Urban Studies

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Recently Posted On NYC’s Craigslist

September 16, 2010 in Misc., Urban Studies | Permalink

Mining in Montana, 1889.

OLD WEST SILVER BAR – $500 (tx)

i present this wonderfull rare silver ingot/bar this bar is 6 ounces i do not take bank checks no scammers please i only ship with signature confrimation/tracking/insurace and i prefer we talk on the phone to insure trust before we do business togather. please SIRIOUS INQUIREYS ONLY

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WPA Photographs Of New Orleans, 1936-1941

September 15, 2010 in Photography, Urban Studies | Permalink

The following are anonymous photos taken in New Orleans during the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration. They’re not just some sad Depression Era pictures but show people with a lot of hope for the present and future. The WPA’s focus on health, art, construction and education often had that effect.

Staying healthy. March 5, 1941.

Studying radio. January 18, 1937.

Parish Prison literacy class. February 16, 1937.

Playing tennis. July 31, 1936.

Pontchartrain Beach. 1940.

Featured Video: “Japanese Binocular Soccer”

September 15, 2010 in Urban Studies, Videos | Permalink

If you force soccer players to wear binoculars, it is very difficult for them to see the ball that is right at their feet. But why would you do such a thing? Because you are Japan and you do whatever crazy thing you like. (Thanks to Reddit.)

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Urban Studies: “Combining Movie Rentals With Tanning Beds Is One Popular Move”

September 15, 2010 in Excerpts, Urban Studies | Permalink

Most video stores charge about 50 cents a minute for tanning bed use. (Image by Evil Erin.)

The Hollywood Reporter has an odd and interesting article about the survival strategy of many of the 10,000 video-rental stores that remain in operation. Because of mail-order and streaming options from Netflix and Apple and rentals at cheap kiosks, the big-box rental places are gone or going. But more than a third of the indie stores that hope to survive the onslaught of online competition have added an interesting enticement: a tanning salon. The equipment isn’t cheap, but store owners are hoping it will draw in folks who’ll also buy lotions and rent a video. An excerpt:

“At the rate big video-rental chains are closing up their shops, the 10,000 or so independently owned stores are getting creative to ensure they don’t suffer a similar fate. Combining movie rentals with tanning beds is one popular move.

More than 3,500 independently owned video-rental stores have added a tanning salon to their stores, estimated Ted Engen, president of the Video Buyers Group, an industry trade association.

A good tanning bed–one that consumers won’t mind paying about 50 cents a minute to use–can cost up to $15,000. Despite the hefty upfront cost and fattened energy bills, rental time combined with ancillary product sales like suntan lotion translate into a profitable business.”

Old Print Article: “Langtry Chats–A Talk With The Actress In Her Dressing Room,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle (1889)

September 15, 2010 in Old Print Articles, Urban Studies | Permalink

"Between the acts he would inject cocaine into my nose with the assistance of a rubber tube."

Lillie Langtry, the British actress who died in 1929, may only be a name that sort of, kind of rings a bell today, but she was remarkably famous during her lifetime and for a considerable period thereafter. In the April 11, 1889 edition of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Langtry, then in New York starring in The Lady of Lyons, shared an odd story with a local reporter who visited her dressing room at the Park Theater. Langtry related a tale about her doctor administering cocaine treatments to her between acts of plays. The same exact thing still happens on Broadway today, though there’s no doctor involved. An excerpt:

“‘I am not at all well,’ said Mrs. Langtry, as the reporter took the chair offered by the maid. ‘Still, I am feeling much better than I did a week ago.’

‘How do you account for so many leading stars breaking down this season?’

‘I was thinking of that very thing myself to-day. It is rather strange, isn’t it? I cannot imagine what the cause can be unless it is the mildness of the Winter. It seems quite remarkable and I don’t understand it. I do think, though, that on the whole we actors and actresses keep up wonderfully well when you consider the hardship we go through. We must plan out work six months beforehand and travel over the country in all sorts of weather. The public little know how we suffer sometimes, even in their presence.

When I was playing Lady Macbeth in New York a few weeks ago I could not breathe through my nose for eight days, owing to catarrhal troubles. I had my physician with me constantly, and between the acts he would inject cocaine into my nose with the assistance of a rubber tube. Of course the pain was very severe, but it wouldn’t do to let the audience know I had suffering. On one occasion I was carried from my bedroom to my carriage and managed to get through the evening without the audience suspecting that I was ill.

