The Observer has learned that Ydanis Rodriguez, the chair of New York City Council Transportation Committee, will join a meeting scheduled for Thursday, April 23rd in a Midtown location at which he will propose a bailout to rescue medallion owners, who have witnessed the value of their investment plummet as Uber and other ride apps disrupt the traditional taxi business. 521 MORE WORDS
NYC Steakhouse Owner Torched by Twitter Haters Over Objection to Rising Minimum Wage Costs
Posted: January 24, 2018 Filed under: Economics, Food & Drink, Mediasphere, U.S. News | Tags: Manhattan, Minimum wage, Real estate, Restaurants, Steak house 1 Comment
Many eateries are seeing their profits squeezed, or worse, as wages rise. The amount of vacant food service space in Manhattan has never been higher, according to real estate experts.
Willie “Jack” Degel, long an outspoken critic of rising minimum wages and their effect on restaurants, talked himself into the firestorm when he inadvertently knocked both his customers and his employees during an interview on national TV.
“One could conclude that more restaurants are closing than opening.”
— James Famularo, senior director of Eastern Consolidated.
Degel, who owns Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse and starred in Food Network’s reality television show “Restaurant Stakeout,” first put his foot in his mouth when he was asked about how the rising minimum wage affects his eateries.
Degel said he can’t just pass the added cost to his customers because they are “not educated” about the economics of running a restaurant.
Degel’s Twitter feed blew up with hate tweets.
The businessman also said it was harder to keep his employees today because wait staff, like those at other restaurants, have a “sense of entitlement.”
After the comments, made on “Fox & Friends,” Degel’s Twitter feed blew up with hate tweets.
“Omg! I would never patronize a place that thinks so little of its staff,” jacottrell tweeted. “Calling your staff entitled and prefer when they were servants? Good grief man!”
“This makes me sad,” tweeted sdusn06. “We go have brunch there at least once a month Guess We will find another place.”
While Degel clearly fumbled the interview, many restaurant owners are feeling the pain of rising minimum wages.
Many eateries are seeing their profits squeezed, or worse, as wages rise.
The amount of vacant food service space in Manhattan has never been higher, according to real estate experts. Read the rest of this entry »
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‘ACT OF TERROR:’ Mayor, NYPD Commissioner Say EIGHT Dead In Manhattan Attack, Suspect Alive But Injured
Posted: November 1, 2017 Filed under: Breaking News, Crime & Corruption, Mediasphere, Religion, Terrorism | Tags: Habibillaevic Saipov, Manhattan, New York, Truck, World Trade Center Leave a comment
Screenshot/NYPD Livestream
Suspect identified as 29-year old Sayfullo Habibillaevic Saipov.
KOMPROMATAGEDDON
Posted: January 11, 2017 Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Global, Mediasphere, Politics, Russia | Tags: Democratic Party (United States), Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Donald Trump, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Hillary Clinton, James Comey, Jeff Sessions, Kompromat, Manhattan, Search warrant Leave a comment
Russia Says ‘Нет, у нас нет никаких компрометирующих материалов на Трампа’
Russia has denied such accusations and described them as unsubstantiated and an attempt by U.S. politicians to distract attention from domestic issues.
Laura Mills writes: Russia on Wednesday denied it has compromising material on Donald Trump, calling a dossier of unverified allegations an “absolute fabrication” and an attempt to damage U.S.-Russian relations.
“Among the allegations, contained in a set of confidential memos written by the former official, are that Mr. Trump’s attorney, Michael Cohen, met with Kremlin officials and discussed how to arrange cash payments to hackers working under Moscow’s direction against the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the report, which claimed that Russia has material that could be used to blackmail Mr. Trump, as “pulp fiction,” according to Russian news agencies.
“The FBI has found no evidence that he traveled to the Czech Republic, where the meeting allegedly took place in August of last year, officials said.”
“This is a clear attempt to damage our bilateral relations,” he said. “Truly, there are those who whip up this hysteria, who will break their necks to support this ‘witch hunt’”
Mr. Peskov said that the Kremlin wasn’t involved in collecting compromising information on anyone, including Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
His comments come a day after it emerged that U.S. intelligence agencies and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have spent months trying to substantiate explosive claims, compiled by a former Western intelligence official, that Russian government operatives engaged in an extensive conspiracy with advisers to Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign and employees of his company, according to people familiar with the matter.
The U.S. intelligence community and top officials have repeatedly accused Russia of trying to influence the 2016 presidential election, releasing a report last week that leveled broad accusations against Moscow, including cyberattacks meant to undermine the election and skewed coverage by state-funded Russian media.
[Read the full story here, at WSJ]
Russia has denied such accusations and described them as unsubstantiated and an attempt by U.S. politicians to distract attention from domestic issues.
The latest claims were deemed sufficiently significant by senior intelligence officials to summarize them in a two-page addendum to the classified briefing President-elect Trump received last Friday about Russian efforts to influence the U.S. presidential campaign, the people said.
“FAKE NEWS – A TOTAL POLITICAL WITCH HUNT!” Mr. Trump tweeted after the allegations surfaced publicly Tuesday evening.
