Gothamist

Restaurant Owner's Email to Staff Belongs in Tyrant Hall of Fame

John Del Signore — 2009-11-20T16:29:00-05:00

Smart Destinations' Flickr

More than two dozen Park Slope restaurants and cafes owe at least $910,000 in unpaid wages to more than 200 workers, the State Labor Department announced yesterday. Inspections during the spring revealed that some workers made as little as $2.75 an hour; the minimum wage for food service workers is $4.65 per hour. (Today the Daily News revealed that the restaurants include Aunt Suzie’s, Baluchi's, Sotto Voce, Olive Vine Café, and Sweet Melissa Patisserie.) Getting chiseled out of already laughably low wages is rough, but at least they didn't have the misfortune to be employed by Paradou owner Vadim Ponorovsky, who's earned some notoriety today for an incredibly nasty email he sent to staffers at his Meatpacking district restaurant. His gloriously profane and hateful missive, which makes Hunter S. Thompson's letters seem like Get Well Soon cards, is published below in its entirety:

To All,

Please read this email carefully. This is the last time we will be discussing this.

This weekend, saturday and sunday we had 451 customers. Guess how many emails we collected? 60? 80? 40? No. None of those. We, or more acurately you, collected 2 emails. Thats less than half of one percent. 2 fucking emails.

WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU ASSHOLES?!?!?! How many times do we have to tell you how important it is that you collect emails. Everytime we have a slow night and you make no money and you sit there bitching about how you make no money, remember its because youre fucking lazy motherfuckers. YOU SHOULD ALL BE FIRED IMMEDIATELY!!!!! ALL OF YOU, INCLUDING THE HOSTS!!!!

Let me guess, youre probably sitting there saying "Vadim is such a fucking asshole. How dare he speak to me like this. I dont need this." Youre right, you dont, so why dont you get the fuck out. Any and all of you.

Youre probably sitting there saying "How dare he speak to me like this. How dare he not have respect for me". Youre right there also. I have absolutely no respect for any of you. Why? Because every fucking day, all of you continue to show that you have absolutely no respect for me or Alex. So if you dont respect us enough to do the little that we ask you to do, then GET THE FUCK OUT YOU FUCKING LAZY DISRESPECTFUL ASSHOLES!!!!!

Effective immediately, any server or host who fails to collect at least 20 emails per week, will be fined $100. Anyone failing to collect at least 20 emails for two weeks in a month will be fired immediately. No matter what. No matter who you are.

You dont want to do your job, you dont want to do what we ask, you dont belong at Paradou. Go find another place to work.

How dare you disrespect Alex and me this way. How dare you completely ignore what we ask of you time after time after time.

I am sick of all this shit, you bunch of fucking children. This is what I have to deal with at 6AM?!?!? I wouldnt tolerate this from my 13 year old, and Im sure as shit not going to tolerate it from any of you assholes.

You give no respect, you get 10 times back.

The email was forwarded to Gawker by an understandably disgruntled employee. But Ponorovsky doesn't see why everyone's so offended, and he sent out another email today to the dining blogs defending himself from those who don't understand that the dining industry is WAR, and that email to his staff was just "my version of Allen Ginsberg's Howl." Anybody want to bring over some bongos and a jug wine and read this with us tonight?

And now he's getting death threats!

]]>

Finding Optimism on Your MetroCard

Jen Carlson — 2009-11-20T16:06:00-05:00

Photo by Joe Schumacher

The latest public art project to glean some attention can fit right in your pocket... but it's gonna cost ya. The NY Times reports that seven million MetroCards were distributed starting in September, all containing the word "optimism" on the back. The MTA, perhaps seeing it as a way to brainwash unhappy customers, oversaw the project.

Did the cards help create Stepford Straphangers, totally okay with fare hikes and delays? No. But the MTA's Christopher Boylan, says: “God knows people want to feel good, they want to feel up, they want to feel positive. If I can make a couple of customers smile a day, that’s nice.”

The artist, Reed Seifer, says, “I like that maybe not everyone’s going to see it. Or maybe one day you just look and say, ‘Oh.’ It exists between the card and the person who receives the card." What word would you put on the back of a MetroCard?

More Gingkos, More Problems

Jen Carlson — 2009-11-20T16:00:00-05:00

As one man battles a ginkgo biloba tree in Brooklyn, another fights his own stinky tree situation in Queens. Barry Plonski's home on 210th Street and 43rd Avenue in Bayside is within smelling distance of multiple gingkos — and he places the smell they emit "at the olfactory intersection of animal feces and vomit." Female gingkos, the smelly fruit bearers, are the ones to blame — and there are about 15 in Plonski's neighborhood.

Locals told the Queens Tribune that it's fortunate "Korean people love these fruits... if it wasn't for the Asian gleaners coaxing fruits down with poles, the smell would be truly unbelievable." (Learn more about gingko gathering here.)

Parks Department Commissioner Adrian Benepe told one resident of the neighborhood, "despite the admittedly displeasing smell, the trees were of value to the city because they reduce pollution, improve air quality, and enhance property values." The department won't remove a tree unless it's dying, but they do say they're not planning on planting anymore female gingkos.

Meanwhile, a reader tells us of his own Lady Gingko problems, saying: "I'm on the board of my BH co-op, and Tuesday night a bunch of discussion centered around the fact that a branch on one of our gingko trees has decided to change sex — from male to female, and is already creating a 'stink'. They've asked me to look into what can be done. Some people even suggested cutting the branch off — something I'm opposed to." He opined on his blog: "if the branch wants to be female, let it. Besides, what if we cut this one off, and another branch changes?" The gingkos are mutating, people.

Presented By:

2009-11-20T16:00:00-05:00

Thanks to This Week's Advertisers

tien mao — 2009-11-20T16:00:00-05:00

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Gothamist.

NYC Extreme Local™, register any American Express® Card. Spend 3x. Get $50. See over 650 citywide participants at nycgo.com/x.
‘Win an Office’ Sweepstakes by Regus, workspace solutions. Win one year of office space at one of 18 NYC locations.
Rubin Museum of Art with the first first public presentation of the preeminent psychologist C. G. Jung’s famous Red Book.
John Mayer, find tickets for his Battle Studies tour with the AMEX early on sale.
The New School, offering online and complete the degree you’ve always wanted from anywhere.
American Apparel, with 25 stores in NYC, you can look your best after dark.

