Insanely high rents, disgusting streets and subway stations, but every so often a spontaneous striptease on the subway turns into an epic dance party.

L Train Pole Dance Explains Why People Tolerate New York is a post from: The Inquisitr

Hilarious, and my crush on Brian Williams has just increased by 137%. It’s like Marrakesh!

[via TDW]

[Video] Brian Williams slow jams about NYT’s ‘discovery of Brooklyn’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

Spotted in Prospect Park. Of course, those young enough not to have seen Jurassic Park might be lured by the warning…

[Gothamist]

Brooklyn Park’s strategy to keep your hipster ass off the grass is a post from: The Inquisitr

Way to go all Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, Rep. Anthony Weiner of Brooklyn/Queens!

Rep. Weiner gave an impassioned speech yesterday on the House floor because Republicans are blocking funding to monitor September 11th first responders with lasting health issues. Weiner angrily called opponents of the bill out for voting on procedure and not the merits of the bill itself, which will allocate over $7 billion in funds to ensure those who worked in the Trade Center’s ruins those first few dangerous days are properly cared for. TPM helpfully transcribed a portion of Weiner’s two minute rant:

“It’s Republicans wrapping their arms around Republicans, rather than doing the right thing on behalf of the heroes!”

Weiner attacked those who “stand up and say, ‘Oh, if only we had a different process we’d vote yes.’ You vote yes if you believe yes! You vote in favor of something if you believe it’s the right thing! If you believe it’s the wrong thing, you vote no!”

While some may argue Weiner’s rants are grandstanding or theatrical (using the word “heroes,” for instance), the clip is still worth watching, and will hopefully inspire other Dems to get their spines back.

Congressman Anthony Weiner gets loud, calls out GOP for 9/11 health bill is a post from: The Inquisitr

One of the more stereotypically American things to spring up as a Fourth of July tradition in my hometown of New York is the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.

Each year, several contestants and several more spectators gather to watch competitors attempt to consume as many hot dogs as possible in a set time. It’s offensive and tacky and horrible and gross, but for some reason people really dig on it. It’s even become a sport, called, if you haven’t heard of it, Competitive Eating. At yesterday’s contest, the dominant winner of the contest over the past decade opted not to compete due to a contract dispute.

Of course, being a crazy Jerry Springer-esque affair, it didn’t end there. Takeru Kobayashi rushed the stage, where winner Joey Chestnut was being coronated. Police had to drag him away, and he was taken into custody. The competitive eating champ was charged with with resisting arrest, trespassing and obstructing governmental administration. Kobayashi was held overnight, and upon his release this morning, he made a brief statement:

“I’m really hungry. I wanted to eat hot dogs.”

It is unclear if the incident will affect Kobayashi, who was still wearing the “Free Kobi” shirt he wore during his arrest, in his future endeavors in competitive eating. But the organizers were displeased with his protest:

Event organizer Richard Shea said he hoped Kobayashi was able to sort out his legal troubles, but was “disappointed” in his shenanigans.

“I feel badly for everyone who worked so hard that the story today is all about this disruption,” he said.

[Image]

Former champ Kobayashi on stage rushing: “I’m really hungry. I wanted to eat hot dogs.” is a post from: The Inquisitr

MTV is celebrating the life and work of Christopher George Latore Wallace today, better known to the world as Biggie Smalls, the Notorious B.I.G, or just Big. (Brooklyn stand up.)

Wallace’s biopic Notorious has been running in heavy rotation on HBO, and several documentaries about Big’s life have been cycling through on music channels. It was thirteen years ago today that Big was gunned down in L.A. by an unknown assailant, just months after the also unsolved murder of friend turned rival Tupac Shakur after a Mike Tyson fight in Vegas.

Puff Daddy P. Diddy spoke to MTV about the push to make March 9th Biggie’s day:

“We’re trying to make March 9th a national hip-hop holiday,” Diddy told MTV News. “It already is, on the low. MTV is going to have a big special. We’re doing a party. I’m going to Brooklyn. It’s gonna be the first time I’m throwing a party in Brooklyn. I’m from Harlem. Everybody in Harlem knows you don’t usually go over the bridge to Brooklyn. It’s a big, big deal. Me being such a Harlemite, I’m going over there to pay respect to my man. It’s gonna be a big party in Brooklyn with Mister Cee. It’s a big day. It’s a day to celebrate his life. It’s a day to celebrate the life of the man. We done did the movie, the records. It’s something that, I guess, as a label we’re obsessed with: making sure people don’t forget about this man in a positive way. March 9 is Biggie Day. … Bump Biggie all day, feel good and positive.”

