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Less traffic in Times Square…
(27 Feb 09)

One of the most famous areas of New York City is Times Square, even though it's not actually a square, but a diagonal intersection between Broadway and a few other streets. But there will be fewer cars passing through in a new plan proposed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg this week. Five blocks of Broadway (the area around Times Square) would be pedestrianised, along with another strip further south. It's only a trial, but the plan to make that tourist hub more "pedestrian friendly" should be good for business, and actually make the city a better place for those of us who like to use out feet…

The porn tax...
(21 Feb 09)

One of the proposals that Governor David Paterson has put forward to close the budget deficit gap is the so-called iPod tax. A 4% tax for downloading music or movies onto your mp3 player, just as you would pay a sales tax on buying a physical CD or DVD. However now it has been revealed that the tax would also apply to downloading Internet porn. So if you wanted to download - and pay for - a little bonus titillation on your movie player, then you would also be stung for 4% tax. (Though as the late night and always sharp TV talk show host Craig Ferguson pointed out, is it right that a legally blind man be determining how the rest of us have our porn?) Anyway the porn industry denounced the move as a cheap political stunt, and most others were unsure about it too. Some said that it would make no difference, whilst others said that by taxing the skin biz, then you legitimized it. But officials stressed that if the proposal did go through, then it would be simply a matter of bringing the tax code in line with technology, and not making a moral stance…

A pint of Barack...
(21 Feb 09)

A small Brooklyn brewery had christened one of their micro-brews "Hop Obama" (which sounds more like the Easter Bunny to me) during the presidential campaign, but now the federal government ordered the brewers to stop selling it. The Tax and Trade Bureau cited rules that ban booze named after someone who hasn't endorsed it. That decision came just after the White House revealed that it wants to control use of Obama's image. According to the President's team, they want to develop a policy that will protect the presidential image while not to wanting to dampen the enthusiasm that the public has for the president. So for the time being, you can't get drunk on Obama...

Cheers to Sully...
(21 Feb 09)

The repercussions of the miraculous ditching of flight 1549 on the Hudson River last month are being felt in some strange ways around the city. The fate of many geese who live around the city's airports are in doubt after they were deemed to have got stuck in the engines, but the captain is the toast of the town. New Yorkers are downing a new drink called "The Sully" - named in honour of Capt. Chesley Sullenberger. And what does "The Sully" comprise of? Two shots of Grey Goose vodka and a splash of water...

Good year for the falcon...
(21 Feb 09)

So Canada Geese are not getting a very good press now, but peregrine falcons are. Last year, more peregrine falcons made their home in NYC than in many years. There are now 67 pairs listed in the city - double that of the mid 1990's. The birds can nest on bridges and building ledges, and with a spiralling population of less wanted pigeons, there is more food for them to prey on too. Not just picking over the bones of failed Wall Street bankers...

Taxi sharing…
(21 Feb 09)

There's a new plan being discussed to make taking a taxi in the city cheaper – the snag being that you have to share the ride with others. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has endorsed the plan as it would mean that passengers would pay less while taxi drivers earn more. The details are still being worked out, but you might be given the option of sharing your cab when you step in, and should other people be picked up along the way, then your ride could go down 30% for one extra passenger, and 50% for two more. As the meters are all hooked up with GPS and credit-card readers, the meter changes for ride-sharing would be easy to enable…

Log on to .nyc...
(21 Feb 09)

Although the 'dot-com' bubble burst many years ago, the .com suffix on web addresses is still the one that most people want. However soon, the Big Apple will get its very own .nyc internet domain. The city will also receive a third of any proceeds on domain names, which would cost about $10 a piece. The city wouldn't change any existing sites to the new suffix, but it might use it for any new ones. And so neilchase.nyc? Maybe…

Unfinished monkey business...
(20 Feb 09)

What was with the woman in Connecticut who owned a chimpanzee as a pet? Travis the chimp was 15 years old, weighed around 200 pounds, and had appeared on a few TV commercials over the years. But he had a bad day with a friend of his guardian, and mauled her terribly, causing "life-changing" injuries. The chimp eventually ran off, was cornered by police, and was later shot and killed. Of course you have to feel sorry for the attacked woman, but also for the chimp - who should not have been a pet anyway. But thankfully, here in New York City, some exotic pets are banned. Chimps, monkeys, gorillas and apes are all prohibited. It's also illegal to own such pets as an iguana, a ferret and a cobra snake - even if it's had its venom removed. And although cats are popular here, there are limits. So forget about cheetahs, jaguars and anything else that would be happier roaming the African savannah…

Subway gaff…
(14 Feb 09)

Although most of the New York subway system is not a work of art, there are things to enjoy and look out for. Some of the network is 100 years old, and if you look hard enough there are some lovely mosaics and designs on some of the stations. But maybe the MTA (transit authority) should have paid a little more attention to current spelling like the builders of the subways did decades ago. There is a Broadway in Manhattan, one in Queens, and one in Brooklyn too – as well as many other cities in the US. However this is the result of a station re-vamp in Brooklyn on the G subway line –

The subway authorities have said that they'll look into it, so expect that to be changed in another 10 or 20 years.

The stocks lottery…
(14 Feb 09)

Wall Street bankers have been playing the lottery with many peoples' asserts, but now, in a surprising turn of events, the actual New York Lottery is proposing to move its a US$1.3 billion prize fund into investments such as stocks, corporate bonds, real estate and hedge funds. At the moment, the funds are kept in US treasuries, but those are not giving a good return at the moment, so lottery bosses are looking into getting higher returns on the money from ticket sales, and buying stocks and shares – which are now at bargain rates. The idea is that by playing the market, they can give lottery ticket buyers bigger prizes. Isn't this sort of speculation just the problem that got Wall Street into the mess it is now..?

Fashion week…
(14 Feb 09)

This week has been Fashion Week here in NYC. The twice-yearly occasion where all the fashionista hoi-polloi come to town, show off their wares to a very select few, and make the rest of us feel extremely fat and ugly. However these are tough times in the fashion industry too – and we're not just talking about downgrading the champagne from Krystal to Krug. Some of the best known designers have voted not to show at the event this time as it simply costs too much. Names like Vera Wang and Betsey Johnson have opted not to show their lines in the famous tents at the lovely Bryant Park as they can do it more cost-effectively elsewhere. Staging a full-scale runway production, with lighting, music, models and backstage staff - plus the guest fees, expenses and free clothing for the big name stars lured to prestigious front row seats - costs anything from $100,000 to $750,000. So this week, some of the big names have cut back – and not just on hemlines…

The real tsunami…
(12 Feb 09)

For anyone who was close to the Asian tsunami that happened on Boxing Day 2004, referring to the 2008 financial crisis as a 'tsunami' can be hard to accept. But new research from here in NY shows that we had a tsunami too – a real one – although it was about 2,300 years ago. Geologists say that there was probably some sort of tidal wave that hit New York around 300BC – not that there was a New York then. It's not certain what caused it, but it's suggested that a meteorite may have landed in the Atlantic off Long Island, and so caused a tsunami that might have caused 20 foot high waves crashing down on Manhattan. It's not known how many Native Americans lived in the area at that time, but anyone there at the time probably would have just heard a couple of really loud bangs, and then a huge tsunami would have washed in. So if you hear any Wall Street bankers complaining about the 2008 financial tsunami, it was nothing to the one 2,300 years ago…

Super Bowl porn…
(7 Feb 09)

So it was the Super Bowl last Sunday evening, with the Pittsburgh Steelers beating the Arizona Cardinals in a surprisingly close game – though it will still take me many years to pick up even the rudimentaries of American Football. The half-time show with Bruce Springsteen was good, although I watched it all for the famous adverts – which were more interesting. However some viewers in Arizona got rather more than they'd bargained for as Super Bowl XLIII was interrupted with 10 seconds of porn during coverage from a television station in Tucson. Somehow the 10 seconds of flesh was viewable to customers who watched on cable, though the TV station can't figure out how it happened. Beer, football, and naked chicks. They should do it more often…

Yes to new taxes…
(7 Feb 09)

With the city of New York in a financial pit at the moment, the mayor announced some proposals to increase revenue last week – and yes, that means new taxes for all. Most relevant is the concept of increasing the sales tax from its current level of 8.375% to 8.625% - which although minor, would raise revenue by almost $1 billion. The sales tax would also encompass other areas, previously exempt from it. So movie tickets would have it, also cable TV, hairdressing, more clothing, and utilities too. Opponents say that taxes should be raised instead by taxing more income of the high earners here, and while that may still happen yet, the rest of us can expect to pay more for almost everything else.