U.S. officials confirmed that a summary of the information had been given to Mr. Trump. They said sharing of such unverified information was taken out of an abundance of caution that the incoming president should be aware of allegations being made against him that could become public—a decision intelligence experts backed. President Barack Obama received the same information, officials said. Read the rest of this entry »
Trump Disses DC
Posted: November 20, 2016 Filed under: History, Mediasphere, Politics, Think Tank | Tags: Alexander Hamilton, Ash Carter, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Kevin D. Williamson, Manhattan, Mike Pence, New York, Robert Kraft, The New York Times, Trump, Trump Tower (New York City), Twitter, White House Leave a comment
Downgrading Washington’s importance is one of the few good ideas Trump has had.
Kevin D. Williamson writes: I do not agree with Donald Trump about much of anything. Early in the primary season, I wrote a little book titled “The Case against Trump.” I believe him to be morally unfit and intellectually unprepared for the office to which he has been elected. Which is why one of the most annoying of my tasks for the next four (one assumes!) years is going to be pointing out that while Trump may not be right about very much, his critics often are wrong.
“Politics should not be the central activity in our lives, or even in our shared public life, and consequently the political capital should be subordinate to the financial and cultural capitals.”
Example A: Trump apparently does not want to live in Washington, and this has inspired a chorus of 
discord and dissonance to rival the oeuvre of Yoko Ono.
[Read Kevin D. Williamson’s article here, at National Review]
There is no particular reason for Trump to live full-time in Washington. Washington is a dump, one of the least attractive and least inspiring American cities. Trump Tower is a dump, too, a big vertical void in the middle of one of the least interesting parts of Manhattan, but Trump apparently likes it, and he has gone to the trouble of gold-plating his toilets, which you do not do unless you 
are really planning to plant yourself in place.
[ALSO SEE – “The Case Against Trump“ at Amazon.com]
Trump’s hesitation to set up housekeeping in our nation’s hideous capital is not causing klaxons of alarum because people are concerned about good government.
[Splendid Washington: Our Nation’s Capital Is Too Rich]
A nation genuinely concerned about good government would not have entrusted its chief administrative post to Donald J. Trump, a frequently bankrupt casino operator and game-show host. Read the rest of this entry »
‘SLAP OF LUXURY’: New York Post Cover for Thursday, November 17, 2016
Posted: November 17, 2016 Filed under: Entertainment, Mediasphere, Politics, U.S. News | Tags: Bill de Blasio, Manhattan, Mayor of New York, New York, New York Post, news, Tabloid Leave a comment
Source: Covers | New York Post
[VIDEO] Bill Clinton: ‘Black Lives Matter’ Protesters Are Defending Murders And Drug Dealers
Posted: April 7, 2016 Filed under: Breaking News, Health and Social Issues, Mediasphere, White House | Tags: Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Black Lives Matter, BLM, Chelsea Clinton, Democratic Party (United States), Hillary Clinton, Hollywood, Manhattan, media, MSNBC, news, The Weekly Standard, United States, video 1 CommentOn Thursday, while Bill Clinton was giving a speech to a crowd of Hillary Clinton supporters, he was repeatedly interrupted by Black Lives Matter protesters. He responded to them, saying, “you are defending the people who killed the lives you say matter. Tell the truth.”
Bill Clinton Defends His Record to Black Lives Matter
I don’t think this is an especially tough rebuttal to Black Lives Matter as Black Lives Matter. He’s not really criticizing them, their naked racial supremacism, or their tactics of disrupting citizens’ lives — their commutes to work, their lunches — and bullying.
He’s mostly just pimping his record. Though he does ultimately turn to telling them, “You are ultimately defending the people” who got 13 year olds hooked on crack and murdered.
Still, to even rebut them and dispute their outlandish claims is a major event. Everyone treats these radicals as if they have Absolute Moral Authority and that the only possible response to their constant, violence-tinged disruptions is to say, “Yes of course you’re right — you are black, and I am white. Therefore everything you say is good and wise, and yes, you can shout in my face for ten minutes while I try to have a moment’s peace eating this sandwich away from my office.”
So I suppose to challenge their Absolute Moral Authority is a something of a deep wound…(read more)
Source: Ace of Spades HQ
Source: The Weekly Standard – Breitbart.com – Ace of Spades HQ
Determined to Prove Critics’ Predictions Right, De Blasio Oversees Resurgence Of Graffiti & Urine Smell Reminiscent of Scorsese’s 1970s ‘Taxi Driver’ Era New York
Posted: December 21, 2015 Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Mediasphere, Politics, U.S. News | Tags: Allah, Bill de Blasio, Crime, Decay, Graffiti, Long Island Rail Road, Manhattan, New York City, New York City Police Department, Robert De Niro, Taxi Driver 1 Comment
Graffiti was an infamous symbol of the decline and decay of New York City in the 1970s and ’80s, and some now say it appears to be making a comeback.
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Graffiti was an infamous symbol of the decline and decay of New York City in the 1970s and ’80s, and some now say it appears to be making a comeback.
As CBS2’s Scott Rapoport reported Monday, residents have noticed and they want it gone.
Bold graffiti lines parts of walls, ramps and pavement at the Forest Hills Long Island Rail Road station in Queens.
“It’s awful,” one man said.
“Most of the time it’s ignored,” said City Councilmember Karen Koslowitz (D-29th).
Koslowitz said the graffiti has been there since the summer, and she said she has been in touch repeatedly with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to get rid of it. But she said in the ensuing months, things got worse.
