Jen Chung

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• Posted How Low Will The Real Estate Market Will Go? to Gothamist
  As the economy slips and takes the (overheated) real estate market with it, the NY Times wonders how much NY real estate prices will decrease: "Some industry observers foresee market drops of 40 percent, while others think that is too extreme and suggest that price reductions of 25 percent will more be likely the new norm." Which makes sense, since those Wall Street bankers throwing their bonus money or foreign investors around are rare...
• Posted Madoff May Face Victims at Upcoming Hearing to Gothamist
  With Ponzi scheme "investor" Bernard Madoff reportedly set to plead guilty to cheating his client out of billions, a former federal prosecutor tells the Post, "This guy is going to die in jail...He's got nothing to negotiate with. There is absolutely no deal that can be cut unless he can give up Hillary Clinton or someone like that." (The Post envisions that Bernie's cellmate will be named Bubba.) Newsday reports that "Manhattan federal judge...
• Commented on Reminder: Bone Marrow Donor Drive for Jasmina Today
  Thanks!...
• Commented on Reminder: Bone Marrow Donor Drive for Jasmina Today
  I went and registered—the turnout seemed great, but I don't know how many did head in. There were people of all races and I was impressed with how the P.S. 41 community banded together. Hoping there was a match!...
• Posted Bloomberg Warns Against Taxing the Rich to Gothamist
  Mayor Bloomberg repeated a familiar refrain during his radio show on WOR yesterday: Why taxing the rich isn't a great idea. He said, "We can tax the rich, except that, if you haven't looked at the stock market lately, they aren't making any money." The mayor, whose considerable wealth makes him the 8th richest American (according to Forbes), also explained, "They [the wealthy] are the ones that buy in the stores so that people...
• Posted WTC Construction Means Lots of Jobs to Gothamist
  Earlier this week, Port Authority said that the construction of buildings, a 9/11 memorial and transit at the World Trade Center site will result in more than 26,000 jobs. And the indirect job—like the ones that "supply services, materials and machinery to the rebuilding effort"—creation may add over 35,000 jobs to that number. That's notable because 30,000 construction jobs are expected to be lost over the next few years. Port Authority Chairman Anthony R....
• Posted 11 Injured When Wall Collapses into Harlem Building to Gothamist
  Photograph of the rubble from the collapse inside Pizzeria 123 from Harlem Hybrid Yesterday afternoon, a concrete wall collapsed into a pizza parlor at 2280 Frederick Douglass Boulevard at West 123rd Street yesterday afternoon, injuring 11 people. Construction was taking place at the lot next to the pizza parlor's five-story building, and the eatery was filled with bricks. The Daily News says the chunk of wall that collapsed was about 16' by 10' and...
• Posted Cuomo Accuses Bank of America of Interfering With Probe to Gothamist
  NY State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, in his quest to get to the bottom of Merrill Lynch's extravagant bonuses right before announcing a $13.8 billion 4th quarter loss, told a judge, "We respectfully request that the court reject Bank of America’s continued efforts to stymie the attorney general’s investigation." Bank of America, which bought Merrill, has allegedly threatened to sue an employee for cooperating with Cuomo's investigation. The bank says it "has continually offered...
• Posted Reminder: Bone Marrow Donor Drive for Jasmina Today to Gothamist
  Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. today, P.S. 41 (116 W. 11th Street, Manhattan) is holding a bone marrow donor drive, in hopes of finding someone who may be a match for kindergarten student Jasmina Anema, who is suffering from a rare and deadly form of leukemia. Jasmina, who just turned six, is adopted, so her doctors are unable to turn to blood relatives for bone marrow transplants and her family and friends have...
• Posted With Mimes Like These, Who Needs Enemies? to Gothamist
  Photographs by Tamara Bogolasky When Drew Thurlow wanted to thank his good friend Bobby Lattis for being a dedicated and loyal friend throughout the years, he decided to think outside the box. The imaginary box that mimes make, that is: Drew organized a mime to stalk Bobby on his way to work this past Wednesday. Here are the thorough instructions to the mime, after getting into Bobby's apartment building (helped by another friend):From there,...
