The White House Press Office just sent the long-awaited list of WH seasonal decorations. Rather than give you the long, exhausting list of sconces, crystals, and baubles, we thought we'd tell you only about those arrangements including objects in hot pink.

If Clinton turned the WH into a mansion of sinfulness, the Bushes are turning it into a junior high school gymnastics competition!

Hot pink rose topiaries in vermeil cache-pots, with ball topiaries and crystal candelabra.

Lime green tablecloth with a matching overlay lined in hot pink tops the buffet table.

Hot pink French tulips fill silver pedestals with collars of green pears

Two trees with hot pink roses and white lights flank the crèche

Trees of white azaleas contrast with the hot pink and orange French tulips on the Cross Hall pier tables

Hot pink and orange French tulips in vermeil containers

Feedback!

Posted by leboheme at 02:32 PM

Responding to the secret Bush-Blair memo that purportedly names the Arab world's #1 TV station as a possible target for bombing, some Al Jazeera staffers have set up a blog with the marvellously to-the-point moniker, Don't Bomb Us.

Posted by leboheme at 02:25 PM

This morning at about ten, President Bush will make what's being called a "major speech" on Iraq at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis. Of course we'll bring that to you live. If you're not already listening to WNYC, tune in this morning at 9:32, when our live coverage will begin.

Last night, the White House released a new "National Strategy for Victory in Iraq" (PDF), outlining many of the points the President is expected to make today.

Bush to outline plans to step up training of Iraqi Army (NY Times)

US military pays to plant stories in Iraqi newspapers (LA Times)

Army War College Profs who foresaw Iraq difficulties caution against a withdrawal timetable (ABC)

Sen. Clinton attacks Bush war strategy but refuses to call her vote a mistake (NY Daily News)

FCC backs "a la carte" cable TV plan opposed by cable industry (USA Today)

Posted by leboheme at 08:38 AM

Subject: doesn't just happen to adoptive families
a note on the very personal and sometimes rude questions that strangers will ask about other people's children:
my family background is quite diverse. black american, native american, portuguese, italian, and french on my mother's side; black american, jamaican, and senegalese on my father's side. NO ONE in my family is the same skin tone, or even has the same facial features. My point is: you just have to deal with other people's ignorance in as succinct a manner as possible. be as polite as you can while you let them know that they are being rude, or that there is a better way to ask whatever question they are posing. and your kids will learn to handle themselves assuredly because they KNOW who they are and who their family is.
-SW

Subject: Adoptive parents
People shouldn't assume that a child is adopted simply because they
don't look like a parent. I have 2 biological children, one looks
like me, the other like my husband. My husband is Filipino, I am of
eastern european descent. It is constantly assumed that my daughter
is adopted because she is dark, and I am fair. She (at 8) has been
asked if I'm her real mom. I've been asked what country my daughter
is from, straight out if she's adopted, and more. I want to tell
people how many hours I was in labor with her!
-NP

Subject: How disappointing.
I live in Ithaca, NY where there are lots of adoptive children,
but only a few adoptive African-American children. I wondered why there
are so many children adopted from other countries when there are so many
African-American children in need of being adopted. My personal thoughts
were that there might be a base in our country's "racist" past, but your
guest suggested some other reasons. Unfortunately, time ran out and we
did not get to hear the complete answer. Would you consider asking your
guest the remainder of her answer?
-ML

Subject: eskimo adopted by jew/ identity crisis
My best friend (I'm from Alaska) is an Eskimo, adopted by his Jewish father and Eskimo mother. He was raised with some Jewish traditions, but wasn't encouraged to go through a bar mitzvah. Nowadays, he is a borderline functional alcoholic, and I believe suffers from clinical depression. I don't know whether his problems have their root in an identity crisis, but I'm afraid that this may be true.
-IK

Posted by leboheme at 05:01 PM

In El Diario interview, Ferrer blames the media bias for his loss (NY Times)

Ferrer campaign has $700G in debts (NY Post)

MTA wants looser job rules and cuts to absenteeism (NY Times)

Cop and former WNYC employee shot to death in Brooklyn (NY Times)

NY shootings up 6% this year (NY Post)

Shiite militias commit sectarian killings under police cover in Iraq (LA Times)

Rove's lawyer believes Time reporter's testimony will help him (Washington Post)

Posted by leboheme at 09:08 AM

We shot out of here so quick on Wednesday afternoon, there was no time to confer this honor on Annette from Norwalk: your Thanksgiving song was better than a clice of real pumpkin pie with whipped cream. Click here to listen to it, or here for the entire segment.

