Schumer Brings Ring of Sensors to the City get ready to feel horrified

NYC

Just call him Senator Get-'er-Done: between beseeching JetBlue to stay in NY and saving Bannerman Castle, Senator Chuck Schumer announced today that the Department of Homeland Security has approved funding for a program to protect NYC against a nuclear attack, calling the program "an indispensable tool used to protect the population, transit hubs, and commercial centers of New York City from the possibility of a devastating nuclear or dirty bomb attack." Another triumph for the Patron Saint of Pool Parties?

The Post reports that the NYPD will receive $18.5 million (out of $20 million nationally available) for the terrorism-combating program, called "Securing the Cities." NYC will be the first to install a ring of sensors along highways, toll plazas, bridges, tunnels and waterways in order to detect radioactive and nuclear material before it enters the city.

When the plan was first discussed over two years ago, it was estimated to require $75-100 million to install properly, and likewise, Sen. Schumer said additional funding would be necessary to purchase more sensors, fully link up the system and train police. Hopefully he'll figure out a way to finish the job; sometimes all it takes is grabbing a gun and killing some pheasants.

WNYC: Schumer Supports Holding Terror Trials in NYC

NYC

NEW YORK, NY January 22, 2010 —Sen. Charles Schumer has expressed support for holding the trials of terror defendants in New York. The New York Democrat says his main goal is to see alleged 9/11 planner Khalid Sheik Mohammed and others brought to justice swiftly

"The prosecutorial authorities who I have talked to in Washington and here in New York believe that the method that they chose was the quickest," Schumer says.

Schumer called the idea of holding the trials on Governor's Island intriguing, but the NYPD has since shot it down, saying there are too many risks involved in transporting prisoners to and from the island.

Members of the Community Board for Lower Manhattan, who adamantly oppose holding the trials in their neighborhood, first floated the alternative.

Sputnik Swarovski Crystal: a New York pic by Russ Glasson

While scanning for something great to blog about I found this picture: Sputnik Swarovski Crystal. I should blog more New York photos like this one.



Russ Glasson describes it with these words:

The Lincoln Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York.

Click for the location of the original New York photo only since people keep asking.

Can anyone share an opinion?

Any private, super-elite high school performing arts school in New York City?

Are there some Manhattan private performing arts schools in New York City? (well, erm, im sure there are, but) what are the best ones??? Like, the high school versions of Julliard and NYU Tisch?

What is New York City like Compared to San Francisco?

I was thinking about going to college there, but i'm just so nervous about going so far to the East away from family and friends. Will it be easy to live there while keeping up with college?

Washington Post (blog) - Anyone but New York

New York City

You're not going to believe this. For the second year in a row, my job requires me to travel on Super Bowl Sunday. Super Bowl Friggin' Sunday. Last year, I had to fly from L.A. to Dallas for a meeting first thing the next morning. This year, I have to fly to New York for the same reason. (And, no, I can't fly Monday morning because of flight times. And, yes, I could fly out on Saturday, but I'd rather spend the day with my lovely wife and increasingly silly daughter, who are the only people who can stand being in the same room with me these days.) Now, there is a great benefit to flying on Super Bowl Sunday: because so few people are flying that day, there's a decent chance that you can get an entire row of airline seats to yourself or, even better, an upgrade. (Note to anyone reading who works for Delta: an upgrade would be greatly appreciated.) Also, the flight attendants tend to be a little more generous with the pretzels when there are only four passengers. The downside, of course, is that you can miss the game depending on your flight times or delays, or you can end up watching it by yourself in a hotel room -- which is what I will likely end up doing. Yes, I may be in New York City on Super Bowl Sunday, watching the local team of which I happen to be a fan, the Jets, play in the Super Bowl for the first time in 40 years. Sounds pretty exciting, doesn't it? Well, it would be except for this fact: I don't want the Jets to make it to the Super Bowl, only to get slaughtered by the Saints or the Vikings, and you shouldn't either. Getting trounced in the Super Bowl is worse for a fan than not making the Super Bowl at all. I could spend a few paragraphs discussing the psychology of this phenomenon, but I won't; you know it's true, so I won't say more. (And if you don't believe me, please feel free to ask the nearest Bills fan.) No one wants to see a bad Super Bowl anyway, with the possible exception of the fans of the team doing the trouncing. As much as I hope to be wrong, I suspect that is precisely what I believe would happen if the Jets make the Super Bowl. They would get trounced, it will be an ugly game, and no one will enjoy themselves except for the fans of the Vikings or the Saints. I understand why the NFL would love to see the Jets in the Super Bowl. It's a great story -- first time in a Super Bowl since the 1960s. There's a rookie coach with a big mouth, a rookie quarterback with occasional jitters, a rookie running back with an oddly spelled first name, a troubled wideout with occasional butter fingers and the best defense in the league -- Revis. Plus, you get the one-two punch of a New York team that also happens to be an underdog. Match the Jets up against the Vikings, and you have another story: the Brett Favre saga. Unfortunately for Jets fans, the story ends like this: Vikings 24, Jets 3. Match the Jets up against the Saints, and the story ends the same way: Saints 24, Jets 3. (And please, Jets fans, don't feel the need to write in to tell me what an idiot I am. If you are a real Jets fan, you know that this is precisely how we must think in order to remain sane.) No, if you want to have a great game, a great matchup, a nailbiter like last year's Super Bowl -- which I watched in a movie theater in Dallas while eating cold nachos and chicken fingers -- you need the Colts. You need Manning against Favre, or Manning against Brees. Either would be a great game. But, simply because of what the city of New Orleans has endured the past few years, and what it would mean to the city and its team to win a Super Bowl, the best match up is Colts-Saints. Which is what I believe we're going to get. But if the Jets sneak in, I'm happy to be wrong. And if they happen to knock off the Saints or Vikings, I'll be even happier to be wrong. And I'll be in the perfect place to celebrate, New York City. In my hotel room. Eating all the pretzels I can talk the Delta flight attendants into giving me.

What things should I bring on a five day trip to New York City?

By things I mean supplies, clothes, things to do. I'm going on a band trip, so two of the days will be spent on a bus. Things on my list so far include: iPod Phone Purse/ Wallet About six outfits. I'm looking for necessities and things to do on the bus mainly.

Trial begins for NYC cops charged in sex attack I suddenly feel moody

NYC

This undated file photo provided by the Brooklyn district attorney's office shows New York City police officer Richard Kern, accused of sexually assaulting tattoo parlor employee Michael Mineo with a police baton on Oct. 15, 2008. Opening arguments began Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010, for Kern and fellow police officers Alex Cruz and Andrew Morales, who are accused of covering up the Oct. 15, 2008 attack. (AP Photo/Brooklyn District Attorney, File)

Posted in National on Thursday, January 21, 2010 4:40 pm Updated: 6:02 pm. | Tags:

Does thinking about new york make you feel good?

i guess it just might be because i live in RI where nothing happens lol, but whenever i think about New York and the city i always feel like its home. I dont know why i just love New York and feel great everytime i go. How does it make u feel? I kno a lot of people dont like it at all.

Thursday's headline news Plane Diverted To Philly From NYC

NYC

MYFOXNY.COM - A plane was quarantined at Philadelphia International Airport.  The plane was headed from LaGuardia Airport in New York to Louisville on Thursday morning when there was an in-flight incident.

The plane was a USAir flight run by Chautequa Air.  The plane was described as a small commuter plane that holds 50 passengers.  It's unknown how many people were on the plane.

At least 12 police cars and fire vehicles were seen heading to the airport, according to Fox Philadelphia.

One person was taken away from the plane in custody and the rest of the passengers were released.

Sources now tell FOX 29 News that a man on a plane was using a teffilin, a leather box worn on the arm and head during certain Jewish services and he was praying on the plane.

Straps ran down from arm to his body as he was praying on the plane and a passenger became suspicious. The man was questioned by airline personnel, whio didn't get answers to satisfy them, so they diverted the plane to Philadelphia.

The US Airways flight was bound for Louisville.

The plane landed and taxied to a remote section of the airport. All passengers disembarked and are safe.

The individual who apparently caused the disturbance was in custody and is being questioned. He was said to be cooperative.

The airport is open.

All passengers have been removed safely from the plane.

 

Tips for visiting New York and attending a Yankees game?

Want to take my son to a Yankees game, but have never visited New York. Where should we stay, what transportation should we take, etc. Any tips appreciated - we're clueless! Also which seats are best - moderate budget. Thanks!

Wednesdays headline GOP Lawmaker: NY Fed Must Turn Over AIG Documents

New York

The top Republican on a House committee investigating financial bailout decisions says the Federal Reserve Bank of New York is withholding documents it's required to supply under a committee subpoena.