I should  like to warn ladies against using cocaine unless advised to by a physician. I kept spraying it up my nose to get relief and because the sensation was pleasant. But I soon discovered that it affected my heart and I had a narrow escape from nervous prostration. Now, I know that many of my lady friends are becoming habituated to the use of cocaine, and I wish to warn them before it is too late. It is one of those habits which creep up on people unawares.'”

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Listeria: Brooklyn Apartment Rentals In 1897

September 14, 2010 in Urban Studies | Permalink

A Brooklyn building in 1897.

Taken from the 1897 Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Rents are monthly.

  • $22: 7 rooms at 24 Grove Street. Good light and ventilation, janitor’s service and heat, in a fine and healthy location.
  • $23: 7 rooms at First Place. Artistically decorated, heated, janitor on premises, exceptionally beautiful neighborhood.
  • $25: 6 rooms at Washington Avenue near Fulton Street. Steam-heated, bath, janitor, convenient to trolley and elevated cars.
  • $25: 7 rooms at Clinton Avenue. Fine order, steam heated, excellent janitor service.
  • $30: 7-room suite at 172 Ralph Avenue. Free rent to December 1. Tiled fireplaces, refrigerators, first class in every respect.
  • $32: 6 rooms at 32 Ormond Place. Bath, open fireplaces, cabinet mantles with gas logs.
  • $32.50: 6 rooms one block from Prospect Park. Bath, steam heated, cabinet trim, open plumbing and all modern conveniences.
  • $40: 7 rooms at 404 Myrtle Avenue. Elegant, beautifully decorated, plumbing, fancy grates, onyx tiling, steam heat.
  • $45: 7 rooms at 90 Decatur Street. Bath, steam-heated, coal is furnished for the range.
  • $55: 8 rooms at 133 Montague Street. Elevator, steam heat, perfect order, near Wall Street ferry.

Featured Video: “Bruce Lee’s Adventures In Oakland”

September 13, 2010 in Sports, Urban Studies, Videos | Permalink

Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums is trying to reclaim some of his city’s history, hoping to gain landmark status for Bruce Lee’s famous Oakland martial arts studio, which has been an auto dealership for the last 25 years. The studio was long ago the site of hand-to-hand combat between a 24-year-old Lee and fellow Bay Area instructor Wong Jack Man, who was enraged that Lee accepted Caucasian students. It was the moment that Lee began to become famous. The following is excerpt from a Bay Citizen article about the encounter. (Thanks to boing boing.)

“It’s a Toyota dealership now. But 45 years ago, 4175 Broadway was the site of a kung fu showdown that changed martial arts forever. Bruce Lee, a 24 year-old dropout from the University of Washington had recently landed in North Oakland, where he opened a martial arts studio not far from Oakland Technical High School. The school quickly attracted students. It also made enemies. The Bay Area’s martial arts establishment vilified Lee for accepting non-Chinese pupils.

The beef came to blows when Wong Jack Man crossed the bay from San Francisco to fight in a pre-arranged match with Lee’s livelihood at stake. If Lee lost the bout, he’d have to close the studio. Depending on whose account you believe, Lee either won the fight, or it ended in a draw. But it was because of his experiences during this duel that Lee later developed the fighting style that would make him a worldwide legend, the style of no style.”

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Excerpted: “Critics Say There Is A High Possibility That Some Of Those On Death Row Are Innocent”

September 13, 2010 in Excerpts, Urban Studies | Permalink

An 1867 depiction of a Japanese prisoner being transported to his execution.

Only two members in the Group of Eight industrialized nations have the death penalty–the United States and Japan. While the U.S. has a very public and very conflicted relationship with executions, Japan’s process has long been shrouded in secrecy and the cause of very little internal debate. Hiroko Tabuchi of the New York Times has an amazing and horrifying article that peeks behind the protocol and mindset that governs Japan’s system of executions, which allows for no possibility of pardon, and is often administered to convicts who’ve been coerced into confessions. It’s always perplexing when an entire nation goes along with a system that is so deeply flawed and unjust, but it happens all the time. An excerpt:

“Japan also has a 99 percent conviction rate, a figure critics attribute to widespread use of forced confessions. A series of false convictions have surfaced in recent months, including one of a 63-year-old man who had served 17 years of a life sentence for the murder of a 4-year-old girl. He was released after prosecutors admitted that his confession was a fabrication made under duress and DNA tests showed he was innocent. Critics say there is a high possibility that some of those on death row are innocent.

Inmates on death row are not told when they will be executed until the last minute–a procedure Japanese officials say prevents panic among inmates–and their family members and lawyers are informed only afterward, as are the news media.

Inmates can remain on death row as long as 40 years, though executions over the past decade have occurred on average after about 5 years and 11 months on death row, according to the public broadcast channel NHK. The Justice Ministry has refused to disclose how it makes decisions to go ahead with executions.

