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Anthony Weiner makes jokes about his name at NYC pride

Mon, 01 Jul 2013 12:59:00 +0000

New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner cracked jokes about his name at New York City's gay pride parade on Sunday, amid cries of "Weiner" "Weiner" during his march down Christopher Street in Manhattan.

Politicker NY reports:

“We love Weiner and you can quote me on that!” shouted 25-year-old Justin Curtis after Mr. Weiner passed, flanked by a slew of supporters who followed in his footsteps, holding a “Weiner!” sign that stretched the length of the street itself.

“You guys know that’s my name right?” Mr. Weiner offered at one point. “We’re not just saying that.”

How do you like my money now, liberals?

Mon, 01 Jul 2013 12:36:00 +0000

There is one important thing you have to remember about Michael Bloomberg: He is an asshole. It is easy to forget this if you don't live in New York, or if you live in New York and you are a well-off white person who is never harassed by his NYPD, but it is a fact. Thus far, the billionaire mayor has been using his fortune for nice things that everyone likes, like funding ads in support of gay marriage and gun control. But he has enough money to also spend some on capricious meddling in areas Good Liberals are less likely to approve of. According to the New York Post (and admittedly it is often wrong about all sorts of things but you can generally trust its City Hall reporting), Mayor Bloomberg is now planning to spend some money to defeat City Council opponents of stop-and-frisk. Or, if not defeat them, at least scare them into changing their minds.

Off the beaten track: Subway kiosks are the new artist hangouts

Sat, 29 Jun 2013 18:30:00 +0000

This summer several art newsstands are bringing independent media to the city streets and subways, with piles of zines and DIY publications offered in the tradition of newsstands. Handsomely constituting a small trend, the newsstands currently installed in New York and Los Angeles are looking to engage a larger public with offbeat media, while still acting like a hub of information and interaction — just like any other newsstand.

The Newsstand, which opened earlier this month in the Lorimer/Metropolitan G and L train connection in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, was curated by Lele Saveri of the 8-Ball Zine Fair for creative media company ALLDAYEVERYDAY. Lodged in the space of a former MTA newsstand, there are international zines and offerings from publishers like Desert Island Books, Miniature Garden, Dashwood Books, Hamburger Eyes, and Peradam, and some magazines organized by McNally Jackson. A sticker machine sits out front, and small stacks of press are even offered for free. When I stopped by, there was a photo shoot happening (as you do with a hip, underground, well-curated art newsstand), but there seemed to be a fair amount of people stopping by anyway from the endless travelers in movement through the station.

New York City Council passes two NYPD oversight bills

Thu, 27 Jun 2013 13:42:00 +0000

The New York City Council approved two bills to establish more oversight of the NYPD's use of stop-and-frisk, amid opposition from Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Chief Raymond Kelly.

The New York Daily News reports:

The Council voted with veto-proof majorities for bills creating an inspector general's office to oversee the NYPD and allowing people to sue over racial profiling by police.

The IG bill passed 40-11. The profiling bill passed 34-17 -- exactly the number of votes needed to withstand Bloomberg’s expected veto.

Bloomberg's counsel Michael Best objected to the bills in a letter to the Council, arguing that they “would seriously impede the ability of the Police Department and the City to protect 8.4 million New Yorkers” and cause an “avalanche of new lawsuits against police action.”

Anthony Weiner takes the lead in a new poll

Wed, 26 Jun 2013 13:02:00 +0000

A new poll by NBC 4 New York/Wall Street Journal finds that Anthony Weiner is now ahead among Democratic voters in the primary for the New York City mayoral race, passing right by Christine Quinn.

From NBC New York:

Weiner, who entered the race two years after resigning his congressional seat amid a sexting scandal, now leads City Council Speaker Christine Quinn 25 percent to 20 percent among registered Democrats, the poll by Marist found. That's a flip-flop from the last survey in May, when Quinn, the longtime front-runner, led Weiner 24 percent to 19 percent.

But, according to the poll, there's a big possibility that the race will end with a runoff, since no candidate has yet captured the 40 percent of the vote needed to avoid one.

The endless slut-shaming of Weiner’s women

Tue, 25 Jun 2013 15:02:00 +0000

The guardians of morality have a lengthy and remarkably selective memory. And what has long been excused in a man can be an enduring badge of shame for a woman. It's been two years since Anthony Weiner's penis went viral and his career took an abrupt detour in light of revelations regarding his explicit online communications with at least six women. His resignation from Congress prompted a gold mine of tabloid headlines and a deluge of moral outrage from the punditsphere, all of which briefly kicked up again when he last month announced his intention to run for mayor of New York City. Yet despite the jokey New York Post headlines and the muttering accusations of sleaziness that he will always bear, Weiner is doing pretty well today. He still has his wife and the son she bore him just months after the scandal broke. He has a viable political career. But as a New York Times story this week has revealed, the women who were on the receiving end of Weiner's attentions have fared differently.

How much did Anthony Weiner get done in Congress?