Rep. Darrell Issa., R-Calif., said Wednesday that the New York Fed refused to provide documents related to the bailout of American International Group Inc. from before September 2008 or after May 2009. The committee already has received 250,000 documents from the period between those dates, said a spokeswoman for Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

"We expect the Fed will supplement with more documents as they identify them," said Towns spokeswoman Jenny Rosenberg.

The committee wants details on the AIG bailout, which was managed by the New York Fed under Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. Lawmakers want to know more about Geithner's decision to funnel billions from AIG to other big banks to satisfy AIG's debts to them. An earlier watchdog report said Geithner's decision not to negotiate might have cost taxpayers billions.

The committee subpoenaed the New York Fed last week for documents including Geithner's phone logs and notes. It demanded all New York Fed documents related to the deals that paid off AIG's debts to banks including Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Geithner is scheduled to testify at a committee hearing next Wednesday.

Towns also has asked former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and former New York Fed chairman Stephen Friedman to appear at the hearing. Neither has yet confirmed he will attend, the Towns spokeswoman said.

Issa called on Towns to hold New York Fed officials in contempt if they do not provide the additional documents. He said documents from before September 2008 might show the New York Fed knew well before the bailouts which banks would suffer most from AIG's collapse. And he said documents from after May 2009 would reveal the New York Fed's secrecy in response to congressional and news media inquiries in the matter.

Aid Haitians, immigrants to help NYC economy -mayor

New York City

(Adds details on Haiti fund raising and comments in new paragraphs 5, 10-12)

Bonds

By Joan Gralla

NEW YORK, Jan 20 (Reuters) - New York City can revive its economy by helping Haitians and other immigrants get small business loans, creating jobs and other programs for at-risk youths, boosting anti-foreclosure efforts, and setting up neighborhood credit unions, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Wednesday.

Earthquake-stricken Haitian New Yorkers should be given the federal immigration agency's support of "Temporary Protected Status" so they can find better-paying legal jobs and send more money back home, Bloomberg said in a copy of his annual State of the City address.

New York City has the largest population of Haitian descent outside Port-au-Prince, the earthquake-torn capital city of this Caribbean nation.

Bloomberg, who won a third term by a slim margin, is an independent who has long campaigned for national immigration reform. He called on law firms, charities and community groups to form a new public-private partnership to help Haitians qualify for this legal status.

The Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City has raised $621,001 to help Haiti.

New York City's tax revenues slid when Wall Street nearly capsized last year, and the city's resulting deficit makes it much harder for Bloomberg to pay for ambitious new programs.

Several of his new initiatives rely on the private sector, and he also promised to "stretch" every public dollar, by merging agencies and excising fat in the form of unneeded office space and car fleets. Duplicative functions, such as human resources, will also be combined.

"We will continue going full tilt -- full time," he said.

"And, even as we face difficult budget choices, which will require painful cuts, we will continue insisting that government remain on the side of every hard-working New Yorker," Bloomberg continued.

A PLEA FOR 'LIVING WAGE'

Local politicians, including Council Speaker Christine Quinn and City Comptroller John Liu, both Democrats, largely praised the mayor's plans.

But a spokesman for the Center for an Urban Future, a think tank, said the "home-grown," untrained or undereducated residents, need more help learning new skills to avoid getting "stuck in low-wage jobs for years to come."

The Drum Major Institute said Bloomberg should boost salaries by enacting a "living wage" law to avoid increasing the ranks of the working poor who often need public aid. For example, city employers will hire 22,000 cashiers and 32,000 retail clerks in the next seven years -- but only pay them $17,000 to $22,000 a year, the research group said.

FOCUS ON LOANS AND JOBS

Another public-private program, a new loan pool, will give New Yorkers now "drowning in credit card debt at huge interest rates" a fresh start with the first-ever bank accounts that require no minimum balances and have no hidden fees, he said.

New "financing fairs" for immigrants will let them meet with lenders who speak their languages, he said. Some 5,000 more of the "newest" New Yorkers will offered English classes.

All business owners will benefit from a lighter paperwork burden, as license applications will be sped and coordinated among agencies, kick-starting new enterprises with a new business 311 telephone line.

Shifting $750 million to the housing marketplace rescue program from the capital budget will help protect tenants in "distressed" apartment buildings, he said. Landlords who own such buildings overpaid for their properties and overmortgaged them; upkeep and services can fall if foreclosures result.

Though New York City's foreclosure rates are lower than in some of the nation's other largest cities, 1,000 middle-class families will be able to refinance their homes at "reasonable terms" with a new $10 million mortgage assistance fund, Bloomberg said.

Bloomberg, who has made improving public school education a signature issue, proposed new anti-truancy and anti-pregnancy initiatives, noting that black and Hispanic young men are twice as likely not to graduate from high school and "far more likely" to become fathers than their white and Asian peers.

Further, poverty rates for black and Hispanic young men are 50 percent higher than for Asians and whites, while their unemployment rates are 60 percent higher, the mayor said.

Using federal stimulus money, he proposed creating 2,000 public and private-sector jobs for young people. (Reporting by Joan Gralla; Editing by Jan Paschal)

How much would a trip to New York City Cost?

I'm DFW (Dallas Fort Worth, Texas) and I want to know How much would it cost to travel to New York City and stay there in a decent hotel,travel by plane and do the things you usually do when you travel there. So how much would be the total cost of a trip?

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Mar 26 Theatre of the Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA

Mar 28 House of Blues Boston, Boston, MA

Apr 01 House of Blues Cleveland,Cleveland, OH

Apr 02 Clutch Cargos, Pontiac, MI

Apr 07 The Pageant, St Louism MO

Apr 09 House of Blues Chicago, Chicago, IL

Apr 21 House of Blues Anaheim, Anaheim, CA

Apr 23 The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA

Apr 27 Gothic Theatre, Englewood, CO

Apr 29 House of Blues Dallas, Dallas, TX

Apr 30 House of Blues Houston, Houston, TX

May 02 House of Blues Orlando, Lake Buena Vista, FL

Mar 04 House of Blues Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach, SC

May 07 The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza, New York, NY



Canada

Mar 31 The Sound Academy, Toronto, ON



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Bloomberg Highlights Strategy of Savings for City Does anyone else feel enfuriated

New York City

nyt_text readability="84">

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg focused on the incremental rather than the innovative in his annual State of the City address on Wednesday, pledging to avoid any new spending, to consolidate government operations and to take modest steps in helping small businesses and minority youths.

It was a decidedly more low-key, less ambitious presentation than those Mr. Bloomberg has made in the past.

He promised to expand job training services and to organize financing fairs for immigrant small-business owners. He said five banks and five credit unions had volunteered to set up a program featuring bank accounts with no minimum balances or hidden fees. And in the city’s latest effort to help stanch the foreclosure crisis, he vowed to establish a $10 million fund that would help up to 1,000 families refinance their mortgages.

Mr. Bloomberg, who won re-election to a third term by a narrower-than-expected margin in November, said that a new interagency task force would “consolidate,” “centralize” and “reduce” government operations. Among the goals, he said, would be cutting the number of city vehicles, and shrinking the city’s office space by 10 percent — or 1.2 million square feet — over four years. The trim in office space would save $36 million in rent, and $4 million in energy, each year.

He delivered his address — his ninth since taking office in 2002 — at Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, Queens. And in a nod to “New York, New York,” which was played over a loudspeaker before and after his 45-minute speech, Mr. Bloomberg borrowed liberally from the lyrics: “As someone once said, ‘We’re going to make a brand new start of it. We’re going to do more than ever — more than any city has ever done — to find innovative ways to improve people’s everyday lives.”

In some ways, the speech was a bit of a departure for the mayor. He largely steered clear of anything controversial, unlike earlier addresses, which dealt with subjects like education, property taxes, ground zero, homelessness and term limits.

There was no slick video narrated by Ric Burns or a marching band, as was the case last time. He made no part of his speech in Spanish, as had been his habit when he was running for a third term last year.

Instead, Mr. Bloomberg offered a menu of grind-it-out ideas designed to help New Yorkers, against a backdrop of a $4 billion budget deficit and a national recession. “It was a different kind of speech,” said Bill de Blasio, the city’s new public advocate. “It was definitely incrementalist. A lot of the big-picture issues were kept to a minimum.”

Perhaps the most notable proposal was Mr. Bloomberg’s plan to combine the Department of Juvenile Justice with the Administration for Children’s Services.

“Make no mistake: there will be no coddling,” Mr. Bloomberg said, referring to youngsters in the juvenile justice system. “This is an anti-crime strategy based on real data, and we’ll measure results carefully.”

Two small agencies — the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting, and NYC TV — will also be merged. And at the Human Resources Administrations, two back offices will be combined, Mr. Bloomberg announced, resulting in an expected annual savings of $3.9 million.

And, in the kind of language that was typical of his tenure building his financial services firm, Bloomberg L.P., the mayor — who is the wealthiest person in the city — said that technology could improve government efficiency and customer service. He plans to start a pilot program to install GPS devices on city school buses. He also said the city would hand out bracelets that would enable families to locate the elderly or children.

