The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation issued an Air Quality Health Advisory for NYC initially on Tuesday, June 6th. Today, the advisory has been reissued for all five boroughs due to continued smoke present from the Canadian wildfires.

As of this afternoon, NYC is at an AQI level of 166. This falls into the unhealthy category for AQI, resulting in possible health effects to those breathing in the air.

To give some context, NYC was at an AQI of 21 (good) on Sunday, June 4th. By Monday, June 5th, the city reached an AQI of 144, qualifying as unhealthy for sensitive groups, according to IQAir.

You can monitor NYC’s live air quality and pollution ranking on IQAir or the Environment and Health Data Portal. Currently, NYC sits as the second worst major city in the world for air quality. Delhi, India is ahead of NYC, with Toronto, Canada following just behind.

According to IQAir, cities in other regions of New York State are experiencing even worse AQI levels: Middletown – 232, Rochester – 288, Ithaca – 281.

The city has requested New Yorkers stay inside or limit outside activities as much as possible. For the elderly and those with heart or breathing problems, it’s advised to wear an N95 or KN95 mask outside.

IQAir forecasts NYC’s air quality to go back down to a moderate pollution level by tomorrow.

For questions, New Yorkers can call the toll-free air quality hotline at 1-800-535-1345. Read more about the current Air Quality Health Advisory here.

The post NYC Has The 2nd Worst Air Quality In The World Right Now appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

It seems wild to think that an employer would not hire someone because of their height or body type, but such is the world we live in. At least in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams recently signed into law a ban on discrimination because of a person’s height or weight in employment, housing, and public accommodations.

“We all deserve the same access to employment, housing, and public accommodation, regardless of our appearance, and it shouldn’t matter how tall you are or how much you weigh,” Adams said at the signing. “When you’re looking for a job, you are out on our town, or you are trying to get some form of accommodation or apartment to rent, you should not be treated differently. It creates more inclusive workplaces and living environments, and it protects against discrimination.”

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) states that “height and weight requirements tend to disproportionately limit the employment opportunities of some protected groups.” Unless employers can demonstrate during the hiring process why they need to know someone’s measurements, it’s technically illegal under federal law to even ask.

“Workers come in all shapes and sizes and that is a good thing,” said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU).

The bill, Intro. 209-A, was sponsored by Councilmember Shaun Abreu and similarly creates an exemption where a certain height or weight is necessary to “performing essential requirements” of a job.

Adams thanked Abreu for thinking outside the box about real equality in employment. Abreu said he owes an immense debt of gratitude to all the people who shared their stories of dealing with this “silent burden,” the organizations that helped spearhead the campaign that resulted in the bill, and all the advocates who helped push for the bill.

“Size discrimination is a social justice issue and a public health threat,” Abreu said in a statement. “People with different body types are denied access to job opportunities and equal wages—and they have had no legal recourse to contest it. Worse yet, millions are taught to hate their bodies.”

The first wave of body positivity protests began in Central Park in 1967 when about 500 people gathered to call out persistent bias against “fat” people. This led to the founding of the National Association to Aid Fat Americans (NAAFA) in 1969, later renamed the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. The group went on to treat fat phobia in healthcare, employment, and education as a serious civil rights issue, inspired by Black and women-led social justice movements of the time.

“This is such a powerful moment for anyone who has ever faced discrimination simply because of the size of their body,” said Tigress Osborn, co-founder of the Campaign for Size Freedom and NAAFA chair. “When the mayor of one the most iconic cities in the world agrees that size discrimination is unacceptable, it sends a message to leaders all over the country, and all over the world, that creating equal opportunities and accessible communities for people of all sizes should be a priority.”

Osborn added that while attitudes can’t be legislated, people can do everything in their power to ensure that everyone is treated equally and has equal opportunity under the law.

To the criticism that body and fat positivity can be unhealthy, Adams said that he is an avid health advocate. “We are going to continue to talk about our progressive health agenda and science has [shown] that body type is not a connection to [being] healthy or unhealthy. I think that’s a misnomer that we are dispelling,” said Adams.

Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.

The post Adams passes bill to prohibit height or weight discrimination in housing and workplace appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here

NYC is home to some of the most iconic buildings in the world–and unfortunately some of the ugliest, like the Verizon building–so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a majority of the most loved buildings in the U.S. reside right in our very city.

Buildworld, a company that provides people with building and construction needs, analyzed Twitter posts of about 6,000 of the world’s most famous landmarks and then used AI to find out which of those received the most praise for their design.

And when it comes to the top ten most loved buildings in the U.S., NYC dominates.

In fact, six of the top ten most loved buildings reside in NYC, and include:

• Empire State Building
• Flatiron Building
• Brooklyn Museum
• One World Trade Center
• New York Public Library
• Chrysler Building

The Empire State Building has received quite a good amount of praise, with 63% of tweets about its design being positive ones. This building comes second only to Fallingwater in Millrun, PA, in which 65.1% of tweets regarding its design are positive.

Not too far away from the ESB is the Flatiron Building, which has garnered 56.5% positive tweets regarding its design, followed by Brooklyn Museum (55.1%), One World Trade Center (51.9%), NYPL (49.5%), and the Chrysler Building (43.9%).

Our analysis shows that architecture fans are enamoured with many of New York City’s most famous buildings, though Lloyd Wright’s iconic Guggenheim Museum does not feature. With 63% of tweets in praise of its Art Deco design, Manhattan’s iconic Empire State Building is America’s second-most loved building. It opened as the world’s tallest building in 1931 and was recognised by the American Institute of Architects as the country’s favourite building in a 2007 poll.

With all of NYC’s iconic buildings it surely doesn’t come as a surprise that the city dominates the cinematic landscape, and even though we love all the landmarks that make our city so unique, we also love all the places that don’t look like they even belong in NYC.

And, while you’re checking out all of NYC’s most loved buildings, be sure to check out the city’s most beautiful streets!

The full study can be found here.

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* This article was originally published here