Equally bad news under the proposed city and state budget cuts is that come April, state financing for all 76 zoos, botanical gardens and aquariums would be eliminated under Gov. David Paterson’s proposed budget. Last year, the organisations also had to deal with a 55% funding reduction too. Although the money from the state might only account for a few percent of the budget for zoos and botanical gardens, this would still be a huge loss. Most cuts will have to be made in staffing (people that is) and most of the animals should be safe. Hopefully…

Voltage shocker…
(7 Feb 09)

Although some things in the city of New York are reasonably priced, the most vital of utilities is not. New statistics out this week showed that consumers in NYC paid more for electricity than anyone else in any of the mainland states within the US. Although some parts of Hawaii and Alaska pay more, plus some more remote islands too, the main utility company Consolidated Edison – or Con Ed for short - charges its 2.4 million residential customers here the highest price per unit in the country. In some cases, that was more than twice the national average. Con Ed blames its prices on the expense of running an underground transmission system and on the soaring cost of natural gas in the New York area. But company execs expressed little worry about their relatively high prices - they're on record saying their customers, mostly apartment dwellers, use less energy and thus spend fewer dollars on electricity than other Americans. So they can charge more per unit?

Groundhog day bites back…
(6 Feb 09)

Monday 2nd February was Groundhog Day in the US. Apart from the 1993 movie with Bill Murray, it is a day here on which folklore tells if a groundhog (something between a badger, beaver, and really fat squirrel) emerges from its burrow and fails to see its shadow because the weather is cloudy, winter will soon end. If on the other hand, it is sunny and the groundhog sees its shadow, the winter will continue for six more weeks. All very scientific. Mayor Michael Bloomberg – with an eye to a good bit of publicity (and it being a re-election year for him) – decided to go to a small zoo in Staten Island and have a photo op with a tame groundhog called Chuck. So there was Bloomberg, outside this groundhog hutch, all the press and cameras around, waiting for a sign from Chuck the Groundhog as to whether winter was nearly over or not. Eventually Chuck appeared, saw the food that the mayor was holding out for him, but instead of taking that – bit the mayor's finger! He bit the Mayor of New York! The zookeepers apologized on Chuck's behalf and put it down to nerves, though having seen the video myself, I think Mayor Bloomberg was trying to get way too friendly with poor Chuck…

Short by an inch…
(31 Jan 09)

The subway system in New York city doesn't re-vamp or open new stations very often, and maybe that's just as well. Now, the first new subway station opening in 20 years is being delayed by a few more weeks – as the platforms are too far away from the trains. This you might think is a fairly basic piece of designing for a station, and you'd be right. The new South Ferry station – near the southern tip of Manhattan – cost around US$530 million to build, but the gaps between the platform and the train cars are up to 1 inch wider than federal rules allow. Riders will now have to wait another three to four weeks before they can use the station while workers make some $200,000 in fixes - which will probably be done by widening the rubber strip between the platform and the trains. The authorities are conducting a review to see who was to blame, and if it is a contractor error, then they will be looking for financial reimbursement. Maybe it's just as well that they only build one new station every 20 years – though a few more would give them more practice…

New York's dirtiest…
(31 Jan 09)

The city of New York should be proud of many things, and holds many records, but one hotel here has a new record to be proud of – that of dirtiest hotel in America. The Hotel Carter in Times Square has that accolade, and is not new to the honour either – having been voted the dirtiest hotel in the country 3 years out of the last four. The tripadvisor.com site which organised the so-called awards even noted that it might have been cleaner to sleep on the streets. Bed bugs are routine, the hallways are filthy, there is water dripping in the lobby, and yes, a dead body has been discovered under the bed before now. It is all about location, location, location however and for many tourists, staying in the heart of Times Square is the main attraction – despite, or maybe because of - the US$130 price tag per room. But please do stay away from the tourist traps of places around Times Square - there really are better choices…

Super Bowl XLIII...
(30 Jan 09)

It is the Super Bowl on Sunday! So any red blooded male who even remotely considers himself as a hunter / gatherer will be glued to the TV on Sunday evening. It is Super Bowl XLIII – (I have no idea why they use roman numerals, but they do) – which equates to Super Bowl 43. And it will be the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals, and they'll be playing in Tampa Bay, Florida. The game will go on for hours and hours, mountains of beer and chips will be consumed, and somehow the game will draw to an end sometime in the evening. As I'm still fairly clueless on the game itself (I think you have to be a native to understand) I'll be watching the TV adverts – which are legendary in their creative zeal. Also the most expensive, at a rumoured US$3 million for a 30 second ad. However the network in charge (NBC) has rejected an ad by the PETA organisation (People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals) because it was too raunchy! The organisation likes to push buttons, and it has done that again now. The ad features a host scantily clad beauties parading in lingerie, doing slightly suggestive things with vegetables including "rubbing the pelvic region with a pumpkin." Then the tag-line on the ad is: "vegetarians have better sex". (Honestly not the reason I became a veggie myself last year.) But PETA is still getting a good deal of press coverage because of the ban – so it's probably a win-win. Without having to spend $3 million bucks too… Watch the ad here!

Spending the billions…
(30 Jan 09)

More details are coming out on how President Obama is going to allocate money to the various cities and states as part of his economic stimulus package. At the moment, it looks like the city of NY will be getting around US$3.4 billion over the next two years, but that instead of a big infrastructure programme, this cash will be going to help close the city's massive budget gap. Probably US$1.6 billion in education funding and US$1.8 billion more in Medicaid reimbursement – education and health being the city's two biggest expenses. Bridging gaps in the budget is not a very sexy way to spend your billions, but if it wasn't spent, then residents would see a sharp decline in services. There had been hopes for new high speed rail lines, a suped-up subway system, better bridges, new roads, and basically a whole new world order. But it seems our expectations might have to be lowered slightly. So that ultimately we may not notice any difference here – just that if we hadn't had the cash injection, then it would be worse. Anybody feel cheated?

Digital TV – or not..?
(30 Jan 09)

For the last year or so the TV industry here has been putting out ads about how that all terrestrial broadcasting will switch to digital signals from Feb 17th and that some people may have to upgrade their gear, get a converter box, or switch to cable. The government was helping many people who just receive normal terrestrial TV (as opposed to satellite or cable) by offering $40 towards a converter box – which costs between $40 and $60. Fair enough, but there's still a couple of problems. Firstly the cash for that scheme ran out, and still a lot of people don't quite realise that a change is coming and that they have to do something. The change is due to happen on February 17th, but it was proposed to put that back till June to give people more time. That change of date was passed in the Senate this week, but didn't get the required votes in the lower house. So watch this space – if you have a digital receiver that is…

6 words for the country…
(24 Jan 09)

The inauguration speech by Barack Obama on Tuesday was predictably perfect, hoping to galvanize the nation, and bring back the rest of the world. But what if he could have only spoken 6 words? The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia has just held a national competition to find the best 6 words that would inspire America - the sort of thing that any president would want to say. The results are in, and the top 6 winners for the best 6 words to inspire America are:
* "Shared dream. Shared destiny. Shared duty."
* "Together we can change tomorrow, today."
* "America’s story is still being written."
* "Complacency undermines us, change redeems us."
* "These are testing times, study hard."
However the grand prize winner was -
* "Divided by fear, united in hope."

Inaugural thoughts…
(23 Jan 09)

So there were some fluffed lines from Chief Justice John Roberts when administering the oath of office that Barack Obama had to repeat at Tuesday's ceremony. It seems that he didn't have them written down, and the pressure of untold billions watching around the world might have gotten the better of him. So the bloggosphere was alive with comments about whether Obama was actually president if the words were not spoken in the right order that the constitution states. That's probably incorrect, but a day later, once Obama was safely in the White House, the Chief Justice administered the oath again, out of "an abundance of caution"...