Mr. Bloomberg, who toyed with the notion of a presidential run in 2008, and was later reported to be on Senator John McCain’s short list of vice presidential contenders, did not completely confine himself to local issues.

Citing President Obama’s announcement that undocumented Haitians who were in the United States before the Jan. 12 earthquake would get temporary protective status and be allowed to remain legally for 18 months, Mr. Bloomberg said that the city would lead an effort to help Haitian New Yorkers get legal and administrative support to apply for such status.

“That will allow them to find legal employment here, and allow more money to find its way back home to their loved ones,” Mr. Bloomberg said.

Afterward, city officials offered mixed assessments. Christine C. Quinn, the City Council speaker, praised Mr. Bloomberg’s commitment to small businesses, and his attempts to deal with foreclosure problems.

John C. Liu, the new city comptroller, commended Mr. Bloomberg for focusing on small businesses and immigrants, but said that the foreclosure plan sounded like “rhetoric we’ve heard before.” Mr. Bloomberg should have been more critical of Wall Street, Mr. Liu added.

Meanwhile, Scott M. Stringer, the Manhattan borough president, and Rubén Díaz Jr., the Bronx borough president, expressed surprise and disappointment that Mr. Bloomberg did not say anything about establishing a commission to overhaul the City Charter — a commission that is expected to change the term-limits law.

Of course, Mr. Bloomberg being Mr. Bloomberg, a few verbal miscues were on display, as well. Beyond botching a couple of names, Mr. Bloomberg may have committed a bit of a Freudian slip when he summed up his speech as the “State of Our Union,” and not the State of the City.

What's the best and cheapest way to go from Niagara Falls to New York City?

Should I go back to Toronto and fly from there?

JetBlue CEO talks of moving headquarters to Orlando

New York City

Dave Barger met Tuesday with Gov. Charlie Crist, who said the state may be able to offer financial incentives to help persuade JetBlue to make the move.

It would bring about 800 jobs to Orlando, where the company already has a training facility.

Barger said JetBlue had been looking at several cities but narrowed the choice to Orlando or staying in New York. He said the company expects to make a decision by the end of March.

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Tuesday's headline is now NYC to address PCB-contaminated caulk in schools

New York City

The Environmental Protection Agency and New York City are developing a program to address potentially hazardous PCBs in school construction materials.

PCBs are chemicals that were widely used in caulk and other building materials until they were banned in the late 1970s. They can harm the immune, reproductive, nervous and endocrine systems and can cause cancer if they build up in the body over long periods of time.

Under an agreement announced Tuesday, New York will conduct a pilot program in five schools to determine how best to minimize exposure to PCB-contaminated caulk. The goal is to develop an abatement protocol that can serve as a model for school systems across the country.

New York City's public school system is the nation's largest with 1.1 million pupils and 1,600 schools.

Doug Kerr took an incredible image - Interstate 495 - New York

When I need something entertaining to do I look at "New York" snapshots on Flickr.



Interstate 495 - New York can be summed up by saying:Interstate 495 - New York

Click for the location of the original New York picture just because everyone always ends up wanting it.

I am impatient to hear some opinions about this photo, or about New York in general?

New York City is making waves - City Agrees to Conduct a Study on the Risks of PCBs in Schools

New York City

nyt_text readability="33">

New York City school officials have agreed to assess the environmental risks posed by PCBs in school buildings and to come up with a plan for cleanups and for reducing potential exposure, federal officials said Tuesday.

Officials with the Environmental Protection Agency said that the city, under a binding accord, would conduct a pilot study to address potential violations of the Toxic Substances Control Act related to the presence of caulk containing PCBs above the allowable level of 50 parts per million.

They said the city had found unsafe concentrations of PCBs in testing during construction and renovation projects. They added that the city had estimated that hundreds of school buildings could have the same problem.

PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, are a class of highly toxic chemical compounds that were widely used in construction materials and electrical products in many buildings, including schools, from the 1950s until they were phased out in 1978, the E.P.A. said. They were commonly used around windows and door frames and in masonry building materials; with long-term exposure, they can cause cancer and affect the immune and reproductive systems when they are released from the caulk into the air or through direct contact, the agency said.

As part of the agreement between the E.P.A. and the city, officials with the School Construction Authority will test, assess and reduce exposure to PCBs in five schools. The pact is intended to lead to a citywide approach.

The five have yet to be chosen. Ross J. Holden, vice president and general counsel of the School Construction Authority, said one that was built between 1950 and 1977 would be selected in each of the five boroughs.

Judith Enck, the E.P.A. regional administrator in New York, said in a statement, “We believe that the program outlined in this agreement, along with general E.P.A. guidance on managing the issue, will serve as a model for school systems across the country.”

Miranda K. S. Massie, a senior staff attorney with New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, which sued the city’s Department of Education over the issue, called the agreement “a healthy start.”

She said her group was withdrawing its lawsuit because of the accord and because of an assurance by city officials that the school attended by the plaintiff’s daughter, P.S. 178 in the Bronx, would be chosen for the study.

Sit down before you read about New York in this article - Fed defends actions in AIG case, invites inquiry

New York

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Reserve officials on Tuesday launched a vigorous defense of their dealings with American International Group, calling for a congressional audit and denying any inappropriate action with respect to payments the bailed-out insurer made to banks.

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke invited a full congressional audit of the U.S. central bank's dealings with AIG and the New York Federal Reserve Bank turned over 250,000 pages of documents to a House committee that has scheduled a hearing on the matter next week.

The U.S. House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee is investigating whether the New York Fed improperly limited public disclosures about payments to banks to unwind $62.1 billion in AIG credit default swaps.

The head of the committee has called the payments a "backdoor bailout" for banks.

Lawmakers are angry at the Treasury Department and the Fed over the AIG bailout, which cost about $180 billion, and over bonuses paid to AIG executives. That has helped fuel some opposition to Bernanke's bid for a second term as Fed chief, though he is still expected to win approval in a full Senate vote that could come this week.

GEITHNER ON HOT SEAT

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who was New York Fed chief at the time AIG was rescued in 2008, is to testify before the committee next Wednesday. He has denied that he had a hand in any advice to AIG about limiting disclosure.

In a lengthy memo posted on its website, the New York Fed pushed back against a number of claims made after a lawmaker released a batch of emails showing the New York Fed counseled AIG not to explicitly state it was paying banks 100 cents on the dollar on credit default swaps it had written.

The New York Fed said it was "incorrect" to say that as a result of its actions, AIG did not tell the Securities and Exchange Commission that it was paying banks including Goldman Sachs Inc at par to settle the swaps contracts after the insurer received a taxpayer bailout.

AIG, in filings with the SEC, said the securities were being bought by letting banks retain collateral and by making cash payments that -- taken together -- roughly equaled the full value of the swaps, the Fed said.

DIDN'T LEAN ON AIG

The New York Fed also disputed charges that it leaned on AIG not to make required disclosures to regulators about the transactions.

"Some have ... suggested that the (New York Fed) pressured AIG not to make required disclosures about material elements of the Maiden lane III transactions," the Fed said, referring to the special entity it set up to fund the rescue of AIG swaps contracts.

"This is also incorrect," the New York Fed asserted.

The central bank further denied that it was as a result of pressure from it that AIG sought to keep the names of the counterparties under wraps.

When pressed to disclose the names by the SEC, AIG sought confidentiality, fearing those firms and others might sever businesses ties over a breach of trust, the New York Fed said. AIG disclosed the names months later under pressure from lawmakers.

(Reporting by David Lawder, Mark Felsenthal and Rachelle Younglai, writing by Glenn Somerville; Editing by David Gregorio)

New York Fed Defends Move in A.I.G. Bailout

New York

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York defended itself on Tuesday against complaints that it had told the American International Group to cover up critical bailout details in public filings, saying it had suggested deleting a sentence about paying the insurer’s trading partners 100 cents on the dollar only because “it was not in fact precisely accurate.”

The New York Fed said in a statement that it wanted to have “the greatest possible precision in A.I.G.’s related securities filings” and that “the counterparties ultimately received slightly less than 100 percent of par value” to unwind tens of billions of dollars in derivatives. It did not say how much was “slightly less.”

The New York Fed did acknowledge that “the proposed sentence was close enough to work in many contexts” and that “the FRBNY and many others have noted that the counterparties received essentially par value.” It also acknowledged that “the point is rather technical.”

The statement came as the New York Fed said it was releasing more than 250,000 pages of documents to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which is investigating the bailout of A.I.G. and the disclosures made by the insurer. The committee’s Democratic chairman, Representative Edolphus Towns of New York, issued a subpoena last week demanding records from the New York Fed related to the bailout.

The New York Fed’s detailed statement was first examined by Bloomberg News.

Earlier Tuesday, Ben S. Bernanke, the Federal Reserve’s chairman, asked the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, to conduct a “full review” of the A.I.G. bailout.

