Is New York the intellectual and cultural hub of the planet, or is it just where you come when you want to be called a bitch and have a cat thrown in your face? Last night, How I Met Your Mother explored the positives and negatives of NYC and NJ. No contest, right? Except that Marshall, a New Yorker in the show, steps in and speaks up for New Jersey. Traitor! Amongst his top reasons......

The Federation of Students and Nominally or Unemployed Artists, or if you prefer: the Generosity Foundation, recently handed out free money in Union Square. The catch? You just need to explain what creative endeavour the money will go towards. They explain, "We give small, unsecured grants in the form of $10-$60 for creative projects thought up on the spot by everyday people." This time around they had $1000 to hand out, after each member raised......

They've turned the trees brown, they've swallowed kayakers, they've sparked a "meh" heard round the world. Now Olafur Eliasson's four waterfall installations on the East River have something else to add to their legacy: another pair of white dudes have been inspired to rap. At least this one gets points for weirdness. A homage/parody of Eliasson's ambitious installations (he froze a BMW, created a sun at Tate Modern), the video by Modern Jackass features......

Ever wonder what Andy Rooney has to say about all the public art displayed in the city? Well, here he is mouthing off on what he calls "pretentious nonsense," amongst other things. Here in New York he addresses the defeat of Richard Serra's "Tilted Arc" by saying: "Take that arty arc!" (Burn?) He then goes on to question why every open space needs to be filled in when "nothing" would look better. [via Urban Prankster]......

The Daily Show examined how the presidential and vice-presidential candidates sounded their solutions to our current economic problems, pitting the two sides against each other in a "Generic-Off." For other Daily Show videos from last night, including some observations about President Bush's and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's demeanor when talking about the crisis, go here.......

Fashion Week usually doesn't bring out many hecklers, but Monday afternoon one gentleman turned the back entrance of the Bryant Park tents into his own personal comedy runway. His style is sort of Will Ferrell-worship meets "Andy" from The Office, but at least he brought some humor to what can sometimes be a rigid crowd. [via NYC the Blog]......

Yes, it's been a day of 9/11-related posts. But here's a final--and decidedly more irreverent-- one: Folks like Todd Barry ask if one must sacrifice their comfort "just because a terrorist mastermind happens to have a similar fashion sense?" Below, a disturbing look at what happens when one ends up at "the intersection of style and Al Qaeda."......

A camera and a YouTube account are the new badge! This group of Brooklynites filmed the aftermath of an attempted robbery (allegedly the robber had a razor, which can be seen on the ground in the video). The scene includes a group holding a man on the street until the cops come to arrest him. Language and threats aside, no one gets violent...until another bystander comes over and kicks the would-be robber. Take a look:......

On July 30th, NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly promised that New Yorkers would be able to send video and text straight to police in a “relatively short period of time.” And he actually delivered! The image software, which cost about $250,000, also serves the city's 311 non-emergency hot line, so don't hesitate to gather cell phone video of potholes and graffiti. According to WABC, New York is the first American city with the capability to accept......

The Republican National Convention may have ended last week, but lost in the haze of John McCain's acceptance of the nomination was how the final day of the St. Paul protests was marked by a spike in arrests. Police rounded up nearly 400 demonstrators during and after a major protest march, and at least 19 journalists were also arrested--including two from the Associated Press and even a New York-based reporter with the GOP-friendly Fox News.......

You'll probably want to avoid eating dinner during tomorrow night's episode of Inside Edition, which promises some pretty revolting video of street vendors doing all sorts of unsavory things with their hands while on the job. According to the press release, the show's "Investigative Unit" caught a number of New York food vendors on tape exhibiting some "unsafe food handling practices." These include:One food vendor touching his bare feet with his fingers between his......

After noting the St. Paul police's tactics with protesters, the Daily Show analyzed the third night of the Republican National Convention. That night featured Sarah Palin's speech, as well McCain's former rivals on the presidential campaign trail, so it's all rich material for Jon Stewart and the Daily Show writers. And if you missed it, check out this Daily Show video from Wednesday about the sexist media (below):......

Hillary Clinton renewed her call for party unity behind Barack Obama during the Democrats weekly radio address yesterday. Clinton was asked to give the address following the Dems big week in Denver by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. She hit home stumping points for Barack about how his presidency along with a Democrat-controlled Congress would revitalize the economy and lead to more affordable college education. Clinton said that the gap between Democrats and Republicans "could......

Some anonymous filmmakers have created Save Coney Island: The Movie. From their YouTube page, where they posted a trailer this week, they describe it as follows: "When Thor Equities, an infamous real-estate company, threatens to build condominiums on Coney Island's core amusements, Amos Wengler, the troubadour, must keep the spirit of Coney Island alive with a song before all the memories fade forever. The life, spirit and essence of Coney Island explode on the screen......

This thrilling little video was uploaded to YouTube last summer, but with the city's (and the world's!) bedbug armies still on the march, it's well worth watching as a cautionary tale. Finish what you're eating and behold in horror as the videographer gets up-close and personal with a spectacularly infested apartment, scored to a jaunty cover of The Band's "The Shape I'm In." The whole thing kind of fizzles out at the end, but maybe......

As you know by now, the fine folks at Creative Time have brought the torture-tastic waterboarding to Coney Island, via artist Steve Powers. Last weekend Powers and a trio of masochistic lawyers (is there any other kind?) upped the ante by submitting to actual waterboarding administered by a professional interrogator in a ski mask. No footage of that yet, but if you haven't made it over to see the animatronic "Waterboard Thrill Ride" yourself, here's......

