Welcome to the Big Apple Blog Festival (BABF) for December 5, 2005, a representative roundup of the last week’s posts by NYC bloggers.
General News and Events
The Gothamist posts the “Google Mashup of the Moment: Manhattan at Night.” A mapped out guide to the Big City’s 24 hour life.
Living the Scientific Life discovers that beekeeping is popular in New York City. Right in Hell's Kitchen, honey is being produced!
What is more New York City than murder? (Well, since the reign of Rudi Giuliani, the city has become one of the safest in the country. Chicago is now Murder City.) Didn’t your parents warn you, when you moved here from your Podunk home town, that you were risking your life? Well, this fish needs as bicycle discovered that her Upper East Side neighbor had been murdered. Fortunately, our heroine is heading to the Bahamas for R&R.
The Tin Man wonders if he made the right decision when he took a job in Jersey. Did he make the right decision when he decided to become part of a couple? Is he missing out on life in the fast lane in Manhattan? Come on, Tin Man, Jersey is really cool!
The Blues in New York? Sexless in the City has ‘em. Says Anna: “I may be tradin’ me out some soft-jazz recs soon, and replacing them with straight-up, honest blues.” My advice: Listen to Paul Butterfield and Hound Dog Taylor.
Over in Jersey, Mr. Snitch says: “Human-to-human avian flu variant reported.”
Urban Elephants informs us of “Another New York Prom Cancelled,” all to keep the kids away from “decadence, conspicuous consumption, boozing and sex-based culture.” Good luck Principal Skinner!
Catholic Church Policy on Gay Priests
Alarming News explains the Catholic Church’s new policy on gays in the priesthood. I understand perfectly.
Well, maybe I don’t understand that Catholic policy on gays so well. Modern Fabulosity reports that The First Priest Quits, and in the process calls that policy “homophobic.”
The Theater, Movies & Music
nyc stories covers the movie version of the play, “Rent.” A word of advice: Stick with the play. The blogger behind nyc stories, along with the blogger behind Harleys, Cars, Girls & Guitars just completed a week of corporate video shooting. Results to be released at a trade show in Las Vegas in January.
To continue the movie theme, Michael Blowhard discusses his conflicting feelings about “The Passenger” by Michelangelo Antonioni. Can somebody explain to me why 2Blowhards features five blowhards?
Create Digital Music reviews the Audacity waveform editor. What in the hell is that? The computer has (surprise!) become part of the sound recording studio. Audacity is free and that’s a good thing. I’ve used Sound Forge for years, and it isn’t free. I’ll have to take a look at Audacity and see if it’s useful. A waveform editor produces a visual wave picture for each track of recorded audio. That wave can be edited, cut or copied or pasted, etc. This type of software makes audio sounds as pliable as words become in a text editor.
Right here, at Harleys, Cars, Girls & Guitars, a visit to the cubby holes of Tin Pan Alley to repair the electronic piano. Meet Flash, the elderly tech wizard who lives in his 5th floor shop amidst the piles of boxes, circuit boards and credit card receipts.
An Unamplified Voice covers in detail the Metropolitan Opera’s production of An American Tragedy, from the book by Theodore Dreiser. Haven’t read the novel since college. I especially don’t remember the part about a guy with great pecs in bed with a girl in her knickers, but the Voice has a picture.
I’m thinking of subscribing to Sirius Radio (and trying to get them to play my music), so I was particularly interested in Late Final’s piece on signing up and listening to commercial free radio. The Karaoke Queen already has it.
I’ve Got the Blues!
Still riding the Long Island Railroad and hitting the weights to lessen the negative effects of the long commute, Iron rails & iron weights reports on the daily struggle to find an empty seat on the train, or at worst, how to avoid sitting next to an obnoxious fellow sufferer.
Express Train marks the one-year anniversary of posting one image every day from his commute.
