USA / All Themes
British couple on trial in Dubai for having sex on beach
02.09.2008 08:37
usatoday.com
A British couple on trial for allegedly having sex on a Dubai beach asked the judge on Tuesday to be allowed to leave the country.
USA
Tourism
Selected Sales
02.09.2008 08:33
brownstoner.com
1) One Hanson Place, #11K, $1,029,731 ACRIS GMAP 2) 125 Eastern Parkway, #6F $395,000 ACRIS GMAP 3) 10 Monroe Place, #4 $866,400 ACRIS GMAP
New York
Construction & Real Estate
Fifth Avenue Businesses Relocating, Not Leaving
02.09.2008 08:33
brownstoner.com
Fear not. Neither A&S Pork Store nor Beacon's Closet are leaving 5th Avenue in Park Slope, despite the fact that their spaces are for rent and rumors are flying. Both are relocating to new spaces. The folks at Beacon's Closet say they're moving to a bigger space (they didn't disclose the exact location) from their current 220 5th Avenue shop. And a tipster tells us that A&S Pork Store, once set to close in October, is instead moving to 312 5th Avenue, from 274 5th. They've been in the neighborhood for 60 years. Photos from Property Shark
New York
Construction & Real Estate
Building Upgrades for Thin Wallets
02.09.2008 08:33
brownstoner.com
The New York Times offers "cut-rate quality-of-life enhancements," for buildings, from "rewriting outdated rules, to making thrifty but high-impact aesthetic upgrades, to improving service through technology and training, to forging a stronger sense of community." Can't afford a new bathroom? Try giving the doorman a little professional development course, or get a building listserv of Web site for intra-co-op or condo communications. Buy some flowers, host a communal gathering, hire a virtual concierge or simply install a community recycling bin. None of this requires any scaffolding. Thrift Ways to Upgrade a Building [NY Times] 626 Pacific. Photo by threecee.
New York
Construction & Real Estate
Venner vs. Ratner Plays Out In Cleveland
02.09.2008 08:33
brownstoner.com
A couple of Brooklyn real estate big-wigs have been embroiled in a bitter battle over the enforceability of the terms of a century-old lease in the heart of downtown Cleveland. The lawsuit, which has worked its way through the appeals system since it was filed back in 2006, pits Stuart Venner, who owns a number of buildings in Brooklyn, including 174 Clinton Avenue, 657 Carlton Avenue and 114 Henry Street, against development goliath Forest City Ratner Enterprises. The conflict began when Venner purchased the 12-story, 1910 office building at 1228 Euclid Avenue known as The Halle Building in 2006. The ground lease from 1912 for the building, for which Forest City had been paying $35,000 a year, contained a "gold clause" which gave the landlord the right to adjust the rental rate based on the price of gold. The $35,000 rate was based on the price of gold in 1912, and many people, including Forest City, assumed that the gold clause was no longer valid. That's what the lower court thought, a three judge appeals panel in Cincinnati ruled last Wednesday that the clause is still enforceable; the case now goes to federal court in Cleveland. If the federal court goes along, Venner stands to make a pretty penny: based on the current price of gold, the new rent for the land would be $1,400,000 a year! Gold-based Lease Could Cause Million-dollar Hike [Cleveland.com] Photo from Cleveland Skyscrapers.com
New York
Construction & Real Estate
The Luxury of the Garage
02.09.2008 08:33
brownstoner.com
The bar for "luxury real estate" continually rises in New York these days—wine cellars, heated pools or screening rooms are increasingly par for the course. But perhaps the most coveted amenity continues to be the parking garage, says the New York Times. Their recent tally of listings in Manhattan and Brooklyn with garages included a dozen from $1.195 million, for a Crown Heights brownstone, to $18.75 million for a Greenwich Village carriage house. A garage, according to Jonathan Miller, chief executive of Miller Samuel Inc., can easily add five percent to a house's asking price, and sometimes as much as 25 percent. One Bedford-Stuyvesant resident moved into a Crown Heights four-bedroom brownstone with a garage, which he's now selling for $1.195 million — apparently having all that storage space for rakes and such resulted in an insatiable desire for the suburban life. The article comes on the heels of a Transportation Alternatives study called "Suburbanizing the City," which critiques the Bloomberg administration's policy of requiring developers to build off-street parking with new buildings, which, they say, will add 170,000 new cars on city streets by 2030. Might make the buildings more desirable and valuable, but, according to TA, garages and off-street parking could add 431,000 tons of CO2 per year by 2030. The Ultimate Luxury: A Garage [NY Times] Suburbanizing the City (PDF) [TA]
New York
Construction & Real Estate
Nicholas J. Cotsonika's blog: Lions announce Johnson's signing, Bell's release
02.09.2008 08:32
freep.com
It's official: The Lions have signed running back Rudi Johnson to a one-year deal and released running back Tatum Bell. The team made the announcement this morning.
USA
Blogs
Villa Louis Carriage Classic September 6 & 7
02.09.2008 08:28
wisconsinhistory.org
One of the most elegant equine festivals and carriage driving competions in the nation is set to unfold on the beautiful grounds of the historic Villa Louis country estate in Prairie du Chien when the annual Villa Louis Carriage Classic...
Wisconsin
History
GM does not see U.S. sales reviving this year
02.09.2008 08:24
washingtonpost.com
TALEGAON, India (Reuters) - General Motors (GM.N) does not expect U.S. sales to revive this year as the credit crunch pressures consumers, with a senior official saying the top priority was to turn around the North American business.
USA
Machine-Building Industry
Stocks jump as oil tumbles on relief over Gustav
02.09.2008 08:23
washingtonpost.com
NEW YORK -- Stocks soared early Tuesday as oil prices fell sharply on reports that the Gulf Coast and its oil facilities have been spared heavy damage from Hurricane Gustav. The Dow Jones industrial average rose more than 150 points.
USA
Finance & Investments
Weakened Gustav spared New Orleans, Gulf Coast
02.09.2008 06:36
usatoday.com
Hurricane Gustav weakened to a tropical depression Tuesday but Louisiana authorities urged the nearly 2 million residents who ...
USA
Weather Forecast
Hanna, downgraded to tropical storm, targets Ga., S.C.
02.09.2008 06:36
usatoday.com
Georgia and South Carolina were bracing for Tropical Storm, forecast to strike Friday.
USA
Weather Forecast
Gustav: New storm, new lessons
02.09.2008 06:36
usatoday.com
Hurricane Gustav may not have lived up to its billing, but it made it clear how Hurricane Katrina's legacy is a newfound respect ...
USA
Weather Forecast
'Gargoyle' perches on its haunting words
02.09.2008 06:36
usatoday.com
It's hard to know whether the self-described crispy critter at the center of Andrew Davidson's unsettling debut novel is more ...
USA
Books & CD
'Pharmakon': Take it with a dose of caution
02.09.2008 06:36
usatoday.com
The ancient Greek word "pharmakon" has dueling dual definitions: It can mean both remedy and poison.
USA
Books & CD
English