But Joe Biden was officially president for a short time. He was sworn in as Vice President just before noon on Tuesday, and then George W Bush was officially out of office at 12 noon exactly. Because events were running slightly late, Barack Obama was only sworn in at about 12:06. So Joe Biden was actually president of the United States for at least 5 minutes…

There are other things that changed at 12:01. Of course all the nuclear codes would have been passed on to the new president then (presumably with all those secret X-Files documents on Roswell) but also the White House website! So at 12 noon on Tuesday, the whitehouse.gov site changed from the Bush one, to the Obama one – complete with a "Change Has Come To America" banner…

The acceptance speech seemed more workmanlike than inspirational to me, but still outstanding. I was impressed with the concept of outstanding a hand if you will "unclench your fist", and also including "non-believers" in the speech – probably the first time that atheists have ever been included in a presidential speech…

The leftie connection…
(23 Jan 09)

If you've seen any press or TV coverage of Barack Obama signing things in the last few days, you'll notice that he is a left-hander. Strangely though, that is not uncommon for presidents. Although George W Bush was right-handed, both Bill Clinton, and his predecessor George H.W Bush were also lefties. Before that 6 out of the 12 presidents since the end of World War 2 were all cack-handed. And if you think that might have changed if John McCain won this job instead… nope, he too was a leftie. So anyone tempted to consider running for president in future, you certainly will not be disadvantaged by using the wrong hand…

Trousers off on the subway…
(17 Jan 09)

One of the most bizarre regular events took place again on the New York subway on 10th January. It was the 8th Annual No Pants! Subway Ride – which was a chance for everyone to take off their trousers at exactly the same time, and ride for one stop in such a state of undress. Not naked, just with no trousers. Man or woman, no difference. As for other dress codes, women were advised not to wear thong underwear, and the gents instructed to wear at least two pairs of boxer shorts. The only requirements to take part was that a) you had to be willing to take pants off on subway, and b) that you'd be able to keep a straight face about it. Harder than you might imagine…

Hard times seek easy solution...
(17 Jan 09)

These are tough financial times and few organisations are better off now than a year ago, but there are still some growth industries in the New York area. And put close to the top of that list - the state lottery. New York Lottery sales were up $177 million - or 3.2 percent - in 2008, fuelled by growth in big-jackpot games and the otherwise poor economy. Perhaps surprisingly in neighbouring New Jersey, lottery sales were down 4%. That does buck the national trend and revenue is up in 25 of the 42 states that have lotteries. Experts say that during tough economic times, people increasingly turn to lotteries in the hope of getting rich quick…

The smell of Brooklyn...
(17 Jan 09)

Bucking the concept that all things are better in Manhattan, a perfume company will be launching a new fragrance called "Brooklyn" in March. According to the company making it, they wanted something that "captures the young vibe of Brooklyn" - which hopefully is not the occasionally ripe smell of the waterfront on a bad day. The genteel fragrance contains hints of grapefruit, cardamom, cypress, cedar and leather, while the graffiti-inspired bottle retains the borough's artistic vibe. But like most of the property in the area, "Brooklyn" is not cheap. The 100-milliliter bottle will sell for US$220. Which is rather too much just to smell like a trendy borough...

Green trains (you pay extra)…
(17 Jan 09)

The MTA (the organisation that runs the buses and subways here in the city) is really feeling the financial pinch at the moment, and may be forced to put up fares 25% later this year. But they are also contemplating the idea of giving passengers the option to pay more if they wanted, to support 'green' issues. In a proposed new plan, each time subway users buy a new MetroCard (the weekly or monthly travel card) they would have the option of paying a few extra dollars to go towards environmental issues like dedicated bus lanes, reusing electric power, and reducing carbon emissions. However transport advocates say that these are all things that the MTA should be doing anyway, and that the travelling public shouldn't have to pay out even more than they are currently...

The Dog!
(16 Jan 09)

One of the things that Barack Obama did promise his two daughters back on the day he won back in November, was that they would get a dog in the White House. That seems to be getting nearer to happening, and the selection is apparently between a Labradoodle or a Portuguese Water Hound – which is also a bit smaller and fluffier. In an interview with Barbara Walters, Barack Obama had said that he favoured a bigger dog, but it seems that he's getting voted down by the rest of the family on that…

The $1.5 million kidney…
(16 Jan 09)

The US is the country of lawsuits, and a surgeon from here in NY is going through a messy divorce from his wife of 18 years, with the biggest bone of contention being… her kidney. Richard Batista donated one of his kidneys to his wife Dawnell a year or so after they got married. Now however, they are splitting up, and although he's said he doesn't want the kidney back, he would like a cash settlement – which is billed at $1.5 million. So just like money, don't lend kidneys to anyone unless you don't expect to get it back…

Live long and prosper…
(10 Jan 09)

Is New York a healthy place to live? That depends on who you speak to and what they do, but you will be living longer than before. In new statistics to mark the end of last year, New Yorkers born in 2006 (the most recent stats) can expect to live an average of 79 years – which is 4 months longer than in 2005. Since the mid 1990's, longevity in NY has outpaced the national average, or as Mayor Michael Bloomberg put it, if you live somewhere else in the US, and want to live longer, then come to New York. Though I'm not sure if that logic really works. It is quite different for the genders though. Girls born in 2006 can expect to live 81.7 years, but boys only 75.9 years. That's supposedly as more men are more prone to bad habits such as smoking and drinking…

Wrong shirt wins big…
(10 Jan 09)

If you get on the right end of litigation here in the US, it can turn your life around – or correct injustices, depending on your perspective. An airline passenger who was forced to cover up a T-shirt that read, "We will not be silent" in Arabic and English before boarding a cross-country flight has won a US$240,000 settlement from the airline and the Transportation Security Administration. Raed Jarrar was flying from New York to his home in Oakland, California in 2006 when the airline and officials told him to change his shirt. The man tried to argue his case, but eventually agreed to cover his shirt with another T-shirt they provided him. Even so, the airline still made him sit in the back of the plane. The man sued because he felt he was discriminated against based on his ethnicity. He won, and was awarded close to quarter of a million dollars – just for the wrong shirt. Which perhaps ended up being the right one…

Hot dog real estate…
(10 Jan 09)

Recession or no recession, real estate values in Manhattan are always high. And that goes for the highest fliers on Wall Street (if they still fly) to the lowliest street vendor. This week, a hot-dog vendor has agreed to pay the city over US$72,000 per year for the rights to sell his sausages outside one of the most prestigious sites in the city - the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 5th Avenue. Pasang Sherpa will then have the rights over the next five years. So assuming he sells his dawgs for around US$2.50 – which is about the going rate – that means he's got to sell about 80 hot dogs per day, seven days per week, just to pay the rent…

When is a dog not a dog…
(10 Jan 09)

If you are blind or visually impaired, a guide dog (seeing eye dog, or service dog as they are known here) is a real godsend, and you do see quite a few around the city. But when is a service dog not a service dog? A woman here is suing the MTA (the transit authority) for US$10 million over whether her dog is a seeing eye dog or not. For a start, the dog is huge. About 120 pounds (over 50 kilos) but is its owner actually handicapped? Estelle Stamm, 65, suffers from posttraumatic stress disorder and has partial hearing loss, and the transit authority lawyers claim that as such, she is not really disabled. She did win $10,000 from the city in a lawsuit after cops gave her a ticket for bringing the pony-sized dog into a subway station, but after being hassled again, she is now going for $10 million in damages in a federal suit that argues that Wargas, her service dog, is protected under the Americans With Disabilities Act. She claims that her stress disorder causes extreme fear of danger, severe depression and confusion, and that the dog helps. The transit authority disagrees, doesn't consider her disabled enough, and feels the dog of that size could actually be a threat to other passengers…

Elope to NYC!
(9 Jan 09)

Forget Las Vegas, the city of New York is encouraging you to tie the knot here! In a new Bloomberg administration initiative, the city unveiled a huge new wedding palace - the renovated Department of Motor Vehicles office up the street from City Hall. There are two separate wedding chapels in different pastel colours, along with expansive dressing rooms so both bride and groom can look their best. The city has even set up an oversize photograph of City Hall to be used as a backdrop for pictures inside too. Last minute occasions are welcomed. If you forget the wedding band? No problem. The new bureau offers an elastic faux-diamond band for $9. No flowers? They are available as well — $4 to $7 for a single stem and $25 to $50 for a bridal bouquet. There is also hairspray ($4), disposable digital cameras ($16.25) and tissues, at $1.75 a pack, for the weepy types. The wedding fee itself is $25, the marriage licence $35, and you can pay for everything by credit card. So for all shotgun weddings, head to NYC baby!

Christmas Tree Remains….
(3 Jan 09)

Christmas is well and truly over, but what do you do with that wilting Christmas tree in your front room? Well if it is a real one, then the city of New York will take it off your hands. The city's annual Christmas tree curbside collection and recycling program begins on Monday and runs through until January 16 – though who on earth would still have a tree up 10 days after 12th night? Anyway, you can leave your tree out on the sidewalk and a roving tree collection vehicle will come by and pick it up. Then it will be turned into compost for The Parks Department and the mulch will be spread around the city's parks, ball fields and community gardens. Last year, 160,000 trees were collected and mulched. However please be warned that any tree left out must be must be free of tinsel and lights and should not be in plastic bags. And please take the fairy off the top too…

No fruitcake record…
(3 Jan 09)

Commiserations to Takeru Kobayashi who failed to break the record for speed-eating fruitcake last week. The diminutive Japanese guy has previously held the record for speed-eating hot dogs, and to be the biggest fruitcake eater, he would have had to eat 4 pounds and 14 ounces of cake in 10 minutes. Sadly he was a few ounces short, even though he did manage to stuff over 4 pounds of cake down his cake hole. Apparently the problem was the density of the cake (a bit too solid) and also the fact that the cherries got stuck on his teeth. Don't you just hate it when that happens..?