“I’ve seen a lot more graffiti then I’ve seen in a long time,” she said.
And it is not an isolated occurrence. Citywide, some say graffiti appears to be more and more prevalent.
According to the NYPD, the number of graffiti complaints citywide in 2015 is up 15 percent from last year. Meanwhile, arrests for graffiti are down 10 percent compared with last year. Read the rest of this entry »
America’s Least Favorite Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli Just Got Arrested by the Feds
Posted: December 17, 2015 Filed under: Crime & Corruption, U.S. News | Tags: Bloomberg L.P., Federal Bureau of Investigation, Hedge Funds, HIV/AIDS, Manhattan, Martin Shkreli, Pharmaceutical drug, Pharmaceutical industry, Pyrimethamine, Wu-Tang Clan Leave a comment
AIDS activists and others are asked to leave the lobby during a protest highlighting pharmaceutical drug pricing. AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File
Martin Shkreli, the 32-year-old hedge fund and pharmaceutical industry guru who alienated large swaths of America by dramatically jacking up the price of a life-saving drug this September, was arrested by the FBI at his home in Manhattan early Thursday morning, as Bloomberg reports.
Shkreli first rose to national prominence when he raised the price of Daraprim, a drug that treats toxoplasmosis, from $13.50 to $750 overnight. The move drew condemnations from across the political spectrum, as well as the scrutiny of Congress, but after briefly suggesting he would walk back the price hike, Shkreli decided to go ahead with it. He even teased plans to acquire the rights to—and significantly raise the price of—another infectious disease treatment earlier this month. Read the rest of this entry »
Illustrator John Cuneo’s Cover for The New Yorker: ‘Rolling Out the Gold Carpet’
Posted: November 2, 2015 Filed under: Art & Culture, Mediasphere | Tags: Autumn, design, Illustration, John Cuneo, Magazines, Manhattan, media, New York, New York City, San Francisco, The New Yorker Leave a comment
“This image was inspired by a conversation with friends about the pleasure of walking through leaves—they thought of it after they moved to San Francisco,” the illustrator John Cuneo says of “Rolling Out the Gold Carpet,” his cover for this week’s issue.
‘I Think it Will Become the Asian Tequila’
Posted: October 12, 2015 Filed under: Entertainment, Food & Drink, Mediasphere | Tags: Basketball, Brooklyn, Carroll Gardens, Manhattan, Mark Ulriksen, New York, New York City, Real estate, Streetball, The Bronx Leave a commentNow for Hipsters: Baijiu Makes Its Way to New York
Carlos Tejada reports: So says one New Yorker who now quaffs baijiu, the most Chinese of tipples. The stern-smelling stuff has made its way onto the cocktail menus of tony watering holes in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The challenge, says at least one bartender, is making its distinct taste complement the cocktail rather than taking it over. The WSJ’s Charles Passy writes:
And in Brooklyn’s Carroll Gardens, the JakeWalk, a craft cocktail bar, recently added Shaolin Land, a complex drink that combines baijiu with other exotic spirits, including an Italian myrtle berry liqueur, as part of a fall menu revamp….(read more)
Source: China Real Time Report – WSJ
New Yorker Cover for Aug 3, 2015
Posted: July 27, 2015 Filed under: Art & Culture, Mediasphere, Reading Room | Tags: Broadway (New York City), Cover Art, Illustration, Magazines, Manhattan, New York, New York City, New Yorker, Traffic congestion, Traffic Jam Leave a comment
“It sure would be nice to get over a Manhattan traffic jam with one big leap on a skateboard,” Mark Ulriksen says about his cover for this week’s issue.
Gavin McInnes: The Reality Disconnect
Posted: July 15, 2015 Filed under: Humor, Mediasphere, Politics, Think Tank | Tags: Ann Coulter, Charleston SC, Confederate States of America, Flags of the Confederate States of America, Fox Business Network, Gavin McInnes, Geraldo Rivera, Governor of South Carolina, Illegal immigration, Immigration, Manhattan, Nikki Haley, South Carolina, Washington Heights Leave a comment
Gavin McInnes
writes: Geraldo and Ann Coulter recently had a debate about immigration that was fun to watch, but Washington Heights came up as an example of “immigrant vitality.” It was wedged in with a bunch of other predominantly Hispanic communities and it sounded good in an argument, but I live in New York and Washington Heights sucks. It is quite possibly the least vital place in America, crammed with unemployed men lining up to get their hair cut, again. Kids play in the street into the wee hours as their single parents watch movies projected onto the side of a building. It’s like a retirement community for twentysomethings and I wouldn’t fault them for it if it weren’t on my dime. It’s actually a great example of the reality disconnect we have in this country. In our minds, Washington Heights is a cute little Hispanic village where fathers bring home some bacalaítos for the family after a hard day’s work. In reality, Dad’s long gone and his son will “eat your food” (cut your face) for disrespecting DDP (Dominicans Don’t Play). It’s like the FDNY. We like the idea of men fighting 
fires and we hold a candle for 9/11, but there aren’t any fires in New York anymore. The ideal of the firefighter is bankrupting us.