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:16:00 +0000

In a new profile of Anthony Weiner, who is running in New York City's mayoral race this year, the New York Times took a look at the former Congressman's legislative record and found that it was mostly about "intensity, publicity and limited results." According to the Times' analysis, in Weiner's 12.5 years as a Congressman, he only sponsored one bill, which was being pushed by a friend of his family, who also happened to be a big donor to Weiner's campaign.

From the Times:

When President Obama needed every Democrat in Congress to back his health care plan in 2009, Representative Anthony D. Weiner threatened behind the scenes to torpedo the package in favor of a more sweeping measure. He backed off after he was promised a bigger share of the spotlight during the highly watched debate.

Eric Holder’s brave and welcome decision

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:15:00 +0000

The NYPD may soon get some unwelcome federal monitors according to the New York Daily News. The issue is stop-and-frisk, the widespread NYPD minority harassment program, the constitutionality of which U.S. District Court Judge Shira Scheindlin is expected to rule on shortly. If Scheindlin finds the practice prejudicial, the U.S. Department of Justice would like her to grant the Justice Department oversight over the cops.

New York city officials were told of Holder's decision Wednesday, according to the News. On Tuesday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly reportedly "vigorously objected to the plan in telephone conversations with Holder."

Bloomberg asks donors to cut off Dems who opposed background checks

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:49:00 +0000

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is pushing Democratic donors in New York City to cut off donations to the four Democrats who voted against background checks when the measure came up in the Senate.

The New York Times reports that Bloomberg is planning to send a letter on Wednesday to top donors, urging them against supporting the four senators - Mark Pryor, of Arkansas, Max Baucus of Montana, Mark Begich of Alaska and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota - who have collectively raised over $2.2 million from New York.

From the Times:

New York City pitches $20 billion plan to prep for climate change

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 20:41:00 +0000

A proposal in New York City would set aside $20 billion to prepare the city for the effects of climate change, including building floodwalls and other storm barriers to protect the city.

Reuters reports:

The sweeping plan includes 250 recommendations, ranging from installing floodwalls and storm barriers to upgrades of power and telecommunications infrastructures.

With the Big Apple facing significant impacts from climate change in the decades to come -- including becoming as hot as Birmingham, Alabama, by 2050 -- the plan aims to make sure that New York City's extensive subway, transit, sewer and water, energy and food distribution systems will still be able to serve the more than 8 million people who live there.

Why the poor may be more prone to asthma

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 16:20:00 +0000

On a chilly morning in New York City this past February, Kate Weinberger found herself standing in front of a family of French tourists while trying to wrench a hand-drill around a pair of sneakers that had been left dangling from a traffic light above Lafayette Street. A doctoral student at Columbia University’s School of Public Health, Weinberger had selected this SoHo perch, in front of a menswear boutique, as an optimal location for trapping pollen. Now she was trying to secure a strip of steel around the traffic light in order to hang her pollen monitor, and the shoes were getting in the way.

Considering how bad this spring has been for allergy sufferers, you wouldn’t think pollen would be a hard thing to catch. But pollen monitors are notoriously labor-intensive devices, requiring pollonologists to hand count spores every few days. That’s why there are so few of them deployed around the country.

New data shows school “reformers” are full of it

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 16:30:00 +0000

In the great American debate over education, the education and technology corporations, bankrolled politicians and activist-profiteers who collectively comprise the so-called "reform" movement base their arguments on one central premise: that America should expect public schools to produce world-class academic achievement regardless of the negative forces bearing down on a school's particular students. In recent days, though, the faults in that premise are being exposed by unavoidable reality.

Before getting to the big news, let's review the dominant fairy tale: As embodied by New York City's major education announcement this weekend, the "reform" fantasy pretends that a lack of teacher "accountability" is the major education problem and somehow wholly writes family economics out of the story (amazingly, this fantasy persists even in a place like the Big Apple where economic inequality is particularly crushing). That key -- and deliberate -- omission serves myriad political interests.

Wall Street Journal courageously takes on the totalitarian bike lobby

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 16:03:00 +0000

Comic book villain Wall Street Journal editorial board member Dorothy Rabinowitz will not be silenced by the "all-powerful enterprise" of the bike lobby a moment longer. In a courageous interview with the paper, Rabinowitz advocates on behalf of the "majority of citizens of [New York City]" who are "appalled" by the new bike sharing program and its many attendant dangers.

Beyond leaving New Yorkers vulnerable to the whims of positively homicidal cyclists, a fleet of new bike racks have left New York's "best neighborhoods" absolutely "begrimed by these blazing-blue Citi Bank bikes," she says.

Think that's the very worst of it? Think again.

To find out more, just watch as Rabinowitz spends five minutes explaining how New York has never known a menace as great as a bike share program:

Can Anthony Weiner win?

Sat, 01 Jun 2013 16:30:00 +0000

When Anthony Weiner resigned from his post as congressman due to an embarrassing Twitpic scandal in 2011, the media expected that any serious political career was over. But Weiner has recently returned to politics, entering the Democratic primary as a mayoral candidate; not only is the media taking his bid seriously -- but it's possible that thanks to deep pockets and a vibrant persona he could win it.

