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EXTRA! Monster Fire In The EV!!

Four Alarm Blaze At Houston St. and Ave. A http://gothamist.com/2010/07/08/firefighters_battle_two-alarm_blaze.php

The Fire Department is fighting a 3-alarm fire that started just after 5:30 p.m. on the roof of a building at Houston Street and Avenue A. The fire enveloped the entire roof; there is scaffolding on the exterior, and MyFoxNY suggested that the renovation/construction work could have been the culprit.

Here's live video; it appears that the Fire Department has it mostly knocked down (it's not officially under control yet). However, Houston Street is closed between First Avenue and Avenue B.

Update: The fire was at 240 East Houston Street. A few weeks ago, this complaint was filed with the Department of Buildings: "SCAFFOLDING IS BEING INSTALLED ON THE SIDEWALK, THEY HAVE INSTALLED FOUR OF THE SUPPORTS ON THE PROPERTY OF 244 E HOUSTON WITHOUTPERMISSION AND THERE ARE NO PERMITS/PLANS POSTED FOR THE CONSTCTN"

Update: The fire was upgraded to a 4th alarm, because while the main fire was knocked down, there firefighters are still searching for pockets of fire.

Update: The Office of Emergency Management says, "The following street closures are in effect due to the 4 Alarm Fire. E. Houston St. is closed from Christie St. to Norfolk St. Essex St. is closed from Delancy St. to 2nd Ave. The M9, M14 and M21 Buses are being rerouted."


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...And we got fresh fire porn!!

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George Steinbrenner has died

From Bloomberg News: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-13/george-steinbrenner-the-boss-who-rebuilt-yankees-franchise-dies-at-80.html

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George Steinbrenner, Yankees' Win-or-Else Boss, Dies
By Laurence Arnold - Jul 13, 2010

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George Steinbrenner, the mercurial and free-spending owner of the New York Yankees who presided over the restoration of one of the great franchises in professional sports after turning it into baseball’s version of a soap opera, has died. He was 80. He died today in Tampa, Florida, according to a statement by his family. He suffered a heart attack, the Associated Press reported. Major League Baseball is in the midst of its annual midseason break for the All-Star Game, being played tonight in Anaheim, California.

The man known as “The Boss” took baseball by storm in his 37-year tenure, helping to usher in free agency and multimillion-dollar contracts, changing managers 24 times and serving two suspensions. “We’d be winning games and he’d be semi-embarrassed because we’d win on a squeeze bunt or a base hit,” recalled Joe Torre, who spent 12 seasons as manager through 2007. “He wanted to mutilate people.”

Steinbrenner’s Yankees won two early championships, followed by a 13-year playoff drought during which his combustible personality overshadowed the team’s performance. The franchise regained its footing in the 1990s, fueled by Steinbrenner’s prodigious spending, and won four World Series in a five-year span through 2000, inviting comparisons to previous sports dynasties.

Seven Titles

In all, the Yankees won seven of their record 27 world championships during Steinbrenner’s reign, most recently in 2009, the first season after he turned over day-to-day operations to his youngest son, Hal. Steinbrenner’s Yankees lured the game’s top players with blockbuster contracts funded by the team’s league-leading attendance, global popularity and regional sports network. His aggressive business tactics widened the Yankees’ lead as baseball’s richest team while irking other owners.

“I’m going to miss him,” Marvin Miller, the former head of Major League Baseball’s players union, said in a telephone interview. “I don’t mean he was pro-union in any sense of the word, but he was clearly not of the school of the hard-line owners that felt the unions were treasonous.”

By 2005, the Yankees were the most expensive sports team ever assembled in North America, with a payroll of $208 million. They became the first baseball franchise worth more than $1 billion the following year in Forbes magazine’s annual rankings. In April 2010, Forbes estimated the Yankees’ value at $1.6 billion.

Caught Catfish

Steinbrenner helped establish that players were free agents, able to move teams and sign with the highest bidder, by plucking pitcher Catfish Hunter from the Oakland Athletics in 1974 with a five-year, $3.5 million contract, a record at the time. Two years later, he landed Oakland slugger Reggie Jackson, the biggest star available on the first open free-agent market.

During the second of Steinbrenner’s two suspensions from baseball, from 1990 to 1993, Yankee management led by General Manager Gene Michael stocked the franchise with future stars -- including shortstop Derek Jeter and pitcher Andy Pettitte -- who would lead the team to its most successful run of the Steinbrenner era. That core group of homegrown players led the Yankees to 13 straight playoff appearances, through 2007, and World Series titles in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2009.

New Stadium

After numerous threats to leave the Bronx for New Jersey or Manhattan if attendance didn’t pick up, Steinbrenner decided to build a new Yankee Stadium next to the one that housed the team since 1923. The new $1.3 billion stadium opened in 2009. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, founder and majority owner of Bloomberg News parent Bloomberg LP, today saluted Steinbrenner as “a champion who made New York a better place” and said flags at City Hall Plaza would be lowered.

George Michael Steinbrenner III was born July 4, 1930, in Rocky River, Ohio, the oldest of three children of shipping magnate Henry Steinbrenner and his wife, Rita Haley. His drive in sports and business was imbued early. “My father expected me to do well in everything,” Steinbrenner recalled. “He was a big man, a great athlete, and a fine student. He graduated from MIT near the top of his class and became the school’s only NCAA champion in track and field ever. That’s what I was up against. I was an only son, and I knew he was always watching.” Before turning 10, Steinbrenner used a loan from his father to buy baby chickens and went into business selling eggs.

Ran Hurdles

He attended Culver Military Academy in Indiana, then Williams College in Massachusetts, where he studied English literature and ran hurdles, as his father had. After serving two years as an aide to an Air Force general in Ohio, he indulged his love of sports as an assistant football coach at Northwestern and Purdue universities. He returned to the family fold in 1957 by joining Kinsman Marine Transit, the Great Lakes shipping company his grandfather and great- grandfather had founded in 1901.

He succeeded his father as company president in 1963 and, four years later, led a group that took over a bigger rival, American Ship Building. The resulting company was the largest grain carrier on the Great Lakes. “This was a rocket rise to wealth, but all the while part of his focus stayed on sports,” Roger Kahn wrote in his book on the 1978 Yankees. “In a sense, sport to George was like that beckoning green light Jay Gatsby saw and sought on a dock he could not reach.”

Basketball Bankruptcy

Steinbrenner bought a basketball team, the Cleveland Pipers, which went bankrupt when its league collapsed. He leaped into the big time in 1973, leading a group of investors that bought the Yankees from CBS Corp. for $10 million. Rich history aside, the Yankees were a .500 team at the time and hadn’t made the World Series since 1964. Though his initial investment was just $168,000, Steinbrenner would buy out his partners over the years to become principal owner.

Steinbrenner was indicted in 1974 on charges of making illegal contributions to President Richard Nixon’s re-election campaign. Pleading guilty to a felony and a misdemeanor, he admitted he tried to “influence and intimidate” employees of his company to lie about the donations. Avoiding prison, he was fined $15,000. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn banned Steinbrenner from the game for two years, then reduced the sentence to 15 months. Years later, President Ronald Reagan would grant Steinbrenner a pardon. Steinbrenner thanked his lawyers by doubling their $50,000 fee.

‘The Bronx Zoo’

In Steinbrenner’s fifth season, 1977, the Yankees won the first of two straight championships while enduring feuds among three outsized personalities: Steinbrenner, Jackson and manager Billy Martin. The team earned the nickname “The Bronx Zoo.”

After losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1981 World Series, the Yankees missed the postseason every year until 1995. Steinbrenner changed managers 12 times during the 1980s. The combative Martin alone was hired and fired five times over 14 seasons. One of his most destructive feuds was with legendary Yankees catcher Yogi Berra, who managed the team to a third- place finish in 1984. Sixteen games into the next season, Steinbrenner fired him, choosing to send an intermediary to deliver the news rather than do it personally.

Worst Mistake

So angry was Berra that he vowed never to step foot in Yankee Stadium while Steinbrenner was in charge. Steinbrenner patched the rift in 1999, apologizing at an in-person meeting. Berra’s wife, who attended the meeting, said Steinbrenner told Berra that the way he fired him was “the worst mistake I ever made in baseball.” Berra, 85, said in a statement today, “George and I had our differences, but who didn’t? We became great friends over the last decade and I will miss him very much.”

In 1990, Steinbrenner paid an admitted gambler, Howie Spira, $40,000 for damaging information about star outfielder Dave Winfield, with whom Steinbrenner was feuding. Commissioner Fay Vincent banned Steinbrenner from baseball for life, then reinstated him for the 1993 season. Steinbrenner grew incrementally more patient in his later years, the Yankees prospering amid the stability. Torre’s 12- year run as manager began in 1996, and Brian Cashman has been general manager since 1998.