[Order Charles Murray’s book “Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010” from Amazon.com]
This is what we do in America today, and Charles Murray predicted it in his book Coming Apart. Politics has become a sport that we watch on TV instead of playing outdoors. Hypotheticals take precedence over hate facts. The net result is a mythical fairyland that bears very little resemblance to the America we all see when we walk out our front doors. I’m not talking about anecdotal evidence. I’m talking about reality.
“Politics has become a sport that we watch on TV instead of playing outdoors. Hypotheticals take precedence over hate facts. The net result is a mythical fairyland that bears very little resemblance to the America we all see when we walk out our front doors. I’m not talking about anecdotal evidence. I’m talking about reality.”
The basic tenets of the liberal narrative include: Women are thriving in the workforce since being freed from the prison sentence that is the housewife’s life. Southerners are stupid, racist rednecks who are proud of slavery. Undocumented workers are hardworking people who love their families and are just coming here for a better life. Islam is a religion of peace; the extremists are only acting like that because we made them that way. Gender is a construct. Gays are madly in love and can’t wait to devote themselves to the bliss of matrimony. Blacks are struggling a little, yes, but that’s because “systemic” racism is “alive and well” today and cops are out to get them. The only problem with America these days is white men.
“If you call bullshit on the basic tenets of the liberal narrative, you’re a bigot or a racist or a sexist. All right, fine. If using my eyeballs and ear holes is wrong, I don’t want to be right.”
It’s a weird narrative that seems to come more from bratty spitefulness than from any kind of rational long-term plan. I think all these ideas may have started in the right place, but after achieving their goal of true equality they just kept steamrolling over us into the sunset. If you call bullshit on them, you’re a bigot or a racist or a sexist. All right, fine. If using my eyeballs and ear holes is wrong, I don’t want to be right.
[Read the full text here, at Taki’s Magazine]
Some women thrive at work. I find they’d be much happier at home shaping lives. They sweat the small stuff better than men. Read the rest of this entry »
[PHOTO] Shot of the Transparent Car on display in the General Motors Building
Posted: June 6, 2015 Filed under: Art & Culture, Guns and Gadgets, Science & Technology | Tags: FAO Schwarz, Fifth Avenue, Frederick August Otto Schwarz, General Motors Building (New York), Manhattan, New York City, Times Square, Tom Hanks, Toy store, Toys "R" Us Leave a comment
Shot of the Transparent Car on display in the General Motors Building
OOPS: Model Alesia Riabenkova’s Rape Claim Falls Apart After Bogus Pregnancy Charge
Posted: May 25, 2015 Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Entertainment, Health and Social Issues | Tags: Brooklyn, Conviction, DNA, DNA profiling, fashion, Glamour, Lena Dunham, Manhattan, New York City, New York Post, Rape, Sexual assault Leave a comment
Jamie Schram reports: A Manhattan model who once dated actor Gerard Butler brought rape charges against a fashion photographer — but the case fell apart when she claimed he got her pregnant and a DNA test proved he was not the father, The Post has learned.
Latvian-born stunner Alesia Riabenkova, who has done work for Guess and graced the covers of Glamour and Elle magazines, met the lensman at a Long Island City lounge in October to discuss her struggling career.
“She tried to destroy my client’s life, and she should be punished for it.”
–The Fashion Photographer’s lawyer, Tom Kenniff
The two chatted over champagne about a potential photo shoot and then went back to his condo in a nearby luxury high-rise.
“The surveillance footage showed her sipping from a water bottle in the lobby without a care in the world while waiting for the police to arrive.”
— Tom Kenniff
About 45 minutes later, Riabenkova told a doorman she had been raped by the photographer and asked him to call 911, said his lawyer, Tom Kenniff.
[Also see – 26-year-old Seattle woman pleads not guilty to raping sleeping man]
Police arrested the lensman, and he spent a night behind bars. Prosecutors soon downgraded the charge to sexual misconduct because they found holes in her story and her rape kit tested inconclusive, Kenniff said.
Then, in January 2015, Riabenkova made a shocking claim — telling prosecutors she was impregnated during the alleged rape and wanted an abortion. Read the rest of this entry »
Uber-Predictable: New York City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez Advocates Taxi Cartel Protection Scheme, Proposes Bailout
Posted: April 21, 2015 Filed under: Mediasphere | Tags: City Council, Letitia James, Manhattan, Melissa Mark-Viverito, New York City, New York City Council, New York City Police Department, Occupy Wall Street, Ydanis Rodríguez, Zuccotti Park Leave a comment
Leading Councilman to Propose Taxi Bailout
[PHOTO] Easter in Manhattan, circa 1956 ~ Representing the Three Crosses on Calvary
Posted: April 5, 2015 Filed under: Art & Culture, History, Mediasphere, Religion | Tags: Calvary, Easter, Manhattan, NYC, Photography, vintage 1 Comment
Saw This One Coming: Possibility Growing of Criminal Charges in NYC Building Explosion
Posted: March 28, 2015 Filed under: Breaking News, Crime & Corruption, U.S. News | Tags: ABC News, B. Todd Jones, East Village, Josh Margolin, Manhattan, media, New York City, New York City Subway, news, NYC, Structural failure Leave a comment
As searchers and cadaver dogs sift through the rubble looking for victims and evidence, New York City officials tell ABC News that the possibility is growing that criminal charges could be filed as a…(read more)
[VIDEO] Dramatic Video Captures Chaos in Moments After East Village Explosion
Posted: March 26, 2015 Filed under: Breaking News, Mediasphere, U.S. News | Tags: Aid agency, American Red Cross, Apartment, Bill de Blasio, CNN, East Village, Gas leak, Manhattan, New York, New York City Leave a commentEAST VILLAGE, Manhattan – Dramatic cellphone video shows the terrifying moments after an explosion rocked an East Village building Thursday afternoon.
