A huge crowd fathering in Washington Square Park last night to hear Senator Barack Obama speak. He mentioned that he "used to hang out in Washington Square Park" and that he knew "a little something about Greenwich Village." His speech touched upon issues like making college more affordable and how his relative lack of experience didn't matter, "Longevity does not guarantee good judgment. A long resume says nothing about your character.” more ›

What is wrong with people? The director of the Mount Vernon Animal Shelter found three boxes full of kittens (63 of them!!!) on her doorstep. Paula Young believes that the kittens were used as bait during dogfighting in Westchester and possibly the Bronx. She told the Journal News, "It is impossible for one person to have all these kittens, calicos, tabbies, males and females." more ›

Thirty years ago tonight, New York City lost electricity when a Con Ed substation was hit by lightning strikes and a "cascading effect" caused the system to shut down around 9PM. And NYC, as well as parts of Westchester County, were powerless for over a day in the sweltering heart of the summer. Subways were stuck, mobs set fires and stores were looted. more ›

Of all the retailers to find themselves in a heated debate about immigration, Toys R Us is one of the more unlikely ones. But the toy retailer is under some criticism concerning how it handled a newborn's situation in a New Year's contest. Toys R Us offers a $25,000 scholarship towards college education for a baby born in the new year. The NY Times reports that three babies were tied for being the first baby: One from Bay Shore, NY, one from Gainesville, Georgia, and one from NYC's Downtown Hospital, Yuki Lin. more ›

XL Rays more ›

It's hot. It's sticky. You need a cool, refreshing drink, and a non-alcoholic one because it's the middle of your work day. Gothamist suggests a chocolate egg cream, as its fizz will perk you up and its sweetness (but not too sweet) will satisfy your sweet tooth. Many swear by Brooklyn's Fox's U-Bet syrup, and the Fox's recipe says to spoon in the U-Bet syrup before adding the milk. But this might be blashphemous, as Chowhound's Jim recommends that you put the U-Bet in after the milk (almost freezing) and seltzer (siphon bottles only!) in order to avoid getting "sticky brown head instead of a fluffy white one." more ›

A Fifth Avenue diamond dealer was robbed of $4-10 million worth of diamonds by men posing as FedEx delivery men. And they weren't even wearing uniforms - they were just wearing FedEx t-shirts! Around noon, the two men were able to enter 580 Fifth Avenue in plain clothes, but then on the sixth floor, they changed into their "FedEx gear" and told Doppelt & Greenwald Diamonds the operation needed to open the door for them because the package was too large. And plus, they needed a signature. Then the robbers handcuffed the employees and customers and swiped the gems. We hear the dealers were usually try to keep big thefts quiet, because it's bad publicity when your business is robbed, but we suppose they got over that, as a police SWAT team was called in. And the cops did check FedEx trucks in the area. more ›

Reader's Digest says that New York City is the second dirtiest big city in the country, which Chicago winning honors for dirtiest. Besides the fact that few people who actually read Reader's Digest actually live in NYC and care what the writers of Reader's Digest think, but the Daily News made sure to get the Department of Sanitation's reaction. Which was "It's a silly report," and a Department of Sanitation spokeswoman said that 91.1% NYC streets are "acceptably" clean these days. But clearly, "acceptably clean," which few scraps can be on the ground is not clean enough. NYC probably ranked lower because of the dog poop on the ground - even cartoons of garbage cans can't stop that. The Daily News helpfully points out "Hippie-dippy Portland, with a population of 529,000, won the title of most pristine, followed by San Jose, Calif., Buffalo and Columbus. San Francisco - where politicians wrangle over the right of the homeless to defecate in public - placed fifth." Gothamist, for one, isn't perturbed by this study, but we are affronted when we see Hollywood backlots substituting as New York streets, because backlots never have that necessary layer of grime. Sure, litter is annoying, but you kind of expect some urban detritus in your day. more ›

Oh, New York City Subway. Gothamist knows you are 100 years old, and you've been doing a great job. But it makes us so sad and frustrated when there's a subway derailment AND a broken rail in a given day. Yesterday, a B train derailed in the morning and then a broken rail was found at West 4th Street, which meant lots of service was suspended. The Daily News reports that "Four wheels on the seventh car of the southbound B train train went off the tracks in a tunnel leading to the DeKalb Ave. station at 8 a.m." Yikes, wheels coming off the train. The MTA will inspect the train and its route. more ›

- September 11, three years later: What the city did and Go Bags are still a big deal to the city more ›

Since she's not in a play these days where her baked goods are sold as refreshment, you can try cupcakes made by Amy Sedaris at Joe in Greenwich Village (141 Waverly Place, 212-924-6750). NY Magazine reports that even though Sedaris is admittedly diva-ish when it comes to her baking style, that was no problem for owner Jonathan Rubenstein: �I was like, �I don�t know when I�ll bring them in, never call me at home, I only take cash,� and Jonathan was like, �Great!�� more ›