If you're interested in advertising on Gothamist or any other site in our network, check out our online mediakit.

A Look Inside CV Lounge, Now Open in The Hotel on Rivington

John Del Signore — 2009-11-20T15:41:00-05:00

]]>

From the team behind the tiny and exclusive club The Eldridge and Upstairs, CV is the latest reboot of a space in The Hotel on Rivington [i.e., THOR] that has previously done business as 105 Riv. Hilarious interview subject Matt Levine brought in nightlife poobah Steve Lewis to redesign it, and Lewis says he's made the place "a warm, comfy space to hang with a 'Meatpacking' aesthetic." (The name, by the way, is the address in Roman numerals; so now you have a dope pick-up line when you go there.)

As you can see, it looks whimsically ridonkulous, with dark brown wallpaper, hand-crafted wood sculptures lining the walls, plush leather banquets, a leather cross-stitched bar, and flower boxes with mysterious shining crystals. Why not? According to one of the owners, THOR is a "celebrity-driven hotel" and we could see driven celebs like Jeremy Piven fitting right in here under the giant disco ball. It's open nightly from 10 a.m. to 4 a.m., and serves a late-night menu by neighboring restaurant LEVANTeast.

CV // 105 Rivington Street // (646) 202-9458

NYPD Stop And Frisk Beat Keeps On Keeping On

Ben Yakas — 2009-11-20T15:20:00-05:00

The NYCLU's Bust Card (PDF)

The NYPD's stop and frisk policy shows no signs of abating. The latest data on the controversial program shows that the NYPD is on track to stop a record number of New Yorkers this year.

According to the NYCLU latest report, police made more than 404,000 stops of New Yorkers during the first nine months of the year, the majority of whom were black and Latino. Only seven percent of those stopped were given a summons and just six percent were arrested. Between July and September alone, 137,894 people were questioned, with nearly nine out of 10 of these stops resulting in no charges or citations.

Police claim that these stops deter criminals, preemptively at times, and that the NYCLU is distorting "the statistics by defining an "innocent" person as someone who hasn't been convicted of a crime."

The NYCLU views this as blatant racism: “A practice that wastes an officer’s valuable time with a 90 percent fail rate - while at the same time humiliating hundreds of thousands of black and brown New Yorkers - is not a wise or effective policing technique,” said Donna Lieberman, the executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. “It is a stunning abuse of power. It is not a crime to walk down the street in New York City, yet every day innocent black and brown New Yorkers are turned into suspects for doing just that.” And lest we forget, they're keeping a database of names of all the people stopped, questioned, frisked, and released each year.

Dolphin Escapes Entanglement in Queens

Jen Carlson — 2009-11-20T15:05:00-05:00

The last dolphin spotting reported was off Staten Island this August, but today, just before 3 p.m., we got word that a dolphin was entangled in Queens — somewhere around Beach 87th and Beach Channel Drive. And some good news followed the original report: he or she is now free! We wonder if this is a straggler left behind from the massive dolphin invasion over the summer, or if all those dolphins are still lurking the New York waters... waiting.

Weekend Movie Forecast: Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans or Broken Embraces

Jaya Saxena — 2009-11-20T14:47:00-05:00

]]>

Click on the images above for more details and reviews on this week's new releases and repertory screenings, which include Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans, Broken Embraces, Fix, The Blind Side, Missing Person, Mammoth, Planet 51, Staten Island, Defamation, New Moon, Psycho, Jabberwocky, Red Cliff, and Rene'.

NJ Man Accused of Threatening Obama Released

Ben Yakas — 2009-11-20T14:31:00-05:00

John Brek, the former NJ airport security guard who was accused of threatening President Obama last month, was released today after serving 29 days in the Newark county jail for harassment. Brek was interviewed by CBS 2 for "about 15 minutes" after he was released, and denied the threat while lamenting his time in jail: "I wouldn't wish it on nobody...You can't sleep, can't eat. I lost a tremendous amount of weight. Trying to sit in that 4-by-7 room and rock yourself to sleep, wondering what they were saying about you on the outside." At least he lost some weight?

Berk insisted that there was never any threat made, and that he had just made reference to the fact that the Air Force One landing area was a security risk: "No threat involved at all...Nobody was threatened. Nothin'. There was no reason to threaten anybody. I was just going out to have a gyro and a juice for lunch break."

Essex County chief assistant prosecutor Kieth Harvest said it was the context of his comments that provoked the jail stay, saying, "It was pretty clear he had a bias against certain ethnic groups, one of which the president happens to be of." Brek was subsequently fired from his job, and his gun collection ("43 weapons") was confiscated by police. He also has a restraining order on him, requiring him to stay away from the President: "Asked what he would say to President Obama if given the chance, Brek said simply, 'I'm sorry this happened. I'm not trying to kill you, or anyone for that fact.'"

Dude, Huge Cocaine Bust in Williamsburg Right Before the Weekend!

John Del Signore — 2009-11-20T14:13:00-05:00

Narcotics investigators seized more than $800,000 and 61 pounds of cocaine worth nearly $1 million in a Williamsburg apartment yesterday. The drugs were hidden under the seat of a portable sauna, and officials say—wait, portable sauna?! Is that really a thing? Turns out yes, it is! It's also one of the last places anyone would want to "chill" while ripping rails, so the suspects probably figured nobody would ever think to look in there for cocaine. Oh well.

The big stash was found in an apartment above defunct Laila Lounge on North Seventh Street. Building super Johanny Olmedo, 51, and his girlfriend, Christine Ladeveze, 48, reside there, the Daily News reports. Investigators tell Brooklyn Paper that on Wednesday, state troopers allegedly spotted another man, Ronald Lugo, exiting the apartment carrying two boxes to his car. He was pulled over on the Bronx side of Triboro Bridge, and 10 kilos of cocaine were found in the boxes. Investigators then obtained a search warrant to search the apartment yesterday. The three face up to 20 years in prison if convicted, and ugh everyone's going to be so boring this weekend.