[PHOTO] Mad Men: Don & Peggy
Posted: March 25, 2015 Filed under: Art & Culture, Entertainment | Tags: #MadMen, AMC, Christina Hendricks, Elisabeth Moss, January Jones, John Slattery, Jon Hamm, Mad Men, Manhattan, Matthew Weiner, Museum of the Moving Image (New York City), Photography Leave a comment
“For me, Peggy and Don will always be my favorite relationship on the show. I used to hear for so long, ‘Are they going to get together romantically or is it a father–daughter thing? Is it mentor–protégée? Are they enemies? Are they friends?’ It’s all of those things.”
— Elisabeth Moss
[VIDEO] Katherine Timpf Goes to Starbucks
Posted: March 23, 2015 Filed under: Food & Drink, Humor | Tags: Al Sharpton, Barista, California, Ferguson, Howard Schultz, Los Angeles, Manhattan, Missouri, National Review, New York City, New York City Police Department, Oakland, Seattle, Sociology of race and ethnic relations, Starbucks, The Reverend 1 CommentI Actually Went to Starbucks and Asked About Racial Issues — Here’s What Happened
Nothing was solved.
Katherine Timpf
writes: Since Starbucks launched its “Race Together” initiative — encouraging customers to have conversations about racial issues with its employees — there have been a slew of Internet think pieces about what’s right or wrong about it.
Some people said it was an awkward and a dumb idea. Other people said those people were racists. So — I decided to go out and see for myself what it would be like if I actually did what Starbucks was telling its customers to do. Read the rest of this entry »
‘INTIFOODA’ New York Post Feb 15, 2015
Posted: February 15, 2015 Filed under: Breaking News, Mediasphere, U.S. News | Tags: Food Cart, Jew, Manhattan, media, Muslim, New York, New York City, news, Newspapers, NYC, Tabloid Leave a comment
Sacré Bleu! French Government Buys Upper East Side Townhouse for $13.8 Million
Posted: February 9, 2015 Filed under: Diplomacy, Global | Tags: Belaire Apartments, Business Insider, Carol Higgins Clark, François Delattre, Joan Rivers, Manhattan, Manny Acta, New York, New York City, Sotheby’s International Realty, Upper East Side Leave a comment
Lauren Elkies Schram reports: The Republic of France has bought a one-family dwelling on the Upper East Side for $13.9 million, according to property records spotted by Commercial Observer. The four-story property, at 222 East 62nd Street, will serve as the home of François Delattre, the Ambassador of France to the United 
Nations, a source with knowledge of the deal said, following last summer’s sale of France’s 18-room duplex at 740 Park Avenue for $70 million.
The 5,600-square-foot house between Second and Third Avenues is in the Treadwell Farm Historic District, according to Zillow, and has five bedrooms and seven and a half bathrooms plus staff quarters. The house has an elevator from the basement to the penthouse and south terraces over the gardens from the full-floor master suite and penthouse, Zillow noted.
While the property underwent a two-and-a-half-year renovation and sold in “spic–and–span” condition, the French government will have to do some renovations before Mr. Araud moves from 740 Park Avenue into his new house.
Joshua Wesoky of Sotheby’s International Realty represented the French government in the deal. He declined to comment….(read more)
Manhattan: NYPD Barricades Being Knocked Down by Protesters in Union Square
Posted: November 24, 2014 Filed under: Breaking News, U.S. News | Tags: Al Sharpton, Ferguson, Manhattan, Michael Brown, New York City, New York City Police Department, news, protests, Twitter, Union Square Leave a commentBREAKING IN MANHATTAN: NYPD barricades being knocked down by protesters in Union Square #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/i3NJyjiMu2
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) November 25, 2014
UPDATE: 1 WTC Window Washers Rescued
Posted: November 12, 2014 Filed under: Breaking News, Mediasphere | Tags: Business, Lung cancer, Manhattan, New York City Fire Department, New York Harbor, One World Trade Center, September 11 attacks, Staten Island, United States, World Trade Center Leave a commentPICTURE: @FDNY‘s rescue of the workers trapped on scaffolding outside 1 World Trade Center from @NBCNewYork pic.twitter.com/F6tlvGJ3nA
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) November 12, 2014
NYC Jewel Heist: Police Manhunt Continues
Posted: November 12, 2014 Filed under: Crime & Corruption, U.S. News | Tags: Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York, New York City, New York City Police Department, New York's Village Halloween Parade, Ralph Lee, Robbery, Sixth Avenue (Manhattan) Leave a comment
Two men made off with more than $500,000 in jewelry and watches from a store in Manhattan’s Diamond District, authorities said
Pervaiz Shallwani reports: New York City police were following leads on Wednesday as they continued to hunt for two men following Tuesday’s armed daylight robbery of a luxury watch store in Manhattan’s Diamond District, fleeing with more than $500,000 in jewelry and watches, authorities said.
