cityrag

the #1 law of winter subway survival
DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING! germs from winter colds and flues spread like mutherfuckers in the subway. wear your gloves in the station and on the train. if you can't deal with that, pull your shirt or coat sleeve into your hand to use a barrier when you grab the polls or railings. or keep you hands in your pockets and don't touch anything. another tip is to cover your mouth a bit with your scarf, coat or shirt when standing in crowded trains (breathing through the material will help keep spraying germs from people breathing and coughing around you from being inhaled.) it's a germy pit down there, these tips have helped us avoid a lot of colds.

bound
Pam and Eric's wedding tats

gifted art
installment #2 in our series of holiday ideas... is the gift of art. art is a great thing to get. it's personal, meaningful, and fun. we cherish every item we've been given over the years, from our girl Claw's graf painting, to Gary's crazy carnival animal pressings, to Chris's blue glitter spirals

if you're an artist, your friends will love getting a piece of your work. and if you're not an artist, but like making stuff, here's an idea for some killer Glitter Art...

all you need is some glue, a bunch of colored glitter (available at Dollar stores and drug stores), and a cool image or picture. pictures can be printed off the net, torn out of magazines and old books, or you can even buy a cheap print (we like skulls, meditative patterns, dramatic landscapes, trucks, anything can work.) pick something your friend is into. look at the picture and pick out the sections that will pop and add drama when outlined in glitter. then trace the different lines/sections you want to glitterize with glue and liberally sprinkle glitter on (do this by color). like if you're doing a city skyline... trace a bunch of buildings, windows, and details that you want to highlight with blue, sprinlke glitter on and let it dry, shake off excess, then do red, then silver, etc. an inexpensive frame adds the final touch!

subversive holidaze
T-Day is the one holiday we ditch our families and spend with friends. we love our families, but gotta say, it's the best! we do whatever we want. no rules. no plans. just free form fun, feasting and relaxation. Tuesday night after we'd picked up a ton of fresh baked pies, Eric says "there's too much pie not to eat pie now" and we dug in.

the next day, we thought - "hey why wait until tomorrow to cook all this great food", so we had our massive Thanksgiving meal Wed night, with a leftover feast on the actual day. we play crazy music, eat in our pajamas, double-fist wine and cocktails, serve the gravy in a beer pitcher, and feed the dogs at the table. rolling out of your chair and onto the floor during the meal is highly encouraged.

gotta have one holiday all your own, do it the way you feel, start new traditions, party with your friends, and live large in your own style!

stuffed
hope your Thanksgiving was swell. this shot of Buddy kinda says it all...

trippy
some car window impressionism as we hit the road. back next Monday. have a great holiday everyone!

(and don't forget to hit Micheal Simon's opening party! cool art and free drinks - 7:00 pm at 136 Wooster. for more info see "meet the artists" below)

meet the artists
photographer (and cityrag contributor) Michael Simon, is having a joint show with artist James De La Vega. the opening is tomorrow night at 7:00 at the Adidas Concept store at 136 Wooster, and is sponsored by Bacardi (free booze and food!). a very cool opportunitty to meet two inspiring artists and a nice kick off to the holiday!

more from WoosterCollective.com...
De La Vega and Michael Simon at NYC Adidas Store
“James De La Vega and Michael Simon will be having an opening on Nov 24th at the NYC Adidas Concept store at 136 Wooster. The show will run for one week. De La Vega will be showing some of his paintings and artwork, and Michael will be showing photographs from a story he did on De La Vega while he was running for NY state senate. It should be an amazing show.”

long, white and smokin
wanna drag?...

back scratch fever
Buddy melts when you scratch his back (or tummy or ears)...

straight edge
once again Michael Simon stuns us with a story that equals the intensity of his photo...
"Wes is the lead singer for the band Cast Aside from Richmond, VA. Ive known this dude for over a decade and Im lucky to have him as a pal. I have always felt bad for his enemies, he hurts people for sport. I drove down to Philly to see his band play and we stepped around the corner for a quick portrait session. He to this day, remains straight edge."

squirrley
we liked this squirrel graf on Ludlow Street and snapped it a couple weeks ago for those squirrel lovers out there. and then mining our new favorite site, WoosterCollective.com, we spotted this cool profile of the artist!

have a glowball!
until Monday, we leave you with the swirling patterns of the mesmerizing GLOWBALL...

(disco-glowball lives at the Tainted Lady Lounge in Williamsburg)

researchers challenge Bush win
a fascinating and compelling article on how voter technology failed in Florida from ComputerWorld...

