. Most recently, it broke new ground in combat sports by hosting its first-ever Muay Thai trans women’s title fight between Summer Brady and Nikki Coons — with Coons capturing the belt via TKO at 1:59 in the third round, capping off a hard-fought bout that showcased heart and grit from both competitors.
The July 26 event promises another unforgettable night, from first-time amateur fighters stepping into the ring to seasoned professionals delivering high-octane matchups. And there’s more to come in the second half of 2025, including a major October 18 event at the 5,000-seat Westchester County Center in collaboration with RFC Promotions. That show will feature top-tier fighters from across the U.S. and overseas at one of Warriors Cup’s largest events to date, held at a venue that once hosted legends like Jimi Hendrix and James Brown.
Warriors Cup 71, which will be held on Saturday, July 26, features amateur and pro Muay Thai bouts. Photo credit: Warriors Cup.
Tickets and PPV purchases for Warriors Cup 71 are on sale now and can be bought via their website. To learn more about Warriors Cup or stay up to date on all of the action, follow them at @Warriorscup_3pp.
An application has been filed to replace the Lucky Strike (formerly Bowlero) bowling alley at 69-10 34th Ave. in Jackson Heights with a mixed-use building. Photo via Google Maps.
July 11, 2025 By Ethan Marshall
An application has recently been filed to replace the Lucky Strike bowling alley at 69-10 34th Ave. in Jackson Heights with a 12-story mixed-use building featuring 263 dwelling units.
The proposed building would take up 213,600 square feet of space, with 179,100 square feet dedicated to residential space, 25,300 square feet for community facility space and 8,800 square feet of commercial space.
Originally constructed in 1959, the current 1-story structure at 69-10 34th Ave. has been occupied by a bowling alley and a 25-car parking lot for over 20 years. It was called AMF 34th Avenue Lanes until it rebranded to Bowlero in 2017. It rebranded again to Lucky Strike earlier in 2025.
In order for the proposed project to be approved, rezoning is required to increase the approved residential density at the property from low density to medium density. Additionally, while the property is already zoned for residential use, it must also be zoned for commercial use.
Dozens of rideshare and delivery workers gathered at Little Bay Park in Bayside on Wednesday, July 9, for a solemn memorial honoring their colleagues who have died while working for app-based companies.
Organized by the Justice for App Workers coalition, the event featured portraits, candles and emotional speeches from coworkers and family members calling for stronger safety protections across the gig economy.
“For every name we read aloud at this memorial, there are families left grieving and coworkers left fearing the same fate,” said Adaligisa Payero, a leader of the Union de Taxistas de New York (UTANY) and member of the coalition. “These deaths were not inevitable; they happened because billion-dollar companies chose profit over safety. We’re here to mourn, but we’re also here to organize and demand action.”
Participants at the July 9 memorial call for safety reforms in the gig economy after a series of worker deaths. Photo courtesy of Justice for App Workers
The Justice for App Workers coalition, which represents more than 130,000 drivers and delivery workers nationwide, has been a leading voice advocating for industry reforms. The coalition’s demands include emergency safety tools such as panic buttons and real-time tracking, verified customer identification, permanent bans for customers who harass or assault workers, as well as insurance and survivor benefits for families of workers killed on the job.
Speakers also emphasized the dangers posed by extreme working hours. With drivers often putting in 12-hour days to make ends meet, advocates say fatigue and burnout contribute to unsafe conditions both for workers and for the general public. The coalition is urging tech companies and lawmakers to enact stronger protections to curb the effects of forced overtime and limit shift lengths.
Rideshare and delivery workers stand in solidarity during a memorial service at Little Bay Park, honoring their fallen peers. Photo courtesy of Justice for App Workers
The gig economy has exploded in New York City since Uber launched in 2011, with delivery platforms like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub following close behind. Today, an estimated 150,000 app workers—largely immigrants and people of color—operate in the city, delivering food and packages or transporting passengers around the five boroughs.
But the risks they face have grown alongside the industry. According to a 2023 report, app-based workers are more likely to be injured or killed on the job than many traditional employees. The report highlighted the lack of employer accountability in cases of violence, injury, and even death, issues exacerbated by the workers’ status as independent contractors.
Candles and photos of app-based workers lost on the job line a memorial display organized by Justice for App Workers. Photo courtesy of Justice for App Workers
Family members of the deceased joined the vigil, some holding back tears as they remembered their loved ones. The display of portraits served as a visual reminder of the human toll behind the technology-powered convenience that millions of New Yorkers rely on every day.
Rideshare and delivery workers are essential to the fabric of the city, but too often they are treated as disposable — that was the message at the July 9 memorial, which served as a powerful reminder that the lives of app workers matter.
NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, located at 79-01 Broadway in Elmhurst, has appointed Dr. Sheela Maru as Director and Dr. Ben McVane as Assistant Director of the hospital’s Global Health Institute, the hospital announced Thursday.
The institute, which aims to transform care for historically excluded communities, builds bridges between the hospital and the communities it serves through partnerships, research, and education focused on global and local health issues.
“Dr. Maru and Dr. McVane are both outstanding physicians with strong backgrounds in advancing global health,” said Dr. Laura Iavicoli, Chief Medical Officer at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst. “Their deep commitment to patient care and dedication to researching and understanding global health and its implications have long been an inspiration to colleagues both within and beyond our institution. I am confident that in these new roles, they will continue to make an extraordinary impact—building partnerships, driving innovation, and shaping a more just and equitable future in global health.”
The Global Health Institute’s recent projects include the training of more than 30 community-based doulas through the Helping Promote Birth Equity through Community-Based Doula Care (HoPE) program to support over 275 birthing individuals. It has also launched a collaborative health and social navigation program for recent migrants, supported student and resident training in community health, and facilitated learning exchanges with international partners in the Philippines, Nepal, Kenya, and Kazakhstan.
“Congratulations to Dr. Sheela Maru and Dr. Ben McVane on their appointments to lead our Global Health Institute,” said Dr. Helen Arteaga-Landaverde, CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst. “Elmhurst Hospital serves one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse communities in the world, so advancing global health is key to our mission. I deeply appreciate Dr. Maru’s and Dr. McLane’s leadership and passion for improving health equity, and look forward to supporting their work to help underserved communities around the world.”
Dr. Maru, an attending OBGYN at Elmhurst Hospital, is also an Associate Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, with appointments in Health Systems Design and Global Health and in Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Science. Her research focuses on expanding healthcare access and improving quality for women and children in low-resource settings. She holds an MD from Yale School of Medicine and an MPH from Harvard University.
Dr. McVane, an emergency medicine physician at Elmhurst, is also an Assistant Professor in Emergency Medicine and Health Systems Design and Global Health at the Icahn School of Medicine. He works at the Indian Health Service Cheyenne River Health Center in South Dakota and serves as Medical Director at the Libertas Center for Human Rights. His research focuses on healthcare for immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. He has worked with refugee populations in Greece, Bangladesh, and Mexico. He earned his MD from Columbia University and his MPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Each Friday, City Limits rounds up the latest news on housing, land use and homelessness. Catch up on what you might have missed here.
The City Council scored a legal win this week in its lawsuit over the mayor’s refusal to implement its rental voucher expansion laws. (Gerardo Romo / NYC Council Media Unit)
Welcome to “What Happened This Week in NYC Housing?” where we compile the latest local news about housing, land use and homelessness.
Know of a story we should include in next Friday’s roundup? Email us.
ICYMI, from City Limits:
An appeals court ruled Thursday that Mayor Eric Adams’ administration must implement a package of laws passed by the City Council to expand eligibility for the city’s rental subsidy program, CityFHEPS. The laws raise the income threshold for applicants and expand eligibility to those at risk of eviction.
Should the city speed up its public review process for new housing projects? How much say should City Council members have when it comes to approving developments? These are a few of the questions voters might be asked to answer this fall, as the Charter Revision Commission finalizes a set of ballot proposals.
Last year, the City Council passed two bills requiring city agencies to survey migrants and asylum seekers in the shelter system about their work and health needs. The surveys were supposed to be distributed last November, but still aren’t finished yet.
ICYMI, from other local newsrooms:
So far, the city’s new broker fees law hasn’t lead to a significant rent spike, as some critics feared, according to Gothamist.
NYCHA wants to lease its parking lots for electric vehicle charging, Crain’s reports (subscription required).
A primer on the plans to bring three new casinos to New York City, via THE CITY.
NYCHA finished $1.2 billion worth of state-funded infrastructure upgrades across its developments, according to the Norwood News.
Ellee Salon, which opened on May 7 in LIC, has recently been approved and added to the Strands for Trans database. Photo credit: Ellee Salon.
July 11, 2025 By Jessica Militello
Ellee Salon, a recently opened hair salon on Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City, has been officially added to Strands for Trans, a national database of trans-affirming barbershops and salons that foster inclusive and welcoming environments.
The salon, which opened its doors to the Western Queens community on May 7, is located at 46-40 Vernon Blvd. It is owned by Ellen Lee, a veteran stylist with more than 25 years of experience in the hair industry. As a new business owner, Lee said it was important to create a space where everyone feels welcome and valued.
