August 31, 2006 LED Lights Working for NYC Seems like just yesterday the "WALK" and DON'T WALK" signs were blinking onto New York City pedestrians creating order in a otherwise chaotic city. If you haven't noticed by now, which you probably have, the old lights and pedestrian signs were replaced with the more futuristic and economical light emitting diodes (LEDs). I KNOW! OLD NEWS, RIGHT?? I took this picture today and I wanted to use it so I'm telling you this story, so live with it (heheehe). The LEDs replaced the old-style incandescent halogen bulbs. The LEDs have many advantages, including: LEDs are brighter. The LED arrays fill the entire "hole" and have equal brightness across the entire surface, making them brighter overall. LED bulbs last for years, while halogen bulbs last for months. Replacing bulbs costs money for the trucks and people who do the work, and it also ties up traffic. Increasing the replacement interval can save a city big dollars. LED bulbs save a lot of energy. The LEDs also allow the city more control over the traffic patterns. The entire city grid is controlled from a single location using technology that is inherent in the LED system. Fun stuff, right? But we all do miss the "WALK" and "DON'T WALK" which have been replaced by a hand and a walking man. All in the name of progress. The picture above was taken on Court Street near Warren in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. More pictures. Woman Crashes Car After Letting Dog Drive!? A woman in Hohhot, the capital of north China's Inner Mongolia region, crashed her car while giving her dog a driving lesson, the official Xinhua News Agency said Monday. The woman, identified only be her surname, Li, said her dog "was fond of crouching on the steering wheel and often watched her drive," according to Xinhua. "She thought she would let the dog 'have a try' while she operated the accelerator and brake," the report said. "They did not make it far before crashing into an oncoming car." [rdl] TRUMP FIRES CAROLYN! Donald Trump's co-star on "The Apprentice," has heard him say "You're fired!" for the last time - because this time he said it to her, sources told The Post. The icy, 36-year-old blonde - who was running the Trump National Golf Club in Briarcliff in Westchester and helping supervise the Trump National in Bedminster, N.J. - was let go earlier this week. "She became a prima donna," said one insider. "Being on 'The Apprentice' went to her head. She was no longer focused on business. She was giving speeches for $25,000 and doing endorsements." I can't believe this! I love Carolyn. I'm sure she's going to not have any problems finding a job. I wonder why Trump fired her for doing things that he does himself?? [nypost] Quote of the Month: "If someone says, 'You're throwing a party for gay men in their underwear!' I say, 'Well, I don't see you paying my rent or giving me money to buy glitter'" - Tim Young, founder and director of Brooklyn's Puppetry Arts Theatre, on how he throws gay underwear parties to pay his bills that keep his theatre in business. flickr - my fotolog    back to top - home August 30, 2006 Hump Day = Fun Day! Get Out Your Pullovers... Like Jake here we should all be getting out our warm clothing. Autumn is coming in early this year. I'm sure we will be having an "Indian Summer" as we always do but I've already been feeling a bit of the chill that is coming down from the Great White North (Canada). Time to unpack all those winter clothes and buy a new jacket for the rainy season before fall kicks into high gear officially on September 23rd. What fun to live in the Northeast and experience the seasonal changes that we do. A trip to Vermont, Oysterfest 2006, Halloween... Fun!! Cocktail Weenies Are Back? Where did they go? The New York Times has a "special report" an article about the re-emergence of the old standard "pigs in a blanket". Apparently - and you aren't going to believe this - "during a black-tie wedding reception at Cipriani Wall Street, the bride and groom insisted on having pigs in blankets". Gasp! No! "They're acceptable guilt food," says Sean Driscoll, an owner of the silver-tray catering company Glorious Food in Manhattan. "They're not like buying a hot dog from a street vendor, and besides, the pastry is a good blotter for alcohol." Can you imagine buying a hot dog from a street vendor! The horrors!! And Serena Bass, the English caterer, says: "We might be talking about hors d'oeuvres made of quail and moulard duck breast something or other, and the client will clutch her neck [aka "clutch her pearls" rjd] and ask, almost sotto voce, whether they could possibly have pigs in blankets. It's almost embarrassing because it's all anybody wants. We literally serve them all the time." Who talks like these people?? Who says "sotto voce"?? ... we literally serve them all the time ... LITERALLY? As opposed to figuratively? Worst. Article. Ever. Do You Trust This Man? Iran has persisted in enriching uranium despite the threat of U.N. sanctions and a looming deadline to freeze such operations, U.N. and European officials said Wednesday. Its ongoing enrichment could act as a trigger for the U.N. Security Council, which had set Thursday as the final day for Tehran to freeze such activity. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because the information was confidential, said Iran had also snubbed overtures from world powers for a new meeting on its nuclear program. Iranian defiance on enrichment will be detailed in a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency due Thursday. Fentanyl + Heroin (or Cocaine) = The New Party Drug? A powerful new drug cocktail has killed 17 people in NYC. The city's health department said Tuesday that drug users are mixing the morphine-like painkiller, fentanyl, with heroin or cocaine, unaware of the potentially lethal consequences. [source] flickr - my fotolog    back to top - home August 29, 2006 Hotel on Rivington I had the opportunity to stay in one of Manhattan's most famous "boutique hotels" ... the Surface Hotel Hotel on Rivington. Located in the LES, the hotel is located on Rivington between Essex and Ludlow. There was a lot of controversy when it first went up because of it's height in proportion to the other buildings around it. There was also a nasty give-and-take between Surface Magazine and LES hotel developer Paul Stallings. The rooms are