Swoon's Punk Beasts and Swimming Cities

Jen Carlson — 2009-11-20T13:55:00-05:00

]]>

Following her trip on the Hudson, Swoon got a bit more adventurous and gathered up more than 30 other artists to help her take her Swimming Cities to the Adriatic Sea. Three handcrafted vessels navigated the waters, and ended up crashing the Venice Biennale in Italy. Luckily Tod Seelie was on hand to capture it all, and now his photographs will be on exhibit, starting tonight, at the Anonymous Gallery.

"Pankabestia: Punk Beasts of the Swimming Cities of Serenissima," is considered a retrospective of the journey and will also include large-scale wall drawings, original Swimming Cities boat installations, portions of the ships, and found objects acquired from sea. The opening reception is tonight from 6 to 9 p.m.

Coyote Hybrid in Queens?

Jen Carlson — 2009-11-20T13:43:00-05:00

Reportedly some residents of a Queens housing complex, Rochdale Village, "may have a wily coyote — or a close cousin — in their midst." After confirmed sightings of it prowling the territory, Animal Control officers have set up traps to capture the creature, which they say is either a "coyote or a coyote hybrid." A hybrid! There are suspiciously no details as to what kind of hybrid, but this is all starting to sound very familiar.

The Definition of D'Oh: Truck Stuck Under Elevated Subway Tracks

John Del Signore — 2009-11-20T13:23:44-05:00

]]>

A tipster spotted this truck stuck under the Q train subway station on Avenue J in Midwood this morning around 8:45 a.m. We're told "the truck was all crumpled and the fire department had to come out." We're guessing at this point they're just waiting for a giant stick of butter.

It Was Thunder!

Joe Schumacher — 2009-11-20T13:06:34-05:00

Infrared satellite image from the National Weather Service

Thank goodness for the Gothamist tipsters. Until we read Contribute we weren't sure if last night's really loud clap of thunder that woke us up was real or part of a nightmare. There's no mention of thunder in the Weather Service's hourly report and we were getting worried that the thunder of our dreams could be so loud. Was anyone else woken up by the thunder? The storms cells form the line of blue-green blobs above.

If you look at the hourly report you'll notice that something happened between six and seven this morning. The pressure jumped, the winds shifted, the rain stopped, and the dew point dropped. All signs of a cold front passage. With the front out of the way we've got a mostly sunny and warm day ahead. The mercury should hover around 60 degrees until late-afternoon.

More sun is in store for the weekend. The mostly clear skies will give us cool mornings and warm afternoons. Look for a high in the upper 50s tomorrow and mid 50s on Sunday. Rain returns on Monday as part of a coastal storm.

Pencil This In

2009-11-20T12:58:00-05:00

We're bringing Pencil This In to you earlier with our new newsletter, GothamList. Sign up below for the daily scoop on concerts, readings, performances, and other events, which will arrive in your inbox first thing every morning Monday through Friday. You can get today's newsletter when you sign up.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Email us at info(at)gothamist(dot)com

Baby-Faced Bronx Shooting Suspect's Gang Was Also His Family

John Del Signore — 2009-11-20T12:33:54-05:00

Carvett Gentles

Though prosecutors say he gave a written and videotaped confession, the 16-year-old Bronx boy accused of shooting two teens on a crowded street Monday afternoon pleaded not guilty at his arraignment yesterday. As his mother wept in the third row of the courtroom, Carvett Gentles and four other young men—all members of the "Gorilla Stone Blood" gang—were arraigned and sent to Rikers Island without bail. Gentles lawyer maintained his client's innocence, insisting, "He does well in school, he comes from a nice family." But some members of this "nice family" happen to be the older gang members who allegedly handed Gentles the gun and told him to shoot—because he was the only one without an arrest record.

Suspect Rohan Francis, 18, is Gentles's uncle, and brothers Cleve Smith, 20, and Clivie Smith, 19, are cousins, according to the Daily News. Gentles's mother Zelita Mighty moved to the Bronx from Jamaica over a decade ago, and at age 6 Carvett joined her a few years after her arrival. But Gentles's father could not get a visa, and Gentles doesn't get along with his step-father, so he's been living with Francis. Some neighbors who know Gentles insist he showed promise by gaining admission to the Bronx Leadership Academy, but he soon began skipping class and hanging with a "tough crowd."

According to a criminal complaint obtained by the Times, Clivie Smith had once beaten Gentles's mother in the nose and forehead, bloodying her and sending her to a hospital. During the assault, Smith had a gun in his waistband and told her, "I’ll make one phone call and all this will be smashed up." Michael Arterberry, director of the Youth Voices Center, tells CBS2 it's likely Gentles fell prey to some "perverted mentoring... The older guys are able to manipulate the situation and get these younger people to do things because they feel as if that's being loyal."

Gentles reportedly wept when investigators told him that one of the six bullets he fired had exploded inside the skull of bystander Vada Vasquez, 15, who is still in a medically-induced coma. Prosecutors believe Gentles had fired on the intended victim, Tyrone Creighton, as part of gang retaliation for an assault carried out by Creighton's brother on Rikers Island—where the five young men have now been sent.

Proposed School Zoning Makes Unhappy Neighbors

Jen Chung — 2009-11-20T12:25:52-05:00

Oh, my: The city's new school zoning may split residents of the same Tribeca building into different schools. Of course, the building is already split with two addresses and lobbies—101 Warren for the luxury condos, 89 Murray for the rentals and affordable housing units—and the luxury condo owners' kids would go to acclaimed P.S. 234 just two blocks away while the other children would need to schlep across City Hall to Beekman Tower. The Downtown Express reports that one 89 Murray resident said "that unlike the families in the adjacent luxury condos at 101 Warren St., families at 89 Murray cannot afford a nanny to help make the trek over to the Spruce Street School every day if they can’t go to 234"

