eBay Inc.

Miracles come in all shapes and sizes, apparently. For the next two or so hours, you can bid on eBay for a piece of toast burned with the image of Sirius Satellite Radio host Howard Stern.

According to the seller's description:

I can't vouch that this is an authentic miracle. I was listening to Howard Stern on the radio while I was making breakfast. Thinking of him I was startled to see the toast which came out of the toaster was burned in a way that resembles Howard Stern! My gardener thought it looked like Jesus. Someone else told me it looks like Mickey Mouse and I said, no, not the shape of the toast -- look at the image the burnt parts make.  read more »

• 6 comments

At least a hundred brooms and mops hang from the ceiling of what would, under other circumstances, b  read more »

Overlooked in the culture wars, a new phenomenon has been emerging: domesticity without family, or w  read more »

Overlooked in the culture wars, a new phenomenon has been emerging: domesticity without family, or w  read more »

As Newsweek recently reminded us, sibling dynamics are as important (psychologically, developmentall  read more »

Former dean of Harvard College Harry Lewis loves to quote old documents about the purpose of liberal  read more »

Former dean of Harvard College Harry Lewis loves to quote old documents about the purpose of liberal  read more »

• Strike averted! The doormen's union was appeased with an 8.5 percent salary increase over four years Thankfully, Rupert will not have to open his own door at 834 Fifth.. (The New York Times)
• The flaneur is not respected in North America. There isn't even an equivalent in English. But the photobloggers--the wandering, curious breed--has brought the flaneur's art to America. (Maisonneuve via Polis)
• Horace Havemeyer III, founder and publisher of Metropolis magazine, reflects on a quarter-century in print. (Metropolis)
• The West Village will soon undulate with glass. Residents aren't happy. They saw enough undulating when Sex and the City was filming. (NY 1)
• Barry Diller's IAC building is still under construction, but here's a peek. (Test of Will)
• Steve Cuozzo does math. "The existing sidewalk cafes boast a mind-boggling 20,931 seats citywide, of which 17,240 are in Manhattan. (The numbers don't include gardens or patios.)" Then, he chokes on car exhaust. (New York Post)
• Another restaurant closes on Orchard Street, vegetarian newbie Heirloom. (Eater)
• Crowds cannot be held back from their sandwiches and croissants in Clinton Hill. Brownstoner fans review.
• The first town to be auctioned off on eBay back in 2002 returns to the market and Web site bidders, just like those vintage boots you never actually wore. (BBC)
• Firehouses turn residential, and condos become amateur playhouses. (New York Post)

- Riva Froymovich

I’m under attack. I’m the Typhoid Mary of the art world.  read more »

I’m under attack. I’m the Typhoid Mary of the art world.  read more »

“If you use anything except an ashtray to put your cigarette out in, I’ll come over ther  read more »

It was the biggest in U.S. history. People gasped when they saw it coming. It was scary.  read more »

Last fall, I wrote a big check at the J.  read more »

Last fall, I wrote a big check at the J.  read more »

This week in Slate, Tom Vanderbilt writes about the rise in personal mini-storage units in one of those far-reaching cultural essays inevitably headlined "[fill in the blank] Nation."

Vanderbilt posits a number of explanations for the rise in mini-storage in Self-Storage Nation (rising consumerism, increased mobility, eBay, etc.) and grapples with the mystery of America's increased average house size coupled with diminishing storage space:

[A]s consumption has grown, so too has the average size of the American house. The National Association of Homebuilders reports that the average American house went from 1,660 square feet in 1973 to 2,400 square feet in 2004. So, let's get this straight—houses got bigger, average family sizes got smaller, and yet we still need to tack on a billion-plus square feet to store our stuff?

So, what the heck is taking up all that square footage?

Slate readers should know: It's Labrador retrievers.  read more »

Last week, in a piece called "Top Dogs," Brendan I. Koerner speculates on the increased popularity of Labs (Labrador Nation, anyone?) by suggesting:

[T]he Labrador's increasing popularity may be tied to the advent of exurbs and McMansions. Since 1971, the average size of an American home has risen 55 percent, to 2,320 square feet. Families aren't having more children to fill up the extra space, so there's plenty of room for a Labrador to romp around.

The solution seems so simple: put those Labs in storage. —Matt Haber

There's nothing more depressing than having to watch history being made from the sidelines; I'm talk  read more »

I was ambling across St.  read more »

Here's a tip for summer travel: If you're planning to visit one of the European capitals this summer  read more »

During the 2004 election coverage, I repeatedly cringed at the unflattering ensembles I saw woman po  read more »

Manhattan is an island of unclean hands. We all hustle.  read more »

Rest assured, nothing is going to be done about this, but the news is still worth some cogitation.  read more »

All My Life for Sale , by John D. Freyer.  read more »

How much is your wife or husband worth?  read more »

The Perfect Store, by Adam Cohen. Little, Brown, 322 pages, $25.95.  read more »

On a recent Friday evening-when I shouldhave been on a date or seeing The Royal  read more »

I've become an agony aunt (or uncle) for fresh-faced young Manhattanites.  read more »

You're dynamic, groovy and urbane–sickeningly so, in fact.  read more »

Bowels away!Consumer confidence might be constipated, but New Yorkers aren't: They're voiding and re  read more »

According to thatvenerable, respected, serious business publication known as the New York Post , we  read more »

It's another down day for Internet stocks, and Lehman Brothers'star Internet analyst Holly Becker is  read more »

Simon Doonan is taking this week off so that he can prepare the Barneys (his daytime employer) holid  read more »

We wanna grow up!Bid a thankful goodbye to one of the most regressive summers in recent memory, duri  read more »

My mum was born in northern Ireland in 1918 (the year that British women over 30 got the vote) with  read more »