decorated by India Mahdavi. The biomorphic-egg entryway is by Marcel Wanders. And the penthouse, by Zaha Hadid, winner of the Pritzker Prize. As the hotel moved toward completion, it lost Surface magazine's involvement. Stallings is quiet about what happened: "Basically, Surface had the role of introducing us to three of the designers." That's it? A Surface spokeswoman called the split-up "mutual". The image above is pretty much what our room looked like. It was fairly large for Manhattan standards and it offered views that you wouldn't believe. We were on the 16th floor and had a balcony that faced north towards uptown that spanned the entire room. The bathroom and shower was covered with lime green tiles and as you took a shower you could look out the window (which opened completely) at the Empire State building. The experience was amazing. I had two of the best nights of my life in that hotel. It was like taking a mini-vacation complete with Veuve Clicquot and someone very special to me. Taking a vacation in New York is something that natives can't really afford but it's well worth it. Sometimes you get lucky and a hotel room falls in your lap... Pow! Click here for more images of the hotel and the view. New Podcast Posted! 021: Williamsburg B4 Williamsburg... Legal; English Lit; Paparazzi -- We've been experiencing summer delays but we're ready for a big comeback this fall! Hope you have your listening ears on... ugh... right? Email us: toby@livefromthewb.com or jenna@livefromthewb.com; Send us some feedback; Vote for us on PodcastAlley.com!!! Thanks for listening! Greyhound Bus From NYC Crashes Upstate A Greyhound bus making its way from New York City to Montreal drove off the Interstate near the Canadian border, falling down an embankment and rolling over at least twice. Five passengers were believed to have been killed and many others were injured. The bus was the 1PM from the Port Authority, carrying many tourists back to Montreal. [via gothamist] Ahmadinejad Challenges Bush to TV debate President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad voiced defiance on Tuesday as a deadline neared for Iran to halt work the West fears is a step toward building nuclear bombs, and challenged President Bush to a televised debate. "Peaceful nuclear energy is the right of the Iranian nation. The Iranian nation has chosen that based upon international regulations, it wants to use it and no one can stop it," he told a news conference. Asked specifically if Iran would halt enrichment, even for a short period, he replied: "In that (Iran's response to the six-nation offer) we announced that any kind of dialogue should be based upon the certain rights of the Iranian nation." ummm... what rights? flickr - my fotolog    back to top - home August 25, 2006 It's Friday!! John Forsythe was born in Penn Grove, New Jersey on January 29, 1918. Forsythe attend the University of North Carolina. After graduating he moved to New York city for his true passion, acting. John received his stage training at the well known New York’s Actors Studio. In 1976 Forsythe got a phone call from Aaron Spelling asking him to record the voice of a detective name Charles Townsend, for the new Spelling-Goldberg TV movie, Charlie’s Angels. Forsythe continued with doing the voice over for Charlie until the series ended in 1981. After Charlie’s Angels ended he moved into the mansion on Dynasty, yet another television hit by producers Spelling/Goldberg. The series lasted until from 1982 - 1989. And that concludes the Charlie's Angles segment... comments for what I should do next? Men feel pressured to attain muscle-man image Apparently, men are the new women. Previous research has linked the sexual objectification of women in society to disordered eating behaviors among women. During the last three decades men's bodies have also become increasingly objectified in the media. Men are feeling pressure to achieve perfect bodies, and this can lead them down unhealthy paths. Men who were dissatisfied with their muscularity are more likely to be more preoccupied about becoming more muscular, which leads to use of supplements and possibly steroids to achieve that muscular image. What about the healthy option? I choose exercise and healthy eating. It really doesn't have 100% to do with the way I look. It's more about the way it makes me feel. Healthy, fresh, happy... fun times. Jackie Mason sues Jews for Jesus ... Saying he's "as Jewish as a matzo ball or kosher salami," Jackie Mason filed a lawsuit against Jews for Jesus for using his name and likeness in a pamphlet. The pamphlets feature an image of Mason next to the words "Jackie Mason ... A Jew for Jesus!?" with information inside that outlines the similarities between Jews and Christians. "The pamphlet uses my name, my likeness, my 'shtick' (if you will), and my very act, which is derived from my personality, to attract attention and converts," Mason said in an affidavit. Susan Perlman, a spokeswoman for Jews for Jesus, said the pamphlet was "good-natured." "Shame on him for getting so upset about this," she said Friday. Shame on you for bothering people on the subways with your talk of Jesus. 9/11 Shrine, With the Tragic, Toxic Dust Starting on Monday, the workers began carefully carrying dust-covered Levi’s jeans and begrimed, flag-bearing Ralph Lauren sweaters out of storage. Then they meticulously positioned them as they were first preserved under glass in the storefront of Chelsea Jeans, a block from the World Trade Center. Enclosed by the store’s owner, David Cohen, the impromptu shrine became a place of pilgrimage for thousands of tourists, mourners and recovery workers in the year after the attack. flickr - my fotolog    back to top - home August 24, 2006 Is it Friday yet... ? Kate Jackson was born on October 29, 1948 in Birmingham, Alabama. Kate is best known for her role as "Sabrina Duncan" in the 1970s television series Charlie's Angels. She was usually considered the best of the three original lead actresses, and she was the only one with prior acting qualifications. She was originally offered the role played by Meryl Streep in Kramer vs. Kramer, but due to her role on Charlie's Angels she had to withdraw, something that she has made clear hurt her career. In 1982, Kate did star opposite Michael Ontkean and Harry Hamlin in Making Love, a film considering to be ahead of its time in by