oil spill

"Earth Leak": Art Brings Disaster to Manhattan

Filed under: Art

As I walked the aisles of New York's Affordable Art Fair this past weekend, hoping to meet artists who'll someday become the mainstays of the auction scene, a powerful installation stopped me dead in my tracks. Black paint dripped from a white orb, which was suspended above a pile of once-white everyday household items. A milk carton and shoe, among other things, slowly turned black, as did the map of the world upon which they rested. An entanglement of pipes spread out from the dirtying action, and a quiet man sat on the floor beneath one of them, looking content and relaxed.

So, I had to interrupt his piece.

This is how I met Kamol Akhunov, the artist responsible for "Earth Leak". Inspired by the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Akhunov's installation drives home the message that a disaster thousands of miles away can affect our daily lives, as suggested by the black paint falling upon the pile of household goods, as well as the map beneath them.

Gallery: Earth Leak at the Affordable Art Fair

Artist Kamol Akhumov with Earth Leak at the Affordable Art Fair

Tags: affordable art, affordable art fair, affordable artwork, art exhibit, Art Exhibition, art exhibits, art fair, art show, artist, Artists, artwork, gulf of mexico, Gulf of Mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil spill, Gulf of Mexico spill, manhattan, new york, new york city, oil, oil spill

Continue reading “"Earth Leak": Art Brings Disaster to Manhattan”

How BP's Tony Hayward Got Shortchanged

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth, Crimes and Misdemeanors

On July 26 my colleague Deirdre Woollard reported that ousted BP CEO Tony Hayward (right), who become the target of international ire after the company failed to contain the massive Gulf oil spill, will walk away with $1.5 million in salary and benefits plus a pension worth over $17 million, for a total of cashout of $18.5 million.

That may seem like a lot of money for someone who oversaw the worst ecological disaster in recent history and watched his company's fortunes plummet – but in fact Hayward's "golden parachute" is pretty damned paltry compared to other recently ousted CEO's payouts, the Economist points out.

For instance, Hayward's kiss-off is a whopping $191.5 million less than the $210 million received by Home Depot CEO Robert Nardelli in 2007, who departed the company after its share price plunged. After the jump you'll find the newspaper's selected ranking of CEO payouts, showing Hayward languishing in last place. So don't be too hard on the guy - compared to his other former CEO pals he's practically penniless and they're probably all making fun of him at the club:

Tags: BP, business, CEO, CEOs, Citigroup, Merrill Lynch, oil spill, Tony Hayward, wealth

Continue reading “How BP's Tony Hayward Got Shortchanged”

Top Chef Judge Tom Colicchio Among Those Promoting Louisiana Seafood

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

"Top Chef" judge and restaurateur Tom Colicchio was just one of a team of famous chefs from around the country who traveled to Grand Isle, Louisiana to tour the local waters. On Monday morning Colicchio pledged that he would continue to use Gulf seafood in his restaurants.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports that the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board and John Folse a local chef and expert on Cajun cuisine put the event together to show some of the key influencers in the food world that that Louisiana seafood is still wholesome and safe to be consumed. The Louisiana fishing industry is at stake but many diners who have seen the images of oil spotted waters are reluctant to trust anything from the entire area. The local waters are being tested and patrolled to make sure that the seafood is safe to consume. Fishing has been shut down in some areas but most of the vast Gulf remains open and the seafood is untainted.

Still, many the impact has been huge in Louisiana where 1 in 70 jobs is tied to the state's seafood industry. Dallas-based chef Dean Fearing who attended the event said that he will donate proceeds raised at the third anniversary celebration for his restaurant, Fearing's, to Friends of the Fishermen Fund, a new charity for those fishers impacted by the oil spill.

Tags: BP oil disaster, bp oil spill, dean fearing, louisiana, louisiana fishing, Louisiana oil spill, oil spill, oil spill louisiana, Tom Colicchio, top chef

Kenneth Cole Cleans Up Well And You Can Too

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Charity

Designer Kenneth Cole is famous for his witty slogans, often used to raise attention for various social causes. Now he's taking his Kennethisms to T-shirts with a special custom T-shirt store on the Kenneth Cole Facebook page to help save the Gulf. Through the month of July 100% of net profits from the sale of the shirts will be donated to AWEARNESS, The Kenneth Cole Foundation to support the Gulf clean-up efforts. People visiting the site can mix and match 12 slogans, 14 colors, and various different graphic designs to create their own custom shirt. T-shirts retail for $35. "People everywhere need to get behind the Gulf cleanup efforts and by purchasing one of these custom T-shirts everybody can now look good by doing good," said Kenneth Cole.

Tags: cause t-shirt, kenneth cole, oil spill, oil spill cleanup, oil spill louisiana, oil spill update, oil spills

Saints Super Bowl Rings Handed Out, You Can Win One

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Sports

Women aren't the only ones who love little blue boxes from Tiffany's. The 2009 New Orleans Saints got their Super Bowl XLIV championship rings at a ceremony at the city's Roosevelt Hotel on Wednesday June 16. The rings were designed by Tiffany & Co. and feature a bunch of touches that resonate with fans of the Saints and their city. The rings are yellow gold and feature the New Orleans Saints fleur-de-lis logo set with round diamonds. The words "world champions" are set into the bezel of the ring with eight diamonds on each side (a total of 16 symbolizing the games the Saints won during the season). The rings also bear the score of the game, the NFL shield, images of the St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square and the Louisiana Superdome, a scene from the championship parade and the first few notes of the song "When The Saints Come Marching In." The underside of the ring bears inscriptions of team mottoes from last season: Be Special; Finish Strong; and Smell Greatness.

No precise estimate was given but they are believed to have a value of around $30,000 each. One ring wasn't there, it will be raffled off to raise money to benefit the relief efforts for the Gulf Coast oil spill. The winner will be announced at the nationally televised New Orleans Saints season opener on September 9, 2010. The winner will receive the ring and a cash prize in the amount of $2,178 to mitigate the winner's tax liability that results from winning the raffle. The proceeds benefit the New Orleans Saints Charitable Foundation and the Celebrities for Charity Foundation. Raffle tickets are $2 each with a minimum order of 5 tickets. The Saints organization hopes to raise as much as $1 million through the effort.

Tags: Gulf of Mexico oil spill, gulf oil spill, new orleans saints, oil spill, oil spill cleanup, oil spill louisiana, oil spill relief, super bowl, super bowl rings, tiffany, TiffanyAndCo, tiffanys

Jewelry Line Raises Awareness And Funds For Gulf Oil Spill

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Charity, Green

The Gulf of Mexico oil spill has generated plenty of conversation, controversy and compassion. New Orleans-based jewelry designer Mignon Faget, has a new line of cause jewelry to raise awareness and funds for the environmental disaster.

The new collection, called simply "In Mourning" pulls together animal-centered pieces that Faget used in previous collections. The collection takes the oysters, redfish, speckled trout, pelicans and other animals and uses them as tie tacks on black ribbons and pendants on black cords. Blackened oxidized silver pieces represent the effect of the oil on the oysters and other wildlife. The pieces are designed both to celebrate the diversity of the Gulf's marine and wildlife habitats but also to remind people of the tremendous losses caused by the spill.

Pieces retail from $65 to $300 and benefit the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, a nonprofit organization that has been around since the 1980s working on restoring and protecting the Louisiana coast. The collection is available at MignonFaget.com.

[via National Jeweler]

Tags: cause jewelry, Gulf of Mexico oil spill, gulf oil spill, mignon faget, new orleans, oil spill