President Obama has put the blame on oil company and rig owner British Petroleum for the devastating explosion that killed 11 and spilled thousands of gallons of oil in the Gulf of Mexico, harming wildlife and business in the area. While visiting Louisiana this weekend, he announced, "Let me be clear: BP is responsible for this leak. BP will be paying the bill." He has instructed Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to conduct a 30-day study to determine what technological upgrades are needed on new rigs to keep similar accidents from happening, and issued a 10-day ban on recreational and commercial fishing in affected areas. more ›

President Obama is planning his first visit to the Gulf Coast as the massive oil spill has nearly tripled in area and touched down on Louisiana soil, and will be briefed on efforts to control the spill, which is currently leaking over 210,000 gallons of oil a day. Critics are already comparing the government's slow response to the Bush Administration's response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster. However, Obama seems to be on top of things, and isn't telling anyone they did a "heckuva job" just yet. more ›

Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Queens) has taken a lot of criticism for founding a nonprofit accused of pocketing nearly $30,000 of money raised for Hurricane Katrina victims. So the Congressman told the press he would open his books. "I'd love to have you come to my office. We can show you the files of the individuals that we helped," Meeks told NY1. But when a Post reporter took him up on his offer, the Congressman's staff turned the journalist away. more ›

It would be charitable to call this one a mess: Two prominent Queens politicians are under scrutiny because the nonprofit they set-up to aid Katrina victims delivered barely 1/30th of their funds to evacuees. According to the ethics watchdog group National Legal and Policy Center, tax records show that only $1,392 of at least $31,000 raised to help Katrina families was paid to victims. more ›

Yesterday, The Daily News printed an article that began, "A cop-bashing art exhibit at a taxpayer-funded museum in Brooklyn portrays the city's Finest as trigger-happy racists who have put bull's-eyes on the backs of black New Yorkers." more ›

Tyler Sargent plays bass in a little band called Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, which may have caught your eye back in 2005 when they played the Gothamist Movable Hype 3.0 show at the Knitting Factory. We don’t want to call ourselves kingmakers, but ever since that night the band’s become kind of a big deal, in part because they were one of the first bands to break wide through blog buzz and a self-released album that moved over 45,000 copies in six months, all distributed out of Sargent’s Park Slope apartment. Tomorrow night they play a benefit concert at Bowery Ballroom for Planned Parenthood NYC; it’s sold out, of course, but mark your calendar for February 15th, when Gothamist anoints a new crop of indie rock darlings at Movable Hype 12.0 (it's also Gothamist’s 5th birthday.) Anyway, at some point over the weekend Tyler Sargent sat down at his computer and processed pithy answers to our questions. more ›

After posthumously leaving $12 million to her dog, Leona Helmsley is ready to spread the wealth with humans through her own charitable trust (created in 1999). Yesterday Christie's announced they would be auctioning off paintings, sculptures, furniture and other property from the late real estate mogul's numerous homes. Spokesman Rik Pike stated that each auction will take place this year, and "the collection reflects a sophisticated taste and a wonderful sense of style across a wide range of collecting fields, including Asian art, European painting and decorative arts." more ›

What’s worth watching on food-TV this week? We're definitely setting our DVR to record The Martha Stewart Show. She’s got a three great New York Italian chefs on today: Odetta Fada of San Domenico, Lidia Bastianich of Felidia and Del Posto, and pastry chef Gina DePalma of Babbo. On Tuesday she’s got cookbook editor Judith Jones, and on Wednesday, New Orleans chef Susan Spicer (Monday-Friday, 1pm, NBC). But the prime time highlight might be a... more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a shooting on Flatbush Ave. in Brooklyn, a high-angle rescue on West 18th St., in Manhattan, and a multi-vehicle accident on Farmers Blvd. and the South Conduit in Queens.
• Hoboken mayor David Roberts was apparently prescient to ask how many stops his SWAT team made on the trip back north--fearing more embarrassing photos of his police force as they returned from relief efforts after hurricane Katrina. Additional pictures of misbehavior have surfaced, this time featuring the town's police chief cavorting in Louisiana.
• Brooklyn native and former heavyweight boxing champ Mike Tyson was sentenced in an Arizona court to 24 hours in jail and three years probation for drug possession and DUI.
• The 2nd Ave. subway got a boost from $1.7 billion in federal funding earmarked for the project over the next seven years.
• New Yorkers aren't just cooler and better looking than the rest of the country, they make a lot more money. The average Manhattanite made more than $2,800 a week in the first quarter of this year.
• Former mayor Rudy Giuliani recommended securing the U.S.-Mexico border via a "virtual" system that would alert authorities of crossings.
• The Washington Post has a guide on how to get to NYC that includes more than "practice, practice, practice." It could be valuable for people wanting to get back to NYC.
• A very helpful guide to long- and short-distance runs in Brooklyn from the Brooklyn Road Runners Club.

