Copyright 2008 The New York Sun Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:41:05 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Maura Yates :: Stories from The New York Sun http://www.nysun.com/authors/Maura+Yates istoll@nysun.com (Ira Stoll) webmaster@nysun.com en-us MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/education/taking-the-first-step-toward-reinvention/12686/ Fri, 22 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST Although certain feel good children's television shows would have you believe that you're perfect just the way you are, there is always room for improvement. The city's public and private colleges have an impressive selection of classes available this summer for New Yorkers who want to get the most out of life, pick up new skills or hobbies, or maybe find a talent they didn't know they had. For many people, the first step toward self-improvement is to work on the mind. People seem to be... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/advice-for-those-thinking-of-jumping-into/12640/ Thu, 21 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST Roberta Benzilio, the chief operating officer of Century 21 William B. May, got her start in the real estate business 24 years ago as an investor. As an agent, she handles a variety of properties, including townhouses, condos, co-op conversions, and industrial space. She spoke recently with The New York Sun's Maura Yates about smart property investments. Q. Some people are concerned that the market may soon start running out of steam. Is it wise to rush into an investment to take advantage of... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/new-york/new-track-shines-on-randalls-island/12510/ Wed, 20 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST The city's newest stadium will be opening this weekend, but unlike other stadiums involved in New York's 2012 Olympic bid, this one is refreshingly free of controversy. Icahn Stadium at Randall's Island is one of the country's finest track and field facilities, and the only one in the nation to be accredited by the International Amateur Athletic Federation, which has designated it a first-class facility. The state-of-the-art stadium, long awaited by New York's runners, will be used as an... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/business/to-dismay-of-city-post-offices-ny-lags-in-e/12307/ Fri, 15 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST The annual tax day takeover of the city's post offices will ensue tonight, despite an IRS study that says this year is the first in which more than half of Americans will forgo waiting in line to mail their envelopes in favor of filing their taxes electronically. According to the IRS, 55.8 million people - 63% of taxpayers nationwide - have e-filed so far this year, an increase of 7.8% over last year. Despite this nationwide trend, New York state residents have been slower to embrace electronic... Maura Yates http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/real-estate-doctor-discusses-harlem/11850/ Thu, 7 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST Known as "The Real Estate Doctor," Jeff Gardere is an associate broker for Dwelling Quest specializing in the uptown market. He also has a Ph.D. in psychology, and is a frequent contributor to TV and radio talk shows. He spoke recently with The New York Sun's about his own neighborhood, Harlem. Q: What is the profile of the Harlem buyer? A: Someone who is still looking for space, and looking to pay less than for something downtown. Also, someone interested in the Harlem experience, who... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/business/manhattan-apartment-prices-soar-in-1st-quarter/11519/ Fri, 1 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST Fueled by consumers trying to beat an expected rise in mortgage rates, the prices of residential real estate in Manhattan soared by double-digit percentages in the first quarter of 2005 compared to the last quarter, according to a pair of reports released yesterday. And while the astronomical rise in prices has some potential buyers wondering if they should wait for a downturn before jumping in, the experts aren't worried. They project that Manhattan's real estate market still has some steam... Maura Yates http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/selling-homes-and-lower-commissions/11446/ Thu, 31 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST Van Davis, the CEO of Foxtons North America, has started a campaign against customary 6% real estate commissions in favor of 3% rates. The company was started in 2000 and says it has helped thousands of home sellers to save more than $100 million in commissions. Mr. Davis spoke recently with The New York Sun's Maura Yates. Q: Foxtons new advertising campaign, "LOV3%," promises to save home sellers money by halving traditional commissions while still providing full services. How can your company... Maura Yates http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/broker-touts-staten-islands-cultural-offerings/11076/ Thu, 24 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST Staten Island is growing in popularity for many looking to escape rising real estate prices in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Claire Bisignano Chesnoff is a broker with Staten Island's Weichert Realtors Vitale Sunshine. She has 10 years of experience in the borough's market, is one of only 4% of realtors nationwide designated a Certified Residential Specialist, and one of only a quarter of all realtors in the country to be designated a graduate of the Realtor Institute. She spoke recently with The New... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/new-york/plaza-rally-to-double-as-prayer-vigil/10417/ Fri, 11 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST A rally Monday to save the Plaza will double as a prayer vigil, as it has become increasingly likely that only divine intervention can save 900 jobs at the historic Fifth Avenue hotel. Reverend Jesse Jackson, who will be the guest speaker at the noon rally outside the hotel, is to be joined by other religious leaders for what the union hopes will lead to a peaceful resolution to its fiery battle with Elad Properties, which recently bought the world-famous hotel and plans to convert most of it... Maura Yates http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/builder-markets-apartment-technology/10374/ Thu, 10 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST Mario Procida is the president of Procida Realty & Construction Corp., one of the partners of the Clinton Mews Development Group LLC, which is currently developing a new condominium building, Clinton West, in Hell's Kitchen. The 149-unit complex, which is scheduled to go to market this spring, is packed with cutting-edge technology. Mr. Procida recently spoke with The New York Sun's Maura Yates about the high-tech amenities available in these apartments, as buyers are increasingly... Maura Yates http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/done-deals-2005-03-10/10377/ Thu, 10 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST UPPER WEST SIDE 54 W . 89 th St. Multi-family apartment building Asking price: $3.35 million Selling price: $3.2 million Time on the market: 4 months STEPS FROM CENTRAL PARK One of seven units within this five-story walkup apartment building may be used as a pied-a-terre for its new owner, a woman in the medical profession. The building, located between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue, is about 7,240 square feet in size, and includes seven residential units. Three of these apartments are... Maura Yates http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/only-a-short-subway-ride-away-broker-says-most/10024/ Thu, 3 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST Jeffrey Silverbush is the owner and president of Century 21 Best in Elmhurst, Queens. Of his 35 years in the market, he has spent the last decade focusing on Queens. He spoke with The New York Sun's Maura Yates about the borough's up-and-coming hot spots. Q: There is a lot going on in Queens now, such as the Queens West developments and the rezoning of Jamaica. Which areas are hot today, and which do you think will be hot tomorrow? A: Most of the borough has gotten sort of hot. Some areas like... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/new-york/big-belly-arrives-ready-to-eat-trash-or-at-least/9926/ Wed, 2 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST The Big Belly has arrived, and it's hungry for New York's litter. The city's first mailbox-size solar-powered trash compactor has been placed in TriBeCa, waiting to squish 350 gallons of litter into two manageable cubes for easy pickup. The unit, lent to the city by the Seahorse Power Co. for testing, arrived 10 days ago. The inventor of the Big Belly, James Poss, said the units can save the city money on trash pickups, as well as spare the air some of the diesel emissions of garbage trucks... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/new-york/reading-of-talmud-ends-and-begins-amid/9881/ Tue, 1 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST The infinite nature of the Babylonian Talmud, a sacred religious text of Judaism, makes it possible to study its pages for more than seven years and still have much more to learn. Today marks the ending, and beginning, of another cycle of the Daf Yomi, or daily page, a study method that enables Jews all over the world to read the same page each day, until all 2,711 have been studied. This process takes about seven and a half years. Today, the last lines of this cycle will be read, along with... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/plazas-broker-some-are-just-looking-for-eloise/9673/ Thu, 24 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST Elizabeth Stribling is the president of Stribling & Associates. Her career in real estate has spanned 35 years, and most recently, she has become the exclusive sales agent for the Plaza Hotel. She spoke this week with The New York Sun's Maura Yates about the new trend in hotel conversions. Q: How do hotel-conversion apartments differ from cooperatives and condos? A: With hotel conversions, you have to create a kitchen that probably never existed. Also, in the case of the Plaza, you have... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/business/median-real-estate-price-tops-600k-breaking/9619/ Wed, 23 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST Manhattan's notoriously high real estate prices have gotten even higher, with the average sale price of cooperatives and condominiums exceeding $1 million. The median price also broke a record, topping $600,000. The through-the-roof prices for residential real estate are cited in the new Manhattan Market Report, a 10-year analysis of sales trends. The study marks the inclusion for the first time of the booming uptown market, north of 116th Street, and east of 96th street. In the last five years... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/new-york/mrs-pataki-relents-in-fight-against-the-real-new/9522/ Tue, 22 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST The governor's wife, Libby Pataki, suffered an embarrassment yesterday at the paws of a 5-pound Yorkshire terrier named Schmitty. In her new children's book, "Madison in New York," Mrs. Pataki named her heroine's sidekick New Yorkey. The problem is that a pre-existing, unrelated make-believe pooch, who stars in her own line of quirky greeting cards, is named Schmitty the Real New Yorkie. Schmitty's handlers held a press conference yesterday at the Midtown office of her lawyer, Linda Steinman... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/new-york/contaminated-buildings-to-be-demolished/9449/ Fri, 18 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST More than three years after September 11, five Lower Manhattan buildings that were contaminated as a result of the terrorist attack, including the Deutsche Bank building, are about to be demolished. While the tearing down of the damaged buildings may help heal the psyches of some New Yorkers, concerns are mounting over the handling of the contaminated sites and possible threats to public health. Some residents, workers, and elected officials said they fear the federal Environmental Protection... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/mayor-touts-housing-programs/9386/ Thu, 17 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST New York City leads the nation in affordable housing for its elderly, low, and moderate-income residents, according to Mayor Bloomberg, who toured three housing sites yesterday to demonstrate the city's successful and diverse housing programs. Mr. Bloomberg made two stops in Manhattan and one in the Bronx to meet with homeowners and tenants. He said the city would continue to pursue public-private partnerships to promote homeownership. At the first stop in East Harlem, Mr. Bloomberg met with... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/through-and-through-williamsburg-is-this-brooklyn/9389/ Thu, 17 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST David Maundrell is the president of Aptsandlofts.com, a full-service real estate brokerage in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. He spoke recently with The New York Sun's about Brooklyn's hot neighborhoods. Q: How has the development of the Greenpoint and Williamsburg waterfront changed the market, and how have prices been affected in the last year? A: Prices have gone up dramatically in the last year, between 25% and 40%. Williamsburg is becoming a more attractive place. It was a very, very... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/new-york/bloomberg-seeks-volunteers-at-unofficial-kickoff/9289/ Wed, 16 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST All sorts of people gathered last night at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, and they all agreed on one thing: four more years. Laborers, civil servants, and a retired judge joined politicians and people right off the street to rally behind Mayor Bloomberg at the unofficial kickoff to his campaign for re-election. The purpose of the event at the Times Square establishment was to drum up volunteers for the campaign. Mr. Bloomberg hopes to increase his volunteer ranks tenfold from 2001, with a... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/new-york/group-plans-to-save-buildings-dry-dock-in-ikea/9255/ Tue, 15 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST The Municipal Art Society unveiled two alternative plans yesterday to save five historic buildings and a dry dock from the wrecking ball as IKEA plans to move into Red Hook. The new plans allow for the approximately 346,000 square-foot big-box Swedish furniture store to be built, but also preserve the Civil War-era buildings, which are now destined to become a parking lot. The MAS, a nonprofit preservation organization, asked architect Harold Fredenburgh to devise a plan to incorporate both the... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/new-york/bringing-out-the-red-eva-says-shes-ready-to-do/9145/ Mon, 14 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST One of the best-known members of the City Council, Eva Moskowitz, officially entered the crowded Democratic race for Manhattan borough president yesterday as she announced her candidacy on the steps of City Hall surrounded by more than 200 supporters, including public-school children and her third-grade teacher. Meanwhile, a council member from Brooklyn, Charles Barron, finally made official what had been suspected all along and dropped out of the race for mayor to run for re-election. The East... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/new-york/mayor-courts-staten-island-while-ognibene-wins/9079/ Fri, 11 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST On the day the Queens County Republicans officially endorsed a former city councilman, Thomas Ognibene, for mayor, the Republican incumbent, Michael Bloomberg, traveled to Staten Island twice, in what some view as an attempt to make sure the city's most conservative borough doesn't go the way of Queens. The mayor spent the morning at the Greenbelt Nature Center on Staten Island discussing overdevelopment and returned to the borough in the evening to speak at the induction of an interim judge of... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/new-york/east-side-access-draws-opponents/8991/ Thu, 10 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST East Side Access, a plan by the MTA to link the Long Island Rail Road and Grand Central Terminal through caverns deep underground, was "highly recommended" for federal subsidies by the Bush administration this week. Opponents of part or all of the plan have argued, however, that it is dangerous and profligate. As described by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the $6.3 billion project will be a boon for 160,000 commuters a day, as well as the East Side businesses for which they are... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/education/shake-off-winter-cobwebs-by-taking-a-class/8490/ Mon, 31 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST Have you ever wanted to become fluent in Sanskrit or Swahili? How about hitting the beach- for a global politics course? If you've ever wanted to shake things up, consider giving belly dancing a try. Spring offers a wealth of courses to sample on hundreds of topics throughout the city. There are courses designed for fun and enrichment, courses for folks who want to learn more about their professions, and courses for those who are searching for an entirely new career path altogether. At New York... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/national/sure-its-cold-but-not-too-cold-to-scream-for-ice/8388/ Fri, 28 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST Some people crave the cold, celebrating when the mercury drops below freezing and even taking bone-chilling dips with the Coney Island Polar Bear Club. But while those people may be few and far between, ice cream still has a loyal following in the winter months. "People are always eating ice cream," said Erin Riordan, a spokeswoman for Kemps LLC, a dairy company based in Minneapolis, where people know a thing or two about cold winters. "I had it for dessert last night," she said. Ice cream... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/this-broker-helps-clients-find-the-lap-of-luxury/8343/ Thu, 27 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST Leonard Steinberg is a senior vice president at Douglas Elliman specializing in the luxury loft market. He spoke recently with The New York Sun's Maura about luxury living. Q: What is the profile of the luxury buyer? A: Rich comes in many formats. There is a mix of high-earning individuals, trust fund people, Wall Streeters with bonuses, and a group of those divesting their estates. They have tremendous amounts of money that they want to give to their children to avoid estate taxes, and they... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/new-york/council-decries-fire-departments-lag-in-diversity/8022/ Fri, 21 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST Despite efforts to attract female and minority applicants, the New York City Fire Department placed dead last in diversity among the nation's 10 largest cities, according to the City Council's Committee on Fire and Criminal Justice Services. Council members decried the findings as "abysmal" and "horrendous" during a committee hearing yesterday and warned the department that if things aren't improved soon, they may recommend that New York follow in the footsteps of other cities that have imposed... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/new-york/holocaust-saviors-honored-by-adl/7970/ Thu, 20 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST When Jan Plotkowsky's father was taken away to be a groundskeeper at a concentration camp, the last thing he said to his 17-year-old son was that there was a chicken with two small chicks in his hayloft and that the young man should take care of them while his father was away. Sylvia Richter was one of the chicks. Then 6 years old, she was hidden away with her mother and younger brother in the family's hayloft in Poland to escape the Nazis. The courageous young man dodged continuous raids of... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/craigslist-founder-may-charge-fees-for-rental/7625/ Thu, 13 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST Craig Newmark, the founder of Craigslist.org who once said that his corporate mantra is to "give people a break," is finding another way to do just that. Mr. Newmark is considering charging a fee for rental brokers who post to the New York City version of Craigslist, which he established nine years ago as a free marketplace for dates, jobs, homes, and a variety of things that can be traded. Craigslist already charges for job postings in certain cities, but Mr. Newmark says the new fees are a... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/new-york/unhappy-flu-year-for-new-yorkers-back-at-work/7195/ Wed, 5 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST The new year came in with a bang - at least in offices that have been hit hard by flu and other viral infections. This year's round of runny noses, coughs, and upset stomachs has been working its way across the city, leaving few workplaces and classrooms untouched. The symptoms started between three weeks and a month ago, according to health professionals, and since then, illnesses have been running rampant. Stricken workers are suffering on two fronts: respiratory infections and bouts of... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/new-york/nonprofit-seeks-ellis-island-renewal/7143/ Tue, 4 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST The modern, gleaming museum in the Main Hall of Ellis Island, in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, lures millions of visitors each year, while the crumbling remains of 29 abandoned buildings on the island's south side are closed to the public. Those buildings once housed a psychiatric hospital, a contagious-disease ward, and a morgue. A nonprofit fund-raising organization, Save Ellis Island, is campaigning to open the buildings to the public to shed light on the immigrant experience of those... Maura Yates http://www.nysun.com/new-york/buddhist-spiritual-leader-organizes-local-tsunami/7066/ Mon, 3 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST At the center of a local relief effort for tsunami victims is the spiritual leader of Staten Island's large Sri Lankan population. The abbot of the Staten Island Buddhist Vihara, Bhante Kondanna, recently sat down with The New York Sun's Maura Yates to talk about the impact of the disaster and to offer hope for the future of his troubled country. Q. Your temple has done a lot to organize a local relief effort. What sort of supplies are being sent? What can people do to help? A. Normally, we do... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/new-york/she-dared-senator-clinton-to-run-urges-others/7007/ Fri, 31 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST At the time, Sofia Totti probably didn't realize the power of the words she whispered five years ago. Now that she understands their impact, she is thrilled with the unexpected role she played in the history of American politics. In 1999, Ms. Totti's high school, the Lab School in Chelsea, was host to a special screening of the HBO film "Dare to Compete," celebrating the role of women in sports. A ceremony featured tennis great Billie Jean King and Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes. Hillary... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/new-york/travelers-face-heavy-holiday-traffic/6771/ Fri, 24 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST After last winter's blizzard blitz, many New Yorkers can't help but feel that, despite yesterday's fierce winds and downpours, they've dodged a bullet. Holiday travelers in other states were worrying about record-breaking snowfalls, canceled flights, and highways that resembled snow-covered parking lots.The biggest holiday transportation woes around New York City yesterday were soggy shoes and insideout umbrellas. A major snowstorm that pummeled the Southern and Midwest states veered toward... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/broker-spends-6000-to-attract-buyers-to-apartment/6698/ Thu, 23 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST Drawn to the apartment at 60 Gramercy Park North by the exclusivity of the area and the charm of the building, broker Jacky Teplitzky was faced with a challenge. Here was a golden opportunity - a $2 million pre-war cooperative in Gramercy Park with great bones - but after 30 years with the same elderly tenant, the apartment was a mess with dark walls, an orange formica kitchen, and bathrooms that haven't been renovated since the Hoover administration. Because so much work needed to be done to... Maura Yates http://www.nysun.com/new-york/marcia-stein-on-her-organizations-very-special/6504/ Mon, 20 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST At a time of year known for lavish parties featuring an abundance of food, the founding executive director of Citymeals-on-Wheels, Marcia Stein, recently spoke with The New York Sun's Maura Yates about the organization and its plans to bring some holiday spirit (along with hot meals) to the city's homebound elderly. Q: Who makes up the menu, and how many different varieties are offered? What does a typical delivered meal consist of? A: The meals are prepared and delivered at 100 different... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/new-york/stadium-hearing-resembles-rival-pep-rallies/6443/ Fri, 17 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST The one and only opportunity for the public to weigh in on the proposed Jets stadium turned into a screaming match yesterday as thousands of fired-up New Yorkers on both sides of the issue turned out for a hearing at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The forum was critical for the majority of the crowd, which was staunchly opposed to the stadium, as it was their only chance to be heard before the Empire State Development Corporation votes on the plans after a 30-day public review. After... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/new-york/strict-rockefeller-narcotics-laws-abated-by-pataki/6307/ Wed, 15 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST Three decades after the notoriously harsh Rockefeller drug laws were enacted, the state's prison sentences for narcotics offenders were lessened yesterday when Governor Pataki signed reform legislation. The new law reduces by nearly 50% the minimum sentences for first-time, nonviolent drug offenders. The old laws, which had minimum sentences of 15 to 20 years to life, are replaced by sentences of eight to 20 years. In addition, the threshold weights on drug-possession crimes were doubled. Mr... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/new-york/firefighter-killed-was-the-ultimate-patriot/6082/ Fri, 10 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST Christian Engeldrum loved being a part of the action. The New York City firefighter's desire to be on the front line took him from Operation Desert Storm to the rubble at ground zero to the streets of Baghdad, Iraq, where he was killed during an attack on his Humvee on November 29. Engeldrum's funeral was held yesterday at St. Benedict's Church in the Throgs Neck section of the Bronx, where he grew up. Outside the church, thousands of firefighters in formation covered several city blocks... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/new-york/phillys-bulletin-newspaper-is-resurrected/5876/ Tue, 7 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST Inspired by New York City's own conservative broadsheet, an entrepreneur has resurrected the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. Like The New York Sun, which made its comeback in 2002 after closing in 1950, the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin has a long and storied history. Originally published daily from 1874 to 1982, the broadsheet was once the largest afternoon paper in the country. The publisher and owner of the Bulletin is Thomas Rice, an investor. The editor is the former editor of the Main Line... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/new-york/anti-war-group-wants-protest-at-central-park/5718/ Fri, 3 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST Undeterred by the city's refusal to allow protesters to rally on Central Park's Great Lawn last summer, vocal opponents of nuclear proliferation are trying again, this time joined by more than 100 mayors from cities around the world. Permit applications for a rally May 1 were filed yesterday with the city's Police and Parks departments by the event's organizers, United for Peace and Justice, a national anti-war coalition, and Abolition 2000, an international nuclear disarmament campaign. May 1... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/on-the-town/yemeni-stele-returns-to-mideast-home/5705/ Thu, 2 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST A carved slab of alabaster that has survived centuries of wear, a civil war, and looting from a Yemeni museum, is being returned to Yemen after surfacing at a Sotheby's auction. A repatriation ceremony took place yesterday at the headquarters of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement division of the Department of Homeland Security in Chelsea. The artifact was officially signed over to the Yemeni ambassador. The piece, known as the South Arabian Alabaster Stele, depicts fertility goddess... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/national/ruse-for-the-record-books-at-harvard-yale-game/5576/ Wed, 1 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST A Yale prank during a football game with Harvard will have both sides talking for years. In a ruse for the record books, 1,800 fans at the 121st annual Harvard-Yale football game November 20 waved colored paper to spell out a message of support for the Crimson. Now that they know what they were actually spelling, however, that's the color of their faces, too. Dressed in "Harvard Pep Squad" shirts with red war paint on their faces, a team of 20 Yale students, led by seniors Michael Kai and David... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fans-pay-respects-to-rapper-odb/5001/ Thu, 18 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST Fans of the rapper O.D.B., who died suddenly in a Manhattan recording studio last week at age 35, were given a chance to pay their respects yesterday during a public viewing at St. James Presbyterian Church in Harlem. The performer, whose real name was Russell Jones, was a member of Wu-Tang Clan, a Staten Island-based rap group popular in the 1990s. About 100 people waited in line behind metal barricades before being admitted around 3:25 p.m., once the family had entered the church. After the... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/new-york/nyus-sexton-tops-the-local-chart-of-universities/4772/ Mon, 15 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST The highest-paid university president in the New York area turns out to be John Sexton at New York University, whose compensation was $773,012 in fiscal year 2003, according to a new survey. A glance at the annual executive compensation survey in the Chronicle of Higher Education might induce sticker shock for those outside the world of academia. For those who respect the 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week work of university presidents, the big bucks seem well-earned. Topping the list of... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/foreign/mystery-marlboro-man-exudes-grit-and-determination/4648/ Thu, 11 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST His picture was plastered on newspaper covers yesterday. He had a profound effect on many who saw him. He may have become the new icon of the war in Iraq. But who is he? The compelling photo captured the young Marine, with his face caked in dirt, and a bloody scratch running down his nose, taking a moment to smoke a Marlboro with a concerned look in his eyes as the battle for Fallujah raged. The Marine, who some are calling the "new Marlboro man" because of his manly swagger and dangling... Maura Yates http://www.nysun.com/calendar/concert/4674/ Thu, 11 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST On what would have been Aaron Copland's 104th birthday, his life and work will be celebrated with a concert in his Brooklyn neighborhood, Cobble Hill, at Kane Street Synagogue, the borough's oldest Jewish congregation. The composer celebrated his bar mitzvah there in 1913 and his father once served as its president. The performance will feature chamber players affiliated Music from Copland House, under the direction of Michael Boriskin, and the Florilegium Chamber Choir, which will be directed... MAURA YATES http://www.nysun.com/food-drink/thanksgiving-in-a-bottle/4608/ Wed, 10 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST For calorie counters who dread the impending holiday feasts, Jones Soda Co. has come up with a solution - save yourself 2,000 calories and drink your Thanksgiving dinner instead. This season, the company has come out with limited-edition packs of sodas containing five holiday flavors - Turkey & Gravy, Mashed Potato, Green Bean Casserole, Cranberry, and Fruitcake - all calorie and carbohydrate free, as well as being vegan and kosher. Priced at $15.95, the gift packs are available at Target...