New York City officials are finalizing plans to relocate the famous Charging Bull statue from its current location at Bowling Green to a pedestrian area near the New York Stock Exchange. The proposed move, which the mayor’s office says is intended to protect safety and avoid traffic congestion, has been challenged by the artist Arturo Di Modica, who gifted the statue to the city in 1989. Robert Balder, the Executive Director of Cornell’s Architecture Art and Planning department in New York City, and Thomas Campanella, associate professor of city and regional planning, weigh in on the proposed move.

Architecture, Art and Planning

New York City

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Mason Peck, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Cornell University and former NASA Chief Technologist, comments on a SpaceX launch of 60 Starlink internet satellites.

Engineering

Physical Sciences & Engineering

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Drew Margolin, professor of communication at Cornell University, comments on news that two former Twitter employees were charged with spying for Saudi Arabia.

Agriculture and Life Sciences

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The 2019 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, a Norway spruce from Florida, New York, will be cut down on Thursday and transported to New York City, arriving this Saturday, Nov. 9. Daniel Weitoish, an arborist at Cornell Botanic Gardens, says the Norway spruce is an excellent choice for the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.

Agriculture and Life Sciences

New York City

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Nearly 900 New York City inmates could be released prior to Christmas before the bail-reform law takes effect in January. The New York Office of Court Administration says they're developing a plan to stagger the release of defendants starting in mid-December. Christopher Wildeman, policy analysis and management professor, studies the consequences of mass imprisonment for inequality, with emphasis on families, health, and children. He says while the inmates’ potential release would be a victory for both the defendants and their families, it’s important to be mindful of those reacclimating to life outside jail during a sometimes-stressful time of year.

Law, Government & Public Policy

Human Ecology

New York City

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Glen Dowell, a corporate sustainability researcher and professor of management and organizations at the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, comments on recent environmental activism among tech workers.

Energy, Environment & Sustainability

Economics and Business

Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future

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November 9th will mark the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, a 155 km-long concrete barrier that separated the city for almost three decades. While traces of the wall are still scattered around Berlin’s neighborhoods, the cold-war ideological divide between the Eastern and Western areas of the city has all but disappeared.

International

Arts and Sciences

Architecture, Art and Planning

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Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey announced Wednesday the company will stop accepting political ads starting Nov. 22, a decision that comes amid intense scrutiny of social media companies’ handling of such ads.

Law and Policy

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As the Kincade Fire continues to blaze in Sonoma County, vintners and winery owners are facing devastating impacts to vineyards and infrastructure for the third consecutive year. Justine Vanden Heuvel, associate professor of horticulture and viticulture expert, says while 90% of fruit was harvested before the Kincade Fire started, smoke taint, vine damage and loss of infrastructure and wine in storage continue to be major challenges in regions where wildfires are becoming more common.

Food & Agriculture

Energy, Environment & Sustainability

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On Tuesday, Amazon announced that it would start offering free food delivery for Prime members. The announcement comes over two years after the Seattle-based tech giant acquired Whole Foods in an effort to develop its business in the grocery and food industries.  Daniel Hooker, senior lecturer in food industry management at Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of Business, says that while Amazon may yield short-term gains from offering free deliveries, shoppers will need more convincing before they give up on brick-and-mortar grocery stores.

Economics and Business

Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

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