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Campaigns

Countdown to 2013: The Muddled and Messy Start to a Mayor's Race Still Two-and-a-Half Years Away

Laws

When Pedophiles With Guns Are Outlawed, Then Only...

In the Post

Klein's Education Group Mails on School Closures

Suggested Reading

Elsewhere: Pure Mindless Luck

By David Freedlander | January 28, 2011 | 6:01 pm

The line-up at CPAC. Tom DiNapoli made some staffing... MORE»

Changes

Mubarak Promises New Government Tomorrow [Watch]

By Aaron Gell | January 28, 2011 | 5:51 pm

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.  After a long day in which thousands of Egyptians took to the streets to demand a new government, President Hosni Mubarak just appeared on television and promised to give it to them...sort of. Speaking on Al Jazeera, the long-serving president—who looks remarkably young for 82—said he would immediately dissolve the government (which he appointed) and have a whole new one up and running... MORE»

Globalization

Brooklyn Lawmaker Announces Plan to Attract More Islamic Investment

By David Freedlander | January 28, 2011 | 5:00 pm

Brooklyn State Senator Kevin Parker announced a bill today to create an alternative bond market that would be permissible under Islamic law by creating alternatives to the traditional interest-based bonds. Many Islamic societies use the alternative structure, known as "sukuk," since Islamic law prevents the securing of interest-bearing bonds. Parker argues that opening up New York to sukuk would open the state's bond market to a new kind of international... MORE»

Clubs

NY Tea Partiers Join 'Moderate' G.O.P. Caucus

By David Freedlander | January 28, 2011 | 3:28 pm

Staten Island's Michael Grimm and Nan Hayworth of the Hudson Valley were both propelled into office this year--and fended off primary challengers--behind the strength of local Tea Party... MORE»

Food Fight

Bloomberg Not Hungry for Trump to Take Over Tavern

By Matt Chaban | January 28, 2011 | 2:25 pm

Up until it closed more than a year ago, Tavern on the Green was one of the hottest restaurants in town. Sure, it was an inside joke for most New Yorkers (see: Requiem for a Dream), but still, up until the end, it was one of the, and often the, top-grossing restaurant in the country.... MORE»

Traffic Watch

Skelos Makes Congestion Pricing Crack at ABNY

By David Freedlander | January 28, 2011 | 1:57 pm

Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos arrived at the Association for a Better New York breakfast this morning--late, as it were, because he said the traffic getting in to the city from his Long Island home was (as anyone who has taken the drive well knows) murder. "Two hours to get in from Rockville Centre," he said after showing up at Sheraton 30 minutes behind schedule. "Don't quote me on this, but maybe we should look at congestion pricing. I'm kidding, I'm... MORE»

Whoops

SI BP Molinaro Works Blue on Morning TV [VIDEO]

By David Freedlander | January 28, 2011 | 12:55 pm

Staten Island Advance political bureau chief Tom Wrobleski caught borough president Jim Molinaro waking up Island residents with an "F-bomb" yesterday morning. Molinaro phoned into local station Channel 4's morning news show to talk about how the borough was handling the most recent snowstorm, although he appeared to not be aware that he was suddenly on the air, and so continued his tirade into his cell... MORE»

Salaries

Where Do NY Lawmakers Get Their Money From, Anyway?

By David Freedlander | January 28, 2011 | 10:30 am

...Like most prominent New Yorkers, they get it from real estate, apparently. At least that is what a new study released by NYPIRG reveals--that 47 of Albany's 211 legislators list their outside source of income on disclosure forms as... MORE»

Values

Bloomberg Talks Constitution, Democracy and Guns on MSNBC [VIDEO]

By David Freedlander | January 28, 2011 | 9:57 am

Mike Bloomberg was on "The Last Word" last night and had some choice words for President Obama and other officials who have refused to stand up to the power of the National Rifle Association. "[Obama's] legacy is going to be education and stopping the carnage on our streets," the mayor said. "Presidents don't have a problem in fighting wars overseas, Congress doesn't have a problem with funding wars overseas, but we have a war on the streets of our cities, big and... MORE»

Suggested Reading

Morning Read: Because They Could Chuck, and it's Different Than What They Would Chuck

By David Freedlander | January 28, 2011 | 9:04 am

A look at Andrew Cuomo's lawmaker hosting style. Andrew Cuomo has a 71 percent approval rating President Obama nominated J. Paul Oetken to be a federal judge in Manhattan. If confirmed, he would be the first openly gay man on the federal... MORE»

Losers

Hang Your Head and Wave That Towel, Lady Liberty

By Matt Chaban | January 27, 2011 | 9:14 pm

The moment you've all been waiting for since the clock ran out Sunday night in Pittsburgh: Which New York City landmark should be adorned with a Terrible Towel? As per a mayoral bet, since the Steelers beat the Jets, the glorified warshcloth (that's Pittsburghese) will hang from somewhere in the city, and The Observer asked readers where was... MORE»

Suggested Reading

Elsewhere: Grandchildren Over the Presidency

By David Freedlander | January 27, 2011 | 6:09 pm

There have been three school snow days in NYC in the past 12 months. There were seven between 1978-2009. The snow day postponed the Regent's Exam until June. Hillary Clinton would rather have grandchildren than be... MORE»

The Underground

Walder Explains MTA Web Site Slowdown

By David Freedlander | January 27, 2011 | 5:20 pm

Although by most accounts the subways have been operating close to normal during this latest snowstorm (not however on this N-Train) the MTA still had a bit of SNAFU this morning when commuters who wanted to brave this latest Snowpacalypse and get to work couldn't log on to the MTA's Web site to find out which trains were running. According to MTA chief, the problem was similar to one experience L-Train riders on Friday evening: too much demand, too little room to accommodate it... MORE»

Social studies.
Irony

Black Child Disenfranchised While Questioning President Obama About Disenfranchisement [Watch]

By Aaron Gell | January 27, 2011 | 4:56 pm

President Obama held a YouTube Q&A session today—one of the administration's creative, tech-savvy strategies for reaching voters without holding too many of those pesky press... MORE»

In the Post

Klein's Education Group Mails on School Closures

By David Freedlander | January 27, 2011 | 3:56 pm

A reader passed along the following mailer that he received touting the administration's efforts to close failing schools. It is somewhat odd to mail on the issue, since the matter of school closures is one that is made almost entirely by the administration and the Department of Education, and so even if there were a groundswell of support for school closings, it wouldn't matter... MORE»