Copyright 2008 The New York Sun Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:34:44 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss David Gerlach :: Stories from The New York Sun http://www.nysun.com/authors/David+Gerlach istoll@nysun.com (Ira Stoll) webmaster@nysun.com en-us DAVID GERLACH http://www.nysun.com/national/schumer-lists-democrats-new-agenda/43783/ Mon, 20 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Senator Schumer, who concentrated his party's firepower on Iraq during an election in which he masterminded a narrow victory in the Senate, laid out the Democratic Party's less talked about domestic agenda yesterday. "It's high time that Congress address issues that matter to the average family," Mr. Schumer, who was recently elected no. 3 in the Senate and will oversee the party's policy and strategy, said yesterday in New York. Although Mr. Schumer presented the raft of policies — which... DAVID GERLACH http://www.nysun.com/national/war-funds-intact-at-least-for-now-as-murtha-loses/43725/ Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST The election of Rep. Steny Hoyer, a Democrat of Maryland, as House majority leader staves off, at least for the moment, the threat of a Democratic Congress cutting funding for the war in Iraq. Mr. Hoyer, who has signed three leadership letters to President Bush calling for a phased withdrawal of troops from Iraq, beat out Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, who wants to set a date for an American exit and send the troops elsewhere in the Middle East. Last night, both the Democrats and the founder... DAVID GERLACH http://www.nysun.com/national/bloomberg-targets-sarbanes-oxley-in-legislative/43608/ Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Mayor Bloomberg top priority for the new Congress is legislative action that will preserve New York's status as the world's financial capital. Among the policies the mayor is urging the new Congress to approve and fund are a relaxation of the stern regulations imposed by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, passed in the wake of corporate scandals. Also on the agenda are better health care for those who breathed toxic air at ground zero in the wake of the September 11 attacks; a rail link connecting... DAVID GERLACH http://www.nysun.com/national/giuliani-bid-may-destroy-firms-prestige/43542/ Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST If Mayor Giuliani's presidential run takes off, it could mean the end of his lucrative international consulting business, Giuliani Security & Safety, set up to advise clients on combating terrorism. "The reason people pay a lot of money for this type of consulting is because you have a big name associated with it," a fellow at the Integrated Center of Homeland Security at Texas A&M University, William Hancock, said. Mr. Hancock said the company, which is part of the larger Giuliani and... DAVID GERLACH http://www.nysun.com/national/rangel-backs-hoyer-for-leader-in-a-break-with/43459/ Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST The battle between Rep. John Murtha and Rep. Steny Hoyer for the no. 2 leadership spot in the House of Representatives is dividing the New York City delegation to Congress. Although Mr. Murtha led a charge against the war in Iraq, which contributed to the Democrats' taking both the House and the Senate, many Democratic representatives in New York, including some who co-sponsored his troop redeployment resolution in 2005, are backing the Pennsylvania congressman's rival, Mr. Hoyer, to become... DAVID GERLACH http://www.nysun.com/national/gop-loss-of-congress-prompts-a-battle-over/43281/ Fri, 10 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST The Republicans' loss of power in the House after 12 years at the helm has set off a scramble for the party's top leadership positions in the upcoming Congress and a fight over the direction of the party. Since Tuesday, a handful of Republican lawmakers have announced their intentions and reached out to their Republican colleagues with their prescriptions for moving the party forward. Rep. Peter King of Long Island said yesterday that he has decided whom he will back as House minority leader... DAVID GERLACH http://www.nysun.com/national/president-pelosi-expressing-hope-for-cooperation/43186/ Thu, 9 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST President Bush and Congress's newly empowered Democratic leaders alike are expressing hope for bipartisan cooperation that could lead to a minimum wage increase, an immigration law overhaul, and perhaps even changes to Iraq policy. As the likelihood of Democratic control of the Senate grew greater yesterday and the size of the Democratic majority in the House became clear, Mr. Bush used a White House press conference to reach out to Democrats on a variety of policy issues. He spoke of the way... DAVID GERLACH http://www.nysun.com/national/few-key-races-will-decide-congresss-future/43033/ Tue, 7 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Years of work and billions of dollars in political spending come to a head today in an election in which control of the House and Senate will be decided by a few dozen key races. Democrats need to pick up six Senate seats to win control, but they have watched a number of previously vulnerable Republican incumbents battle back in recent weeks. The Republican senator of Montana, Conrad Burns, is now in a statistical dead heat with his Democratic opponent, Jon Tester, according to the latest... DAVID GERLACH http://www.nysun.com/national/new-york-gop-lawmakers-may-stave-off-defeat/42908/ Mon, 6 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST In a year in which the Iraq war and President Bush's low approval ratings are threatening to doom many House Republicans, two New York incumbents may buck the expected Democratic wave and retain their seats. Republican Reps. James