Hoboken disbanded its SWAT team this week after another scandal rocked the police department of the tiny New Jersey town across the river. A number of minority officers recently filed a lawsuit accusing a high-ranking co-worker of behaving like a white supremacist, regularly deriding minorities. Now the SWAT team has been disbanded days after photos became public showing the unit's commander and other cops cavorting with waitresses at a Hooters restaurant in Alabama. The Mile... more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a home invasion robbery on 11th St. in Brooklyn, an unusual rescue on Selwyn Ave. in the Bronx, and a shooting on Rugby Rd. and Foster Ave. in Brooklyn.
• The 30-year-old homeless man charged with raping and torturing a Columbia student in her apartment in April was found mentally fit to stand trial.
• Negotiations between Thor Equities and several Coney Island boardwalk tenants are nearly settled, allowing many attractions to remain through next summer.
• New York magazine notes that NYC may soon receive a movie theater that has a no-children-under-the-age-of-six policy.
• Norman Hsu, one of Sen. Clinton's primary fundraisers during her run for the Presidency, is being charged by federal prosecutors with running a Ponzi scheme and defrauding people of tens of millions of dollars.
• A Brooklyn car salesman scammed rides on a fire truck with members of a Bed-Stuy firehouse after producing a forged letter and bearing stolen FDNY gear.
• Not getting too far by striking, the New York Taxi Workers Alliance is now suing the city to prevent the mandatory installation of GPS equipment in cabs.
• As he led cops on a 70 mph chase through the streets of Flatbush before allegedly shooting officer Dillon Stewart, accused killer Allan Cameron was watching a porn movie on the DVD player in his Infiniti.
• Best use of 9/11 in a new fall season program (so far): Kitchen Nightmares, when a Long Island restaurant "owner," upon Gordon Ramsay criticizing him about the state of a kitchen, "blame everything on me! Blame fires in Chicago, Hurricane Katrina, 9-11" (via Television Without Pity)

A look at some noteworthy television this week: more ›

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A look at some noteworthy television this week: more ›

Amidst all of the iPhone hoopla there was probably more than one incident of unkind words being exchanged around the long lines. Boing Boing points out one in which a mascot for a hunger-awareness campaign named Hungrr got assaulted by the NBC News crew! This happened outside the Apple store on 5th Avenue as the mascot was handing out pins for the organization. Hungrr was there buying an iPhone to sell on eBay to raise money for the Northwest Louisiana Food bank, helping Katrina victims. more ›

PM Update: The jury has found Braunstein guilty of 14 of the 15 charges. He was acquitted of the arson charge (the fire he started in order to convince the victim to open up her apartment door as he posed as a firefighter). more ›

Two articles in separate sections of Sunday’s New York Times brought out Gothamist Food’s inner Freakonomicist, which isn’t as painful as it sounds. The National section of the Times reported that in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, its use as a baby name slipped down to the 382nd place overall on the girl’s list, marginally good news for those of us named Brenna (#381, baby). Unrelated, and over in the City section, the fate of the pink neon sign outside the East 12th Street Chow Mein house Jade Mountain was discussed; the 76 year-old restaurant closed three months ago, five months after owner Reginald Chan was killed while making a food delivery by bicycle. Now that Chan’s family looks for a new restaurant to take over the space, everyone is worried what become of Jade Mountain’s iconic, sputtering signage. more ›

The New York Times is reporting that the city is on its toes for Nor'easter 2007, with Mayor Bloomberg saying we should hope for the best as far as storm havoc goes, but prepare for the worst.