Posted by leboheme at 04:34 PM

Rob Walker: New Orleans was his antidote to New York

Posted by leboheme at 02:17 PM

Sy Hersh: American forces in Iraq to shift from the ground to the air (The New Yorker)

US spraying of white phosphorous in Falluja sows mistrust and suspicion among Iraqis (LA Times)

Saddam Hussein trial resumes in Baghdad (The Guardian)

Second Time reporter to testify in CIA leak case (Time Magazine)

City prepares for a possible strike by MTA workers (NY Daily News)

Man pushed to his death on subway tracks (NY Post)

Brooklynites raise money to oppose plans for park (NY Sun)

Posted by leboheme at 09:07 AM

Arye Mekel: Israel's man in New York

Posted by leboheme at 02:26 PM

These come straight from the BL, so you know we'll talk about them on Monday:

"Why Iraq Has No Army" by James Fallows in The Atlantic Monthly

Remarks by US Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) on 11/17/05

Posted by leboheme at 02:11 PM

We'll talk today with Bob Drogin, who with John Goetz broke the story of Curveball, the Iraqi defector who provided evidence which was later used (mis-used, say some) to make the case that Iraq had WMD. Click here to read the article.

BL Blog goes on Thanksgiving break this afternoon, returning Monday 11/28.

Padilla is indicted and loses enemy combatant status (Washington Post)

American convicted of terrorist conspiracy using confession that may have been obtained under torture (BBC)

UK tabloid says Bush wanted to bomb Al Jazeera (Washington Post)

White House put the heat on NY Times in 2002 over Iraq reporting (NY Observer)

Weld pushes self as no liberal to NY GOP (NY Post)

Projected NYC deficit shrinks (NY Sun)

Matt Schuerman analyzes Pataki's and Bloomberg's LMDC maneuverings (NY Observer)

City Council and staff get flu shots (Politicker)

Vatican outlines strict ban on gay priests (365Gay)

Pope Benedict reputedly a clotheshorse (UPI)

Posted by leboheme at 09:28 AM

Advocate for journalists: Beatrice Mtetwa

Posted by leboheme at 03:07 PM

This just in from a listener in Ireland, responding to an earlier query for an obscure Irish dish:

My mother’s recipe would be close to this one. If any herbs were used it would have been parsley. Some call for a bunch of herbs. It might be a good thing to add but it wouldn’t be traditional. A lot of the online recipes call for hard apple cider. The cider in particular is an American addition! The Irish wouldn’t have that available in the 19th century.

--
Tommy Weir
The Old Dispensary
Dromhaire, Leitrim

Posted by leboheme at 02:50 PM

The entire production staff of the BL Show attended a "Syriana" screening last night (at the Times Square Ewalk, just few blocks from the star-studded New York Public Library premiere, as we found out this morning - Thanks, Campbell Robertson!)

Syriana is based on "See No Evil", the memoir of former CIA agent (and BL Show guest) Bob Baer, who worked in the Middle East for more than two decades. The movie is also promoting Oil Change, an advocacy group that's trying to create a movement to wean America off of foreign oil.

What the producers said:

Jim: Digged the film. Kind of like a believable Bourne Identity. I felt privileged going to the advance screening until I saw today's Boldface Names about the star-studded premier at the New York Public Library. Did something like this actually happen to Bob Baer? Did Jon Lee Anderson really do a cameo? Here's another reason why I liked it (no point linking since it's Times Select):

''I could have concentrated on George Clooney's character,'' Mr. Gaghan (the director) said, reflecting on the challenges involved in such a labyrinthine narrative. ''I could have had him in every scene and told the entire story from his point of view. That certainly would have made my life a lot easier over the last several years. But the canvas was too large. These days, if you make a movie about East and West and turn it into a simple piece of disposable entertainment, that seems to me criminal.''

Priya: I think George Clooney looked a bit like Tom Friedman and that Friedman may be a spy.

Ilya: Gripping, did not register as a long movie (2 hous +). On the other hand, all the stock characters were there: the renegade agent, the agency higher-ups shutting him out, the corrupt oilmen and the morally-tainted lawyers.

Seen Syriana, or anything else you want to share? Email us!

Posted by leboheme at 10:27 AM

Former Florida Senator Bob Graham joins us this morning. Here is his Washington Post editorial, "What I Knew Before the Invasion".

