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Riotous Rugs: A study by the psych journal…

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:00:00 +0000

A study by the psych journal Perception suggests that certain carpets induce nausea. “The carpet image was not moving; the people were not moving, but they reported feelings of self-motion and motion sickness,” said one psych professor about participants who looked at a black-and-white patterned rug for five minutes. The same was found in folks who stared at crushed-velvet rugs for five minutes. [MSNBC via AOL Real Estate; previously ]

Riotous Rugs: A study by the psych journal…

On the Market: The generally disappointing tenure of Braves’…

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:30:00 +0000

The generally disappointing tenure of Braves’ pitcher Derek Lowe has come to an end with his trade to the Cleveland Indians. Which means there’s a new multi-million dollar home listing on the Atlanta real estate market. Naturally, it’s got jock features such as a cigar room. [Curbed Atlanta]

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On the Market: The generally disappointing tenure of Braves’…

On the Market: Livable Properties in the Top Five Cheapest Cities in America

Cole Perkins — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Click here to view the full photogallery. The Council for Community and Economic Research just released their annual ranking of the cheapest cities in the United States, as ranked by cost of living. Just like last year, the far southern town of Harlingen, Texas came in first, with a cost of living that’s just almost a fifth cheaper than the national average. While it’s not exactly a cultural hub, bird watchers flock here to watch the annual migrations, so that’s something. Plus, a haircut will run you under $8. This house, built “like a fortress” to conserve energy, will cost considerably more up front: $425K. Considering it’s got 5,000 square feet, five bedrooms, 3.5 baths, and overlooks the Arroyo Colorado, that’s not such a bad deal either. Click here to view the full photogallery. ↑ #2: Memphis, Tenn. With all the relatively small cities on this list, it was a bit of a shock to find Memphis, the legendary music town, at number two. According to CCER’s numbers, the city has the lowest average cost of housing, but we’ve spotted a view listings around town that seem to hike the average up. There are parts of town where $1.7M doesn’t even buy a completed house. Instead, it gets the buyer 14,000 unfinished square feet on 3.8 acres. Click here to view the full photogallery. ↑ #3: Ardmore, Okla. Texas appears three times in the top five cheapest, so this Oklahoma town, even if it’s just to the north, is a welcome respite. Home to the cheapest average apartment rental, at $500 per month, Ardmore also has its fair share of large historic homes. This columned manse was built in 1932, spans 4,750 square feet, and has a renovated kitchen to complement the historic details. Listed for $350K, the white house sits on 0.79 acres with a charming two-bedroom garage apartment. Click here to view the full photogallery. ↑ #4: McAllen, Texas Like Harlingen, this city is also located on Texas’ southern arm, close to the border with Mexico. Sugar, jeans, and wine are at their cheapest prices here, with the latter averaging $5 per bottle. With a nice wine buzz on, it’s time to go house hunting. This gated estate costs a pretty penny by any city’s standards, $1.75M, but includes six acres, a 5,900-square-foot mansion, and a vaguely Spanish style. Click here to view the full photogallery. ↑ #5: Waco, Texas Infamous as the site of a showdown between an armed cult and allegedly overzealous government agents, Waco should, today, be better known as the place where parmesan cheese is the cheapest. The town is located halfway between Dallas and Austin and is the birthplace of Dr. Pepper soda. Historic homes are plentiful here, like this 1885 mansion built by one of the founders of the now wildly-successful soft drink. The 7,100-square-foot white manse has four beds, four baths, and some remarkably well preserved historic detail, and is available for $895K. · America’s Least Expensive Cities, 2012 [Yahoo!] · 3209 Lazy Lake Dr [Zillow] · 6401 River Tide Cv [Zillow] · 211 F St SW [Zillow] · 1201 E Yuma Ave [Zillow] · Waco, Tx [Zillow]

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On the Market: Livable Properties in the Top Five Cheapest Cities in America

Rabbi: Inbreeding Happens, But That Doesn’t Make People Killers

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:02:54 +0000

Yesterday, the lawyer for Levi Aron , the man who confessed to killing and dismembering 8-year-old Hasidic boy Leiby Kletzky this past fall, stirred up controversy when he unveiled his defense strategy , blaming Aron’s alleged insanity on a childhood head injury, schizophrenia, and most contentiously, inbreeding. While lawyer Howard Greenberg was chastised by Assemblyman Dov Hikind for “degrading to our entire community,” one rabbi told the Post that inbreeding wasn’t uncommon amongst Orthodox Jews…but that still doesn’t mean they grow up to be killers: “There are thousands of [married] people in the community who are related and there’s no problem. It’s preposterous to say that because there’s a possibility of his parents being related, [Aron] would be crazy,” said Rabbi Bernard Freilich. [ more › ]