University researchers challenge Bush win in Florida
"Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, said today that they have uncovered statistical irregularities associated with electronic voting machines in three Florida counties that may have given President George W. Bush 130,000 or more excess votes. The researchers are now calling on state and federal authorities to look into the problems.

...For the sake of all future elections involving e-voting systems, someone must investigate and explain the statistical anomaly we found in Florida... We have no political ax to grind, we're interested in leaving no vote behind."

(via GammaBlaBlog, a great site!)

street art to the highest power
holy shit! WoosterCollective.com is THE BOMB! we'd seen this site linked around but never dove in until today... a "A Celebration of Street Art", it's PACKED with tons of fantastic shots of street art, graffiti, website links, news, the latest parties and openings and great writing. but what really blows us away is the depth and breath of coverage, with several new posts daily, and beautiful and amazing photos from all corners of the world. we've spent hours on it and have barely scratched the great stuff to be seen. this is one fucking brilliant and passionate site!

we'll be checking in often and profiling some of their amazing stuff, starting with this one we loved by Thundercut...

from Wooster Collective: "A few months back we put up a series of photographs of some very clever and really fun remixed WALK / NO WALK signs by Thundercut... So this week we were very pleased to see that Thundercut is back out on the streets of New York... As you can see in the photo, the placement is fucking perfect as Thundercut's Rocker signs are at both ends of New York's famed CBGB's club. Really nice work."

(photo copyright Wooster Collective)

igive
over the next few weeks we'll be running a little "holidazed" series with shopping tips and gift ideas. our first tip starts with the gift of giving!... we first learned about iGive.com through Waggy Tail Rescue. iGive is a wonderful service that donates part of your online sales to your favorite charity. they list and work with tons of big online retailers. all you need to do is sign-up and download a little software piece onto your system (it's very easy to use/download.) then it will pop up every time you shop one of their online affiliates (you still pay the same price and get any discounts the retailer is offering!)

once you're on iGive - every time you shop online a percentage of your purchase will go to your favorite charity! many people we know intend on donating to charities and causes around the holidays but end up running out of time or money! one of the reasons we love iGive is it makes it so easy and painless to take care of that goal. so kick off your holiday shopping by signing up for iGive and give to charity while you shop!

His name is Ziggy
oh-my-god, just spotted this little guy on You Can't Make It Up...
"This dog is a friend of the family. His name is Ziggy. When he walks around New York, people actually stop and say 'Look what an ugly dog that is.' Pobracita. Stay tuned for Ziggy on the new season of "America's Next Top Model."

Ziggy is one of the cutest dogs we've ever seen. definately a little Buddy in him (just look at that face!) and who are these horrible people that say Ziggy is ugly!?! Buddy would love to bite bite 'em.

smoke-inist
the Gothamist party Wed night was a lot of fun, with some great bands. and of course, we couldn't miss the opportunity for a little cityrag smoke-in in the heart of Tribeca on the street out front. it was awesome to have some bloggers join in (participation will remain anonymous :-)

chewy goodness
Buddy and his chew stick, the abbreviated version...

update: we *heart* this note from John Lawler...
"I love it when dogs make that face..GARRR I got me a stick! On top of the world. Couldn't ya just melt? Upper left photo is definitely Buddy Cigar boy, toughie on the block, readin his paper on a folding chair on the corner, tellin' the punks to beat it."

Epstein's Bar update
last week we scooped the opening of Epstein's Bar in the LES. this week Andrea Strong fills us in on some cool behind the scenes info (4th story down), including an owners connection with the great White Horse Tavern. and a house beer, Epstein’s Ale, being made by the guys from White Horse.

we ran into partner Eric McMannes this morning when we were snapping their new awning - and the story keeps getting better... first - he's a great guy, (second we've met, this place is going to have a good vibe.) and some more cool bits of info...
- he's friend's with the Corner Bistro folks, and they've hooked him up with the same meat supplier (for those who've noted our previous Corner Bistro comments, the Epstein's owners couldn't be more humble about the comparison, and simply hope to be as good.)
- they will be open for lunch!
- and they'll be opening a nice size sidewalk cafe in the spring! (we're super happy about that one, cuz it means Buddy can hang!!)
- the bar is looking beautiful and will open tonight, but food will not be served for about another 2 weeks
- and finally as the awning shows - the place will be called Epstein's Bar (although they enjoy the pun, the name will not include the second R as in the virus "Epstein-Barr")

from goons to buffoons...
Gotti say, we called it. posted about the Gotti boyz blowhard fighting style when we first saw the show a couple months ago. then yesterday from Gawker... Gotti Boy Beat-Down - "Victoria Gotti seeds and reality tv 'stars' John and Carmine Gotti get their asses beat for harassing a girl at a Long Island mall."