Early Addition

Jen Chung — 2009-11-20T12:07:14-05:00

Photograph by LaurenFae on Flickr

From the Gothamist Newsmap: A pediatric burn victim at 196th St & Hollis Ave in Queens, a double stabbing at West 171 St in Manhattan and a water rescue at Gerritsen Ave & Abbey Ct in Brooklyn.
Even Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor forgets her purse at restaurants.
A touching story about two kidney transplants that took place at NY Presbyterian Columbia Hospital—a woman donated her kidney to a stranger, the stranger's son gave his kidney to the woman's friend.
Mayor Bloomberg said of his former rival, "Bill Thompson, I've said all along is a quality, honest guy who's really tried to make this city better."
Plans for J.J. Byrne Park in Park Slope have been revealed—there are more defined kids' areas and "adult" areas (cafe seating).
Because of the city's problems with issuing crane operator licenses, the Department of Buildings is looking at outside contractors to administer tests.
While Dyker Heights may have the elaborate Christmas displays on lawns, check out this display on a Queens balcony.
Aerosmith bandmates say that Steven Tyler needs help.
And the case against the British man who strangled his wife (he dreamed she was an intruder) was withdrawn.

UPDATE: Knicks NOT Looking For The Answer In Iverson

Ben Yakas — 2009-11-20T11:43:04-05:00

When we previously noted on the Knicks burgeoning interest in signing free agent guard Allen Iverson, it seemed as though it was a long shot to happen. But new reports have come out in the last two days that are making us question everything.

According to a particularly giddy Post report, it seems the Knicks are on the verge of signing Iverson to a one-year deal, possibly in time to join them on a three-game west coast trip next week. "Knicks president Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni were planning on interviewing Iverson first as final confirmation of their desire to make this massive move that changes the entire face of this season’s club." According to the Post, coach D'Antoni endorsed signing Iverson to the hesitant Walsh, for fear that a terrible season might make LeBron James and other free agents wary of signing with the team next year.

The Daily News is reporting that MSG chairman James Dolan is now the one holding up the process, and has "reservations" about signing the frequently controversial guard. Interestingly, GM Walsh is "doing background checks. He spoke to former Knicks coach Larry Brown, who has a long, tumultuous history with Iverson. Brown told the Daily News yesterday that Iverson asked him to call Walsh on his behalf this past summer. 'Donnie's always liked Allen,' Brown said on the phone yesterday. 'And I know Allen wanted to play there.'"

However, all that said, an anonymous source within the Knicks told ESPN this morning that, "We are definitely not pursuing him anymore." That clears things up! Today at noon, Knicks GM Walsh is supposed to address the press, and will hopefully give us a more clear indication of which way they're leaning.

UPDATE: With a little egg on their back-page face, the Post is reporting that the Knicks will officially announce that they are not pursuing Iverson this afternoon.

Presented By:

2009-11-20T11:43:04-05:00

Man Flees Traffic Stop, Jumps Off GW Bridge, Disappears

John Del Signore — 2009-11-20T11:26:31-05:00

[UPDATE BELOW] Life is so unpredictable: One minute you're pulling out of a New Jersey gas station, the next minute you're diving off the George Washington Bridge to escape police after a high-speed chase. An unidentified man presumably fell to his death yesterday morning after trying to escape from cops who pulled him over for a "routine stop" while driving his 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix through Fort Lee. Police say the man was pulled over around 9:30 a.m. for failing to yield, and the vehicle "had law enforcement equipment inside." But within minutes he sped away toward the bridge, with the fuzz in hot pursuit.

Most people would give up after coming to a crashing halt on the upper level of the GW, but after slamming into another car, the fugitive dashed to the edge of the bridge and leaped into the Hudson. As of last night, his body had not been found, but as one jumper demonstrated earlier this month, it is possible to survive the plunge.

UPDATE: Website CLIFFVIEWPILOT.COM, your "first and best news source for Bergen, Hudson and beyond," scored "ANOTHER EXCLUSIVE" today, getting a quote from the driver whose car was clipped by the fugitive. Motorist Andy Rosenberg says the guy "just hopped out of his car and made a beeline. He never even paused. He got over that little guardrail, put his foot on the railing [for the bridge] and jumped. It happened so fast, the police had no chance to get to him." CLIFFVIEWPILOT.COM also reports that the man is a New York state corrections officer from Middletown, N.Y. who had argued with his wife earlier that morning. (Which might explain why he didn't hesitate to jump off the bridge.)

Junior Gotti Jury Deadlocked, Told To Keep Working

Jen Chung — 2009-11-20T11:05:14-05:00

Could the fourth time be another charm? The jury deliberating the fate of John Gotti Jr.—whose past three federal trials have ended in mistrials—sent a note to Judge Kevin Castel yesterday reading, "We are unable to reach a verdict." Castel told the group to keep deliberating at first, but then sent them home for the weekend.

Castel said, "My advice to you is to try not to think about the case ... and to return rested and refreshed." The trial, which has the prosecutors accusing Gotti of racketeering and murder, has been going on for two months and has included juror drama and a freakout from Gotti's mom Victoria. His sister Victoria gave her thoughts on the jury's note to the Daily News, "It's not a bad thing by any means. I just know the jury is working very very hard. I just pray the jury is as fair as they've been, and they stand on principal."

Foot Model Who Married Doorman Sues Co-op Over Harsh Treatment

John Del Signore — 2009-11-20T10:42:32-05:00

Christina Ambers and Angel Rotger at their wedding.

Hand and foot model Christina Ambers fell in love with the doorman at her Upper East Side co-op in 2007, but the superintendent forbade Angel Rotger to see her romantically. And yet the romance between doorman and foot lady could not be so easily snuffed out, and the two continued their affair in secret. When they were found out, Rotger was fired—but not before the super's wife allegedly swung her handbag into his groin so hard he suffered a contusion of the testicle. Naturally, their story is on the cover of the Daily News and the Post today.

They were married in July, and Rotger moved from the Bronx to Ambers's 700-square-foot apartment in the East 74th Street building where he used to work. In a $10 million lawsuit filed yesterday, Ambers accuses other posh people in the building of trying to force her out because they think it's crass to openly cavort with the help. She says the staff doesn't tell her when packages arrive, call cabs, etc. "It seems that Christina has breached some type of social order that existed in that building," says Joshua Price, a lawyer for the newlyweds. "You live in this ritzy Upper East Side apartment and now Angel the porter is Angel your next-door neighbor—I guess it makes some people feel uncomfortable." And Ambers tells the Daily News:

I hope that people can understand how awful it is to come home and to then be treated with hostility in a building where I have paid a lot of money to live. Nobody should have to live this way. The people in this building need to come into the 21st century. I fell in love with Angel because he is a sweet, caring man—how dare they look down on us!

