News: The Measure, The L Magazine

That's It, I'm Done With Facebook

Henry Stewart — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:57:00 -0400

I was talking to a social-media expert over the weekend, complaining to her that my Facebook feed had become totally worthless. She suggested it was partially my fault, because I haven't been managing it well (unfollowing but not unfriending some people, setting it to receive only important updates from others, etc.), but it's not entirely.…

Pescetarians Are the Fucking Worst

Henry Stewart — Wed, 01 May 2013 11:33:00 -0400

There was this Red Lobster (or some shit) commercial recently in which this guy was talking about some shit like Unlimited Shrimp, and even my proudly omnivorous friend was like, what a fucking asshole. Like, eat all the shrimp you want, but at least respect the fact that they used to be alive and you fucking killed them.…

Should The Islanders Get a Hipster Makeover Before Moving To Brooklyn?

Virginia K. Smith — Wed, 01 May 2013 10:58:40 -0400

As the lone L Magazine staffer who doesn't really understand or care about hockey, things can get a little lonely when talk turns to the Islanders. Like, "Oh, yeah, remember how nobody liked them, because hockey's a Canadian sport, and the stadium they play in sucks?…

Times to Bike Share Critics: You're Stupid!

Henry Stewart — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:16:00 -0400

Ginia Bellafante may not be our favorite Times columnist. But she did write a chucklesome column over the weekend about the Bike Share program, subtly skewering the critics of its infrastructure (who often come across like the critics of the Prospect Park West bike lane, which is to say unfavorably, though a handful of them probably do have legitimate gripes).…

Are You A Brooklyn Hipster? The Catholic Church Wants You

Virginia K. Smith — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:13:00 -0400

Oh, man. If there's anything I trust less than pretty much all modes of organized religion, it's organized religion that tries to pull off any kind of "hipster" re-branding. Ugggh.…

Bombings Not So Rare in NYC Over Last 100 Years

Henry Stewart — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 12:32:00 -0400

Yesterday's attack in Boston has left me sad and confused; I keep longing for a suspect to be caught, so I can hear about a motive, as though if I hear some lunatic's justification for mass violence it'll make sense? So I decided instead to distract myself with investigations into local history.…

Not Scared By The Salt PSAs? Here Are 5 of New York's Most Graphic Subway Ads

Virginia K. Smith — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:06:00 -0400

Earlier this week, the city rolled out its latest "terrifying health consequences" PSAs, this time warning against the dangers of excess sodium intake. Sure, they mention the possibilities of salt-related strokes and heart attacks using words, but, in an uncharacteristic move, there are no graphic, impossible-to-scrub-from-the-memory images to go along with them.…

Psych! Decriminalization's Still Not Happening

Virginia K. Smith — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 15:13:58 -0400

Looks like we spoke to soon about the possibility of decriminalization happening within the week, in spite of widespread public support, and backing from both Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg. State lawmakers passed the budget, but without any update to the laws that categorize open-view marijuana as a misdemeanor, rather than a simple violation.…

How to Save Money Like a Boss

Kristin Iversen — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 13:42:00 -0400

We all need to figure out more ways to cut costs these days. Things are expensive and most of us don't have all that much money.…

Is New York Weed Decriminalization Finally Here?

Virginia K. Smith — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 09:30:12 -0400

State lawmakers are hunkered down in Albany this week trying to finalize a new state budget, which is pretty run of the mill, as these things go. Some of the details are boring and some — like the potential boost of state minimum wage to $9 per hour — are pretty fascinating and important.…

Today's 17 Best Tweets From Racist FDNY Commissioner's Son

Henry Stewart — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 13:05:00 -0400

Joseph Cassano, an EMT and the son of city Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano, got in trouble today after the Post reported he'd been posting racist, misogynistic, anti-Semitic, anti-EMS and anti-NYPD tweets to his 28 Twitter followers. I went to visit his public account minutes before it was suspended, and thus was able to take all of these screenshots of tweets he posted just before and after noon today, in which he's sorry, scared, physically threatened, flipped off by his mailman, and racist again.…

Help! My Insurance Company is Trying to Kill Me!