“…the gunman placed two manila envelopes on the counter before pulling out a silver handgun and announced a robbery…”
Detectives have determined from surveillance footage that they men fled west on 47th Street toward Sixth Avenue and have recovered video that shows one man enter a subway station at the corner of 47th Street and Sixth Avenue and go through a turnstile, a law-enforcement official said.
The two men entered the building and made their way to Suite 803. The gunman, well-dressed in a black trench coat, button down shirt and dark tie rang the buzzer and was let inside after announcing, “I have a message for Danny,” the official said. Read the rest of this entry »
A Hand-Cranked Sculpture that Makes a Mean Manhattan
Posted: June 26, 2014 Filed under: Art & Culture, Entertainment, Food & Drink, Science & Technology | Tags: Arts, Kinetic art, Manhattan, New York, Sculptors, Sculpture, Visual Arts Leave a comment
A hand-cranked sculpture that makes a mean manhattan? Yes please. Come with us inside Instructables’ Kooky Creative Warehouse Workshop.
Every Day is April Fools’ Day at punditfromanotherplanet
Posted: April 1, 2014 Filed under: Humor, The Butcher's Notebook | Tags: Barack Obama, Charles Krauthammer, Girl Scouts of the USA, Manhattan, Megyn Kelly, Obama, Politics, RUSSIA, United States, Vladimir Putin 2 Comments
Some highlights from today’s prank stories..
Exclusive: Controversial Female Teachers’ Group Dedicated to “Woman-Boy Love” Pledges Legal Support to Meredith Powell
‘Woody Whistle’ Given to Girl Scouts of America members in Manhattan to Help Protect Girls From Woody Allen
Charles Krauthammer Shows Up Drunk on Megyn Kelly’s Set, Unannounced
And here’s a golden oldie, based on a real photo, from late 2013…
Russian President Vladimir Putin demonstrates to reporters how he grabbed Obama’s balls and extracted unprecedented foreign policy concessions
You can usually find the malarky in The Butcher’s Notebook. Find any good April Fools stories today? Send them in, we’ll add them to the collection.
‘Woody Whistle’ Given to Girl Scouts of America members in Manhattan to Help Protect Girls From Woody Allen
Posted: April 1, 2014 Filed under: Humor | Tags: April 1st, Baloney, Girl Scout, Girl Scouts of the USA, Manhattan, Mia Farrow, New York, New York City, satire, Scout, Woody, Woody Allen 1 Comment
The Girl Scouts of America announced today the introduction of a new warning system for girls and parents concerned about safety, called the “Woody Whistle“. Also called the “Woody Warning System“, it helps alert an adult guardian in case of predatory behavior by the director. Due to an increase in girl-stalking by film director Woody Allen, in parks all over Manhattan, an emergency procedure was devised. In the event of a Woody sighting, girls are instructed to blow the whistle, then wait for a guardian to intervene.
“Woody spottings have increased, now that the spring weather is here, and we’re doing more outdoor activities, in public parks. Mr. Allen’s moods have become unpredictable again”, said Nancy Williams, safety advisor to the New York chapter of the Girl Scouts of America.
Parents have expressed gratitude to Scout officials, and have volunteered to step up their efforts to track the movements of Mr. Allen.
“I have a pair of binoculars, and the mobile phone numbers of all other parents, who are on the lookout, too. We’ve developed an informal intelligence network”, said one parent. “Last month we had a total of seven Woody sightings”, she said proudly. “And we were able to re-route our girls, to keep them out of view.”
“That doesn’t always work, sometimes Woody sneaks around in disguise, so we can’t always spot him until it’s too late. That’s why we started giving the girls whistles”, said Tina Brower, a concerned parent and child-saftey activist.
“My daughter came home crying last year, because Woody Allen approached her, and asked her if she wanted to be ‘in the movies’, and though he didn’t physically touch her or anything, he said really creepy things about how pretty her hair is”, said Barbara Needleman. “That was the last straw”.
Other parents fear that Mr. Allen fetishizes the Girl Scout uniform, and have considered sending the girls to events in normal street clothes. The iconic uniform is said to be a favorite of male predators with unsavory fantasies, along with Catholic school girl uniforms.
(image credit: The New Yorker)
“We’ve offered to share our campaign with some of the Catholic girl’s schools in Manhattan. They’ve showed interest. Apparently, some of their parents have had Woody sightings, too”, said Barbara.
Not all parents agree, however, and wonder if their safety campaign is going too far. “I like Woody Allen movies, especially the early, funny ones. I know he had problems with Mia Farrow, and all that. But he’s not the monster people make him out to be”, said one parent who declined to be identified. “I know it’s important to be safe, and I respect the concerns of fellow members, and parents, but I fear this campaign might have unintended consequences, making the girls think they’re in more danger than they really are.”
Most parents of the Manhattan Girl Scouts are eagerly distributing the Woody Whistle to fellow members, and to their daughters. And more importantly, teaching them how to use it. “If you hear a whistle, look up. It might be the most important thing you do. Alert a Scoutmaster. Alert a guardian.” But then added, “We’re also teaching them when not to use it. It’s not a toy. It’s not to be used just because they like making noise with it. It’s only to be used in an emergency, if Woody Allen is nearby, and they need to let a guardian know.”
