Copyright 2008 The New York Sun Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:36:19 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Eric Wolff :: Stories from The New York Sun http://www.nysun.com/authors/Eric+Wolff istoll@nysun.com (Ira Stoll) webmaster@nysun.com en-us ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/sports/in-new-york-hockeys-glory-days-belong-to/8010/ Thu, 20 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST Hockey's edifice is crumbling: On Monday, it was reported that the NHL's work stoppage had forced the league's official puck-maker to lay off half its employees. Last week, the Boston Bruins ordered all staff to work three-day weeks. And while yesterday's meeting between the players and owners offered hockey fans a glimmer of hope, the cancellation of the 2004-05 season remains a distinct possibility. In New York City, all this bad news is greeted mostly with silence. Whereas the 1994 NHL labor... Eric Wolff http://www.nysun.com/new-york/transit-authority-2004-12-17/6431/ Fri, 17 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST Q: Has the MTA considered the fire hazards created by the installation of all these turnstile-jumping prevention methods? A: No issue addressed in this space has inspired as much e-mail as the subway's high entry/exit turnstiles, the padlocking of subway exits, and the iron gates blocking turnstiles. Considering how slow the HEETs are to process riders under normal conditions, New Yorkers' fear of being crushed against them by a panicked crowd appears legitimate. The main safety valve in an... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/travel/rainy-day-fun/6480/ Fri, 17 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST Handling an umbrella while attempting to read a map and a guidebook requires more dexterity than most mortals possess, let alone tourists trying to navigate a peculiar city. And that's not counting when the umbrella tulips, or the spokes snap. There must be an engineer somewhere who has a better way to keep the rain off. Of course there is. Only Daryn Peterson is a doctor in Tokyo, not an engineer. His "Katabrella" is a polypropylene tube that screws into the bottom of any foldable umbrella and... Eric Wolff http://www.nysun.com/new-york/transit-authority-2004-12-10/6088/ Fri, 10 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST Q: When I was coming out of the northbound 1/9 train at 66th Street the other day at about 4 p.m., there was a huge backup getting off the platform. Why? Because the authorities had closed off (with an iron gate) all of the turnstiles, except the two full-body ones, which are (as everyone knows) slow anyway. I've seen this before at that stop. Why does it happen at all? And especially at a busy stop during the late afternoon? A: To prevent turnstile jumping, New York City Transit locks the... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/travel/biker-talk/6143/ Fri, 10 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST Motorcycle gangs don't usually spring to mind when we think of high technology. But who could need tiny, hands-free gadgets more than someone using both hands to steer while hurtling down the highway at 80 miles an hour? The Motorcycle Industry Council, a lobbying group, predicts that motorcycle sales will exceed 1 million units this year, the highest sales in more than two decades. When a market grows like that, technology companies rush to exploit the opportunity. So it's not surprising that... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/travel/picture-perfect/5771/ Fri, 3 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST Taking digital pictures on your vacation is easy; what to do with them afterward is less straightforward. Uploading those palm tree-and-sunset photos to the computer, burning the files onto a CD, and bringing them to CVS to get them processed is simple enough. As is e-mailing the files to a Web photo shop like Ofoto. But then you're left with prints, which need to be carefully sorted into photo albums and scrapbooks, if not tossed into a shoebox and hidden in the closet forever. Since one of... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/this-historical-society-takes-a-hands-on-approach/5682/ Thu, 2 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST When Maura Ona's century-old Victorian house burned down in the Richmond Hill section of Queens, she had a choice to make: Put up a quick-and-easy brick modern structure on the old lot, or rebuild the house in the mold of the original. Located amid the dozens of other Queen Anne Victorian homes in Richmond Hill, she said she "owed it to the neighborhood" to rebuild the original. She needed help, though, the kind of help only the Richmond Hill Historical society could give. Unlike most... Eric Wolff http://www.nysun.com/new-york/david-rabin-on-how-smoking-ban-has-sparked-other/5440/ Mon, 29 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST David Rabin is the owner of a nightclub, Lotus, in the Meatpacking District, and the president of the 150-member New York Nightlife Association. He spoke last week to The New York Sun's Eric Wolff. Q. Your organization is pretty opposed to the smoking ban. Why? A. There's a lot of different areas that are problematic, but I think overall our opinion was that the ban was not intelligently crafted and could easily have been created in such a way to conserve business while at the