more dirt on the fight and the red-faced Gotti's in The Post... "The youth who beat up the Gottis was like 5-foot-10, not that big. Their grandfather [John Gotti] would be rolling over in his grave if he saw that. They not only fought like cowards, they're a bunch of wimps. "

a strange juxtaposition to the buffoonery, is the big swoonery promotion A&E is doing on the Gotti boyz as teenage sex symbols. on HottiGotti.com brings you...
The Hotti Gotti Girls Club - Who's your Gotti?"
The Ultimate Gotti Girl Contest - How well do you know the Gotti Guys?
and asks... "Who else do you know who lives in a Long Island mansion by day and hits New York City hotspots by night? They don't call them 'the Hotti Gottis' for nothing."

and our fave Gotti site of all has to be the Smoking Gun's Blowing Up Gotti. 5 tapes that show the REAL Gotti reality!

Parenting, Gotti Style
"John Gotti criticizes daughter Victoria's handling of a problem her son encountered at school. Seems that after a classmate slurred Little John--accusing the kid (imagine!) of being a tyro wiseguy--Victoria had a polite conversation with the kid's mother to express her displeasure. Which was the wrong way to handle things, according to the imprisoned killer, who equates such civility to acting like a "rat" or a Jew. Instead, Gotti tells his daughter she should have instilled fear into the young troublemaker's mother by invoking her notorious daddy and threatening to--at least--cut the boy's tongue out."

I Got Nothin'
"Gambino crime boss rails at his disrespectful family.. Soon, a fidgety Victoria gets up and leaves, and Gotti explains to brother Peter how visitors like his daughter are cramping his lifestyle in the federal pen: "I told you I didn't want you to bring these people no more...I laugh all day. I'm in a good frame of mind 'til I see them...fuck you, fuck you, and fuck them."

fuck em all.

Giving a voice to the soldiers
War is such a devastating and destructive choice, and it's complex and far reaching. These soldiers and their families’ lives have been altered forever. Who’s going to care for them when they come back? How will they ever get to live a normal life again? These things aren’t being considered by Bush and Cheney.

OpTruth.org has some amazing photos and videos and really gives you a feeling of what it’s like over there.

Especially the Military Blogs section where you can read it directly from the men and women who are over there fighting for…. Why are we there again?
- A Sick Soldier - this happens more than the government will ever admit to – exposure to depleted uranium. Not only does this soldier have to live the rest of his life with illness, his baby daughter does too.
- Lack of supplies, such as body armor.
- Deplorable conditions

another great site on the inside: A Labrats Journey - A 27 year old woman working in a hospice in Iraq.

Why are we there? We find ourselves asking that question over and over.

(Thanks Laura J. for the excellent submission!)

behold the power of bagels
NYC is the food capital of the world. tons of amazing and great stuff across all categories and ethnicities. amongst this surplus of wonderful chow there are a few items where New York reigns king - and bagels are one of them!... and so CityRag brings you a:
guide to bagels in new york city...

if you live in New York and are indiscriminately buying bagels at delis - stop that! true bagel nirvana starts in a BAGEL SHOP. the best bagels come from places that are devoted to making bagels - where the turn-over is so fast that every bagel being sold has been made in the last couple hours, and most are still warm. where the shop is all about the quality, and takes pride in their reputation. and every customer in line is there buying bagels. this is where you get the best bagels made in the world. a combination of soft, dense and chewy, with an outer skin that's crusty and brown, an inside that's moist and almost steamy, and a heavenly fresh baked flavor.

Top Tier:
Bagel Nirvana in NY can be found at: H&H Bagel, Murray's Bagels and David and David's Bagels (the bagels shown are from David Bagel) - their bagels and shops are the quintessential version of what we've described above. Ess-a-Bagel is also at the top - but a bit doughier than the rest.