A large majority of Japan’s population supports capital punishment. A recent government survey showed that 86 percent of respondents are in favor of state executions for the worst crimes.

‘Any debate should take into account the lifelong suffering that the victims’ families must bear,’ said Isao Okamura, whose wife was murdered over a work dispute in 1997, in an interview with NHK.

All executions are carried out by hanging.”

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Majorie (Fricke) Ahearn Was A Mother Of Six And One Of The First Female Lawyers In San Diego

September 13, 2010 in Misc., Urban Studies | Permalink

I came across this obituary for the pioneering lawyer Margie Ahearn in the September 26 La Jolla Light. The mother of six children, she came into her legal career later in life. An excerpt:

“Marjorie ‘Marge’ Fricke Ahern, a long time resident of La Jolla, passed away peacefully August 15, 2010, after a brief bout with cancer at the age of 86 years. She was preceded in death by her husband Jim on October 15, 2009.

Marge was born and raised in Altadena, California, and spent many happy summers on Catalina Island. It was there she met Roger Morehart whom she married in 1942, and had her first son Fritz Ahern who was born in Hollywood. Following the birth of her first son, she attended UCLA where she earned her bachelor’s degree in English and then taught elementary school in Brawley, CA, for several years.

After WWII, Marge met Jim, her husband of 58 years, on Catalina Island. They were married in Altadena, CA, in 1951, and lived in Long Beach, CA, where their five children were born, before moving to La Jolla in 1960.

In 1964, when the youngest of her six kids went off to first grade, Marge attended Cal Western Law School and became one of the first female attorneys in San Diego. She practiced law in La Jolla for several years and eventually moved her practice to downtown San Diego. She also taught legal aspects of real estate at a local community college. Marge loved her work so much that she was still going to her downtown office at the spry age of 84.

Marge loved to travel with her ‘buddy’ Jim and kept extensive journals of her trips. She was a voracious reader, a practice that she encouraged in her own children. Tending her garden, walking to Mt. Soledad cross, spending time with her family, and a gentle breaststroke in the ocean were her favorite ways to relax.”

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Miscellaneous Media: Miniature Aircraft Quarterly (1998)

September 13, 2010 in Misc., Urban Studies | Permalink

Combining airsickness and emphysema.

I don’t have any interest in miniature aircraft let alone an entire newsletter dedicated to aviation-themed ashtrays, but I’m always interested in the people behind any type of tiny obsession. This 23-page 1998 edition of Miniature Aircraft Quarterly, which displays photos and brief descriptions of more than 80 such ashtrays, is the handiwork of a colorful character named Geoffrey “GR” Webster. He publishes this periodical exclusively for the members of the International Miniature Aircraft Collector’s Society (I.M.A.C.S.). I found this self-penned bio about him online:

“Geoffrey R Webster, or ‘GR’ as he is known in the collecting field, has amassed one of the largest collections of toy aircraft in the world. After serving in Vietnam as a combat pilot and double DFC winner commanding the Mustang Gun Ship Platoon of the 68th Assault Helicopter Company, he later graduated from the University of Chicago with a Masters Degree in Business.

He rose from a junior sales position to Chief Executive Officer of Givaudan Fragrances, with offices in Paris, Geneva and New York. In his spare time he founded The Miniature Aircraft Quarterly, a full color magazine and club for toy airplane collectors

In 2000, he was elected to the Fragrance Foundation’s Hall of Fame and retired at 55 to pursue portrait painting, raising a family, and collecting miniature aircraft. For eight years after retiring he owned and flew a Lake Turbo Renegade amphibious flying boat around the entire United States.

GR Webster lives mainly in France.”

More Miscellaneous Media:

  • Howeird Stern 50 Ways to Rank Your Mother LP. (1982)
  • A Knight’s Hard Day. (1964)
  • The Lowbrow Reader remembers Ol’ Dirty Bastard. (2004)
  • LP record about the 1972 Oakland A’s.
  • Madison Square Garden professional wrestling program. (1981)
  • Spy magazine. (1989)
  • Artis Gilmore ABA basketball card. (1973-74)
  • San Francisco cable car ticket stub. (1990s)
  • Bronx high school newspaper. (1947)
  • Mad magazine. (1966)
  • Vancouver Blazers hockey guide. (1974-75)
  • John Hummer NBA card. (1973)
  • Carolina Cougars ABA Yearbook. (1970)
  • The Washington Senators MLB Yearbook. (1968)
  • Ugandan currency with Idi Amin’s picture. (1973)
  • Tom Van Arsdale basketball card. (1970)
  • “Okie from Muskogee” sheet music. (1969)
  • California Golden Seals hockey magazine. (1972)
  • Beatles Film Festival Magazine (1978)
  • ABA Pictorial (1968-69)
  • Tom Seaver’s Baseball Is My Life. (1973)
  • Hockey Digest (1973)
  • World’s Fair Guide (1964)
  • World’s Fair Guide (1939)
  • Buffalo Braves Yearbook (1972-73)
  • New York Nets Yearbook (1976-77)
  • “Tom Dooley” sheet music.