“I’ve always worked more in the Lower Manhattan area, and the customers have been a huge variety of people,” said Lee. “Especially in the 10 years that I was working in Greenwich Village, we had a lot more people who were in all stages of being trans, who started coming into the salon, and it was something that you realize takes a little bit more nuance, because they don’t necessarily have the life experience of having hair that they’ve always wanted to have, and the opportunity to work with somebody to help them think outside of their experience has been really rewarding.”
Strands for Trans provides the first registry of trans-affirming beauty and wellness salons. Photo credit: Strands for Trans.
While working at Salon V on 8th Street in Manhattan, Lee’s previous workplace connected with Strands for Trans and was added to the organization’s registry, which also encourages salons to adopt gender-neutral pricing. When Lee—now a Queens resident—opened her own storefront in Long Island City, she naturally continued the mission by registering with the trans-affirming network.
“There’s this wonderful database that helps connect the trans community with practitioners who are safe and understanding,” said Lee. “One of the requirements is to have gender neutral pricing, which is very important to me as well, so I connected with them and it’s a great way for people to know where they can go and not feel that they have to hide part of who they are.”
Ellee Salon is currently one of only three registered trans-affirming salons or barbershops in Western Queens, including Otis and Finn’s two Long Island City locations. Lee said she hopes her participation inspires others in the neighborhood to join the movement and help build a wider culture of inclusion.
Ellee Salon aims to provide a safe and welcoming space for all members of the Western Queens community. Photo credit: Ellee Salon.
The Strands for Trans website allows users to search by ZIP code for registered barbershops and salons in their area. Businesses can apply to be listed by filling out a simple application on the site. While gender-neutral pricing is a core requirement, Lee emphasized that the initiative goes far beyond cost.
“I hope that it spreads awareness for a trans person who sees this and decides to use the database, or a family member says, ‘Did you know you can go on here and this will help you?’” she said. “I just like the idea of broadening the knowledge base to help everybody and feel that they have a place and people that are interested in helping them.”
To learn more about Strands for Trans, visit strandsfortrans.org. To learn more about Ellee Salon or to book an appointment, visit @ellee_salon on Instagram.
MMOT will be open to all community members from 12 noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 12, at the intersection of 37th Avenue and 83rd Street during the vibrant block party celebrating Colombian culture and heritage.
First launched in Illinois, the mobile museum is based on Los Angeles’s Museum of Tolerance, which challenges visitors to confront bigotry, antisemitism and prejudice, and to understand the Holocaust in both historic and contemporary contexts.
MMOT promotes a “world-class learning experience” by using innovative technology and interactive lessons to bring a message of tolerance to schools and communities across the country.
Representatives from the mobile museum said it is imperative to educate community members on tolerance and human rights at a time when “hate and misinformation continue to rise.”
“The need for unity and understanding has never been greater,” MMOT representatives said. “The Mobile Museum of Tolerance brings inclusive, bilingual programming directly to communities, helping participants of all backgrounds reflect on the power of history, the dangers of discrimination, and their own role in building a more tolerant society.”
Representatives further added that the museum will provide a space for “dialogue, learning and empowerment” for members of the Jackson Heights community this Saturday.
The museum will offer free workshops and immersive modules over the five-hour period. MMOT stated that Saturday’s visit will be the center’s first to Jackson Heights.
Students at the Mobile Museum of Tolerance. Photo courtesy of Pollack Group.
The mobile learning center will visit Queens on Saturday as part of Festival Calle Colombia, organized by State Sen. Jessica Ramos, which returns for its fourth year this Saturday.
The event will transform 37th Avenue between 82nd and 84th Street into a vibrant street party, highlighting the rich history of the Colombian community in Queens.
The cultural celebration features live music, folkloric dance performances and community honorees.
Cumbia dancers in traditional dress will mingle with families, neighbors and visitors throughout the event, filling “Calle Colombia” with color and music.
Festival Calle Colombia will also serve as a community resource fair, offering information on local services and assistance from city, state, and community-based organizations. In addition to MMOT, organizations such as the NY State of Health will provide information on a range of services throughout the day for local residents and visitors alike.
Ramos said the annual festival honors the generations of Colombians who have built new lives in New York and Queens.
“Festival Calle Colombia honors the generations who built their lives here and inspires new dreams for the next,” Ramos said in a statement. “Cumbia dancers will fill the street, and our resource fair will connect our neighbors with vital community services. Come celebrate our Colombianidad with us and leave empowered to shape your future.”
Mend is a project based in Syracuse, NY that publishes the “creative work of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people as well as individuals who have been impacted by the criminal justice system”.
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