Discussing a mayoral bid with a panelist on "Up with Steve Kornacki," Kornacki said of Weiner: "He's a showman."

"To me, the most important thing to know is in college he thought about being a TV weatherman," said Kornacki. "We talk about Christine Quinn, Bill Thompson, they haven't really inspired anybody. There's an opening for somebody who can be a performer."

Man reports another anti-gay hate crime in New York

Sat, 01 Jun 2013 15:51:00 +0000

Twenty five year-old Kevin Kiadii, who in April became the fifth man to accuse Elmo voice actor Kevin Clash of sexual abuse, was allegedly targeted in an anti-gay hate crime, continuing a disturbing trend of recent anti-gay attacks in New York City.

Kiadii told CBS New York that he was beaten up by a group of teenagers in Brooklyn's Prospect Park:

Rupert Murdoch begs top cop to run for NYC mayor

Thu, 30 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Ray Kelly is the New York City police commissioner. Some people (it's not clear whether Kelly is one of these people) would like him to be the town's next mayor. Among those people: Rupert Murdoch, who owns two local daily newspapers and one nationwide cable news television station. Murdoch buys newspapers because he loves newspapers, and one of the things he loves most about newspapers is that publishers can use them to influence elections. (Murdoch has had more success with this in the UK, where his papers were instrumental in election of Prime Minister Tony Blair.)

Here was Murdoch this weekend:

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As Media Matters reports, Fox News' "Fox & Friends" rather quickly and blatantly began praising Kelly and saying he should run for mayor. (Fun fact: Ray Kelly's son Greg is a Murdoch employee and former "Fox & Friends" co-host.)

Mail sent to New York City mayor tests positive for ricin

Wed, 29 May 2013 22:31:00 +0000

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City police say two anonymous letters sent to Mayor Michael Bloomberg contained traces of the deadly poison ricin.

Police said Wednesday that the threatening letters were opened Friday in New York at the city's mail facility and Sunday in Washington at the headquarters of the nonprofit started by Bloomberg, Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Both were addressed to Bloomberg and contained threats referencing the debate on gun laws.

Police say preliminary testing indicated the presence of ricin.

Police say civilian personnel who came into contact with the letters were not showing any symptoms, but some officers who later examined the one in New York were.

Ricin is a poison found naturally in castor beans.

It's not clear if the letters were related to other threatening, ricin-laced letters sent to other lawmakers recently.

Poll shows Weiner making gains in NYC mayoral race

Tue, 28 May 2013 17:14:00 +0000

A new Marist poll finds that Anthony Weiner had made gains in the potential Democratic primary matchup in the New York City mayoral race, since his official campaign launched last week. According to the poll, Weiner is only trailing front-runner Christine Quinn by 5 points, 24-19 percent. After Weiner, Bill de Blasio polls at 12 percent.

From the poll:

In April, amid speculation Weiner would enter the race for mayor, he garnered the support of 15% of registered Democrats. Quinn at that time received 26%, a lead of eleven points. 12%, last month, indicated they would vote for John Liu. Bill de Blasio and Bill Thompson each received 11%. Sal Albanese had 2%, and 1% mentioned another candidate. 22% were undecided.

As Salon's Blake Zeff wrote Tuesday, though a Weiner win is improbable, he does have a few things going for him -- even aside from his $5 million in campaign cash:

Anthony Weiner can actually win the NYC mayor race

Tue, 28 May 2013 12:21:00 +0000

Anthony Weiner can "shake up" the campaign for New York City mayor, the conventional wisdom tells us, but he definitely cannot win it. That may be the consensus among those following the race, but the fact is Weiner’s chances are better than many realize. The reason: his challenges are not as great as they’re being portrayed. And his strengths are more important than people think.

Let’s start with what he has going for him. Most critically, Weiner begins this race possessing a prerequisite for an upset: the field of candidates he faces has failed to catch the attention of voters. The current frontrunner, City Council speaker Christine Quinn, leads early polls but none show her approaching the 40 percent mark needed to avoid a runoff, and she inspires intense opposition among many New York voters. Add to that the fact that other leading candidates like Bill de Blasio and Bill Thompson have failed to consolidate their bases of support, and you’ve got an unsettled race -- just the kind of backdrop essential for Weiner to have a prayer of winning.

Grand Central, zeppelin docking station

Mon, 27 May 2013 19:00:00 +0000

For meditations on time, there are few places more frenetic with marking the seconds than Grand Central Terminal. The hundreds of thousands of people that pass through the station each day create a constant motion around the gold clock that sits calmly ticking away the moments in the center of the Grand Concourse. It’s around this idea that On Time / Grand Central at 100 was organized by MTA Arts for Transit and Urban Design.

Lothar Osterburg, “Zeppelins Docking in Grand Central” (2013), photogravure and chine collé