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What's the Matter With Chicago? and Seattle and New York and Boston...?
Seattle has always had an identity conflict. Gay bathhouses are allowed, street protests are legendary, and marijuana is, by voter initiative, the police department’s lowest enforcement priority. Each summer a two-day event called Hempfest draws some 150,000 people who openly smoke weed in a city park with the blessings of the cops and the local government, which regards the festival as protected speech.
Yet Seattle has long had an unhealthy strain of nannyism as well. Washington was one of the first states to prohibit alcohol in the last century, and the city’s restrictions on strip clubs and card rooms are legendary. In the last five years, the nanny impulse has gone into hyperdrive.
In 2003 Seattle banned sales of high-alcohol beers and fortified wines in a part of town popular with the homeless and street drunks. Three years later, a city report found that the ban hadn’t reduced petty crime and street drinking. Yet Mayor Greg Nickels and the Seattle City Council slammed through another ordinance expanding the so-called “alcohol impact area” to several other neighborhoods. It’s a measure of just how contradictory paternalism gets in Seattle that you can still walk into a bar in these neighborhoods and buy locally crafted microbrews with even higher alcohol content, albeit at a much steeper price than a 40-ouncer.
In 2005 a state ballot initiative banned smoking in all public places. Unlike similar prohibitions in other cities, there are no exemptions for tobacco stores, cigar bars, or private clubs. As if that weren’t enough, the Washington State Clean Indoor Air Act bans smoking within 25 feet of the doors, windows (closed or open), and ventilation systems of any public building. In parts of Seattle, smokers literally have to stand in the middle of the street to comply with the law.
Ironically, many Seattleites who smoke pot voted for the smoking ban. Perhaps they didn’t look too closely at the language of the law, which prohibits “smoking,” not tobacco.
The city’s deep embrace of environmentalism and “sustainability” rhetoric also has a nanny odor to it. This year, for example, Mayor Nickels pushed the state legislature to enact an excise tax on cars based on their fuel efficiency. (For a change, the idea met with a significant public backlash and died.) But one enviro law did expand local freedom a bit. City Council Member Richard Conlin last year proposed that the city license pygmy goats as pets, partly so that residents can process their yard waste in a more eco-friendly manner. The proposal became law by a unanimous vote.
—Philip Dawdy Seattle has always had an identity conflict. Gay bathhouses are allowed, street protests are legendary, and marijuana is, by voter ini... more -
New balloon ride in NY's Central Park
you can see NY through subway, bus, double decker bus, taxi, water taxi & now... a balloon ride!
"NEW YORK - A bird's-eye view of New York's Central Park is no longer just for the hawks.
Human adventurers will be able soar 30 stories in the basket of a helium-filled balloon.
AeroBalloon will begin daily flights on Friday, and continue through Aug. 22. The cost is $25 for adults and $17.50 for kids.
It's part of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the park's original design." you can see NY through subway, bus, double decker bus, taxi, water taxi & now... a balloon ride! ... more -
Mariah Carey Visits 106 & Park (photos)
Singer Mariah Carey appears onstage during BET's '106 & Park' at BET Studios on July 23, 2008 in New York City.
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Nude at a restaurant?
A recent report in the New York Post, with the splendidly subtle subtitle of 'Nudes Flash: In Buff Stuff Is Huge!', covers the surprising range of nudist activities available to residents of the Big Apple. There, between perfectly understandable naked yoga and perfectly ludicrous naked stand-up (please insert own innuendo) is naked dining. I can't quite work out what it is about this idea that's so completely, surf-haltingly absurd.
I'm certainly no prude. Nakedness per se is quite enjoyable. Like most people I'm programmed at a hormonal level to like looking at other people's bodies and I'm not averse to hanging out by the pool in very little if the weather's clement ... but nude restaurants?
Perhaps it's a concentration thing. I don't usually take a book or a paper when I'm eating with friends, it would be rude to surf my phone and I certainly wouldn't welcome a widescreen telly or a vigourous game of Scrabble; so why would I willingly combine my dinner with something so manifestly distracting as naked people?
Maybe it's to do with the sort of restaurants I visit. Apart from those 'nieces' of elderly plutocrats who, apparently, can be seen naked by anyone with an adequate credit card, there's never anyone in the room that you'd want to see in the buff - most of them you'd pay to put their clothes back on.
Now I'm sure any professional naturist would point out that this is exactly the kind of prurient attitude that dogs their innocent pursuit and that the whole point of being naked is not to be affected by thoughts of arousal or aesthetics ... an assertion which frankly staggers me.
