Police are asking for the public's help in finding a man suspected of tying up and beating a 23-year-old woman while robbing a Tribeca office on Monday afternoon. more ›

Have a coworker who is always bringing candy and cookies to work? What a bitch! Because according to the Wall Street Journal, that kind gesture could actually make you physically incapable of not eating candy, and thus making you fat. Brian Wansink of Cornell University explains, "The proximity and visibility of a food can consistently increase an adult's consumption. Even for a person with the greatest resolve, every time they look at a candy dish they say, 'Do I want that Hershey's Kiss, or don't I?' At the 24th time, maybe I'm kind of hungry, and I just got this terrible email, and my boss is complaining—and gradually my resolve is worn down." more ›

Last night Mad Men ended the season with... well, no spoilers here (we highly recommend the Videogum recap, however, if you've already watched the finale). This season Don Draper & Co. moved into their new Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce offices—and now someone has created a floorplan, so you an visualize exactly where Peggy is when Don yells for her, or pinpoint where they store all that whiskey. Totally unnecessary (and we're wondering where Ken Cosgrove's office is), but amazing nonetheless—now someone do this for Don Draper's apartment, please. [via Curbed] more ›

What does Google do for "bring your kids to work day"? (It's apparently today, btw.) They bring in a baby kangaroo and enclose it in a small cage surrounded by screaming children, Tweeting adults, and flash photography! The employee who took this video says "The kangaroo trainer on site was super knowledgeable and helpful!" But the baby 'roo seems scared and overwhelmed, no? more ›

In more noise news: can everyone just STFU already? A new survey shows that "some two-thirds of the nearly 2,000 British office workers surveyed said that workplace irritations boosted their stress levels, causing 1 in 10 to walk out the door." And humans are just as likely to annoy as machines. The NY Post brought the survey to this city's streets yesterday, asking New Yorkers what annoys them the most at the office—and beware: if you are loud, or saying anything at all, you are probably getting passive-aggressively Twittered about. One woman told the paper, "Another thing that bothers me while I'm at work is how loud people are," and another, "People making loud personal calls is the worst." Other complaints: using phrases like "think outside the box," and "let's touch base." Let us know what annoys you most at the office... by end of day, please. more ›

For the first time, Mike Bloomberg's own mother won't be attending his inauguration. Hizzoner insists it's not a slap in the face—it's supposed to be cold tomorrow and the woman turns 101 on Saturday—and anyway, his third inauguration is going to be a low-key affair that puts "service ahead of celebration," as the Mayor's spokesman puts it. About 4,200 people are expected to attend the one-hour ceremony at City Hall, which might be worth checking out because they're handing out commemorative biodegradable mugs, paid for by the mayor and filled with hot apple cider! But despite the cup of cheer, there's going to be a noticeable lack of star power. more ›

According to a recent survey, 50% of the workforce says their working environment is too cold or too hot, with 1/3 saying the uncontrollable climate makes it hard to concentrate. more ›

Have you been asking yourself: where is all this candy coming from? So has the New York Times, and what they found may shock you: It is leftover candy from Halloween! The exclusive scoop reveals that some are so sick of seemingly harmless miniature candy bars that they bring the excess into the the office to unload on coworkers... who were apparently confused about this process until now. more ›

On July 1st, the New York City Council was expected to pass the Bicycle Access to Buildings bill, which would require commercial landlords to allow tenants to bring bikes inside office buildings with freight elevators. Many building managers refuse to let workers bring their bicycles inside, even if their employer lets them keep their bikes at their desks, and the new bill, Intro. 871, would allow landlords the flexibility to develop individual access plans that suit their buildings and their tenants. (Department of City Planning says the biggest barrier cited by potential bicycle commuters is the lack of safe places to store their bikes.) But Councilman John Liu, who chairs the Transportation Committee, refused to bring it up for a vote. After working on the bill for eight months with the DOT, DOB, Mayor's Office, landlords, and community advocates, Liu abruptly decided that transportation agency can't handle more responsibility. Cycling advocates are pissed, and Councilman David Yassky, who authored the legislation, says Liu pulled the plug so Yassky can't claim credit during the election. Yassky tells the Post, "All I know is the bill was slated to pass the council on Tuesday and it was derailed at the last minute. I sense politics is at work." more ›

