Arun Venugopal

New York, NY —

An elected official in Queens is rolling out an ad campaign on the sides of buses telling boys to pull up their pants.

The campaign, known as "Stop the Sag", is meant to counter what some fear is an international epidemic among the younger generation, namely ...

For a style that is not merely reviled, but a complete hindrance to such acts as walking, running or skipping, low-slung pants have been remarkably resilient. Check out this UC Berkeley advice page for parents on dealing with the problem -- it goes back to the year 2000. Just how have these things stuck around so long?

No matter. Members of New York's black community are starting to say enough. Enough of the shuffling, boys, and enough of the exposed keisters.

Earlier, it was State senator Eric Adams, who took out billboards in the Brooklyn: "Stop the Sag"

Now, it's senator Malcolm Smith, who's placing similar ads on a dozen buses. The $2200 expense is being paid for out of his campaign kitty.

WNYC reporters Bob Hennelly and Arun Venugopal discuss the latest security news, including: a scare in Union Square; the arrests around the Northeast of suspects linked to the Times Square bombing; why the White House and local officials are exchanging jabs over Department of Homeland Security funding; and what the NYPD is doing to protect against home-grown terror threats.

New York, NY —

The arrest of Faisal Shahzad in connection with the attempted bombing in Times Square has still not resulted in any charges. But, along with subsequent arrests made yesterday, it has placed the city's Pakistani community in an uncomfortable position. For young Pakistanis in particular, the ...

Meet Bobby Miga. He's a Christian musician, just moved here from Nashville. The guy's homeless right now -- apparently the family lost it all in the recent, devastating floods. I was drawn to his bright blue cutoffs, his wrist gear and a cross-shaped tattoo on his calf, made up little Chinese characters. But check out that bicep design: the bar code, he says, is morse for 'Man of God.'

New York, NY —

Faisal Shahzad, the suspect in the Times Square car bombing plot, is just one of approximately 650,000 people of Pakistani origin living in the U.S. For some details on the Pakistani diaspora, WNYC's Arun Venugopal spoke with Adil Najam, a professor of International Relations at ...

I hesitate to bring up the Facebook cause "Mayor Bloomberg, take the Hero Street Vendors to Dinner" yet again for fear of seeming like some sort of lackey. After noting it during a discussion with Soterios Johnson, and then with Brian Lehrer, one might wonder what sort of secret pact I have with the vendors -- you give us constant mentions, we provide you with a lifetime's supply of pashmina scarves and snow globes. Oh, we have lots of little yellow cabs as well, you want those?

But if the temptation is great, that's simply because the stakes are so tangible, and so modest. Will the mayor return to Blue Fin, if not a Sbarro pizzeria? Having already honored the police officer who was alerted to the Times Square bomb by the street vendors, does he have it in his heart to honor the vendors themselves?

WNYC reporters Bob Hennelly  and Arun Venugopal discuss the emerging details of Saturday evening's failed bombing attempt in Times Square, from the mysterious CT license plates; the hero street vendors and mounted police; and the newly-released surveillance video of a person of interest.

→ Were you in Times Square on Saturday evening? What did you see and hear on the ground? Tell us your story here.

• TIMES SQUARE BOMB TAKEOUT: WNYC reporter, Arun Venugopal, spoke with tourists and street vendors in Times Square to find out the impact of the attempted bombing this weekend. He catches us up on the reactions, the resilience and on the fast moving police investigation. 
• MONEY TAKEOUT: United and Continental Airlines are merging to become the biggest single airline in the world. Louise Story, finance reporter for The New York Times explains how this might affect the ticket price wars, and why it's likely to pass anti-trust tests.

Times Square had a very close call this weekend. An SUV packed with improvised explosives failed to go off, but officials say that if it had, it may have caused significant damage to the surrounding area, which was filled with tourists. The police and federal investigators are currently examining the ...

Law lu oe-ru fwa nga-l new ziva’u awngahu.

Which is to say, it is clear to me that you want to come with us.

Toruk a-husahaw lu mi lehrrap. (A sleeping Toruk is still dangerous)

To compare the just-opened Broadway musical 'Promises, Promises' to its source material, the 1960 Billy Wilder film 'The Apartment,' is admittedly a bit unfair, a little apple-and-orangey.

More to the point, 'The Apartment' is one of the all-time great New York City movies, a film that beautifully captured an era's conflicting currents: rapid corporate growth and careerism, sexual liberation and sexual exploitation. That it can be classified a romantic comedy seems startling, given the suicide attempt it depicts and the constant melancholy that pervades the film. That's not only a testament to Wilder's craftsmanship and the acting of Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine, but to the era itself, when audiences were sophisticated enough to juggle humor and deep pathos.

Film crews shooting in New York will now have to pay $300 for City Hall permits. These permits had been free since the city established a film office, something the city has proudly advertised. But officials with the Mayor's Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting say with unprecedented budget cuts, ...

This 30-something male accessorizes with a sheet of Bounce Outdoor Fresh.

'Nothing clingy about me, LOL'

But it's kind of sad, because the guy can never actually look at it himself, seeing as it's on the back of his neck. Nor can he apprehend the look on people's faces, when they stand behind him in the elevator, staring at his nape.

I was leaving a mayoral event uptown -- announcing the reopening of the Harlem School of the Arts -- when I caught sight of this sign for an old gas station. The lettering was unremarkable, but I loved how the vines had embedded themselves, something you don't often see in the big city.

I'd just taken my first shot, poking my camera through the chain link fence, when a voice stopped me.

'What are you doing?' the man asked. He was black, probably in his 60s, and he didn't look happy. Turns out he owned the gas station.

Marijuana lovers sang and preached the gospel of grass in Union Square on their high holy day of April 20. They did everything but light up (too many fuzz on the prowl, man). Snacking, however, was strongly encouraged.

...doesn't mean it feels like a foot. Or possesses the sensual, full-bodied bouquet of a foot.