The House Oversight Committee has scheduled a hearing on the A.I.G. bailout and the insurer’s public disclosures on Jan . 27, and it said Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner would appear to testify. Mr. Geithner was president of the New York Fed at the time of the A.I.G. bailout in late 2008.

The committee also said it was seeking testimony from former Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. and Stephen Friedman, a Goldman Sachs director who was chairman of the New York Fed during the A.I.G. bailout.

The New York Fed’s effort to limit A.I.G.’s disclosure of the payments to its trading partners came to light earlier this month in e-mails obtained by Representative Darrell Issa of California, the ranking Republican on the House Oversight Committee.

Tens of billions of dollars were paid to banks including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Barclays, Bank of America, Deutsche Bank and Société Générale in what Mr. Towns and other have derided as a “backdoor bailout.”

Go to Statement from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York »

Go to Article from Bloomberg News »

Does anyone know James Morrison touring dates in 2010 and if he is coming to New York?

anyone know if he is coming to New York i really want to see him in Concert and don't know if he comes to New York.If he is where is he Playing?

Mondays headline story Daley and Bloomberg heap praise on each other

New York City

Posted by Hal Dardick at 8:07 p.m.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg had nothing but praise this afternoon at a South Side school for his Chicago counterpart, Richard Daley, as Bloomberg announced a grant to help the Daley administration promote volunteerism.

“Chicago is a role model,” Bloomberg said, singling out Daley’s efforts to reform education. “I’ve always thought if you called central casting and said send me a great mayor, Richie Daley would be the person that they would send.”

Daley, in turn, praised "my good friend Mike Bloomberg" and called his East Coast colleague someone who “brings mayors together.” He praised Bloomberg for championing tougher gun-control laws.

Is there a reciprocity agreement between California and New York for teaching credentials?

I'm studying to become a teacher in New York. After obtaining my teaching credentials here, will I have problems becoming a teacher in California. What must I understand while taking my coursework in New York, eventhough I want to teach in California.

Monday's worrying story School Plan for U.S. Aid Gets No Vote in Albany

New York

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An eleventh-hour push by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Gov. David A. Paterson to improve New York State’s chances to receive up to $700 million in federal education financing faltered on Monday after the State Legislature balked at the plan.

The governor had called the Legislature into session Monday night to consider a proposal that would increase the number of charter schools allowed in the state, which would help the state in the federal competition known as Race to the Top.

But a bill put forth by the governor differs in key respects from one proposed by the legislative leadership. Both would allow more charters, but the legislative proposal would also place significant new restrictions on them, drawing protests from the mayor and charter school advocates.

Both the State Senate and the State Assembly refused to put a bill to a vote Monday. They were due back in session Tuesday morning.

For weeks, Mr. Bloomberg and his schools chancellor, Joel I. Klein, had refused to endorse the state’s application for Race to the Top money, in part to pressure state lawmakers to raise a statewide cap on the number of charter schools. The competition will award $4 billion in federal stimulus money to states that present the most innovative plans for educational reform, including their willingness to start charter schools.

With the Tuesday afternoon deadline for Race to the Top applications just hours away, the city decided to shift tactics. The mayor said the city would sign the state’s Race to the Top application, and made it clear who he believed would bear the blame if the state loses.

“In signing on to the state’s application while others weaken it, we are drawing a clear line between those who support reform and the governor’s efforts to win $700 million, and those who merely pay lip service to these goals in order to avoid blame later,” Mr. Bloomberg said in a statement.

“Sadly,” he said, “the application may well be undermined by legislative shell games.”

But the mayor’s last-minute maneuver hit a brick wall in Albany, where lawmakers remained divided over a plan to secure the federal money.

One bill favored by the leaders of the State Senate and Assembly would raise the number of charter schools allowed in the state to 400 from 200, but add new restrictions on how they are created and run. Most onerous to charter advocates and the mayor, the bill would take the power to approve charters away from the New York City schools chancellor and the board of trustees of the State University of New York, which together granted 28 of 29 charters last year, and consolidate authority in the State Board of Regents, which the Legislature appoints.

The bill addresses a number of complaints by the teachers’ union, some parents and legislators about what they view as the unchecked growth of charter schools in New York City. It would require additional community involvement in the granting of charters and greater accountability from them.

Charters would be subject to audits from the state comptroller, for-profit companies would be prohibited from running the schools and charter schools could be placed inside traditional public schools only if the parents of the students already attending those schools approve. The city regularly overrules such objections in placing charters. Charter schools would also have to show that they are admitting and retaining special-needs students.

Much of the bill’s language mirrors a proposal presented earlier this month by the city’s teachers’ union, the United Federation of Teachers, and it is supported by the union. “It’s a good bill, it moves in the right direction, it’s fair,” said Michael Mulgrew, the union president.

The governor drafted a bill that would raise the number of charter schools permitted in the state to 460, slightly more than a tenth of the number of schools in the state, the percentage the governor believes is necessary to win Race to the Top points. His bill leaves out most of the additional restrictions that the mayor and charter school advocates oppose.

City education officials said they would ask Mr. Paterson to consider vetoing the legislative leaders’ bill if it passed in its current form, as they believed it would hurt, not help, the application.

But the governor said Monday night that he believed vetoing the bill would harm the state’s chances to receive any financing at all, and that a grant application he considered faulty was better than no application at all.

Mr. Paterson did, however, chastise legislators for failing to act on his bill. “I am at this point imploring the Legislature that we must act,” he said. “We have to get the application to Washington by 4:30 tomorrow afternoon.”

There was considerable confusion on Monday night about which plan — if any — would ultimately pass the Legislature. Neither the governor’s plan nor the plan favored by legislative leaders had a clear path to being approved in either chamber. “Right now we’ve got a big pile of nothing,” said Senator Eric T. Schneiderman, a Democrat from Manhattan.

Nate Robinson scores 27 off bench as New York Knicks beat Detroit Pistons: as I saw this I could not help but to feel outraged

New York

BY Frank Isola

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Monday, January 18th 2010, 4:01 PM

KNICKS 99, PISTONS 91

Nate Robinson may be a favorite among the fans but to Mike D'Antoni, Robinson is someone the head coach tolerates. Barely.

There's a reason why D'Antoni sat Robinson for 14 games. And there are reasons like Monday when Robinson can be a valuable asset.

With Chris Duhon continuing to play his way out of the lineup, Robinson rescued the Knicks from what would have been the worst loss of the season. Playing against a depleted Detroit Pistons roster, Robinson became deto-Nate as he scored 27 points off the bench in the Knicks 99-91 victory.

The win snapped a two-game losing streak and improved the Knicks record to 17-24. Coming into their annual Martin Luther King matinee at the Garden, the Knicks had lost four of their last five including Saturday in Detroit.

Robinson scored eight of his 27 points in the fourth quarter and made 11 of 18 shots overall. Duhon went 0-for-3 in 19 minutes and shooting 3-for-24 in his last four.

Robinson's 27 points are his highest output since he scored 41 on Jan. 1 in Atlanta. That game was Robinson's first after being bench for 14 straight and had it not been for Duhon struggling who knows when Robinson would have played again.

But he is back in the rotation permanently and back to being himself again, which isn't necessarily a good thing. 'Lil Him began his day with the announcement that he will defend his crown at the Slam Dunk contest in Dallas. Robinson celebrated the news with a second quarter dunk.

Wilson Chandler added 17 points, Al Harrington 17, Danilo Gallinari 16 and David Lee finished with 11 points and 15 rebounds. His counterpart, Ben Wallace, had a strong game with 16 points and 14 rebounds.

Rodney Stuckey led the Pistons with 22 points and Charlie Villanueva scored 16. Detroit was 0-for-12 on three's while the Knicks made 10 of 22.

Poor John Kuester, the rookie head coach and Larry Brown disciple, who is charge of a team that can't stay healthy. Monday, the Pistons were playing without Ben Gordon, Tayshaun Price and Richard Hamilton. Gordon was in uniform but was sidelined due to a groin injury. Prince is out with a sore left knee and Hamilton was a late scratch because of an upset stomach.

That's how much the NBA has change over the past 10 years. Charles Oakley wouldn't miss a practice, much less a game, after broke bones in his face. Nowadays, players beg out of the lineup because of a tummy ache.

The Pistons starting lineup included Jonas Jerebko, Austin Daye and Chris Wilcox which doesn't exactly conjured up memories of Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars and Bill Laimbeer.

The players Kuester used played hard for him. Detroit played the Knicks even for one quarter before Robinson erupted for 13 points in the second quarter, including a dunk set up by Duhon's lob pass. Harrington scored seven in the quarter and rookie Jordan Hill added four as the Knicks built a 57-43 lead.

D'Antoni probably should have opened the second half with that trio but instead gave his regular starters another chance and that group faltered badly. With Wallace having his way with Lee, Detroit outscored the Knicks 27-11 in the third quarter.