Can your canine climb the corporate ladder? Tomorrow is the 10th annual Take Your Dog to Work Day, so get your pups prepared to push some papers (or to get fawned over all day by your co-workers). The event is in celebration of man's best friend, as well as an encouragement for the dog-less amongst us to adopt. While thousands of companies participate, including Disney, be sure to clear your canine cubicle mate with your boss beforehand! The Daily News talked to a Carroll Gardens resident who brings her dog into Johnson & Johnson from time to time—she told them, "It's very therapeutic to come over and pet him, and it's good for the dog. He's the office stress-reliever." If you brings yours to the workplace, be sure to send us a photo or tag your photo with "Gothamist" on Flickr... and remember to take the pup out for happy hour after the 9 to 5! Or at least give him a treat and some extra belly scratches. more ›

While no arrests have been made yet, more details have emerged on the Inspector General's Wednesday raid on the State Liquor Authority's Harlem office, where some two dozen employees control 65 percent of the state’s operating licenses and permits for bars, restaurants and liquor stores in NYC, Long Island and Westchester County. Police sources say employees would not only accept cash bribes in exchange for expedited license processing, but also bottles of booze, and gift cards for meals and clothes—some payoffs even included Applebee's gift cards. Stay classy, SLA. more ›

We've been big fans of Aziz Ansari since he first hit the comedy scene all those years ago, and it seems like since then he's been speedily checking things off his To-Do list. He launched off the stand-up stage to get his own MTV series (Human Giant), is now in an anxiously awaited spin-off of The Office (he clears up the plotline below), and he's been busy filming movies with the likes of Seth Rogan and Paul Rudd. Not too shabby. This weekend he returns to New York, after moving out to Los Angeles—catch his Glow in the Dark Tour (not to be confused with Kanye's) at Comix this Friday or Saturday (buy tickets). more ›

Did you hear? The office party's been cut from the budget, according to a poll by FreshDirect & BizBash. This means that drunken coworker makeout, drunken coworker karaoke, and drunken telling your boss off will also be down to an all time low. Just how low? More than 65% of New York businesses are eliminating or scaling back on holiday parties this year, according to the survey of more than 200 event professionals in New York City. Of course, FreshDirect also has a solution to the problem: use their "At The Office" service to cut down on costs and party it up in your cubicles! Last month a catering company told ABC News that the drop-off in business is the worst it's been since post-9/11 2001. Oh well, take a break and watch a clip from The Office's season 3 Christmas special. more ›

A former Saks Fifth Avenue suit salesman allegedly used his employee-discount threads to glide past security in Midtown office buildings and steal cash and credit cards from empty offices. 34-year-old Edward Proctor was arrested last week and accused of lunchtime stealing sprees at CBS offices and another building on 49th Street in May and June. “I was in the next room eating lunch when he went behind my desk," one victim tells the Post. Proctor successfully robbed workers on the same floor at CBS twice in the same month; police only tracked him down after he allegedly used one of the credit cards to pay for his parking at a garage. He’s out on $40,000 bail, which, one hopes, wasn’t paid with plastic. more ›

Amy Poehler will be winding down her stint on Saturday Night Live, as she's been cast in the new Office-spinoff- not-spinoff (it's been variously described as a spinoff of the Office or another show from the same creative team, Variety now confirms it's not an extension of the show). Poehler said, "I can kind of confirm that I will be working in some capacity on that show. I don't really have any other details yet." According to the NY Times, Poehler, who does a mean Hillary Clinton impersonation on SNL, "will continue to perform on SNL through November or at least until her baby is born." It's been a big week for Poehler--she also received an Emmy nomination for best supporting comedy actress for her SNL work. more ›

The Friends of Moynihan Station shared a rendering of what Moynihan Station will look like, according to NY State. According to FMS, the Empire State Development Corporation has been "reluctant" to share them, but FMS thinks "looks great," though there's a lot that needs to be explained. more ›

If you work on the west side near 14th Street, consider your lunch plans settled: the Papaya King on 7th Ave. and 14th is giving away free hot dogs to the first 500 customers today and tomorrow. As of 11:06am, just 32 customers had taken advantage of the deal, which is part of a promotional for Unhitched, a new Farrelly brothers sitcom starring Rashida Jones, who plays Jim’s ex-girlfriend on The Office. more ›