Obama’s Manhattan Fever Dreams
Posted: March 25, 2014 Filed under: Humor, Russia, War Room, White House | Tags: Manhattan, New York, Nuclear bomb, Terror attack 3 Comments
Breaking: Mick Jagger’s Girlfriend Found Hanged in Apparent Suicide
Posted: March 17, 2014 Filed under: Breaking News | Tags: Chelsea, Daily News, Fashion design, L'Wren Scott, Manhattan, Mick Jagger, Rolling Stones, Suicide, Wren Scott 2 Comments
Fashion designer and model L’Wren Scott dead at 49
The NY Daily News reports: L’Wren Scott, the glamorous fashion designer and longtime lover of Mick Jagger, used a scarf to hang herself from a doorknob Monday in her Manhattan apartment.
The former model was found dead by her assistant around 10 a.m. — about an hour-and-a-half after Scott texted her to come over, police sources said.
[VIDEO] Philip Seymour Hoffman’s (Extended) Drug Scene from Sidney Lumet’s “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” (2007)
Posted: February 7, 2014 Filed under: Art & Culture, Breaking News, Entertainment, Mediasphere, U.S. News | Tags: Aaron Sorkin, Addiction, Andy Hansen, Ethan Hawke, Film, Joaquin Phoenix, Manhattan, media, Movies, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sidney Lumet, YouTube 1 CommentLong version, 6 ms 5s. This is the Philip Seymour Hoffman heroin scene from Sidney Lumet‘s “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” (2007) It featues Andy Hansen, an accountant, played by Hoffman, snorting coke at his desk at work between meetings. Next scene, making a drug buy in clandestine apartment in a Manhattan high rise…
Then being injected, by the dealer, in a quiet bedroom. It’s an erie depiction of a sad, troubled character, retreating to an exclusive, private, white-collar drug den, high above the city, in the middle of the afternoon.
Film story summary from Internet Movie Database:
When two brothers organize the robbery of their parents’ jewelry store the job goes horribly wrong, triggering a series of events that sends them, their father and one brother’s wife hurtling towards a shattering climax.
The short version — 2 ms 24s — is here.
[VIDEO] Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Creepy Drug Scene from Sidney Lumet’s “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” (2007)
Posted: February 6, 2014 Filed under: Art & Culture, Entertainment, Mediasphere, U.S. News | Tags: Academy Award, Albert Finney, Andy Hansen, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Drug overdose, Ethan Hawke, Heroin, Hoffman, Manhattan, Marisa Tomei, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sidney Lumet 4 CommentsThe film’s title is taken from an Irish blessing:
“…May your glass be ever full. May the roof over your head be always strong. And may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you’re dead…”
Short version, 2 ms 24s. This is the Philip Seymour Hoffman heroin scene from Sidney Lumet‘s “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” (2007) It featues Andy Hansen, an accountant, played by Hoffman, making a drug buy in clandestine apartment in a Manhattan high rise. Then being injected, by the dealer, in a quiet bedroom. It’s an erie depiction of a troubled, defeated character, retreating to an exclusive, private, white-collar drug den, high above the city, in the middle of the afternoon…
Film story summary from Internet Movie Database:
When two brothers organize the robbery of their parents’ jewelry store the job goes horribly wrong, triggering a series of events that sends them, their father and one brother’s wife hurtling towards a shattering climax.
The longer version — 6 ms 55 s — is here.
New York’s Friendly Neighborhood Smack Vendors: Suspected Heroin Dealers Busted in Hoffman Death Probe
Posted: February 5, 2014 Filed under: Crime & Corruption, U.S. News | Tags: Apartment, Capote, Glassine, Heroin, Manhattan, Mott Street, New York Post, Philip Seymour Hoffman 4 Comments
Max Rosenblum, 22, Juliana Luchkiw, 22, and Robert Aaron Vineberg (not pictured) were arrested during the investigation into actor Philip Seymour Hoffman’s death.
Seth Gottfried reports: Cops raided a Manhattan drug den Tuesday night and arrested suspected dealers who may have been the ones who sold heroin to actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, sources said.
Authorities entered the Mott Street building and at around 7:30 p.m. and nabbed four people after getting a tip that the “Capote” star was sold heroin there a couple of months ago.
In Her Own Words: NYTimes Publishes Open Letter from Dylan Farrow Re: Woody Allen
Posted: February 1, 2014 Filed under: Breaking News, Crime & Corruption, Entertainment, Mediasphere, U.S. News | Tags: Annie Hall, Connecticut, Dylan Farrow, Hollywood, Manhattan, Mia Farrow, New York Times, Ronan Farrow, Sexual abuse, State of Connecticut, Television, Woody Allen 2 Comments
“…what he did to me in the attic felt different. I couldn’t keep the secret anymore.”
Dylan Farrow writes:
For as long as I could remember, my father had been doing things to me that I didn’t like. I didn’t like how often he would take me away from my mom, siblings and friends to be alone with him. I didn’t like it when he would stick his thumb in my mouth. I didn’t like it when I had to get in bed with him under the sheets when he was in his underwear. I didn’t like it when he would place his head in my naked lap and breathe in and breathe out. I would hide under beds or lock myself in the bathroom to avoid these encounters, but he always found me. These things happened so often, so routinely, so skillfully hidden from a mother that would have protected me had she known, that I thought it was normal. I thought this was how fathers doted on their daughters. But what he did to me in the attic felt different. I couldn’t keep the secret anymore.