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Rabbi: Inbreeding Happens, But That Doesn’t Make People Killers

Videos: You Know You Want To Watch These Animals Opening Presents At The Zoo

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:50:00 +0000

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… when we get to see animals opening up colorful Christmas presents at the city’s zoo. Last year we saw a polar bear in Central Park open up a gift box containing fishsicles and fruit (what, no bloodsicle ?), and this year the Wildlife Conservation Society offers up the below videos. They show Prospect Park’s dwarf mongooses unwrapping gifts of mealworm treats, and bears in the Queens Zoo digging into their specially wrapped peanut butter! [ more › ]

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Videos: You Know You Want To Watch These Animals Opening Presents At The Zoo

Love The New Museum Slide? Well The Price Just Went Up

Cole Perkins — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:14:22 +0000

The New Museum’s big attraction, the Carsten Höller exhibit , just got more expensive. The installation, and in particular the giant slide, has been drawing large crowds, and the museum says they raised the price in order to pay for extra staff (and, you know, because they can ). The new price is $16, up from $12… but the experience of going down a giant slide and then soaking naked in a public sensory deprivation tank is truly priceless. [ more › ]

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Love The New Museum Slide? Well The Price Just Went Up

Video: Chris Christie Heckled By OWS Protesters, Mocks "Hope And Change Garbage"

Cole Perkins — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:30:57 +0000

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie derisively mocked protesters who interrupted his speech endorsing presidential candidate Mitt Romney in Iowa last night, at the headquarters of Kum & Go, a regional gas station and convenience store chain. Minutes into his speech, demonstrators deployed the ever-annoying call-and-response “people’s mic” to condemn Romney and Christie. Here’s the video, courtesy NBC : [ more › ]

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Video: Chris Christie Heckled By OWS Protesters, Mocks "Hope And Change Garbage"

Murder-Suicide In Bayonne Leaves 4, Including Toddler, Dead

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:20:03 +0000

So sad. Last night an apparent murder-suicide in Bayonne, New Jersey, left four people (including a baby) dead and a fifth being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. According to Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith the shooting, “a tragedy and a senseless loss of life for the family and the community as a whole,” was performed by one man who shot the two adults, the baby and then himself. The baby, a boy, was 14 months old. [ more › ]

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Murder-Suicide In Bayonne Leaves 4, Including Toddler, Dead

[UPDATE] Photos: Hundreds Occupy East New York For OWS Foreclosure Tour

Cole Perkins — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:58:49 +0000

[UPDATE BELOW] It’s a lovely day for a foreclosure tour, and Occupy Wall Street has taken to East New York to highlight the affects of the continuing housing crisis that continues to cripple the entire country. Our own James Thilman is on the scene, and notes that the crowd has swelled to nearly 400, with neighbors joining the march as it makes its way from one foreclosed home to the next. “We are here in East New York where the rate of foreclosure is 3 times higher than the entirety of Brooklyn and 5 times higher than the state,” Minister Patricia Malcolm told the crowd. “Today we are real estate agents…We are going to look for those homes that are unoccupied we are going to rent them out today.” [ more › ]

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[UPDATE] Photos: Hundreds Occupy East New York For OWS Foreclosure Tour

Video: Brian Williams Compares Bike Lanes To Cult

Cole Perkins — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:43:59 +0000

Last night, “Rock Center with Brian Williams” dipped its toe into the topic of New York City transportation: specifically, DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. Overall the piece is a fair one, and gives Sadik-Khan plenty of room to answer her critics and lay out her vision for a safer, cleaner, more efficient city. But Brian Williams, who is supposed to be the network’s “young,” affable anchor, turns into NBC’s Steve Cuozzo. Williams tells reporter Harry Smith that he’s “drunk the Kool-Aid” when Smith lauds the DOT’s efforts, and calls Sadik-Khan “a very powerful woman with an exotic name.” Haha, it’s mass suicide to support bike lanes! And isn’t “Ronald Reagan” exotic compared to “Brian Williams?” [ more › ]

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Video: Brian Williams Compares Bike Lanes To Cult