‘Divide and Conquer’

Steinbrenner’s patience didn’t necessarily translate to softer treatment of the people under him. In a 2009 memoir, co- written with Tom Verducci, Torre said Steinbrenner governed with a “divide and conquer dynamic” that encouraged employees to denigrate others. Steinbrenner capitalized on the franchise’s popularity in 2002 by launching the Yankees Entertainment & Sports (YES) Network, a regional cable network built around Yankees programming. The Yankees owned 40 percent of the venture. In 2008, the network’s estimated $2 billion value surpassed that of the franchise proper.

In stepping back after the 2007 season, Steinbrenner named sons Hank and Hal co-chairmen of Yankee Global Enterprises LLC, the holding company of the team and its television network. He appointed daughters Jennifer and Jessica, and wife Joan, as vice chairwomen. On occasion, Steinbrenner poked fun at his image. In a 2004 credit card commercial, he appeared with his arm in a sling, ostensibly from having signed too many checks.

Raced Horses

He and his family spent summers at Kinsman Stable, his horse farm in Ocala, Florida, which produced six Kentucky Derby entrants. Steve’s Friend had the best showing, finishing fifth in 1977. Steinbrenner married the former Joan Zeig in 1956. Like their father, each of their four children graduated from Culver Military Academy.

Steinbrenner brought his passion for the military to the Yankees. At his behest, a sign was hung in the corridor leading from the clubhouse to the field. Each game, Yankees players read the words of Gen. Douglas MacArthur: “There is no substitute for victory.’ “I keep telling my guys, always remember that winning is everything,” Steinbrenner said in an interview on YES in 2005. “Winning is important. It’s a way of life.”

Another Sad Passing: R.I.P. Harvey Pekar

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From Gothamist: http://gothamist.com/2010/07/18/victim_gets_10mm_to_make_up_for_cir.php

Victim Gets $10MM to Make Up for Botched Circumcision

Mazel Tov? A Brooklyn federal judge has awarded $10 million http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/for_circum_slicing_2axm86gq4Ax5jSHp8RvOUM?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME= to the victim of a circumcision gone wrong, leaving his man parts "partially amputated." The settlement is ordered to be paid by the makers of the Mogen clamp, which was used to perform the procedure. Though it is advertised as the "preferred device of the more modern Jewish Mohel," the device has been involved in other partial amputations. The judge found that the device should have come with a warning, instead of the promised "risk-free procedure" in the instruction manual.

From: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h5aLHIRN3KB9fEYwYBkVzON4rcIAD9H1I7IG0


NYC City Hall renovation targets dangerous decay
By SARA KUGLER FRAZIER (AP)

NEW YORK — After rotting trusses, faulty wiring and sagging ceilings were discovered in New York's City Hall, the nearly 200-year-old national landmark is undergoing a major renovation that will displace the City Council and other operations for at least a year.

The city discovered deteriorating conditions during a minor renovation a few years ago, prompting a wider examination of the building, which once hosted Abraham Lincoln's body for public viewing and is one of the nation's oldest continuously-used city halls.

Officials found widespread failings and alarming decay: cracks through the trusses that support the roof, a rotting basement floor, wiring that was known to spark and dangerously sagging ceilings.

"It's gotten to the point where it's really bad," said Philip J. Kelly, the city official overseeing the project. "It has to be done. It's amazing no one's been hurt or there hasn't been a fire."

Recently, just before repairs were to begin in a City Council hearing room, a 10-foot-long, 6-inch-wide piece of plaster molding broke away from the wall and crashed to the floor.

The building was once the home of executive, legislative and judicial operations — including a criminal court and jail — but it is now primarily occupied by the offices of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, City Council and supporting operations for both.

The white Renaissance Revival-style building hosted viewings for the bodies of Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant after their deaths. It was illuminated one September evening in 1813, commemorating American victories in the war of 1812. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was welcomed with a party there upon his return from overseas in 1945.

The lower Manhattan building has also survived disaster, including a fire in 1858 during fireworks celebrations marking the laying of the first trans-Atlantic telegraph cable.

Many of the crumbling elements date to the building's original construction.

When workers first eyeballed the renovation project, the cost was estimated at $65 million. But officials said the expense has shot up to $106 million as crews found more problems when they ripped into walls and ceilings.

The building's last major update was in the 1950s, when the exterior marble and brownstone were replaced with white limestone, and an elevator was installed.

That elevator will be replaced in the upcoming project.

The work also involves reinforcing the wood trusses in the roof — part of the original 1812 construction — plus repairing the roof and ceiling of the council chambers and adjoining rooms. A building-wide fire sprinkler system also will be installed.

The building is also getting more efficient lighting, heating and cooling controlled by a computerized building-management system, water fixtures and lighting that are activated by sensors, and solar panels on the roof. Officials acknowledged that the environmental retrofits are not the highest level of upgrades available, but said there are cost limitations on what can be done.

Crews began some of the work in 2008, starting on the west side of the building, where Bloomberg's desk is located. Engineers said the trusses would not last another winter without possibly failing, so the beams were reinforced with steel.

The renovations won't move the mayor from the west wing, where repairs are being completed without displacing staff. Heavier work is now concentrated on the building's east side, where the 51-member City Council meets and where many council offices are located.

The room that has housed the City Hall press corps since 1898 will be closed during the work; the media began moving this month to a temporary trailer.

During the construction, council meetings will be held at the old Emigrant Savings Bank building on nearby Chambers Street.

Hearings will be shifted to another office building across Broadway, where council officials recently settled into temporary offices. Speaker Christine Quinn said there have been a few hiccups — like telephone problems and adjusting to closer quarters.

"It's a little bit of an adventure for a year," she said. "We had no choice — the building is in structural disarray and it wasn't safe for us to remain there."

One headache that has added to the growing cost of the renovation: Crews digging behind the building discovered the remains of an 18th century structure the city believes was an almshouse that stood from the 1730s to the 1790s.

The area is now being dug by hand and supervised by archeologists. The dig has turned up the remains of other structures, including a water cistern and an icehouse. Evidence of daily life, including bone buttons, medicine bottles and ceramic egg holders, have also been found.

The city Landmarks Preservation Commission is overseeing the digging and will determine what to do with the artifacts.

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

Man wearing Darth Vader mask and cape robs L.I. bank with gun, shoves customer to floor


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A lot of robbers use force. This one used the Force.

A bandit decked out in a Darth Vader costume strolled into a Long Island bank yesterday - and walked out with a wad of cash.

The villain looked ready for Halloween, wearing the "Star Wars" scoundrel's signature mask and sweeping black cape.

He lost some authenticity points for a pair of camouflage pants.

The get-up struck one customer as so funny that he started joshing with the Darth Robber after he strode into the Chase bank in Setauket.

"The customer thought it might have been a joke, and not a serious attempt at a robbery," said Suffolk County police Detective Sgt. William Lamb.

But Darth wasn't kidding - and he wasn't going to be stopped by a non-Jedi Knight.

He won a "shoving match" against the incredulous customer before using his piece to order him to the floor, Lamb said.

And his weapon was no joke. He was carrying a pistol instead of a lightsaber.

Cops released a surveillance camera image yesterday showing Darth at the teller counter, loading bills into a bag, while the customer cowers on the floor.

The fake Darth made a quick-footed getaway, and the bank was still checking its drawers late yesterday to figure out how large his take was, Lamb said.

It was the second recent off-the-wall bank robbery. On Wednesday, NYPD cops arrested a man dubbed the "Bouquet Bandit," saying he brought flowers and potted plants into banks he robbed.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/07/22/2010-07-22_darth_vader_robber_and_thats_no_lightsaber_hes_wielding_at_li_bank.html

From Gothamist: http://gothamist.com/2010/08/04/caroline_giuliani_arrested_for_shop.php



Caroline Giuliani Arrested For Shoplifting

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Caroline Giuliani, the daughter of former NYC mayor and presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani and Donna Hanover, was arrested for allegedly shoplifting at an East 86th Street Sephora. The Post reports that the Harvard student "was taken to Manhattan’s 19th Precinct stationhouse for processing" while the Daily News says the 20-year-old "was caught at Sephora about 3:30 p.m., sources said. Surveillance video is being reviewed by police." A few years ago, it was reported that Caroline Giuliani was going by the name "Caroline Hanover."

Update: Will being a Giuliani pay off? The Post's and Daily News' sources say that Giuliani was caught shoplifting over $100 worth of items by store security and a salesperson. The cops were called, but by the time they arrived, the store employees found out the lowly shoplifter was daughter of "America's Mayor" and, according to the Post, they "apparently had a change of heart and declined to press charges. But by then it was too late, and the daughter of the man who built a reputation for being tough on crime was carted out in handcuffs."

