Everyone has heard of quiet cars (even if it's sometimes hard to define "quiet"), but what about conversation cars? That's the question posed by a piece in the News today. The idea is to reclaim the lose art of conversation, and to disconnect ourselves from our iPods, iPads, smart phones and obsessive self-interest. "What if, instead of treating your morning commute like a yoga retreat, you actually wanted to take a (wholesome, noncreepy) interest in one or two of the several thousand human beings around you. Where's the car for that? Where, on your bus or train, do you go for decent conversation?" We like the idea of it, but we wonder if it would descend into something more akin to a "pickup car" for singles (not that this would necessarily be a bad thing). Would you ride in a conversation car? [ MORE]
 | In the wake of the horrific Tucson shootings politicians have asked that rhetoric be "toned down," and this is a reminder that that request applies to people on both sides of the political spectrum. James Eric Fuller, a victim of the Tucson shooting, was arrested yesterday for making a death threat at Tucson Tea Party founder Trent Humphries. Fuller was in the front row as Humphries was interviewed on ABC's "This Week," and yelled "you're dead" after Humphries suggested conversations about gun control should be delayed until all the dead were buried.... [ MORE ] |
 | Animal control officers on Long Island rescued more than a dozen dehydrated, emaciated and abused cats and dogs in a squalid Rockville Centre home yesterday. They found 13 dogs and two cats living in small cages at the residence of mother and daughter Faith Ross, 54, and Francesca Maselli, 23. They also discovered 26 carcasses of other animals including dogs, cats, ferrets and birds. "This is beyond anything a sane person can imagine...The people who did this are sick and evil," said Town Supervisor Kate Murray, describing the scene.... [ MORE ] |
 | As per his wishes, the ashes of Carlos Castro—the Portuguese journalist who was beaten, castrated and tortured allegedly by Renato Seabra—were poured into the subway grate at W. 44th St. and Broadway yesterday after his funeral in Newark. His sisters say they received permission from the city to leave his ashes in Times Square, and the Post reports they poured them down the grate without a word. Friend Claudio Montez told the Daily News, "I feel like I'm dead with him. He was like a brother."... [ MORE ] |
 | Looking over Wal-Mart's recent poll, you'd think New Yorkers just can't wait until the big box store plops down and makes East New York a shopping destination. But could you believe that the data may be skewed? According to a poll of 300 small retail shop owners, Wal-Mart would be bad for business, and 73% of grocery and convenience store owners rejected the idea of a Wal-Mart in New York. Brad Gerstman of survey conductors Gotham Government Relations told the Daily News, "We decided to do this poll because the results of the Walmart one struck us as absolutely impossible."... [ MORE ] |
 | We've been trying to wean ourselves off of eating worms ever since we saw a terrifying documentary about the subject, but it seems that many New Yorkers have been turning to the squirmy invertebrates as an amorous remedy. "Himalayan Viagra," aka "yarsagumba" or "dong chong xia cao," is being sought out by older men to jumpstart their love lives—the dried dead bodies of the worm can be brewed into an anti-impotence tea. And you know it's gotta work if people are shelling out serious bones to get it.... [ MORE ] |
 | Over a week after her controversy-stirring essay in the Wall Street Journal (6521 comments and counting!!!), Battle Hymn of a Tiger Mother author Amy Chua is the subject of a NY Times Styles section feature. The article, "The Retreat of the Tiger Mother," reveals she's gotten death threats; Chua herself says of the reaction, "It’s been a little surprising, and a little bit intense, definitely," and that she's been working "24/7" to "clarify some misunderstandings." Like how she's not happy the WSJ titled the essay, "Why Chinese Mothers are Superior."... [ MORE ] |
 | We already knew that some city landlords have been prohibiting tenants from smoking inside their apartments because of the pervasiveness and dangers of second-hand smoke—but what happens when you're allowed to smoke in your apartment, go out of your way to not disturb your neighbors with it, and you still get sued? Upper East Side cigar smoker Harry Dale is in such a situation. He's being sued by his neighbors Russell and Amanda Poses, despite truly trying his best to not disturb them with his smoke: "Oh, you're kidding me...[Russell] says his son has asthma. The amount of secondhand smoke that child has been exposed to from my cigars is minimal. The exhaust from the city buses is worse."... [ MORE ] |
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