The Cold New Year…
(1 Jan 09)

Some things I understand about New York, and others I really do not. In the latter category is the tradition to go to Times Square on New Year's Eve to bring in the New Year. OK, people like to congregate and celebrate, but the highlight of the evening is to watch a big ball drop down a glorified flagpole. Yes the ball is a multi-coloured, glistening, 12 foot wide affair, but that's all it does. Drop down a pole for one minute, and when it comes to the bottom, then it's the new year. Go figure. This year was a bitterly cold night with a freezing wind, and as alcohol is banned in Times Square there was no tipple to keep you warm, and revellers had to be there for hours in advance to get a good spot. And that all just sounds miserable to me. Bah humbug…

Obamabilia…
(1 Jan 09)

The whole Obama memorabilia business is booming – about the only part of business that IS booming in the US at the moment. Now however the Obama team itself wants a piece of the action and have set up an official Obamabilia store. There's bags, blankets, coasters, T-shirts, basketball shirts (remember the pres-elect likes shooting hoops), hats, scarves, jewellery, baby clothes, and even kids toys – like a piggy bank that can be yours for $10. Though with the deficit as it is, that might well be broken into soon after the inauguration. I wonder how many products are made in China?

Space shuttle report…
(1 Jan 09)

Report by NASA this week that when the space shuttle Columbia broke up on re-entry to earth in 2003, the astronauts seat-belts were either faulty or not fastened properly. It wouldn't have made one iota of difference when hurtling towards the earth with your space shuttle disintegrating, but it did seem a rather strange item in the report…

Ultimate Couch Potato…
(1 Jan 09)

Is it hard doing nothing? There actually is a competition here for being the ultimate couch potato. Naturally there's some pretty tough competition for the title, but the event took place this week and so it's congratulations to a certain Stan Friedman, 47, who survived 29 hours sitting in a recliner, watching only sports television and enduring just a single bathroom break every eight hours. And amazingly he snagged $5,000 in prizes for being able to do nothing so well. The competition is sponsored by ESPN, who – I'm guessing – rather encourage couch potatoes…

Self-breathalysing…
(1 Jan 09)

The iPhone was probably one of THE gadgets to have in 2008, but there's one gadget that is now available as an add-on piece to the iPhone, that might have come in handy on New Year's Eve for anyone who was tempted to drink and drive. The iBreath is a cunning little accessory which clips on to the bottom of your iPhone, and turns the whole thing into a portable breathalyser. So you can breathe into a little tube on the gadget, and then it will give you a read-out as to what level of an alcoholic you are – or at least, whether you should be driving or not. Though as any responsible driver knows, any alcohol is a bad idea when behind the wheel. Anyway, the iBreath costs about US$70 – which is probably less than a ticket for drunk driving…

Slow or I'll shoot…
(13 Dec 08)

Police in the Hamptons have come under fire by posting anti-speeding signs that are deemed provocative. A pair of signs showing a cop brandishing a "gun" and telling motorists to slow down has outraged the well to do residents, many of whom failed to realize the gun pictured was not a weapon but actually a radar gun. The images show a cop crouching over a police car with his radar detector levelled in a definite ready to shoot pose, ready to fire his radar gun at anyone driving over a new 35 mph limit. Residents say that the signs give the wrong impression of the area, and that they'd rather have more warm and fuzzy welcoming signs to their town…

The few areas of hope…
(13 Dec 08)

It's rare to find economic success stories at the moment but there really are some. One of the biggest recession-proof industries now is to be a vendor selling any merchandise devoted to Barack Obama. So think of an incredible array of pins, badges, T-shirts, mugs, and jewellery all of which have a beaming face of the President Elect on them. In Washington DC, where Obama will be inaugurated next month, the city has issued more one-day permits to vendors peddling Obamabilia than ever before. But apart from the usual mugs and T-shirts there are some more interesting objects d'Obama. How about an Obama soap on a rope, or even some special Obama hot-sauce. Spicy!

Recycling in the trash…
(13 Dec 08)

The world is a different place than just a few months ago, and in so many unexpected ways. New York is very conscientious about recycling, and there are strict fines if you don't comply. However the problem now is that the price that recycled trash can get has dropped like a stone because of the financial meltdown. A year ago, used cardboard sold for US$150 to US$200 a ton. Today, trash collectors must pay around US$40 to get rid of it – perhaps the only commodity which has a negative price. Metals are just as bad. Tin fetched over US$300 earlier this year, but now is down to about $5. New York City will still collect all recyclables, and might make a small amount of money from the waste, but hardly enough to cover costs. The bottom has dropped out of the trash market…

The best wrapper…
(13 Dec 08)

There are lot of great rappers in New York, but just add one more to the list by the name of Alton DuLaney who was crowned the Scotch Brand Most Gifted Wrapper this week, and walked away with a cool $10,000 Grand Prize in 12th Annual National Gift-Wrapping Contest, sponsored by the Scotch tape company. Contestants had to wrap up the ultimate odd-shaped gifts - a three tiered candy dish, a set of golf clubs in a caddy bag and finally, a baby grand piano. According to the winner, the secret is in having "no exposed edges, crisp corners and tight folds." Also to "always measure your paper carefully" and use a sharp cutter for clean lines. Santa's elves take note…

Green Christmas trees…
(13 Dec 08)

Christmas trees are big business. More than 31 million were sold in the US last year, worth over $1.3 billion. Most came from Oregon, but also North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and New York are big tree providers. Ideally, you should bring your tree home within a few hours of it being cut, trim off the bottom, and put it in water - then the pine needles won't come off so much. But should you be thinking greener? One of the latest fads for well to do New Yorkers (the few that are left) is for organic Christmas trees. Most Christmas trees come from dedicated Christmas tree farms, and so are deemed a sustainable crop just like wheat or potatoes. But organic trees take that one stage further and must be raised without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, using sustainable methods like composting and soil erosion control. Of course they are more expensive than non-organic trees, but how much more satisfied you would feel if you knew your tree was really, really green…

The shovel-ready czar…
(12 Dec 08)

A few new terms have surfaced this week. For a start there is the "car czar" – who will be the person to oversee if, how or when the car manufacturers spend their bailout money. Then there is also the rather more fun term "shovel-ready". Mayor Bloomberg and others went to Washington this week to put their case for the list of infrastructure projects that the Obama administration has said it will spend on, and yes, that was the phrase that came up. "Shovel-ready" means projects that are ready to start, and just need the green light (and the bottom line cheque) from the federal government to get them going. There's a budget of perhaps US$500 billion to spend on large infrastructure projects like roads and rail, which could create up to 1 million new jobs, and jump-start the economy. So if you want to sound like you're in the know, try to drop in the phrases "car czar" and being "shovel-ready" into all conversations…

No tree lighting…
(6 Dec 08)

You know it is the holiday season when the Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Center is lit up! And that happened this week in a huge spectacle with a galaxy of stars who twinkled nearly as brightly as the 30,000 energy-efficient LED lights on 5 miles of wire, on the 72-feet high Norway spruce. However if you are tempted to string up some Christmas tree lights on the tree outside your front door here, then think again. A little-known city regulation bars New Yorkers from adorning sidewalk trees without a permit, and if you do add your own lights, then you could be stung with a fine between US$1,000 to $4,000. Why? For good reason actually, as the Parks Department want to keep people from breaking off branches, or hammering in nails into the trunk…

Obama off the road…
(6 Dec 08)

Just as playing the stock market knowing that it's going to peak is inspired, so was the wise choice of personalised car number plates by a certain Jonathan Lifschutz of Long Island. Immediately after the primary in South Carolina back in January, he made the shrewd choice to get a personalised number plate for his vehicle that spelled OBAMA. Yes he is a fan of the President Elect and thought that the open display of support of Barack Obama might help him win the election – who knows, maybe it did. Now however he has had to remove them from his car after they became particularly sought after and too easy to steal…

One Senator Less…
(5 Dec 08)

So we finally had the announcement that Hillary Clinton would be Secretary Of State this week. One of the worst kept secrets everrrr. However the NY effect of the Hillary Secretary of State announcement is quite interesting. She is the senator for NY State, so that position will need to be filled. How? Not by a by-election or ballot, but is just chosen by the NY State Governor – David Patterson. Now if you remember the Eliot Spitzer had been governor, but after a certain call-girl debacle he stepped down and was replaced by his second in command – who had not been elected by New Yorkers. But you have this strange situation now where a non-elected governor will be choosing a non-elected senator for Congress. So much for the US being the cradle of democracy…

Got a room..?
(5 Dec 08)

Another consequence of the Obama inauguration in January being the hottest party ticket since who knows when is that hotel rooms in Washington DC in mid January are priced through the roof, and already sold out. At least one million people are expected to turn up for the event, but the DC area has less than 100,000 hotel rooms. Even if you throw in camp-sites (and that's not something too attractive on a wintry January night on the east coast) then there's still not enough room at the inn. So what some Washington locals are doing is to bunk in with their friends, and rent out their homes for visitors. So you may get a nice studio apartment for a couple of thousand dollars for a few nights, but for something bigger, how about a three or four bedroom houses that could be yours for the week for a mere US$50,000…

Travel woes….
(29 Nov 08)

This week of Thanksgiving is traditionally when more people than ever travel around the US to reunite with family. The airline industry has been suffering a lot this year and so there are a myriad extra charges that they add on to top up the fare. One of the most iniquitous is the charge for checking in baggage for internal US flights, which is now fairly routine for most airlines. As a consequence, most passengers will try to carry on what seems to be the entire contents of their apartments and attempt to stuff it in overhead lockers. However some airlines have gotten into trouble this week by allegedly using faulty scales to weigh passengers baggage at airports here in New York. A check of all 810 scales at Kennedy and La Guardia airports found 102 of them had not been calibrated correctly - resulting in possible wrong charges for passengers' baggage...