A source said, "It was captured on camera. At some point the store indicated they knew who she was and that they were not going to press charges. The DA will decide whether to decline prosecution or not." A witness in the store told the Daily News, "She was a pretty girl with blond hair. She got carted off in cuffs by four cops, two were holding her really tight." We bet if she needed her insulin shot, the cops would have let her have it. Hanover went to the 19th Precinct, but Rudy Giuliani was not spotted—and Caroline Giuliani was given a desk appearance ticket for "petit larceny.".

From: http://www.us.capgemini.com/news/current_news.asp?ID=840

NYC Has 667,000 Millionaires

Capgemini U.S. August 3, 2010 - New York, NY

Capgemini, one of the world's foremost providers of consulting, technology and outsourcing services, today announced the results of the Capgemini 2010 U.S. Metro Wealth Index, which monitors populations of High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs)[1] within the top ten United States metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). According to the Index, the population of HNWIs in the top ten MSAs increased 17.5 percent in 2009, the highest growth rate in the last four years. Those MSAs with the greatest HNWI population gains in 2009 were also those that had the largest drop in HNWI population in 2008.

2010 U.S. Metro Wealth Index

Capgemini's Edward Merchant, Solutions Leader, Capital Markets, for Capgemini Financial Services, explains the U.S. Metro Wealth Index and what it means for wealth management firms. New York City continued to top the Index and had more HNWIs than the next top three MSAs - Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, D.C. - combined. California hosted three of the ten largest MSA populations of HNWIs, including Los Angeles (ranked two), San Francisco (ranked five) and San Jose (ranked ten). In addition, Houston (ranked nine) had the strongest growth rate in its HNWI population.

While many of the MSAs in the Index continued to occupy the same ranking as they did in 2008, Philadelphia moved up to number six in the ranking for 2009, pushing Boston to the number seven position. This change in rankings was due to the fact that Philadelphia was among the least impacted metros in terms of economic factors such as rise in unemployment, decline in real estate prices and per capita income. In addition, Houston moved up to the number nine ranking, pushing San Jose down to number ten.

"In today’s volatile market, the Metro Wealth Index serves as a resource for advisers and wealth management firms who are looking to understand the trends affecting high net worth individuals in specific U.S. markets," said Edward R. Merchant, Solutions Leader, Capital Markets, for Capgemini Financial Services. "Through Capgemini’s wealth management expertise and sizing capabilities, we allow firms to better understand the opportunities that exist in different regions and help shape their strategy accordingly."
The Capgemini U.S. Metro Wealth Index leverages Capgemini’s custom market sizing modeling capability and is designed to help wealth management firms understand the scale and potential of different markets in order to identify new growth opportunities or adjust an existing footprint in specific regions. Wealth management firms can benefit from such analysis as it provides details on the dynamics and growth of potential markets and client segments, as well as insights on future trends.

The complete results for the top ten U.S. MSAs are included in the visual below. Capgemini has more than a decade of market sizing experience through client projects and on the industry leading World Wealth Report. For more information on market sizing engagements, please contact wealth@capgemini.com.


2009 Rank by #HNWIs (2008 in parentheses) US Metro Area Adult Population (k) 2007 HNWI Population (k) 2008 HNWI Population (k) 2009 HNWI Population (k) 2007-08 HNWI Growth (%) 2008-09 HNWI Growth (%)
1 (1) New York
(15,438.388) 650.1 561.8 667.2 -13.6% 18.7%
2 (2) Los Angeles
(10,227.825) 253.3 208.2 235.8 -17.8% 13.3%
3 (3) Chicago
(7,602.357) 205.4 172.2 198.1 -16.2% 15.1%
4 (4) Washington D.C.
(4,347.736) 151.9 127.7 152.4 -15.9% 19.3%
5 (5) San Francisco
(3,530.694) 142.6 120.8 138.3 -15.3% 14.5%
6 (7) Philadelphia
(4,725.571) 106.3 86.7 104.1 -18.4% 20.1%
7 (6) Boston
(3,723.372) 107.9 89.4 102.3 -17.1% 14.4%
8 (8) Detroit
(3,554.006) 94.5 79.5 89.1 -15.9% 12.1%
9 (10) Houston
(4,450.611) 86.7 68.4 88.2 -21.1% 28.9%
10 (9) San Jose
(1,457.851) 80.7 69.5 86.5 -13.9% 24.5%

[1] HNWIs are defined as those having investable assets of $1 million or more, excluding primary residence, collectibles, consumables, and consumer durables.

Chart: High Net Worth Individual Population Grows in the Top Ten U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas. According to the Capgemini 2010 U.S. Metro Wealth Index, the population of HNWIs in the top ten U.S. MSAs increased 17.5 percent in 2009, the highest growth rate in the last four years.

From: http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2010/08/09/fed-up-flight-attendant-pops-planes-emergency-chute-at-jfk-slides-away/

Flight Attendant Pops Emergency Chute, Escapes Plane at JFK
Aug. 9 2010
By Sean Gardiner
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A jetBlue flight attendant upset because a passenger refused to apologize after accidentally striking him with luggage, allegedly spewed obscenities over the PA system, then activated and slid down a plane’s emergency chute before disappearing into a terminal at John F. Kennedy airport Monday, an airport official said.

JetBlue Flight 1052 from Pittsburgh had taxied to a stop at Terminal 5, Gate C around noon Monday when flight attendant Steven Slater, 38, was struck in the head with luggage that a passenger was trying to unload from an overhead compartment, according to an airport official with knowledge of the incident.

Slater demanded an apology from the passenger, the official said, but the passenger refused. The two argued before the passenger told Slater to “fuck off”, the official said. The official said that Slater then got on the plane’s PA system and directed that same obscenity at all the passengers and added that he especially meant it for the man who refused to apologize.

Slater is alleged to have then activated the plane’s inflatable emergency slide, grabbed two beers from the galley, then slid down the chute, the official said.

The attendant then ran from the tarmac into the terminal, the official said. He made his way to his car and drove to his residence in Belle Harbor, Queens, the official said. The official said that jetBlue officials waited until about 25 minutes after the chute was deployed before they notified Port Authority Police. The wait enabled Slater to make the getaway, the airport’s police force. Steve Stampley, a jetBlue spokesman, declined to comment on the alleged reporting delay.

Authorities picked the flight attendant up at his home on Beach 128th Street Monday afternoon and brought him to the Port Authority Police station at JFK airport for questioning. The official said that Slater was calm when arrested and remained calm throughout his interrogation and the booking process. He was charged with reckless endangerment and criminal mischief. He was awaiting arraignment Monday night. Attempts to reach Slater’s relatives were not successful. (No word on whether the flight attendant was one of the many former NYPD officers in jetBlue’s employ.)

Stampley said that jetBlue’s corporate policy prohibits the company from divulging information about crewmembers.

“At this time, we are working with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to investigate this incident. At no time was the security or safety of our customers or crewmembers at risk,” Stampley said.

Gawker unearthed what appears to be Slater’s MySpace page, which mentions overcoming alcohol and substance abuse, and includes comments about how he ‘loves to max it out with trips around the world, sometimes on a moment’s notice

From Gothamist: http://feeds.gothamistllc.com/click.phdo?i=61c9738d7d535760f685aa2bf5b796ff


Times Square Street Performer Gets Stabby

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A silver street performer who dresses up like the Tin Man flew into a rage and heartlessly stabbed a tour bus hawker with a screwdriver last night in Times Square, cops and witnesses said. WABC reports that a City Sights New York employee was standing in front of the Toys R Us store when he got into an argument with the Tin Man around 7:30 p.m. The dispute culminated with the silver guy stabbing the victim in the arm, and one witness says, "There was blood everywhere."

"It was a scuffle going back and forth on the ground," witness Eric Jones tells the Daily News. "The silver guy got up and took off." The victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, and police arrested Gerald Brown, 50, of Harlem, reportedly finding the bloody screwdriver tucked in his silver pants. "It was a turf beef," one cop tells the tabloid. And another witness says the Tin Man's just too territorial, explaining, "The Tin Man was arguing with Spider-Man last night. He said, 'You asshole, this corner is mine.' "

From: http://www.vosizneias.com/62562/2010/08/19/new-york-ny-manhattan-has-citys-worst-air-quality

New York, NY - Manhattan Has City's Worst Air Quality

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New York, NY - A study released by the local Department of Health on Wednesday showed that major air pollutants are heavily concentrated in high-traffic areas in Manhattan and along highways during the summer in New York City.

The study, which used data from summer 2009, revealed that Manhattan has the worst air quality, especially in areas with lots of skyscrapers like Midtown and lower Manhattan.

The study showed high concentrations of elemental carbon, nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone, released primarily from vehicles and buildings.

“It’s important to remember that all New Yorkers have a stake in improving the City’s air quality,” said New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley in a release. “Exposure to the pollutants evaluated in this report can cause grave health problems, including cardiovascular and lung diseases, and premature death.”