The kind of person that can willingly suppress their instincts and sensual responses in the very presence of massive overstimulus has absolutely no place in a restaurant. How would it work? They would have to stare straight ahead, not actually chewing and repeating in a loud voice 'I'm not actually tasting it you know'. If this isn't a conspicuous display of puritanical self-denial then it's the sort of we're-less-uptight-than-you-squares gesture beloved of irritating adolescents ... what my Nan would call 'just showing-off'.
Maybe I'm getting the wrong end of the stick, after all, the Romans were great at combining banqueting with nudity without needing to suppress themselves in any department. Maybe I'm missing out and should give it a go but, really, would you undress for dinner?
-Tim Hayward
The Guardian A recent report in the New York Post, with the splendidly subtle subtitle of 'Nudes Flash: In Buff Stuff Is Huge!', covers the surpris... more -
Accidental Pepper Spray Discharge Causes Crash
A Buffalo police officer's pepper spray accidentally discharged inside a patrol cruiser, leading to a collision with another car and crash into a home. A Buffalo police officer's pepper spray accidentally discharged inside a patrol cruiser, leading to a collision with another car and c... more
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New York fight club earns YouTube fame
A violent street gang have started holding public fights in one of the busiest squares in New York, exchanging fierce blows in the hope of earning small change from tourists.
The “Union Square Spartans”, as they call themselves, are one of a number of real-life fight clubs that have sprung up since Chuck Palahniuk’s novel – about groups of men who fight to relieve the tedium of modern life - became a cult film in 1999.
Unlike the other clubs, who maintain their secrecy, the Spartans have begun uploading videos of their bare-knuckle bouts onto YouTube in the hope of drawing a bigger audience to their nightly fights.
The clips show pairs of combatants repeatedly punching and kicking each other until one is knocked to the floor.
They are urged on by raucous crowds of up to 300, who gather among the coffee houses and organic supermarkets that surround the busy Manhattan square.
The fighters, most of whom are homeless, have names like “Spider”, “Science” and “Legend”. They claim to have learned their trade in the city’s brutal underground fight clubs.
“Those places, they only stop the fight if the crowd stops cheering or begins leaving,” Legend, 23, recently told the New York magazine. “They don’t really care if you live or die.”
But their stylized Union Square bouts, which began last year, owe more to martial arts films than they do to the extreme violence of Palahniuk’s novel.
What started off as informal public sparring sessions are now semi-formalised contests, based on the rules of mixed-martial-arts, an increasingly popular fusion of boxing, wrestling, and various Asian disciplines.
Blows to the head are forbidden – mainly to avoid attracting the attention of police – and the aim is to improve your own fighting skills rather than humiliate or hurt your opponent. They took their name from the Hollywood film 300, about the Spartan warriors who fought to the death against the Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae
Fights consist of three five-minute rounds, after which the fighters bow and embrace.
“We fight in public because we have nowhere else to fight,” Spider told the magazine.
“If the economy keeps going bad, we could be in a civil war in two years. We’re gonna need to know how to defend ourselves.”
More than 20 Union Square Spartans videos have been posted on the group’s YouTube channel, and they also have their own MySpace page.
They hoped the videos would attract people willing to pay for fighting lessons, but there have so far been no takers.
The publicity has also drawn the attention of the New York police, who are now threatening to ban their bouts from the square. A violent street gang have started holding public fights in one of the busiest squares in New York, exchanging fierce blows in the hop... more -
Piece of Williamsville history has burned to the ground.
It once housed the biggest business in Amherst.
Dr. Joe Grande, Author, 'Glancing Back,' said, "It actually goes back to 1821 when they started building the mills here. They had hemp mills, they had saw mills, they had grain mills." It once housed the biggest business in Amherst. ... more -
Nude in New York? Naked dining and yoga takes off in Manhattan
Humid summers have encouraged a nudity trend that is stretching to restaurants, yoga classes and even a stand-up comedy club.
About 50 diners, whose motto is "no hot soup", regularly attend monthly naked meals held at a handful of restaurants in the city. They are served by regular restaurant staff who, under city regulations, must be wearing clothes.
"We're just more comfortable nude," said John Ordover, a keen urban nudist and founder of Clothing Optional Dinners. He told the New York Post: "We're not out to shock or put on a public spectacle. We want only to do things that other people do in the way that we are most comfortable doing them. That, for us, is without clothes."
The Phoenix Temple, a yoga centre in midtown Manhattan, has naked classes twice a week for about 10 practitioners. "I had such a transformative experience on my own when I did yoga naked rather than clothed, I wanted to share that" said Isis Phoenix, the yoga teacher.
