The Dalai Lama has arrived in New York, speaking in his native Tibetan language for two hours yesterday to followers, fans and the faithful at the Javits Convention Center. Newsday reports:

He delivered his entire speech without notes, pausing to take a sip of tea only at the end as tears of joy flowed through the crowd. [He stated:] "The Tibetan cause is a cause of justice, and that's something that cannot fade away. That is the nature of truth _ that it cannot die with time and with the change of generations."

Gothamist hasn't really heard that much about protests outside the U.N. during the World Summit, probably because the news has been focused on Hurricane Katrina, Judge Roberts, and the mayoral election hoo-ha. And most of the U.N. news has been that the President wants some help or that traffic is terrible. So we were glad that Newsday had a story and a good gallery of protestor pictures outside the U.N. and the hotels where the leaders are staying. There are a lot of protestors who want to free Tibet and oppose Iranian politicians. In fact, the Free Tibet protestors rushed the police outside the Waldorf (where Chinese President Hu Jintao is staying), only to be restrained and possibly arrested. more ›

hotel, as we learned from today's Times article about how hotel managers have had to make do with their limited number of super high-end suits for the visiting world leaders, but we think it'd be funny, a dorm for the world leaders. Like they would have to round out quarters for the laundry, figure out who would need to clean the suite, sign up for time to watch cable in the common room. But it's actually as glamorous as it's supposed to be for a world leader, with your advance team visiting various suites and deciding whether or not you should have dazzling views of Central Park or three bedrooms with a grand piano. There's also a shortage of world-leader-quality rooms because many hotels have been converted to condos...which makes us wonder if countries will simply rent out deluxe apartments in the sky next time around. more ›