The report suggests increasing public transit efficiency and encouraging more bike riding as a way to reduce emissions

Gothamist: Westboro Hate Freaks Will Be In NYC Tomorrow

http://feeds.gothamistllc.com/click.phdo?i=e7fc96fb533a8f121b82550025330de5

http://slog.thestranger.com/files/2007/10/Westerboro_Baptist_Church.jpg

Fasten your seatbelts....

BTW in case you haven't noticed there's an orange blimp over the city these days.

BTW in case you haven't noticed there's an orange blimp over the city these days.

Al Qaeda? Or marketers? :lol:

CONAN!!

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4129/5069914784_c417e94dfa_b_d.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nybble73/

Frank Gehry's IAC Building used for Vimeo light show:

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From Gothamist: http://gothamist.com/2010/10/12/assemblyman_tried_to_punch_westboro.php
:lol:
Assemblyman Tried To Punch Westboro Hate Mongers

Yesterday the Westboro Baptist Church, the group that regularly protests at funerals of those who served in the military (prompting the father of a slain soldier to sue the church's pastor), had a few of its protesters in Brooklyn and Manhattan yesterday to spread its provocative gospel of "God Hates Fags," "Thank God For 9/11," and "Your Rabbi Is A Whore." At one location in Brooklyn, Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D) was so incensed he tried to punch out Shirley Phelps-Roper, daughter of the church's founder Fred Phelps. According to WPIX:

Hikind interrupted an interview Phelps-Roper was doing with PIX 11 News to slap the posters, saying "Come on!" Phelps-Roper shouted, "Don't touch me! Don't touch me!" while police supervisors grabbed the Assemblyman by the waist. "How dare you have those signs!" Hikind yelled. He then warned the Kansas group, "Just be careful the rest of your day in Brooklyn."

Hikind also called Phelps-Roper a "whore". Yeshiva World News reports that the Westboro protesters' minivan's tires were slashed: "They were seen a short while later getting their flat fixed at a local tire-repair shop. 'The only thing I’m sad about, is that all four of their tires weren’t slashed', Dov Hikind told YWN."

When the protesters arrived in Manhattan, one of the counterprotest signs they were were confronted with was "God Hates Signs."

.

Wow. That's the most I've seen anyone go at the Phelpses in some time. People should know they are all lawyers that live for prosecuting attackers -- just as much as they love protesting.

They came to Long Island several years back after the Mepham High (Bellmore, NY) football hazing involving the uh..."pine cone". But most importantly were met by a strong counter-protest that drowned them out. That's about the most you can do to them it seems. Make their effort seem like a waste as much as possible.

I'm so sick of the way the cops protect those assholes. They came out here and the whole city wanted to take them apart at the joints but the damn cops were everywhere. They should just go out for donuts for an hour or two. That's about all the time we'd need. :D

NY Times Poll: Cuomo 59 % Paladino 24%

read it here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/18/nyregion/18poll.html?hp

At the debate the other night, there weren't any fireworks between the two....and the rest of the five candidates stole the show with some laughs.

At the debate the other night, there weren't any fireworks between the two....and the rest of the five candidates stole the show with some laughs.

And Paladino left early to...take a piss! :lol:

:D

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Yankees Lose Game 6, Exit Playoffs (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=301022113&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines)

Bedbugs Invade UN Headquarters! (http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/bedbugs_continue_assault_on_nyc_b79OmXFwYaQDgTF9vtmlHL)

http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/6929/bed_bug_stuffed_f1559.jpg
http://www.planetware.com/i/photo/new-york-united-nations-new-york-city-ny280.jpg

Bedbugs Invade UN Headquarters! (http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/bedbugs_continue_assault_on_nyc_b79OmXFwYaQDgTF9vtmlHL)

http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/6929/bed_bug_stuffed_f1559.jpg
http://www.planetware.com/i/photo/new-york-united-nations-new-york-city-ny280.jpg

Thats....just... :bash: :nuts:

Just heard that there are suspicious packages coming in from Yemen, a plane was landed after being escorted by fighter jets at JFK.

Planes were searched but the two packages were found in Dubai and in London. JFK must be nuts right now!

Elaine's Owner Elaine Kaufman Dies (http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/famed_restaurateur_elaine_kaufman_PgECgjphIh5HMITFO9cQNM#ixzz174yloBS1)

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1167/553778247_be4c3986a2.jpg
:(

A great NYC tradition suffers another terrible blow.

Times Sq. Disneyfication "Complete" (http://feeds.gothamistllc.com/click.phdo?i=bae5fc8601e2dbdc90159fc2cfaa89c6)

Newspaper Box Coated in COST REVS Graffiti Sells For $4,000 On Ebay! (http://feeds.gothamistllc.com/click.phdo?i=1cb18784d2ac7f963889cbe276f5d44b)

http://animalnewyork.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/COST_newspaper_box.jpg




.

^ ^ There may be no "grit" left in Times Square, but those nostalgiac lamenters can easily stroll over to Eighth Avenue for some '70s style scuz.

OTB We Hardly Knew Ye (http://feeds.gothamistllc.com/click.phdo?i=98b2a4223dcba5e7ef55d17731bdeb49)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QRWCBVoEn-M/TPatG4mFr6I/AAAAAAAAANo/bGLT6yFPpT0/s1600/OTB%2BSmoking%2Bsection.jpg

30 years ago today

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http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4045/4377529222_2e92d32722_z_d.jpg

I hope this is News ! The NY banner is great today : ) ........hmmm I thought, Glorious ! and I don't use words like that.......ever really ?

Edit/ I just logged on ..came here made this post.....then went to ESB thread....haaa the first post I read is NY Glorious ! Who'd have thunk it ! Honest.....should go out and buy a lotto ticket ?

^^
Just don't buy that lottery ticket at OTB. ;)


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:lol: :lol:

Swimsuit Designer Found Dead In SOHO (http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/12/10/new.york.swimsuit.death/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn)

The Most Expensive Parking Space In NYC (http://feeds.gothamistllc.com/click.phdo?i=9cc5dbdd94a4a484bd2300deb294c721)

$1,200 a month at The Empire. :eek:

Madoff's Son Hangs Himself With A Dog Leash (http://feeds.nydailynews.com/~r/nydnrss/home/~3/PChhrxZVlnY/2010-12-11_bernie_madoffs_son_mark_hangs_himself_in_soho_apartment_sources_say.html)

http://www.france24.com/en/files/imagecache/aef_ct_article_image/article/image/mark-madoff-m_0.jpg

Mark Madoff

Pimp Killed, Hooker Shot In Brooklyn (http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/pimp_killed_hooker_shot_in_brooklyn_gavsrgJyRwsKXErx3YRlAK?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME=)

This scared the shit out of me!

Terrifying Photos Of Man Caught Between Train And Platform
http://i53.tinypic.com/f24xmq.jpg
via NY Post

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/train_suffering_39bd6X65KyYQ50xtFobNGJ

Walmart's NYC Invasion Explained!!

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Rudy Giuliani Slams Bloomberg Over Botched Snow Removal (http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/former_mayor_snafu_giuliani_blasts_CSLws3DEAOFv8SVEjJAs7L?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME=)


Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani hurled snowballs today at Mayor Bloomberg on how it handled last week's blizzard cleanup, saying "it was a big mistake" and that he would have never fouled up such an operation.

"It was a big mistake. [He] didn't declare a snow emergency when predictions were for a decent amount of snow," Giuliani said during an appearance on MSNBC's "The Morning Joe" show. "Didn't get plows out on time. If there was a slowdown ... you should have picked [the snow] up."

The criticism comes after Bloomberg admitted that the city's efforts to plow streets was not up to snuff.

"You get a report every hour that says how many ... streets were plowed. This is computerized. This isn't guesswork," said Giuliani. "Everybody has strengths and weaknesses. Mike has been an excellent mayor and you make mistakes."

A Marist College poll released Thursday showed that attitudes toward Bloomberg's handling of the snowstorm was abysmal.

The mayor scored poorly with 71 percent of New Yorker's disapproving and only 21 percent approving.

Giuliani, known for fighting crime and going after quality of life issues plaguing the city, said the snow fiasco would have never taken place on his watch. "I was a micro-manager. ... I liked going to the Sanitation garages at 4 in the morning, 5 in the morning," he explained. "People expect a mayor to pick up the snow, to pick up the garbage." [..]

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/former_mayor_snafu_giuliani_blasts_CSLws3DEAOFv8SVEjJAs7L#ixzz1AOYDJ6NT

And now it's Giuliani, mr nobody cares, trying to get some attention.

I wonder if he's thinking about coming back to city hall.

They don't seem to want him anywhere else.