• Posted Mafia Cops Sentenced to Life in Prison to Gothamist
  Louis Eppolito (left) and Stephen Caracappa Nearly three years after being convicted, former cops Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa were sentenced to life in prison for carrying out eight murders for the mafia. Caracappa, 67, was sentenced to life plus 80 years, while Eppolito, 60, was given life plus 100 years. The Daily News reports, "The crooked pair earned as much as $65,000 for one of their hits on behalf of brutal mob boss...
• Commented on A Tip for Everyone?
  Certainly you should adjust your tips for service. I think the message is not to skimp out too much—or to do what you can. I know that I've changed my dining out habits—maybe sharing an appetizer, not ordering a glass...
• Commented on Weekend Movie Forecast: <em>Watchmen</em> Vs. Frenchmen
  Go see Leave Her to Heaven—it's a restored print and Gene Tierney is amazing in it. I'm seeing two Rendez-Vous films this weekend: Girl from Monaco and The Joy of Singing....
• Posted Harlem Building Facade Collapse on West 123rd St to Gothamist
  An exterior wall at 270 West 123rd Street in Harlem collapsed around 3:15 p.m. WCBS 2 reports the building was "partially under construction" and "appears to be a five-story walk-up with a pizza shop, Pizzaria 123, on the bottom floor." WABC 7 says that some pizzeria customers were temporarily trapped: "Workers were pouring concrete at a construction site when the wall collapsed into the pizzeria next door." Four people were injured; the extent of...
• Commented on Week in Rock: Nostalgia Edition
  Jacko looks like a melted Madame Tussaud's figure....
• Posted Council Groups Don't Meet New Standards, Don't Get Funds to Gothamist
  The Post reports, "Mayor Bloomberg has lowered the budget ax on funding for several community organizations after determining the groups did not meet new standards." City Council members distribute $46 million to various non-profit community groups, but last year it was discovered that money was being left for phantom groups—with the money used by the Council Speaker's office for "future gaps"—so a new review process was put in place. A Bronx community center was...
• Posted NY State's Depressing Unemployment Numbers to Gothamist
  Graph depicting the rate of job losses in New York State during recent recessions from the NY State Department of Labor. Yesterday, the NY State Department of Labor revealed the state unemployment rate climbed to 7% in January, up from 6.6% in December. More troubling, 25% of the 400,000 jobs added between July 2003 (the state's last decline) and August 2008 were lost in the final months of 2008. Division of Research and Statistics....
• Posted Madoff Waives Indictment; Guilty Plea Up Next? to Gothamist
  Fraudulent investor Bernard Madoff appears to be ready to enter a guilty plea, as he has just waived his indictment (meaning he's waiving the right to have a grand jury to review the charges). The Law Blog reports, "The waiver could presage a plea deal for Madoff. Often, prior to a plea, a defendant will waive his or her right to a grand-jury indictment. In such a case, the prosecutors’ 'charging document' — the...
• Posted Report: Foreclosed Homes Attract Crime to Gothamist
  As one report says the biggest jump in delinquent mortgages occurred in NY State (up 35% last year), another report is linking a rise in crime to the rise in foreclosed homes. Based on ACORN's studies, the Daily News reports, "The only Queens areas where crime rose between 2006 and 2008 - Jackson Heights, Kew Gardens/Woodhaven, Jamaica/Hollis and Rockaway/Broad Channel - had high foreclosure rates." (Lawmakers have said those areas were targeted with subprime...
• Posted Early Addition to Gothamist
  Photograph a Central Park wipeout by flirtypants on Flickr From the Gothamist Newsmap: A water rescue at West Side Hwy & 14 St in Manhattan, a bank robbery at Bedford Ave & Dekalb Ave in Brooklyn and a sexual assault at University Ave & Morton Pl in the Bronx. Miss Heather says that details for Gowanus Lounge blogger Bob Guskind's memorial are forthcoming. The Post reports that he died from an "apparent drug overdose."...
