We all knew that traffic and parking in major cities was bad, particularly in New York. We weren't quite so convinced that it was as bad as this. Two ice cream vendors operating on the streets of New York's Manhattan are seen waging a fist fight over a prime parking spot.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Fight breaks out between ice cream truck vendors (VIDEO)
We all knew that traffic and parking in major cities was bad, particularly in New York. We weren't quite so convinced that it was as bad as this. Two ice cream vendors operating on the streets of New York's Manhattan are seen waging a fist fight over a prime parking spot.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Bloomberg speaks out in defense of religious freedom; defends Ground Zero mosque
Bloomberg praised the decision to allow the building of the mosque to go ahead - despite widespread criticism.
The billionaire mayor choked up during his delivery, which spoke of the religious freedoms desired by the earliest settlers of the United States.
"We may not always agree with every one of our neighbors. That's life and it's part of living in such a diverse and dense city. But we also recognize that part of being a New Yorker is living with your neighbors in mutual respect and tolerance. It was exactly that spirit of openness and acceptance that was attacked on 9/11," he said.
Bloomberg was a prominent businessman before entering politics, and grew up in a disadvantaged family north of New York. He founded the multi-billion dollar financial data company Bloomberg LP before resigning to pursue the mayoralty.
"Let us not forget that Muslims were among those murdered on 9/11 and that our Muslim neighbors grieved with us as New Yorkers and as Americans. We would betray our values - and play into our enemies' hands - if we were to treat Muslims differently than anyone else. In fact, to cave to popular sentiment would be to hand a victory to the terrorists - and we should not stand for that."
Sunday, June 20, 2010
It sure would suck to be a smoker in New York (unless you're Native American)
The price of smoking is set to become even higher in New York, as new tax law is set to push up the price of a pack of cigarettes to almost US$11.00 (NZ$15.46). The cigarette tax, as reported by Fox News, is set to jump by around $1.60, under a deal made between New York City and various state officials.
A packet of cigarettes in New York City following the change would be over 5 dollars - making New York the fist city in the world to break the five dollar mark in terms of demerit taxes on cigarettes.
At least one estimate, Fox News noted, showed that around half of all the tobacco purchased in New York was bought by Native Americans - who pay no tax on tobacco.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Mike Bloomberg, NYC Mayor: Leave BP Alone!
He is reported to say that the CEO of BP didn't 'exactly go down there and blow up the well'. Really? That's something I never considered; I could've sworn he personally made sure of it. Oh well, we can't be right all the time!