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    Old Print Article: “He Was Taken Down Stairs,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle (1885)

    September 11, 2010 in Old Print Articles, Urban Studies | Permalink

    The innocent victim of an Englishman.

    An Englishman visits Brooklyn, gets drunk, claims to be a Lord, provokes a fight with a pig and is arrested. Just another day in the borough in the 19th-century. A report from an October 8, 1885 article in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle:

    “Tuesday afternoon, while Sergeant Brophy sat behind the desk in the east New York Police Headquarters, Roundsman Ringheiser conducted a fine specimen of a real, live, Englishman. He was awfully English, awfully drunk, and looked as if he had been trying to absorb all the rain that was falling. His high silk hat had been carefully brushed the wrong way, and his collar was on its way down to meet the yellow tops of his shoes, while his broadcloth coat and lavender trousers would have been very much improved by being passed through a clothes wringer. The roundsman found him on Alabama avenue, disputing with a pig as to which of them were entitled to a choice spot under a leaky hay shed. With all the dignity accessible under such distressing circumstances, the prisoner described himself as Lord Caufield.

    ‘But, my Lord,’ submitted Sergeant Brophy, ‘you are very drunk; you will have to go on the blotter as being drunk and disorderly.’

    ‘I know, your Honor,’ hiccoughed the distinguished prisoner, ‘but what could I do, you know, I was so wet outside that I had to even it up. I’ll pay my fine, you know.’

    At this point his lordship produced a large roll of bills. He was taken downstairs.”

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    Recently Posted On NYC’s Craigslist

    September 11, 2010 in Misc., Urban Studies | Permalink

    "Aric, my scoundrel of a roommate." (Image by Pawyilee.)

    3 Hr Pedicab Tour of Central Park for Lawyer in Small Claims Court (Brooklyn)

    Aric, my scoundrel of a roommate, left without paying his May/June rent. I will be facing him in Small Claims Court in Brooklyn on September 15 at 6pm.

    In exchange for legal representation by a tri-state lawyer, I will do a 3 hour, 6 mile pedicab tour of the entirety of Central Park. I am a licensed tour guide and have been doing this for six years. I can take up to three people. I am usually paid around $300 for doing this full park tour. For more information, please go to Centralparkpedicabtours.com

    I am confident that I will win this case but I am just worried about thinking on my feet when I’m nervous and angry before the arbitrator. My evidence includes:

    • A scanned copy of the May check which was so badly written the bank wouldn’t take it.
    • A recording I made of him saying he wasn’t going to pay his rent and there was nothing I could do about it.
    • The testimony of another roommate who can confirm that ‘Aric’ lived there and payed $750 month. Aric also confessed to this roommate that he knew he was doing the wrong thing but figured he could get away with it.

    More Craigslist ads:

    Excerpted: “The Museum of Soviet Arcade Games”

    September 10, 2010 in Misc., Science/Tech, Urban Studies | Permalink

    Let's play Turnip Strength Tester! (Image by A Dangerous Business.)

    When I was a child, I once got to go to a basement-level arcade game parlor at the McGraw-Hill Building (though I always wrongly remember it at the General Motors Plaza). There was a cute long-running slide-show called The New York Experience playing upstairs and an essentially deserted arcade downstairs. It was full of insane ganes from days gone by (many of them made of wood) that I have never seen again. I have no idea what happened to it.

    The folks at A Dangerous Business blog went much further afield to have a similar experience when they headed to a small technical university outside of Moscow to visit the fun and dingy Museum of Soviet Arcade Games. Games that have “turnip” in their name just aren’t as popular since the Soviet Empire’s demise. (Thanks to boing boing for pointing me toward the post.) The following is an excerpt from the piece about the trip:

    “Alexander Stakhanov, the guy who met us at the door and one of the four people that started this museum, gave us a quick rundown about which machines work and which don’t, how to put coins in (some are finnicky) and the general lay of the land. We actually understood most of it, though he was speaking rapidly and entirely in Russian. It wasn’t until after he was done and I said to Anjel ‘maybe we can leave our coats here’ that he realized that we were American.