Iraqis meeting in Cairo call for phased US withdrawal (NY Times)

Haaretz analysis: Sharon thought long and hard about break with Likud (Haaretz)

NY Sun analysis: Sharon disappoints us (NY Sun)

Spitzer touts Albany reform plans (NY Post)

Suozzi rips Spitzer over Medicaid fraud, signaling desire to run for gov (Newsday)

Sens Graham and McCain have worries for the GOP (AP)

GM job cuts could turn Toyota into world's largest auto maker (LA Times)

Posted by leboheme at 09:23 AM

Two articles from this weekend's papers eluded this producer's attention until now, and are well worth reading. Both cast doubt on the administration's claims about pre-war intelligence.

How U.S. Fell Under the Spell of 'Curveball'
In the LA Times, Bob Drogin and John Goetz write that five German intel agents say the White House mischaracterized an Iraqi defector's statements on banned weapons. "Curveball"'s testimony was cited as key evidence that Iraq had banned weapons, but the Germans say his statements were twisted and exaggerated.

"Assessment of White House Arguments Uncovers Flaws"
Knight-Ridder's James Kuhnehnn carefully examines the administration's talking points on the pre-war intel debate: whether "all" western intel agencies "agreed" on Iraq and WMD, Congress had "the same intelligence", "no evidence" was found of political pressure.

Posted by leboheme at 04:15 PM

Galima Bukharbaeva explains what she saw at Andijan

Ever since JetBlue flight 292 was forced to do a 180 and make an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport, we've noticed CNN seems to be obsessed by any aeronautical snafu, no matter how small, provided it takes place at least 10 feet in the air. Here is today's hot story, about a Nike corporate jet. Curiously, CNN.com has nothing on this
-ed.

Stop the presses: Nike's corporate Jet is in trouble!

Posted by leboheme at 02:42 PM

McCain, Graham, and Warner form congressional counterweight to administration (NY Times)

Pentagon gives mixed messages on white phosphorous (NY Times)

Katrina recovery could cost much more than $100b (Washington Post)

Sharon and Peres quit their parties to show new National Responsibility Party (Yedioth Ahronoth)

GOP spins '85 Alito statements on abortion and quotas (Slate)

Candidates for NY council speaker try to build support (NY Sun)

MTA may introduce new technology to replace MetroCards (NY Daily News)

Schumer calls New York airports the most delay-prone in the nation (NY Daily News)

Posted by leboheme at 10:22 AM

Jonathan Miller setting BL listeners straight on the different between imitation and emulation

Evangeline Morphos, Scott Elliott and Allan Buchman herald good times for independent theater in New York

Posted by leboheme at 12:42 PM

House OKs deep spending cutsd to programs for the poor (Washington Post)

From East Asia, Bush fires back at Congressman who dropped support for Iraq war (NY Times)

CIA draws closer to foreign intel agencies in effort to nab terrorists (Washington Post)

Bloomberg reaches highest-ever approval rating (NY Sun)

The newspaper business is profitable, after all (AP-Yahoo)

SI woman sues Dunkin Donuts for $15m over coffee burns (NY Daily News)

Posted by leboheme at 09:18 AM

BL's interview with the Kitchen Sisters, Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva, led to a conversation in the hallway outside our studio about Diamond District resturants and the Dublin Coddle recipe which grandma took with her to the grave.

Anyone out there got a good hand-me-down formula for Dublin Coddle? Share it, or any other recipes from the ancestors.

Email:
Subject: jamaican fruitcake
Just heard this caller inquiring about this -- there is a recipe for what sounds like exactly this cake -- a rich, black caribbean fruitcake -- in Laurie Colwin's book, Home Cooking (from 1988). I've always wanted to make it. :)
-JF

Subject: The Jamaican Fruit Cake
THe caller looking for the 'Fruit Cake' can find the recipe for hte dessert by googling the term "Black Cake" (as the colour of the cake is very close to black). It can be found nearly anywhere in Flatbush, Brooklyn, which is a West Indian enclave.
-DD

Subject: The Lead Cake
I had that cake in Little Cayman, West Indies in 1990, and it blew my
mind. The cook created it in an outdoor oven built in sand. Heavy as
lead. Delicious.
-AG

Subject: fruitcake not jamaican
Fruit cake is a commonwealth thing. Australians always have fruit cake at this time of year. AND we have fruit pudding after Xmas dinner. (Of course we also have shrimp and oysters because it's 100 degrees) Oh.. do I miss it.
-PC

