Coca Cola announced today that the company is killing its much-hyped, poorly-received white cans. So much for saving the polar bears! more ›

Hey guys, did you know the bicentennial of the War of 1812 is coming up? Oh, what's that—you don't remember what the War of 1812 was about? That's okay—neither does Albany, who doesn't have enough money to celebrate the landmark anniversary. And for the tiny pocket of history buffs who do care, that's simply not acceptable. more ›

When Necco Wafers, the dry-as-chalk candies beloved by many a septuagenarian, decided to change their original recipe to include "natural" flavors and colors, they thought they were just staying hip to the know. But the plan totally backfired, as thousands of angry customers hounded the company to go back to their original, artificial ways. more ›

Finally, an answer to the age-old question: why are kids so fat these days? Because...[drum roll please]...schools aren't providing enough physical education. more ›

Plans for a three-story beachside waterslide at Coney Island were deflated today after too much red tape sunk the project. "Parks basically said, 'You know what, we cannot invest any time and energy into this project any longer," said Party Magic USA owner Anthony Gach, who was slated to build a three-story inflatable waterslide and bungee jumping platforms as part of the Parks Department's effort to build a "beach adventure" attraction this summer. more ›

The economic crisis is hitting us all hard, but we thought there were still some professions that were essentially recession-proof, such as sanitation workers, foreclosure agents, and robbers. But it seems that now even robbers are feeling the credit rating downgrade heat: a would-be robber has been accused of beating a 7-Eleven clerk in Long Island with a tree branch after his stick-up was unsuccessful. more ›

A radio station-sponsored booze cruise on the East River broke down after midnight this morning, putting an abrupt end to the danceathon and leaving hundreds of revelers stranded and upset. more ›

According to New Jersey's Governor Christie, their loss in the competition for Race To The Top funding was a federal government conspiracy. Christie says that the feds should have just called if they wanted to know how much the state spent on school funding in 2008 and 2009 (instead of the projected numbers for 2010 and 2011 the state provided). And according to NJ.com, he also says officials could have easily "found the information on the internet." more ›

On Tuesday night, disgraced State Senator Hiram Monserrate conceded defeat to Assemblyman Jose Peralta, after Peralta thoroughly Heisman'd Monserrate in his quixotic attempt to reclaim his old Senate seat. During Peralta's celebration, City Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Queens) crowed, "This is the final nail in Hiram Monserrate's coffin, and we are burying him!" Well, he may have slept in yesterday, but look who's back from the dead—and lumbering toward the Assembly seat now vacated by Peralta! more ›

Aaron D. Allen, restaurant consultant, is pissed that the three Michelin star restaurant Le Bernardin wouldn't let him bring his cup of Starbucks tea to lunch. We're all ready cast some judgment, but, well, whose side to choose? On the one hand, Allen points out that we're in a recession, so maybe the comically stereotypical French maître d’ shouldn't have turned away a $55 prix-fixe sale over a $3 tea. However, who in their right mind thinks it's acceptable to bring outside food into any restaurant? Starbucks won't even let you do that! [Via Eater] more ›

Whoops! Aside from long lines, lost packages, rodents, and closed branches... the United States Postal Service has now taken their fail factor to the streets. A reader sent in this photo of a postal truck leaving the dock at 10th Avenue, attempting to make a very sharp turn and getting wedged under the overpass on 30th Street at 9:30 this morning. Check out another angle after the jump... more ›

We'd love to tell you what happened last night... but all we can say is that it was ALL CAPS IMPORTANT. Caption contest? more ›

Earlier today, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn sent out an email blast encouraging New Yorkers to donate relief supplies to help the people of Haiti. But someone in her office pulled a major boner and forwarded a letter Quinn previously sent in 2008, seeking help for Haiti's hurricane victims. Oh, fiddlesticks. Shortly thereafter, Quinn's office fired out a new letter, seeking help for victims of the current tragedy. more ›

Yesterday afternoon a man robbed a bank in Chinatown, at the corner of Canal and Bowery, but while being chased by the cops he dropped his newly scored bag of cash. A dye packet had exploded inside, but the NY Post reports that a bystander who witnessed the chase on the streets, picked up the loot and ran off with it anyway! While the original robber was nabbed, the one who made off with the stolen and stained dough is free as a bird. With all that useless cash though, consider this a double-fail bank robbery. more ›

A reader tells us that this taxi "slid and wedged itself between two parked cars at 12th and 2nd Avenue today around 8:40 a.m. Apparently he was in there so tight that he had to wait for the drivers of the other vehicles to move in order to free himself. Notice the cars in the intersection going the wrong way making u-turns to avoid the blocked street. Pure wintery chaos…" Indeed! On that note, if you find yourself behind the wheel tonight: be safe! more ›

Low five? The Press Ganey Emergency Department Pulse Report 2009 rated NYC last among the nation's 10 largest metropolitan areas for satisfaction in emergency-department care, and New York State was 46th in overall emergency room waiting time. South Dakota came in at #1 with an average waiting time of 172 minutes, while New York narrowly beat out New Mexico with an average of 288 minutes—nearly 5 hours. (Utah came in dead last with a 408 minute wait time.) Dr. Peter Viccellio of Stony Brook University Medical Center tells Crain's "Sometimes, we can’t even spare someone to go into the waiting area and talk to patients and tell them what’s going on." He also admits to having to relocate patients to beds in hospital corridors to make room for incoming patients. Last summer a shocking video showed a woman being ignored after she died in an ER waiting room. The silver lining for NYC? This report emphasizes patient satisfaction with wait time, not with the care they eventually receive, so let's just assume we're #1 when patients eventually see a doctor—as they say, the best health comes to those who wait. more ›

While the Parks Department's solution to the city's garbage is a giant Dumpster amongst the trees, the same thing can't quite help our water. The Daily News has a report card on our beaches, and of the 13 rated in the annual "Testing the Water" guide... things aren't looking so good. more ›

Well, we had a good run. Today KFC has made the unsurprising decision to suspend its Oprah-backed grilled chicken giveaway. The overwhelming nationwide demand for free food had depleted KFC's chicken supply to such a degree that the company was actually going to run out of chicken before Mother's Day, which is said to be the chain's most lucrative business day. In this awkwardly upbeat video, KFC president Roger Eaton—who has the weirdest Kentucky accident we've ever heard—explains the crisis, now entering day three: more ›

Officer Jon Goldin, an NYPD helicopter pilot who was dismissed for failing a drug test in 2006, has lost his recent appeal, in which he maintained that the cocaine found in his system was the result of "passive ingestion." In other words, the hair sample they tested was coked up because of all the sweaty sex with his druggie girlfriend! (Kind of reminds us of that Seinfeld poppy seed muffin episode!) But when the all snickering subsides, the explanation actually starts to seem somewhat plausible; Goldin, a 15-year veteran of the NYPD who's been straight-edge for years, had 70 friends testify about his relentless sobriety, which even extends to caffeine. more ›

David Blaine didn't disappear during his Dive of Death this week, and he's certainly not disappearing from the press. He's now come close to admitting failure, but is blaming both President Bush and nature. That's right, the "amazing" ending he dreamed up was foiled by high winds. "Blaine said his grand finale of diving from a platform 44 feet to the ground while attached to a harness didn't go according to plan. He was supposed to jump and, at 10 feet, be swept away by a bunch of helium-filled balloons. Instead, he dangled awkwardly for a moment before disappearing in an ascent into the night sky." He also added, "I know that it didn't work right when all my friends called up and said, `Wait, what happened? I'm confused.'" Apparently the massive roar of "boos" didn't tip him off. [via Mollygood] more ›