That group of Columbia University students staging a hunger strike is at least a little victorious, if starving, today. Last night, the university agreed to a number of demands relating to the students' concerns that not enough was being down to encourage ethnic studies and understanding other cultures (especially in the wake of recent hate crimes). From the Columbia Spectator:The University has committed to pay for the expansion of the Office of Multicultural Affairs... more ›

Mayor Michael Bloomberg hasn't totally eschewed the Republican party. According to the NY Sun, the Democrat-turned- Republican-turned- independent will be "entertaining" Nancy Reagan "as well as hosting a fund-raiser for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library." Like the former First Lady, Bloomberg has progressive views on health and science issues (like stem cells). And Bloomberg has been known to host many fund-raisers for various people and causes. But some suspect that Bloomberg might be looking for... more ›

The 22-year-old St. John's University student who brought a loaded .50 caliber rifle to the Queens campus on Wednesday was arraigned in his hospital room at Bellevue yesterday. Communicating via a video link to the Queens Criminal Court, Omesh Hiraman appeared "frail in his blue pajamas" (NY Times), while he "hands shook and he "rocked back and forth" (Daily News), but seemed lucid during the proceedings. Judge Deborah Stevens Modica ordered that he be given a psychiatric evaluation to determine his mental fitness. more ›

The police discovered the decomposed body of a 20-year-old woman at 4 Washington Square Village yesterday evening. WABC 7 says that the victim was last seen alive on Wednesday and was found "inside a locked bedroom." Neighbors had called the police to complain about a foul odor; the police are handling the situation as a homicide until they hear from the ME's office. more ›

The Observer's Matthew Schuerman has a few interesting stories about Columbia's Manhattanville expansion plans. An article published today looks at how the University of Pennsylvania's successful (and more community-embraced) urban transformation could potentially inform Columbia's plans, now that former Penn president Judith Rodin's book, The University & Urban Revival has hit the bookshelves. Rodin, now the president of the Rockefeller Foundation, only says that the conversations she has had with Columbia president Lee Bollinger have been minimal. She also said, "Columbia has a much tougher job. They are incredibly landlocked and so the stakes are even higher. Unless [Columbia and the community] work together, it is not going to work." more ›

The long awaited second location of Grey Dog's Coffee is now open for business. The University Place branch is serving the same fantastic coffee (and iced coffee), and full menu as the West Village original. Stop by and wish them well on their first day and be sure to check out the whimsical dog photos inside -- we had to restrain ourselves from running off and adopting a puppy, iced coffee in hand. more ›

There's a whole wide world out there, and here's the proof: more ›

Given our stint in the suburbs where having the most beautiful, manicured lawn becomes the object of desire for homeowners, and now living in a place where dog pooped and gummy sidewalks is what greets us when we leave our front door, we were fascinated by the NY Times story about outer-borough homeowners paving their front yards. Mind you, these are not brownstone owners with a sliver of grass, these are people who fairly substantial (for NYC standards) front property, perfect for lawnmowing, fertilization, watering, you name it. The trouble with lawn maintenance is why many homeowners decide to pave, as well as that other precious city commodity: Parking space. Our first thought about paved yards was that they were ugly, but when we saw this photograph that accompanied the article, our thoughts changed to, "That's Queens?" (The other photograph, of a house in College Point, confirmed our initial thought.) more ›

Aaron Karo, author, Ruminations on Twentysomething Life more ›

Though it was the Washington Post's biggest story, the NY media suckerpunched the Post by running the revelation that former FBI No. 2 man, Mark Felt, was Deep Throat, the shadowy informant who helped reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein reveal the Watergate scandal. Felt, now 91, confessed after the urging of his family, catching Woodward and Bernstein off-guard (Woodstein probably were probably planning a book to be published as soon at Felt died). Gothamist, who had been obsessed with wondering who Deep Throat was, thanks to American History classes and Alan Pakula's brilliant depiction of the Washington Post's investigation in All the President's Men, loves this story and has been reading all we can about it: Here's coverage from the Washington Post and the NY Times, plus the NY Post's and NY Daily News's excited coverage. more ›

Jessica Coen, Editor, Gawker.com more ›

Other Passengers are Billy (vox/keys/guitar), James (drums), Kevin (guitar), Tobin (bass) and Travis (guitar). more ›

Chilly and windy tomorrow. It won't get too cold tonight in the city because of the wind, but don't expect tomorrow's high temperature to go much above 40. A good day for hot chocolate. Sunday is looking better, with a high in the mid-50s if you believe AccuWeather or weather.com, but slightly if you're a National Weather Service fan (the Weather Underground merely repackages NWS forecasts). All three forecast outlets raised their maximum forecasts by several degrees from the beginning of the week. more ›

The writers, a he-said-she-said team, use Columbia dorms as pseudonyms say, "Nothing is off-limits. We're not trying to offend people, but there will be people offended. It's hard to be politically correct when talking about anal sex." But some students think it's crass and tacky: A junior tells the Post, "They make it seem that one-night stands are as much a part of the weekend as drinking beer." Well, wait till you graduate, dearie, wait till you graduate, and then'll be a part of your every day. more ›