Better informed travellers…
(29 Nov 08)

Bad and good news from the MTA this week – that's the Metropolitan Transportation Authority which runs all the buses and subways here. The bad news is that they are predicting huge budget shortfalls in the next couple of years, and that is something that subway riders in particular will have to bear the brunt of. The slightly better news is that the organization has just launched a new information system. Now, when a train is delayed or a bus hits a problem, you can get a real-time e-mail or SMS text message to let you know of the delay. Which is great if you are above ground, but as there is barely any network coverage below ground yet, if you're stuck on the platform waiting for a train that's not going to arrive, you'll still be in the dark...

More financial woes…
(29 Nov 08)

* The shoe-shine guys that you will often see at the main station terminals in Manhattan are seeing 10-20% less customers with the worsening economy, however if you are in the shoe repair business, then you are better off. Shoe repairers have noted a big upturn in people wanting old shoes repaired instead of splurging on new pairs. So it presumably means that business is unchanged if you both shine and repair shoes? Or is that just cobblers?

* A California winery is promoting a special line of wines that are more agreeable to the financially challenged. The Wine Group is selling a merlot, cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay - for just US$3.99 (HK$30) a bottle. They are billing it as the Recession Red…

* Back in the good old days – as in this last summer – one of the things to look forward to in 2009 was a new stadium for the New York Mets baseball team which will host its first game in the spring. However there's new controversy over the name. Called the Citi Field Stadium, it is named after Citibank, which is slated to pay around $400 million to the team in sponsorship over the next 20 years. However that bank is one of the many that has just received a huge injection of cash from the federal government to keep it afloat. So does that mean that the stadium is owned by the public now? Or perhaps it should just be renamed "Taxpayer Bailout Field"…

More or less advertising…
(29 Nov 08)

There's been a lot of debate here in the US on whether American auto-makers should get financial support in these tough times. Then even more ridicule from the comedy circuit when the chief executives went to Washington to make their case for financial help – by private jet. Duh. But I was staggered to hear how much the auto-makers spend on advertising. In new figures just out, in the period from January to September this year, the leading car-makers spend phenomenal amounts to promote their products. Volkswagen was near the bottom at under US$300 million, Nissan higher at over US$600 million, whilst Ford and Toyota spent over US$1.1 billion. However at the top of the advertising tree was General Motors, which spent over US$1.5 billion in that 9 month period. Of course advertising is needed to sell cars, but how grounded are these execs in their financial planning – even when they are not in their private jets…

Rock 'n Roll NY style…
(29 Nov 08)

It always seems an anathema that the Rock 'n Roll Hall Of Fame museum in the US is based not in New York or Los Angeles, but in Cleveland. Where IS Cleveland for goodness sake? But now there is at least a bastion of the place here in the Big Apple. The New York annex of the Rock 'n Roll Hall Of Fame opened this week, and although a smaller hall than in Cleveland, still has some goodies to check out. There's David Byrne’s big suit from the film “Stop Making Sense,” a blue sequined dress from Tina Turner’s final tour with Ike, Michael Jackson’s handwritten lyrics to “Billie Jean,” and Prince’s coat from “Purple Rain.” There is even the wooden phone box from the legendary CBGB club, along with a urinal from its notorious bathroom – though not for public use…

Does Viagra give you a harder edge…
(28 Nov 08)

So the Olympics are done for this year, but the whole issue of doping never goes away. Now there are some trials going on in Pennsylvania which is putting a more unusual drug under scrutiny – does Viagra increase an athlete's performance? On the track not in the sack that is. The World Anti Doping Agency is funding trials on willing volunteers at Marywood University as to whether a dose of Viagra would give a competitive edge on the sports field. And scoffing apart, this could be a good drug to use. It dilates the blood vessels, and so increases the blood's oxygen-carrying capacity. And just to think, most athletes try to stretch after a workout to prevent stiffness…

Obama update…
(28 Nov 08)

So what further newsworthy ripples has the President Elect made in the media here…

* His kids have been advised that just because they'll be running around in the White House that they shouldn't expect any special treatment. So Melia (10) and Sasha (7) will still have to do all their homework, and have been told that there'll still be chores to do around the house too. Though I wouldn't expect to see the first children mowing the lawns any time soon…

* There is already a line of stars queuing up to perform at Obama's inauguration ceremony in January. Beyoncé and Jay Z are tipped to be there – and probably perform too – as should be Diddy and Mary J Blige. And flying the flag for the blue collar worker, long time democrat Bruce Springsteen is likely to give a performance – which is a double whammy as he'll likely have a new album out about that time, and what better bit of promotion that as seen by an audience of billions…

* However Mr Obama is having some Blackberry problems too. He's apparently an avid 'crackberry' user, and he says it's a vital way for him to keep in touch, but his secret service team have said that the wireless device would be too easy for others to break into, so are advising him against keeping it. So the race is on for the crack-proof crackberry…

Does watching TV make you pregnant..?
(8 Nov 08)

Although the act of watching TV is unlikely to make girls pregnant per se, it does seem to be a key factor. In new research just unveiled pregnancy rates are much higher among teens who watch a lot of TV with sexual dialogue and behaviour compared with those who have tamer viewing tastes. In fact teens who watched the raciest shows were twice as likely to become pregnant as those who watched few such programs. The sorts of shows in question included "Sex and the City," ''That 70s Show" and "Friends." Well I actually did see an episode of "Gossip Girl" for the first time a week ago and was pretty amazed at the content. This was basically 15 year olds planning who they were going to have sex with. Isn't that growing up too fast..?

Wireless connection to God...
(8 Nov 08)

Is there common ground between the hi-tech and the religious communities? Can you find time to pray to your God, when there is also business to be done? For tech-savvy Orthodox Jews here, that is a definite yes. Two entrepreneurs who attended Jewish Yeshiva University in New York City have written a new software programme that turns the BlackBerry from a device to check e-mail and stocks into a pray phone. The add-on programme replaces the traditional prayer book by providing all the Hebrew blessings observant Jews are required to say three times a day. As one of the inventors noted, while sometimes you might not remember your prayer book, no one goes anywhere without their BlackBerry. And yes, the newly configured device is indeed being dubbed the "JewBerry"…

Voting days…
(1 Nov 08)

Elections in Hong Kong are held – rather sensibly – on the weekend. It's the same in France, Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand and many other countries. But Presidential Elections here in the US are always held on Tuesdays. Why not at the weekend, when more people would have more time to vote? Ah, for that answer you have to go back to 1845 when it made perfect sense. It's nothing to do with the constitution, and instead to do with agriculture. Saturday was for farming, Sunday was the Lord's Day, Monday was the day when you travelled to the place where the poll took place, Tuesday was the polling day, Wednesday was when you returned home, and Thursday was when you got back to work. But many people are not farmers in the US these days nor need a day to travel to and from the polling station. And having the election on a Tuesday is pretty inconvenient to many people, and is often quoted as the reason why many do not bother to vote. So there is now legislation before Congress that would enable weekend voting in national elections. It might even pass – as long as members of Congress are there to vote on it and it's not a weekend…

Taxless syndrome…
(1 Nov 08)

The aide to NY State Governor David Patterson has just resigned after revelations that he hadn't paid his income taxes for the five years since 2001. The Governor himself is a remarkable man as he is legally blind and has a phenomenal memory, but a good assistant is vital to his organised life. So when Charles O'Byrne resigned last week, it must have been quite a blow. However the reasoning as to why he hadn't paid taxes as stated by the man's lawyer was even more bizarre. It is alleged that he suffered from a medical condition – a syndrome indeed – that causes people not to file their taxes. Honestly. Which you or I may just call stupidity…

Times Square Thriller…
(30 Oct 08)

Setting the mood for Halloween, a special event took place in Times Square Thursday morning. Michael Jackson's "Thriller" is the biggest selling album of all time, and so Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum held a competition to try to break the Guinness record for the most people doing a "Thriller" dance. The record had been for 62 zombies 2 years ago, but you'll be delighted to know that the record was smashed with 73 people dancing in a synchronized zombie-style. Anyone wanting to take part had to take lessons on how to do the Thriller dance, got a zombie mini-makeover and took a photo with Madame Tussauds’ Michael Jackson wax figure – which was wearing the original jacket from the classic 1980s video...