Sen. Joe Lieberman To Retire ("http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/18/lieberman-will-not-run-for-re-election/')


Senator Joseph Lieberman will not seek re-election in 2012, according to a person informed of his decision who spoke to The New York Times. He is set to announce his future plans on Wednesday. Lieberman, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, has seen his favorability polls dip significantly in recent years as his bipartisan stance has alienated former Democratic supporters—and he hasn't been much more popular among Republicans. In short, the odds of being re-elected are not in Lieberman's favor. Former Connecticut Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz has already revealed that she will seek the Democratic nomination for his seat.

Walmart's NYC Invasion Explained!!

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The Japanese are too damn high!

The National Arts Club upholds its reputation with astonishing grace: ;)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5139/5389952863_d0c0a5759e_o_d.jpg

Tavern On The Green To Become "Trump On The Green"? (http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2011/01/27/tavern_on_the_green_to_become_trump_on_the_green.php)

This scared the shit out of me!

Terrifying Photos Of Man Caught Between Train And Platform
http://i53.tinypic.com/f24xmq.jpg
via NY Post

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/train_suffering_39bd6X65KyYQ50xtFobNGJ

:omg: one word, shit!

This scared the shit out of me!

Terrifying Photos Of Man Caught Between Train And Platform
http://i53.tinypic.com/f24xmq.jpg
via NY Post

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/train_suffering_39bd6X65KyYQ50xtFobNGJ

hoooolllllyyyyyyyyyyy

Fred Wilpon May Sell Mets Stakes (http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/01/28/us-madoff-mets-idUSTRE70R60J20110128)

Manhunt continues for a junkie on a murder spree

Forbes Calls NYC The Nation's Fourth Most Toxic City
(http://gothamist.com/2011/03/01/forbes_calls_new_york_nations_fourt.php)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2518/3908000254_b0f6f53790_z_d.jpg
lachance (http://www.flickr.com/photos/alachance/) at Flickr

The Armory Show 2011

Piers 92 & 94

Twelfth Avenue at 55th Street
New York City

The Armory Show 2011 Opening Day takes place Wednesday, March 2nd for invited guests.

Opening Hours:
Thursday, March 3 - Saturday, March 5 Noon to 8 pm
Sunday, March 6 Noon to 7 pm

http://www.thearmoryshow.com/cgi-local/content.cgi

http://www.thearmoryshow.com/cgi-local/db_images/images/cache/335-filename-630-420-fit.jpg

New York's Gayest Gym Is Totally Bankrupt (http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gawker/full/~3/TIUosuXtEZA/new-yorks-gayest-gym-is-totally-bankrupt)

NY Post: "Fire Janette Sadik-Khan" (http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/editorials/we_janette_6ZhwHlxPxnIZzli8wjNrTM?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME=)

Another satisfied customer :)

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He makes a lot of sense :)

Bicycles shouldn't be used outside of parks at all or at least they should be subjected to the traffic laws. If they want to support the environment, get an electric car, for fucks sake. What is the most annoying thing on the road? A bicyclist. And on the sidewalk? A bicyclist.

I am posting this here because I love New York and you must know the world was watching you in 2001.......You may already know Japan has had a big earthquake but now their Nuclear reactor has exploded......This is a huge catastrophe and the world should know....even anywhere in the USA.....I don't mean to be rude..but the USA is very insular

It's called the city desk for a reason. This thread is only for news within or around the city of new york. Of course we are aware of the disaster in case you aren't aware, it's all over the tv news.

:(

Fifteen Dead In NY Bus Crash (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/12/AR2011031201436.html)

http://sharing.myfoxboston.com/sharewnyw//photo/2011/03/12/buscrashrawDPP_tmb0002_20110312115030_320_240.JPG
unimaginable carnage

A tour bus in the Bronx flipped onto its side and slid into a sign post early Saturday morning, killing 15 people. (Thirteen died at the scene and two more died later.) The New York Fire Department said the bus overturned on the southbound side of Interstate 95, and the sign post sliced off the top of the bus along the window line for nearly two-thirds of the vehicle's length. The bus was carrying 31 to 33 passengers. In addition to the 13 confirmed killed, six people were critically injured and another 11 sustained minor injuries.

http://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/m4/may2011/4/0/image-1-for-osama-bin-laden-s-death-how-the-world-found-out-gallery-504574964.jpg

NY Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/nyregion/karsan-from-turkey-is-rejected-as-new-york-taxi.html?partner=rss&emc=rss)

In Contest for New York’s New Taxis, Turkish Entry, the Karsan, Is Rejected

http://www.ridelust.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/tot_seaport_03-600x401.jpg

The Karsan van, with a retractable wheelchair ramp, got a lot of support in Brooklyn when the company promised to build a factory in Sunset Park.
By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM

Published: May 2, 2011

The Karsan V1, an oblong Turkish van vying to become the exclusive vehicle of the New York City taxi fleet, has features that would make a Crown Victoria weep: London-style jump seats; a moon roof for panoramic views; even a pledge to build the cars in Brooklyn. (The Crown Vic, the fleet’s old mainstay, was made in Canada.) “How can we possibly reject this proposal?” Marty Markowitz, the Brooklyn borough president, said at a rally he organized on Sunday to support the van.

The Bloomberg administration is set to present a few reasons why.

The Karsan van has been rejected by the Taxi and Limousine Commission, according to a city official who has been informed of the decision, and who insisted on anonymity because it had not been made public. The rejection came after a review raised concerns about whether the Turkish company, untested in the American market, could reliably execute the high-concept product it had designed.

That leaves the city’s Taxi of Tomorrow competition — which will award a contract for the next decade’s yellow cabs — with two contenders. Both finalists were submitted by more established automakers and are less aesthetically distinct: the Ford Transit Connect and the Nissan NV200 vans. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is expected to announce the selection this week.

Karsan’s bid attracted far more attention than its competitors’, earning international headlines as a stylish new look for the traditional New York cab. Its makers hired Rubenstein Associates, the public relations firm, to supervise a media campaign, and the vehicle attracted strong support by advocates for the disabled because of its retractable wheelchair ramp.

But an analysis commissioned by the city concluded that Karsan would present the “highest risk” to the taxi industry if chosen for the 10-year contract. The report, prepared by an automotive consultant, Ricardo Inc., put it bluntly: While Karsan had demonstrated “the will and technical capability” to build its proposed taxi, the company was “a new manufacturer, with a new manufacturing paradigm, not familiar with the U.S. regulatory framework, with no current sales, service or support infrastructure” in the United States, according to the report, excerpts of which were obtained by The New York Times.

The consultant appeared concerned about whether Karsan, which has rarely tried to design and build a new vehicle from scratch, had “fully evaluated the risks and countermeasures required to ensure that their product will deliver and maintain the same level of maturity as that of their competitors over the life of the contract.”

Jan Nahum, the executive director of Karsan, said in a statement that he was shocked that he had not been directly notified of the decision, and he described the premature release of the report as inappropriate. “Furthermore,” he added, “we were unaware of any such report, and the concerns reportedly raised in it have never been expressed to us.”

Karsan said last month that it was prepared to build a plant in Sunset Park, potentially creating hundreds of jobs. The announcement was hailed by some city politicians, including several who spoke at Mr. Markowitz’s event outside Brooklyn Borough Hall on Sunday.

“Imagine the rebirth of solid, union, middle-income jobs,” Mr. Markowitz said. And Julie Kushner, a United Auto Workers director who also spoke at the rally, said Karsan’s selection would “represent the first auto assembly jobs in the city for decades.”

While Karsan has been eliminated, city officials are said to have encountered drawbacks in all three finalists.

Ford’s submission, for its existing Transit Connect van, was viewed early on as problematic and uninspired, and some taxi officials were taken aback to see the city include the car as a finalist.

At one point, the Ford entry was considered “a fallback” that could be picked if other, more exciting options did not pan out, according to two individuals with direct knowledge of the city’s deliberations who requested anonymity because the discussions were supposed to be private.

City Hall officials would not comment on internal deliberations. But Mayor Bloomberg appeared to allude to Karsan’s perceived problems on his radio program last week.

“You’ve got to look at how much experience companies have had in building cars,” he said on Friday.

Juliet Linderman contributed reporting.

Nissan Wins Contest For NYC Cabs (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-03/nissan-wins-contest-to-supply-next-fleet-of-new-york-taxi-cabs.html)

Nissan Motor Co., Japan’s second- biggest carmaker, was chosen to supply New York’s next fleet of yellow taxi cabs, a deal city officials valued at $1 billion over 10 years.

http://i.usatoday.net/communitymanager/_photos/drive-on/2011/05/03/cab%20x-wide-community.jpg

Nissan beat out proposals from two other finalists in the “Taxi of Tomorrow” competition: Ford Motor Co. (F) and Karsan Otomotiv Sanayi & Ticaret AS of Turkey, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said today. The automaker’s NV200 minivan will become the new standard, eventually replacing the city’s 13,237-car fleet, which now consists of 16 models.