Subject: Dinner at the block grandmother's house
My parents have lived in the same house on 10th Street in Park Slope for
27 years. Sophie Stoll, who lived two doors down until her death last
November, lived on the block from 1953 on. Every child on this block grew
up with Sophie as 'Aunt' or 'Grandma' Sophie as our babysitter, and every
child over 10 here can remember going to Sophie's house for dinner at
least once a week, even when we were well past the age of needing a
babysitter. Sophie's food was anything but exceptional -- usually
Raviolli out of a can, or Gordon's Fish sticks on Friday (no meat on
Fridays, of course, whatever Vatican II might say) -- but those meals are
something that all of us, now in our twenties and thirties, share, as
shown by the fact that there were more than 20 of us at her funeral.

But Sophie also brought the community together in a different way. People
always forget that in this community there are very many old people, many
of whom live on fixed incomes. Whenever we held a block party or get
together, the leftovers would always go to Sophie, who would bring them to
the local chruch and distribute them to the local elderly.
-SD

Posted by leboheme at 04:03 PM

Check out From The Desk of Patrick J. Fitzgerald for a highly irreverent, first-person take on the US Attorney's being named one of People Magaine's "sexiest".

Posted by leboheme at 08:54 AM

Bloomberg and Pataki tap top associates for the LMDC (NY Daily News)

Seifman: appointees set stage for Gov-Mayor showdown (NY Post)

Bob Woodward disclosure throws CIA leak case into tailspin (LA Times)

Woodward apologizes to Wapo for keeping secret (Washington Post)

Cheney lashes out at those who charge White House deception (NY Times)

Patriot Act to be renewed, mostly intact (Washington Post)

Flight 587 memorial design unveiled (NY Daily News)

Annan unveils $100 laptop intended for the poor (BBC)

Patrick Fitzgerald one of People Magazine's "sexiest" (People)

Posted by leboheme at 08:50 AM

You can't blame Bloomy for other people's depictions of him, expecially if the likeness is done in hummus (thanks to The Sun)...

but he looks more stiff than a pile of hummus in this ten gallon hat and sporting a guitar (thanks to Gothamist)

Posted by leboheme at 02:18 PM

Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain

Posted by leboheme at 01:45 PM

Bob Woodward testified in CIA leak case (Washington Post)

Britain plans exit from Iraq (The Guardian)

Torture alleged in Iraqi-run prisons (NY Times)

Pentagon admits use of chemical that causes burns in Iraq (Seattle Times)

New York loses 9/11 funds (Newsday)

City Education Department to adopt uniform standard for "gifted and talented" (NY Times)

The Politicker and Gawker ask- what other groups did Bloomberg target? (The Politicker)

Internet remains American-run (BBC)

Posted by leboheme at 08:46 AM

This email from the White House Press office ("Setting The Record Straight") caught our interest yesterday. It seems to signal a new aggressiveness in striking back at Democrats who say that W "misled" the American people, as Stevenson and Jehl aptly describe in today's Times.

Will it work? Will Democrats get scared? Is this blurring the lines between press office and political work? Stay tuned for more...

Read below the jump for the entire text of the release

Setting The Record Straight:

Sen. Levin On Iraq

Sen. Levin (D-MI) Tries To Separate Iraq From The War On Terror. SEN. LEVIN: "But before the war, the President was saying that you cannot distinguish between Saddam Hussein and Iraq. As a matter of fact, he said that so often that he tried to connect Saddam Hussein with the attackers on us, on 9/11, so often, so frequently and so successfully, even though it was wrong, that the American people overwhelmingly thought, because of the President's misstatements that as a matter of fact, Saddam Hussein had participated in the attack on us on 9/11. That was a deception. That was clearly misinformation. It had a huge effect on the American people." (CNN's "American Morning," 11/14/05)

But Sen. Levin And Other Democrats Previously Said That Iraq Was A Part Of The War On Terror.