Campaign expenses…
(30 Oct 08)

It's staggering to imagine how much money has been spent in the current presidential election campaign. This Wednesday saw a 30 minute Barack Obama advertisement run on three of the main TV networks here (at a cost of US$1 million per network) and that's a very handy sum for TV channels that are feeling the pinch of the economic downturn, which will be missed when the various campaigns come to an end after the election. By many estimates, the Obama campaign spent around US$250 million on TV adverts in the last 5 months, and although the McCain camp has spent rather less, for this election cycle as a whole, the grand total of advertising in all media by all parties is estimated to be around $2.5 billion…

The supersonic aircraft carrier…
(25 Oct 08)

It was the sleekest, fastest, and most beautiful of all commercial airliners, and it was back in NY this week. Concorde returned – however it arrived by sea, and will be staying afloat too. The fleet of Concordes were retired in 2003, and a British Airways plane has returned to be an exhibit on a huge aircraft carrier, based on the west side of Manhattan. The Intrepid aircraft carrier has also been away for 2 years for renovations, but that returned 2 weeks ago to its rightful place in the Hudson River. The Intrepid – along with the Concorde - will reopen to the public on 8th November and will be one of the biggest attractions of the city – literally...

The Family Flap…
(25 Oct 08)

A couple of weeks ago it leaked out that an episode of The Simpsons which will run just before the Presidential Election would seem to endorse Barack Obama – something that the producers have stressed is not so. However now there's been more controversy with another animated series which runs just after The Simpsons on a Sunday night here. The Family Guy episode which run last weekend seemed to suggest that 1940's Nazi officers would have supported the McCain / Palin presidential ticket. Whilst Brian (the talking dog) travels back in time with Stewie, (the adult baby) they notice a Nazi uniform which has a John McCain / Sarah Palin campaign badge on it. The Family Guy is one of the most irreverent of cartoon series (much more so than The Simpsons) but it's rare that any one programme would overtly endorse (or dis-endorse) any one candidate…

Good news for elephants on eBay…
(25 Oct 08)

A welcome announcement from eBay this last week, as the online auction site announced that it would ban any sales of elephant ivory on the site in order to help conservation efforts for the African elephant. The ban will include any raw ivory, or anything old made from ivory – including family heirlooms. The problem is though that although the website is willing to enforce the ban, they don't actually hold any of the items, and are only acting as a portal for anyone trading from any other country. And presuming that they'll be monitoring the site using word recognition techniques, and spotting the word 'ivory' in the process, there must be hundreds of other ways to describe ivory without actually spelling it out. So don't expect an immediate flourishing of elephant herds in Africa as a consequence, but any measure that makes poaching less profitable and trading in ivory less acceptable, should be welcomed…

Pole dancing reprieve…
(25 Oct 08)

Pole dancing. Is it solely for strippers or is it a valid way to keep fit? That has been the conundrum for a small suburb of Pittsburgh where a dance studio had been denied a license as local authorities deemed the practice of pole dancing to be too "provocative". Stephanie Babines, 30, wanted to include pole dancing in her "Oh My You're Gorgeous" studio as a way for clients to "release their inner goddess", but was denied the permit. She sued the authorities, and won. Government officials had said that they didn't want the studio to become some sort of strip club, but civil libertarians were incensed that the town was deeming what sort of dances could be done by local ladies. The judge agreed, so the local ladies will be releasing a lot of inner goddesses in the months ahead…

The fake rocket scandal…
(24 Oct 08)

You'd imagine that in a city so security conscious as New York, officials might spot a huge missile being driven around town. Not so! But a man has ended up in court for towing a huge truck-mounted rocket behind his vehicle, not because of the security threat, but because it had Viagra written on the side, and so the makers of that love missile are suing him for copyright infringement! The fact that he drove the 25-foot-long fake missile right into the centre of Manhattan seems to have been overlooked by those who should have noticed such things. Yes he was stopped a couple of times, but not to ask about why he had a missile in tow, but just to check his licence and registration for the truck! So Pfizer – the company that makes Viagra – is suing him for promoting the rocket (though surely it is in their commercial interest) and the NY authorities are supposedly "looking into" how a man towing a rocket could just drive into the city…

The $150,000 spending spree…
(24 Oct 08)

Sarah Palin has gotten into a little more controversy by supposedly spending $150,000 on outfits for campaigning in. These have been billed as "campaign accessories" by the Republican campaign and in her defence, it wasn't actually Palin who went shopping (she's been kinda busy) but her close advisors who spent the dollars on her behalf. So naturally there has been a degree of consternation as to how the self-proclaimed "hockey mom" could rack up $150,000 in clothing. The answer to that is basically down to the media - that will damn her for both spending or not spending. And whatever your political stripe, you have to have some sympathy for Palin. Where as both John McCain and Barack Obama really just need a few dark grey suits, white shirts, and glob of boring ties, it is harder for a woman…

Bloomberg's third term…
(24 Oct 08)

So Mayor Michael Bloomberg has done it. Persuaded NY City Council members to allow him to serve a third term in office – should the public so vote. The city laws state that mayors can only serve two consecutive terms, and this was confirmed by a referendum by the people in the 90's, however Bloomberg wants to serve for another 4 year term, and so has asked the city council to change the regulations accordingly. After much debate within the chambers (and even more out of it) council members decided by 29-22 to allow a third term for elected officials. Now it will be up to the public to decide in 12 months time whether they want him to continue or not. It is a strange issue though as even though Bloomberg is a popular mayor, and seen to have been a very good steward for the city, his attempt to manipulate the city council to – seemingly – fit his own wishes, has made a lot of his previous fans turn against him. But a lot can happen in the next 12 months, and with a virtually bottomless budget, Bloomberg will undoubtedly be putting his highest profile and most expensive foot forward when it comes to persuading the public…

Celebrate Columbus Day...?
(18 Oct 08)

It was a holiday here on Monday this week, as the United States observed Columbus Day – the day back in 1492 when Christopher Columbus "discovered" the New World and stuck his flag in it. Now of course the country was still here prior to Chris discovering it in Europe's eyes, and so speak to many a native American here and they'll have rather different opinions on whether Columbus Day should be celebrated or not. So this isn't a national holiday, and some states do not observe it at all – especially those with a larger indigenous population. However what is often forgotten is that Christopher Columbus wasn't actually looking for America when he turned up on its shores in October 1492. He was on a mission sponsored by the Spanish monarchy in the hope of finding a new naval route from Spain to India – but found the American continent instead. Don't you just hate it when that happens..?

The waters change...
(18 Oct 08)

There's been some changes in the water in NY this last week. The four man-made waterfalls that were deemed art installations in the East River have now come to the end of their reign, ending an ambitious public art project that inspired both admiration and complaints. Millions of visitors and residents saw the 100 foot high eye-catching installations during their 15-week run, and most deemed it a great success – although there were some detractors. Those against it generally objected to the salty mist that sprayed out from the waterfalls and damaged plants and trees along the Brooklyn waterfront. Meanwhile, the water has frozen over outside the Rockefeller Center in Manhattan with the reopening of the world famous ice rink there for the season. So even though the Fall weather was warm and balmy this week, you could still wrap up all toasty and go for a spin on the ice…

Speed eating slices…
(18 Oct 08)

Yet another speed-eating contest to report on from New York. There's the hot-dog eating fest on 4th July, the dumpling speed-eating at the Dragon Boat Festival here, and then recently a cannoli chomping contest in Little Italy. Also with an Italian bent, there is the pizza speed-eating contest, that was held in Times Square this week, and it was the previous winner of the hot-dog guzzling that also consumed the most slices of pizza. Joey Chestnut downed 45 slices of pizza - which equates to nearly six whole pies of 16 inch diameter – in 10 minutes. It's the first time Joey has won the pizza championship, and his previous successes have been with the hot-dogs, and also another speed-eating contest for asparagus – which almost sounds healthy by comparison. Almost…

Good news for the right whales…
(18 Oct 08)

Excellent news for whales swimming off the coast of the US. The US Government has just voted for a speed limit on large commercial ships sailing through some waters off the eastern seaboard. Any ship longer than 65 feet and sailing within 20 miles of the Atlantic coastline will have to keep within 10 knots – or get a speeding ticket presumably. This is to help the so called right whales, which are an endangered species and probably number less than 400 at the moment. The problem is that these whales in particular have a habit of bumping into shipping by mistake, and being injured or killed. So it's hoped that by slowing the shipping down will give the whales a batter chance to avoid ships. Go whales..!