Gawker looks at much of the the stupid stuff said by Joe Biden, Senator from Delaware and allegedly on Demcratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's shortlist. But this classic moment (video above) of Biden breaking down our former mayor almost makes up for it! And, yes, Biden has had a history of many unfortunate gaffes--like saying Obama was clean and articulate. But that doesn't seem to bother Obama too much--when speaking about the conflict in......

Photo courtesy istolethetv. The first Summer StreetsSaturday took place over the weekend, with the city barring motor vehicles from 6.9 miles of streets from the Brooklyn Bridge to East 72nd Street and Central Park. Cyclists and pedestrians reveled in the car-free oasis as the vehicular traffic was replaced by music, dance, yoga and other exercise classes from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. But some drivers, retailers and garage owners were less enthused. Mark Barbosa, a......

Beautiful Losers is coming to town later this week, screening at the IFC Center from August 8th to 28th. The film documents and "celebrates the spirit behind one of the most influential cultural moments of a generation. In the early 1990's a loose-knit group of likeminded outsiders found common ground at a little NYC storefront gallery. Rooted in the DIY (do-it-yourself) subcultures of skateboarding, surf, punk, hip hop & graffiti, they made art that reflected......

Twelve city council members are calling on Manhattan District Attorney Robert M Morgenthau to drop the charges against Christopher Long, the cyclist who was seen being bodyslammed to the curb by a rookie cop in a videotape of a Critical Mass ride on July 25th. The council members – who include Rosie Mendez, Letitia James, and Alan Gerson but not mayoral hopeful Christine Quinn – are also demanding that Morgenthau open a wider investigation into......

Sam the Cooking Guy -- who boasts on his website that "with no fancy equipment and by speaking English instead of ‘chef-speak,'" he's "sort of the everyman of television cooking" -- may want to tone down the "regular guy" routine next time he's on The Today Show. Which isn't going to happen anytime soon. Eater points out that his most recent appearance did not go well. Well, it's about time somebody said something. Watch the......

NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly told reporters yesterday that in a “relatively short period of time” people will be able to send “video and text straight to 911 to increase the flow of information.” Kelly didn’t go into details about how the technology would work, but he did say that “generally speaking, it’s helpful when people record an event taking place that helps us during an investigation.” The commissioner’s statement would seem to include recent “events”......

Today’s police brutality video comes via a security camera that caught an NYPD officer beating a handcuffed Army vet. The Daily News has a description of the July 18th attack, but the video isn’t on line… yet. According to police sources, the officer (not pictured here) paused for 90 seconds during the beating to take a call on his cell phone, and then resumed “smashing the man with his baton.” The recipient of the alleged......

You've no doubt seen the ads for Walking with Dinosaurs, the heretical spectacle promulgating the evolutionist myth that dinosaurs once walked the earth, when everyone knows their fossils were created by Satan to destroy mankind's faith in the Bible. Well, starting Thursday, Lucifer will be verily smiling upon Madison Square Garden, when the arena will be crawling with 15 of the pre-historic reptiles, some standing as high as 36 feet tall! SPOILER: These aren't real......

Yesterday a Manhattan judge granted Philip Smith, head of the Shubert Organization, a divorce from his wife Tricia Walsh-Smith, who became an internet sensation after making a YouTube video that excoriated her prominent husband for his stash of “Viagra, porn movies, and condoms.” The video got over 3 million hits, but the judge was not a fan; yesterday he called it "a calculated and callous campaign to embarrass and humiliate her husband. She has attempted......

Earlier this week a video of Feist singing a Sesame Street-ized version of her hit song "1 2 3 4" showed up on YouTube. Now a highlight reel for the upcoming 39th Season is out, and even adults will probably be adding the show to their DVRs. There's Will Arnett as a magician, a lemon playing 30 Rock's "Liz Lemon" and a Brian Williams news segment on "mine-itis"! The season premiere airs August 11th--check out......

The latest happening from the pranksters at Improv Everywhere – masters at getting weird looks from people as they plug in big desktop computers at Starbucks, flood Abercrombie & Fitch with shirtless average Joes, and (the best) freeze in Grand Central – is all about twins. Organizers recruited nine sets of identical twins in matching outfits to ride the 6 train uptown, sit across from each other and mirror each other's gestures. It's not The......

The hearing held to Save Coney Island on June 24th was well attended, but lacked some of the area's supportive characters. Rosie Perez, Murray Hill, Dreena De Niro and others were all showing their support in a different way at the (poorly scheduled) premiere of a Lola Starr's short documentary. Starr is currently trying to make her Dreamland Roller Rink a permanent fixture on the island. Below is a video of testimonials by those who......

The city may be in a fictional hue of black & white in this animated video, but the sights and sounds are all accounted for. Join a tourist as he fights the crowds and experiences many failed attempts at taking the perfect shot of many city attractions. As the creators state, "In a city full of landmarks, there will always be someone to ruin your shot." Indeed.......

Last week the LA Times released a video documenting the gentrification of Carroll Gardens, and now the other, newer locals respond with their own take on the place they call home (also a place they call "East Village East"). These three residents see the silver lining in gentrification; you know what they say, one man's neighborhood mainstay is another man's Duane Reade. And yes, it's tongue-in-cheek.......