· Sen. Levin: "The War Against Terrorism Will Not Be Finished As Long As [Saddam Hussein] Is In Power." (CNN's "Late Edition," 12/16/01)

· Sen. Levin: "We Begin With The Common Belief That Saddam Hussein Is A Tyrant And A Threat To The Peace And Stability Of The Region." (Committee On Armed Services, U.S. Senate, Hearing, 9/19/02)

· Sen. Clinton (D-NY): "[Saddam] Has Also Given Aid, Comfort, And Sanctuary To Terrorists, Including Al-Qaida Members, Though There Is Apparently No Evidence Of His Involvement In The Terrible Events Of September 11, 2001. … This Much Is Undisputed." (Sen. Hillary Clinton, Congressional Record, 10/10/02, p. S10288)

· Sen. Kerry (D-MA) Says Saddam Hussein Is Part Of The "Global Menace" Of Terrorism. CNN'S LARRY KING: "What about enhancing this war, Senator Kerry. What are your thoughts on going further than Afghanistan, all terrorist places …" KERRY: "Oh, I think we clearly have to keep the pressure on terrorism globally. This doesn't end with Afghanistan by any imagination. And I think the president has made that clear. I think we have made that clear. Terrorism is a global menace. It's a scourge. And it is absolutely vital that we continue, for instance, Saddam Hussein." (CNN’s "Larry King Live," 12/14/01)

Sen. Levin Admits That Democrats Also Believed That Saddam Hussein Had Weapons Of Mass Destruction (WMD). SEN. LEVIN: "You know, the administration continues to talk about everybody believed that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. That is true, but that isn't the issue." (CNN's "American Morning," 11/14/05)

· Sen. Clinton: "In The Four Years Since The Inspectors, Intelligence Reports Show That Saddam Hussein Has Worked To Rebuild His Chemical And Biological Weapons Stock, His Missile Delivery Capability, And His Nuclear Program. ... It Is Clear, However, That If Left Unchecked, Saddam Hussein Will Continue To Increase His Capability To Wage Biological And Chemical Warfare And Will Keep Trying To Develop Nuclear Weapons." (Sen. Hillary Clinton, Congressional Record, 10/10/02, p. S10288)

· Sen. Rockefeller (D-WV): "There Is Unmistakable Evidence That Saddam Hussein Is Working Aggressively To Develop Nuclear Weapons. And Will Likely Have Nuclear Weapons Within The Next Five Years. And Then Could Have It Earlier If He's Able To Obtain Materials On The Outside Market Which Is Possible. Difficult But Possible." (Sen. John Rockefeller, Congressional Record, 10/10/02, Pg.S10306)

· Sen. Kerry: "According To The CIA's Report, All U.S. Intelligence Experts Agree That Iraq Is Seeking Nuclear Weapons. There Is Little Question That Saddam Hussein Wants To Develop Nuclear Weapons." (Sen. John Kerry, Congressional Record, 10/9/02, pp. S10172-10173)

· Rep. Pelosi (D-CA): "Saddam Hussein Certainly Has Chemical And Biological Weapons. There's No Question About That." (NBC's "Meet The Press," 11/17/02)

Posted by leboheme at 03:35 PM

Charles Gargano: defending the governor's record on development

Michael Gross: chronicling the lives of the rich and famous

Posted by leboheme at 03:10 PM

Rice brokers Israel-Palestinian deal to patrol borders and construct Gaza port (Haaretz)

Bloomberg team broke likely voters down into unlikely categories (NY Times)

Ferrer campaign owes $700k (NY Post)

Senators reach a deal on enemy combatants' legal rights (Washington Post)

Bloomberg renews bid for commuter tax (NY Newsday)

Subway ridership reaches 34-year high (NY Sun)

Fares for seniors slashed (NY Post)

New research suggests cold temperature does cause colds (NY Sun)

Blogger Andrew Sullivan moves to Time magazine (andrewsullivan.com)

McGreevey has a new boyfriend (NY Daily News)

"Borat" un-welcome in Kazakhstan (BBC)

Posted by leboheme at 08:49 AM

Jordan bomber confesses (Chicago Sun-Times)

American forces may have detained and released Jordan bomber (ABC News)

Forrester blams Bush for loss (Star-Ledger)

Even non-competititve city council races were expensive for NY taxpayers (NY Post)

Strike causes rift between faculty and president at NYU (NY Sun)

Libby's notes were a major help to investigators (Washington Post)

Jeb refuses to rule out WH bid (Washington Post)

Chalabi visits the NY Sun edit board (NY Sun)

About 135,000 sign up for TimesSelect in its first two months (Editor & Publisher)

Posted by leboheme at 09:24 AM

Listen to today's "Evolving Intelligence" segment featuring Laurie Goodstein, national correspondent for The New York Times.

