Irving Picard, the trustee who is overseeing the bankruptcy of Bernard Madoff’s estate , has good news and bad news. According to a report he filed , he’s found $849,000 for victims of the massive Ponzi scam, which is good…but during the same six-month period, he spent over $26 million, mostly on legal fees to Picard’s firm. Bloomberg News reports, “Picard has recovered a total of about $1.5 billion for creditors of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC…” He also says he’s “evaluated 14,030 investor claims as of Oct. 22 and approved 2,280″ and “has committed to paying $738 million on behalf of the [SIPC].” Something else that is keeping Picard busy: Getting ready for those clawback lawsuits .
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Madoff Trustee Spends $26 Million, Finds $849,000
zlandr’s flickr The life of the street cart vendor is understandably hard; if they’re not tumbling and tussling with each other for real estate, then they’re probably trying to hold it in . Here’s another notch for their hardship post: according to the Post , some food vendors have been forced to sleep in their carts, so as to not lose prime spots on the street. Vendors say that employees are paid to watch the wagons in the evenings, as well as do some “icky” cleaning. But the Department of Health dictates that food vendors clear the streets after closing, then go to a commissary where the carts are washed and stored. But in the street cart-eat-street cart world, sometimes you’re forced into untenable situations; it’s like choosing between Mountain Dew and Crab Juice.
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Sad Or Gross? Street Vendors Sleeping In Their Carts
There are reasons to quibble with Joe Girardi’s management of the Yankees. His insistence on following a binder of statistics instead of using his eyes is annoying. His tight-lipped press conferences are more combative than informative. His silly decision to change his number to 28 from 27, days after the Yankees won the World Series. But the fact remains; he is the perfect manager for this team. It’s easy to forget exactly how difficult a job Joe Girardi inherited when he took over the helm of the Yankees. Not only did he have to replace a legend in the dugout, he also had to contend with the outsized expectations of a fan base that had grown to expect championships every year. Girardi handled that transition seamlessly and unlike his predecessor, he had the confidence to rely on youth. Ask yourself, where would guys like David Robertson, Brett Gardner and Phil Hughes be right now if Joe Torre had been the manager? Girardi turned them into major contributors and has also shown an admirable ability to focus on the big picture in a town that gets too bogged down in day-to-day thinking. Besides bringing back Girardi for what he has accomplished, it was a smart move because of what lies ahead. Derek Jeter should be back, but his role at the top of the lineup is in question. Jorge Posada needs to be nudged to more of a DH role. The “Core Four” will be phased out over the next few seasons and there is no better person to handle that than Girardi since he played, coached and managed all of them. Fans on sports radio this week seemed less than thrilled about Girardi’s return. Their angst ignores one vital fact- the guy can win. Girardi has won a championship and he put the Yankees two wins away from playing for another one this season. Having him around for the next three years is good news for the Yankees and their fans.
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Making The Call: Joe’s The Man For The Job
AP It’s that time of year again, when costumed ghouls frantically go trick or treating door-to-door to ask for your vote. This Tuesday is Election Day, and the gubernatorial candidates are cramming in as much last minute campaigning as they could. Andrew Cuomo reached the 62nd county in his campaign tour in Saratoga County yesterday, deploying deadly political weapons such as “the thumbs up, the victory sign, the wave, the wink, the blown kiss,” as the Times puts it . They viewed it as his victory lap, and he gave the enthusiastic packed audience an insight into his view of his foot-shooting opponent Carl Paladino: “I’ll tell you the simple truth. The more they talk, the better we look. You could not make this stuff up.” Paladino was treated to a much more somber crowd in Watertown, reflecting the overall tone of his campaign, which the Times said had a “slightly improvisational, unpolished feel.” A little over two dozen people attended the rally, not knowing Paladino would show up until an hour and a half before the event. One supporter told a reporter, “ He can’t be any worse than what we have now, can he? ” It seems as of now that Cuomo has the race locked up, but many there will be a different legacy for the 2010 NY gubernatorial crazyfest. “I think the campaign has reached a new standard of low-levelness. Even Cuomo, who didn’t have to, has gotten pretty negative in his attacks, too,” veteran GOP operative Ed Rollins told the News.
Photo credit: quinn.anya Chicagoist braced itself for the biggest storm front to pass through in 70 years . Despite a lot of wind, however, media reports dubbing it the ‘Great Lakes Cyclone’ were overblown , which gave its readers more time to discuss a perceived war on foodies . SFist celebrated the Giants World Series performance during Games One and Two , but shook its finger at these ladies duking it out at a nearby McDonald’s after the game. Phillyist mourned the end of the Phils’ playoff run , but celebrated the team’s season. (Shut up, SFist.) Austinist revealed that Descendents were reuniting for a special headlining appearance at next weekend’s Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, taking the spot previously occupied by Devo (who canceled due to a thumb injury ). DCist dabbled in drag at the High Heel Race and spent the rest of the week talking movies — namely, a renovated theater and the debate over the quintessential film set in the District . Seattlest says forget Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber — vote for local nutcracker curator Arlene Leavenworth as the first guest on Conan O’Brien’s new show. Oh, and all you concertgoers out there should get some earplugs , already. Gothamist found it typical that a police cruiser would park in a bike lane so the officer could ticket bicyclists for veering out of the lane to avoid the cruiser . Londonist launched a new iPhone app this week. It shows cafes, bars and other venues in London that offer free wifi access . Bostonist loved Rondo (headband or not), watched a controversial arrest from multiple angles , recommended some devil cheese ; and threatened to keg-stand draft Fernet Branca . LAist announced that the Metro Board of Directors finally voted to approve the extension of the Westside Subway to just past the 405 Freeway.
