Grand Central Terminal was relatively quiet and uncrowded last night at 5:15, and if not for the heavy police presence, you wouldn’t have known that protesters were about to start making noise about a grab bag of political issues. Last time Occupy Wall Street raised their voices in the station a handful of demonstrators were swiftly arrested. But the widely-replicated video of cops collaring a woman for shouting was bad optics, so this time the authorities played it smart—letting the rabble rousers yell to their hearts’ content, while effectively drowning them out with an unbroken stream of announcements over the terminal’s p.a. system. [ more › ]
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Grand Central Drowns Out Occupy Wall Street Protesters With Train Announcements
At this stage it’s impossible to predict the outcome of the Manhattan DA’s investigation into Greg Kelly’s alleged rape of an unidentified woman last October, but while we wait we may as well pass the time speculating on the identify of the woman’s boyfriend. Kelly, the co-host of “Good Day New York” and son of NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly, has not been charged, and because of the high profile nature of the case, the DA’s office is said to be proceeding with extreme caution (the bitter backwash of the Dominique Strauss-Kahn investigation is probably another factor). But one unidentified source tells the Daily News the investigation could be wrapped up soon—and the tabloid has all but identified the boyfriend of Kelly’s accuser. [ more › ]
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NYPD Sources: Ray Kelly’s Son Had Consensual Sex, Not Rape
It’s a typical Spring day today. Look at that snow melt! Lots of rain, perhaps a thunderstorm, a flood advisory for the city and surrounding counties, and a high near 60 this afternoon. That’s pretty normal for this time of year, if this time of year were mid-April. For late January it’s about twenty degrees warmer than average. Can there by a January thaw if there is no January freeze? [ more › ]
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It’s The January Thaw!
On February 15th Phil Collins Day will make its triumphant return. Last year a parade in Greenpoint was held in honor of the former Genesis drummer, but as organizer Heather Feather explained to us at the time, the celebration changes each year. This year will mark the 6th ever Phil Collins Day, and she tells us that “plans are in full swing” and details should be solidified soon. For now, they’ve got their website up , which is currently a little cryptic, reading: [ more › ]
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Are You Ready For Phil Collins Day?
If you’ve ever wanted to roam around the largest house in the country, you may soon get the chance: The Queen of Versailles debuted at the Sundance Film Festival this year and has just been picked up by Magnolia Pictures. Directed by Lauren Greenfield, the film chronicles the drama surrounding the construction and ultimate failure of a massive estate in Windermere, Fla., which was cooked up by billionaire developer David Siegel and his wife, Jackie, as their ultimate dream home. By the time the couple accounted for an endless list of features and amenities—including 10 kitchens, mind you—plans had grown to 90,000 square feet. In 2008, the recession hit and the project was stalled; now, after having poured $50M into it, they’re asking $100M (finished) or $75M (unfinished). Calling the film “the ultimate ‘Real Housewives’ tale,” Hollywood.com has this assessment: “You won’t feel bad that Jackie and David never got a chance to live in their real life palace, but when their marriage hits a breaking point, their children drift away and the future as they know it looks grim, you’ll relate.” (Unsurprisingly, Siegel is now suing both Sundance and the filmmakers.) Watch a very short clip from the piece below. The Video: · Festival Insider: Queen of Versailles | 2012 Sundance Film Festival [YouTube] · “The Queen of Versailles” – A Documentary On The Siegel’s 90,000 Square Foot Super Mansion [Homes of the Rich] · Sundance 2012: ‘Queen of Versailles’ Is the Ultimate ‘Real Housewives’ Tale [Hollywood.com] · $100M Homes Perfect for Yuri Milner and Other Modest Folk [Curbed National]
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Silver Screen: Inside the Drama Surrounding the Country’s Largest House
Time magazine coverboy Warren Buffett on the housing industry: “Once we get back to a million housing starts per year, I think pundits will be surprised just how fast unemployment will come down in this country,” he says. “There are 4 million people hitting age 22 every year in this country. Sure, you can double up on households for a while, but at some point, hormones kick in, and living with your in-laws loses its allure.” (He’s done his part by listing his Calif. manse.) Read the full profile here. [Time via Zillow Blog; previously ]
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Deron Williams woke up a happy man today: the snow is here, no need to fear, grab a morning beer, instant cheer! The subways are ( mostly ) working , hot chocolate servers are standing by in city parks, and El Bloombito was totally prepared this time : “Importante! El evacuation procedure por el sñow: Calmo y orderlyo vamosing to el nearest airplaño privato y que fly to el Bermuda beachcasa.” [ more › ]
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Photos: Listen, The Snow Is Falling!
Everything about this is just sad: a new study tracking the sexual habits of teenage girls finds that many of them don’t use birth control for some incredibly misguided, dated reasons. Like what? Oh, you know, the good old “I didn’t think I could get pregnant the first time I had sex,” “I didn’t think I could get pregnant when I was on my period,” the ever-popular “my boyfriend didn’t want to use a condom,” and, most astoundingly, “I just didn’t think I could get pregnant.” Girls, if prominent religious figures can get knocked up without ever having sex, what in god’s name makes you think you’re immune when you do get it on? [ more › ]
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Teens Don’t Use Birth Control Because They Think They’re Immune To Pregnancy
If you lock your bicycle to a CityRack in SoHo, how long will it take before mendacious thieves pick its bones completely clean? Well, judging by the poor dismembered bike in this time-lapse video, a little under nine months—or 36 seconds. The designers and “brand strategists” at a company called Red Peak locked a fully loaded bike—basket, water bottle, bells, lights, etc.—on a busy street in SoHo and took a photo of it every day last year. Here is the sad story of that bike’s consumption by a city starving for water bottles, spare bike parts and scrap metal: [ more › ]
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Time-Lapse Video Shows Fate Of Bike Left On SoHo Street For A Year
The swank Tribeca townhouse that Dominique Strauss-Kahn called home while under house arrest has been further PriceChopped, this time to $11.995M. Looks like developer Michael Marvisi’s massive, $4M renovation by noted architect Leopoldo Rosati hasn’t really paid off yet. [WSJ via Curbed NY ]
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