Subject: Flying Spaghetti Monster?
Was the Flying Spaghetti Monster mentioned during the Dover debate regarding Intelligent Design?
-MP

Subject: Intelligent Design - Solution
Here's the solution to the controversy--declare Charles Darwin to be God. Evolution is now both science AND religion. Seriously, I was taught that a scientific theory was, by definition, a testable theory, not a belief. Creation science is not science but a thinly veiled attempt to force religion into the schools, where it does NOT belong.
-HR

Subject: Intelligent Design in General
From my (extremely limited, sideline view) scientific standpoint, making this intelligence design thing a politically polarized debate hinders our understanding of biology. Why isn't there "intelligence" in cell biology? Any nano-technologist trying to build cell-sized machines would recognize intelligence in the harmonious interaction of molecules, but an "intelligence" that's better described by modern computing paradigms such as evolutionary computation and distributed intelligence. Why do we have to get caught up in such a narrow, even outdated version of intelligence as some Prime Mover sitting on a cloud, creating nature in a top-down manner? And if there is a God, does He or She like being shoehorned into our pitiful notions of intelligence and creation?
-JB

Subject: Theories
There is no such thing as a proven theory. Theories can only be proven false. Every student of science knows this. That evolution is not proven could also be said of relativity, Newton’s gravity, and the physics of the transistors that we use everyday.
-MK, a [self-proclaimed] career scientist

Posted by leboheme at 02:10 PM

Posted by leboheme at 01:16 PM

Over at the Politicker, Ben Smith is running a caption contest, featuring Smith's favorite photos of Bloomberg and Ferrer from the campaign. We love this contest so much, we're thinking of stealing the idea.

"Enter the dragon"?..."Call me when you're less 'green'"?

Posted by leboheme at 09:32 AM

Proposed spending cuts pulled over Republican infighting in Congress (Washington Post)

Administration punches back over Iraq deception charges (Washington Post)

Senate votes to strip detainees of rights (NY Times)

Rove makes first public speech since Fitzgerald indictment (Washington Post)

Judy Miller does "Larry King" (Romenesko)

Weekend of Nov. 12-13 promises subway snarls (NY Daily News)

Release of H & M line by Stella McCartney provokes long lines, bad behavior (NY Post)

Posted by leboheme at 09:08 AM

Only the folks at Cato could come up with such a happy gloss on Michael Bloomberg's outspending Fernando Ferrer by a factor of more than 10 to 1.

Below is a snippet of an email that came in from Cato yesterday. Click here for Patrick Basham's full article in the National Review.

Posted by leboheme at 04:43 PM

Kate Ascher: in love with New York's innards

Lewis Lapham: it happened 37 years ago on the banks of the Ganges...

Posted by leboheme at 04:24 PM

Today Brian speaks with Kate Ascher, executive vice president of the Economic Development Corporation and author of The Works: Anatomy of a City.

The book contains scores of fascinating maps, charts, and diagrams. Here are five we thought you'd enjoy (click on the images below to enlarge):

How water towers work

Subway ridership throughout the day

JFK Airport

Where fruit comes from

Trees around New York City

Posted by leboheme at 08:57 AM

Al Qaeda claims responsibility for bombings of three hotels in Jordan (ABC)

Upstart ousts Peres as Labor leader in Israel (Haaretz)

Former British diplomat reveals secrets of Iraq war planning and Bohemian Grove in serialized memoirs (The Guardian)

Crime plummets in post-Katrina New Orleans (NY Times)

Judith Miller leaves The New York Times (NY Times)

2012 date for projected completion of new subway line (NY Daily News)

Eight new faces, all Democrats, prepare to join City Council (NY Sun)

Barbra Streisand has a blog

Posted by leboheme at 08:39 AM

Blogger Morrison writes that "The UMP, the political party of French interior Minister, Nicholas Sarkozy, has turned to Google Ads to drive support for a petition to support his tough stance against the riots in Paris."

Which is funny, since the French National Library has taken a stance towards the search engine that makes the Bush-Chirac relationship look like a warm, wet bisou. Another minitel? MORE

Posted by leboheme at 03:52 PM

BL Blogger was up late at Forrester HQ in Princeton last night and asks your forgiveness for getting this up so late. Before you clear the cache in your brain reserved for Doug Forrester, please stop to appreciate the letter-ballons which made the stage look, in the words of a photographer, "like a liquor store".

