New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority has already redefined the term “customer service” as “screwing over customers by cutting service.” But now the MTA is tackling another item in the dictionary, attempting to put a limit on that which is supposedly “unlimited.” [More]
Senator Says Caffeinated Malt Liquor Drinks Target Teens
By July 12, 2010
For years, young folks have been getting their buzz on with the help of fruit-flavored malt liquor concoctions like Sparks, Joose and Four Loko. This is a fact that has apparently just come across the desk of Senator Chuck Schumer of NY, who is now asking for federal help in getting these beverages out of the mouths of babes. [More]
Walmart Spends $2 Million To Avoid Paying $7,000 Fine
By July 7, 2010
Talk about sticking to your principles. Rather than simply pay a $7,000 fine stemming from the Black Friday trampling death of a store employee, Walmart has racked up at least $2 million in legal costs to prove their point. [More]
Should Parents Be Fined For Smoking With A Kid In The Car?
By July 2, 2010
I’ve never smoked a cigarette in my life, but I sure inhaled my fair share of my mom’s, dad’s and stepfather’s tobacco when I was a child. Surely one of my earliest developed motor skills was learning how to roll down the window in our Chevy Nova. Now a bill under consideration by the New York State Assembly seeks to put an end to such behavior by fining adults who light up with a child in the vehicle. [More]
Chicago Provides City Vehicle Stickers That Lack One Important Feature
By June 30, 2010
First New York’s vehicle inspection stickers lacked enough stickiness to actually stay stuck and now the disease has infected Chicago. Yes, it’s the same company making the stickers. I know. We’re shocked too. Who could have predicted this? [More]
If You're Unhappy With Bus Service Cuts, Do Not Punch Bus Driver In Face
By June 29, 2010
There are many ways for citizens to protest mass-transit service cuts — with these posters or this tee shirt, for example — but we’re pretty sure that high up on the list of “least effective ways to effect change” is “repeatedly punch some poor bus driver in the face while he’s driving.” [More]
6-Time Coney Island Hot Dog Champ Kobayashi May Bail On July 4 Eat-Off
By June 29, 2010
Since July 4, 2001, when Takeru Kobayashi first wowed the crowd at Coney Island by devouring a then-world record 50 hot dogs in 12 minutes, the pint-sized stomach-stuffer has been a dependable fixture at the annual eat-off, winning the competition six times in a row. But after three consecutive losses in subsequent years, a report claims Kobayashi may not choose to compete next weekend. [More]
New York Wants Grocery Stores To Sell Wine
By June 27, 2010
Fresh off boosting cigarette taxes, New York is ready to give smokers a replacement for their beloved lung shredders: wine! The state’s latest budget gap killer would allow nearly 20,000 grocery stores to sell bottles of vino, hauling in up to $300 million. [More]
The $25,000 Hot Chocolate
By June 25, 2010
What’s the best thing to eat in your $33,000 bed? A $25,000 “frrrozen haute chocolate” from Serendipity 3 in New York, obviously. [More]
NY State Approves $4.35/Pack Tax On Cigarettes
By June 22, 2010
As we reported over the weekend, the NY State Legislature was considering a proposal to increase the state’s already high $2.75/pack tax on cigarettes by $1.60. And last night, the ayes had it over the coughing and hacking nos, making New York the most expensive place to smoke in the U.S. [More]
New "Ironic" Urban Outfitters Store Parodies The Mom & Pop Shops Killed By Its Ilk
By June 21, 2010
In a move sure to raise the blood pressure of those angry people who remember New York City before it had a Kmart and a bunch of Best Buys, Urban Outfitters has designed an “ironic” storefront built to resemble the sort of bodegas, little hardware stores and other independent businesses that New York used to be composed of. [More]
Ride Along For The Day In A Mr. Softee Truck
By June 21, 2010
Just about every neighborhood has ice cream trucks, but there’s something special about Mister Softee. Perhaps it’s the treats, but more than likely it’s the ever-repeating tune that streams endlessly out of the rooftop speakers… even when the truck is parked outside your apartment for four hours straight… But I digress. [More]
NYC Forces Retailers To Stop Selling Illegal Knives
By June 21, 2010
If you were planning on picking up a sturdy switchblade or gravity knife from one of the Home Depots in NYC for your next home improvement project, or because you wanted to stab someone, you should note that they’re no longer available. That’s because last week, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office persuaded that store and 13 other retailers to stop selling such knives. They’re generally illegal in New York, and the retailers have agreed to surrender their inventory and forfeit any profits they made from illegal knife sales over the past four years. [More]
New York Proposes Nation's Highest Cigarette Taxes
By June 19, 2010
Cigarettes may cost more than $10 per pack in New York under the state’s latest plan to close a $9 billion budget gap. In New York City, the tax alone on a pack of cigarettes would rise to $5.85. And cigarettes aren’t the only carcinogens set for a tax bump under the proposal. [More]
Do New Stadiums Really Give Back All They Get From Taxpayers?
By June 15, 2010
Are new stadiums, like Citi Field, the new Yankees stadium, and the proposed new Nets stadium/Atlantic Yards project, really worth the oodles of public dollars, tax breaks, and the hundreds of residents displaced, their land seized under eminent domain? Stadium Status is an awesome new 20 min documentary by the Internets Celebrites that examines the issue and has come to a firm “Nahhhh” as its conclusion. [More]
Cablevision Acquires Smallish Cable Company Called Bresnan
By June 14, 2010
Cablevision, a small but deeply hated cable company in New York City, has shelled out $1.4B for an even smaller company that owns systems in Colorado, Utah, Montana and Wyoming. Analysts studying the deal were described as “cautious” because it appears to make no sense. [More]
Dating Site For Cheaters Offers $25 Million For Naming Rights To New Giants/Jets Stadium
By June 11, 2010
My hatred for the sports teams of New York City is part of my DNA, but I still have always felt a bit sorry for the New York Jets for having to play in Giants Stadium. Things seemed to be looking up on that front when it was announced that the spankin’ new arena set to open shortly would be simply be called “New Meadowlands Stadium.” But the owners of a dating website for cheaters want to make it so that both teams are shamed by the name of their new digs. [More]
Sexy Banker: Chase Told Me To Shut Up About Citibank Lawsuit
By June 7, 2010
You remember last week’s story of the former Citibank employee who claimed she was fired for being too sexy? Of course you do. Now she’s claiming that her current employer, JP Morgan Chase, has asked her to stop her public campaign against a fellow banking giant. [More]