But residents say Ambers is "the biggest problem in the building" because she "parades around" in skimpy outfits. Having thoroughly researched Ambers's body of work (a sampling is provided here for reference purposes) it's clear this is all about envy of her pretty hands and toes and strapping husband and morbidly obese cat.

]]>

Rail Condition Snarls A, C, E, F, And V Commutes

Jen Chung — 2009-11-20T10:28:47-05:00

A tipster described his morning commute on the F as screwy (Manhattan-bound F rerouted to Hoyt-Schermerhorn, to pick up the A/C) —and NYC Transit workers chalked it up to a broken rail. The MTA's service alert page says, "Due to a rail condition at the 14th Street Station, 168th Street-bound C trains are running on the express track between the Canal Street Station and the 59th Street-Columbus Circle Station. Jamaica-bound E trains are running on the express track between the Canal Street Station and the 42nd Street Station. Please expect delays on the A, C, E, F and V trains at this time."

Video: New School Protesters Beaten, Arrested (Again)

John Del Signore — 2009-11-20T10:12:06-05:00

There's not much background on this video depicting the violent arrest of a demonstrator last night, but it's still a bracing way to start your day. New School students and their comrades had brought the ruckus downtown to show solidarity with students at the University California, who are occupying various administration buildings on multiple campuses to protest budget cuts and an increase in student fees, among other grievances.

According to one student protest blog, last night's demonstration included activities like "dropping banners off of statues and buildings, crashing New School art parties and decorating the city in solidarity with all the UC occupations!!!" This video shows two arrests, but the NYPD press office did not have any information for us. It's been a while since those peppy New School radicals have given us a crazy arrest video or occupied anything, so it's nice to see they've still got it. They've also been busy putting together a direct action how-to manual, sort of a "Student Occupation for Dummies" [pdf], which includes advice like "occupy fucking everything" and an illustrated guide to barricading doors.

Ratner And Gehry's Beekman Tower Topped Off

Jen Chung — 2009-11-20T09:55:25-05:00

]]>

Yesterday, developer Bruce Ratner and architect Frank Gehry celebrated the "topping off" of the 76-story Beekman Tower in lower Manhattan. A 10-pound bucket of concrete was lifted 900 feet onto the roof of the 1.1 million square foot skyscraper, which will have rental apartments, a pre-K through 8th grade public school, an ambulatory care center for NY Downtown Hospital, retail space, and public plazas.

Gehry, whose presence in Ratner's in-limbo Atlantic Yards project has been diminished, was in high spirits—he apparently pointed to the top of the building and said, "No Viagra." (It's his tallest building.) He told the Observer's Eliot Brown, "First of all, it’s a New York building, and so I respected the body of the New York skyscraper...We built many models of this. I holed myself up two days in a tall hotel room here and just looked at the skyline while I was designing it.” He also said the tower's undulation was inspired by Bernini.

While it may have been triumphant for Ratner to see progress on the skyscraper, he was served with another lawsuit to block the development of Atlantic Yards.

Jude Law Gets Schooled in Privacy By NYU Freshman

Jen Carlson — 2009-11-20T09:31:00-05:00

It's hard to feel bad for Jude Law when we all lack privacy in the city — in much less swank digs. Turns out the actor moved in right next to the NYU freshman dorm Hayden Hall, and the student body is enjoying their new view.

The dubious dorm dwellers have now leaked their secret to the NY Post (with paparazzi style photos), saying whenever they spot Law on his Washington Square balcony (sometimes with his son), there's complete chaos. Their not-so-subtle tactics include binoculars, screaming, and noses to the window. One told the paper that when he comes out to do his yoga, "People start screaming, 'Hey, Jude' — and it's clear he can hear us"

But the once giddy undergrads are turning on the current star of Broadway's "Hamlet." Allegedly a recent, innocent wave to the actor landed them a full-on citrus attack. Upon spotting his unwelcome audience he started hurling fruit at their windows, and one soured fan says: "there was orange pulp on the glass for a week. Now we don't like Jude Law anymore." Watch out Mr. Law, one of them is coming to your show tomorrow night!

City Announces 2009 Gridlock Alert Days

Jen Chung — 2009-11-20T09:21:49-05:00

If it's almost Thanksgiving, it means the city is gearing up the influx of visitors to the city for the holidays. The Department of Transportation released its calendar of "Gridlock Alert Days" (PDF) and its "Holiday Traffic Mitigation Plan" (PDF)—above all, the DOT recommends that people take mass transit. Today is the first Gridlock Alert Day, as is Thanksgiving next week; next month, the Gridlock Alert Days are December 2 (Rockefeller tree lighting), 4, 11, 16, 17, 18 and 23.

Holiday Hiring Bump Didn't Happen, Unemployment Still High

John Del Signore — 2009-11-20T09:04:06-05:00

The city’s unemployment rate is at 10.3 percent, its highest level in 16 years, and the unemployment rate statewide reached 9 percent in October, the highest rate since April 1983, the State Labor Department reported yesterday. Making matters worse, the usual holiday hiring bump doesn't seem to be happening; instead, the retail sector shed 1,100 jobs in October. Leisure and hospitality, which usually picks up toward the end of the year, lost jobs last holiday season and is doing slightly worse so far this year. At this point, we'd ask for a stiff drink, but who's left to pour it? Yet there is a ~~silver lining~~ empty lining where some copper wire used to be!

"While employers in New York State continued to cut jobs over the past year, they did so at a more modest pace than those in the nation as a whole,” said Peter Neenan, director of the Labor Department’s Division of Research and Statistics. Low-five! And 44,300 people found jobs in educational and health services, though a lot of that has to do with the usual employment increase at private colleges and universities, reflecting the beginning of the academic year.