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Elsewhere In The ist-a-verse: Storm’s A Brewin’
While the gas in New Jersey is notoriously cheap, every once in a while you do find yourself a few bucks shy of a full tank’s worth. But at one South Brunswick gas station, worker Melad Kaleal was perfectly willing to drop the extra in exchange for some mild sexual favors, namely a kiss from a high school girl. Kaleal has been arrested , charged with harassment and fired from his job at the Raceway service station on Route 1 after making an unwanted advance at a teenage girl. The girl had allegedly asked for $10 worth of gas, but Kaleal let the pump run up to $20. When she said she didn’t have the extra cash, Kaleal allegedly said he would give it to her for $10 if she kissed him, and leaned into her car window. The girl drove off and told her parents, who then called the police. Clearly, nobody ever told the girl that ass or grass are two other viable options if she can’t pay for gas.
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Making Out With Jersey Gas Attendant Worth $10 In Gas!
And this is why they tell you stand back from the edge of the platform. A 57-year-old man had some skin torn from his face when he was struck by an oncoming subway. The victim had been leaning over the tracks to check for an oncoming train at the uptown 2 station at West 14th Street yesterday afternoon, yet somehow didn’t have enough time to lean back before the train actually came. He was thrown back from the platform, and a Post staffer who witnessed the aftermath said, “His hand was twitching a little, he was lying on his side.”
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Man Has Skin Ripped Off By Oncoming Subway
In what is surely a great message to young girls everywhere, the Post chronicles how Senator Kirsten Gillibrand transformed herself from a somewhat frumpy, unknown politician to the “hottest member” of the Senate with a 51% approval rating. It turns out all you need is inner beauty intelligence an honest heart $10.9 million, 33 consultants and a massive weight loss plan. Gillibrand reportedly spent $1.2 million on consultants just this year, researching everything from legal work, media and fund-raising. During her run against Harold Ford , Gillibrand also decided to lose her pregnancy weight, and dropped 40 pounds from a size 16 to a size 4. She dressed her new figure in outfits by Elie Tahari and Nanette Lepore, and frequently spends the night at the Regency Hotel. That’s all it takes to get Mayor Bloomberg to gush over how “stunning” you look, ladies!
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Gillibrand Spends Millions To Be Thin, Popular
A day after it came to light that no matter how many parking tickets a politician gets, their official cars will never get hauled off to the pound, Mayor Bloomberg vowed to revise the perk. “The Finance Department is going to find a solution to ensure they can enforce against valid tickets in these cases. The standards have to apply to everyone ,” said Bloomberg spokesman Marc LaVorgna. Drivers without “official” plates with unpaid tickets of $350 or more face being towed, while officials with unpaid tickets have avoided that fate for over 20 years. Maybe they can tackle illegal parking placard abuse next.
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Bloomberg Wants To Repeal Officials No-Tow Perk
Yesterday at the Rally To Restore Sanity and/or Fear, attendees were treated to several collage-like montages of media talking heads listing all the things we need to be afraid of, including flip flop, bedbugs and hurricanes. There’s one new thing to add to that list: conspiratorial lesbian-controlled low-rent apartment buildings! According to Roberto Caballero, a former Lower East Side Democratic district leader, a seven-unit building on East 11th Street near Avenue B has tacitly become a lesbian-only building, favored by well-to-do lesbians such as Margarita Lopez , the $187,000-per-year Housing Authority board member and one-time city councilwoman, and Rosie Mendez, a current councilwoman (and Lopez’s protege). ” I find it strange that no man has ever moved in. I would consider that a form of discrimination ,” Caballero, who is “openly gay,” told the Post . Maybe what’s angering Caballero the most is the fact that units sell for an astoundingly low $250 apiece, plus capital improvement fees (and with the rule that apartments can’t be sold for profit). More than half the building’s 12 tenants are reportedly lesbians (does the Post know this because they all play softball ?), and Lopez admits that new tenants tend to be friends-of-friends: “the apartments are not marketed. It’s through word of mouth to the people we know in the community.” The building in question was once owned by the city, but was given away for very little in 1989 at a time when the neighborhood was overrun by junkies and drug dealers. Lopez and five other women renovated the gutted building, in return for $630,000 in building funds—most of it in the form of charity and taxpayer grants and loans. Initially, residents had to qualify as low-income, but once they’re accepted, they’re in for life, even if they start making more money. Just like membership in the Lavender Mafia .
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Lesbian-Friendly Building Making People Paranoid