• Posted Now Paterson Pisses Off Environmentalists! to Gothamist
  Today's "who has Governor Paterson upset now" story is in the NY Times, which details how the governor "agreed to reconsider a key rule New York adopted as part of a 10-state pact aimed at reducing the threat of global warming by cutting power plant emissions...at the urging of the energy industry." (Okay, so he hasn't pissed off the energy concerns.) The pact is the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which calls itself the "first...
• Posted Police Search for Livery Cabbie Accused of Raping Passenger to Gothamist
  A livery cab driver who was thrust into the spotlight last year in a faked abandoned baby story is now wanted for allegedly raping a passenger in Astoria. The police are looking for Klever Sailema (pictured, center), who may be in hiding or may have even left the country. According to police, a 23-year-old waitress passed out drunk in his cab and Sailema allegedly assaulted her. A source told the Daily News, "She kinda...
• Commented on Arrest Made in Queens Home Invasion, Granny Slashing
  Vivian Squires is amazing. Hooray for her!...
• Posted Court: Tishman Speyer Wrongly Hiked Stuy Town Rents to Gothamist
  Yesterday, the state appeals court ruled that developer Tishman Speyer "had wrongfully raised rents and deregulated thousands of apartments after receiving special tax breaks," the NY Times reports. Tishman Speyer paid $5.4 billion for the development, Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, which includes both rent-stabilized and market-rate apartments. Building owners can raise stabilized units' rents if tenants are making more than $175,000 for two years in a row—which Tishman Speyer did and had...
• Posted Arrest Made in Queens Home Invasion, Granny Slashing to Gothamist
  In January, an 86-year-old woman was attacked when a man who broke into her Springfield Gardens home put a pillow over Vivian Squires' head as he slashed her. The perp also stole her jewelry, cash and car. Yesterday, the police announced they made an arrest—the Daily News reports that the suspect is "career hoodlum Andre Mathis." Squires, a retired corrections officer who required 35 staples in her back and 18 stitches for her injuries,...
• Posted Sudden Staten Island Geyser to Gothamist
  This morning, a water main broke close to the intersection of Arthur Kill and Veterans roads. The Staten Island Advance reported, "Water is apparently reaching utility wires, prompting the FDNY to call in Con Edison to assess the situation." Not only that, water was shooting up 30-40 feet in the air and, as MyFoxNY shows in some video, "Cars were actually driving through the water." The DEP is also responding to the situation....
• Posted Unemployment Rate Jumps to 8.1% to Gothamist
  The U.S. Department of Labor released the latest unemployment numbers: The unemployment rate was 8.1% in February, with 651,000 jobs slashed during the month. Reuters reports the 8.1% figure "was above market forecasts for a rise to 7.9 from January's 7.6 percent." This continues a trend of massive layoffs across the country since last year: 533,000 jobs were lost in November, 681,000 in December, and 655,000 in January....
• Favorited 6-Year-Old Hopes for Bone Marrow Transplant on Gothamist
• Posted Commish Tells TD Bank It Has Too Many Robberies to Gothamist
  Police Commissioner Ray Kelly really wants TD Bank to increase its security: The Daily News reports that he sent the bank a letter criticizing the bank's "friendly" atmosphere (like robber-friendly) lack of bandit barriers, "It is simply unacceptable to put business decisions before public safety." The News adds, "As if to prove Kelly's point, a prolific thief successfully robbed $1,000 from a TD branch on Ninth Ave. Monday - after being rebuffed at three...
• Posted Dow, Nasdaq and S&P 500 All Fall 4% to Gothamist
  Photograph by David Karp—here's the actual AP-provided caption: "A Broker looks sadly at his monitor as he works the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange Thursday, March 5, 2009." Some quotes: From CNBC: "The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped nearly 300 points, or 4.1 percent, ending below 6,600 for the first time since April 1997. That erased all of the gains from the previous session's rally — and then some." From the...