Nothing says press conference like raiding a 32 stores in what the city dubs "Counterfeit Triangle" and hauling away over a $1 million worth of brand-name products. The raid, taking down stores in the area bounded by Canal Street, Walker Street and Centre Street, occurred in the early morning, with cops using bolt-cutters to gain entry and tractor-trailers to take the haul away Coach, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbanna, Dior, Prada, Rolex, Fendi, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Dora the Explorer and Oakley merchandise. more ›

Less than two weeks after Gov. Spitzer publicly reaffirmed his commitment to going forward with plans to construct Moynihan Station despite a $1 billion funding shortfall, it looks like the matter may be out of his hands. The New York Times is reporting that the whole $14 billion project, which would involve building Moynihan Station at The Farley Post Office building and constructing a new Madison Square Garden on the site, is on the brink of total failure. more ›

Documenting the city in the snow apparently has its limits. Gowanus Lounge noticed this photograph of the Gowanus Canal, taken yesterday, by photoblogger Joe Holmes. Holmes wrote on his Flickr page it was "taken seconds before I was told that photography is prohibited on the 9th Street bridge because of 9-11 concerns." Oh, man, that should be a problem for the Toll Bros. marketing department. And what if there's another whale or seal spotted? more ›

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After the Humane Society revealed a tape of mistreatment of cows at the nation's "No. 2 supplier of ground beef to the National School Lunch Program," burgers and other beef products were temporarily yanked off NYC schools' menus. The U.S. Department of Agriculture had put an "administrative hold" on all products from Hallmark Meat Packing Packing in Chino, CA and asked all schools to stop using products from Westland/Hallmark Meat. more ›

At West End Avenue and West 59th Street, a water main broke, flooding the Amtrak tracks. The FDNY is pumping out the water and a number of other city agencies, including the Office of Emergency Management and Department of Environmental Protection are on the scene. According to other reports, a new building (an expansion of John Jay Collage) at the intersection is also flooded. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg and the New York City Office of Emergency Management have announced 10 winners in the contest to design temporary housing for the thousands of New Yorkers who might be displaced in the event of a catastrophe, like a direct hit from a Category 3 hurricane. The 117 submissions from 30 countries had to create quickly assembled housing for 38,000 families from Prospect Shore, a fictional neighborhood set along a mile of the New York City coastline. more ›

THEATER: Lisa Kron’s solo play 2.5 Minute Ride, which won an OBIE when it premiered at the Public Theater in 1999, is currently being revived with Nicole Golden as the autobiographical “Lisa.” The play concerns Lisa's attempts to make a documentary about the life of her father, a German Jew who survived the Holocaust but lost his parents at Auschwitz. 2.5 Minute Ride finds him, in his later years, a blind diabetic with a heart condition and a passion for roller coasters. Allison Taylor deems it as comical as it is intense; a “patchwork of anecdotes about Kron's family, including memories of her Midwestern mother; an annual trip with her embarrassing relatives to the Cedar Point amusement park; and her brother's Orthodox wedding… genuinely poignant and simultaneously funny.” - John Del Signore more ›

Over 150 residents of an eleven-story building at Kent Avenue in South Williamsburg were evacuated yesterday after the Fire Department and Buildings Department found a number of violations. The building had been illegally converted to residences and a matzoh factory, complete with two silos of (highly combustible) grain in the basement. A neighboring building was cited as well, and the violations ranged from non-working standpipes (which firefighters use to deliver water to fires), illegal partitions, blocked exits, inoperable sprinkler systems and others, including the illegal grain silos for the unauthorized basement bakery. more ›

Queens Councilman Hiram Monseratte is alleging dirty tricks in regards to the burglary of his office late this week. While the Councilman and his staff were at a community meeting Thursday evening, someone broke into Monseratte's office. It wasn't a regular break in--all that was taken was a laptop belonging to his chief of staff containing campaign information and a box of envelopes labeled with Monseratte's imprimatur. The fact that no other valuable items were stolen from the office leads the prospective state senate candidate to fear the robbery was politically motivated. more ›

We can’t get excited about or honestly recommend any of the rubbish spewed forth by the WGA strike-hurting networks in place of actual scripted programs. At this point, we would like to never see the Endemol logo on air again. (Apparently Endemol is Dutch for “mindless garbage television.”) So we were a bit surprised when we heard that NBC actually was importing a version of one of our favorite British programs, Top Gear. more ›