What would you ask Santa if you were a fourth-grader? What if you'd never written to him before, because you're Muslim? There's some things you'd want to clear up, right? Things like... how. This kid did a pretty good job, though: More »

The clever editors at the Kansas City Star have come up with a way to make layoffs fun. For them, at least. Reporters Karen Dillon and Dawn Bormann have reportedly been told by management that one of them must go, and it's up to the two of them to decide who it is. More »

McKenna Pope, a 13-year-old from New Jersey, has started an online petition to get Hasbro to create a gender-neutral Easy Bake Oven. As of Wednesday afternoon, the petition has more than 41,000 signatures, along with the support of several celebrity chefs. More »

Nick Cannon was on Howard Stern's Sirius show today, so of course he was talking about weird shit and of course it concerned his favorite topic, his wife Mariah Carey. That's sweet and undoubtedly key to getting along with her (you know how much she loves her lambs), but it's rare to hear so much revealed about a woman of such stature via her husband. Every interview yields a new Mariah anecdote. (Fun fact: He once confirmed to me that she will remind him that she's the biggest-selling female recording artist of all time in order to win an argument.) More »

Loving all these spots to have a quick bite or to curl up with a good book...look around, there is always a spot for a small chair and table !

Do you know what kind of fish you're eating? Let's be very honest about the average American's palate: the average American is unable to distinguish a banana from a deep-fried Oreo cookie in a blind taste test. It is perhaps too much to expect the average American to be able to distinguish between perch and flounder. Which is probably why a lot of restaurants just sell any old fish and label it on the menu as "World's BEST Kind of Fish." More »

The official unemployment rate fell to 7.7% last month. But that number is misleading. The percentage of workers who are actually considered to be "participating" in the labor force is now hovering around a three-decade low. Persistent, extended, unrelenting unemployment is now a fact of life for millions of Americans. Every week, we bring you true stories of unemployment, from the unemployed themselves. This is what's happening out there. More »

They said it couldn't be done.

Ben Conniff of the Maine-centric lobster-roll company tells Grub Street that its financial district location is still offline after losing equipment and suffering damage during the storm, adding that it is likely that the South William Street Luke's will not reopen until next month. In the meantime, Luke Holden and company have decided to update the chainlet's menu for the first time in three years, adding a lobster grilled cheese loaded with lobster, Gruyère, and white bread from Maine. They're selling hot cider by the cup, seasonal Maine beers at their Upper East and Upper West Side locations, and two kinds of vegetable soup made by Hurricane's Soup, a Maine company whose name (and chowders) predate Sandy.
Luke's Lobster Winter Menu [PDF]

Read more posts by Hugh Merwin

Filed Under: remember the maine, lobster grilled cheese, luke's lobster

I’m not an acting expert. But Steve Buscemi gets my highest review: Whenever I see him act, I forget he’s Steve Buscemi. Not many people know he was also a NY firefighter back in the 80’s.

Feel free not to reblog this photo. If you hate puppies. And Christmas. 

Enlightened men know that the old system in which the top professional fields were almost completely dominated by"good old boys" simply was not tenable. I mean, the whining alone, year after year... I don't have to paint you a picture. It was just common sense to allow a few more women into the legal and medical professions. Modernization, and all that. Posing for the company "Diversity" brochure. Tending to the legal and medical problems of poopy children. Things of that nature. But, my fellow men, I'm afraid that we have grown lax. Our patronizing offer of PR-inspired pseudo-equality has been getting out of hand. More »

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Bison Booties

When I first blogged about Bison Booties it was to share my love for their cute chevron style I found on Etsy.

Shortly after, the owner of the Etsy shop, Erica, emailed me that she would love to send Mazen a pair. She makes them by hand from her home in North Dakota. They have a soft faux sherpa insole and soft bottom. But perhaps their best feature is that they STAY ON his feet! The design with the elastic in the back and flatter front is genius. The most stylin’ feeties in town!

WIN this cute elephant pair (in size of your choice) by leaving a comment below!

Baby Blanket Music

I was recently sent this Baby Blanket Music CD to test out. The company makes lullabies out of popular music, from Michael Jackson to Elton John to Lady Gaga, which was the CD I chose. The founder and CEO, Josh Rutt is a New York-based teacher, composer and performer who put together these arrangements that will please baby and adult ears alike.

We have listened to the CD a few times. Maze, at 12 weeks old, seems to like it, although he’s not old enough to sing along. The music is a little more like steel drum Lady Gaga than lullaby Gaga, but it is indeed soothing. My favorite song is “You and I” : ) The whole CD kept me on my toes while listening because I was eager how each of these famous songs would come out as a lullaby. This would make a great baby shower gift.

Leave a comment to win! One person will win the CD and another the booties. If you only care to enter one or the other, say so in your comment; otherwise you’ll be entered to win both. Giveaways end in 48 hours. Check back here for winners! Unfortunately, only USA entries on this one.

 

Winners!

Please email me at Katheats at Gmail dot com!!

Booties:

 

CD:

buzzfeed:

The 11 Cutest Proposals In Internet History

Dump this guy. He doesn’t have a motorcycle or a drinking problem. Actually, maybe he has a sauvignon blanc drinking problem which is basically just called being caucasian. 

LIC’s emergence as a new business and residential hub is no surprise to those of us who live and love it here. But did you know that LIC is not just about new high-rises and giant corporate groups? In our new column,  our newest contributor Ivy Esquero explores some LIC businesses that offer some unique surprises.

 

photos by Ivy Esquero

 

If you’ve shopped at Food Cellar or Duane Reade, you have probably passed by an unassuming garage door on 5th and 47th, heard the sounds of huge machines and assumed, like me, that it was an auto-body shop. Turns out that behind the door, there’s some serious magic happening.

Andrew Baccon calls “digital fabrication” the bread and butter of Tietz-Baccon. “It’s very easy to create designs nowadays using software that any designer has access to. The trick is getting that translated into the real world. That’s where we come in. Designers will come to us with something that might be awesome, but can be 20 times more expensive than their clients will allow. There are a lot of ideas that we bring to the table that enables the design to happen.”

Ever thought it would be cool to have a “tufted” headboard made of wood? They’ve done that. Tile that looks like a desert landscape? Check. Reptile skin fabricated from plastic? They’ve got you covered. Even their scraps look like pieces of art.

“We wish we could keep some of this stuff, but we just don’t have the room,” says Erik Tietz. Tietz-Baccon, who has been in LIC since early 2008, is moving to a bigger shop a few blocks away in early 2013. They may even get a showroom. “It’s really great to be part of the industrial history of LIC,” says Tietz. “We would love to stay and grow with the neighborhood”.

Take a peek at their website www.tietz-baccon.com for some gorgeous examples of their work.

Already have a design and just want help fabricating and producing the pieces? The partners are launching a new company in December to do just that. Designers will be able to upload their own digital images and order the pieces directly, cutting production time significantly. Check out their site at: www.machinemade.com

Follow Ivy Esquero on twitter @lic_biz