At the People's Improv Theatre in Chelsea, men and women comics perform each week at the Naked Comedy Showcase. "Each time I tried comedy naked, it was the best thing ever," Andy Ofiesh, the event's founder, told the Post. "It gives you a kind of vulnerability that puts the audience on your side straight away." Half the auditorium is reserved for people who enjoy laughing in the nude. "We fill the space. Finding comedians is more difficult," said Mr Ofiesh.
(Excerpts / Tom Leonard, Telegraph) Humid summers have encouraged a nudity trend that is stretching to restaurants, yoga classes and even a stand-up comedy club. ... more -
Yankee Stadium Bans Sunscreen: TreeHugger
Going a little to far? Definitely so. What if it's prescription sunscreen?
There is just a serious case of WTF-ness to the whole story. Going a little to far? Definitely so. What if it's prescription sunscreen? ... more -
NEW YORK // 50 centesimi per un'idea
L'idea è venuta ai ragazzi di Zoomdoggle.com
Un distributore di "idee" a 50 Cent.
Si inserisce la moneta e oltre al classico giocattolo avrete:
-un'idea (!!!)
-una mappa nel caso l'idea contempli il viaggiare
-il calssico giocattolo da distributore
-25 cent di resto! Eh già, perché il prezzo era stato fissato proprio a 25 Cent, ma la macchinetta era calibrata per monete da 50..dunque....soldi in regalo!eh eh
-un penny della fortuna....da abbandonare in giro...e che possa portare fortuna a qualcuno
Questo tipo di distrubutori si trovano ora in giro per le strade di New York.
L'idea è venuta ai ragazzi di Zoomdoggle.com Un distributore di "idee" a 50 Cent. ... more -
License to Fornicate
You have a license to drive a car, why not invest in a license to confirm your sexual health?
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$20K earrings found in Ney York rubbish dump
A Staten Island jeweler has gotten her 3-carat diamond earrings back after she, her husband and city sanitation employees sorted through a smelly heap of garbage. The studs were in a small jar of cleaning solution, which a worker at the couple's jewelry store had accidentally thrown away.
The earrings were recovered Thursday at the site of the former Fresh Kills landfill. The giant dump closed in 2001, and the earrings were in a load of trash destined to be compacted and shipped out of state.
A Staten Island jeweler has gotten her 3-carat diamond earrings back after she, her husband and city sanitation employees sorted throu... more -
Lindsay Lohan smoking hot at Sephora'`s 10-year anniversary
Lindsay rocked out the black carpet,with that beautiful dress, beautiful hair, and beautiful legs, I can’t blame it if somebody mistakes the party as hers. It sure does seem like LaLohan’s celebration of gorgeousness. The event took place at the Angel Orensanz Foundation in New York City. Lindsay is having a run of good press lately. Check out all the amazing photos! Lindsay rocked out the black carpet,with that beautiful dress, beautiful hair, and beautiful legs, I can’t blame it if somebody mistak... more
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Sigur Rós @ MoMA Teaser
Sigur Rós @ MoMA | A Current Music Special | August 5th 10PM EST and PST
Shot live at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City on Icelandic Independence Day, Sigur Rós @ MoMA is a unique concert film highlighting new material from the band's latest album, "Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust", as well as classic Sigur Rós songs. Sigur Rós @ MoMA | A Current Music Special | August 5th 10PM EST and PST ... more -
Yellow cabs go green faster in NYC
NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City's yellow taxi fleet now will go green at the rate of 300 new hybrid cars a month, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, citing an agreement with car-makers to supply the fuel-light cabs.
There are already more than 1,300 hybrid taxis in the city, and each one saves its drivers about $6,500 a year, Taxi and Limousine Commission Chairman Matthew Daus said in a joint statement with the mayor.
Bloomberg aims to accomplish 127 green initiatives before his second and final four-year term ends in 2010. In December,
the Taxi and Limousine Commission voted to require all vehicles that join the taxi fleet to be hybrids by Oct. 1. The only exception is for cabs specially equipped for the handicapped.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City's yellow taxi fleet now will go green at the rate of 300 new hybrid cars a month, Mayor Michael Blo... more -
Stand By Your Man
Venus will do anything for her man. Even if it means seeing him behind bars for 14 years.
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No more Plastic Bags in Manhattan
For cashiers in Manhattan Beach the familiar checkout question “paper or plastic?” is now obsolete. On Tuesday night all five City Councilmembers voted to make Manhattan Beach the first city in the South Bay to forbid businesses from using plastic bags, despite the threat of litigation from a coalition of plastic bag manufactures.
