“Crude World,” Major Deegan and a New Politics of Movement

Ever wonder how the oil extraction industry affects indigenous
peoples and environments in places like Nigeria, Russia, Venezuela and
the U.S.? Peter Maass' engaging, detailed reporting in "Crude
World" answers that question. This week, he is swinging through his
hometown for three back-to-back speaking engagements at the Strand, CUNY and Revenue Watch. Be sure to catch one of them. Here's more of what's happening on this week's super-packed calendar:

• Monday: Just announced on Friday -- The New York State DOTis giving a presentation and taking public comments on the rehabilitation of the Major Deegan Expressway in the South Bronx. The rehab project includes an exit ramp extension that would affect pedestrian access to the Harlem River waterfront. Hearing runsfrom 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Presentations at 4:30 and 7:00.
• Tuesday and Thursday: NYC DOT will hold public hearings on ways to reduce traffic congestion on Brooklyn's Church Avenue and White Plains Road in the Bronx. 6:30 p.m.
• Thursday: Barnard College hosts a panel entitled "Rights of Way: A NewPolitics of Movement in NYC." "With the recent turn to pedestrianzones, bike lanes and greenways in New York and in many cities aroundthe world," the flyer notes, "there is a growing sense that a new kindof urbanism is possible, one no longer dominated by the culture andpolitics of the automobile." 6:30 p.m. Also Thursday: City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and other elected officials host a town hall forum on idling tour buses and charter buses on the West Side. 7 p.m.
• Friday: The Open Planning Project hosts a workshop on using Web 2.0 forwider citizen involvement in civic life. How can new opportunities beleveraged for use in city planning? What are the emergingtechnologies that will make this possible? What are the bureaucratic,logistical, or social issues that need to be addressed in consideringthese ideas? 12:30 p.m.
• Saturday: The Brooklyn Waldorf School holds its annualScoothathon in Prospect Park (10 a.m.) and the New York Transit Museum is offering a tour of the Brooklyn Broadway Elevated -- the J line(11 a.m.).
• Next Monday, Nov. 16: Hunter College is holdinga day-long conference on New York City's environmental challenges.Among the speakers: Owen Gutfreund, who will talk about transportationpolicy.

Keep an eye on the calendar for updated listings. Got an event we should know about? Drop us a line.