In the opening three minutes of the fourth, Robinson and Harrington each scored five points to help the Knicks regain the lead.

CURRY UNDER THE KNIFE: The Knicks announced Monday that Eddy Curry was scheduled to have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Monday afternoon. Curry, who has played in just seven games, is expected to out six weeks and there is a chance he may not play again this year. ... Larry Hughes didn't play for the eighth time in the last nine games.

New York 99, Detroit 91

New York

Pistons-Knicks Game Review

New York, NY (Sports Network) - Nate Robinson sank 5-of-9 three-pointers and ended with 27 points, as the New York Knicks held on for a 99-91 victory over the Detroit Pistons in the back end of a home-and-home matchup.

Wilson Chandler had 17 points, while David Lee added 15 rebounds and 11 points for New York, which lost at Detroit on Saturday. Monday's victory was the Knicks' second in their last six games.

"Before the game we just talked about winning, by any means necessary," Robinson said. "So our whole aspect was...to just come out play hard and win. Even if it was an ugly win, we just had to get the job done."

Rodney Stuckey had 22 points to pace the Pistons, who had won their last three. Ben Wallace finished with a season-high 16 points to go with 14 boards in the loss.

"He played extremely well," Pistons head coach John Kuester said of Wallace. "He's competed the entire season. He did a great job on the boards. We needed other people to step up and we didn't get the production in certain situations."

Ahead by one shortly into the fourth quarter, the Knicks scored eight in a row and didn't trail again. Al Harrington opened the burst with a three, while Danilo Gallinari drained a three from the left corner. Gallinari followed that with a long two from the right side to give New York an 83-74 advantage with 7:47 to play.

The Pistons stayed close and drew within five several times down the stretch, including when Charlie Villanueva cut to the basket for a layup with 3:51 to go, getting Detroit within 90-85.

But both teams went cold over the next few minutes, and with 1:11 on the clock, Jason Maxiell made a jump shot for the Pistons for a 92-87 game.

However, Lee followed with a three-point play, and Detroit missed three shots on its next possession. Harrington's two foul shots with 32.1 left put the Knicks up 97-87, as they held on for the victory.

It was 23-23 after the first quarter, and the Knicks moved ahead shortly into the second. Harrington and Robinson each provided five points in the 10-0 run, which made it a 38-27 game with 7:13 left in the half.

The Pistons trimmed their deficit some, but the Knicks ended the frame with another 10-point burst to take a 57-43 at the break.

However, Detroit used a 12-0 run to grab the lead in the third quarter. Wallace's fadeaway basket with 2:45 left provided the Pistons with a 68-64 edge, and they were up 70-68 going to the fourth.

Carole King / James Taylor - Troubadour Reuni in a city near you - presale code

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Carole King / James Taylor - Troubadour Reunion



May 09 KeyArena, Seattle, WA

May 11 HP Pavilion At San Jose, San Jose, CA

May 13 Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA

May 19 JOBING.COM ARENA, Glendale, AZ

May 21 Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO

May 22 Sommet Center, Nashville, TN

May 24 Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL

May 25 Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, MN

May 27 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, MI

May 30 Schottenstein Center, Columbus, OH

Jun 02 Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, NC

Jun 03 The Arena At Gwinnett Center, Atlanta, GA

Jun 05 BankAtlantic Center, Sunrise, FL

Jun 06 St Pete Times Forum, Tampa, FL

Jun 08 Verizon Center, Washington, DC

Jun 15 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

Jun 19 TD Garden, Boston, MA



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Ricky Gervais presale in Los Angeles, CA and New York, NY - code posted

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Ricky Gervais



May 13 The Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

May 15 NOKIA Theatre LA LIVE, Los Angeles, CA



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NYC rescue teams save 4 in Haiti effort (You're getting tired with things like this)

NYC

The N.Y. Task Force Urban Search and Rescue team arrives in Port-au-Prince on Jan. 16.

New York police and fire department search and rescue teams yesterday saved four people who had been buried under rubble since a 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook Haiti to its core on Tuesday.

Rescuers pulled a man from a ruined four-story building on Rue Belencourt in Port-au-Prince in the afternoon, police said. Rescuers used jackhammers and cutting tools to reach the 55-year-old after finding him using a camera. Before he could be extricated, Det. Randin Miller, an NYPD paramedic, crawled into the debris to bring the dehydrated man fluids through an IV line. The man, who was on the third floor when the earthquake struck, was not seriously injured, police said.

Earlier in the day, another New York City team completed an all-night effort at a collapsed grocery store by rescuing two men and a teenage girl. The girl was treated for a leg injury at a U.N. hospital set up at the airport and the two men for unknown injuries.

The 40 NYPD and 40 FDNY members are divided into teams based at the Port-au-Prince airport and work shifts that run around the clock. They are expected to stay for at least one week.

What good universities are there in New York City?

I'm currently a junior in high school and I live in California but I'm thinking about moving to New York City and going to a college there. Is there any universities that you guys would recommend?

Reuters New York Jets upset Chargers with comeback win

New York

SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - The New York Jets pulled off a surprise 17-14 win over the San Diego Chargers Sunday to earn an AFC Championship showdown with the Indianapolis Colts.

Sports

The Jets trailed 7-3 going into the fourth quarter but snatched the lead with a touchdown when rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez threw a short pass on the run to Dustin Keller.

Another Jets rookie, running back Shonn Greene, then gave the Jets a 17-7 lead with an explosive 53-yard touchdown run.

San Diego's Nate Kaeding missed his third field goal of the day as the Chargers tried to respond. It was a nightmare game for kicker Kaeding, who had converted his previous 20 kicks going into the game.

Quarterback Philip Rivers ran through the middle from a yard out to bring the Chargers within three points, but it was too late for a team that had gone 13-3 in the regular season.

The Jets scrambled into the postseason with a 9-7 record and are now one more upset win away from a place in the Super Bowl.

But first year coach Rex Ryan said he did not consider the win, which takes his team to their first AFC Championship game since 1998, to be a shock.

"Not really -- we have believed the whole time, the whole year," said Ryan.

"It (the win) probably wasn't the popular choice but its been old fashioned 'ground-and-pound' football and here we are."

The first half was a grueling, unattractive battle with San Diego getting in front in the second quarter on Rivers' 13-yard pass to full-back Kris Wilson in the end-zone.

A 46-yard field goal from Jay Feely put three points on the board for the Jets in the third before the two quarterbacks exchanged interceptions.

WEATHER THE STORM

The fourth quarter belonged to the Jets, with Sanchez delivering the key plays.

"In games like this you have to weather the storm," said the quarterback, who was drafted from the University of Southern California.

The Jets now face a Colts team who effectively eased New York's path into the playoffs by resting key players and losing to them in the penultimate round of the regular season.

Chargers coach Norv Turner was at a loss to explain the defeat.

"You'd like to be playing your best games in January, in games like this. Certainly for whatever reason, we did not do that today," he added. "We didn't play our best game and it's disappointing."

The Chargers had scored at least 20 points in their past 22 games, a run that ended with a bump.

"There's no one thing you can point at," defensive end Luis Castillo said. "There's no one thing where you can point the blame. We made a lot of mental mistakes in terms of penalties and personal fouls."

(Reporting by Simon Evans in Miami; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

Which of these cities is better, New York City or San Diego?

I live in San Diego, but I prefer New York City. I hate it here and I really want to visit New York someday. Which is better?

Sundays crazyness: New York Jets Inactive List vs San Diego Chargers: Clowney Out

New York

David Clowney

The New York Jets will be without the services of wide receiver David Clowney Sunday afternoon against the San Diego Chargers.

Clowney, who lost his third receiver position to Brad Smith, was among the Jets players that landed on their inactive list.

Joining him on the sideline of the final NFL playoff game of the weekend are quarterback Erik Ainge, running back Chauncey Washington, linebacker Kenwin Cummings, guard Matt Slauson, defensive end Ropati Pitoitua and linebacker Marques Murrell.

The Jets have designated Kevin O’Connell has their third quarterback.

The winner of the game will face the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship game next Sunday.

View the San Diego Chargers inactive list.

Who is the top orthopedic surgeon in New York?

I am looking for surgery options for a bone infection in my leg. I live in Connecticut and am searching my treatment options. I would like to know who is the best of the best in this field. Please let me know thank you!

What brown skirt and blouse on fashion designer new york dsi game is to be used?

Been trying for hours now. This is for the Imagine Fashion Designer New York Dsi game. It says to pick a brown blouse and skirt. I have tried every combination but nothing works. help!

Auction helps cover $8M debt of NYC landmark

NYC

The sale ended Friday and included about 20,000 items from the landmark establishment in Central Park - from crystal chandeliers to a pig-shaped weather vane and all the china and kitchen equipment.