“It’s going to be the safest and most convenient cab the city has ever had,” Bloomberg said today at a City Hall news conference with Deputy Mayor Stephen Goldsmith and Taxi & Limousine Commissioner David Yassky. “Nissan’s submission, we think, was far and away the best among the three finalists.”

[...]

Mayor Bloomberg: If The World Ends Saturday, Parking Rules Will Be Suspended (http://feeds.nydailynews.com/~r/nydnrss/home/~3/WlXo0XMa2aM/2011-05-20_mayor_bloomberg_ever_the_optimist_says_if_apocalypse_happens_alternate_side_park.html)

HE HE Typical dry, deadpan Mike.

Did this guy Rapture to Heaven ? or is he still hanging around Columbus Circle ? I would love to hear an interview with him tomorrow.....It is afternoon 22nd here but still 21st there I guess.
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/1626/article13889720c1bb5a50.jpg (http://img24.imageshack.us/i/article13889720c1bb5a50.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

Tornado Watch For NYC Until 8:00pm Tonight (http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Tornado-Watch-for-NYC-Surrounding-Counties-122954538.html)

Huge Fire In Brooklyn (http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/firefighter_hurt_in_klyn_wall_collapse_oj5EaVPpp0Tbnk5lqE8sSM?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME=)

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Would you re-elect this guy?

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:D

http://www.breakingcopy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/weiner_front_pages.jpg

http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/anthonyweinernypost.jpg

It's unfortunate that this is the issue that ruined his reputation, not his actual record as an attack dog.

It's unfortunate that this is the issue that ruined his reputation, not his actual record as an attack dog.


With this schmuck, I don't think you could have one without the other. Weiner's attack dog antics won him the female following that he exploited for the sake of his perversion. He needs to get out yesterday...

Breach of ethics, or public trust? Don't see this indiscretion on the level of an Edwards, here. I mean, this isn't exactly the Victorian era, is it?

Breach of ethics, or public trust? Don't see this indiscretion on the level of an Edwards, here. I mean, this isn't exactly the Victorian era, is it?

He used his position to insinuate himself with women half his age, lied about it, directed a media witchhunt for supposed hackers and then admitted his own deceit. His own party has been seriously sidetracked and damaged by this.

Weiner Battles For Political Life (http://feeds.nydailynews.com/~r/nydnrss/home/~3/OkXp3donmNk/2011-06-08_weiner_battles_for_political_life.html)

These are witch hunts into people's sex lives ... which isn't even sex in this case, by the way. Yes, Weiner's character is damaged (running for mayor is probably out), but bill Clinton survived doing far worse in every category. Just sayin', for perspective.

These are witch hunts into people's sex lives ... which isn't even sex in this case, by the way. Yes, Weiner's character is damaged (running for mayor is probably out), but bill Clinton survived doing far worse in every category. Just sayin', for perspective.

The real damage may be the lost momentum the Democrats had going into this election cycle. Instead of having the Republicans on the run over their medicare plan, we get Anthony Weiner's dick. (now pictured on Gawker)

Attack of the Bees!

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Battle For Brooklyn - The Movie. Coming to a symposium near you!

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Weiner out da House!

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Thought you guys might like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzE-IMaegzQ&feature=player_embedded

Walmart And Christine Quinn Negotiating A Deal With Hunts Point (http://feeds.gothamistllc.com/click.phdo?i=d6e702fbbc591f14b0f33955c476a5ce)

http://www.randomtandem.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/quinn.jpg

"Cheap doughnuts? I'm in!"

Gay Marriage Passes New York State Senate (http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=8615cb02077f79bac05d9c653fafade8)


Caterers everywhere are rejoicing!

<object width="640" height="390"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uR_b6hFhHTg&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uR_b6hFhHTg&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></embed></object>

Beware anyone taking the B62 bus through Williamsburg:

(NSFW)



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Battle For Brooklyn - The Movie. Coming to a symposium near you!

<object width="640" height="390"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wwq78l6SPUs&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wwq78l6SPUs&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></embed></object>

The air takings of this district enchanted to me. A wonder really! Not by the way in question all that discución of the district and that species of construction, I do not want to be bold to think envelope it, queria to only comment the air takings.

Glenn Beck Is Moving Out Of NYC (http://bestplaces.nydailynews.com/voyeur/glenn-beck-move-texas-rents-20000-month-housel%22)

:dance:

I suppose all it took was for a few assholes to heckle his family and have him blow a fuse over the rise of gay gang warfare invading the manhattan docks run by the socialist mafia? :P

George Soros Sued By Brazilian Soap Star For Not Giving Her A Free $1.9 Million Apartment (http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gawker/full/~3/vjjILM3EFss/george-soros-sued-by-brazilian-soap-star-for-not-giving-her-a-free-apartment)





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Republican Bob Turner Wins Anthony Weiner's Seat (http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=54bfa9c727a3ca4ecdc7b7e19d4ed217)




.

OK so...the last NE Republican along with my own suburban LI rep. -- Peter
King (R)Seaford, NY :D

Wall Street Protesters Plan to Stay Awhile (http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2011/09/19/wall-street-protesters-plan-to-stay-awhile/?mod=google_news_blog)

http://www.anunews.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/aa-Wall-Street-dancer-on-bull.jpg

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Looks like hippie hacktivists...

Tony Bennett Apologizes For 9/11 Remarks (http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/tony_bennett_apologizes_for_remarks_zUdp6kxyHIlJ1taZW4sL5I?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME=)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ifKItPkL4t8/TC4LnUVvauI/AAAAAAAAMgU/QdpqKB5-7G0/s320/tony+bennett.jpg


Legendary singer Tony Bennett was apologetic Wednesday after saying America "caused" the attacks on the Twin Towers, during a controversial interview on "The Howard Stern Show" earlier in the week.

The 85-year-old Grammy-winning crooner, famed for the 1960s hit single "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," made the remarks on the Sirius XM Radio talk show in New York on Monday.

Talking about the aftermath of the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, Bennett asked Stern "But who are the terrorists? Are we the terrorists or are they the terrorists? Two wrongs don't make a right."

The singer, who has sold more than 50 million records, went on to disagree with Stern's assertion that the Twin Towers attacks led to US military action in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bennett said, "They flew the plane in, but we caused it. Because we were bombing them and they told us to stop."

But Bennett seemed apologetic in his latest Facebook posting, writing, "I am sorry if my statements suggested anything other than an expression of my love for my country, my hope for humanity and my desire for peace throughout the world."


Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/tony_bennett_apologizes_for_remarks_zUdp6kxyHIlJ1taZW4sL5I#ixzz1Yba05Un7

Wall Street protesters: over-educated, under-employed and angry (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/19/wall-street-protesters-angry)

F Train Panty Thief On The Loose (http://feeds.gothamistllc.com/click.phdo?i=d12a5f1817403b3ba56b1defc97b0a8b)

http://rainydaysuperstar.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/panty-thief-sparks-security-meltdown-at-barry-university.2615124.40.jpg

Rich Snobs Planning Champagne Counter-demonstration To Wall St. Hippies (http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gawker/full/~3/9sTDv2bOSrQ/snobby-illiteraterati-to-protest-wall-st-hippies-with-champagne-toast)

So I went down to check out the famous Wall St protests and took some pics on my phone:



http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/1840/96996904.jpg

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/7932/87284508.jpg

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http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/1396/75930532.jpg

http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/2412/17127902.jpg

Basically, you have around 20-30 hipsters lying around and 500 people taking pictures of them. There's no cohesiveness in their demands and it's mostly plain gibberish. Two guys were dancing and tourists thought it was some kind of a show. Someone was distributing free pizza.

Bonus
http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/9622/31652591.jpg

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/4181/72862339.jpg

^^

Quite a bunch down there!

Cops arrested 700 of 'em at the Brooklyn Bridge: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=6de6cf13c6347b77e2b6579376294b33

Basically, you have around 20-30 hipsters lying around and 500 people taking pictures of them. There's no cohesiveness in their demands and it's mostly plain gibberish. Two guys were dancing and tourists thought it was some kind of a show. Someone was distributing free pizza.


Spot on
:okay:

There's the ones that are committed to their issues and are happy that other people are supporting them, and then there's the vast majority of guys down there for the freak show (and radiohead hoax lol), just for the lulz because it's the cool thing to do and they read it online.
Then you have the angry guys who just want to kick things and are looking for trouble, they always find their way to ruin everything, and a few infiltrators will be more than happy to abuse the crowd and get them to do something stupid.
In the end, they'll never get far nor get real support without a real unified goal. Sort of like moving the weekends' Union Square downtown for the tourists and media to cover.
At least at the GOP convention, or Seattle in 1999, those were understandable protests.

Good luck to them, the country needs to see there are more important issues than just listening to the tea party.