All the other numbers are pretty depressing—the state lost 12,700 private sector jobs in October; trade, transportation and utilities (-60,500) registered the largest over-the-year drop among declining sectors, as you read this your mother is secretly sifting through dumpsters for recyclable cans. Dry swallow some pills and sift through the charred data here.

Oprah-geddon: Oprah Will Quit Talk Show In 2011

Jen Chung — 2009-11-20T08:47:15-05:00

Photograph of Oprah Winfrey with former governor Sarah Palin and her two daughter Piper and Willow

Oprah Winfrey, the media mogul-juggernaut, is going to end her successful daytime talk show when her 25th season ends on September 9, 2011. She will be making the announcement on her program today. As for her future, the NY Times says she's expected to "concentrate on the forthcoming cable channel that will bear her name... The move represents an enormous bet — that her popularity and golden touch with programming can sustain an entire cable channel and that she’ll remain a central cultural figure even without the mass exposure of broadcast television every day."

When the show's staffers were told the news in a meeting yesterday, the Chicago Sun-Times reports many were crying. Harpo, Inc. President Tim Bennett sent a letter to stations, "We want to thank you for the partnership and friendship we have shared over the years. Your invaluable support has helped us to create the phenomenon of the 'Oprah Show' that we've all been so proud to be a part of for the last 24 years. My staff and I will be calling all of you directly tonight and tomorrow. We look forward to speaking with you."

Variety writes, "Winfrey's departure will make for an unprecedented shift in syndicated daytime TV in a manner similar to what happened in morning radio after Howard Stern split for satellite radio," and gives various scenarios in which broadcast TV stations would try to replace her to fight for her audience (would ABC make a play for Ellen DeGeneres' show, which has deals with NBC stations?). The Oprah Show's ratings provided big lead-ins for many ABC stations' evening broadcasts.

The Post's Linda Stasi, who admits she hasn't always agreed with Oprah, declares "giving up her daily platform is probably the bravest thing Oprah's ever done... This woman was once a 14-year-old pregnant girl whose child died within hours of being born. And yet, she rose through sheer will to become the richest and most influential woman on TV, and maybe the entire world."

Merrill Garbus, tUnE-YaRdS

Jen Carlson — 2009-11-20T08:30:00-05:00

While tUnE-YaRdS may sound like a band comprised of more than one, it is just one woman: Merrill Garbus. During live shows she's accompanied by Nate Brenner — and currently they're both on tour with Dirty Projectors. They're in town all weekend (at Music Hall of Williamsburg and Bowery Ballroom) — and they're even adding on a free show at Permanent Records (7 p.m.) in Brooklyn tonight. So you have no excuse not to catch them. This week Garbus told us a bit about Jay-Z, her ultimate supergroup, and why she insists on aLtErNaTiNg caps with lowercase.

How has the tour with Dirty Projectors been going? AWESOME ROCK ROCK WHOOPEE

Do you have any good anecdotes from the road? Hmm. This dude fell on me in Athens, Georgia at a sort of warehousey show that friends put on. It was the last song of the set, and he literally just fell from the front row into my drum and knocked my ukulele and hurt my wrist and I was so surprised that I almost started weeping spontaneously like a wee baby.

That show wasn’t with the Dirty Projectors. The anecdotes from that tour include things like, “remember that time that the show was sold out and our minds were blown?” That anecdote happened just about every night.

Why all the capital letters mixed in with lower case?! I was looking for a way to not only stick out as a practical thing—that my stage name would stick out more if it looked weird—but I find that a lot of people think “female singer-songwriter” and put it in a certain category, and I didn’t feel like the music was like that, it was something different so I wanted to provide a little friction, or be a little bit of a pain in someone’s ass, when they were typing my name.

It's funny how some people are really rubbed the wrong way by it, like I’ve ruined their day by making them use that Shift key. But it sorta worked the way I wanted it to—people pay attention. I don’t wanna preach to people, but if there’s anything that I want from my audience, it’s a pause moment, and having people capitalize it that way perhaps gives them that moment to stop and think.

Do you find it easier to create music on your own, or would you like to collaborate in the future? I’m collaborating with Nate Brenner who’s playing bass with me these days, and yes, I love collaboration. Recording I like to do mostly alone because I like to, like writing in your journal when you’re a 13-year-old, or sitting and sketching sparrows in the middle of winter in a warm coat with a thermos to keep your hand from going numb. It’s just one of the most calming creative experiences ever.

The NY Times said your voice was somewhere in between Aretha Franklin and Yoko Ono? How do you feel about that — do you think it's accurate? I mean, only a complete egotistical psychotic would answer “yes” to the comparison with Aretha. And same with the comparison as artist to Yoko Ono. So it’s very flattering, thank you, New York Times, but I still have a ways to go to live up to those women.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what makes me feel that I’ve sung well, or performed well. It seems best when I feel that the entirety of my being is within my voice, and that I’m using all of me to access something way beyond my reality. So if that’s what Aretha and Yoko do, then I’ll join that club.

Are those women inspirations to you musically? Where have you found musical inspiration? Absolutely, they both are. I find inspiration in many musicians, and female musicians’ successes inspire me especially, I suppose. Miriam Makeba to Tracy Chapman to Beyonce to Cyndi Lauper to Odetta...on and on. Inspired by movement, and music that makes me move. Barrington Levy and Lee Perry make me move. West African drumming and dance. Speaking of Yoko Ono, the song Mind Train.

I suppose if it doesn’t physically move me I’m not that inspired by it. But “physically” can be my butt moving or something clenching in my chest, my fingertips wanting to shake, what have you.

If you could create your all-time live band supergroup, with musicians dead or alive, who would be in the band? Janis, Miriam Makeba, Fela, Ali Farka Toure, James Jamerson, and, of course, Michael. Jeez Louise.

What bands are you currently listening to? Prussia, Afuche, Li’l Mama, Karl Blau, Micachu, Happy Birthday, and clearly the Dirty Projectors.

Which New Yorker do you most admire? Right now, Jay-Z. Damn.

