On one hand, sharks are beautiful creatures, vital to the ocean's ecosystem, and in dire need of protection. On the other hand, they totally killed Robert Shaw, Samuel L. Jackson, and other revered thespians. So will you be eating Queens eatery MexiQ's shark tacos in honor of Shark Week? more ›

It seems that a group of sharks is enjoying an extended holiday weekend in West Hampton, enjoying several leisurely swims along the Cupsogue Beach, where swimmers and surfers have been banned from entering the water since the first sightings occurred earlier this week. more ›

It's that time again! Summer's (sort of) officially here with an early shark sighting this season, this time swimming scarily close to shore at a West Hampton beach. And while there were no reports of human injuries, authorities are also investigating the remains of a (presumably adorable) seal that washed up on the beach this morning, which may be linked to the sharks. more ›

The Humane Society tells us that, by their count, the controversial shark fin soup is on the menu in at least 55 restaurants in NYC. But one restaurant that used to belong to their ranks, Shun Lee West, has now decided to drop it. "I received many calls urging us to stop selling shark fin soup because of the horrible way sharks are killed," manager Henry Nuesch said in a statement. "I realized that it would be better for my business and for sharks to remove shark fin soup from the menu." Unfortunately, other restaurateurs aren't as enlightened as Shun Lee West; upscale places like Mr. Chow still have it on the menu, where it costs $14. more ›

The controversial shark fin soup is still being served in New York, even if some restaurants don't want to admit it. But if it lost its popularity in China, would America follow suit? According to a survey of about 1,000 Hong Kong residents (below), the popularity of shark fin soup seems to be waning, and many are finding it more acceptable to leave it off the menu at wedding banquets and large gatherings, when it is traditionally served. However, about nine percent of those surveyed were under the impression that shark fins could grow back after being cut off. Say what you will about the state of American education, but we're pretty sure our biology class never taught us that! more ›

Liquid Viagra to some, ecological insanity to others, shark fin soup has long endured as a controversial cultural touchstone, but it may go the way of whaling. The Independent reports that global opposition to shark finning—the procedure that cuts the fins off a shark and leaves it to die in the ocean—has reached a fever pitch, with environmental groups like New York City's own Shark Savers increasing their influence to countries like Canada and Australia. A Chinese legislator even proposed anti-finning legislation earlier this month but the bill is expected to die, given that 95% of the world's shark fins are consumed there. more ›

With shark populations on the decline, some unlikely supporters are coming to rescue the species: their victims. Did you know that 73 million sharks are killed a year to make shark fin soup? (Usually the sharks are finned, then left to bleed to death in the water.) Yesterday nine shark attack survivors got together at the United Nations to ask the sharks be saved from this, and other cruel, unnatural fates. more ›

It looks like those sharks spotted a few weeks ago off Rockaway Beach have decided to stick around for the rest of the summer. One swimmer told the Post, "I was so far out and I heard the lifeguards blowing their whistles. They started yelling, 'Shark! Shark! Shark!'" However, the Parks Department says they believe there were just stingrays. Unless stingrays figured out how to glue large fins to their backs, we're guessing that statement is an attempt at a cover-up. more ›

A new expensive home design trend is just taking a page from the MTV Cribs book! The NY Times' Home section has a very detailed article about oversized aquariums that designers are now incorporating into clients' abodes. One says, "[Typical clients] have a collection of cars, of motorcycles, of art, they have three dogs. It’s like, ‘What else, what’s the next thing to wow my friends?’ It doesn’t seem like the kind of thing you’d see in high-end interior design, but that’s being reconsidered." more ›

Just before noon today we got word that there have been multiple reports of shark sightings in Jacob Riis Park in the Fort Tilden area—they must know there are no lifeguards in that area! (Over the weekend The Man was on to them after they approached Rockaway Beach.) While there have been a handful of shark sightings after the Coast Guard issued a warning about Great Whites in the area earlier this year, there have been no reports of Great Whites... but that doesn't mean you should get your banana boat out of storage. more ›

Yesterday, Rockaway Beach was cleared when some people enjoying the water noticed sharks. Or maybe just one shark. One surfer told City Room, "It swam right under my buddy’s board as he was paddling out, and some surfers paddled away around the jetty," while another later said, "I got here when it was happening, and I think it was three baby great-whites." However, the best account comes from NY1. more ›

Amazing stuff: WABC 7 has photographs of a sand shark that swam ashore on a Seaside Park, NJ beach. Swimmers were called out of the water around 2:30 p.m. when the 5-foot shark was spotted 10 feet from shore. He (or she!) ventured onto shore—it doesn't seem as if he had a candygram. more ›

Beach 3rd Street at the beach in Rockaway, Queens just became the scene of a sharkicide. Reports are coming in that three dead sharks have just washed up on shore there. We'll update when we have more information. Earlier this season the Coast Guard issued a shark advisory, specifically warning of great whites in the area. No word yet on what kind of sharks washed up today—let's hope it's just prop marketing for this new insanely bad (yet oh so good) looking movie Sharktopus. UPDATE: We're now told that there were no sharks! Smells like a cover up to us. more ›

Not too long ago the U.S. Coast Guard issued a shark advisory, warning New York and surrounding states that great whites may be lurking in the waters. Not long after, a fisherman was bit by an 8-foot-long blue shark, and now 1010Wins reports that lifeguards in three New Jersey towns evacuated waters after receiving reports that two 5-foot (unidentifiable) sharks were close to shore. Sounds like quite the situation. No but seriously, who do you think would win in a duel: The Situation or Jaws? Surely reality television will get there, one day. more ›

