January 29, 2009
In the midst of collapsing fortune 500 companies, record job losses, foreclosures, and massive bailout packages, it's certainly reassuring to know that not everybody in the New York metropolitan area is suffering a through hard winter this year. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt will be renting the Lloyd Neck estate known as Sassafras, (which if anyone is interested out there is on the market this year for a cool $60 million) while Jolie shoots the upcoming CIA spy movie—Salt.
The 48-acre estate on Long Island was once on the Forbes list of the 10 most expensive homes in North America. There are three houses on the property—one boasting 22,000 square feet and a interior decor fit for nobility— as well as two helipads, tennis courts, a pool, and a private cove with a dock.
Welcome to New York, Brad and Angelina. Manhattan would appreciate a few trips into the city by you two— we need all the positive buzz we can get this winter. Come to think of it— do a little bit of shopping, go to restaurants, buy a couple cars, how about some jewelry?
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48 acre, angelina, angelina jolie, brad, brad pitt, lloyd neck, long island, new york, sassafras
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Posted on 1/29/2009
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January 26, 2009
The New York International Gift Fair, the premier gift and decorative accessories market in the United States, has opened its doors at the Jacob Javitz Center. This semi-annual event fills 638,000 net square feet, including the entire Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and the Passenger Ship Terminal. The 45,000 national and international attendees are drawn from major retail outlets, specialty retailers, distributors, catalog companies and others. There are more than 2,800 firms exhibiting in eleven major merchandise sections of the Fair, including international sponsored groups representing Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Guatemala, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Canadian Province of Quebec, South Africa, Thailand and United Kingdom.
This year's NYIGF features a number of interesting green-themed presentations this week for attendees in the gift-giving business. "It’s Easy Being, Building, Buying & Selling Green – An Interview with Clodagh" presents a interview with green movement pioneer, Clodagh, and editor-in-chief of Metropolis Magazine, Susan Szenasy, and explores how one woman’s passion for environmentally and spiritually friendly materials and art finishes informs her commitment to product and interior design. Mark McMenamin, senior editor of Interior Design magazine, will give a lecture on business practices that can be implemented that help businesses succeed in today's green marketplace. A third discussion session led by Patricia Norins, publisher of Green Retailer and GIFT SHOP magazines, with panelists Robin Brown, co-founder of Erbaviva, Alan Honick, partner of Lichen Studio and Mac McCoy, CEO of Tibet Collection will concern itself with learning how to distinguish between "green" and "greenwash", and how to properly make successful green choices and avoid green frauds.
Attendees of this year's New York International Gift Fair have the good fortune of being in New York City during Restaurant Week 2009, with all kinds of participating restaurants offering bargain dining deals. NYC hotel accommodations in 2009 have also never been more affordable due to the current economic climate. Let's hope NYIGF participants walk away from this year's show with new insights into green business practices, lower accommodations costs, and maybe even a Broadway ticket stub or two in their pockets that they were not able to afford on previous visits to New York City.
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broadway, business practices, clodagh, convention center, green, green marketplace, green retailer, greenwash, hotels, interior design, jakob javitz, mark mcmenamin, metropolis magazine, new york international gift show, passenger ship terminal, patrica norins, susan szenasy
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Posted on 1/26/2009
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January 22, 2009
The New York Knicks defeated Shaquile O'Neal and the Phoenix Suns 114-109 last night at Madison Square Garden, earning Coach Mike D'Antoni his first win against the team he formerly coached to greatness. The Knicks wisely chose to play up tempo basketball against the Suns, who with their recent roster moves have now become the kind of half-court, inside-outside kind of team that new GM Steve Kerr envisioned would be more successful come time for the playoffs.
Although the Suns played an aggressive first half, particularly O'Neal, who scored seemingly at will when he was fed the fall in the paint or in the post early on, the Knicks remained relatively poised and energetic throughout the entire 48 minutes, with solid contributions from six players scoring in double figures. David Lee could not contain O'Neal in the paint, but he played a clever and energetic brand of basketball, draining mid-range jumpers and contributing a number of slam dunk highlight moments en route to another stellar game in which he tallied 24 points and 16 boards.
