City Councilman Simcha Felder's proposed legislation to fine people $1,000 for feeding pigeons has struck a nerve. Felder and other elected officials claim that pigeons' poop is harmful to New Yorkers and, therefore, various ways to limit pigeons' eating and procreating should be explored. But some pigeon lovers are unhappy with the level of vitriol directed at the city's unofficial bird. Hence the video from Animaniacs, "Goodfeathers" (it's 10 minutes, so settle in to... more ›

Your overstuffed kitchen drawer of take-out menus is minuscule compared to the menus Daniel Rayas collected over a four month period. Newsday has a fantastic profile of the Texan grandfather who moved to New York City to help care for his newborn granddaughter and found a flexible part-time job that has taken him all over the city. Looking to make some money to pay for room and board, Rayas responded to an ad on Craigslist offering cash for collected menus. It was placed by online eatery guide Allmenus.com, and they put him to work immediately, offering $2 per menu collected. more ›

Last week, City Councilman Simcha Felder proposed legislation to ban menus, fliers and circulars from being distributed to homes and buildings with signs that say they don't want them. Many of our readers loved the idea, but doubted it would be enforceable. more ›

- And our favorite, from City Councilwoman Jessica Lappin: "When I went to Stuyvesant and none of us had cellphones. And people came from neighboring schools and tried to beat us up anyway."Of course, that was in the old Stuyvesant days, when kids from Washington Irving High School would harrass Stuy kids walking eastward. Anyway, Deputy Mayor Derek Walcott told the City Council the Mayor would not move away from its policy. Take that from the Bloomberg "311 - it's all about information" Administration! more ›

Chief of Police Joseph Esposito apologized for his remarks during the Borough Park protest-riot Tuesday night. Esposito doesn't mention using Jewish slurs (as some have charged him), but did say that he used the F-bomb to intimidate crowds to stop, as they were angry over rough treatment (real? perceived?) of a 75 year old Hasidic man pulled over and arrested for driving while talking on the cellphone and not responding to the police. Assemblyman Dov Hikind and City Councilman Simcha Felder met with Esposito and responded that he "has been a friend and continues to be a friend to us personally and to our community. In reaching out to us and the community, the chief brings closure to the events which transpired in Borough Park this week." more ›

Though Borough Park is quiet after Tuesday night's fire-and-almost brimstone clash between Hasidim and police over the arrest of an old man who did break the law, tempers are still flaring. Arthur Schick, the 75 year old man whose chatting on a cellphone while driving raised police interest, says the officer who pushed him to the ground said, "This is the way we treat a nigger." Schick also felt that the crowds that protested and set fires behaved badly as well. The police, in turn, defended their actions, though Police Commissioner Kelly did say Chief Esposito admitted to swearing while trying to control the situation, (or, as City Councilman Simcha Felder explained, Esposito said something like "I want heads rolling"..."Get the 'F' Jews out of here. Get the 'F' Jews out of here.") but didn't use racial epithets, instead saying something like, "Get these f---ing people out of here." Oh, and the police say that Schick did yell at the police and instigated others, by saying, "See what they're doing to me!" Well, if you're 75 and being shackled by cops, you probably would cause a fuss. more ›