The highest bid - $180,000 - was for a Tiffany glass ceiling used in other restaurants owned by Tavern operator Warner LeRoy, the Russian Tea Room and Maxwell's Plum.

Other top items at the Guernsey's auction were a Tiffany glass ceiling piece that went for $120,000 and a Tiffany peacock mural that sold for $75,000.

Tavern on the Green closed its doors on New Year's Eve after 75 years.

What is the most popular online classifieds website for New York?

Is it Craigslist? Or is there something better? What about Chicago?

Stop everything: New York Jets at San Diego Chargers: AFC Divisional Playoff Preview

New York

Make no mistake about it, the Jets are confident heading into Sunday’s AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Chargers. Coach Rex Ryan even went as far as to give his team a schedule that ends with a Super Bowl victory parade in downtown Manhattan. But first thing’s first, and that’s a matchup against the hottest team in the AFC—the San Diego Chargers. Here are three story lines heading into this weekend’s game:

Ground and Pound

The Jets have the No. 1 rushing attack in the league and will look to continue their dominance up front in San Diego. Gang Green has developed an identity and it is one of a physical unit (on both sides of the ball) that will stay committed to the run at all costs because they are built for it.

It doesn’t hurt that the Chargers were ranked 20th against the run during the regular season and 16th in overall defense. The two-headed monster consisting of Thomas Jones and rookie Shonn Greene combined for 169 yards and two touchdowns in the Wild Card victory over Cincinnati.

With that said, the most intriguing part of this will be how effective the Jets will be given the fact that the Chargers know Jets will (and must) run the ball to have success on offense.

Strength on Strength

Philip Rivers leads a Chargers’ offense that was the fifth best passing team in the NFL during the regular season (271.1 YPG). Darrelle Revis leads a Jets’ defense that was ranked first overall and first against the pass. Something has got to give, right?

The challenge for the Jets will be dealing with San Diego’s vast arsenal of weapons. WR Vincent Jackson and TE Antonio Gates each had over 1,000 yards receiving in 2009 and six players caught at least 20 passes. Oh yeah, they still have LaDainian Tomlinson in the backfield. And although he’s not the player he once was, he’s still very dangerous and has the ability to score on any given play.

You have to figure that Revis will get matched up on Jackson and S Kerry Rhodes will take on Gates. But what about Malcolm Floyd and Legedu Naanee? There’s also Darren Sproles who caught 45 passes coming out of the backfield and FB Mike Tobert who caught 25. See what I mean?

If there’s any week where the Jets dress as many defensive backs as possible, it’s this week. Rex Ryan is a defensive mastermind and will surely come up with something that the Chargers have yet to see on film. It should be interesting to watch when these two units are on the field.

Steady Sanchez

Last week Mark Sanchez had the highest quarterback rating (139.4) for any rookie in a playoff game—ever! And while it’s unlikely that he will replicate that performance, the Jets are going to need to him to continue to play smart, turnover-free football if they’re going to have a chance to beat the Chargers.

As I pointed out before last week’s game, there will come multiple points in the game where the Jets will face 3rd-and-long and Sanchez will have to make a throw in a big spot, under pressure. The outcomes of those plays will ultimately determine the Jets’ chances in this game.

Last week he passed the test. Jets’ fans are hoping he passes his second exam this week.

This one poked my funnybone: Empire City - New York City jokes always will ;)

As soon as I saw this funny picture I knew I had to share with you Click for the location of the original New York City photo because it is the polite thing to do.



Can anybody discuss this in a calm way?

Wait just a minute Mark Sanchez and confident New York Jets are ready for San Diego Chargers

New York

BY Kristie Ackert

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Saturday, January 16th 2010, 4:00 AM

Ready to Bolt

What's the biggest key to a Jets victory on Sunday?

The trash-talking was toned down Friday, with just some loose banter in Gang Green's locker room. There were no bold guarantees, just Jets talking about their belief in themselves. After a week of beating their chests, the Jets left New Jersey quietly, turning their focus toward beating the Chargers while heading out to San Diego for tomorrow's AFC divisional playoff game.

Think of it as the confident calm before tomorrow's storm.

After a light practice Friday, during which the Jets blared the Chargers' fight song from speakers on the sidelines just once, Rex Ryan's gang left its training facility with a new sense of confidence.

"If you just look at it on paper, we match up well against these guys," tackle Damien Woody said before the Jets arrived in San Diego Friday night. "I've heard people say we don't even have a chance to go out there and win. I am looking at it and I don't understand why not."

That confidence is something that had been missing from recent Jets playoff teams, defensive end Shaun Ellis said.

"Last time we went to the playoffs with (former coach Eric) Mangini, we were a little antsy, we weren't settled and we couldn't get settled and it kept us off-balance," said Ellis, who in his 10th season is the longest-tenured Jet. "I remember telling myself, 'The next time we get to the playoffs, we have to be a calm and settled bunch, we just can't be out there rattling ourselves, we can't be fighting against ourselves.'

"This team is different," Ellis added, looking around a quiet locker room. "We are a confident bunch."

Some would say that is an understatement. Ryan, the brash first-year coach who weeks earlier mistakenly declared his team out of the playoffs, last week boldly printed up a postseason schedule that included a trip to the Super Bowl and a save-the-date for a parade up the Canyon of Heroes. To outsiders, that approach may seem overly confident, but inside the locker room, the Jets' players believe in their new identity.

"Coaches have said that we had an identity before, but we didn't have one. This is the first team I've been on that you know what you are going to get, you know who you are and you know what it takes for us to win as a team," said guard Brandon Moore. "I think that's where our comfort comes from. You know what it takes to win, you know who you are, and that brings that confidence that you see in us."

That boldness made a difference last week when the Jets were underdogs going into Cincinnati, wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery said. Unlike their last playoff game, a wild-card loss to the Patriots three years ago, the Jets were not intimidated by what was ahead of them.

"I didn't get the sense we knew where we were headed," Cotchery said of the 2006 Jets team that lost to the Patriots. "But this team is definitely a confident team. We feel like we have the talent in the room to make a run at it. I definitely feel that confidence from everyone in here. There is no doubt at all in this locker room."

How much emergency money should I bring to New York City?

Me and three friends are going to New York from the south. We want to know how much money we should bring, in case the car breaks down, or something absolutley terrible happens.

New York found in the headlines - Project Runway: It's up to you, New York!

New York

That about covers it. Also, some dude named" Seth Aaron" broke one of the beds, I guess to prove he shouldn't be messed with. He's also dressed like Tommy Lee, in his post-Motley Crue, post-Pamela Anderson, post-Hepatitis C look. (Now that I think about it, can you really be post-Hepatitis C? I bet Tommy and Pam are hoping so.) 

Up on the rooftop, HeidiBot 3000, the most fertile and beautiful cyborg German scientists have ever created, welcomes our crew and proposes a toast of champagne to welcome us back to NYC.

"I'm pregnant, so I'll be having apple cider," Heidi says. Of course you are, honey. I should mention she's wearing another leopard print, her go-to outfit for last season. Say what you will about her, but the woman loves draping herself in the essence of jungle cats.

Tim Gunn is looking fabulous, as expected. I shouldn't even have to say that. But I will. As the only person to retain his dignity from Season 6, Tim is owed that much.

During the small talk, one of the designers, Emilio, mentions he's from New York. Heidibot 3000's super hearing mechanism immediately picks up on this.

"This used to be my town too," Heidi laments.

Yeah, it's a shame someone held a gun to your head and made you and the Weinsteins move the show to Los Angeles, or forced you to pick designers who were attractive, but bad at actually making clothes, which destroyed the show's aesthetic and made us feel like you'd sacrificed its soul to the Evil Goddess Lifetimeus.

We won't get too deep into any of the contestants just yet, although I will say that I was a bit taken aback by the fact that they gave Ben -- a designer from Tampa who looks like he's from Eastern Europe -- subtitles when he spoke, even though he seemed to be speaking perfect English. I'm no expert, but I'm going to assume that's racist, Heidi.

The challenge this week is to design an outfit from some fabrics you found in Central Park. Project Runway and Mood have made this easy, however, by leaving reams and reams of fabrics around in Central Park, within about 15 feet of one another. I'm not even sure why they bothered to go to CP if they weren't going to make this interesting. Were the producers sitting around thinking, "So, we have a really tight budget, but we need something that is really NEW YORK to make everyone forget about last season's disaster. Hey, how about going to The Park?"

They could have at least thrown in a twist: Design an outfit inspired by someone sleeping in Central Park. Alas, no.

There is a lot of running and screaming when Tim tells the designers to grab as much fabric as they can in three minutes, but not nearly enough cat fighting. Seriously, Project Runway, if you really wanted to win back my heart, someone should have been pushed in the pond during this challenge. Now you're just going to have to earn it.

At the end of the challenge, one of the desingers, Ping, who is from China by way of Chicago, waves a huge swatch of red fabric around, almost like it's the Chinese Communist flag. I think Glenn Beck just had aneurysm.

