NYU: it's the home of cyborg teachers, scantily-clad snow shovelers, and Professor James Franco. Oh, and racists—the university settled with an ex-library worker for over $200,000 after his former mailroom supervisor allegedly called him various racial terms and taunts, including a "monkey" and a "gorilla." more ›

Coming To America, the original Eddie Murphy-plays-multiple-characters film, is one of our favorite movies ever—so when we saw this NY Times story about a taxi fleet owner who just happens to be an African Chief, we had to scream "Good morning, my neighbors!" out our office window immediately. “Here we are very busy — but at least I don’t have my people around me here, because I am more free,” said Isaac Osei, also known as Nana Gyensare V, a chief of the Akwamu people, who oversees the residents of five towns across the Eastern Region. more ›

Ghana took a quick lead over USA in the first five minutes of today's single-elimination World Cup game with a goal from Kevin-Prince Boateng. The US has had a tough time through the game, with yellow cards issued to Ricardo Clark and full-back Steve Cherundolo, and just five goal shots as compared to Ghana's seven. In other World Cup News, Bill Clinton is reportedly sitting next to Mick Jagger at the game. more ›

Soccer fans are already gearing up for this afternoon's World Cup map between the USA and Ghana, but the biggest winners in the World Cup may be the places pouring pints for fans. Bars around the city have been cashing in on the quad-annual soccer madness, inspiring even quiet lounges to redesign themselves around the games. Jack Keane of Nevada Smiths told the Post, "If there was no World Cup right now, we would have no business. Literally, there'd be nobody here." more ›

Are free outdoor events that attract crowds too dangerous? City Room reports that the 161st Street Business Improvement District's plans for a free screening of the USA-Ghana World Cup match at Lou Gehrig Plaza in the Bronx were shut down by the city: "On Thursday morning, 48 hours before the game, officials with the city’s Street Activity Permit Office informed the group sponsoring the event that the request for a permit had been denied." A city spokeswoman said, "Based on expected attendance, the police, the D.O.T. and the parks department determined that it would not be possible to accommodate a safe event at that location." more ›

The tabloids have caught wind of a bird smuggling operation uncovered by customs officials at JFK airport: For years now people have been sneaking Guyanese finches called Towa Towas into New York. The birds are used by Brooklyn’s Guyanese community for singing competitions; people place bets on two birds, and a judge decides which one has the lovlier song. (Here’s YouTube video of a Towa Towa singing.) more ›