When I asked my mother if her dad did to her what Woody Allen did to me, I honestly did not know the answer. I also didn’t know the firestorm it would trigger. I didn’t know that my father would use his sexual relationship with my sister to cover up the abuse he inflicted on me. I didn’t know that he would accuse my mother of planting the abuse in my head and call her a liar for defending me. I didn’t know that I would be made to recount my story over and over again, to doctor after doctor, pushed to see if I’d admit I was lying as part of a legal battle I couldn’t possibly understand. At one point, my mother sat me down and told me that I wouldn’t be in trouble if I was lying – that I could take it all back. I couldn’t. It was all true. But sexual abuse claims against the powerful stall more easily. There were experts willing attack my credibility. There were doctors willing to gaslight an abused child.
“..I could only hide my panic until I found a place to be alone and fall apart…”
After a custody hearing denied my father visitation rights, my mother declined to pursue criminal charges, despite findings of probable cause by the State of Connecticut – due to, in the words of the prosecutor, the fragility of the “child victim.” Woody Allen was never convicted of any crime.
Man Dragged From SUV During Infamous Biker Clash To Sue New York City
Posted: January 18, 2014 Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Law & Justice, U.S. News | Tags: Alexian Lien, biker, Manhattan, New York, New York City, Sport utility vehicle 3 CommentsNEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — A man who was dragged from his SUV and beaten by a group of motorcyclists following a frightening chase on a Manhattan highway has filed a legal notice saying he intends to sue New York City over the attack.
Prosecutors say an off-duty police detective was among the bikers who pursued and beat Alexian Lien after a confrontation on the West Side Highway…
[VIDEO] Late Night Mad Men Rewind: Megan (Jessica Paré) Sings ‘Zou Bisou Bisou’
Posted: January 15, 2014 Filed under: Art & Culture, Entertainment, Mediasphere | Tags: Don Draper, January Jones, Jessica Paré, Jon Hamm, Mad Men, Manhattan, YouTube, Zou Bisou Bisou 2 CommentsMegan Draper (Jessica Paré) sings Zou Bisou Bisou during Don’s (Jon Hamm) ‘surprise’ birthday party and somehow thought he’d be fine with it. Guess again, babe.
I remember this episode. One of the highlights of season 4 (before Draper went into alcohol-fueled decline in season 5) when Don’s new Manhattan apartment, new Ad Agency, and hot new French-Canadian replacement wife (who sings, too, ooh la la!) looked like the ingredients for professional success and domestic bliss. And Zou Bisou Bisou made a splash, too. The only person in who didn’t like the performance is Don Draper, but everyone else at the party thought it was sexy as hell.
Though I admire January Jones‘ acting, the Betty character was overexposed. When Draper remarried, I welcomed the introduction of the Megan character as wife #2. Besides being more of a 1960s modern girl, let’s face it, actress Jessica Paré is sexy. Even though this marriage is not destined to succeed, either.
Draper, well, he’s a complicated guy.
For collectors, Amazon has Mad Men: Seasons 1-4
(and if you do get it, order it via this link, or above, it’s like a micro-tip jar that helps support this site)
I have all four. I’ve been collecting them along the way, though I haven’t added season 5 yet. (the Draper-in-decline ‘bummer’ season) Season Six starts this spring. I can’t wait.
Mad Men – Zou Bisou Bisou (720p) – YouTube
Malcolm X’s Heirs Headed To Court To Block Publication Of Activist’s Diary
Posted: November 9, 2013 Filed under: History, Mediasphere | Tags: Associated Press, Chicago, Malcolm X, Manhattan, New York City, New York Public Library, Third World Press, Vice President of the United States 1 Comment
Black Nationalist leader and Nation of Islam spokesman Malcolm X in Oxford with Eric Abrahams, right, the Student Union president, before addressing university students on the subject of extremism and liberty, 3rd December 1964. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
NEW YORK (AP) — Heirs of Malcolm X have gone to court to stop a Chicago company from publishing a diary of the activist leader’s last year.
X Legacy says in papers filed in Manhattan federal court that Third World Press does not have the right to publish “The Diary of Malcolm X.”
The Future of New York?
Posted: November 8, 2013 Filed under: Economics, History, Mediasphere | Tags: Bowery, Eastern Time Zone, History, Leland Bobbe, Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, media, New York, New York City, Photography, Times Square, Wall Street 1 CommentGritty 1970s pictures show New York City in decline as crime soared a hundreds of thousands fled to the suburbs
From the Daily Mail Reporter: The 1970s are considered a low point for New York City. More than 820,00 people fled the crime and an unreliable transit system over the course of the decade, moving from the city to the suburbs. The city went nearly bankrupt as Wall Street sputtered under the economic stagnation of the era.
Down time: The economy in New York City sputtered to a halt in the 1970s, leaving tens of thousands without work. These men were seen napping on a stoop on 30th Street in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood
Down time: This man waits for nothing in particular as he drinks a beer in the Bowery in Manhattan
Leland Bobbe
Photographer Leland Bobbe captured the gritty, sometimes desperate nature of the men and women who populated New York in the 1970s.
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