    He apologized for being able to speak so little English and we apologized for not being able to speak any Russian. He ran through a few of the key points again, handed us each a small plastic cup of 15-Kopek coins and excused himself to duck into the other room. At this point it was just a little after 7:30 and we were the only ones there. I took as many photos as I could before I just had to put down the camera and start playing.

    This was one of the first games we tried. It’s called ‘Репка Силомер’ (Repka Silomer) or ‘Turnip Strength Tester.’ Later that night, we showed the photos to our homestay host, hoping for some sort of explanation. She had never played the game but told us that the concept was based on an old Russian children’s story.”

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    Old Print Article: “Mrs. Nation Leaves Coney,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle (1901)

    September 8, 2010 in Old Print Articles, Urban Studies | Permalink

    Carrie Nation was apparently overjoyed by President McKinley’s assassination, because he was rumored to be a secret drinker.

    Carrie Amelia Moore, a Topeka, Kansas, native who became famous as “Carrie Nation” in pre-Prohibition America, was a very large woman with an even larger distaste for alcohol. Nation didn’t just preach about the evils of drink–she used her hatchet just as readily as her mouth. At six feet and and one-hundred-eighty pounds, Nation cut a wide swath when she stormed into bars and, hatchet in hand, hacked the wood and glass until the police–sometimes seated at the bar–intervened. In its September 10, 1901 issue, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle recalls one of Nation’s mad temperance missions, this one in Coney Island. It was one of the dozens of times before she passed away in 1911 that Nation was arrested for her “hatchetations.” An excerpt:

    “Carrie Nation has packed her hatchets and handbags and linen dusters and has left Coney Island behind her. A trolley car bore her to a busier part of the greater city yesterday afternoon, and as one of the old time songs relates, she will never go there any more. Her last hours at the beach were passed in the Coney Island court, where she was arraigned before Magistrate Furlong on a charge of disorderly conduct. Policeman George Ryder described how the Topeka smasher had done things to a show case owned by Jacob Wollenstein at an amusement place on the Bowery. Ryder said she made things hum for a while and then Carrie’s turn came to tell her story. She ignored the charge and discussed the question of the sobriety of Policeman Ryder. She said all the cops were ‘snakes and vipers and were drunkards.’

    Magistrate Furlong said nice things to Carrie, explaining how dangerous it was to attempt to run Coney Island and then suspended sentence. Van Driver Connolly expected to take the smasher to jail, but he was disappointed.”

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    Urban Studies: How To Shrink A City

    September 8, 2010 in Excerpts, Urban Studies | Permalink

    Detroit boomed in the 1920s, as the Industrial Revolution and auto production soared.

    Rome wasn’t built in a day, and Pittsburgh didn’t shrink in one. Decreasing the scale of a large, struggling city is as challenging, maybe even moreso, than growing one, and a city like Pittsburgh, which once had a thriving working-class economy based on steel, had to get smaller and savvier to survive over the last three decades.

    Because of the housing collapse and other factors, quite a number of American cities–many in Michigan and Ohio–will likely need to reimagine themselves on a smaller scale now and in the future. Drake Bennett at Boston.com has an excellent article called “How to Shrink a City,” which looks at this phenomenon. An excerpt:

    “Now a few planners and politicians are starting to try something new: embracing shrinking. Frankly admitting that these cities are not going to return to their former population size anytime soon, planners and activists and officials are starting to talk about what it might mean to shrink well. After decades of worrying about smart growth, they’re starting to think about smart shrinking, about how to create cities that are healthier because they are smaller. Losing size, in this line of thought, isn’t just a byproduct of economic malaise, but a strategy.

    The resulting cities may need to look and feel very different–different, perhaps, from the common understanding of what a modern American city is. Rather than trying to lure back residents or entice businesses to build on vacant lots, cities may be better off finding totally new uses for land: large-scale urban farms, or wind turbines or geothermal wells, or letting large patches revert to nature. Instead of merely tolerating the artist communities that often spring up in marginal neighborhoods, cities might actively encourage them to colonize and reshape whole swaths of the urban landscape. Or they might consider selling off portions to private companies to manage.”

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    Urban Studies: “For Three Years, Mark Zable Has Been On A Mission To Concoct Fried Beer”

    September 7, 2010 in Excerpts, Urban Studies | Permalink

    Fry me. (Image by Marcus Wong.)