Second Tier:
Places where the bagels might not be right out of the oven, or made on the premises, but are still excellent: Kossar's Bialys, Russ and Daughters, Zabars

more bagel info and shops

on AOL CityGuide you can vote for City's Best Bagel 2005

NYCeats (now AFullBelly.com!) explains David versus David's

Chowhounds don't just debate about bagels, they do it by neighborhood! Search for "bagel" on the Manhattan or Outer Boroughs boards for lots of great info and opinion on NY's best bagel.

up to our neck with face
sometimes when you become aware of a tag, it starts to follow you around. in the 24 hours since this post...

we spotted a possible Neckface snapped by great site PeaceDividend.com on a parking meter in Berkeley (that went up the same time as our post :-)

and a triple-whammy... posted on the Avalon Chrystie Bld last week, then last night we snapped the shot below of a strange Neckface tag attack on the same building, and just now caught that Curbed put up a nice juicy post on the Avalon Chrystie

it's hard to tell if either of the tags above are the real deal. an interesting cultural phenomenon is that Neckface and other graf tags get imitated/copied around the world. here's a killer imitation Neckface outside of Tokyo. another possible copy from Glowlab.

a classic real one from Scuffletown, plus with more info/links on Neckface.

even visitors from Texas are snappin neck

and TOTC's gots the goods when it comes to saving face.

Update: MS sent us this note: "Word is he was just in Asia killing shit, so the Tokyo tags could very well be genuine."

and Stef sent us a link to an article that has some cool info about the man behind the face and his influences.

the stand
turns out the guy driving the tough, macked-out, SUV - AIN'T SO TOUGH. he'd just rear ended the guy standing in front of his car in the photo (who was driving a broken down-ish mini van) and decided he would drive off. but the guy in the van jumped out and body blocked the car before he could split shouting... "where you going man. you fucking... you busted my bumper. you gonna pay for that?... you're not moving until the cops get here"

nature boy pt 2
Buddy's a city boy. he's all business on the street, checkin out the scents, marking territory, meeting people. it's in his blood. but take him to the country and he's like a different dog. his looses his sense of city-business and goes into total doggy abandon. it brings out the animal in him.

fat tats

some nice tattoo shots by Michael Simon

neck without a face
spotted this graf on a van on Allen St in the LES. like TOTC we love Neckface, but this doesn't seem to be him. just another graf artist stickin' his neck out...

Buddy’s buddies
we’d like to send a big THANK YOU to all the nice people who’ve emailed us about their enjoyment of our little rescued dog Buddy and his New York adventures. Buddy has brought so much love and happiness to our lives. his expressive eyes, funny looks, cute little body, and tough guy personality drive us crazy! and it’s so nice to know that comes across in his pictures and he’s hooked a few of you out there.

some special links for Buddy lovers… 2 sites that we check daily for a glimpse of their CUTE PUPS with big personalities… first, Goliath from Brooklyn Vegan

and Deuce from I’m So Confused

plus we have a very special appearance by Traddles, Herself’s darling pooch who’s often mentioned (and congrats to Herself on her recent book deal!)

we cannot recommend enough the site: PetFinder.org - an amazing search engine/listing service that shows you virtually all dogs up for adoption in your area, by zip code, dog size, breed, etc (and they also list cats!) we found Buddy through their listings. WARNING – you will see 10 dogs you want in minutes! (if you have the room, adopt them all :-)

naked boy game
(*links in this post contain nudity, but no pop ups or spawning windows)...
well slap us up both sides of the head with a big wang... NYCguys latest issue is fucking HOT! in the newest edition you get (slap) 4 gorgeous, naked, New York boyz, (slap) in super sexy photos shot in candid NYC settings...
"BEN - can't say which bar in the East Village hosted this photo shoot. But its in a stall in the unused women's room"
"ROBERTO - in an abandoned lot in Williamsburg, overlooking Midtown, last day of summer."
"KEVIN - moving props into his studio in DUMBO last month."
...it's like naked boy Where's Waldo!

why Bush won
our bud Michael Simon snapped this crazy flyer in San Francisco this week...

Cubano
cool photo sites are all over the net, but sometimes you find the most amazing and inspiring stuff right under you nose. we’ve been running stills of our friend Baldomero Fernandez’s November 2 PSA for a couple months, but just dragged out of him that he has a website!... and WOW – such beautiful work. we love the way he captures and brings you into spaces, the vibrating energy of the "Satori" project, and the dream-like, movie set quality of his "Cubano" project really grabbed us. simply mesmerizing! Baldomero humbly notes... "you can drop a camera anywhere in Cuba and take a great picture"

(photos copyright Baldomero Fernandez)

Investigate the Vote
from moveon.org... "If people were wrongly prevented from voting, or if legitimate votes were mis-counted or not counted at all, we need to know so the wrongdoers can be held accountable, and to help prevent this from happening again. That's why we believe that: Congress must investigate the integrity of the voting process in the 2004 election."
join the movement!