Walsh of Syracuse and Sue Kelly of the Hudson Valley are aiming to avoid the fate of some of their Republican colleagues tomorrow by stressing their independence on issues like the environment and stem cell research and by demonstrating that they have stood up for... DAVID GERLACH http://www.nysun.com/national/big-power-shift-ahead-for-new-york-if-democrats/42878/ Fri, 3 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST If the Democrats win a majority in the House of Representatives in Tuesday's election, it would catapult some of New York's congressmen into new positions of influence that could bring more federal spending to New York State. The prospect of Rep. Charles Rangel of Harlem taking over as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee has already attracted plenty of attention. But he has plenty of company in the New York State delegation to the House of Representatives, where Democrats outnumber... DAVID GERLACH http://www.nysun.com/national/once-secure-republicans-spend-thousands-to-stem/42765/ Thu, 2 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Reps. Peter King and Vito Fossella, once thought two of the most secure Republicans in the House, are emptying their war chests of hundreds of thousands of dollars to stem the tide of Democratic candidates riding the coattails of Senator Clinton and gubernatorial candidate Eliot Spitzer, who are expected to win by a landslide. Mr. Fossella, the lone Republican in New York City's congressional delegation, cruised to re-election in the 13th Congressional District in 2004, snaring 59% of the vote... DAVID GERLACH http://www.nysun.com/national/snowstorm-may-improve-reynoldss-re-election/42664/ Wed, 1 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Rep. Thomas Reynolds's re-election hopes lie somewhere between the recent congressional page scandal and an October blizzard that crippled his upstate New York district. In New York State's most expensive House race ever — $6.8 million, so far — Mr. Reynolds is facing a tough rematch against Democrat Jack Davis, a former Republican and largely self-financed candidate stumping on safeguarding American borders, fighting free trade agreements, and protecting the working class. When the Mark Foley... DAVID GERLACH http://www.nysun.com/food-drink/advice-by-the-glass/27942/ Wed, 22 Feb 2006 00:00:00 EST Jeffrey Luftig of the Biltmore Room keeps his sommelier credentials in perspective."Someone who tells you they are an expert in wine is completely full of crap," Mr. Luftig said. Humble and sincere with a whiff of wine-buttressed lunacy, Mr. Luftig is full of more than just flowery hot air. He brings genuine enthusiasm to the table, rather than pretense. In his words: an "under-control maniac." Mr. Luftig came to the Biltmore Room 10 months ago as general manager and added the sommelier title... DAVID GERLACH http://www.nysun.com/food-drink/billy-gilroy-of-employees-only/26836/ Wed, 1 Feb 2006 00:00:00 EST While describing three decades of New York City restaurant experience, Billy Gilroy mentions that it all really began while learning to bake bread at an ashram in Livingston Manor in the 1970s. Mr. Gilroy - now one of five owner-employees of Employees Only - was only 18 years old when he headed to the Catskills for some higher learning. He was an East Village kid who had discovered meditation while in drug rehabilitation. "They pitched it like '10% of all Major League baseball players... DAVID GERLACH http://www.nysun.com/food-drink/at-the-front-of-the-house-2005-12-07/24113/ Wed, 7 Dec 2005 00:00:00 EST Jo-Ann Makovitzky may be the first person to greet you at Tocqueville - the restaurant she owns and runs with her husband, chef Marco Moreira - but the sweetest gal in the room is Francesca, the couple's 3-year-old daughter, who likes to wander through the room and greet the customers. "She knows how to behave in a restaurant," Ms. Makovitzky says. Francesca isn't the only source of pride for this mother. She also beams about her other offspring: Tocqueville. "When I refer to Tocqueville, it is... DAVID GERLACH http://www.nysun.com/food-drink/at-the-front-of-the-house-2005-10-26/22065/ Wed, 26 Oct 2005 00:00:00 EST When certain customers arrive at Public, the Antipodean-Asian restaurant on Elizabeth Street, they come in search of a particular bartender: Brian McRory. "They say hi and then immediately ask if he is working that night," assistant manager Kim Johnson said. Mr. McRory, a handsome Scotsman with a sly, innocent grin, can indeed pour a fine drink and keep up the conversation. Beverage Media magazine named him one of America's finest bartenders for 2005. But something tempting is also at work... DAVID GERLACH http://www.nysun.com/food-drink/danny-abrams-of-red-cat/20703/ Wed, 28 Sep 2005 00:00:00 EST Danny Abrams, together with chef Jimmy Bradley, has built a tidy restaurant empire that includes Pace, the Harrison, the Mermaid Inn, and Red Cat. Although Mr. Abrams spends time at each of them, it is the front station at Red Cat - the oldest restaurant of the four - that makes him feel right at home. "I see all the people I made friends with when I was maitre d' here, the first couple of years after we opened," he said. Most importantly, it allows him to stay connected with the simple act of... DAVID GERLACH http://www.nysun.com/food-drink/at-the-front-of-the-house/19646/ Wed, 7 Sep 2005 00:00:00 EST Dinner at Atelier, the modern French restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton on Central Park South, cannot begin without a proper visit to the bar. "It's the appetizer to the main course," bartender Norman Bukofzer says. A mix of tourists, politicos, stars of various realms, and, often, a 105-year-old zipper magnate, know to stop first at this reliable oasis. Mr. Bukofzer is a veteran of the trade, and as such, he's got the charm of a man who does not forget a face, a story, or one's drink. Even a...