Given the opportunity, how would you change New York? Well, mostly don’t change, New York. But could you start recycling a little more? I find it totally self-centered to eject all your trash to other islands of trash without thought about the, uh, future. It makes you trashy in the other way, New York. But stay self-centered in other regards, it’s how we recognize you.

Best cheap eat in the city. Five dollars for pho in the Bowery.

Best venue to hear/play music in NYC. Both the Bowery rooms, Ballroom and the Music Hall. I understand that’s not reaching into the depths of this town, to underground places like Sycamore (intimate and magical) and seedy dirt-hole apartments where kids have house shows. But the sound staff are freaking primo at these places, and they’re run so gracefully…I love performing at these rooms, my DIY roots be damned. Don’t worry, I’ll be back to gritty apartments soon enough.

]]>

Jayson Williams Expected To Plead Guilty In 2002 Shooting

Jen Chung — 2009-11-20T08:11:14-05:00

Former Nets star Jayson Williams is expected to plead guilty to manslaughter charges for the 2002 shooting of his limousine driver. According to the Star-Ledger, his sentence, in a deal with prosecutors, would be 18 months. Williams was previously convicted of charges related to covering up the shooting (and acquitted of aggravated manslaughter), but was facing a retrial on reckless manslaughter charges; if convicted of reckless manslaughter, he could have faced up to 10 years in prison. Williams shot Costas "Gus" Christofi in his NJ mansion when he was showing friends a shotgun.

Last Night's Action: Not Good Enough

Peter Trinkle — 2009-11-20T00:02:05-05:00

The Devils came back twice, thanks to Zach Parise, but they ultimately fell to Nashville 3-2 in a shootout. Parise scored his 12th and 13th goals of the season, but he did not convert in the shootout and when Martin Erat did, New Jersey went home a loser. Jason Arnott had two goals against his former team.

Extra, Extra

Jen Chung — 2009-11-19T18:39:01-05:00

Photograph by Idle Type on Flickr

From the Gothamist Newsmap: A pedestrian struck on 91 St in Queens, an all hands on 2nd Ave in Manhattan and an armed robbery at Edwards St & Park Ave in Brooklyn.
The MTA's 2010 budget has no fare hikes or service cuts, but given the sorry state budget, who knows how long that'll last.
Assemblyman Dov Hikind is considering buying property in an Arab neighborhood of Jerusalem.
Norah Jones can get the windows she wants for her Brooklyn home.
The first episode of Lost's final season will premiere on February 2, a Tuesday night.
EW: Procter & Gamble is recalling some Vick nasal spray because of bacteria found in it.
James Franco, so lonely, so angry so...sigh.
The USPS is cutting its Letters to Santa program, where kids get replies with a North Pole postmarked.
Check out Lady Gaga back at a 2005 NYU Talent Show.

Murdoch Apologizes To Paterson

Jen Chung — 2009-11-19T18:11:00-05:00

Perhaps realizing that blaming NY State's woes on Governor Paterson's blindness wasn't a great idea, media mogul Rupert Murdoch apologized to Paterson. The Daily Politics reports, "Apparently, Paterson was willing to chalk Murdoch's bizarre comments up to a 'random misstatement,' according to this source, and did not try to negotiate more favorable coverage from the tab while he had the news mogul on the line. (Remember: This is the same newspaper that portrayed Paterson as Pinocchio in the wake of the Caroline Kennedy debacle)." Gawker is hopeful: "We look forward to more random misstatements in the near future."

Harlem Grandmother Latest to Take a Stray Bullet

John Del Signore — 2009-11-19T17:45:08-05:00

A 66-year-old Harlem woman became the second victim of stray gunfire this week in NYC. Virginia Valree was walking along Lenox Avenue in Harlem around 3:30 p.m. yesterday, carrying potatoes to deliver to a sick friend, when a bullet struck her left leg and knocked her into traffic on West 135th Street. "I'm horrified. All I know is I was just standing there and my leg gave in," Valree told the Daily News from her hospital bed last night. "I was on the ground. I was laying there saying, 'Somebody stop the traffic!' because I didn't want to get run over."

Police believe the shot came from a nearby altercation, but no arrests have been made. Street vendor Mohamed Gendia says, "There was shouting right by me ... then I heard a shot." The suspects then ran in opposite directions along Lenox Avenue. The bullet fractured a bone in Valree's leg, and doctors will operate on her to remove it, but she's in otherwise stable condition.

Monday's victim of stray gunfire wasn't so lucky; 15-year-old Vada Vasquez is in a medically-induced coma after a stray bullet struck her in the head. At least seven people have been killed by stray bullets so far this year, compared to four people fatally shot by errant bullets in 2008.

Presented By:

2009-11-19T17:45:08-05:00

Shaq To Curate Art Show Of Grand Proportion

Mihir Kelkar — 2009-11-19T17:30:45-05:00

In February, FLAG Art Foundation will be presenting "Size DOES Matter," an exhibition showcasing the element of scale in contemporary art in February with the 7'1'' center for the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted to curate. Yes, Shaquille O'Neal has selected—and even commissioned some—52 pieces of art for the show.

FLAG director Stephanie Roach tells Bloomberg News that the foundation hopes to "attract a serious art-world audience, plus others who might not have considered art accessible" with the exhibit which will focus on the scale and magnitude of the presented works. Shaq, whose other artistic endeavors include acting, rapping, and Tweeting, says he's "pleased to be starting at the top" and will be in NYC to help install the show as well.

Writer James Frey, who is working on the essay for the show's catalog, say it won't be like any other "nice show at MoMA or the Met...Getting Shaq, one of the largest people in the world, to curate a show about scale is really fun. He does a lot of things that are unconventional for a guy of his stature." Indeed—his bio on the FLAG website points out, "Along with his NBA accomplishments, Shaq has written an autobiography, starred in his own television show, released a certified platinum album, received his B.S. from Louisiana State University, an M.B.A from University of Phoenix, and is working toward a Ph.D. in Human Relations."