I have to admit to not always being a Biggie fan- when he was alive he was ubiquitous, and my tastes ranged more towards indie rock. As an adult (and later Brooklyn resident) I slowly began to really appreciate his work, and Ready To Die is one of my top five albums of all time-still in constant rotation on this New Yorker’s iPod. Fans are taking to Twitter to proclaim their love for NYC’s most mourned rapper, and tweeting their five favorite Biggie joints with the hashtag “Top five Biggie” or “#ripbig.”

MTV, Brooklyn celebrate Biggie Smalls day on March 9th is a post from: The Inquisitr

Brooklyn career badass Joe Rollino, known for lifting 3,200 lbs. in his heyday as the Coney Island strongman, was killed in Brooklyn Monday when he was struck by a minivan.

Rollino suffered a broken pelvis, head trauma and broken ribs when the van hit him as he crossed Bay Ridge Parkway in Brooklyn. He was taken to Lutheran Medical Center, where he died later that day. Police say the driver was not speeding and was sober, and that no criminality was suspected. She was issued a citation for a defective horn.

Rollino would have turned 105 on March 19th, and neighborhood walks were part of his daily routine. Rollino walked 5 miles daily, rain or shine, and abstained from meat, booze and cigarettes. He swam frequently as well, even into the icy New York winters:

“People told me he holds the record for swimming every day for eight years,” said Louis Scarcella, 59, a former homicide detective and a member of the city’s oldest winter swimming club, the Coney Island Polar Bear Club. “He was known as the Great Joe Rollino, and he was great. You knew he was great just by standing next to him. He just had that humble confidence and strength. It shined.”

Rollino had been living with a niece on 14th avenue in Brooklyn, about a block from the scene of the accident.

[NYT]

Coney Island strongman Joe Rollino killed at 104 is a post from: The Inquisitr

A planned protest in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn may be difficult to pull off today, due to the epic snowstorm expected in the Northeast.

The furor began when a bike lane in the largely car-free city was removed due to complaints from local Hasidim regarding immodestly dressed women frequenting the lane. 14 blocks of bike lane were removed from the area, at a cost of thousands of dollars to the city. Locals like Heather Loop that regularly use the lane are infuriated city officials are putting riders in danger to cater to religious beliefs:

“If you can’t handle scantily clad women … live in a place where you can have your own sanctuary, like upstate,” said the 27-year-old Loop.

Loop, a bike messenger, plans to participate topless in a protest near sundown that is expected to draw at least 50 riders. Previous protests against the action include a “funeral procession” for the bike lane and an unauthorized repainting of the lane’s boundaries by frustrated bikers. No plans have been announced to reschedule or cancel the protest (hinted to deliberately coincide with large groups of Hasidic activity due to religious observances) despite the heavy snow predicted.

Since 2005, at least 87 bikers have been killed in accidents in the area, frequently commemorated by “Ghost Bike” memorials.

[Brooklyn Paper]

Hipsters battle Hasidim in Brooklyn with topless bike ride is a post from: The Inquisitr

In a video on YouTube, Adam Yauch informed fans that he was recently diagnosed with throat cancer.

Yauch, or MCA, apologized to fans in the short clip for canceled shows and the delayed release of Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 1 (originally set to drop on September 15th.) Yauch also explained that the cancer was caught early and talked about discovering the illness and his prognosis. From Rolling Stone:

Yauch tells the camera that he began to notice he had swollen glands in his throat about two months ago, but it wasn’t until two weeks ago that he spoke to his doctor, who recommended Yauch take some tests. The results revealed that a tumor had formed in the Parotid gland, the largest of the salivary glands. “I just need to take a little time to get this in check, and then we’ll release the record and play some shows,” Yauch said in a statement following the YouTube announcement; the album was originally scheduled for a September 15th release. “It’s a pain in the neck (sorry had to say it) because I was really looking forward to playing these shows, but the doctors have made it clear that this is not the kind of thing that can be put aside to deal with later.” According to the statement, the surgery will be followed by weeks of additional treatment.

Hopefully everything will go smoothly and this Brooklyn boy (holla!) will be back in fine rapping form sooner rather than later. You can watch the announcement below, and below that, you can listen to Paul Revere.

MCA has cancer, Beastie Boys cancel tour dates is a post from: The Inquisitr