Extra, Extra

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: an explosion at Linden Blvd. and 220th St. in Queens, a homicide on Sedgewick Ave. in the Bronx, and a water main break on Prospect Place in Brooklyn
Santa may have to bypass coalition troops stationed around the world today, but holiday presents will be appreciated even if they do arrive a few weeks into 2008. Newsday has a nice piece on gift-giving to troops and how to do it.
U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner is in permanent campaign mode to become Mayor of NYC, as the office now seems to be a viable stepping stone for higher national office. Interesting fact: Weiner was a post-college roommate of comedian/news man Jon Stewart.
ConEd plans to cover all 160,000 of New York's lamp posts with a layer of non-electricity-conducting paint. The paint, in addition to grounding straps, is meant to minimize the risk of electrocution of unwitting pets and pedestrians.
A patient at Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn was killed yesterday, after apparently jumping out of a 4th floor window and landing in an employee parking lot. "It's a Wonderful Life" airs this evening on NBC at 8 p.m.
December 2007 marks the 10th anniversary of the birth of blogging. NPR has a timeline of the technology and pinpoints the progenitors.
NORAD will be conducting its yearly tracking of Santa as he makes his way around the world tonight.
The New York Times Metropolitan Diary features a woman whose favorite holiday moment is when her Jewish husband gives their Muslim doorman his annual gratuity and the two exchange Merry Christmas greetings.

NYC: Shops at Columbus Circle - Holiday Under the Stars Spectacular, by wallyg at flickr

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Dave Hogarty in Miscellaneous on December 24, 2007 6:15 PM

Comments [rss]

Not James Frey

Arsguide - as usual, he'll dismiss criticism with snark and soldier on. He apparently doesn't think much of criticism, especially pointed criticism.

JMH

There's very little that's more of a waste of government resources than "NORAD tracking Santa."

books

its not a coincidence that nearly everytime I read a post and think 'god, thats awfully bad journalism' its been posted by Dave Hogarty. All due respect, you should find another line of work.

Not James Frey

...and Kevin - I think you should make that argument directly to WNYC. Let them take it to NPR and then see what they have to say. Personally, yours was the first site where I first saw the word "weblog," so you guys take top spot in my book.

Not James Frey

Wow. So if the movie had aired a day before, or a day after the suicide, then it wouldn't have been a "coincidence" worth writing about?

Dave, Gothamist is an information site. It isn't Gawker, where the authors take apparent pleasure in other's people's pain. This person committed suicide for reasons unknown to you (beyond what may have been reported). You decided to have fun with it. If that's your idea of clever, then congratulations. It's my (and probably most decent people's) idea of heartless and cruel.

Happy holidays, and here's hoping you never have anyone close to you kill themselves.

Dave Hogarty

I'm not making light of suicide. A man jumped to his death. It was a regrettable act that was preached against during the Christmas season in a movie that coincidentally was aired last night, literally hours from the fatal leap.

Do I think I'm clever? Yes. Do I think I'm a coward? No. Do I wish you a Happy Holidays and New Year? Absolutely. Thanks for your readership.

Not James Frey

Re: Woodhull - Mr. Hogarty, do you think yourself rather clever? Or are you just trying to make light of committing suicide?

If you aren't a coward, then you'd respond to this post.

Not James Frey

Re: Woodhull - Mr. Hogarty, do you think yourself rather clever? Or are you just trying to make light of committing suicide?

If you aren't a coward, then you'd respond to this post.

schadenfreudian mensch

Guess the angel won't be getting his wings this year. Oh well.

timbnyc

Weiner lost my vote when he agreed to become Hillary's hitman slogging dirt at Obama. Sorry, Anthony, dirty politics doesn't play.

freddyhere

RB Umm, perhaps there's a connection we're not aware of...

Kevin Walsh

"December 2007 marks the 10th anniversary of the birth of blogging. NPR has a timeline of the technology and pinpoints the progenitors."

[December 1997: Jorn Barger starts a daily log of interesting Web links published in reverse chronological order, calling it Robot Wisdom WebLog. The term "Weblog" is soon generalized by other online publishers to include any page with frequent short posts in reverse chronological order.]

Forgotten New York began in 1998 and was in turn influenced by things like Jeff [Saltzman]'s Streetlite Site, Frank Jump's Faded Ads and Steve Anderson's NYCRoads.com. Depends on what your narrow definition of what "blogging" is. Frank, Jeff and Steve were all doing it _way_ prior to 1997, as were many others such as Allen Sniffen's musicradio77.com and Dave Pirmann's nycsubway.org. All are updated regularly, which makes them blogs in my book.

www.forgotten-ny.com

RatherBeBiking

A patient at Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn was killed yesterday, after apparently jumping out of a 4th floor window and landing in an employee parking lot. "It's a Wonderful Life airs this evening on NBC at 8 p.m.

now thats a writing error to die for.