Wall Street and the federal government played a game of chicken over the weekend, and neither side backed down, pushing Lehman Brothers toward bankruptcy and setting off worries of a worldwide sell-off when markets open on Monday.
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Barry Popik's blogBlack Monday on Wall Street Today?Black Monday on Wall Street? I'm feeling it. New York City and New York State are feeling it. America is feeling it. Feeling broke, that is. Jittery Road Ahead
"Make money, pay taxes" (Don't volunteer!)
Sunday Daily News editorial: Dump Sheldon SilverI give the chances of this happening as slim and none. Still, it's getting to be quite an editorial chorus. --B.P.
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2008/09/07/2008-09-07_dump_sheldon_silver.html Dump Sheldon SilverSunday, September 7th 2008, 4:00 AM The time has come for the voters of lower Manhattan to turn Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver out of office.
Today's Dow dropped 345 points (3%)--what's it all about?While everyone's looking at Sarah Palin and anticipating John McCain's speech tonight, a quick look at the stock market showed a 345-point drop (3%) in one day. OUCH! What's going on here? Wasn't the worst supposed to be over? Wasn't the recovery supposed to be started? Personally, my finances have been slaughtered this past year. It would be nice to know about the major players who started today's selloff. Certainly, there wasn't all bad news today. The price of oil went down again. What appears clear is that 2008 is shaping up to be a miserable economic year. The political implications should be obvious.
Don't let the NY Sun go down!Thursday's New York Sun contains a letter from editor Seth Lipsky: "The Future of the Sun." By the end of this month, the Sun might rise no longer. The newspaper business is a risky one in these times. Almost all newspapers--regardless of political persuasion--are losing circulation. The NY Sun has always been a spectacular gamble these past six years. A new conservative newspaper for New York City? The NY Sun has many virtues for such a small paper. It brings welcome coverage of local politics, arts, sports, and real estate/business. For me, the opinions and editorials are always worth reading--whether I agreed or even frequently disagreed.
Origin of "Most dangerous place is between Schumer and a camera"Today's New York Post editorial follows up on its story from the Democratic National Convention, where Senator Chuck Schumer took the microphone away from Governor David Paterson. Truly, the most dangerous place in the world. Who first said that? Bob Dole said this about then-Rep. Schumer in 1995. However, Dole didn't invent the quip. Texas Senator Phil Gramm (the "nation of whiners" guy) was long known for his "grammstanding" for the media and taking credit for things he had nothing to do with. By at least 1984, the most dangerous place to be in Washington was between Phil Gramm and a tv camera. Squadron's support (another Dicker scoop)Fred Dicker has the Malcolm Smith-esque scoop: Mayor Bloomberg is sending Deputy Mayor and top political operative Kevin Sheekey on a secret mission to the Satmar Hasidic community in Brooklyn as soon as today in hopes of lining up support for Daniel Squadron, who is challenging longtime incumbent Sen. Martin Connor in next week's Democratic primary.
NY Post endorsement: Newell for AssemblyStill the longest of longshots, but one can always hope. Change! http://www.nypost.com/seven/08242008/postopinion/editorials/newell_for_assembly_125822.htm Posted: 3:21 am Democratic voters in Lower Manhattan have a chance to send a dramatic message on Primary Day, Sept. 9: They can bring down Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver - and shake Albany's pay-to-play culture to its core.
CFB is broken (Moskowitz v. Stringer covered up!)Campaign finance is broken in New York City. One large campaign finance loophole has been revealed just this week in a long-delayed, well-hidden-from-view CFB decision on the 2005 Moskowitz-Stringer Manhattan Borough President race. On August 14, 2008, the Campaign Finance Board (after a mere three years!) ruled against Eva Moskowitz in her CFB complaint against Scott Stringer and the Working Families Party regarding the 2005 Democrat primary for Manhattan Borough President. Surely you read about this decision, didn't you? It was in...actually, no newspaper wrote a story. Only the hard-working Elizabeth Benjamin wrote a short note about it in her NY Daily News "Daily Politics" blog. What do Stringer and Moskowitz think about the decision? No one asked them!
Ny Times errs on Seneca Village--There IS a plaque!The New York City history article in today's NY Times ("These Tour Guides Know the History Not Found on Plaques") is simply wrong. No one on the Times knows New York? No one even bothers to check? The article has a tour guide stating that there is no plaque for what used to be Seneca Village (now Central Park), but there is one. The Times has a new "City Room" internet section, and I'm wondering where I could point this out. FYI: I've long argued that the city should be getting into the plaque business instead of the needing-a-secret-decoder-ring street sign business. History in NYC remains haphazard and politicized. King Marty, Queen Mary and the Public's Right to KnowLast month, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz got a free cruise on the Queen Mary (a company doing business with the city). Markowitz stated that he went to the Conflicts of Interest Board, and its opinion "speaks for itself." I wrote to the COIB and--like virtually every city agency--received no reply. I wrote again and someone (miller@coib.nyc.gov) sent this:
Kellner 64%-Camp 36%Kellner wins. http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=70440 Democrat Micah Kellner Wins Upper East Side State Assembly Seat June 05, 2007 With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Micah Kellner was declared the winner Tuesday night of an Upper East Side state Assembly seat. Kellner, a Democrat, beat out Republican Greg Camp with 64.36 percent of the votes to fill the 65th District seat left vacant by former Assemblyman Alexander "Pete" Grannis. This was a special election, so only die-hards showed up. Camp (the Republican candidate) was endorsed by Mayor Bloomberg, the Citizens Union, the New York Sun, and even the New York Times. The NY Times pointed out that Camp was "an unusual Republican" who supported abortion, gay rights, and was against the death penalty. Terrorism vs. Lightning (What odds are greater?)Is a New Yorker more likely to get killed from a terrorist attack or from lightning? Mayor Bloomberg's response to the JFK terror plot suggested that New Yorker's have much more to fear from lightning. So why do we see "If You See Something, Say Something" signs, and no signs about lightning? Why did Mayor Bloomberg warn about terrorism on October 6, 2005, just before the Apollo Theatre mayoral debate? Let's look at Mayor Bloomberg's statement, and then some of the facts.
NYC HISTORY QUIZ: America's Oldest Dance Troupe Is...NY1 did a story on the Martha Graham Dance Company. Is this "America's Oldest Dance Troupe"? The company performed on Wall Street as part of the River-to_River Festival (http://www.rivertorivernyc.com/), and I certainly don't discourage going to see it. NY1's story was this: http://www.ny1.com/ny1/index.jsp America's Oldest Dance Troupe Performs On Wall Street It was the perfect weather Friday for outdoor enjoyment of a historic event, as Martha Graham Dance Company performed on Wall Street. The "oldest" claim appears on the Martha Graham Dance Company website: Queen Mary & King MartyHow can Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz receive a free cruise on the Queen Mary? This is valued at a bit more than $50 from someone doing business with the City of New York. Today's New York Post reports that the Conflict of Interest Board says it's all OK, but I don't see any such decision in the COIB database (http://www.citylaw.org/cityadmin.php). I wrote to the COIB today and asked for an explanation. You can, too. Maybe the COIB will respond. This just doesn't seem right. NEW YORK POST LINK:  |
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