sensitively handling the issue of homosexuality. She battled breast cancer twice, in 1987 and 1989, and survived. [source] Pluto gets the boot Leading astronomers declared Thursday that Pluto is no longer a planet under historic new guidelines that downsize the solar system from nine planets to eight. They can't do that! Pluto is the best planet. It's the furthest from the sun. Now we're susposed to believe that Neptune is the last planet in our solar system? Pluto was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh on February 18, 1930, and classified as a planet because scientists initially believed it was the same size as Earth. In Resolution 6B of the amended 2006 proposed definition of a planet by the International Astronomical Union's Planet Definition Committee (Nerd Alert!) a plutonian object is described simply as an object belonging to "a new category of trans-Neptunian objects", with the dwarf planet Pluto being the prototype for the category... I'm saddened by this news. It's like losing a best friend to dark & empty space. I tried to get http://savepluto.com but it's already registered. People work fast! Safe Sex? A former press aide to Mayor Rudy Giuliani was found naked and strangled in a bed inside a cousin's million-dollar Greenwich Village apartment, law enforcement sources said yesterday. Martín Barreto - a respected public relations guru who lived a luxurious lifestyle with high-powered clients in New York and Miami - was discovered Monday lying near a condom wrapper and safe-sex aids, a law enforcement source said. Police investigators believe Barreto, 48, a childhood friend of Bianca Jagger, was killed by someone he knew - possibly an enraged ex-lover or a man he met while cruising the Internet for gay sex, sources said. flickr - my fotolog    back to top - home August 23, 2006 Humpa Day! David Doyle grew up in Nebraska. Doyle spent two years at The University of Nebraska studying Latin. In 1950 he began attending New York's Neighborhood Playhouse where he began working on his acting career. His first big break was when he replaced Walter Matthau on Brodaway show Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?. David moved on to work in numerous productions and directing over 60 plays. In was not until David hit Hollywood when he became a notable face. One of his first feature film breaks was staring with Kris Kristofferson in Vigilante Force. David moved onto working onto TV series, he played the Irish dad in Bridget Loves Bernie and the star's boss in The New Dick Van Dyke Show. It was in 1976, when David signed on to the role of Bosely for a pilot film by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg called Charlie's Angels. Although his part was small on the pilot, after ABC picked Angels up for the fall season, Aaron and Leonard combined the lawyer and Bosely characters together and David Doyle became Charlie's only male Angel. David stayed with the series throughout its full run (1976-1981). [source] Strange? Two Dutch fighter planes accompanied a U.S. Northwest Airlines plane bound for Mumbai back to Amsterdam's Schiphol airport on Wednesday, officials said. A Dutch air traffic control spokeswoman said the plane was in German airspace when it turned back. A spokeswoman for Schiphol said the pilot had taken the decision to turn back but could give no further details. Dutch news agency ANP quoted police as saying a number of people had been taken off the Northwest plane and were being questioned. Airport information said none of the passengers on the plane were being allowed to leave yet. flickr - my fotolog    back to top - home August 22, 2006 Jaclyn Smith was born Jacquelyn Ellen Smith on October 26, 1945. She is best known for the role of Kelly Garrett in the television series Charlie's Angels. Smith was the only female lead to remain with the series for its complete run. Smith was born in Houston, Texas to Jack Smith and Margaret Ellen Hartsfield. Her father was a Jewish dentist, and maternal grandfather was a Methodist minister. Since 1985, Smith has designed and promoted a clothing line for Kmart, which sells the clothes in its Kmart stores. [source] A Russian passenger jet with 170 people on board crashed in Ukraine on Tuesday. The Russian emergencies ministry confirmed that wreckage from the plane was found in Ukraine. The plane, on its way from the Black Sea resort of Anapa to St. Petersburg, disappeared from radar screens after sending a distress signal, Emergency Situations Ministry spokeswoman Yulia Stadnikova said. The plane belongs to Pulkovo airlines, which is based in St. Petersburg. August 22 = Armageddon?? This information comes from the Wall Street Journal, where Bernard Lewis, one of the most widely read scholars of the Middle East, tells us about August 22. [source] "In Islam, as in Judaism and Christianity," Lewis writes, "there are certain beliefs concerning the cosmic struggle at the end of time - Gog and Magog, anti-Christ, Armageddon, and for Shiite Muslims, the long-awaited return of the Hidden Imam, ending in the final victory of the forces of good over evil, however these may be defined. "Mr Ahmadinejad [the Iranian president] and his followers clearly believe that this time is now, and that the terminal struggle has already begun and is indeed well advanced. It may even have a date, indicated by several references by the Iranian president to giving his final answer to the US about nuclear development by August 22. This was at first reported as 'by the end of August', but Mr Ahmadinejad's statement was more precise." Lewis continues: "What is the significance of August 22? This year, August 22 corresponds, in the Islamic calendar, to the 27th day of the month of Rajab of the year 1427. This, by tradition, is the night when many Muslims commemorate the night flight of the prophet Muhammad on the winged horse Buraq, first to 'the farthest mosque', usually identified with Jerusalem, and then to heaven and back (cf, Koran XVII.1). This might well be deemed an appropriate date for the apocalyptic ending of Israel and, if necessary, of the world." Don't leave the house and make sure you have enough supplies to last 6 or 7 years... after the nuclear winter. NYY: 74; BOSOX: 69; "More than 35,000 sad souls had shuffled out of Fenway Park by 5 p.m. on Monday. There were sea gulls circling the center-field bleachers then, but they might as well