Birdel’s Records is one of the last places left in New York where you can still find records; you know, those big round black flat circles that play music on a ‘record player?’ Unfortunately, if you do want to see what a record is, other than in a museum, you will need to get down…
Monthly Archives: February 2011
New Siren Scheduled to Get New Yorkers’ Attention
New Yorkers can expect to be hearing a new kind of siren coming from New York’s Finest and their patrol cars. Invented by Joe Bader, a vice president of Federal Signal Corporation, a security firm, the Rumbler is a siren that can better penetrate hard surfaces such as car doors and windows and into people’s…
One Hundred Years Later the Gowanus Canal Gets a New Flush
As early as 20 years after its opening in the 1860s the Gowanus Canal was already producing a stench all over the south Brooklyn neighborhoods through which it flowed. Before the construction of the Gowanus Flushing Tunnel which was designed to help keep the Canal clean and eliminate the putrid odors, the tides were the…
Pork Only Food on Menu on Flight from Israel
Beginnings are never easy, and in the case of the UK’s latest budget airline, easyJet this beginning was especially embarrassing. Passengers en route from Tel Aviv, Israel to London were given a meal choice between ham melts and bacon baguettes, both containing pork products, one of the forbidden foods for both Jews and Muslims who…
NYCB’s Swan Lake Schedules Additional Performances
The timing may not be coincidence, but tickets for New York City Ballet’s “Swan Lake” have been completely sold out. In fact, an additional show has been scheduled in order to accommodate the excessive demand. Actress Natalie Portman has been nominated for an Oscar for her performance in the movie “Black Swan,” and Sara Mearns,…
Unknown Triangle Fire Victims Finally Come to Light 100 Years Later
In the wake of the great New York City teacher’s strike of 1968, the history of unions was thoroughly taught to us 5th graders. Although I can’t say I remember much of what I was taught, the one item that has stayed with me for more than 40 years has been the tragedy of the…
Pistol Packing New Yorkers of Every Type
Although Alexis Stewart, daughter of Martha, does not believe that people in America should be allowed to own handguns, she felt compelled to purchase her .357 Magnum after 9/11, explaining that “she would be happy to give up her gun if handguns were banned.” She added that “Having a swimming pool is way more dangerous…
Michael Kors New York Fashion Week Show
Many big stars participated in the organized chaos that was the Michael Kors New York Fashion Week Show this week. Some of the celebrity guests included Catherine Zeta-Jones, Debra Messing, Michael Douglas and Bette Midler. “I came to fashion week exclusively for Michael Kors,” said Messing. The actress’s attire was all by the designer. “He’s…
At Yeshivah University the Book Still Lives
Mosey on up to Washington Heights and remember the world of actual, printed and bound books between two covers. With the race to go “paperless” and get all our reading materials in digital form, for many of us booklovers the Yeshiva University Seforim Sale (seforim is the Hebrew word for books) is truly a breath…
New York Hosts Westminster Dog Show
This week, New York City hosts the 135th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Show. The competition is currently in progress at Madison Square Garden, and will continue throughout the day. Over 2,600 dogs are participating in the event, and the competitors have all been previously named as champions in other prestigious events throughout the country. This…
