NY Observer > Arizona

Elsewhere: Ethics, Snow

Observer Staff — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 12:00:00 -0500

Brendan Scott captures the moment when the Chairman of the Assembly's Ethics Committee decided to vote for the controversial ethics reform bill.

Eliot Spitzer's appointments so far have not been confirmed by the Republican-controlled state Senate.

The Jewish Press thinks Spitzer is too hard on Sheldon Silver.

The snow storm has Newsday asking, "How far does Tom Suozzi's juice go?" Hillary leads the Democratic field in Alabama, Arizona, Oklahoma and Utah.

Ben explains the rift between the netroots and the religious left.

The "fastest and safest human-powered vehicle ever built," according to one inventor, is here.

The daughter of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was arrested for DUI.

President Bush refused to answer questions about the Scooter Libby trial.

And pictured above is a happy Eliot Spitzer at his budget press conference yesterday.

-- Azi Paybarah

Thursday: Attack of the Killer Museums (and Monster Condo Spa)!

Observer Staff — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 04:30:00 -0400

Atlantic Yards photo of the day (VV)

Just what the Upper East Side needs: a 16,000 square foot spa garden--not to mention an 8,000sf "indoor gym"--will open with the new condo at 550 East 72nd. Thanks to an Arizona company named Miraval, this baby will be the largest of its kind in the city. And thanks to the lucky brats in the new condo at 550 East, everyone else will be viciously jealous that they can't enjoy a cucumber mint coat mist from the comfort of their own condo. (Real Deal)
The Village Voice looks into the Brooklyn Academy of Music's new Fort Greene "cultural district," and finds hefty doses of class conflict, racial conflict, Robert Moses and Bruce Ratner. Most interesting of all is an examination of the young Museum of Contemporary Diasporan Arts, a tenant of the new 80 Hansen Place--or, excuse us--80 Arts. (Village Voice)
Frank Bruni begins a bi-monthly Q&A series with Manhattan's best chefs. Yesterday he asked Pearl Oyster Bar's Rebecca Charles about her kitchen etiquette, embarrassments, and guilty secrets. ("Guilty?" Ms. Charles answers. "Not really. And hardly a secret.") Sometimes Bruni can be so charming. (New York Times)
The snappily-named Museum of the City of New York gets a $70 million renovation. What will that mean for the East Harlem "landmark"? Mostly a big lobby, new exhibition spaces, and fancy storage areas. To celebrate, Mayor Bloomberg cuts a cake, and shouts: "It's a living museum." (NY1)
The International Brotherhood of the Teamsters comes to friendly terms with Waste Management, and--presto!--10,000 New York business get back their "helpers who collect trash" after four months. (The title "garbage man" is obviously sexist and offensive.) (New York Times)

Max Abelson

Cold Stoned! Suburban Ice Cream On the U.W.S.?

Sloane Crosley — Sun, 30 Jul 2006 20:00:00 -0400

All of us have access to a set of cocktail-party facts that it seems like we were just born knowing. read more »

McCain Likes Ted Kennedy, Irish Drinking Jokes

Observer Staff — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 05:12:23 -0400

John McCain was back in town yesterday for a Irish-American event at the New York Yacht Club. Niall Stanage has the details:

Senator John McCain stored up some ethnic backing for a possible 2008 presidential bid last night, stressing his support for immigration reform - and recounting a story about a pair of drunken Irish twins that some of us have heard before.
In his remarks, McCain said that America's greatness is a product of the "blood and vitality that is poured into this nation by generation after generation" of immigrants. He also asserted that "we will win this fight" to change the immigration laws.
In a curious sideswipe, the Arizona senator contrasted the openness of the American tradition with France, "where you shovel off the Muslim youth to ghettos and every once in a while they come out and burn a few thousand cars."

The rest is after the jump. read more »

Stagecoach: Is There Such A Thing as an Anti-Western?

Charles Taylor — Sun, 16 Jul 2006 20:00:00 -0400

Stagecoach is to American movies what The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is to American literature. read more »

Schumer Attack: Chuck Calls '06 All About Bush

Jason Horowitz — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 20:00:00 -0400

“We have to win,” said Senator Charles Schumer, banging a table with his fist at a diner close t read more »

Schumer Attack: Chuck Calls ’06 All About Bush

Jason Horowitz — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 20:00:00 -0400

“We have to win,” said Senator Charles Schumer, banging a table with his fist at a diner read more »

Public Financing Can Smash Wall of Money

Michael C.D. Macdonald — Sun, 11 Jun 2006 20:00:00 -0400

After Congress passed a set of weak lobbying reforms following the Jack Abramoff scandal, Senator Jo read more »

McCain Response

Observer Staff — Wed, 24 May 2006 13:00:13 -0400

Well, today's McCain story has generated quite a lot of letter writing from addresses we usually don't see here at the li'l old Observer. Most of the e-mails coming in are from conservatives west of the Hudson River, and they argue that McCain's moderate stance on domestic issues does not represent their values. Many say they would only vote for him if he ran against Hillary. Others say nothing, not even that dreaded scenario, would cause them to cast their vote for McCain. This all doesn't exactly wash with McCain position atop the polls, but we thought we'd give a sample of their views, just because they are opinions that, to be frank, we don't hear much in the blue capital.

Emails after the jump. read more »

Enjoy. —Jason Horowitz

Gas and Interest Rates: The Issues That Matter

Mitchell L. Moss — Sun, 14 May 2006 20:00:00 -0400

Forget immigration, global warning, Donald Rumsfeld and abortion rights. read more »