same time... Eric Wolff http://www.nysun.com/new-york/transit-authority-2004-11-26/5378/ Fri, 26 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST Q: What exactly is a Gridlock Alert Day? Why do they happen? A: Simply put, Gridlock Alert Days are when the city expects more than 1 million cars to come into Manhattan. Roughly 930,000 cars drive into the borough on a normal workday, according to a Department of Transportation spokesman, Craig Chin. Because that's about as many cars as Manhattan can hold, the 7.5% increase in traffic on alert days is enough to fill the grid of streets and avenues. If, at a light, cars don't make it all the... Eric Wolff http://www.nysun.com/new-york/transit-authority-2004-11-19/5069/ Fri, 19 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST Q: I was on a platform, and as the trains came in I noticed a small blue light flash beside the tracks at the entrance to the station. What is it? A: I went up to the West 4th Street station to investigate, and I didn't see the flashing blue light myself, so I suspect what you're seeing is the arcing electricity from the third rail. Irregularities on the contacts between the rail and the subway car can cause bright blue sparks to flash as the train rolls over them. At some stations the arcs... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/travel/television-to-go/5125/ Fri, 19 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST To a child, a road trip is the equivalent of being locked in a small room for hours, chained to a chair, with no one to talk to except for a brother or sister, inevitably the most annoying person on earth. The adults who forget this are the ones who are surprised at all the fighting in the backseat. Not to worry, corporate America is here to help parents with these little problems. After all, everyone knows the best tranquilizer for bored children: television. Hasbro's Video Now and Mattel's... Eric Wolff http://www.nysun.com/new-york/julie-menin-has-wall-street-rising/4779/ Mon, 15 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST Julie Menin is the owner of Vine Restaurant and founder and executive director of Wall Street Rising, a 30,000-member community coalition dedicated to reinvigorating the Financial District for businesses and residents. Ms. Menin spoke with The New York Sun's Eric Wolff at the opening of "Art Downtown," an exhibit at 11 Wall St. curated in part by Mikhail Baryshnikov. Q: You walked away from the law and your restaurant? A: I was very, very proud of opening Vine in 2000, but after September 11, I... Eric Wolff http://www.nysun.com/new-york/transit-authority-2004-11-12/4701/ Fri, 12 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST Q: Last Monday I entered my subway station on the way to work and realized I had forgotten an important book. I went home to get it and then got back too soon, apparently, to reuse my 30-day unlimited Metro-Card. Why does the MTA make us wait to reuse it - and why exactly 18 minutes? A: The delay was put in place to prevent fraud. If there were no delay, a rider could swipe all his or her friends through, and people would stand at the entrance asking a quarter a swipe for entry. Pandemonium... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/travel/talking-about-a-revolution/4753/ Fri, 12 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST It's about time for a luggage revolution. The last significant development was the now-ubiquitous roller bag, invented some 15 years ago by a Northwest Airlines pilot. No telling how many backs and shoulders were saved. But bags are still unwieldy, still annoying, and they still get lost. Especially garment bags. Long, wide, and flat, the traditional fold-it-in-half garment bag is a hassle to carry, and too big to fit in an airplane's overhead bin. We all know what happens to checked luggage... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/silver-downtown-should-be-higher-priority-than/4668/ Thu, 11 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST The Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver, used his pulpit as the first elected official to speak before the executive board of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation to demand that the mayor and the governor ensure Lower Manhattan's prosperity before taking up other plans. "Surely you can understand the resentment of this brutally mauled community when - after all of the heroic pledges and vows - we now hear the mayor and the governor championing the commercial development of the far West Side... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/new-york/mayor-to-mta-look-elsewhere-for-cash/4566/ Wed, 10 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST Mayor Bloomberg sent a message to the MTA last night: Look elsewhere for cash. Speaking at El Museo del Barrio in Spanish Harlem during the second of four public hearings held by the MTA's executive board, the mayor firmly let it be known that the financially strapped transit organization should expect no additional funds from the city. "The MTA has a 15% budget deficit next year; the city has a 20% one," he told the panel. Since releasing its new budget figures in June, the MTA has been caught... Eric Wolff http://www.nysun.com/new-york/transit-authority-2004-11-05/4340/ Fri, 5 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST Q: Bus stops in New York have bus schedules prominently displayed. Why are there no schedules posted on subway platforms? A: First, I commend you for even being aware of subway schedules. Every time I suggest to a friend or colleague that they check a subway schedule before an early morning flight, he or she is surprised to find out they exist. Getting hold of one is the hard part. Occasionally a schedule is posted on the subway platform, albeit not prominently. They're usually in those... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/travel/braving-the-elements/4389/ Fri, 5 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST A friend of mine drove north to take pictures of the autumnal colors recently, but was thwarted by nature. She had driven four hours to New Hampshire with her new Canon Eos Rebel digital camera, only to lose half a day of photography to rain. Like any rational consumer, she didn't want to endanger her expensive equipment. Gadgeteers everywhere - or at least those of us who occasionally venture outdoors - have the same problem. Rain, fog, snow, and extreme cold or heat can turn our favorite toys... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/national/young-voters-let-down-kerry/4262/ Thu, 4 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST Young voters did turn out in record numbers on Tuesday, but they thwarted expectations by awarding President Bush the same 45% of their vote he received in 2000. The efforts of Eminem, P. Diddy, and Bruce Springsteen generated a nine point increase in the percentage of 18-to 29-year-olds who voted compared to 2000, according to a report from the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement. But exit polls showed Mr. Bush claimed the same 45% of the demographic that... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/on-the-town/art-for-her-alma-mater/4163/ Tue, 2 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST Barbara Walters will cut the ribbon at an eponymous art gallery on Friday night at her alma mater, Sarah Lawrence College, in Bronxville, N.Y. Ms. Walters donated $1 million to build the Monika A. and Charles A. Heimbold Jr. Visual Arts Center, which will house the new gallery. "The gallery is the public side of the arts building. She's a public person," said the president of Sarah Lawrence, Michelle Myers. "She's a wonderful representative of what Sarah Lawrence is about." Ms. Walters will... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/new-york/transit-authority-2004-10-29/3979/ Fri, 29 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EST Q: If the Second Avenue subway becomes a reality, will it be a numbered or lettered train? And while the city has nos. 1-7 trains and a no. 9 train, there isn't a no. 8 train. Did one ever exist? A: New York City Transit has not officially determined a designation for the new train. Unofficially, though, it is being designated the T line, according to the NYTA's spokesman, Charles Seaton. It could still change to P or some other unused letter. I proposed O, for its distinctive sound, but Mr... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/business/music-industry-foils-pirates-by-seeding-networks/3871/ Wed, 27 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EST The music industry may finally be winning its game of music piracy whack-a-mole, thanks to the use of increasingly effective technological hammers. According to an Internet research firm, Forrester Research, illegal downloads have cost the music industry $697 million a year since 2000. But after years of declining sales of 7% or more, CD orders jumped 10.2% in the first half of 2004 compared to last year, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. And while the RIAA has been... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/national/yellow-ribbons-are-back-this-time-on-millions/3759/ Tue, 26 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EST The yellow ribbons are back, but instead of being tied around trees or pinned to lapels they are magnets attached to millions of cars across the country. The 8-inch-tall magnetic print of a loop of ribbon, inscribed with the words "Support the Troops," can be placed on any metal part of the car. Drivers in New York City commonly put them above a rear light or next to the license plate, but some put them on doors, next to the windshield, or on the trunk. One reseller based in Brooklyn,Polsteins... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/new-york/new-center-ancient-history-on-kane-street/3689/ Mon, 25 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EST Members and friends of Brooklyn's Baith Israel Anshei Emes congregation gathered at Kane Street Synagogue yesterday to officially open the Sol and Lillian Goldman Education Center. The newly renovated building has nine Internet-ready classrooms, a chapel, a library, a kitchen, and a large community room. A daughter of the building's namesakes, Amy Goldman, said her mother would be thrilled with the building. "She valued education above everything else," Ms. Goldman said. The congregation bought... Eric Wolff http://www.nysun.com/new-york/transit-authority-2004-10-22/3612/ Fri, 22 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EST Q: At the Verrazano Bridge, there are spotlights anchored to the ground behind each tollbooth. They point up and to the right, and they seem to be either purple or red. What are they for? A: According to our friendly neighborhood Port Authority spokeswoman, Tiffany Townsend, the Port Authority has these lights at all the tollbooths in New York City and on the New Jersey Turnpike. The lights are all the same color, but they look slightly red or slightly purple depending on the angle from which... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/travel/speeding-toward-the-future/3665/ Fri, 22 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EST It's been more than 100 years since the last transportation revolution, and I for one am ready for the next step. It's 2004, and we're still just driving cars. Weren't there supposed to be flying cars by now? Or at least robot-driven cars? What happened to that? The response from the automotive industry: Patience, grasshopper. Before they can fly or drive themselves, cars need adequate sensors so that the autopilot can "see" the road. Engineers have been experimenting with camera-mounted cars... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/sports/yankee-fans-struggle-to-cope-with-stunning-loss/3672/ Fri, 22 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EST Nightmares. Insomnia. Early wake ups and binge drinking. After Game 7's devastating loss to the Red Sox, we Yankee fans are showing all the signs of depression. Consider just a few snippets of the conversations this reporter - and diehard Yankee fan - had on the streets of New York City yesterday. "I didn't sleep well, thinking about the game," said a 14-year-old Yankee fan, Yan Saavin. "I was drinking the whole game - and after, so I could sleep," said another fan, John Davidson. And by far... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/new-york/opposition-lines-up-against-bloomberg-rezoning/3542/ Thu, 21 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EST Only a tiny percentage of the housing units that would be generated by Mayor Bloomberg's rezoning plan would be affordable to low- and middle-income New Yorkers, according to a new study from the Pratt Institute released yesterday. Mr. Bloomberg last week proposed rezoning 35 neighborhoods to help solve the housing crisis that has the city's vacancy rate at 3%, an all-time low. An author of the study, Brad Lander, said 250,000 units would be required to relieve the housing crisis in New York... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/on-the-town/urban-magazine-jumps-back-onto-the-radar/3441/ Tue, 19 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EST There's a blip on the early warning system of publishing: Radar Magazine is back, infused with cash from the owner of the New York Daily News, Mortimer Zuckerman, and a Wall Street financier, Jeffery Epstein. The funding comes after more than a year of searching for a backer. In May, false rumors swarmed on the Internet that a French patron was prepared to prop up the magazine financially. But this time the news is official, and Radar's editor-in-chief, Maer Roshan, has been given a small... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/new-york/increased-voter-interest-raises-stakes-in-state/3254/ Fri, 15 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EST The bitter presidential election has New Yorkers registering to vote in unprecedented numbers. While Senator Kerry has the state's 33 electoral votes all but sewn up, the new voters could tilt four tight state Senate races to the Democrats. For the first time in its history, New York is likely to have 95% of its 13.5 million eligible voters registered to vote, according to a spokesman for the state Board of Elections, Lee Daghlian. That surpasses the 82% registration rate in 2000 and the 75%... Eric Wolff http://www.nysun.com/new-york/transit-authority-2004-10-15/3259/ Fri, 15 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EST Q: Roughly halfway through the Holland Tunnel, there is an exit sign and a door next to it. Where does the door go? A: Turns out the door leads to exactly what the sign says: an exit. The Holland Tunnel comprises two 1.6-mile-long tubes, each with two exits: one leading to New York, another to New Jersey. The exits serve two functions. They provide a means of pedestrian escape in an emergency. And maintenance crews may use them to get into the tunnel without their "Cat vehicles," which would... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/travel/this-mortal-battery/3305/ Fri, 15 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EST Is there any technology problem more annoying than battery life? Cell phone calls get cut off, computers shut down in the middle of a game (or movie, or document), iPods stop playing music. It's maddening. As always, technology is trying to ride to its own rescue. Hitachi and Toshiba are both developing fuel cells which could power a laptop running at maximum consumption for up to 10 hours, both companies claim. The cells will run on a mixture of chemicals, 30% to 40% of which will be methanol... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/new-york/leading-gossip-web-site-may-have-jumped-the-shark/3104/ Wed, 13 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EST Just a few short months ago, the only thing as important to a New York editor or writer as a morning cup of coffee was a quick check of the gossip Web siteGawker.com. The blog could be counted on for a roundup of rumors, from the bathrooms of Conde Nast to the lofts of SoHo. Though still the leading Manhattan gossip site, Gawker says its number of unique visitors has been 375,000 a month since July, and the center of gravity of that readership may be shifting from New York press insiders to a... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/new-york/cell-phone-taxes-jar-new-yorkers/2967/ Mon, 11 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EST New Yorkers staggering from the nation's highest cell phone taxes may have a solution: sending the bill out of state. Cellular phone bills in New York carry local taxes, transportation taxes, state surcharges, federal universal service charge, state telecommunications tax, federal excise tax, 911 fees, an Enhanced 911 fee. On a $69.99 monthly bill that works out to 23% in fees and taxes. "The amount of tax money I'm paying is kind of numbing," said one native New Yorker, Jason Berkeley. Mr... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/new-york/new-web-site-maps-out-address-to-address-rail/2977/ Mon, 11 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EST Along with real-time traffic updates, a new Website, Trips123.com, promises to provide an address-to-address trip planner integrating nearly every major mass-transit system in the tri-state area. With a battle for capital financing under way and the prospect of a fare increase on nearly everything but the $2 subway base fare, the MTA needed a public-relations boon, and the trip planning site, though still in testing, may be it. The site has been in the works for more than a year and a half... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/new-york/mta-critics-given-chance-to-complain/2607/ Mon, 4 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EST New Yorkers love to complain about the MTA, and with fare hikes on the horizon we're complaining more than ever. Starting today, the state Assembly will be listening. The chairman of the Transportation Committee, Richard Brodsky, a Democrat of Westchester, is holding legislative hearings in all five boroughs, Westchester, and Long Island, beginning today at 10:30 a.m. in Staten Island. The hearings are open to the public, but only invited speakers may testify. "The MTA process has historically... Eric Wolff http://www.nysun.com/new-york/transit-authority-2004-10-01/2532/ Fri, 1 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EST Q: Does the MTA add extra trains for special events? A: Last week, I discussed scheduled events such as Yankees games. This week, I'll talk about enormous annual events that attract hundreds of thousands of people, dwarfing baseball and hockey games. The three biggest are the Fourth of July celebration, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve in Times Square. The main problem is figuring out how many people will attend, said the MTA's director of operations... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/travel/calling-all-gen-xers/2584/ Fri, 1 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EST Children of the 1980s, we have arrived. For most of our lives the Baby Boomers enjoyed the attention of advertisers and entrepreneurs, but that time is fading like an overused tie-dye T-shirt. How do I know we're the targets of big business? Simple: American Airlines has installed "Ms. Pac-Man" and "Galaga" arcade machines at the baggage claim and at some of the gates at La Guardia airport. The tall, boxy machines stand along a blank wall near baggage claim C, tempting blue-suited former... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/new-york/demand-high-for-kerry-masks-one-sold-for-300/2394/ Wed, 29 Sep 2004 00:00:00 EST If Halloween costumes are supposed to be scary, then a lot of people must find Senator Kerry terrifying, because stores online and on the street are sold out. The company that makes the mask, a French manufacturer called Cesar, couldn't start production until Mr. Kerry's nomination was a certainty in the late spring. Now as election and Halloween fever accelerate, the company has been unable to keep up with demand for the rubbery likenesses of the Democratic nominee. A few are available through... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/new-york/drenching-rains-force-subway-lines-to-close/2397/ Wed, 29 Sep 2004 00:00:00 EST Forget the terrorists; all it takes to stop New York City is some rain. Tropical Depression Jeanne smote New York City last night, flooding out the second most traveled subway corridor in the city, the E, F, V, R, and G trains along the Queens Boulevard line around 11 p.m. The FDR Parkway quickly became impassable, minor puddles became virtual lakes, and bridge and tunnel entrance and exit ramps were closed because of the water. The storm's downpour made September 2004 one for the record books... Eric Wolff http://www.nysun.com/new-york/transit-authority-2004-09-24/2211/ Fri, 24 Sep 2004 00:00:00 EST Q: I was at the Yankee-Red Sox game last Saturday and it felt like I had to wait 20 minutes to catch a D train. Does the MTA add extra trains for special events? A: It sure does. New York City employs analysts responsible for measuring usage rates and determining the best number of trains. Their boss, Shoshana Cooper, spent some time explaining to me how they figure it out. Among sporting events, only Yankee games are even an issue. When the Knicks, Liberty, or Rangers play at Madison Square... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/national/pentagon-pushes-for-crackdown-on-overseas/2213/ Fri, 24 Sep 2004 00:00:00 EST "I'm sorry, my hearing is bad because of the war. Did you say the Navy is going to make seeing a hooker a court-martial offense?" said a Vietnam Navy veteran, Phillip Adams, standing outside the Veterans Health Administration hospital in Manhattan. "Because that would be absurd." Absurd if you say so, Mr. Adams, but true nonetheless. On Tuesday, the Pentagon proposed an amendment to the rules of conduct that would make patronizing prostitutes a court-martial offense for overseas soldiers. The... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/on-the-town/playwrights-the-thing/2237/ Fri, 24 Sep 2004 00:00:00 EST "Everything has been told. It's not what you're saying, it's how you say it," Andrew Polk declares. Mr. Polk has become an expert at finding new playwrights and shaping their stories. He has created a summer incubator environment before the fall season begins in the cities - the Cape Cod Theater Project. Although he is a member of that rare breed, the successful New York actor, Mr. Polk has not been content to rest on his film, television and stage credits. He had hardly set foot in New York in... Eric Wolff http://www.nysun.com/food-drink/wheres-the-beef/2056/ Wed, 22 Sep 2004 00:00:00 EST Kobe beef fanatics, rest easy. The reports of mad cow disease in Japan will have no effect on the price of that primest-of-prime beef in America. It couldn't possibly, because no beef or cow has been imported from Japan to America, by order of the federal government, since 2001, when Japan reported its first case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy. So the Toro of Kobe Beef at Megu? From California. The $41 hamburger at the Old Homestead Steakhouse? From Oregon. Or Washington. Or Australia. The... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/new-york/un-meeting-snarls-traffic/1998/ Tue, 21 Sep 2004 00:00:00 EST Traffic snarls on First Avenue, brake lights on Second Avenue, and an impromptu parking lot on the FDR Drive were the most visible signs of a meeting of the U.N. General Assembly yesterday, and they will remain so today. President Bush's motorcade added to the delays as the president made his way to a $4 million fund-raiser, and today he will speak to the General Assembly. Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry spoke at New York University yesterday. Today he remains in town for an... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/new-york/hoofed-guardians-of-the-parks-and-their-riders/2001/ Tue, 21 Sep 2004 00:00:00 EST After a dinner at Tavern on the Green last month, President Clinton drew a crowd as he started taking questions. When he finished, he and his Secret Service agents piled into a black SUV and the Parks Auxiliary Mounted Unit was called in to disperse the onlookers. Sitting astride their 6-foot-tall Clydesdales, volunteer Todd Strier and his accompanying parks police officer had little trouble dispersing the group so the former president could leave. Seven days a week, 365 days a year, members of... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/new-york/bam-receives-a-20-million-donation/1917/ Mon, 20 Sep 2004 00:00:00 EST The Brooklyn Academy of Music has received a $20 million gift - the largest donation in the organization's 143-year history - from the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation. The gift is to go into the arts organization's capital fund. BAM is currently bidding on the Salvation Army building adjacent to its main campus. The sale has been stalled by the Salvation Army's search for new space, but the Sharp donation will be used in part to fund the eventual purchase. The president of the Sharp Foundation and a... Eric Wolff http://www.nysun.com/new-york/transit-authority-2004-09-17/1867/ Fri, 17 Sep 2004 00:00:00 EST Q: I'm a regular rider of the nos. 2 and 3 trains. Where I board at Chambers Street, the local is on the left and express on the right. But at 34th street, they've switched sides. How is this possible? Why is it desirable? A: I've received two or three iterations on this question, so I guess it's high time for some investigative reporting. I took to the rails, and it wasn't long before I realized something: the trains don't actually switch sides. The source of all the confusion is that at some... Eric Wolff http://www.nysun.com/travel/headphone-heaven/1889/ Fri, 17 Sep 2004 00:00:00 EST No one really thinks about the magic of the Sony Walkman anymore. Nowadays we can carry hours worth of music in a package only slightly bigger than a pack of cards. But the old walkman passed on at least one genetic trait to the new MP3 players: cruddy headphones. With the portable tape players, the headphones were less of a problem - tapes are low fidelity anyway. But MP3s are digital, and even compressed, they're quality is not much worse than that of CDs. So now the poor headphones that come... ERIC WOLFF http://www.nysun.com/new-york/schools-masters-start-hearings-on-funding/1809/ Thu, 16 Sep 2004 00:00:00 EST The combatants in the fight over the city's education financing are worried about three things: how much more money the school can get, how quickly can they get it, and how to hold the system accountable. Now, after an 11-year court battle, Governor Pataki, the defendant in the original suit, and the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, the plaintiffs, are negotiating an accountability agreement they hope to have in place by September 23. The disclosure came yesterday at the first hearing held by the...