    I know you can deep fry anything, but I had never heard about deep-fried beer until this recent article in the Dallas News (thanks to Marginal Revolution for the tip). It is the brainchild of Mark Zable, who entered his concoction in the State Fair of Texas over the Labor Day weekend. Zable’s delicacy indeed won the Most Creative award, while the Best Taste award went to the Texas Fried Frito Pie.

    Here’s how and why Zable fries suds:

    “Fried Beer is a beer-filled pretzel-like dough pocket that’s shaped like ravioli. Take a bite and the beer pours out. But don’t cry over spilled suds. Simply use the dough to soak up the rest of the brewski.

    ‘Why drink your beer when you can eat it?’ creator Mark Zable said.

    For three years, Zable has been on a mission to concoct Fried Beer. He remembers staring at a bar menu in a restaurant. Calamari. Nachos. Fried cheese. Bor-ing.

    ‘Someone needs to figure out a way to fry beer,’ he thought.

    Zable started experimenting. But the beer-and-dough concoction kept exploding once it hit the fryer. He kept getting burned. So he consulted with a food scientist–still, no luck. Then, earlier this year, he finally found the recipe for success.”

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    Recently Posted On NYC’s Craigslist

    September 7, 2010 in Misc., Urban Studies | Permalink

    Don't do anything gross to me. (Image by Jack.)

    Got a bunny suit we can borrow? (Union Square)

    Hello folks. This may sound dirty and alarming, but we promise — totally kosher.

    Here’s the deal: we need a rabbit suit — think Easter, mascot, Disneyland character. (A couple terrifying examples are below.)

    You might be wondering why. What other reason could there be except–

    The theatre!

    A very funny, very nonprofit theatre company is putting on a show this week and we desperately need your help and your bunny suit.

    We won’t do anything gross to it. We’ll return it in pristine condition, as clean and fluffy as we get it.

    And we’ll be happy to share details and prove our legitimacy when you respond. (Please do — we’re in dire straits here!)

    The nonprofit thing means we can’t compensate you with anything but gratitude and maybe a complimentary ticket to the show, so we’re counting on your generosity. And on you having some weird things in your closet.

    More Craigslist ads:

    Old Print Ad: Pro Football Game Tickets (1947)

    September 7, 2010 in Misc., Sports, Urban Studies | Permalink

    The New York Giants finished 2-8-2 that season.

    This very bare-bones print ad appeared in the same 1947 Bronx high school newspaper that I posted from earlier. It was a special offer to students who wanted to see the New York Giants play pigskin. The game–as well as the Giants’ season–ended up a disappointment, with the New York squad being shut out 14-0. But the price was right. The ad copy in full:

    “FOOTBALL

    Polo Grounds
    Sunday
    October 19 2:05pm

    New York Football Giants

    vs.

    Boston Yanks

    School students will be admitted for 50 cents at special entrance. 159th Street and 8th Avenue only.”

    More Old Print Ads:

    Miscellaneous Media: Howeird Stern–50 Ways To Rank Your Mother LP (1982)

    September 6, 2010 in Misc., Urban Studies | Permalink

    Inscribed by Stern: "Yo--let's do lunch. Howeird."

    I haven’t heard a word of Howard Stern’s show since he moved to satellite radio nearly five years ago, but I was pleased to briefly get my hands on an autographed copy of his 1982 record, 50 Ways to Rank Your Mother, which Stern recorded for Wren Records during his pre-Booey Washington D.C. days, when he  was billed as “Howeird” and was very into playing “rank-outs” with listeners.

    The radio host (not yet dubbed a “shock jock’) is pictured on the cover dressed in all black, wearing a dog collar and a brandishing a bullwhip. A middle-class mom, straight out of central casting, kneels and cowers before him. The visual is a play on the title song, which, of course, spoofs Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.” The whole album is just as crass and tasteless, and despite being recorded before Stern really fully developed his act, it still has its moments.

    Hairy Howard: muh-muh-mustache.

    Howard did a record signing to get rid of the surplus LPs when he first moved to NYC, and he and Robin were among the inner circle of loons who were on hand to put ink on covers. Robin signed, “Love ya. You’re the best and you can tell your friends I said so.” Howard went with a simple, “Yo–let’s do lunch.” Howard offered a special thanks to “My first wife, Alison,” which was probably a lot funnier when he was still married to his first wife, Alison. Or maybe it’s funnier now. I don’t know. Here are the titles of the album cuts, which lay low everything from Neil Young to Leave It To Beaver:

    Side 1

    •50 Ways to Rank Your Mother
    •Unclean Beaver, Part I
    •I Shot Ron Reagan
    •Barry Off-White’s Ode to Howit