Court Upholds Benefits for Same-Sex Marriages Performed Out of State

John Del Signore — 2009-11-19T17:10:00-05:00

In a 4-3 decision, New York State's highest court rejected a Christian legal group's argument that same-sex marriage was akin to incest and polygamy, and should therefore be denied government benefits for spouses. But the court's narrow ruling did not address the broader question of whether same-sex marriages performed in other states should be recognized in New York. The minority vote came from judges who argued that the case should have been tossed altogether, "on the ground that same-sex marriages, valid where performed, are entitled to full legal recognition in New York."

Instead, the majority opinion expressed "hope that the Legislature will address this controversy." Still, Empire State Pride Agenda Executive Director Alan Van Capelle told the AP, "It absolutely builds momentum. It's another court saying the state Senate should act and clarify the issue." Legally married same-sex couples will now be entitled to public employee health insurance coverage and certain other benefits enjoyed by heterosexual spouses.

The lawyer for the Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund, which challenged the benefits In New York, had argued that "the only relationship recognized as marriage is the committed union of a man and a woman. State and local officials should not attempt to use marriage laws from outside jurisdictions to place their political agendas ahead of the law." The state Assembly passed a bill earlier this year to legalize same-sex marriage, but it stalled in the Senate.

Last week Governor Paterson promised that Senate leaders had agreed to bring it to a vote by the end of the year. Though the bill's sponsor Senator Thomas Duane says he has the votes to pass it, the AP reports that "the measure appears a few votes short of passage."

Holder Talks With 9/11 Victims' Families About Trials

Jen Chung — 2009-11-19T16:54:56-05:00

Photograph of a woman holding up a picture of pilot Charles Burlingame, whose plane was crashed into the Pentagon, behind AG Eric Holder by Alex Brandon/AP

The furor over holding the trials of alleged 9/11 terror plotters in a Manhattan federal court continues to simmer. Yesterday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday, "I’m not scared of what [terror mastermind] Khalid Sheik Mohammed has to say at trial — and no one else needs to be either."

The Post reports that Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz) noted that Mohammed said he wanted to plead guilty at a military tribunal, "How could he be more likely to get a conviction than that?" to which Holder replied, "These trials do not hinge on the desire of Khalid Sheik Mohammed. He will not select the prosecution venue. I will — and I have." Holder did speak with victims' families afterward; Alice Hoagland, who lost her son on Flight 93 said:

I have great respect for you and your office. But I have to say I take great exception to your decision to give short shrift to the military commissions and put the five most heinous criminals and war criminals into court in New York City. I can't help feeling that it does make New York City a much more dangerous place and a target. And it will give these ugly people like Khalid Sheik Muhammad and Ramzi Bin Alshib especially very eloquent access to all of the media sources of the United States.

Holder assured her, "I respect the concerns that you have raised. These are issues I certainly considered. I did not give short shrift to military commissions. This was a tough decision. This was a tough decision."

President Obama stepped into the fray yesterday, saying that critics won't find it "offensive at all when he's convicted and when the death penalty is applied to him," but then had to backtrack, "I'm not going to be in that courtroom. That's the job of the prosecutors, the judge and the jury." Some experts say this gives the defense a chance to show that the suspects can't get a fair trial.

Obama Fried Chicken Cut From Video

Jen Carlson — 2009-11-19T16:54:00-05:00

Remember that whole Obama Fried Chicken debacle? It's back, in a sort of blurred-out-on-MTV kind of way. Brokelyn reports that the Clipse video for “Popular Demand (Popeye’s)” consists mostly of Clipse and Cam'ron and company "in front of a place with a blank yellow marquee." That is, if you see it on MTV, it will appear blank—everywhere else it's running with a fully in-focus sign, reading "Obama Fried Chicken." So whose call was it to lift the OFC sign from the final cut? Surely the artists picked that spot for a reason besides censoring it out.

Sexual Harassment On Subways An "Underreported Crime"

Jen Chung — 2009-11-19T16:34:31-05:00

Photograph by Dave Surgan on Flickr

Today, NYPD Chief James P. Hall, who heads the department's Transit Bureau, told the City Council that sexual harassment was the "No. 1 quality of life offense on the subway," according to City Room. Hall added, "This should not be a part of commuting in New York. t's an under-reported crime." (Nothing, unfortunately, new there.)

Some stats: There have been 587 reports of sexual offenses on the subways (374 of those reports were in Manhattan), with 412 arrests. City Room says that of the arrests, "71 had committed prior sexual offenses and 14 were registered sex offenders. Five of the 14 were the most serious level of sex offender, Level 3. The average perpetrator is a 39-year-old male, while the vast majority of victims are females over 17 years old." Also, many of the perps really like to stalk the 4, 5, 6, lines between 14th Street and 42nd Street-Grand Central.

While the MTA has introduced anti-groping posters, Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. said, "I'd like to see a wall of shame. Posting pictures of people convicted, especially with 20 percent recidivism ... would be a useful deterrent." Hall said that women shouldn't be discouraged if they don't have a cellphone picture, "At a minimum, a report alone allows us to deploy more effectively."

A reader happened to tell us about a groping incident that occurred her on a Q train this morning (read it after the jump) but didn't tell the cops, "I stayed on the train (I was late and the chances of a cop being on the platform and actually caring were slim to none) and I was too freaked out to snap a picture." (One time, when a woman told a police officer about a subway flasher, the cop allegedly said it wasn't a police matter.) The NYPD's press office tells us that people should not hesitate to contact the police—or an MTA worker or use the speakers in the station—because if a crime is reported, they will try to solve it.

This morning I got on a Manhattan bound Q train at the Prospect Park stop around 8:15 for my morning commute to work. The train was packed but it didn't stop an asian guy in his mid-twenties that also got on Prospect park from pushing through people to stand next to me. He was clearly "off," very disheveled looking, black coat, black canvas laptop bag, holding a plastic water bottle and trying to grab a pole with the same hand, pushing people, etc. Long story short he groped my butt until I yelled at him to stop touching me. I guess thats why he needed the free hand. Of course everyone on the train looked at us (and me, I'm sure they thought I was nuts) but it must have scared him because he ran off at Atlantic ave. I stayed on the train (I was late and the chances of a cop being on the platform and actually caring were slim to none) and I was too freaked out to snap a picture. I know its not much to go on, I just wanted to let other women on the Q train to be on the lookout.

]]>