have been buzzards. In 75 punishing hours, the Yankees had pounded their rivals into little more than a carcass." [nytimes] flickr - my fotolog    back to top - home August 21, 2006 Farrah Leni Fawcett was born February 2, 1947 in Corpus Christi, Texas to Pauline Alice and James William Fawcett. Farrah played the character of Jill Munroe in the 1976 hit TV series Charlie's Angels and at the age of 48, Farrah posed in Playboy for the December 1995 issue. The issue sold over four million copies worldwide. She then posed for the July 1997 issue. [source] Pope Says Don't Work Too Hard... Too much work can be bad for you, even if you are the pope, Pope Benedict said on Sunday. Speaking during his Sunday address at his summer residence south of Rome, the pope quoted from the writings of St Bernard of Chiaravalle, who lived in the 11th and 12th centuries. "We have to guard ourselves, the saint observed, from the dangers of excessive activity, regardless of the office one holds, because too many concerns can often lead to hardness of heart," the pope said. Busta Rhymes was released on his own recognizance Sunday afternoon after being arrested on assault charges Saturday night. He's due back in court on October 24th. He was arrested after performing at the Amster-jam concert on Randall's Island. The latest charges stem from an incident on August 12th when Rhymes allegedly beat a man ("The victim spit on a vehicle, and then several men, including Mr. Smith, punched and kicked him, causing cuts and a concussion, the police said"). The New York Post says it happened in Gramercy Park, after the man spat at the rapper's car. Police say the victim sought medical attention but is doing fine. Busta Rhymes lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Gay porn star Michael Lucas says he's going to Israel with other male performers to entertain gay soldiers at a Tel Aviv club with live sex shows. "During times of war, outlets for sexual energy and expression are bleak," said Lucas, whose hard-core hits include "Fire Island Cruising" and "Hunt & Plunge." "I look forward to bringing gay men together, and I will work hard to put on the greatest show for them." !? City May Sue Over Ground Zero Photo Book ... City lawyers are threatening to sue the publisher of a new book of ground zero photos taken by a former NYPD detective. The 224-page book, "Aftermath: Unseen 9/11 Photos by a New York City Cop," features the work of John Botte, who had access to the World Trade Center site because he was a city police detective. City lawyers say the photos belong to the city because they were taken while Botte was on duty. They have taken steps to sue Botte and his publisher, HarperCollins, to recover any profits from sales of the book. "Any copyrighted material that he creates while he's being paid by the city belongs to the city," city lawyer Gerald Singleton told The New York Times. [source] flickr - my fotolog    back to top - home August 18, 2006 It's Friday!! Took this picture last night from the roof of a friend's building in Brooklyn Heights. Looking Northwest towards the Empire State Building. Their view is spectacular. It's a 360 degree view of New York. More here... and more to come! Bizarre In-Flight Behavior... A self-described peace activist responsible for the diversion of a London-to-Washington flight Wednesday acted bizarrely for hours, made references to al Qaeda and hijack training flights, and was restrained by two passengers after she urinated in the aisle. Catherine C. Mayo, 59, a Vermont woman who also lives part time in Pakistan, was charged yesterday in federal court with interfering with a flight crew. Mrs. Mayo demanded to speak with an air marshal, saying the contents of her bag would be of interest. Her bag contained a screwdriver, body lotion, several cigarette lighters and a bottle of water. The affidavit did not say how she smuggled the items on board, despite being screened twice at London's Heathrow Airport. Crazy. [source] Hottest Item of the Summer: Mario Batali & Courtney Love "Celebrity chef Mario Batali has been enjoying la dolce vita this summer, with late-night drinking sessions at the Spotted Pig. During one recent bacchanal, which lasted almost until sunrise, the red-headed restaurateur told his companions he was leaving to "drop in on Courtney Love." "He said that he 'often' drops in on her," said our man with the big ears." [dailydish via gawker] Drunk Driving... A man accused of drunken driving told state police that his 4-year-old son was at the wheel of his sport utility vehicle when it crashed into a tree. Albert Monroe Boyce Jr., 33, told police that his son was sitting on his lap and turned the wheel too far to one side, sending the SUV off the road. Boyce faces a preliminary hearing Sept. 21 on charges of drunken driving, child endangerment, reckless endangerment and driving without a license. Boyce had an open 30-pack of Budweiser and a cooler in the vehicle when the crash occurred July 14, police said. Thanks Dad. Convenience Is Driving the Rate Too High... The Caesarean section delivery rate stands at a record high in the United States, resisting efforts by federal health officials to reduce the rate to 15 percent by the year 2010. Nearly 1.2 million C-sections -- 29.1 percent of all births -- were performed in the United States in 2004, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. In 1996, the rate was 20.7 percent. One reason for the increase is patient preference, with some women requesting them for convenience -- they can schedule the birth and plan time away from work and set up child care for other family members, for instance. "In our society, everything is on demand," Dr. John Zweifler, chief of the University of California, San Francisco-Fresno Family and Community Medicine Department said, adding, C-sections can be "convenient for our lifestyle -- the doctor's and the patient's." Have a great weekend! flickr - my fotolog    back to top - home August 17, 2006 Aquagrill Oyster Bar Last night I went to Aquagrill with Roberto for oysters, lobster salad, king crab legs and champagne. It was an incredible experience. We started off with a dozen oysters (Blue Point & Bristol Harbor) with a simple white Chardonnay and then another dozen with some champagne. After our oyster appetizer I had a the Maine lobster Salad With avocado, beets, ruby grapefruit and champagne vinaigrette and Roberto had a cauliflower soup of some sort that was really amazing (did it have crab in it?? I can't remember). Next we had King Crab legs dipped in butter and soon after that we had the Chocolate Crusted Deep Dish Walnut Pie With a Chocolate Ganache Topping and Vanilla Ice Cream and the Prune Armagnac Creme Brulee With Orange Lace Tuille. Great experience. I'd give the Aquagrill 4 stars out of 5. I'd really enjoy going back and sampling some of the other fare they have... I see they have a lobster sandwich which screams "LOBSTER ROLL" to me... New podcast posted! 