“Some lobbyists will talk about education efforts to reduce the use of plastic instead of a ban,” said Councilmember Nick Tell, who shared a similar opinion and enthusiasm with the other councilmembers about the measure. “But as a green city we sometimes need to guide our residents toward making the right choice, and the right choice is reusable. We have to say convenience isn’t the answer.”
The ban gives city grocery stores, food vendors, restaurants, pharmacies and city facilities six months to transition away from plastic, and all other establishments a year.
In place of plastic bags, council members are optimistic residents will carry reusable bags rather than asking for paper and mentioned considering a $.25 fee for the latter to discourage an increase in use.
“But for right now the focus is on plastic bags, which are the number one source of litter you see in our community, and if we can cut into that by banning them, then I’m all for it,” Mayor Richard Montgomery said.
Under current California state law a city cannot place a user fee on plastic bags.
Local business owners, residents, children, surfers and representatives from the environmental activist groups Heal the Bay and Surfrider Foundation crowded into the council chamber to voice their support for the proposed ban.
However, Save the Plastic Bag Coalition opposed the city’s action and vowed to sue regarding the bag-banning ordinance.
“We object to this witch hunt against plastic bags,” said the coalition’s Northern California-based attorney Stephen Joseph.
He argued that the Manhattan Beach staff report supporting the ban is misleading and exaggerates the harmful effect plastic bags have on the environment:
“There’s plastic debris in the ocean, yes, but to say that plastic bags are the problem is not true. They site all this information about marine animals dying from eating plastic bags but the only thing backing it up are a handful of the same pictures of the same animals eating plastic bags repeated over and over. Plastic bags have been around for 30 years so where’re all the other pictures? The London Times report exposed this as a myth and the city’s report is intellectually dishonest.”
For cashiers in Manhattan Beach the familiar checkout question “paper or plastic?” is now obsolete. On Tuesday night all five City Cou... more -
NYC taxis going from yellow to green
"New York City's yellow taxi fleet now will go green at the rate of 300 new hybrid cars a month, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Wednesday, citing an agreement with car-makers to supply the fuel-light cabs.
There are already more than 1,300 hybrid taxis in the city, and each one saves its drivers about $6,500 a year, Taxi and Limousine Commission Chairman Matthew Daus said in a joint statement with the mayor.
Bloomberg aims to accomplish 127 green initiatives before his second and final four-year term ends in 2010. In December,
the Taxi and Limousine Commission voted to require all vehicles that join the taxi fleet to be hybrids by October 1. The only exception is for cabs specially equipped for the handicapped.
Nissan Motor Co has promised the city to supply up to 200 of its Altima hybrids per month, while General Motors will provide 50 Chevrolet Malibu hybrids and Ford Motor Co promised 50 of its Escape hybrids, the mayor said.
That adds up to 90 more cars per month than the Taxi and Limousine Commission had said were needed to meet its goals, which aim to ensure that by 2012, the entire taxi fleet will be all-hybrid or a mix that includes other cars with similar high mile-per-gallon ratings.
Fast-growing demand for hybrids in an era of soaring gasoline prices is one of the brightest markets for automobile companies and New York City is not alone in emphasizing taxis.
Ford, for example, says San Francisco put its first Escape hybrid taxi on the streets in 2005, followed by other cities, including Chicago.
Jim Kliesch, a senior engineer with the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit think tank in Washington, D.C., said New York City's turn to hybrids could prove influential. " "New York City's yellow taxi fleet now will go green at the rate of 300 new hybrid cars a month, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Wedne... more -
7 inch knife found in subway sandwich
only in NYC this would happen...
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Take Me Out to the Ball Game: Historic Cooperstown
Cooperstown was founded in 1786 by William Cooper, a judge and member of Congress. Several of the stone houses that William Cooper built in Cooperstown still remain standing in the village.
The son of William Cooper, James Fenimore Cooper, became one of the best-loved novelists in the United States with his “Glimmerglass” tales, including his most noted work, “The Last of the Mohicans.”
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum was established in Cooperstown in 1939. It cemented Coopertown's place in American history.
A number of vintage photographs and three videos are included (a video of vintage photographs of Cooperstown; vintage film clips of Babe Ruth; and a documentary about the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum).
Have a look at these historic pieces and enjoy yourself!! Cooperstown was founded in 1786 by William Cooper, a judge and member of Congress. Several of the stone houses that William Cooper bu... more
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