When the closing quarter quarter came with the Suns still hanging within road-win striking distance, the welcome surprise of the night came in the form of Nate Robinson, who literally carried the offensive load on his 5'9" frame and finishing with 20 points of his own. This game had to please D'Antoni on numerous levels, but most of all it was a morale boosting win against one of NBA's basketball bigs, and a team he once commandeered.
Photo Credit: Associated Press ©2009 All Rights Reserved
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109, 114, david lee, madison square garden, mike dantoni, nate robinson, nba, new york knicks, phoenix suns, shaquile oneale
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Posted on 1/22/2009
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January 15, 2009
Last night at Madison Square Garden the New York Knicks faced one of the worst teams in NBA basketball playing one of the best games of their beleaguered season and came out with a victory. The lowly Washington Wizards(7-31) playing without four key players (most notably Gilbert Arenas and Brendon Hayward), shot a sizzling 59.7% from the field, 71% from three-point range, and 87% from the foul line and lost. How that came about comes down to a simple fact. If a game is played offense versus offense, nine times out of ten opposing teams will lose to Mike D'Antoni's run and gun system. In such a game with all scoring being basically equal, the key moment comes in the final three minutes when one or two defensive stops, turnovers, or missed shots end up deciding the game and that's what happened last night in the Garden.
What also happened last night was the coming of age of forward David Lee, whose 30 point, 10 rebound, 6 assist performance was nothing short of Duncanesque. A fan favorite for his hustling, high energy brand of workmanlike basketball, Knick fans are now starting to see Lee for what he really is— the best all-around player on the squad, and one of the best emerging big men in the NBA. Although a great deal of the Knicks success night in and night out has to do with how well they move the ball, on nights like last night David Lee was the man in the middle of it all, showing post skills, pick and roll savvy, and a step-back mid-range jumper that were just what the Knicks needed: a triple threat. His six assists also show his unselfishness as a player and his keen understanding of a motion offense. He seems to know all the options available to the team at the outset of every set play and has the ability to execute them with a great deal of focus and energy. Unfortunately the current Knicks roster does not include a legitimate center, but if they did, Lee would quickly become one of the best power forwards in the league. The addition of a shot-blocking, intimidating man in the 5 spot (who can run) would not only put Lee in his natural position, it would serve the entire team as well.
Photo Credit: Newsday / Thomas A. Ferrara ©2009 All Rights Reserved
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david lee, loss, madison square garden, mike dantoni, new york knicks, victory, washington wizards
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Posted on 1/15/2009
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January 12, 2009
If there was any hope that Eli Manning and the New York Giants would rediscover their mojo in the 2009 playoffs the Philadelphia Eagles put that out of the hearts and minds of Giants fans for good yesterday, beating the reigning Superbowl champs 23-11 at Giants Stadium. It seemed to those in attendance that the game never really got going for the Giants. Five times they moved the ball down down field into Eagles territory, but the Eagles seemed hell bent on denying any touchdown possibilities. Let's face it—the Eagles hit harder, played hungrier, and managed the windy weather conditions much better than the Giants.
Donovan McNabb showed his characteristic toughness and versatility by diving for one touchdown and throwing for another following a clever fake handoff to Brian Westbrook. McNabb also managed to get the 3rd down conversions when the Eagles needed them in order to keep the ball out of the hands of Manning and company, who desperately needed some kind of thrilling play to get them going. As Manning himself admitted after the game—they needed one and it didn't happen. There were no late game heroics for the Giants. Instead there was Manning's costly interception, followed by a pathetic fumble by Giant's wide receiver Steve Smith with time basically running out and the Giants were done. Season over. Time for the Giants to hang up the dark blue helmets and think about how this defeat hurt not only themselves, but the hometown fans who expected more from them.