020: The Producers. We're still going! It's Show 20 and we're crazy. To listen you can click here. Or you can RIGHT CLICK your mouse button here and choose "save as". In this episode you might think I am on some sort of speed but I'm not. The production is pretty tight. A lot of dead air was taken out so the show is a quick 22 minutes long. We're trying out new producers Aaron and Erica! They rock! We're just getting comfortable with them so make sure you listen with love. I hope you enjoy it. "I KILLED JONBENET" "I am so very sorry for what happened to JonBenet. It's very important for me that everyone knows that I love her very much, that her death was unintentional, that it was an accident." Lt. Gen. Suwat Tumrongsiskul, head of Thailand's immigration police said "He said he loved this child, that he was in love her. He said she was very pretty, a pageant queen. She was the school star, she was very cute and sweet." CREEPY!!! JonBenet's mother, Patsy Ramsey, died this past June. [source] Zipmenu... Malibu has enlightened me to a new service called Zipmenu. This is what she says about it: I heard about them and I just signed up and placed an order online with Cheers. They basically store your credit card number so you don't have to give it to a billion places when you get takeout. A rep called me immediately after I'd placed my order to make sure I was who I said I was and to "welcome" me. She was so nice. AND after you hit submit, a counter time clock pops up and shows you how much time has lapsed! Genius! I'll have to give it a shot. flickr - my fotolog    back to top - home August 16, 2006 Humpa Humpa... Humpday Hmmmmmm..... Interesting couple don't you think? Lance Armstrong and Matthew McConaughey have been really close buddies as they train for a marathon. They run, they bike, the swim, they laugh and drink and are mary merry. Both Matt and Lance are from Texas and both are big Longhorn fans. What If 9/11 Never Happened? New York Magazine asks the obvious question that is asked every year around this time. Is it really important to know the "what if"? Is it healthy to keep revisiting "what if"? Guess what, it did happen. I say all this before I've read the article. I'll probably love the article and cry and they run out to see World Trade Center... Look at me putting "politics" on my "blog"... booooooring. Brooklyn to Host First-Ever AVP Beach Volleyball Event ... Coney Island August 17-20, 2006. Courtside seats are still available for between $100-$375. Run, Don't Walk! That's pretty steep for volleyball. flickr - my fotolog    back to top - home August 15, 2006 Tonight at McCarren Park Pool ... The Swimmer (1968) If you like being wet and sticky from the humidity tonight I'd totally suggest that you go check out "The Swimmer" playing at McCarren Park Pool (Summer Screen) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It's one of my favorite movies. I feel it's best viewed with cocktails (martinis or manhattans work best). "Neddy Merrill (Burt Lancaster) has been away for most of the Summer. He reappears at a friends pool. As they talk, someone notices that there are pools spanning the entire valley. He decided to jog from pool to pool to swim the whole valley. As he stops in each pool his interactions tell his life story." [imdb] Very interesting movie for the summer. [sm] Murder Near West Side Highway An off-duty police officer riding his motorcycle was run over by an SUV driven by a drunk volunteer firefighter from NJ yesterday morning. Eric Concepcion, 29, a Bronx native who worked the Yankee Stadium detail, had been riding on the West Side Highway with a friend when Robert Derian, 23, put a blue emergency light on his Jeep Cherokee. Derian crashed his car into Concepcion's bike and dragged it 1000 feet with Concepcion for part of that distance. Derian "chased" Concepcion and his friend for five miles, raising the possibility that Derian had road rage. Derian's blood alcohol level was 0.12, well above the 0.08 legal limit. Concepcion died at St. Luke's Hospital; he leaves behind a wife and two young daughters. Derian was charged with manslaughter, vehicular homicide, driving while intoxicated and unauthorized use of emergency lights. [times via gothamist] "One Small Step for Man" Recording Lost NASA lost the 700-box tape that was the original recording of the first landing on the moon. Armstrong's famous space walk, seen by millions of viewers on July 20, 1969, is among transmissions that NASA has failed to turn up in a year of searching, spokesman Grey Hautaloma said. "We haven't seen them for quite a while. We've been looking for over a year and they haven't turned up," Hautaloma said. Hautaloma said it is possible the tapes will be unplayable even if they are found, because they have degraded significantly over the years -- a problem common to magnetic tape and other types of recordable media. Whoops! Happy Birthday Ben Today is Ben Affleck's birthday. He's 34 years old. Remember when he was engaged to J-Lo? Remember when Bennifer did that T.V. special with J-Lo cooking? Do you remember what she was cooking? I want to say fried chicken but I also remember it being something less exciting than even that. Hilaroius. He sure had a rough couple of years! Happy birthday Ben... I hope your life is just a little bit less chaotic. flickr - my fotolog    back to top - home August 14, 2006 A few friends and I headed to Cedar Beach in Babylon, New York (Long Island) this weekend. The weather was perfect and the water was warm enough to swim in. I had my first experience at Red Lobster... wasn't too bad... Hope you enjoyed your weekend as well. Thanks for the ride Sandy! More pictures here. Buy This Ice Cream Immediately!! Last night I had the most amazing ice cream I've ever had in my life. I'm not kidding. Ben & Jerry's 2006 Flavor "American Pie" is so over the top I recommend you buy it before this "limited batch" is gone. It's apple flavored ice cream with apple bits and crust in it!! Real apples!! And crust!! "By creating an all-American apple pie ice cream that's as rich as our nation, we're hoping we've also provided some flavorful food for thought about how our nations wealth is shared. The pie chart on this pint's lid represents the Federal Discretionary Budget. While about $30 billion dollars is spent on nuclear weapons programs, just $2 billion could provide health care to one million of the uninsured children in America. Our kids deserve a bigger piece of the pie. Learn more at www.benjerry.com/americanpie..." It's good and it delievers a message... go figure. Please eat responsibly. Woman Killed In Queens Bar by Jealous, Suicidal Ex "The chain of events that ended in the murder-suicide lasted 10 minutes. Louis Vallejo, a regular at El Paisa, entered the establishment at 2:50 a.m. last Tuesday, wearing a T-shirt, shorts and sneakers. The video footage shows he walked in confidently, a smirk on his face. He gave a kiss hello to another female bartender, talked to a customer and ordered a beer. Then the horrible scenario unfolded. "Carolina," Vallejo called out. Carolina Perez turned and walked over to him. But before she could say anything, Vallejo pulled out his .25-caliber handgun, pointed it at her head and pulled the trigger. The video shows Perez flinching from the impact of the bullet and falling to the floor behind the bar. Not content with what he has done, Vallejo jumps over the bar. As the wounded Perez cringes on the floor, Vallejo grips his gun with both hands, aims down at the woman whose love he can't have, and fires repeatedly. Then, the smoke from the gunfire still lingering in the air, he turns the weapon on himself." [post via rdl] Boy George Picks Up Trash... With a city-issued broom in his hand, Boy George started his court-ordered community service early Monday, sweeping leaves and trash off the sidewalks of New York. It took less than an hour for the former Culture Club frontman to get into a spat with the media. "You think you're better than me?" he yelled. "Go home. Let me do my community service." The singer, born George O'Dowd, was ordered to spend five days working for the Department of Sanitation after pleading guilty in March to falsely reporting a burglary at his lower Manhattan apartment. The officers who responded found cocaine instead. flickr - my fotolog    back to top - home August 11, 2006 It's Friday! The New York City Board of Education is attempting to regulate what kids say about each other online. If you start talking smack on MySpace you could get a 10 day suspension. Following several reported incidents of students complaining that other students were threatening them on popular social networking Web sites like Myspace, the department is proposing a new provision to its discipline code that would call for suspending a student for up to 10 days for such behavior. My opinion: People are always going to talk smack. The proper way to go about this is by teaching children to have confidence in themselves and not listen to the smack talk some idiot said about them. Punishing the smack talker for the person getting talked smack about is just a one way street to self esteem issues and codependency. source Minicows popular pets Compared to standard-sized Angus, which run from about 1,000 to 1,200 pounds, Angus "Lowline" cattle weigh between 600 and 800 pounds. "Industry insiders" say all types of diminutive cattle, of which about 26 different breeds exist -- including mini-Herefords, Holsteins and Jerseys -- are growing in popularity around the world, primarily as pets for moms with large back yards. [source via drudge] Squirrel Attacks Anger Residents Residents in Winter Park, Fla., are angered over the city's response to a squirrel that attacked at least seven people this month, according to a report. The squirrel attacks happened at Winter Park's Central Park over the last several days. A 3-year-old boy was bitten by the animal several times and has a two-inch wound on his leg, according to the report. Bike Death... A young man died after getting pinned under a truck at a busy intersection in Chelsea Thursday afternoon. Police say the bike messenger, 20-year-old Darren Lewis, was killed when a truck made a right turn onto Ninth Avenue from 29th Street. The victim was riding a bike south on Ninth Avenue. There was another accident in Williamsburg, Brooklyn but it wasn't fatal and I can't find a link for it... MTA's Conductor-Less Train Plan Scrapped New York City Transit has dropped its plans to expand one-man, conductor-less trains on the city's major subway lines, including the L and the 7. Arbitrators have ruled the OPTO-train – or one-person train operation – violates the MTA's contract with the Transport Workers Union. NYC Dog Eats Meat Filled with Pins A dog out on a walk with his owner ate a piece of meat studded with metal pins, and officials said they were investigating the incident. The dog, a 6-year-old Labrador retriever named Milo, was walking with owner Martha Redding in Central Park on Wednesday when he grabbed a brown bag wrapped with ribbon and started to eat what was inside. flickr - my fotolog    back to top - home August 10, 2006 Freemans I went to Freemans last night with Roberto and a fun time was certainly had. Freeman's is at the end of Freeman Alley off Rivington between Bowery & Chrystie in Manhattan. I'm not sure how I would react if I wasn't in such good company but the experience from the host to the bartender to the busboy to the waiter was all pretty much a very wonderful thing. Everyone was very nice, the ambience was very comfortable and the food was above par. Taxidermy covers the walls and sits behind the bars, of which there are two. We started with the fennel salad with watermelon, endive, red onions and sherry-truffle oil vinaigrette and the hot artichoke dip with crisp bread which was a treat! The fennel salad had watermelon in it and the artichoke dip wasn't loaded with too much cheese. Then Roberto ordered the Three-cheese macaroni, which was incredible, and I got the seared filet mignon with roasted onions, mashed potatoes and a horseradish cream. My meal tasted how it sounds and I wasn't too impressed with the cut of meat they gave me but it was a