In fact, the mood was sober

Bloomberg wins by 20%, Ferrer carries Bx, black and Hispanic vote (NY Daily News)

Corzine bests Forrester by 11% (Star-Ledger)

Questions on the Pace Poll, "lose with dignity" makes Ferrer a sort-of winner (The Politicker)

Bloomberg's new priorities could include WTC site redevelopment, getting budget powers from Albany, and East River tolls (NY Times)

New York says yes to transportation bonds, no to new legislature budget powers (NY Sun)

Texas voters OK gay marriage ban (Houston Chronicle)

Defense contractor's campaign spending intertwined with growth of secret military budget (USA Today)

Blair loses vote to allow 90-day detentions in Britain (Washington Post)

50 Cent to be GQ Man of the Year (NY Daily News)

Feedback!

Posted by leboheme at 12:46 PM

Ferrer over Bloomberg by a landslide
Corzine and Forrester in a dead heat
Yes to Proposal 2 (to fund public transportation)
Lisa Hahn for City Council in Glen Rock

Click here to listen to our informal, unofficial, thoroughly unscientific exit poll.

Selected feedback (misspellings included):

Subject: Voting machines
That sound effect you're using of the voting machine lever being pulled
sounds like a cash register (recording Bloomberg votes...).
-SJV

Subject: voting for freddie
I voted for freddie---against the bloomberg SPENDING...under cutting election spending laws .....outrageous how much the man spend when people are going hungry and in need of better housing....

I know it is his money....but it shows a lack of compassion
-AGS

Subject: voting sound effectWhat are you going to do for a "voting sound effect" when we don't have the pull machines any more? Beeps? Woo-hoos from the candidate voted for?
-KS

Subject: bloomberg and the jets stadium
Proposals for stadiums there have been kicking aournd sinde the 70s. They were bad ideas then and bad now. A boondoogle that would have cost the city millions if not billions. Someone that intelligent would know this. The stadium was only to get a couple of people rich. And that is moral corruption if not legal. I'm voting for Ferrar.-EA

Subject: transportation bond issueone aspect of this transportation bond issue I've not heard mentioned even in your recent discussion of it, is the fact that since the 40s there have been 2 or maybe 3 similar borrowings to build the 2nd Ave subway and in each case the money disappeared under the stewardship of NY politicians w/o a subway being built
-JH

Posted by leboheme at 02:33 PM

Today is Election Day, with important races in New York City and New Jersey. If you listen to this show regularly and are registered, you have no excuse for not voting. So get out to your polling place and do it!

Help:
212-VOTE-NYC
877-NJVOTER

That also means we'll do our traditional informal, unofficial, thoroughly unscientific (and thoroughly inaccurate, sniggers the producer) exit poll.

One in ten undecided in NJ, Forrester would need 2 our of 3 to win (Star-Ledger)

Gloomy NY Dems ponder their future (NY Sun)

Invention promises a smoother subway ride and protection from germs (NY Daily News)

Pentagon to issue new interrogation guidelines (NY Times)

DeFrank: Bush-Cheney relationship under strain (NY Daily News)

CBS and NBC to offer their programs on-demand to DirecTV owners (BBC)

Supreme Court to rule on military commissions to try terrorists (Washington Post)

Ancient Iraqi treasures still missing (Washington Post)

Classified intel budget disclosed with a slip of the tongue (NY Times)

California church may lose nonprofit status over antiwar activities (LA Times)

Posted by leboheme at 09:02 AM

Busy day here in BL Show producer-land (Bill Cunningham and Jen Bluestein aren't the only ones working hard before the election), but we have to take a moment to share these hilarious instructions from the ergonomic optical mouse that recently took up residence in our office.

Call me if it doesn't get better after a week

The ergonomic optical mouse

Posted by leboheme at 04:53 PM

Violence in france worsens, first death reported (NYT)

Corzine holds slim lead on election eve (Star Ledger)

“National Security” letters sent rises from 300 to 30,000 per year since Patriot Act became law (Washington Post)

Cruiser attacked by pirates off coast of Somalia (AP)

Yahoo and TiVo join forces (NYT)

Tyco executives paraded in jumpsuits (The Smoking Gun)

Posted by leboheme at 11:02 AM

Listen to today's "Patients is a Virtue" segment featuring New York Times staff reporters John Leland, who wrote the article, "The Money Trap," and Jan Hoffman, who wrote the article, "Overwhelmed by Choice." Both pieces appeared in the paper's "Being a Patient" series.