Another bump in the road…
(18 Oct 08)

Although the cost of oil has dropped considerably in the last couple of weeks, the effect of high prices is still being felt in New York – as there are fewer road repairs. It's easily forgotten that one of the key components of asphalt on the road, is crude oil, and apparently the cost of asphalt for repairing the potholes in New York's roads has gone up four-fold in the last 6 months. So there will be less road resurfacing in the city for the months ahead, and as a cyclist around town, I don't like that! However I do approve of the new measure that has been introduced on the other side of the country. Portland, Oregon has the highest percentage of people who bike to work in the whole of the country, and so legislators there have just passed a resolution to give cyclists a credit of $20 per month for the maintenance, repair, or purchase of a bike – which can then be redeemed in selected bike shops. Yeah!

How will the next Pres size up..?
(11 Oct 08)

How do you measure up a president of the United States? Is height and weight as important as the issues that they debate? Some have said that Barack Obama is too slender to be president, and at 6' 1½" and 180 lbs, he would be one of the skinniest presidents in history. Ronald Reagan was close, but still half an inch shorter and 5 pounds heavier. You have to go back to Jimmy Carter in 1976 who was about the same height and weight. However if John McCain is elected, he would be the shortest president in over a century. Most commanders in chief are around 6 feet, but at just 5'7" McCain would be the shortest pres since William McKinley back in 1900…

The not so free ferry…
(11 Oct 08)

One of the best value attractions in NYC has to be the Staten Island ferry – which runs from the southern tip of Manhattan to Staten Island just to the south, and has terrific views to the Statue Of Liberty too. It is run by the city, and is free for everybody. Well, sort of free, as there is no charge to use it, but new stats have shown that it actually cost the city US$5.69 for each 'free' ride it gave out – a rise of 23% on last year, an increase put down to higher fuel costs mostly. The 50-cent round-trip fare was eliminated in 1997 and, despite looming city budget deficits, there's little sentiment to reinstate any charge. So continue to enjoy the free ride if you are visiting the city – everyone here does…

Smashing pumpkins...
(11 Oct 08)

Now that Fall has well and truly fallen in New York, it's time to think of Halloween, and also the essential Halloween vegetable - pumpkins! They are already out in force around stores in the area, so you can now make plans for your jack-o-lantern designs. New York State ranks third in the US in the value of its pumpkin crop. The 2007 crop was worth over $22 million and weighed about 50 million tonnes. But the summer of 2008 has been even better for growing pumpkins, with periods of rain and sun happening at exactly the right time. But still they will be more expensive this year. Farmers have said that the soaring cost of gasoline, fertilizer and health insurance has made pumpkins pricier. When did pumpkins start getting health insurance...?

Pouring out of Starbucks...
(11 Oct 08)

The Starbucks chain is slightly smaller here in the US after some downsizing this year, but they have been criticised as being particularly wasteful in their most precious resource - water. A new investigation has claimed that the 10,000 stores worldwide waste 23 million litres (about 6 million gallons) of water each day. Apparently every Starbucks branch has a cold tap behind the counter which has water running non stop, and staff are banned from turning the water off under "health and safety rules". The argument is that a constant stream of water prevents bacteria growing in the tap - something that experts have said is complete nonsense. Just to give perspective, that 23 million litres of water wasted every day is enough to fill an Olympic swimming pool every 83 minutes, or sustain the population of many an African country. And they don't even drink coffee in the Sahara - though there probably is still a Starbucks there...

Soup wars...
(10 Oct 08)

One of the advertising strategies here in the US that is far more adversarial than in any other country I've been in, is the way that one product or service bad-mouths another product or service. In most advertising, the stress is to say how good your item is, however here, you not only say how good your product A is, but also how bad product B is. And getting advertising dollar at the moment are the Soup Wars. The Campbells soup company is having a ding-dong battle with another firm called Progresso. This started as fairly minor bragging that one soup tastes better than the other, which grew to more TV ads that stressed that the other company's soup was worse, and now it's grown to full page ads in the broadsheet press. So consider the Soup Wars as officially on…

How the Sun went down on NYC…
(4 Oct 08)

It's rare that new print media survives in this age of the on-line edition, and indeed a recent newspaper (as in a real, paper-made-of-paper) has fallen by the commercial wayside and stopped the presses. The New York Sun was a reincarnation of an earlier publication of the same name, and started up in 2002. It was fairly opinionated and certainly right-leaning, but was more broadsheet than tabloid (and largely devoid of much news unfortunately). After several appeals for financing, the last edition went out on the last day of September. It probably was a rash hope to expect a conservative paper to thrive in the liberal dominated media that is New York, but as in all media, competition is best for keeping journos on their feet…

Road charges for firefighters..?
(4 Oct 08)

The MTA – the authority that runs the buses, subways, and most of the bridges and tunnels in the city of New York - is always going to be cash-strapped. And now with less money coming from Wall Street into the city coffers, it won't be getting any raises in subsidies from the city any time soon. Now the authority has gone a step closer to approving a controversial plan to charge police, firefighters and other emergency-service responders crossing bridges and tunnels. At the moment, all emergency vehicles pass anywhere without charge, but they might soon be paying a toll. The argument from the MTA is that these vehicles don't get free gas, so why should they be free of bridge and tunnel tolls? The city thinks differently, and consider this just a back-door way of extracting more money from the city. So if you are a fireman responding to an emergency situation, it's probably best to have some loose change on you for the toll booth – just in case…

Texts beat phones…
(4 Oct 08)

Text messaging has been a learning process for the US, and the country has taken to it far slower than in many other countries. However now, there are more text messages sent than phone-calls made. Teenagers are the most prolific texters, with the 13-17 age group sending or receiving an average of 1,740 texts per month, whilst 18-24 year olds merely sent an average of 790 per month. And apparently, 42% of all teenagers can create and send SMS texts whilst blindfolded…

New York croc retires to Miami…
(4 Oct 08)

In Africa, the 'Elephants' Graveyard' is a mythical place where elephants are supposed to go to die. There's the same thing for people in the US, and it's called Florida. Not just for humans either, as a Cuban crocodile called Maria who has spent the past four decades at the Bronx Zoo will live out her remaining days in Miami. Although she has several children, she lost her mate, Fidel, years ago. She’s at least 40 years old, and thought to be close to the end of her days. So she boarded a plane to Miami this week and will spend her sunset years at the Miami Metrozoo - where her offspring will probably feel obligated to go and visit at family-gathering times like Thanksgiving and Christmas…

No mermaid privacy…
(27 Sep 08)

One of the hottest parties in NY (which I still seem to have not been invited to) is the Diddy event in the Hamptons – a veritable who's who of the glitterati. However one girl who went there in 2003 filed a lawsuit against a magazine that published photographs of her at the party allegedly without her permission. Maria Dominguez was frolicking in the pool – as a topless mermaid - and was snapped by a photog from 'Vibe' Magazine which then published the pics in a section billed as "mermaids gone wild". The woman claimed that she'd never given permission to be photographed, and claimed $1 million to compensate for her distress. However in a ruling just out this week, a Manhattan court judge dismissed the lawsuit, saying that anyone going to such a glitzy party full of photogs would know that you'd be bound to get snapped, and that if you don't want to get photographed topless wearing a mermaid costume, then don't go to Diddy's event wearing exactly that…

The Playboy crisis…
(26 Sep 08)

Sheesh, the economic crisis is hurting so many unexpected areas. Hugh Hefner might actually have to fire one of his Playboy bunnies at the mansion to keep costs under control. This is supposedly true as the Playboy share price has plummeted recently. But surely firing the bunnies is not the way to go…

Bye-bye Yankee Stadium…
(26 Sep 08)

An emotional time for many last Sunday, when after 85 years, the last ever game was held at Yankee Stadium. The team is moving to a new stadium just across the road from the current one for the start of the 09 season. It's a bigger, fancier, and infinitely more expensive stadium that will be in effect next year, and you can bet that ticket prices will be bigger too. But it's been a controversial project as the new stadium will be the same size as the old one (fewer seats in fact), but will have a lot more corporate boxes. Officials had said that the old stadium was falling apart, but renovations would have probably only cost about 200 or 300 million, but the new place cost about 1.3 billion. And depending on who you talk to, there has been various degrees of money given or loaned by the city, but apparently they'll get a fancy new box to view games from next year – so that's OK then…

New York's safe sex…
(20 Aug 08)

The streets of New York City are safer now than at virtually any other time in the past, but it seems that safe sex is also on the 'rise'. As part of an ongoing AIDS education programme, the Health Department gave away over 39 million condoms (including 2 million female condoms) to community groups in the last 12 months – which is more than double the amount last year. And if you want to do the math, then 39 million is enough for every man, woman and child in the city six times over. So either there's a lot of lurv-ing going on or there's a lot of stockpiling. But the city says it is cost effective, as even though 39 million condoms costs the city over $1 million, the price of a lifetime of AIDS treatment for just ONE person is $350,000. Oh, and the target is to give away 50 million condoms in the next year.