The mayor said evacuations were unlikely, but in a cautionary move, city emergency planners have identified possible shelters in the highest-risk areas and have alerted hospitals and nursing homes there to be prepared to relocate patients and elderly residents in the event of severe flooding. more ›

The OEM site also has a page of evacuation instructions that is intended for hurricanes, but we think it applies in this case. A Hurricane Evacuation Zone Finder will tell you if your neighborhood is at risk from storm surge flooding or you can call 311 and ask (we tried calling and it works!). The city's Ready New York brochure is available for download in a .pdf format and in multiple language versions. more ›

A NY Times reporter spent yesterday observing and experiencing the Reverend Al Sharpton's action rally at his National Action Network headquarters.

On most Saturdays, the so-called House of Justice on West 145th Street can feel as casual as the International House of Pancakes 10 blocks south. Anyone can walk in and take a seat. The words etched onto the large tinted window at the entrance, facing 145th Street, read not House of Justice or National Action Network but Diamond Gym, the storefront’s former occupant, which explains why the walls are lined with mirrors. more ›

A look at some noteworthy television this week: more ›

We were just introduced to The Forms music recently, and once we were we immediately booked them for our show in Austin last week. Singer Alex Tween kept a log of his trip for us, which you can read below. more ›

Through much of its history New York had a working waterfront. Be it for passengers, cargo, fishing, or ship building, warehouses and other industries, the waterfront was a busy, stinky, messy place. As a result the poshest residences were usually built inland, think Park Avenue. Since the ports are no longer used for industrial purposes there has been a rush to build along the shore. As discussed in a long article in Sunday's Times, maybe riverside condos aren't such a great idea. more ›

...back to the French Quarter, NOLA, that is: Next Monday the 12th from 6-8 pm at ACME Bar and Grill, join forces with the Culinary Corps, a group wielding a powerful combination of outreach, philanthropy, and culinary prowess -- something their website has dubbed “culanthropy.” In order to raise funds for their inaugural service-oriented trip to New Orleans taking place later this month, the group will host a light-duty fund-raiser at ACME; door prizes, such as a mind-blowing, year-long subscription to the “cookie of the month club,” and a dinner for two at L’Ecole at the French Culinary Institute with Sommelier’s Choice wine pairing, will be up for grabs. Snacks and one free drink are included with the $20 donation price of entry. more ›

Hayes Peebles is a 14 year old New York singer/songwriter. Along with his guitar, he carries with him the perfect amount of experience and innocence - giving his listeners a little of both through his songs. This week he'll be opening up our 11th Movable Hype show, give a listen: Gone Grey.mp3 more ›

This week New York Magazine chose Eric Harvey Brown as their look book subject. We decided to ask him a few questions ourselves, and dig a little deeper - beyond the beard (just a little though). more ›

An interesting turn in the post-Sean Bell shooting NYPD: The NYPD has hired the RAND Corporation to examine NYPD weapons-use records and firearms training. The independent review will take 6 months and cost $500,000 (paid out of funds from the NYC Police Foundation). Police Commissioner Ray Kelly announced the study, but said that the review will "not directly investigate" the Bell shooting, though it will look at the phenomenon of "contagious shooting." more ›

THEATER: A.R. Gurney’s new meta-play, Post Mortem, takes place in a future tyrannical America where a college student discovers a lost “masterpiece” by the largely forgotten playwright A.R. Gurney. In Post Mortem's cowardly new world, many believe Dick Cheney to be responsible for Gurney’s death, and the discovery of an unpublished memoir reveals Gurney affairs with Cameron Diaz, Katherine Hepburn and Katrina Kerns. (Okay, that last one's from our own meta-memoir.) The student’s willingness to defy the government by producing the banned play wins him both a shot at the Nobel Peace Prize and his hot professor’s affection. - John Del Signore more ›

Comix and South Toward Home bring together Janeane Garofalo, David Cross, Zach Galifianakis and Eugene Mirman for a benefit show in November. The stand up comedy charity event benefits South Toward Home, a non-profit organization created in response to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. more ›

Let's look back at a week in which no site in the -ist network adopted anyone from Africa... more ›