Subject: Making Your Own Health Decisions
[...] until relatively recently people either doctored themselves or made decisions with their "healers" about the proper route to take for treatment.

don't be afraid. do the homework. ask every question and, if need be, fight the system when you think you're right. my family has and we have many examples of being right when the "docs" were wrong.
-BS

Subject: Prescription Assistance Program
For people needing help paying for medication, they can turn to the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (https://www.pparx.org). 1-888-4PPA-NOW
-DD

Subject: Healthcare discussion
Just fyi, NJ residents can go to http://www.rx4nj.org to get free or covered prescriptions and it links to many options, including programs set up by pharmacutical companies.
-LB

Subject: Health Care Madness?
[...] If the NYT reporters are in possession of this information, why isn't the Times editorial board advocating on a daily basis for a national single-payer system? Is it our purpose in life to accomodate corporate profits?
-PK

Subject: Insurance Mandates
I am the last person to stand up for the insurance companies, but as a business, they are required to spread their risk based on what treatments and drugs they must cover. It is incredibly easy for legislators to simply require blanket coverage for fertility treatments and acid reflux drugs, but since the money comes from the employers and consumers and not the taxpayers (except in the case od Medicaid) some people are going to get hit harder than others.

If we are going to move to a more equitable system, we have to decide to cover everyone equally and make decisions as a society what kind of coverage is fair.
-SU

Posted by leboheme at 03:08 PM

Jon Corzine was on our show today (click here for that), but if you're still undecided between him, Doug Forrester, Jeffrey Pawlowski, and Hector Castillo, there's always the gramatically-impaired gym buff Eddie McOwskey, whose heroes are Jesus and Spider-Man.

Posted by leboheme at 11:10 AM

Ragin' Cajun Congressman Charlie Melancon somehow got his hands on former FEMA Director Michael Brown's emails written during the Hurricane Katrina disaster. And he's making them available on his website here, complete with the congressman's analysis.

While not exactly damning, they are a cautionary tale for anyone who's ever used company email to gripe about a tough assignment or look for a dog-sitter.

Posted by leboheme at 09:46 AM

BL has interviewed the many of the minor party candidates for Mayor of New York and Governor of New Jersey, our first ever web-only feature. Click here to listen to the interviews.

Posted by leboheme at 09:26 AM

Corzine's ex-wife featured in Corzine ad (Star-Ledger)

Bush approval at new low (Washington Post)

Snow aims to halve budget deficit by end of Bush term (Financial Times)

Romania and Poland to be investigated for CIA prisons (NY Times)

Paris riots spread (Al Jazeera)

Musharraf delays purchase of F-16s in order to provide more quake aid (BBC)

Conservative former CPB chief Tomlinson quits (Washington Post)

City teachers approve new contract (NY Post)

MTA files to trademark "See Something, Say Something" (NY Sun)

Microsoft follows Google's foray into digitized books (Financial Times)

Posted by leboheme at 08:59 AM

Randall Bourscheidt: promoting the arts in New York

Weschler in the foreground, Murch in the background

Posted by leboheme at 03:20 PM

Doug Forrester profile likens candidate to Jimmy Carter (NY Times)

NYPD and Australian police force will each deploy an officer on each other's turf in 2006 (NY Sun)

Poland and Romania "likely locations" of CIA detention centers (Financial Times)

Al Qaeda operative escapes US custody in Afghanistan (NY Times)

Oliver Stone begins filming 9/11 movie in NYC (AP)

Musicians go on strike at Radio City (NY Newsday)

The Bronx has a lock on NYC's worst subway stations (NY Daily News)

Posted by leboheme at 08:55 AM

Soo Kim Abboud

Jane Kim

Posted by leboheme at 12:31 PM

Click on the image below to find out what'll be on the menu when Charles and Camilla visit George and Laura.

Posted by leboheme at 12:20 PM

Once again, The Politicker's Ben Smith live-blogged it.

Posted by leboheme at 09:21 AM

Ferrer and Bloomberg blast each other's records in final mayoral debate (NY Sun)

Forrester and Corzine trade barbs over financial dealings in WBGO debate (Star-Ledger)

DeLay legal team forces removal of judge from case (Dallas Morning News)

Secret US detention facilities come under new scrutiny (Washington Post)

Charles and Camilla make a splash at MoMA (NY Post)

NY Sun editorial board advises Michelin to go back to France (NY Sun)

Posted by leboheme at 09:02 AM