Back in the workroom, our fearless designers get to work, some of them on HP TouchSmart Notebooks, which is a new twist this year. Project Runway lurching forward into the new century! How this is better than a sketch book, I have no idea, but he designers all feign enthusiasm because product placement is essentially these days when running a low budget reality show.

"If you choose to use them, please do!" says Tim Gunn, in a bizarre bit of Orwelian NewSpeak.

Ok Tim, I'm on board, but only because someone has to pay for your tie budget.

Is it just me, or does this episode have about 200 commercials? My TiVo seems exhausted. I feel like I've seen about six minutes of actual content, and 30 mins of original Lifetime programing starring Thora Birch about teenagers forming a pregnancy pact. Based on a true story! (I bet Heidi put them up to it, btw.)

Not much interesting happens in the workroom, except for the fact that a designer named Anthony quickly emerges as this season's comic relief. On the "Just how gay is he?" scale of 1-to-10, he's an obvious 12, which is awesome. It takes a lot of gay to Out Gay everyone on Project Runway, but already Anthony has established himself as my favorite personality of the young season.

"Oh my! I'm sweating like a Baptist preacher!" Anthony says.

Ping, in a predictable twist, is clearly going to be this season's eccentric but talented weirdo. Tim Gunn questions why she's wearing the outfit she's designing, and when she confesses that she didn't have dress form growing up, it oddly makes sense.

Emilio doesn't even have a top done and we're less than eight hours from the Runway Show, which gives Tim and opportunity to lecture Emilio on how "no one has ever not finished an outfit in the history of Project Runway." I think this is a bit of selective memory on Tim's part. I think we all recall when crazy Angela sent a model down the runway with a scarf stuffed under a jacket in Season 3 because she totally bombed a shirt.

Time to skip ahead to the runway show. Guess who's back, suckas? Oh hellz yes, it's Michael Kors and Nina Garcia. They sure better be rested and ready for maximum snark after phoning it in all last season. Somewhere, Zoe Glassner weeps, I'm certain.

Ruining my fun somewhat is the fact that Nicole Richie is the guest judge this week. Heidi describes her in her introduction as a "television personality" who is "getting ready to launch her new line." That's a bit more generous than how I would have introduced her: the adopted daughter of Lionel Richie who was best known for being a talentless socialite and former heroin addict until she was impregnated twice by the lead singer of Good Charlotte, a pop-punk Green Day rip off band.

Let's skip straight to the meat of things, shall we? Emilio's dress came together beautifully. A designer named Jesus appears to have put together his look with Sharon Stone in mind, and not the "Basic Instinct" Sharon Stone. More like the leather-wearing, eyes-glassed-over, headed-for-rehab Sharon Stone. His dress is so tight, I'm pretty I saw the outline of the models kidneys. Ping's tornado of fabric, I think, was inspired by the garbage heap on Fraggle Rock. And yet, it's not that bad. I'm totally blown away by this.

Christiane, a designer from Los Angeles who is originally from Ivory Coast, has pulled together something that Paula Abdul would wear. I don't mean this as a compliment. It's bad. A designer named Janeane puts together a simple black top and a skirt with pleats in the front. I like it, but my wife thinks it's hideous and since she still have pregnancy hormones pulsing through her, I nod my head and pretend I hate it too.

My man Anthony did not exactly nail it, presenting a dress that looks sort of like someone has stitched a satchel to his model's hip where she hide  a loaf of French bread if she needed to smuggle it out of the store. (But who am I kidding? Models don't eat bread. I meant watercress.) Michael later describes it as a way for her to "steal champagne bottles at a garden party." Damn you Michael Kors for writing lines more clever than I. Where were you last year when Lindsay Lohan was passed out in her chair, mumbling about Nicolas' brilliance?

All the other designers are fairly unremarkable, except for Seth Aaron, who has put together a nice little punk rock plaid dress with a cool back. I could see Nicole Richie in this outfit, if she put on 30 pounds.

 In the end, Emilio earns a well-deserved victory, and Christiane gets sent home, just edging out Jesus' Sharon Stone stripper outfit. (I was so unmoved by the whole thing, I'm not even going to do my usual gag about scary music and tension mounting. But just know that the music was scary, and the tension was not.)

 I'm not sure Christiane was the worst designer by a long stretch, but she was boring and bad in the first challenge. If you're going to be bad in the first challenge, you need to be memorable. She just didn't create a character for herself. Essentially, if you stab someone with a needle in the workroom, your chances of staying are better than if you're boring.

Until next week, gang! 

 

Photo: Project Runway promotional handout

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Sphere NYC Haitians Reel From News of Earthquake

NYC

NEW YORK (Jan. 13) – They say not knowing is the worst part. For New York City's Haitian population, many of whom still cannot get in touch with relatives in Haiti, the stress is overwhelming.

At the Bedford Haitian Community Center in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, this morning, employees were on the phone trying to get through to relatives with no success. "It is stressful," said Maidjine Bataille, a 27-year-old native of Haiti who has a great-grandmother, grandmother, half sister, cousin, uncle and aunt still living there. "It's like you don't know what's going on, who's alive, who's dead."

Throughout the city's Haitian community the message was the same. Few people had been able to contact family in Port-au-Prince, and as images of devastation poured through television screens, fear and anxiety grew.

"Everybody's worried because we don't know, deeply, we don't know what the damage is," said Joseph Dormeus, executive director of the Bedford center. "Physically we see the damage on the house, on the building, but we don't know how many people that are dead."

Dormeus said the community center was open late Tuesday night as people gathered to try to call family. This morning people came again, some in tears, trying in vain to get news of their family members. By late morning the seven people who remained, mostly employees, watched scenes of destruction on the news and on YouTube.

"We have not been able to digest what's going on because the news has been scattered," said Samuel Barthelemy, who has lived in the United States for 40 years. "I hardly got any sleep because my younger son is in Haiti and I couldn't get any news."

Barthelemy, 62, works at the Haitian Centers Council in Flatbush. He was one of the few who finally did make contact with family when he received an e-mail this morning saying his 13-year-old son was safe.

His co-worker, Dr. Marie Pierre-Louis, was another one of the rare lucky ones. She had been in Haiti for the holidays and got back to New York on Sunday. She managed to speak with her 93-year-old father, who lives alone in Port-au-Prince, and her sister right after the earthquake Tuesday evening.

The news they had could have been much worse. Her brother-in-law had hurt a few fingers and had a gash in his head. She had just enough time to tell them where she had left some gauze before they were cut off.

"I try all of them and keep trying and keep trying," Pierre-Louis said. But since last night, she has not had any news.

Her brother has fared far worse. His wife works in a government ministry in Port-au-Prince and he has not heard any news from her. Pierre-Louis said he is "going nuts."

Pierre-Louis also has a blind uncle she has no news of, and her son can't get in touch with his girlfriend.

Stories just like these are the norm today. And though many woke up and went to work this morning, disbelief and shock have consumed many of New York's Haitians, who are used to dealing with hurricanes on their island nation, but rarely earthquakes.

Haitian President René Préval told reporters today that the destruction from the 7.0-magnitude quake was "unimaginable" and that he was now homeless himself. Early unofficial estimates place the death toll in the thousands.

Dormeus of the Bedford center said he hoped the aftershocks would stop. "A continuation, the way I see it, will be the end of Port-au-Prince," he said, adding that the devastation there will damage the rest of the country, which relies heavily on the capital.

The idea that Port-au-Prince will never be the same added to the shock and disbelief in New York.

"It will never be the way it was when I grew up," Pierre-Louis said. "Port-au-Prince as we know it won't exist anymore."

What would be the fastest way to get from New Jersey to the New York Public Library in Manhattan?

Also probably the fastest that's the least expensive. I was assuming driving to Staten Island and taking the ferry and then a bus uptown would be the better of the ways. Any other suggestions?

Mayor Bloomberg's House Is Fair Game for Protest, Fans of Public Schools Say: I'm sure we must all feel sulky

New York City

     MANHATTAN (CN) - Activists say New York City unfairly denied them a permit to demonstrate in front of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's house to protest his support of a policy that could close 22 public schools.

     Bloomberg declared himself a "strong supporter" of charter schools, which the students, parent and teacher plaintiffs say "have generally denied parents meaningful involvement in their children's school affairs, denied teachers the right to unionize and often have worked to the detriment of the education of students."

     In their federal complaint, the plaintiffs say that under Bloomberg's plan, "There are approximately 22 schools currently slated to be closed, at least in part to make way for charter schools, including secondary schools with longstanding ties to the communities in which they are located."

     The Department of Education will convene a 13-member Panel for Educational policy to vote on the 22 closings on Jan. 26.

     The activists say they planned to protest in front of the mayor's house before the vote, on Jan 21, but the city denied them a permit.