more info from ILCAonline.org...
"Six prominent members of Congress have called for an investigation. Representatives Conyers (D-MI), Holt (D-NJ), Nadler (D-NY), Scott (D-VA), Watt (D-NC) and Wexler (D-FL), have demanded that the U.S. General Accounting Office: immediately undertake an investigation of the efficacy of voting machines and new technologies used in the 2004 election, how election officials responded to difficulties they encountered, and what we can do in the future to improve our election systems and administration. If you have a personal story of disenfranchisement, tell us. These members of Congress have agreed to include our stories and comments in their call for an investigation. Please sign now -- we'll deliver our compiled statements to them on Friday... Even if you don't have a personal story, your signature on our petition will still help build support for an investigation."

happy happy happy
more Allen St openings, also caught last night... a small store front on the west side of Allen between Stanton and Rivington... Happy Happy Happy is opening soon and will sell dairy-free and gluten-free desserts and baked goods. (we'll just leave it at, um, "a lot less excited" than the burger joint news. and...) welcome to the hood!

Update: the Happy Happy Happy people sent us info that their shop will open next Friday, Nov 26th at noon, with a link to their site. the desserts look DELICIOUS! stay tuned...

Epstein’s Bar - the LES is getting a burger joint!
holy hamburger heaven! this news rocked our world… a couple months ago we mentioned the building of a mysterious new bar/restaurant on the corner of Allen and Stanton (formerly the Living Room, see 3rd pic.) in the last week the exterior was demo’d and some nice big windows went in.

last night we were walking Buddy and a couple dudes who looked like they were involved were leaving. one crossed the street our way and we said hi and asked him if he could tell us what was going in… he said “a really really good burger joint” was going in, to which we replied “shut the fuck up, like Corner Bistro?” he then shoots double hand-guns off in our direction and says “you got it!”. he tells us the burgers are going to be the “really GREAT” and the bar will be killer. we’ll admit we’re already head over heals in love with this stranger, but it turns out he’s a very cool dude and one of the people who’ll be running the place. and it gets better, we’re told that one of the partners is from Niagara on 7th and A (a great bar and group of peeps we go way back with) and some of Niagara’s staff (and an old friend or two) will be bartending there. after 17 years in the hood, if you asked us what one thing we’d like to see go into that space – this would be it! they’re shooting to open next week. and the name - Epstein’s Bar (yes they did.) of course the real word will be on how the burgers are, and we'll keep you updated. but as they say... this could be the start of something big!

Update: couple interesting notes from Chowhounders...

MrNYC wrote: "the challenge to CORNER BISTRO is what really caught my attention. we'll see about that, right? good luck to them."

we replied: "to be fair, I brought up Corner Bistro first, and the guy I spoke to's posture was more like 'that's what we're shooting for', than a challenge (I could tell he was a CB fan)"

and Paul put up a cool observation... "homage to the old Jewish hood, epstein's shiller's cafe lebowitz, etc, etc, etc.... lansky lounge. sounds awesome."

Update II: Andrea Strong provides more info! (4th story down)

tale of two buildings
both these construction photos were shot out the same window of our apartment. but the story behind each is quite different. the building on the left, named 195 Bowery, has been going up for about 2 years. and for 2 years it's looked exactly the same. Curbed broke some news on the place almost 4 months ago, and in the time since, all they've done is put in an elevator shaft and a small mini floor on top.

this is a crazy contrast to the Avalon Chrystie building on the right. just a massive whole in the ground 5 months ago, it's now starting to tower around 14 floors high and has suddenly become visible out our window. with the main structure nearing completion, this building (which, by the way, is about 20 times the size of 195 Bowery) is going up at an incredible fast pace. and it looks to be well built. now that's the way to get construction done! they should send a crew over to 195 Bowery, they'd have it finished in a month.

made in new york
the baby turned one last week. he thought we were going to set him on fire with the cake...

photo universe
launched today, on the lower right of the page, you'll find a new list of great photo sites that will blow your mind and take you places you've never been. this list will be ever growing so keep an eye out for new additions, and send us tips on your favorite sites!

We the people
as the dust settles and reality starts to hit, we wonder what can be done to keep democracy moving forward over the next four years, and where to begin?... if you have any ideas please email us. right now we’re waiting to get some feeling back in our numb brain and heart. but the battle has just begun. and we’ve never been stronger. can’t you feel it? half the nation is about to explode.

some moving reminders from Michael Simon…

”James De La Vega during his 2004 NY state senate campaign. During the time I have spent with James over the past month I have found him to be inspirational and a model for his message, Become Your Dream.”