No puppeteering on the weekend…
(20 Aug 08)

If you are visiting the city, then don't fall into the trap of drinking from an open container in public – that is against the law, and you could get fined. But there are some even more bizarre rules that NYC can boast. It is a section 10-114 violation to climb up the outside of a building (something we had a problem with on the dare-devil front over the summer), and it is – in theory – an offence for a barber to give a haircut or shave on a Sunday (lest he be fined $5). More oddly, it is a violation to sell dyed baby chickens, ducklings, or baby rabbits (or get a $500 fine)… but odder still it is officially against the law for anyone to stage a puppet performance from any window or open space in any building. So if you were planning on holding an impromptu Punch & Judy show from the balcony of your Lower East Side apartment, you might like to reconsider…

Counting the cannoli…
(20 Aug 08)

The 4th July hot-dog speed-eating contest at Coney Island has worldwide renown, but there are other equally grotesque speed-feeding events too. I covered the dumpling speed-eating contest at the Dragon Boat races here last year, but remember NY has a huge Italian community, so they have a cannoli speed-eating contest. And what is a cannoli? A particularly deadly tube of sweet pastry, filled with hyper-fattening cream. Each one will set you back around 500 calories. As part of the Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy, the contest was held last weekend with the surprisingly skinny Brad Sciullo taking the crown and consuming 20 cannolis in 6 minutes – washed down with coffee and water. That may sound a lot – it is – but the record is for a monstrous 26 cannoli in 6 minutes. A total of 13,000 calories – enough to feed a fleet of supermodels for a decade…

Coffee or tea or porn…?
(20 Aug 08)

A new innovation that some airlines are starting here is in-flight internet service. It's a good extra revenue stream on internal US flights too. American Airlines is one of those, and will sell you unlimited WiFi for your coast-to-coast trip for about US$13. But there have been calls for the airline to block certain sites, as some more uncouth passengers are surfing porn sites during the flight, which is causing offence to other passengers and flight crew. I know that 5 hour flights across the US can be boring, but can't you just wait until you get off to get off?

Not so pretty in NY…
(20 Aug 08)

You'll often hear it claimed that New York is the greatest city in the world – though how anyone would know that without visiting all the other cities in the world is a moot point. But in a new survey by Leisure & Travel Magazine and CNN, New York at least came top of other American cities in some categories – for shopping, culture, and people-watching. The city was deemed to have the most stylish and diverse population, but as for being intelligent, the city was a mere 10th place out of 25 cities. (Understandably Los Angeles was considered the least intelligent place in the USA.) New Yorkers also lived up to their reputation of not being too friendly – being placed 24th in the list – thankfully just ahead of Los Angeles again. However the category that might hurt the most for this city so resplendent with stars and celebs, is that it was considered to have only the 9th most beautiful people in the nation. Miami was top of the list, with San Diego, Austin, and San Francisco all being above NYC. And what will prickle the most, is that even the twin mid-west cities of Minneapolis / St. Paul were seen to have more attractive residents than the Big Apple. Enough to make many a Manhattanite fashionista cry into their Fendi bags…

Crime snapping…
(13 Sep 08)

Now it's easier to report any crimes you see to the NYPD by your camera-phone. Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Gordon (no, that's Batman isn't it) Police Commissioner Kelly have just announced a new programme where concerned citizens can not only send SMS text messages to 911 to report a crime, but can also send images from camera phones too. You do still have to call 911, but you then tell the operator that you have a pic to send, and then that can go through. And it happens in real time too, so the Police dispatcher can then send those images from a witness to a patrol car on the beat. Although this new scheme is meant to be another way to fight crime and be a deterrent, there are limitations. As mayor Bloomberg said himself, "if some big hulking guy is coming at you with a hatchet, I would suggest you don't take out your camera and try to take a picture…" Uh huh…

Never say the "B" word...
(13 Sep 08)

I've learned through experience that most Immigration officials at airports just don't have a sense of humour. I've tried, and they just don't. I even spent 3 years in Guantanamo as a consequence. But seriously, nor do most other people have humour at airports - perhaps with good reason. A hot-tempered passenger at New York's Kennedy airport has got into trouble for allegedly faking a bomb scare. Rosalinda Baez, 31, had missed a flight to Texas - even though her luggage was on board - something that shouldn't have happened anyway. However when she demanded her bags be returned, the airline refused. At this point, the passenger allegedly said: "What if I had a bomb in my bag?" When that tactic didn't work, she supposedly added: "Well, I [DO] have a bomb in my bag, so are you guys going to turn the plane around 'cause I need my bag?" Uh oh... wrong thing to say, as the plane then made an emergency landing and the passenger is being made to pay the airline US$23,000 for the extra costs involved...

The right to leap...
(13 Sep 08)

We've had a spot of bother with daredevils in the city in the last few months. Those who get their jollies from climbing up the outside of buildings either to demonstrate for a cause, or simply because they consider themselves Spiderman wannabes. There have been three reported incidents over the summer, all of whom decided to climb up the outside of the New York Times building - which to be fair, if you want publicity, is a good place to do it. Others have tried to parachute off the top of the Empire State Building before now - though they were prevented from doing so. Now a bill before the city council proposes a charge of reckless endangerment for anyone who aims to jump off a ledge - the endangerment part being for those underneath of course. So those who climb or leap off of structures more than 50 feet in height without a permit would face up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. However opponents have claimed that it is - and I quote - a "fundamental human right" to leap off buildings. Each to their own, but I don't see that particular human right being enshrined in the United Nations charter any time soon...

The Sushi Inquisition…
(6 Sep 08)

How much do you know your sushi, and could you taste the difference between a salmon roll, and a roll with another kind of fish in it? Ultimately you trust the store or restaurant where you buy the sushi to tell the truth. A couple of school students decided to put that to the test and ran DNA testing on the fish in sushi found in 10 stores and 4 restaurants, and found that 25% of all the sushi sold, was not what it claimed to be! The much sought after white tuna was found to be the much cheaper Mozambique tilapia, whilst some red snapper turned out to be Atlantic cod. It appears to be the lower end restaurants and outlets are the primary culprits, and I imagine that such misdemeanours wouldn't be limited to New York either. So just keep in mind when buying sushi, that the results may be a little fishy… obviously…

Bright lights of NYC…
(6 Sep 08)

One highlight of any trip to New York City must be the bright lights – but those lights might soon be running a little more economically. The City Dept Of Transportation is looking into replacing the 300,000 traditional sodium street lamps in the 5 boroughs to a more eco-friendly L.E.D. type. L.E.D.'s last more than 50,000 hours and so would need to be replaced less often, and so save the city money in the longer term, paying for themselves in 2-3 years. And fear not, you can still tell any of the myriad "how many city officials does it take to change a light bulb" jokes…

Windmills for New Amsterdam…
(22 Aug 08)

The latest incentive that Mayor Michael Bloomberg is promoting is alternative energy – and in particular, wind power. He was in Las Vegas this week at an alternative energy conference and said that he was determined to make New York the #1 city in the nation for clean power. So he's now asking experts how windmills could be placed around the city, and also off-shore to reduce the burden on fossil fuels. He's interested in putting windmills on some high buildings, along with some of the bridges too. Naturally this has lead to some amusing images of windmills above the Brooklyn Bridge, or atop the Empire State Building, or replacing the torch in the hand of the Statue of Liberty, but such things would be a lot more low-key than that so not to damage the image of the city.

Interestingly though, this is the city coming full circle. New York used to be New Amsterdam, and what is more common in the Netherlands than windmills. There used to be at least one in the city in the 1600's, and in fact there is a windmill depicted on the official seal of New York to this day (as below). So whatever goes around, comes around – especially if you're a windmill…

Rock 'n' Rolling in Manhattan…
(22 Aug 08)

You might think that the US is the cradle of music, but where does America celebrate rock 'n' roll the most? Bizarrely enough, in Cleveland, Ohio. (It's roughly half-way between New York City and Chicago.) That is where the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is based, but thankfully that is to come to New York. Although the museum itself will be staying put in Ohio, there will be an annex of it based in Manhattan in November. It will be a privately funded project, but has the full support of the city and it was Mayor Michael Bloomberg who announced the deal last week, along with sagging rock 'n' roll star Billy Joel. As the Mayor himself noted: "[New York] is where Ed Sullivan met The Beatles and where Lou Reed took a walk on the wild side." Among its artifacts (and I'm not including Billy Joel in that list) will be the phone booth from the now defunct CBGB nightclub and Bruce Springsteen's first car, a yellow 1957 Chevy convertible – all the exhibits here will have a particular New York connection. Especially the phone booth…

Extra security in Manhattan…
(14 Aug 08)