This is probably something to keep in mind any time you're in a body of water, but the U.S. Coast Guard has now put out an official warning for the entire Northeast to watch out for sharks this weekend. According to Fox5, authorities have confirmed the presence of great whites (specifically off the coast of Massachusetts—though we all know they're lurking around out there in New York, too). more ›

It's been over a decade since the National Marine Fisheries Service prohibited commercial fishing of the great white shark and established a catch-and-release policy for recreational fisherman. The species—which has terrified beach-goers and anyone on a banana boat since 1975—is considered threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. more ›

This is really just an excuse to bring up the best summer movie of all time: JAWS. A New York couple has decided to get married in a shark tank this Sunday, but will April Pignataro and Michael Curry need a bigger (love) boat? more ›

A huge aquarium with sharks, rays, penguins and more may be coming to Times Square. More animals for the a zoo! The developer, Toronto resident Jerry Shefsky says he’s signed preliminary papers to rent an office building on the west side of the square. Though the agreement isn’t final yet, he hopes the $100 million project will get underway by April. An aquarium in a skyscraper? Whatever! Shefksy, who’s built aquariums and shopping centers worldwide agrees: "It's anything but an aquarium in the format you might imagine," he said. more ›

Last night we were informed by the Wildlife Conservation Society that there would be a major announcement made this evening at the New York Aquarium. While the official press conference isn't until 7:30 p.m. tonight (it will include Mayor Bloomberg, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, and Councilman Domenic M. Recchia, Jr.), the NY Times managed to loosen some lips and found out it has to do with their Sea Change (what the WCS has dubbed their renovation project). more ›

Sharks may attack us humans, especially during slow news summers, but does that make it okay for us to slaughter them? Many chefs don't dare serve up shark fin soup due to its controversial nature, but Animal Tourism says there are plenty of places in the city with the dish—considered a delicacy in Chinese cuisine— on their menus. more ›

It's shark season! The first reported spotting of the summer happened at Jones Beach yesterday, as beach-goers trying to cool down spotted a 4 or 5-foot long shark in the bathing area (the shark was noticeably smaller than the recent one spotted with surfers in Florida). more ›

• 76ers 124, Knicks 84: For the second time this season, the Knicks got blown out by the second-worst team in the division. How is that possible? Start with nine turnovers in the first quarter alone -- and 23 for the game. Sprinkle in some porous defense and everything should come out just fine. The Knicks lost by 40 despite shooting 46 percent from the floor. Too bad Philadelphia made 57 percent of its shots.
• Nets 110, Bulls 102 (OT): Even without Devin Harris, the best player the Nets got in exchange for Jason Kidd, the Nets were able to take down the Bulls at home. Marcus Williams played 39 minutes and had 25 points. If he can play remotely like that down the stretch, the Nets may find themselves a first-round victim rather than draft-lottery hopeful.
• Islanders 3, Capitals 2: Suddenly, the Islanders can't be stopped. One game after he helped his team stun the Sharks, Mike Comrie scored the only goal in the shootout and helped New York to its fifth straight win. This was the second consecutive time they rallied from a two-goal deficit. Miroslav Satan and Josef Vasicek lit the lamp in regulation.

• Devils 5, Hurricanes 1: To be fair, Carolina was without three of its best players, but even a full-strength Hurricanes team would have had trouble with the Devils. New Jersey allowed only 22 shots the entire game and blew by Carolina for its seventh win in nine games. That makes them tied for the Eastern Conference lead with Ottawa and Montreal and two points clear of Pittsburgh in the Atlantic Division. The Senators and the Penguins, however, have a game in hand. Travis Zajac, Mike Mottau, Jay Pandolfo, Johnny Oduya and Zach Parise all took part in the scoring. This was classic shutdown mode for a team peaking at the right time.
• Islanders 3, Sharks 2: If you can't beat the opposing goaltender, why not bloody his face and then get the puck into the net? That more teams haven't tried this method is one of the world's biggest unsolved mysteries. Radek Martinek couldn't get the puck home, but he did do enough damage to Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov's mask that the netminder had to get stitches. He probably should have stayed in the dressing room. Andy Hilbert and Mike Comrie helped tie the game in less than a minute, and then Freddy Meyer did the glamorous work to give the Islanders a home win. They're one point out of a playoff spot, but they've played more games than Buffalo, Boston and Philadelphia, the teams above them in the Eastern Conference standings.

Some might say it's the end of an era, others may ask: "What's Misshapes?" -- either way, the weekly party ended this past weekend with Pulp's Disco 2000 providing the sonic fade-out. more ›

READING: Just this morning she was sipping tea in the woods of Vermont - but tonight Alison Bechdel, author of Fun Home, will be at Barnes & Noble on the UWS. Her book is a memoir, a graphic novel and all about growing up in a funeral home, with a closeted father. Tragicomic, indeed. more ›

On the Down Low more ›

LAist has so much fun this week! They go to E3, where they overhear the timeless remark "Man, this is where nerdy girls get laid." Is that a promise? They also give us this week's best CDs and make us realize that LA is the best place to use Zillow. more ›

U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff will hear Marc Ecko's lawsuit against the city today at 3PM. Ecko sued NYC last week because his permit for a party where graffiti artists would decorate fake subway cars (we're talking facades of subway cars) was revoked over concerns that the party would encourage graffiti. Newsday has an interesting excahnge from Friday's court hearing:

Paula van Meter, a city attorney, argued in court that painting subway replicas is not protected speech because it "necessarily simulates a criminal act." more ›