Folks in the Bronx on the receiving end of free Become Your Dream t-shirts during the De La Vega senate campaign. The state senate seat De La Vega was pursuing was ultimately awarded to Jose Serrano.

RNC Portraits:
Remember the RNC in NYC? I really started to feel hopeful about the election when I saw 400,000+ protesters marching on MSG, and without any kind of serious conflict. I photographed around 90 people that day in the hope to show the cross section of people who oppose this administration.

(photos copyright Michael Simon)

road rulez
when you're born and raised in da city, hitting the open road holds a little magic...

tree porn
couple years ago we found this really old post card at a flea market, and were like "what the?..." and then it hit us - those perverted Victorians... it's tree porn! (this photo of the post card is a bit blurry but you get the idea)

we haven't looked at trees the same since then. young, old, female, male, thick, thin, a little growth or clean shaven. now we see sexy trees everywhere.... "hey oak, nice ass!"

tree porn for the masses:
the lovely Nichelle sent this tidbit - in the film A Dirty Shame "there's a scene where Johnny Knoxville's character gets excited by seeing trees like the one in your post." yeeeehaaa!

more horny trees:
cool dude Adam sent us this photo from "outside a friend's house"...

and a porny coincidence!... same day as we put this up, tenyearsofmylife.com put up a Leaf Porn post!

New York's "Rebel Billionaires"
when we snapped these shots of the auditions this summer in NYC for the Billionaire we had slim hopes it would hold up. but we have to confess, the show looks good (premieres tonight on FOX at 8.) and we're secretly hoping Branson slaps that hideous mop right off of Trump's head with a ratings blowout. and for added fun, we can check out if anyone we shot made it to the show.

beef, it's what's for dinner
at first he seems the picture of good manners, but when there’s steak around, it’s just one pose in a series of nervous and hopeful faces...

fall-ing fast
looks like it's time to say goodbye to this radiant season... (and hello to winter)

take a trip to the drag strip
we love stuff that goes VROOOM, cool art, well made minature things and shiny metal... so the Fast Forward exhibit at the Spring 3D gallery in Brooklyn looks like a kick ass show!

"FAST FORWARD is a collaborative show where artists take a trip to the drag strip..."
- Don Ervin's amazing model race cars, ingenuously assembled out of common household objects
- photographers Fiorenzo Borghi, Gabrielle Shelton and Adam Scott's take on the races
- artists Molly Dilworth and Pasqualina Azzarello's paintings; Steve Butcher's "Fast Line", as well as a special edition ceramics by Sarah Cihat.
- and at the center of the exhibit - a special viewing of George De Siato's 1969 "slingshot" dragster!

the exhibit can be seen through November 14th, Thu - Sun from 1-7 pm. with a special evening reception tomorrow night - Tuesday November 9th from 6-9 pm - that's open to all - check it out!!

the face of...
wonder what would make Buddy put on this handsome and alert look?... stay tuned, we'll reveal the answer tomorrow.

Kerry won
a fucking amazing analysis and commentary from Tom Paine...
Kerry won. Here are the facts.
"I know you don't want to hear it. You can't face one more hung chad. But I don't have a choice. As a journalist examining that messy sausage called American democracy, it's my job to tell you who got the most votes in the deciding states. Tuesday, in Ohio and New Mexico, it was John Kerry."... (continued...)

we read the every word. it makes so much sense. and that's not counting the hourly workers and single mothers in Ohio who couldn't wait 10 hours and dropped out of the lines. and why is it that the most important state in this election is the only one that reported waits of such unreasonable length? there's no excuse for 10 hour long voting lines (they could have so easily been predicted and planned for, and even in the moment corrected.) democracy is falling over in front of our eyes.

BODman
"I hope they know he's gay"...
(great stuff from I'm So Confused! our favorite new daily read)

we're feelin Black Lilly. reminds us a little of this and this.

fuc
this tag appeared Wednesday morning on a wall near the UN...

sorry all, we're trying to stay positive but need to do this once... FUUUUUUCCCCCKKKKKK!!!! FUCK FUCK FUCKING FUCK 'N FUCK.

anyone else seen any post election graf or tags out there?