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2009, defeat, donovan mcnabb, eli manning, fumble, giants stadium, interception, new york giants, philadelphia eagles, playoffs, steve smith, touchdown
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Posted on 1/12/2009
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January 09, 2009
The countdown has begun for the Westminster Kennel Club 133rd Annual Dog Show. This year some 2,500 dogs from 48 states, the District of Columbia and seven foreign countries will compete at America's Dog Show on February 9-10 at Madison Square Garden, and only one of them can trot away with the ultimate prize in the sport: "Best In Show at the Westminster Kennel Club All Breed Dog Show".
According to the club's web site, California, New York, and Pennsylvania lead the way in number of entries in the competition, followed by New Jersey, Connecticut, Texas, Florida, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Virginia. Foreign dog entries at this year's historic event hail from Canada, England, Germany, Brazil, Russia, Thailand, and Mexico.
Since the Obama family finally has apparently not yet settled on a choice for the future canine resident in the White House, perhaps they should look to last year's WKCS champ, Uno, a beagle, or this year's winner to help them with their choice of breed. A beagle would certainly be an excellent selection for the First Family, given its size, smooth coat, and overall merry temperament. It would also seem like the Obamas were bringing Snoopy into the White House, which would certainly delight daughters Malia and Sasha. Last year's WKCS Best of Breed winner in the "Working" category was an Akita, which might be a tad too big for the White House. The non-sporting category winner at the WKCS Show was a poodle, which are known to be bright, alert, and extremely intelligent, qualities which the 44th President is often said to possess.
In any event the 2009 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is certain to bring a heavy dose of merriment to New York City at a time when the residents sorely need it. With over 20,000 visitors epected to attend the event, New York's beleaguered service industry is also certain to reap some benefits from having so many beautiful pooches in town.
Photo Credit: www.time.com ©2008 All Rights Reserved
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133, 2009, beagle, best in show, breed, decision, dog show, february 9, madison square garden, malia, new york city, obama family, pet, poodle, president, sasha, tickets, westminster kennel club, white house, wkcs
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Posted on 1/9/2009
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January 05, 2009
Knicks Head Coach Mike D'Antoni's pre-game comments before the team's game against the Boston Celtics in Madison Square Garden last night proved prophetic. Asked in the locker room prior to the the third match-up between the traditional Atlantic Division rivals how the Knicks could beat the reigning champs, D'Antoni simply stated that if the Knicks matched or surpassed the energy of their opponents they would have a legitimate shot at defeating them-- and the Knicks did just that. The NBA reigning champions did not come out to start the game with their characteristic defensive energy and focus. Kevin Garnett, the heart of the Celtics defense, picked up two quick fouls and had to head to the bench early, while Jarred Jeffries hounded Celtic point guard Rajon Rondo from the start and rattled the third year starter. Athough the Celtics had no answer for the hot hand of Paul Pierce, who seemed to score whenever he set his mind to it, the Celtics success these days does not depend on a huge scoring contribution from Pierce. Pierce scored a bunch of points last night, but the rest of the Celtics were contained and made to look ineffective by some uncharacteristically tough Knickerbocker defense.
The overall Knicks strategy, which they executed to perfection, seemed to have three main goals: stop Rondo's dribble penetration and pick-n-roll set-ups with Garnett, forcing Rondo into the role of spot-up shooter; play aggressive, disruptive help defense to deny the Celtics second and third shot opportunities; lastly, they needed to move the ball and shoot the ball well, and Al Harrington and Wilson Chandler did just that, with both of them scoring an unlikely 30 plus points against the formidable Celtic defense.
No doubt this was a great win for the Knicks. Not only did it stop a losing streak which saw several great games ending in defeat against West Coast powerhouses, but it comes at a time when the Knicks have to head back out on the road and try once again to get a few victories away from Madison Square Garden. The win over the Celtics last night is a confidence booster, but now we need to see whether they can build on the victory and carry some of that aggressive defense and confidence into their upcoming away games.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Kathy Willens ©2009 All Rights Reserved
Tags:
atlantic division, boston celtics, defeat, defense, kevin garnett, madison square garden, mike dantoni, new york knicks, paul pierce, rajon rondo
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Posted on 1/5/2009
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