Uproar over the Yankees' wish for another $350 million in tax-free bonds from the city--the Yankees already have over $900 million in tax-free bonds, but needs the city to push the IRS to allow even more tax-free funding, has resulted in some great quotes: Regarding how sports teams like the Yankees, Mets, and Nets get hundreds of millions in tax-free financing from the state and city governments, Assemblyman Richard Brodsky said, "These decisions are being......

There may be March Madness in the air, but East Village Idiot has the cure for New Yorkers who can't get behind the NCAA: March Radness, which take 64 disparate NYC moments/ people/ objects/ stores/ trends/ nonsense and sees who will reign supreme. Some key matchups are:Bloomberg Region - The U.E.S Crowd (seeded 7) vs. The B&T; Crowd (10) - Trans Fat (1) vs. Rats at Taco Bell (16) Isiah Region - The Knicks......

It's official: Barclays Bank has bought naming rights to the Brooklyn Nets' future arena in the Atlantic Yards project. Naturally, there's a website: Barclays Center - Planned Home of the Nets. Cute how it says "Planned," right? And this map showing how all routes lead to the "Barclays Center" is pretty funny. We noticed a few things on the site. Three Nets players were highlighted: Vince Carter, Nenad Krstic, and jersey-popping Richard Jefferson. There's......

The Atlantic Yards Project's public meeting last night was packed with Brooklyn residents wanting to have their say. WNBC reported that hundreds of people were waiting outside the New York City College of Technology, since the auditorium was full, and inside, "the crowd became unruly, cheering wildly for their cause until security was called in to remove a few of the audience members." That sounds about right - and they had lots of signs......

- Bronx students want sex ed classes; it's crazy that 12-13 year olds haven't taken sex ed classes yet - A plane headed from LaGuardia to Cincinatti was diverted to JFK because of engine trouble; luckily planes have more than one engine - the passengers and crew are okay - State senators want to repeal the 5 year statute of limitations on rape cases - Jonathan Lethem writes his letter asking Frank Gehry to......

Nets player Cliff Robinson has been suspended for five games after violating the NBA's drug policy. What the violation was exactly is unclear, but what is clear is that the suspension is effective tonight's Game 3 against the Miami Heat and that it wipes him out for the rest of this series. Which sucks, because the Nets needed him to guard Shaq and take those fouls. Robinson was suspended for violating the drug policy in......

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn showed her anti-Wal-Mart colors during a Crain's business breakfast forum. Though she may be overruled, should zoning allow the retail behemoth to move in, Quinn said:"I don't want Wal-Mart in the City of New York unless they change their corporate behavior...It is well documented across the country that Wal-Mart frequently uses the public insurance programs of the cities they are in as their own health insurance programs. We can't put......

- A judge says Bruce Ratner can make way for his Brooklyn Nets arena and tear down five buildings - Senator Schumer doesn't want anyone from the United Arab Emirates running a city port - A sweet elegy for cabbie Leo Lazarus in the Village Voice - If the state thinks high school graduation rates are so disturbing, why won't they do anything about them? - Oooh - rental rates for 71 Clinton -......

Fighting words from Fernando Ferrer. He tells the Daily News Editorial Board that he would scale down the Brooklyn Nets arena plan "dramatically," noting that there were "apparent abuses of eminent domain." Mayor Bloomberg's campaign says that the Brooklyn Yards plan will bring more jobs and housing to the community, but even Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz says the plan should be scaled back, because that's what the community wants. Interesting! And in a speech......

Crain's reports that Frank Gehry will be designing jewelry and tabletop items for Tiffany & Co. This is a big deal, as it's the first new designer Tiffany has "hired" in twenty-five years (Paloma Picasso was the last), but Gothamist is thinking one thing: Uncomfortable. While we expect Gehry to design something pretty awesome-looking like a hammered metal necklace or a warped vase ("Mr. Gehry...will work with precious metals, stones and wood"), we're not so......

After an all-around poor performance in Week 1 in Kansas City, the Jets (0-1) host Miami (1-0) to open AFC East play at home at 4:15 p.m. Sunday. It will be the first look for many fans at new Dolphins head coach Nick Saban, who was smart enough to not take the job unless getting a larger share of the control over personnel. (Co-)Voice of the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets Ian Eagle sees Saban as an......

- Three New Yorkers have been diagnosed with West Nile Virus; remember: no standing water on your property - The MTA accepted Bruce Ratner's bid to develop his metropolis of Nets basketball and luxury apartments in Brooklyn; the next two questions are will others sue to block the deal and when will Brooklyn Nets jerseys go on sale? - The Shake Shack will be open for another month, until early December! It's all about custard......

Various public interest groups are protesting the MTA's likely acceptance of Bruce Ratner's bid to develop the Atlantic Rail Yards into a glittering complex of luxury apartment, retail space, and a Brooklyn Nets arena. Their constant, consistent complaint has been that the Ratner bid won't put enough back into the community and will just line his pockets. Ratner's bid was recently doubled to $100 million, only after the MTA had to ask for more because......

It's so nice to see what a little pressure can do: Bruce Ratner and his Forest City Ratner group have increased their bid to $100 million for the Atlantic railyards. Ratner wants to put not only a Brooklyn Nets Frank Gehry-designed arena there but thousands of condos and countless square feet for offices (the Times loved the design). This higher bid comes because of the lone rival bid from Extell, whose development plan lacks......