    Side 2

    •Havana Hillbillies
    •Unclean Beaver, Part II
    •John’s Revenge
    •Nail Young’s Cat
    •Family Affarce
    •Bruce Springstern

    More Miscellaneous Media:

  • A Knight’s Hard Day. (1964)
  • The Lowbrow Reader remembers Ol’ Dirty Bastard. (2004)
  • LP record about the 1972 Oakland A’s.
  • Madison Square Garden professional wrestling program. (1981)
  • Spy magazine. (1989)
  • Artis Gilmore ABA basketball card. (1973-74)
  • San Francisco cable car ticket stub. (1990s)
  • Bronx high school newspaper. (1947)
  • Mad magazine. (1966)
  • Vancouver Blazers hockey guide. (1974-75)
  • John Hummer NBA card. (1973)
  • Carolina Cougars ABA Yearbook. (1970)
  • The Washington Senators MLB Yearbook. (1968)
  • Ugandan currency with Idi Amin’s picture. (1973)
  • Tom Van Arsdale basketball card. (1970)
  • “Okie from Muskogee” sheet music. (1969)
  • California Golden Seals hockey magazine. (1972)
  • Beatles Film Festival Magazine (1978)
  • ABA Pictorial (1968-69)
  • Tom Seaver’s Baseball Is My Life. (1973)
  • Hockey Digest (1973)
  • World’s Fair Guide (1964)
  • World’s Fair Guide (1939)
  • Buffalo Braves Yearbook (1972-73)
  • New York Nets Yearbook (1976-77)
  • “Tom Dooley” sheet music.

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    Old Print Article: “Pigs Missing From A Theater,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle (1902)

    September 4, 2010 in Old Print Articles, Urban Studies | Permalink

    If you find our actor, don't eat him.

    You could keep pigs–or pretty much anything–in a theater basement in Brooklyn in 1902. Nobody cared what you did. I came across this small item about a pair of pig “actors” escaping from a theater in the January 15, 1902 edition of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. An excerpt:

    “In the play now being produced at the Park Theater, in Fulton street, by the Spooner Stock Company, two pigs are introduced in a pen during a first act. In the last act one of the pigs is carried on the stage by one of the actors. Between the performances the pigs are kept in the cellar of the theater. On Sunday night the pigs escaped from their pen and made a tour of exploration through the deserted play house. Last night, after the performance, the pigs were penned in the cellar as usual. Their pen adjoins the engine room. When the engineer was taking his ashes out last night the pigs escaped from the building and ran down Adams street to Willoughby street and as far as Gold street. The management of the Park Theater is anxious to learn the whereabouts of the pigs, desiring them for us in to-night’s performance of the play, ‘A Nutmeg Match.'”

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    Recently Posted On NYC’s Craigslist

    September 4, 2010 in Misc., Urban Studies | Permalink

    Cigar the size of a trombone.

    Vintage Cigar Press – $75 (Croton on Hudson)

    Vintage wooden press / mold for cigars. Late 19th Century. Still has tobacco scent. Has Cincinnati printed in fading letters. Maybe that mean this was made by MILLER DUBRUL & PETERS MANUFACTURING COMPANY founded in 1870. Measures 13″ long x 4 3/4″ tall x 2 1/2″ wide.

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    Canadian Sous Chef Has Kitchen Accident

    September 4, 2010 in Urban Studies, Videos | Permalink

    A Canadian PSA in which a sous chef is horribly burned in a kitchen accident. Terrifying and needless.

     


    Featured Video: Iranian Washes Lion On Sidewalk

    September 2, 2010 in Urban Studies, Videos | Permalink

    Yeah, we probably don’t want Iran having nukes. Thank you to Reddit.

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    Recently Posted On NYC’s Craigslist

    September 2, 2010 in Misc., Urban Studies | Permalink

    This wiseguy actually sounds very happy despite all his complaining.

    Buy the Cool Stuff My Girlfriend Won’t Let Me Keep

    One of the most bittersweet moments of my life was when my girlfriend and I officially decided it was time to move in together. We tenderly embraced, and she looked at me with a delicate twinkle in her eye and said, “I am NOT living in a house with a Yankee chair.” The parking brake had been released, and my bachelorhood began rolling downhill toward a brick wall.

    With more than 30 years of the afore-mentioned bachelorhood under my belt, I’m not ashamed to say that I have a lot of stuff. Guy stuff. As you can imagine, most self-respecting women are offended by the very thought of allowing these items to eye-rape their guests. My woman, alas, is no exception.

    With just two bedrooms in our new place and no hope for a dedicated “man space” in my immediate future, it seems that my only option (short of returning to a sexless existence) is shedding some of this Bachelor Baggage. That’s where you come in. Some lucky guy with a van/pickup truck and a shred of free will is going to profit immensely from my misfortune.

