On December 23, 2010, the winning ticket for Iowa's Hot Lotto was purchased at a QuikTrip in Des Moines. No winner emerged—until just before the December 23, 2011 deadline. A lawyer from Bedford, NY claims he holds the winning ticket, worth over $10 million in cash payout, but now Iowa officials are considering a criminal probe. more ›

Today, the NY Times delved into the world of a mystical rabbi, his celebrity followers, high-power publicists, and, not least of all, the rabbi's charity's missing millions as it reported on Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto: "The rabbi’s close followers are disclosing what they say is the source of many of his troubles. They said they told federal investigators that the rabbi had been the victim of a bizarre embezzlement and extortion plot that was carried out by two former members of his inner circle, who stole his congregation’s money and tried to frame him." more ›

Sure, subway commuters are used to seeing some weird stuff on the train, and yes, it's very very hot on the platform, but that doesn't make it okay to drag a giant refrigerator onto the platform and leave it there to rot. more ›

Bedtime stories are typically considered child's play. But one Brooklyn artist is out to change that notion, by offering adults around the city the opportunity to be softly lulled to sleep to by her gentle tones. The only catch? You have to invite her over first. more ›

What with all the bus beatings, iPad muggers and pigeon killers, it's reasonable to feel a bit overwhelmed in the city, in need of some outlet for all that anxiety. One NYer who felt that way decided to channel that frustration into a video project...a very strange video project, involving the ten sign semiotic system of philosopher/mathematician Charles Sanders Peirce. Watch it below: more ›

An Australian man nearly died last week after chugging sweet, sweet hand sanitizer in the attempt to quell his thirst for booze. more ›

In his poem Mending Wall, Robert Frost wrote, "Good fences make good neighbors." But in New York City, you usually don't have fences, just thin walls, which makes being a good neighbor a little more difficult. The Lexiphane shared this photograph with us and writes, "Neighbors in NYC walk-up apartment buildings live in close proximity to each other, and yet are separated by schedules and doors. There is a forced intimacy to apartment building living that can lead to over-brimming frustration, and yet there is a practical physical estrangement that reduces neighbor-to-neighbor confrontations to strongly worded notes left in hallways for all to see." more ›

The Super Bowl is already three days old, but certain controversies just won't go away. No, not the Groupon commercials, nor Christina Aguilera's National Anthem debacle, nor the Black Eyed Peas' Star Trek: The Next Generation halftime crapathon. Only one ridiculous controversy soars above all others: A-Rod and PopCorn gate. more ›

Besides the NORAD's Santa tracking, there are many resources for parents to perpetuate the legend that is Mr. Claus. The Wall Street Journal looks at the tricks of the trade that go beyond eating the cookies and drinking the milk left out at night. For instance, did you realize there's a "Santa's Official Evidence Kit," which includes "Santa's Authentic Sleigh License—dropped accidentally by Santa on his way out of the house" and "Santa's Glove and Glasses—removed and accidentally left behind on the table while Santa was enjoying his milk and cookies." And, yes, there are even Santa boot print kits (sold separately). more ›

Guess he wanted to catch up on the Forum Letters! A Florida prisoner filed a handwritten lawsuit in Manhattan federal court against Penthouse magazine for not fulfilling his subscription request. more ›

Well, it's pretty apparent that Mets general manager Omar Minaya's press conference to announce the firing of VP of player development Tony Bernazard did not go as planned. The NY Times wrote, "Three and a half months into a season marked by bile and buffoonery, the Mets added to the chaos Monday, when they turned a news conference announcing the dismissal of a high-ranking executive into an almost surreal confrontation with a reporter who regularly covers the team." more ›

The Whitestone resident whose 20th Road home was pierced by an arrow Tuesday night spent yesterday showing the damage to reporters. Eric Weinberger told 1010 WINS, "I was coming in from taking out the garbage, then I heard a loud noise...looked up...saw the arrow sticking out of the side of my house. Two seconds earlier and it would have hit me." He pointed out the arrow hit a window frame; just inside was where his wife and a daughter were sitting, "It could have hit one of them, God forbid." The NY Times reports that the police found another arrow down the street and even "deployed" a helicopter, "sweeping the streets with a spotlight." While Weinberger, a Costco receiving manager, says he has no enemies and believes it was a copycat incident, the police said, "At this point the detectives are working on the hypothesis that it was another accidental shooting, and someone is just afraid to come forward." more ›

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We have wondered why people put their cats on leashes and it seems the only answer is "Why not?" Today, the NY Times' City Section confirms that answer, with a charming article about Corcoran broker Court Hassinger whose Abyssinian Radar enjoys constitutionals around the Upper West Side. more ›

Artist and David Byrne collaborator Danielle Spencer (not to be confused with the Danielle Spencer who played Dee in What’s Happening!! or the Australian actress/singer Danielle Spencer married to Russell Crowe) has some pretty creative friends. Every November this Danielle Spencer hosts a pre-Thanksgiving dinner party in which guests make a fake turkey out of various eccentric ingredients. Some of them, like the Quiche turkey (pictured) or the sushi turkey look to be even... more ›