UPDATE: Tale of Two Cities spotted one

smoke-in in the boys room
ain't nothing better than a late night joint in a bar bathroom with our boyz (this one goes out to Chucky in the Kong)

dismantaling democracy
bad and sad timing, the "Democracy is best taught by example, not war" billboard was taken down from Times Square this morning...

Barfight bar fight
while browsing through Michael Simon's wonderful photos to put together our profile on his work, we spotted this crazy fight photo called "Barfight, Wash D.C."

we had to find out the deal on this... and he sent over this hilarious story, just as interesting as the pic:

"So I grew up in Richmond, VA and I grew up with a bunch of maniac punk rock and hardcore kids. Our scene was pretty huge with groups from Northern Va and D.C. melting into one another. Some of our pals formed a band called Barfight around 1999, and suddenly became a kind of mascot for all of us in the scene. At a show called The Superbowl of Hardcore in Washington DC, which had a crowd of like 2500+ people, Barfight took the stage and shit went absolutely nuts. The hardcore music scene was particularly wild at the time, and this show was seriously reaching riot proportions. Barfight was playing in masks for reasons still unknown to me, and during the first song my buddy Mike from Philly jumped up on stage, butt ass naked, and started to attack the band members, and then the crowd.

It was all in good fun, eventually he put his clothes back on."

thanks Michael! (and yes CityRag readers, it looks like ASS has turned into our theme of the week)

dangerous streets
we like to see a little history poking through construction around the city, but not when it’s in the form of street repairs done to 1920's standards! these old splintered boards with exposed bent nails used to cover a construction hole are smack in center of the right, bus lane on 1st Avenue at 23rd St. (snapped some shots and then called 311 and reported it…)

Buddy in the grass is a gas

running

resting

introducing the sluttier Barbie - that's hot
apparently the old Barbie wasn't hot enough to keep up with today's role models. via one of those fabulous ad viruses that has taken over our system, we were introduced this morning to the new and improved "Juicy Couture" Barbie doll, complete with: "signature tracksuit pieces", heavier eye make-up, more bling-bling, shopping bags with catchy phrases like "Live For Sugar", accessory Chihuahuas, and an improved dazed look in their eyes...

and for you young "street culture" sluts... don't miss the Versus Barbie® Doll!... "Versus, the youthful cutting edge Versace brand that bridges the gap between the energy of street culture and high fashion with innovative designer clothing, accessories and fragrance... and an ultra-short faux fur jacket" - plus heals and a spandex jumpsuit only a pro would wear.

Bum's Bums
our boy NO from nycguys.com (NSFW) comes up with the bestest shit:
"One of my friends was walking up 8th Ave near 14th Street and captured a great 'on the street' moment: One bum was trying to take a crap in a telephone booth like it was a bathroom stall while another bum harrassed him from the booth next to him... Come visit New York City with your digital camera..."

butt wait! - the rest of the photo series is even better... (NSFW) "Bum's Bums - a scene from 8th Ave, mid-afternoon"
(*this site has nudity and sex stuff, but no pop-ups)

sometimes its two steps forward and three steps backwards
we're so proud of you all today. Bush won by the narrowest of margins. 48%-plus turned it out to show Bush we have a whole different set of values and beliefs on the way this nation should be run. and we hope he listens.

we've learned in life to lick our wounds quickly and move on to positive action (so much fucked up shit happens in this world everyday.)

the fight goes on. and in a way it gets stronger. we've started a new category called "Pressing Issues" and will continue to keep you updated as we face the battle ahead to make sure the rights and beliefs of over 48% of the people who voted in this election are not forgotten. THANK YOU to everyone who helped show the world that half this country does not support the actions of Bush, and does not want him in office.

now on with the show...

voting is better than crack
is anyone else riding a major buzz from voting for Kerry?!...

voting is better than crack: getting that anxious anticipation as you wait for your chance to hide in the small booth. making your line. slamming it back. and feeling that rush of power wash over you. voting is like free drugs. get out there and get your freak on!

up close and personal
Buddy the wonder dog

A final and powerful argument for Kerry
we’ve mentioned our mother’s Catholic beliefs that override all other issues in her standard straight line Republican vote, and that we’ve been able to provide her with info that has swung her to voting for Kerry.

