Design by João Sequeira, with Ana Figueiredo, Marta Moreira, and Pedro Ferreira, of Lisbon, Portugal 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......

"Sleight of hand," "litany of needless fights," "ugly racial polarization" - just some of the phrases in this week's New York magazine's cover story about Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor turned presidential candidate. Chris Smith's article serves as both refresher to New Yorkers about Giuliani's reign as mayor with some fun tidbits (did you realize that then-Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik commissioned 30 miniature busts of himself?) as well as a cautionary tale to non-New Yorkers.......

Governor Spitzer's campaign slogan was "Day 1, Everything Changes" but from the looks from this photo op at a memorial service for fallen NY State firefighters, things are politics as usual in Albany. The Post said this was the first time that Governor Spitzer and State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno have appeared together since the Troopergate incident where Spitzer aides were planning to smear Bruno by distributing information about his travel plans to the......

The revelation that Rudy Giuliani made $16 million over 16 months - has created a few ripples. FDNY Deputy Fire Chief Jim Riches told WCBS 2, "[Giuliani's] making all this money on the backs of my dead son and all the other dead victims that day." And the Village Voice's Wayne Barrett, who co-wrote the book Grand Illusion:The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani and 9/11, said, "He's recycled his 9/11 talk for up to $200,000,......

It's on the cool side but today is the first full day of spring. While winter temperatures linger a day longer than they're supposed to let Gothamist entertain you with links to giant mutant snowflakes and snow donuts. Let us assure you that there is no snow in the forecast. There's a slight chance of light rain mixed with sleet late tonight, but no snow. The rain is a harbinger of an approaching warm......

In less than a year and a half, former Brooklyn Assemblyman and Democratic party boss Clarence Norman was found guilty on corruption charges. This time, a jury found Norman guilty of five counts of coercion, grand larceny by extortion, and attempted grand larceny by extortion related to, as the Daily News put it, "shaking down court candidate Karen Yellen for $10,000" back in 2002. Norman's threat was that she would lose his support if she......

The Village Voice's Wayne Barrett has the scoop on a big case Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes is working on: How disgraced former Brooklyn Democratic party boss Clarence Norman managed to buy a State Supreme Court judgeship for $56,000. Fifty thousand in cash and then $6,000 in stamps ("$3,000 wheels of stamps on sprockets that could be purchased at a General Post Office"). Barrett writes, "When the disturbing details become fully known, Hynes's stunning prosecution may......

- The NY Times reports that the Democratic party will decide on where the 2008 convention will be held either tomorrow or Monday. New York and Denver are the finalist cities; while Denver is attractive for its swing-state quality, NYC can guarantee better "financing, hotel rooms, entertainment space, logistical support and labor union cooperation." - The Politicker has the U.S. Attorney's flow chart detailing how NY Senator Efrain Gonzalez allegedly stole money from federal funds......

The Daily News' Ben Smith looks at a possible stumbling block for Rudy Giuliani's presidential hopes. And it would be a big one. With September 11 fire responders falling ill and memos about the Giuliani administration opening downtown earlier, in spite of EPA warnings, becoming a bigger and bigger story this year, some who hope for "Giuliani 2008" are concerned that Rudy could be vulnerable, the way John Kerry was when the Swift Boat Veterans......

Steven I. Weiss, Journalist/Blogger...