There are seven million stories in the Naked City, and mimi in NY is one of them. A self-professed “english motherfucking white bitch writing and pissing off the religious right in New York,” mimi in New York tells the true story of the hard life of cocaine, bad men and writing for the Village Voice. How’d she get to Marcy Ave. in Brooklyn? “I was leaving for America in a few days, running away before I got suckered into the lukewarm state of middle-classdom, responsibility.” It’s the same old story, right?
Out in Queens, you can find Homeschooling in New York City. I sort of like the blogs that focus on the minutae of daily life. They tell a certain truth. I mean, isn’t this a lot of what life is really all about? “So we all went to Kohl’s and J found a perfect dress for the party tomorrow. We also found tights and cute little strappy velvet shoes to go with it.”
Stand Clear of the Closing Doors, Please rides the #7 train to work with the same co-worker every day, but she’s ignored his existence. Finally, she smiles at him!
useless! worthless! insipid! is not happy with a job ad that requires a degree from Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, or Princeton. Over a decade ago, I worked for a white shoe law firm that hired only graduates of Harvard, Yale and the University of Chicago.
Politics & Culture
Does the New York Times intentionally spin economic news to discredit the Bush administration? I’m shocked! Ace of Spades spoofs the Times in “Top Ten Upcoming NYT Headlines On The Economy.” My favorite: “Economists Fret At Growing ‘Luxury Gap’ Between Filthy Rich and Filthy Stinking Rich.”
The Politburo Diktat started out as a sort of cartoonish anti-Stalinist satire, but it has evolved into a political commentary site on contemporary issues. I especially like the graphic of the Soviet commissar in the left hand column. As I recall “Comments” once urged the reader to “Confess and make it easier on yourself, Comrade,” or something like that. I did enjoy this post on the dangers of being a smartass.
Jane Galt, at Asymmetrical Information is one of the really big bloggers. She views the world from the lens of a libertarian economist. Those of you with Bush Derangement Syndrome may want to avoid this post, in which she places the blame for levee failure in New Orleans squarely on the Army Corps of Engineers. She writes: “I demand a special prosecutor to investigate why our president was not performing geological surveys of New Orleans in the days before hurricane struck.” Isn’t Bush to blame for everything?
Overheard in New York seems to have a fetish for shaved balls. Reminds me of a play I once attended at the Ridiculous Theater in the Village, starring the redoubtable (and fictional) Harry Ballskin.
Once I Lived the Life of a Millionaire
A Guy in New York reports that Forbes has released a list of the World’s Most Expensive Restaurants. Now that I am living on only one paycheck, such extravagances are out of my reach.
Slice, “America’s Favorite Pizza Weblog!” explains in great detail (with pictures) how to make your own pizza at home. Finally, useful information in a weblog.
It was a slow week in barbecue, so White Trash BBQ takes the opportunity to educate readers on the BBQ lingo. When I’m an old fart (I mean a really old fart), I want to travel the circuit of BBQ contests and events.
Grab a martini and take a look at the pics in this edition of A Socialite’s Life. Who in the hell is Ryan Phillippe? Why is he the hottest dad? Does he ride a Harley? (Well, you don’t get an answer to that.) Check out the picture of Jennifer Lopez’s boobs.
Isn’t it Amazing!
Amazin’ Avenue, of course, covers the Mets. How I hate the Mets! I was born in Chicago and bred a Cub fan. In any event, Amazin’ covers the free agent signing of Billy Wagner in “Wagner Hates Baserunners.” This weblog has a great collection of links to blogs about other baseball teams… even the Cubs.
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Listed on the ÜberCarnival page.
If you have a NYC blog and want to see something in the next BABF, send us a short write up and a permalink to aguyinnewyork [at] gmail ... see you next week ...
If you made it all the way down here ... do you know why New York City is called the Big Apple? Here are explanations from ... The Society for New York City History (entertaining, but a hoax - see this) ... wikipedia ... New York Public Library ... Barry Popick ...
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