     "Unlike previous New York City mayors, Mayor Bloomberg lives in a five-story townhouse on the north side of East 79th Street between Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue, rather than the Gracie Mansion," according to the complaint.

Though there is a space near Gracie Mansion commonly used by protesters, the city has barred the plaintiffs from gathering near Bloomberg's house. The students, parent and teacher say that Bloomberg's house is fair game because it has been used for fund raisers, meetings with political leaders and receptions for visiting dignitaries.

     They say the NYPD allowed people to protest the closing of a firehouse in front of Bloomberg's house in the summer of 2003. And they add that demonstrations have been permitted in front of the homes of former Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, former New York City Fire Department Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta and State Senator Carl Kruger.

     The plaintiffs say New York City has violated First and Fourteenth Amendments.

     They are represented by Norman Siegel, formerly of the NYCLU.

Disappointing New York rumors: New York Senate urged to expel Senator after probe

New York

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York's state senate should vote on whether to expel Democratic Senator Hiram Monserrate, who was convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor, and if that resolution fails, vote on censuring him, a senate investigating committee said on Thursday.

Barack Obama

The Democrats hold the senate by just two votes and analysts fear the battle over Monserrate's fate could cause a deadlock that would make it much harder for New York to meet is March 31 budget deadline.

Senator Eric Schneiderman, who chaired the bipartisan Special Committee of Inquiry, told reporters at a web cast news conference the body weighed the "totality" of Monserrate's conduct in making its recommendations.

"This is not based on the facts of Senator Monserrate's misdemeanor conviction, it's based on the review of all the conduct and other factors, including credibility and the lack of cooperation with the committee and what we note is a failure to take responsibility," the Democratic senator said.

However, Schneiderman said the senate could reject the committee's recommendations and instead punish Monserrate, one of the co-leaders of last year's failed coup, by imposing a fine, for example.

Monserrate and Senator Pedro Espada last year sought to overturn the senate leadership under President Malcolm Smith.

Monserrate's lawyer criticized the report and the committee, saying it had made up its mind before undertaking its probe.

"The Select Committee's Report amounts to a self-serving document --full of material omissions, legal inaccuracies, and factual distortions -- designed to justify a result the Select Committee desired before even commencing its investigations report," Joseph Tacopina said by email.

If the senate does not reject the findings, Monserrate will sue, and continue to serve as his community's representative, he said. "We are confident that the courts will correct that injustice," Tacopina said.

Monserrate's expulsion would have been automatic if had been convicted of either of the two felonies with which he was charged, but Schneiderman said the legislature's legal powers allowed it to do so anyway.

"I'm absolutely confident that we're on firm legal ground," he said. The last time New York state legislators were rejected was in the 1920 "Red Scare," when five Socialist Party Assembly members were not allowed to take their seats.

(Reporting by Joan Gralla; Editing by Andrew Hay)

In New York City, is Ozone Park considered to be a good neighborhood?

I came across a reference to it in an old novel, and the story made it sound sort of upper middle class. Is this true, or outdated? (The book was almost 30 years old.)

Air America (press release) (blog) NYC Officials Shred Seized Clothes, Refuse To Donate

NYC

In the wake of last week's reports that H&M mutilated unsold clothing before discarding it, the New York Times reports that the city of New York is participating in similarly wasteful practices.

Police destroyed bootleg clothing and shoes taken from raids on counterfeit operations after they were no longer needed as evidence. The goods were new, and included winter jackets, shirts, and pants. The shredding of usable, much-needed clothing cost the city $150 per ton.

In the past, the city has donated confiscated goods to aid groups, but the chief spokesman for the Police Department, Paul J. Browne, claimed there were no requests for clothing in 2009. The operators of a clothing bank disputed this.

Historically, organizations that received the donations avoided trademark infringement by defacing the knockoff labels. But the counterfeit status of the clothing still creates obstacles to its distribution. Major fashion brands are fighting expensive battles with counterfeiters--an agenda backed by Mayor Bloomberg--and they are reluctant to let bootleg goods back into circulation, even as charitable donations.

Robert Rucker, a lawyer with Tucker and Lafiti, a firm that represents Steve Madden and Zac Posen among others, offered his particularly smarmy and corporate-minded opinion on the companies:

“These are people who spend hundreds of thousands of dollars, some of them millions, to get counterfeit goods off the street. Everyone wants to feed and clothe the homeless. But how are you going to spend all this money and then put it back on the street?”

Interestingly, the fashion and licensing industries are financial supporters of the New York City Police Foundation, and in turn the NYC Police Foundation has backed trademark infringement investigations. According to the New York City Department of Homeless Services' Daily Census, as of January 8 there are 36,997 homeless New Yorkers. Donations of counterfeit goods could certainly be put to good use, but clearly the city has other priorities.

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Daily Times - Aafia Siddiqui announces boycott of NYC trial

NYC

Aafia Siddiqui announces boycott of NYC trial

NEW YORK: The trial of Aafia Siddiqui, the Pakistani neuroscientist charged with shooting at her US interrogators in Afghanistan, began on Wednesday with her announcement to potential jurors that she would boycott the case.

Im out of this, Siddiqui, 37, told about 100 potential jurors as lawyers in the case began selecting a jury at Manhattan federal court. Im boycotting the trial, just to let you know. There are too many injustices. The scene marked the latest in a series of courtroom rants by Siddiqui, who has refused to work with her lawyers and lambasted the court since her case began last summer. Her trial had been delayed so that several psychologists could examine her.

Siddiqui, a Pakistani national, is charged with grabbing a U.S. warrant officers rifle in mid-2008 while she was detained for questioning in Afghanistans Ghazni province, and for firing it at FBI agents and military personnel. She was brought to the United States weeks later to face federal charges of attempted murder and assault. According to her U.S. indictment, items found in Siddiquis handbag at the time of her arrest included notes on making explosives and chemical weapons as well as descriptions of a mass casualty attack listing various New York landmarks. If convicted, Siddiqui faces life imprisonment. agencies

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It's just so terrible - New York City leads drive to cut US salt intake

New York City

* Nationwide effort targets food industry, restaurants

Stocks  |  Bonds

* Seeks voluntary reduction of sodium in U.S. food supply

* Critics see it as more "paternalistic" regulation (Adds analyst comment)

By Basil Katz

NEW YORK, Jan 11 (Reuters) - New York City, which has banned smoking and artificial trans fats in restaurants under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is taking on another enemy of healthy living: salt.

The city's Health Department announced on Monday that it is coordinating a nationwide effort to reduce salt in restaurant and packaged foods by 25 percent over five years.

The National Salt Reduction Initiative, a coalition of cities and health organizations, hopes the food industry will back its campaign to combat high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes by voluntarily reducing the sodium in the U.S. food supply.

The announcement met with mixed reaction. Many food makers have already begun to cut salt content and said the reduction targets were reasonable, but some critics called it another attempt to regulate what should be a free choice.

Bloomberg, who has just begun his third term as mayor, has crusaded for healthy living. Apart from the smoking and trans fat bans, the city required chain restaurants to post calorie counts of their menu items and started ad advertising campaign against sugary drinks.

Companies are aware of the push to reduce salt and the New York initiative represents a challenge, said Tom Forte, an analyst at Telsey Advisory Group, an equity research firm.

The restaurant industry will change its offerings if demand is there, but there is "not a lot of proof" previous measures in New York caused any major shifts in consumer behavior, Forte said.

The effort targets restaurants and packaged food because only 11 percent of the sodium in Americans' diets comes from their saltshakers. Nearly 80 percent is added to foods before they are sold, the Health Department said.

High blood pressure, heart attacks and stroke kill 23,000 New Yorkers and 800,000 Americans per year, costing untold billions in healthcare expenses, the Health Department said. Salt intake has been increasing steadily since the 1970s, with Americans consuming about twice the recommended limit of salt each day.

"Consumers can always add salt to food, but they can't take it out," said New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Farley.

But J. Justin Wilson of the Center for Consumer Freedom, an industry-funded group that lobbies against restrictions on smoking, alcohol and the restaurant and food industries, called the initiative "paternalistic" and warned that if the City doesn't get its way, it may try to make the proposals obligatory.

"First it was trans fats, then it was mandatory labeling. The City's Board of Health knows best."

Food manufacturers said the proposals are reasonable and have been a part of their strategy for some time.

"Kraft Foods is supportive of the overall goal of New York City's sodium reduction initiative," said Susan Davidson of Kraft Foods Inc. (KFT.N)

The New York City Health Department's Dr. Sonia Angell said the sodium cuts are "not about banning any single product" but making sure the mix of high and low sodium products is balanced so that it packs "a lower wallop of sodium for all of us."

The city vowed to solicit additional comments from the food industry and consumer organizations until Feb. 1. For the proposed salt reduction targets, click on: here (Reporting by Basil Katz; editing by Daniel Trotta and Anthony Boadle)