Henry Stewart — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 12:45:00 -0400

I woke up with a start last night at 2:30, and my first thought was, "did I set an alarm to be up at 2:30?" Such are the insane ideas a brain starved of sugary blood will have.…

Subways Might Soon Boast a Sex Offenders "Wall of Shame"

Kristin Iversen — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 11:45:00 -0400

There are all sorts of controversial posters hanging in subway stations and, of course, subways themselves. There are warnings about the perils of teen pregnancy, graphic depictions of how much fat is in each cup of soda that you drink, before and after shots of fungus-afflicted feet, and, perhaps most egregious of all, the banal selections on the "Poetry in Motion" posters.…

6 Ways Not To Be A Dick To Your Cab Driver

Virginia K. Smith — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 14:45:44 -0500

Not just because it could end super badly. It's really because driving a cab is a rough gig with an often-narrow profit margin, and, think about it.…

Will The Brooklyn Castle Chess Team Lose Its Funding?

Virginia K. Smith — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 12:11:32 -0500

Everyone who's seen Katie Dellamaggiore's acclaimed 2012 documentary Brooklyn Castle falls in love with the I.S. 318 chess team and everything it represents. Which makes sense.…

Coping Mechanisms For Your Crazily Long Commute

Virginia K. Smith — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 15:20:10 -0500

Earlier this week, census data confirmed what we all suspected to be true: New Yorkers tend to have longer commutes than almost anyone else in the country. Terrible.…

Why City Composting Should Start in Brooklyn, NOT Staten Island

Amanda Park Taylor — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 13:42:00 -0500

On February 14, Mayor Bloomberg announced the introduction of a pilot program for composting, aka curbside recycling of food waste and scraps. In Staten Island.…

Hate MTA Fare Hikes? Join the "Swipe Back" Campaign

Virginia K. Smith — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 11:51:00 -0500

So, you won't be getting your $8 a month back for the unlimited card you likely need in order to get to your job and make a living every day and have no choice but to buy, regardless of swift, crazily steep MTA fare hikes. That seems like a lost cause at this point.…

For Gawd's Sake, Turn Down Your Fucking iPod

Henry Stewart — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 11:30:00 -0500

I'm an easygoing guy (more or less!), but one of the things that drives me bananas is loud-listening mp3ers on the subway. It's one of the most egregious examples of the livingroomization of America: the way our fellow citizens see no harm in texting during movies or chewing gum at Broadway; how can you expect anyone to be conscious of anything these days beyond their own selves and immediate desires?…

City Tries To Prevent Teen Pregnancy With Awful New Subway Ads

Virginia K. Smith — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 11:02:28 -0500

Crass subway ads are nothing new. Just off the top of my head, there's the one with the fat being poured into a glass, Pamela Gellar's horrible campaign against Islam, and those crazy posters trying to convince you that smoking makes your fingers fall off (I still do not think this is a real medical thing, or at least not the principal reason to scare people away from smoking).…

Are Food Trucks Killing All the Polar Bears?

Amanda Park Taylor — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 09:44:00 -0500

Over on the Atlantic Cities blog they recently asked one of the tougher questions out there (well, tough for those of us who like a banh mi on the run): 'Are Food Trucks Worse for the Environment Than Storefronts?'

It's tough to consider any takedown of the food delivery system so many New Yorkers, from Midtown office grunts to Brooklyn flea-market goers, hold dear.…

Brooklyn Man Sees The Face Of God In A Turd

Virginia K. Smith — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 10:56:43 -0500

Ok, so that was a little sneaky, this actually took place in Brooklyn, Ohio. But I wanted an excuse to write about this mystical bird turd and by God, I found it.…

"I'm A Gay Man and Jesus Loves Me."

Kristin Iversen — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:50:00 -0500

It's a sort of sad truth that we are all so conditioned to ignoring the crazy people on the subway (lest they push us in front of an oncoming train or something) that we usually ignore them. I mean, once, I was on the 2 train and it was summer and hot and everything smelled like death and rats and shit and the world felt terrible but what made it even worse was that there was an awful woman on my car who was yelling at all the girls in their summer clothes as they got on the train.…

Presidents' Day: How to Celebrate a Holiday You Probably Don't Care About

Virginia K. Smith — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 10:00:00 -0500

Everybody in America loves President's Day. Or, at least, everyone with a full-time job that actually observes this national holiday loves it.…

Bloomberg is Still Anti-Weed, But Now Also Anti-Weed Prison Time

Virginia K. Smith — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 13:02:29 -0500

This week has been unexpectedly seminal one, at least for people that very specifically care about our outgoing mayor's thoughts on weed smokin' (other than "You bet I did. And I enjoyed it.").…