A friend reminded me why they sound so familiar, anyone remember GTA3's talk radio station? The guy who calls for everyone to go join a protest without a cause?

1 dies as helicopter carrying 5 goes down in the East River

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http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6228/6218963575_c0396d1f50_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52836039@N02/6218963575/)
Occupy Wall Street - 10/6/11 (P1270472) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52836039@N02/6218963575/) by michael.2999.pics (http://www.flickr.com/people/52836039@N02/), on Flickr

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6177/6218985987_5bf5c2efec_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52836039@N02/6218985987/)
Occupy Wall Street - 10/6/11 (P1270482) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52836039@N02/6218985987/) by michael.2999.pics (http://www.flickr.com/people/52836039@N02/), on Flickr

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6226/6218607901_96c8e69614_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52836039@N02/6218607901/)
Occupy Wall Street - 10/6/11 (P1270503) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52836039@N02/6218607901/) by michael.2999.pics (http://www.flickr.com/people/52836039@N02/), on Flickr

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6228/6218207773_6209df8a7b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/manzari/6218207773/)
Occupy Wall Street (http://www.flickr.com/photos/manzari/6218207773/) by Manzari (http://www.flickr.com/people/manzari/), on Flickr

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6236/6215953672_c0004d2452_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/manzari/6215953672/)
Occupy Wall Streeet (http://www.flickr.com/photos/manzari/6215953672/) by Manzari (http://www.flickr.com/people/manzari/), on Flickr

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6092/6215904054_d17cb2ce46_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/manzari/6215904054/)
Occupy Wall Street (http://www.flickr.com/photos/manzari/6215904054/) by Manzari (http://www.flickr.com/people/manzari/), on Flickr

Protesters, curious onlookers, and the media they all crave are moving into Washington Square Park (which is closed to anyone sleeping overnight)

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Mayor Bloomberg: Occupy Wall St Protesters Can Stay Indefinitely (http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/mayor_bloomberg_says_occupy_wall_hxsWjgaEegGMELAcDUNAtK?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME=)

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6041/6227696199_efa403c9cd_b_d.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/68480782@N04/

Times Square

http://public.vinnews.com/assets/uploads/news_photos/thumbnails/800_l8hvufcne9da1gzqlp9rtstbmihdztv6.jpg

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NY Marathon goes smoothly

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Geoffrey Mutai, of Kenya, celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the 2011 New York City marathon in New York, New York, USA, on 06 November 2011.

Tappan Zee protester causes a stir (and blocks traffic)

http://cmsimg.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Avis=BH&Dato=20111107&Kategori=NEWS03&Lopenr=111070352&Ref=AR&MaxW=300&Border=0&Protester-Tappan-Zee-Bridge-plunges-into-Hudson

http://www.lohud.com/article/20111107/NEWS03/111070352

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Major building collapse in Brighton Beach: http://feeds.gothamistllc.com/click.phdo?i=60f9ba773ef9d852d4bc1eae1833b392

David Lynch: Bloomberg Makes Animals Out Of Smokers (http://feeds.gothamistllc.com/click.phdo?i=0f35d119cc3746d7c9b0b19938712cbe)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2453/4043975751_af5dd3a9f0.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gifake/4043975751/)
David Lynch (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gifake/4043975751/) by quicheisinsane (http://www.flickr.com/people/gifake/), on Flickr

DNAinfo: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CCUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dnainfo.com%2F20111130%2Fmanhattan%2Fbloomberg-says-he-has-own-army-nypd-slams-teachers&ei=pEPcTqCYOqmsiQKmqaznCQ&usg=AFQjCNGIDDwAlfPkCOQIbXQBxWNTvRi_kw&sig2=vwhl7TnZWiVBZ1PhCLksaQ

Bloomberg: "I Have My Own Army"

http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.984290.1322629401!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_485/image.jpg



MANHATTAN — Now he can add another title to his name...general.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg took aim at Washington during a blistering speech at MIT Tuesday, basking in the unrivaled power that comes with running the biggest city in the country — including have an army of cops at his disposal.

The mayor also aimed his barbs at American teachers, saying that they're culled from "from the bottom 20 percent and not of the best schools."

“I have my own army in the NYPD, which is the seventh biggest army in the world,” the mayor said. “I have my own state department, much to Foggy Bottom’s annoyance. We have the United Nations in New York, and so we have an entrée into the diplomatic world that Washington does not have."


Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/20111130/manhattan/bloomberg-says-he-has-own-army-nypd-slams-teachers#ixzz1fd6DCflz

Discarded Cigarette May Have Caused Tick Tock Diner Fire (http://feeds.gothamistllc.com/click.phdo?i=9b58a9b4e04659b32361cd90a8a14800)

http://www.nypost.com/rw/nypost/2011/12/18/news/web_photos/121811-FIRE-DM-2151840--300x450.jpg

Mayor Bloomberg Delivers State of the City Address

http://assets2.static.vosizneias.com/uploads/news_photos/thumbnails/800_ytwlqs6jgmthmytfzpyjzmzztibbqcb1.jpg
Bloomberg delivers a raging three-flagger.

http://assets2.static.vosizneias.com/uploads/news_photos/thumbnails/800_m4x6plrqhkbb8ycha97gpwxqjp7ueysp.jpg
The crowd at the Bronx's Morris High School.

http://assets2.static.vosizneias.com/uploads/news_photos/thumbnails/800_j1navypfsup9tvhbmi9jnq3977krywcl.jpg
Shaking hands with former Mayor David "90s what?" Dinkins.

http://assets2.static.vosizneias.com/uploads/news_photos/thumbnails/800_fxaolk2dkczotc2x0ledxxlpruptedgh.jpg
Bloomberg with various muckety-mucks.

4 Killed In One Day On NYC Subways (http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/4-people-die-in-unrelated-nyc-subway-incidents-20120122-apx)

NYPD Looking Into Using Surveillance Drones (http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/01/23/is-the-nypd-experimenting-with-drones-over-the-city-evidence-points-to-yes/)

http://classictvhistory.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/nypd-title.png

I can see their usefulness. with drones you could possibly phase out the use of police helicopters which are noisier, and more accident-prone. It would be an odd sight but one you could get used to.

NYPD Raids 5 Story Marijuana Mega Mansion (http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/01/31/nearly-800-marijuana-plants-found-in-police-raid-of-bronx-building/)

http://media.metronews.topscms.com/images/31/da/9bd8b9da46d3b207b02d3762312d.jpg



.

The G Men are honored at City Hall


http://hosted.ap.org/photos/3/3989c002-98b5-4ef3-af0d-fff55fd71977-big.jpg

Head Coach Tom Coughlin holding the Vince Lombardi trophy during a traditional ticker-tape parade through the canyon of heroes

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/external/search.hosted.ap.org/wireCoreTool/Search?type=Photo&output_format=PARA&query=Super+Bowl+parade&SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME

Little Mitt Romney with his dad at the 1964 World's Fair

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vWFga3AAZFU

Brooklyn Bridge crane accident

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Sheet metal hangs from the Brooklyn Bridge after a crane being carried on a vessel struck the scaffolding attached to the underside, Monday, March 13, 2012, in New York. Officials say there doesn’t appear to be any structural damage to the bridge, which crosses the East River and connects Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tim Tebow Arrives

xpmhm4

@ NY Times: "We got ourselves another climber!"

q6qdW_GZEEo

Subject claims he only wanted a newspaper, is subsequently taken to Bellevue! :lol:

Bridge Tolls For Bicylists? (http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/03/23/renewed-calls-to-add-tolls-to-east-river-bridges/)


http://www.thelodownny.com/leslog/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/williamsburg-bridge-3.jpg

"Delusional" JetBlue Meltdown Pilot Also Sells Weight-Loss Shakes, Wants To Be Motivational Speaker (http://gothamist.com/2012/03/28/delusional_jetblue_meltdown_pilot_a.php)

http://www.radaronline.com/sites/radaronline.com/files/imagecache/350width/clayton-osbon-jetblue-twit-post.jpg
http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2012/03/clayton-osbon-panic-attack-jetblue-flight-191-video

So much for both careers!!! Poor bastard, worst time to lose it!!!!

Don't look now, it's the Mitzvah Tank Parade!

http://gothamist.com/attachments/garth/201204_mitzvahparade.jpg

Explanation: http://gothamist.com/2012/04/03/dont_be_alarmed_thats_just_the_mitz.php

Macy's Evacuated Due To Basement Fire (http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Macys-Fire-Evacuated-Basement-Herald-Square-146157105.html)


Macy's flagship store in Herald Square was evacuated Wednesday afternoon after a fire erupted in the basement.

FDNY officials say there are no reports of injuries.

The call for the fire came in at about 3:30 p.m., and the main fire had been knocked down by 4 p.m.

It started in the cellar and spread to a contained area on the first floor, according to an FDNY official at the scene.