nice top to a great night out. I would give it 3 stars for sure. If you go to Freeman you will want to be ready to wait a spell. We waited about 45 minutes for a table around 8pm on a Wednesday night. TERROR! The U.S. government raised the security alert on passenger planes to its highest level for the first time on Thursday after Britain said it had foiled a plot to blow up flights to the United States. A plot to blow up planes in flight from the UK to the US and commit "mass murder on an unimaginable scale" has been disrupted, Scotland Yard has said. It is thought the plan was to detonate explosive devices smuggled in hand luggage on to as many as 10 aircraft. The threat level to the UK has been raised by MI5 to critical after the arrests in London, High Wycombe and Birmingham. Critical threat level - the highest - means "an attack is expected imminently and indicates an extremely high level of threat to the UK". Three US airlines are believed to have been targeted. Airlines banned hand luggage on flights out of the United Kingdom and warned of massive delays. Robot shopping carts follow you around It looks almost like any other shopping cart, except sensors allow it to follow the shopper around the supermarket and slow down when needed so items can be placed in it, and it never crashes into anyone's heels. Gregory Garcia dreamed up the robotic cart to solve a childhood peeve of being accidentally hit with shopping carts by his sister. The cart, also known as B.O.S.S. for Battery Operated Smart Servant, was one of about 30 robots on display Wednesday by students at the University of Florida. Geek out! [yahoo via rdl] flickr - my fotolog    back to top - home August 9, 2006 Hump Day! coke is it Lamont Defeats Lieberman in Primary Ned Lamont, a Connecticut millionaire whose candidacy for the United States Senate soared from nowhere on a fierce antiwar message, won a narrow victory in the Democratic primary last night over the incumbent, Joseph I. Lieberman. I never trusted Lieberman but I'm not sure about Lamont either. Why do you have to be a millionaire to win an election? Finally we can be done with that stupid Lieberman media blitz... or not? Apparently we haven't heard the last of Lieberman... he's going to run as an independent! [source] Who? Travis Barker has ended his almost two year marriage to Shanna Moakler. The Bink-182/Transplants drummer filed for divorce Tuesday morning. No word of the details of their end have been confirmed. Is this the most press they've EVER gotten because I have no idea who these people are?? Check Me Out! GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The wife of pro baseball pitcher Kris Benson has made public her desire to experience a wide array of erotic diversity while remaining faithful to her husband. "I would like to have sex with Kris in every major league stadium in North America," Anna Benson told the press. She's your role model for the coming week, Gemini. Your assignment is to expand the variety and explore the frontiers of your familiar pleasures. [freewillastrology] Male circumcision 'lowers risk of HIV infection by 60%' "Richard Feachem, executive director of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, said research revealing the protective effect of circumcision against HIV was set to change parental expectations and medical practice across the world. Instead of viewing the operation as an assault on the male sex, it was increasingly being seen as a lifesaving procedure which every parent would want for their sons. Removing the foreskin is thought to harden the glans (head) of the penis, making it less permeable to viruses." Interesting... [source] flickr - my fotolog    back to top - home August 8, 2006 [source] Massive Manatee Is Spotted in Hudson River Over the past week, boaters and bloggers have been energetically tracking a manatee in its lumbering expedition along the Atlantic Coast and up the Hudson River. The manatee has been spotted at 23rd Street near Chelsea Piers, West 125th Street, and later in Westchester County. It appeared to be healthy. I'm was a little late on this one but I find it really bizarre... A state environmental official is warning that anyone who spots the manatee that's been visiting the New York City area should leave the animal alone. [source] Does Tea Contain More Caffeine Than Coffee? While coffee and tea are both sources of caffeine, the amounts of caffeine in any single serving of these beverages varies significantly. An average serving of coffee contains the most caffeine, yet the same serving size of tea provides only 1/2 to 1/3 as much.(Ref.: Caffeine by The Institute of Food Technologists' Expert Panel on Food Safety & Nutrition.) One of the more confusing aspects of caffeine content is the fact that coffee contains less caffeine than tea when measured in its dry form. The caffeine content of a prepared cup of coffee is significantly higher than the caffeine content of a prepared cup of tea. I had a large Starbucks iced coffee and was unconscious for about 4 hours... that was after I had a anxiety attack. Oof. NYU & Local Residents Clash Over New East Village Dorm East Village residents and preservation advocates are raising concerns about a new NYU dormitory currently under construction. Residents say the 26-story dorm being built to house 700 students on 12th street between 3rd and 4th Avenue is too tall and will destroy the character of the neighborhood. Everyone knows that NYU owns the village... it was only a matter of time until it became another Cambridge, MA ... shiver. Hipster Scooters Getting Towed ... For years, scooter owners parked on sidewalks and simply removed their Velcro'd license plates to avoid tickets. The NYPD didn't seem to care. But now they do. They towed 24 scooters and motorcycles (at $100 a tow) near Grand Central and issued at least 87 summonses (about $115 a ticket) in a single day last month. "Why don't the cops go after the fucking SUVs from Jersey?" says Steven Balinsky, whose red, white, and green Vespa was towed. Poor Steven sounds upset. Vespa is working with New York officals for Euro-style two-wheel parking spots... "I certainly don't want to have to feed any meters," says Allison Watters, co-founder of the New York Scooter Club... hahahahaha. Because you own a scooter you get to avoid traffic laws and paying for parking?? What's that all about, Allison?? Take