This morning our final plea and suggestion for converting your parents, freinds and neighbors goes straight to the heart of this – the abortion issue. here’s our step by step process for overcoming this issue with our mother:

1) discuss in detail the horrendous job George Bush has actually done in protecting our country from the real terrorists that want to attack and kill us. This is A WAR FOR OIL – NOT THE SAFETY OF THIS COUNTRY– we are less safe because of it – it’s diverted virtually all our attention and resources from tracking down the real terrorists! It’s diverted a QUARTER TRILLION DOLLARS OF MONEY THAT COULD BE GOING TO PROTECT US. Homeland security has never been weaker, we’ve never had fewer allies, and new terrorist groups have been INSITED AGAINST US. This war has nothing to do with protecting our country and has put the citizens of this country in GREATER DANGER – with the biggest target being NEW YORK!

2) tell your parent or friend how scared you are EVERY DAY living in New York, and how the danger to you personally GROWS DAILY the longer Bush is left in office. and that your are sad and hurt that they’re putting the abortion issue over YOUR safety and YOUR LIFE.

Not only did this convert my Mom, she’s begging her friends to put the life of her child and their own children who work and live in NYC before the abortion issue this year – and its working!!!

Make those final calls today… we’re calling tons of relatives in NJ that we know are voting for Kerry just to support and encourage their efforts with others around them. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE TURN OUT – EVERY EFFFORT YOU CAN MAKE TODAY WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!

A picture is worth a thousand words
forwarded from a friend... "Image by CHUCK CLOSE. A composite of American soldiers who have died in Iraq over the last year. A picture is worth a thousand words. Or in this case, a thousand lives +. And growing daily. Please vote tomorrow."

for off the beaten track and well put together reporting and facts... tons of detailed updates are rolling out of the Daily Kos

from Kottke.org - What to do on election day
If you experience problems voting, or if you see anything improper at the polls, you may want to get help. It is a good idea to bring a cellphone, and phone numbers of nonpartisan hotlines like the Election Protection program's 1-866-OURVOTE and Common Cause's 1-866-MYVOTE1

and an inspiring (and funny) message from our friends John and George who flew out to Broward County, Florida to volunteer on the front line…

“we were assigned to the Deerfield Beach headquarters (about 15 miles north of Fort Lauderdale) where we were hooked up with Bill and Anna, a couple that drove from San Diego to work here in Florida. There are people from all over the country volunteering here, but a lot from New York and California. We were given maps, fliers and polling location info, jumped into Bill’s SUV and headed off to the Everest of retirement communities, Century Village! I can’t tell you how huge this place is, but definitely home to several thousand retirees. We went door to door, and the reaction of those people was greater than we could have ever have imagined. This place has got to be 90% for Kerry! Half the people had already voted, the rest were fixing to vote and needed no help getting there.
Here are some of the great quotes of the day:
“wild horses couldn’t keep me from voting”
“That Bush is crazy”
“My name is Pearl, I’m from Brooklyn, who else would I vote for?”
“I mean he seems like a nice man…..but he has to go”
“God bless you Boys”
“How’s my unit doing? Are they all voting for Kerry too? Yes? I live in the best unit!”
There’s a lot of Century Villages in Florida and there Voting KERRY!!

Kerry For President - pulling out the last stops
Andrew Sullivan is a brilliant writer on political and social issues. his take is always very balanced and ways both sides. He has chosen to support John Kerry, and his words speak in respectful terms and make a strong case to to even the strongest Bush supporters...

Kerry For President
"...it is simply foolish to ignore what we have found out this past year about Bush's obvious limits, his glaring failures, his fundamental weakness as a leader. I fear he is out of his depth and exhausted. I simply do not have confidence in him to navigate the waters ahead skilfully enough to avoid or survive the darkening clouds on the horizon.

But Kerry? I cannot know for sure. But in a democracy, you sometimes have to have faith that a new leader will be able to absorb the achievements of his predecessor and help mend his failures. Kerry has actually been much more impressive in the latter stages of this campaign than I expected. He has exuded a calm and a steadiness that reassures. He is right about our need for more allies, more prudence, and more tactical discrimination in the war we are waging. I cannot say I have perfect confidence in him, or that I support him without reservations. But not to support anyone in this dangerous time is a cop-out. So give him a chance. In picking the lesser of two risks, we can also do something less dispiriting. We can decide to pick the greater of two hopes."

DO YOU KNOW ANYONE IN FLORIDA, OHIO, WISCONSIN, MINNESOTA, or MICHIGAN? CALL OR EMAIL THEM - OUR EFFORTS WILL HAVE AN IMPACT! if you know people here in NY who are from those states, let them know that they can make a critical difference and encourage them to contact everyone they know in their home states. WE'RE ALMOST THERE - ALL THAT'S LEFT IS TO GET OUT AND VOTE!!!

halloween in NY rocks