Aw, Gary Barnett is making sure Jay-Z might still get to wear a Brooklyn Nets jersey: The rival bid from Extell for the Brooklyn railyards is offering a compromise to give Bruce Ratner's team a chance to build the Nets arena if the Extell plan (a considerably less extensive complex) can get built. The NY Times reports that Extell would sell the arena land to Ratner if the Extell bid wins, which is a nice......

- Plans for the new Brooklyn Nets arena complex were revealed, but it looks like there's another bidder - Kobayashi conquers the Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Contest yet again - Comedy ideas to keep you laughing - The Olympics are so not coming to New York, heading to London instead - Spanish wines for your enjoyment - Jurors need to watch their language - And the London explosions have shocked the world Plus the......

The plans for the proposed buildings around the Brooklyn Nets arena have been revealed by architect Frank Gehry, and they show a dazzling group of skyscrapers at various angles. The NY Times calls it an "instant skyline" and notes that the plan is far from a sure thing, given that developer Bruce Ratner still faces a bit of community antipathy for his plans. But the excitement is best summarized by the first paragraph of......

NYC 2012 released the design for the Olympics Stadium in Queens yesterday. It's at the point where New Yorkers will soon need a crib sheet of all the stadium plans being proposed: Brooklyn Nets Arena, new Yankee Stadium, even the old West Side Stadium. The proposed Olympics Stadium would be the new Shea Stadium, but expandable to fit 80,000 visitors. The NY Times makes the point that it's not "high-tech" looking like the West Side......

The Supreme Court ruled, in a 5-4 decision, that the government can seize private property and turn it over to developers, under the auspices of eminent domain. The Daily News points out that this probably warms of the hearts of developers, taking, for instance, projects like Bruce Ratner's Brooklyn Nets arena or Columbia University's development of 18 acres in Harlem...or any projects that have a "public purpose" element. In the end, it's up to the......

For better or for worse, there is too much to say about the fight over the MTA railyards on the West Side, the possible home of a West Side stadium for the NJ Jets or just a big commercial-residential development or maybe even a power plant. NJ (Acting) Governor Richard Codey made a point to show how it would only cost $450 million for the Jets to build a new stadium in NJ, versus the......

New York magazine's year-end double issue, It Happened This Year, is out. Gothamist thinks the title can only be a tribute to the great Sassy column, It Happened to Me (which can now be seen in Jane). Anyway, the whole issue is chockful of moments in our 2004-ness, but here are a few of the stories caught our interest (and Gothamist's stories on the topic): - The phenomenon of manholia - fear of manholes (Gothamist......

Today's NY Times piece about New York Region > Lions in Front, and Ice Out Back?" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/10/nyregion/10bryant.html">proposed plans to put a portable skating rink in Bryant Park during the winter has some great information about where you can skate in New York City: - Rink at Rockefeller Center (Fifth Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets): $14 on weekdays, $17 on weekends; does not include skate rentals - Wollman Rink in Central Park (east side of......

News that the Frank Gehry designed Disney Concert Hall was causing problematic glares for Los Angelenos, prompting Gehry's firm to say they were prepared to sandblast it, makes Gothamist wonder about our NYC architecture. The Disney Concert Hall glares glares have affected not only drivers but also condo owners who have views of the rather dazzling building. Now, Gehry's design for the Brooklyn Nets Arena in Brooklyn would incorporate some titanium, and the last thing......

With news that Frank Gehry is among the selected architects to design cultural buildings at Ground Zero, it marks the presence of one of America's foremost architects at one of the most high profile sites, which will make design fiends' mouths water. Gehry did not submit a plan for Ground Zero saying the $40,000 fee wouldn't cover his costs. This made Gothamist think about Gehry's recent post-Bilbao fame, and what that's meant in NYC: His......

Embattled Brooklyn apartment dwellers have taken their fight against the proposed site of the new arena for the "Brooklyn Nets" all the way to Athens. A group called Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn unveiled a banner on one of the endangered apartments which reads "Dr. Rogge and the International Olympic Committee, Please Don't Destroy Our Homes." If New York City is awarded the Olympic Games in 2012, the proposed basketball arena would be used to......

While Bruce Ratner is in the news because of his Brooklyn Nets project, he's got a new Manhattan project: Forest City Ratner Companies is the new partner in developing East River Plaza, a project that would bring a "big box" shopping center to East Harlem. The NY Times reports that FCRC took over the interest in the development from a Beverly Hills based real estate group; Blumenfield Development, the other partner in the project, told......

Some people wish for that dream job. Other daydream about a knight in shining armor or someone comfortably within the Madonna/whore complex. New Yorkers, however, tend to hallucinate about real estate - "Will the owners rent to me?" "Can I find a place downtown and within my budget?" "Will I pass the co-op board?" etc. So news of Brooklyn developer and new Nets owner Bruce Ratner's offer to buy out residents of one Brooklyn building,......

Mayor Bloomberg, don't just hold the jersey, wear it! You should go to the Atlantic Avenue mall and buy yourself some Enyce sweats, Pumas, and a Sean John hat and let it ride. Just ask Jay-Z for help; we're sure that he'd be happy to take you shopping. Maybe Beyonce could help you pick out some eye creams. In actual Nets/Brooklyn news: Ben McGrath's Talk of the Town piece looks at how Bruce Ratner's......

With news that Brooklyn might be the new home of the Nets, Knicks owner, Jim Dolan of Cablevision, is lobbying the NBA's commissioner to keep New York a one basketball team town. Oh, come on, by the time the Nets move to Brooklyn, the Knicks might have a decent team in place, but that's only if Isaiah Thomas don't trade the next ten years' worth of first round draft picks in iffy player deals. The......