public transport like the rest of us and leave your "vintage" scooter at home if you don't want to follow the rules! [source] flickr - my fotolog    back to top - home August 7, 2006 [more] 311 Neighborhood Stats "'311' is New York City's phone number for government information and non-emergency services. Whether you're a resident, business owner, or a visitor, all the resources of New York City are just a phone call away... " I've recently discovered the wonders of the "311" website that gives New York City neighborhood statistics on what is being called in about. The stats are available via street address and districts. In my neighborhood I see 1) Complaints Against Establishments Violating a Smoking Law (2.47%) 2) Complaints Regarding Blocked Driveways (1.3%) 3) Complaints Regarding Derelict Vehicles (1.43%) 4) Complaints Regarding Disorderly Youths (1.29%) 5) Complaints Regarding Illegal Parking (0.94%) 6) Complaints Regarding Noise (2.51%) 7) Rodent Complaints (2.18%). Check out your neighborhood. flickr - my fotolog    back to top - home August 3, 2006 It's Friday! Double Amputee Marine Mugged Outside Restaurant An Iraq war veteran who lost an arm and leg in a roadside bombing was mugged during a night out from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, according to an Associated Press report. Lance Cpl. Mark Beyers, 27, and his wife were attacked and robbed as they left a restaurant in Bethesda, Md. on July 22. As they left the restaurant, five men approached them and asked for a cigarette. Denise Beyers told The Buffalo News they gave the men a cigarette -- but then the men grabbed her purse, kicked her and knocked the couple to the ground. The thieves made off with $500 just wired to them by a relative. His family is planning a fundraiser for him on Aug. 12. Beyers was featured in a NYTimes article on February 12, 2006. [source via rdl] Enjoy your weekend!! flickr - my fotolog    back to top - home August 3, 2006 Kamryn Janae DuBenion... turns one on August 19th. She's my cousin's daughter. I'm tyring to understand what she is to me (Second cousin? No. First cousin? No.)... right now she's nothing but cute as can be. And trust, she's got attitude. [more pics] Iranian President: Solution to Middle East crisis is to destroy Israel... In a speech during an emergency meeting of Muslim leaders in Malaysia, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for an immediate cease-fire to end the fighting between Israel and the Iranian-back group Hezbollah. "Although the main solution is for the elimination of the Zionist regime, at this stage an immediate cease-fire must be implemented," Ahmadinejad said. Tropical Storm Chris weakened slightly as it swept through the eastern Caribbean early Thursday, dumping rain on the Virgin Islands and prompting tourists to flee Puerto Rico's east coast... and everyone in New Orleans takes a collective sigh of relief. Snow fell on South Africa's biggest city Johannesburg for the first time in 25 years as icy temperatures gripped vast swathes of the country, the weather office said. "It (the snow) is by no means freakish but I would certainly classify it as rare," said Kevin Rae, assistant manager of forecasting at the South African Weather Service in Pretoria. GOP Attorney General Candidate Compares Gay Straight Alliances To Pedophile Groups Perry McGuire, the Republican candidate for Georgia Attorney General says that allowing Gay Straight Alliances in schools is "much like allowing a pedophile club or a gambling club to meet at school." McGuire made the remark to the Agape Press, a Christian news service. He was responding to a question about a court ruling involving a Georgia school sued by gay students... flickr - my fotolog    back to top - home August 2, 2006 Humpday Heat Wave ~~~ NY State Of Emergency... "Trying to forestall the crippling — and potentially hazardous — effects of the fiercest heat wave of the summer, New York City undertook a range of preventive measures yesterday, from shutting off the colored lights on the Empire State Building, to limiting air-conditioning in the fancy seats of Yankee Stadium, to ordering some municipal buildings, like the Rikers Island jails, to use their generators." Those poor people in the expensive seats WITH AIR CONDITONING at Yankee stadium must have been pissed last night... [nytimes, graphic thanks de luna] NY Yankees 62 wins 41 loss; Boston Red Sox 63 wins 42 loss; Toronto Blue Jays 57 wins 49 loss... Go Yankees! [source] Possible Anthrax Found at Times (Yesterday) To [NYT Co. employees] Subject: Note from Dennis Stern and Bill Schmidt Folks, At about 3:00 p.m. today an employee in the Postal Services Department at our headquarters building in New York opened an envelope addressed to The New York Times. A powdery substance came out of the envelope. We followed the normal protocols. The person who opened the envelope put it in a plastic bag and called the New York City police. They are now on site investigating. We will keep you updated on any developments. [source] flickr - my fotolog    back to top - home August 1, 2006 Castro Cedes Power... The announcement that Fidel Castro had temporarily ceded presidential powers to his brother Raul ushered in a period of uncertainty at home and celebrations by his enemies abroad, while fueling speculation on just how sick he is. [source] flickr - my fotolog    back to top - home the contents of this website are intended for entertainment purposes only. i do not assume responsibility for linked content, i just probably find it interesting. if you have a comment or would like to voice an opinion, please write to toby at tobyspinks.com.

click me! thanks slower. Click link for... Live From the WB! Vote for us! MY WORK! contact: toby@tobyspinks.com archives july '06 june '06 may '06 april '06 mar '06 feb '06 jan '06 dec '05 nov '05 oct '05 sept '05 aug '05 jul '05 jun '05 may '05 apr '05 mar '05 feb '05 jan '05 must reads justjared socialite's goldenfiddle consumerist popbytes queerty d-Listed wow pink = blog perez hilton radar gawker gizmodo ars technica look! political the nation nytimes informational hop-stop nyc who i like roberto deluna malibu momma comma williamsburg nerd bitter defeat 248am bsides blue states lose tremble boozhy fourfour proceed camper's hate blog camper jaykayess oh la la paris made in brazil more good stuff defunker blog hungry Who links to me?