By Fr Graeme Napier The ancient tradition of blessing rivers, bays, coves, and other waterways returns once more to the West Village after a hiatus caused by the pandemic. In the Christian calendar the Epiphany of Our Lord (6 January) is followed by the Sunday known as The Baptism of Christ. On that Sunday morning

By Dana Jean Costantino As the winter is now here, and we still must deal with the various restrictions and implications brought about by Covid, many, if not all of us, are looking for ways to stay healthy both mentally and physically. Essential oils provide a wonderful supplement to your health care regimen and can

By Robin Hirsch  As someone who has spent a considerable part of his life immersed in performance of every kind and surrounded by performers of every caliber, it has been an unalloyed treat to crawl out of the miserable hole we have all been stuck in, tiptoe into the Lucille Lortel Theatre, and bathe in

A new documentary film directed by Antongiulio Panizzi By Hannah Reimann On rare occasions, while we listen to the beautiful music of Chopin, Mendelssohn, Bach and Beethoven, life transcends music and we realize that the true meaning of music is people, relationships, life, history and the depth of feeling life lessons bring. I recently had

By Robert Heide The special December 2, 2021 program and celebration at the incredible Whitney Museum of American Art at 99 Gansevoort Street was in honor of the publication of the important and significant book, the Catalogue Raisonne of the Films of Andy Warhol Volume II —1963-1965. Invited by Adam D. Weinberg, Alice Pratt Brown,

By Max Goldberg When most consumers go to buy organic produce at the supermarket, they do so believing that it has not been sprayed with toxic pesticides. And many of these individuals also assume that this produce has been grown in nutrient-rich soil. Increasingly, however, a majority of the organic tomatoes, greens and berries that

By Paula Doebrich The new year is always a time for grand resolutions and plans to start implementing new healthy habits. While I suggest you take care of yourself year-round, any excuse to get started is great! A few simple changes to your daily routine can make a big difference. Here are some of my

By Anthony Paradiso & Roger Paradiso The pandemic has not been kind. Over 800,000 Americans have died as of mid-December. Many businesses have died too. About 800,000 have been lost in America. “There is a normal loss of about 600,000 per any year, but the pandemic has added another 200,000 (lost) small businesses” (businessinsider.com). Some

By Lynn Pacifico My grandmother Virgie’s story might not be as complete as I would like it to be, as my mother’s backcountry folk, especially my quiet grandmother, did not pass along a lot of information. She was born in 1896 in Virginia, eventually moving to Natchez, Mississippi, where she grew up. There, when Virgie

By Stacey Kaliabakos As a junior at the College of the Holy Cross, I have been able to take a number of courses in which I have discussed humanity’s relationship with nature. During my freshman year I was enrolled in a seminar course called Disenchantment and Alienation. In this class we talked about how modern

By Jeff Hodges When I was young and trying to weasel out of a distasteful task—like cleaning up putrefying cat vomit—my mother would acidly remind me that we were descended from pioneers, patriots, and war heroes, and tell me to buck up. Whether any of them had to clean up cat vomit in the course

By Gordon Hughes What a way to end a year. Due to the persistence of COVID, it’s changes and ups and downs may make this column more or less factual and timely. There are three Broadway musicals that I am involved with that are now up and running, three tiles in a mosaic of new

According to last week’ s data (see nyc.gov), the 10014 zip code has a Covid positive rate of about 16.4%—the highest in all of NYC. WestView News predicted this possibility twice (December 2021 “VID Statement on Vaccination Requirements” by Susan Gottesman, PhD, MD and October 2021 “Leave the Attitude, Take the Cannoli” by this author).

By Mark M. Green, Abstracted from A Scientists View of Almost Everything  “For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me”—Jeremiah 2:22 informs us of the ancient use of ridding out bodies of dirt and smell but not necessarily iniquity. Smelling someone who does not

By Alec Pruchnicki, MD The deadly effect of COVID on the elderly, especially those in hospitals and nursing homes, has been in the news since the start of the pandemic. But there are other institutions that care for older adults which have not gotten much publicity; assisted living facilities (ALFs). There is very little in

By Kieran Loughney Crossing Jones Street in Greenwich Village, a street just a block long, I paused. My brother stopped too, and we stood looking around us. “You’re standing in an historic spot, Kevin,” I told my twin, “Follow me…” Nearby, at Record Runner, I pointed to a copy of The Freewheeling Bob Dylan album

By Catherine Revland How do you write a story about an icon in 800 words? Author Michael D. Minichiello explains how he does it in the introduction to West Village Originals: An Oral History of New York City’s Most Unique Neighborhood. His challenge is “To find the ‘hook,’ a defining theme, and present each person

By Hannah Reimann As of January 5th, 2022, the 885,000 reported cases of the Omicron variant are shattering US records in regard to the COVID-19 crisis. The Grammy Awards have been postponed, Hong Kong has suspended flights from eight countries including the US, Rio de Janeiro has canceled its Carnaval street parties, classrooms have been