    (Please note that while picking up the merchandise, the lucky buyer will be forbidden to make eye contact with me as I sit slumped in the corner, sobbing gently. Thanks in advance.)

    Here’s the rundown of the haul:

    1. Yankee La-Z-Boy Chair: There is simply no better way to communicate to the world your love of heated buttock massages and America’s Pastime (in that order). This little beauty has all of the high-tech accoutrements that 1999 had to offer – heat/massage, a working speaker phone in the armrest and ample magazine/remote control storage space. This chair is pretty much the ultimate wingman for those “I’m not moving from this very spot for the next eight hours” football Sundays. I used to have those.

    The chair’s in good shape and everything works, but its stellar condition left my lady completely unmoved. Do me a favor, give it a good home and think of me next time you’re sipping a beer and eating a bag of chips that you’ve got stored in the armrest. I’ll probably be whiling away my day at Target, or another similarly soul-deadening establishment.

    Price: $275 (local pickup only – I’d offer to deliver but I drive a two-door sports car and I don’t feel like winding up on YouTube as I comically attempt to make the delivery. And yes, in case you were wondering the sports car’s days are numbered as well.)

    2. NEW 40.5” x 25” Samuel Adams Mirror in Wooden Frame: I honestly thought I’d get away with this one, since my sweetie and I won it in a raffle together. Guess again. This thing is brand-new, has never been displayed, and it’s HUGE (it measures 40.5” x 25”). It’s the perfect finishing touch to any bar or man cave. I’ve seen these things on eBay for over $350. I’m parting with it for much less. Just give it a prominent spot on your wall for all to admire, raise a pint to a fallen comrade, and we’ll both feel like we came out ahead.

    Price: $230

    3. Video Game Chair: This one comes with an important caveat –near as I can tell, it’s only compatible with last-generation game systems like Playstation 2 and X-“don’t call me 360”-Box. That being said, what’s the only thing better than wreaking havoc in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas? You guessed it, wreaking havoc in San Andreas while the screams of your innocent victims cascade upon you from built-in speakers located just behind your ears.

    Someone with a bit of electronics knowledge may (note, I said MAY) be able to figure out how to hook this up with a current-gen system. Me, I’m still annoyed that they made the prongs in electrical outlets two different sizes.

    Price: $75

    BREAKING NEWS – Yet another awesome-but-unacceptable belonging has been sniffed out and put on the endangered list:

    4. Margarita Lamp: Nothing says “party time” like this tasteful and understated lamp. From the lime slice to the giant straw to the artfully-rendered salt on the rim, the manufacturers spared no detail in their quest to re-create this beloved beverage in lamp form. If you have a basement bar and/or questionable taste, this is the item for you.

    Price: $20

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    Old Print Article: “Practical Joking In Flatbush,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle (1885)

    September 1, 2010 in Old Print Articles, Urban Studies | Permalink

    Once we've murdered the cobbler, we'll all have a good laugh. (Image by Catleen Thorbecke,)

    Practical jokes aren’t really funny unless several people are sued and arrested. In Brooklyn in 1885, a pack of jackass neighborhood kids played pranks seemingly endlessly on an elderly Flatbush cobbler with a funny name. Their many humorous attempts at maiming him and ruining his life were unfortunately interrupted by that uptight, unfunny thing called the law. An excerpt from a Brooklyn Daily Eagle article on the topic that ran in the July 23, 1885 edition, with  the subtitle “Local Humorists Under Arrest”:

    “For a long time past the more youthful portion of Flatbush has found much pleasure in playing practical jokes on Mr. Charles Brankenhausen, a local shoemaker, somewhat advanced in years, but the recreation seems to have come to a sudden stop. Previous to the last election, Mr, Brankenhausen was inveigled into delivering a stump speech at a burlesque banner-raising to have it hopelessly ruined by the explosion of a cannon cracker beneath the barrel on which he stood.

    This he passed lightly by, but when the humorists found him asleep they partially tarred and feathered him, the result was not so pleasing. He sued Ravenhall, the proprietor of the house where the tarring was done, for $10,000, and got $250 in a compromise. On July 4 Mr. Brankenhausen was awakened at an unseemly hour by the terrific explosion of a vast number of big crackers, distributed judiciously about his sleeping room, and narrowly escaped injury. Suspicion fell on Adrian Bergen and Joseph Smith, two youthful wits, who were both arrested. The trial has been twice postponed, but will come up finally before Justice Cox this evening.”

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