Wilson Phillips performs at Loehmann's

Iihounvi6IQ

Hi, everybody! I am an Italian recent graduate in Venice and I would like to have a work experience as an intern in an architecture office in NYC. I especially would like to work on zero-energy and energy-plus buildings: any suggestions? Thank you in advance!

Hi, everybody! I am an Italian recent graduate in Venice and I would like to have a work experience as an intern in an architecture office in NYC. I especially would like to work on zero-energy and energy-plus buildings: any suggestions? Thank you in advance!

Google is your friend. :)

Get Ready For The New Public Phones (http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/city_new_phone_booths_VFGNinvlcNX30nlD7ibKDK)

Space Shuttle Enterprise Takes The DC Shuttle To New York

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7080/7118859999_9ea0a9bc35_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dannydaly/7118859999/)
space shuttle and 747 New york city April 27 2012 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dannydaly/7118859999/) by dannydalypix (http://www.flickr.com/people/dannydaly/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7204/6972742310_7fa360478a_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dannydaly/6972742310/)
space shuttle and 747 New york city April 27 2012 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dannydaly/6972742310/) by dannydalypix (http://www.flickr.com/people/dannydaly/), on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8023/6972742786_0f19c27a2b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dannydaly/6972742786/)
space shuttle and 747 New york city April 27 2012 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dannydaly/6972742786/) by dannydalypix (http://www.flickr.com/people/dannydaly/), on Flickr

100 years ago...

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/section/learning/general/onthisday/big/0415_big.gif
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0415.html

http://media.washtimes.com/media/community/image/2012/01/20/titanic-paper-r-800.jpg
http://communities.washingtontimes.com/multimedia/image/titanic-paper-r-800jpg/

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/51/Titanic-New_York_Herald_front_page.jpeg

Beastie Boy Adam Yauch Dead Of Cancer At 47 (http://gothamist.com/2012/05/04/beastie_boy_adam_yauch_dead_at_47.php)

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTEyMzUwMDM4MDNeQTJeQWpwZ15BbWU3MDEwNjcxMTM@._V1._SY314_CR11,0,214,314_.jpg

Yauch's publicist sent out this notice:

It is with great sadness that we confirm that musician, rapper, activist and director Adam "MCA" Yauch, founding member of Beastie Boys and also of the Milarepa Foundation that produced the Tibetan Freedom Concert benefits, and film production and distribution company Oscilloscope Laboratories, passed away in his native New York City this morning after a near-three-year battle with cancer. He was 47 years old.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Yauch taught himself to play bass in high school, forming a band for his 17th birthday party that would later become known the world over as Beastie Boys.

With fellow members Michael "Mike D" Diamond and Adam "Adrock" Horovitz, Beastie Boys would go on to sell over 40 million records, release four #1 albums--including the first hip hop album ever to top the Billboard 200, the band's 1986 debut full length, Licensed To Ill--win three Grammys, and the MTV Video Vanguard Lifetime Achievement award. Last month Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with Diamond and Horovitz reading an acceptance speech on behalf of Yauch, who was unable to attend.

In addition to his hand in creating such historic Beastie Boys albums as Paul's Boutique, Check Your Head, Ill Communication, Hello Nasty and more, Yauch was a founder of the Milarepa Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting awareness and activism regarding the injustices perpetrated on native Tibetans by Chinese occupational government and military forces. In 1996, Milarepa produced the first Tibetan Freedom Concert in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, which was attended by 100,000 people, making it the biggest benefit concert on U.S. soil since 1985's Live Aid. The Tibetan Freedom Concert series would continue to stage some of the most significant benefit shows in the world for nearly a decade following in New York City, Washington DC, Tokyo, Sydney, Amsterdam, Taipei and other cities.

In the wake of September 11, 2001, Milarepa organized New Yorkers Against Violence, a benefit headlined by Beastie Boys at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom, with net proceeds disbursed to the New York Women's Foundation Disaster Relief Fund and the New York Association for New Americans (NYANA) September 11th Fund for New Americans--each chosen for their efforts on behalf of 9/11 victims least likely to receive help from other sources.

Under the alias of Nathanial Hörnblowér, Yauch directed iconic Beastie Boys videos including "So Whatcha Want," "Intergalactic," "Body Movin" and "Ch-Check It Out." Under his own name, Yauch directed last year's Fight For Your Right Revisited, an extended video for "Make Some Noise" from Beastie Boys' Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, starring Elijah Wood, Danny McBride and Seth Rogen as the 1986 Beastie Boys, making their way through a half hour of cameo-studded misadventures before squaring off against Jack Black, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as Beastie Boys of the future.

Yauch's passion and talent for filmmaking led to his founding of Oscilloscope Laboratories, which in 2008 released his directorial film debut, the basketball documentary Gunnin' For That #1 Spot and has since become a major force in independent video distribution, amassing a catalogue of such acclaimed titles as Kelly Reichardt's Wendy and Lucy, Oren Moverman's The Messenger, Banksy's Exit Through The Gift Shop, Lance Bangs and Spike Jonze's Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait Of Maurice Sendak, and many more.

Yauch is survived by his wife Dechen and his daughter Tenzin Losel, as well as his parents Frances and Noel Yauch.


QfyMv5mG_Z8

In case you are still wondering why the city, and Philly too, and the whole northeast, is full of red admiral butterflies:
Population boom (http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story/Red-Admiral-butterfly/sX_RsQuL3UeQ8ULzYwkFEw.cspx) in some sort of 10 year cycle and northern migration.


It's way better than seeing those huge flies around

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn Weds Longtime Partner Kim Catullo (http://feeds.nydailynews.com/~r/nydnrss/home/~3/hivkpE12Rok/story01.htm)

http://cdn.newsday.com/polopoly_fs/1.3724811.1337297985!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/display_576/image.jpg







Funny, the crowd threw rice but none of it made it to the floor!

:troll:

NY Post (http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/queens/what_kvetch_at_citi_hvj7UcweRnsS7vKOingHFJ?utm_medium=rss&utm_content=Queens)


What A Kvetch At Citi!

Jews hit back at the internet in mass rally at Citifield

http://www.nypost.com/rw/nypost/2012/05/21/news/web_photos/21.1n003.internet1.C--300x300.jpg

Even the hot-sauce ads were too hot for the Hasids.

Orthodox rabbis yesterday declared such social-networking sites as Facebook off-limits, at a massive anti-Internet event that drew more than 60,000 to Citi Field and neighboring Arthur Ashe stadium.

Those who spoke were shown on the scoreboard at Citi Field between two ads for Cholula hot sauce — with the image of its matronly female trademark covered up. “Enough with the schmutz — we want to be clean,’’ said Rabbi Waxman of Lakewood, NJ. Waxman, like all other rabbis who spoke, were identified by their last names only.

Speaking before 42,000 bearded men in black hats — no women allowed — at Citi Field and another 22,000 at Arthur Ashe, Waxman said that the Internet, “even with a filter, is a mine field of immorality. Children are being turned into click vegetables . . . I’ve seen people with my own eyes giving 11-year-olds BlackBerrys and iPhones and cellphones. I can’t believe it,’’ he said.

Eytan Kobre, spokesman for the event, organized by The Union of Communities for the Purity of the Camp, insisted, “[Facebook] has left a trail of broken marriages.” For the women, there were six live video feeds across the tri-state area.

Attendee Moshe Birmbaum, 19, of Toronto, said that he has a Facebook profile, but that after yesterday’s sermons, “I’m going to delete it now. I don’t think I’ll be losing anything.’’ Zev Munk, 19, of Passaic, NJ, said he’d already given up Facebook and Twitter. “Now, I’m clean,’’ he said.

Older attendees spoke of the Web’s dangers. “Once you start it, you go from one page to another, but it’s empty. It brings you into a fantasy. It’s an addiction,” said Moshe Soffer, 28, of Brooklyn.

[...]
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/queens/what_kvetch_at_citi_hvj7UcweRnsS7vKOingHFJ#ixzz1vTnewmSH



Yikes!
NwwaZrHEsVg

The Great Googa Mooga Festival Draws Thousands of Hipsters To Prospect Park

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7225/7233604930_d46b8eaa83_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ritechus/7233604930/)
The Great Googa Mooga - Day 1 - Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NYC (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ritechus/7233604930/) by Eric Isaac (http://www.flickr.com/people/ritechus/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7098/7235366508_53e789be02_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/flatbushnelson/7235366508/)
The Great Googa Mooga Festival, Prospect Park, Brooklyn (http://www.flickr.com/photos/flatbushnelson/7235366508/) by flatbushnelson (http://www.flickr.com/people/flatbushnelson/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7103/7233665200_57e0b9e8bd_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ritechus/7233665200/)
The Great Googa Mooga - Day 1 - Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NYC (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ritechus/7233665200/) by Eric Isaac (http://www.flickr.com/people/ritechus/), on Flickr