Oprah Hangs Out With Hassidic Jews in Brooklyn is a post from: The Inquisitr

You may have seen a hilarious image pop up on Facebook or Tumblr in the past few days from Japan- department store style in-store signage from a Japanese shop, in which it loudly and proudly trumpets a big “Fuckin’ Sale” for Christmas.

The image is a funny one not only for the incongruous profanity, but also because it plays into some of our stereotypes of how people in Asia perceive American culture. (One that is subverted in the joke of the college kid with the Asian character tattoo that they think means “courage” or “strength” but really means “pork fried rice.”) The image of the confused representation of another culture is one that resonates strongly, which is probably part of the reason why the pic has been catapulted across the internet in the past few days.

Gawker has spoken to American chef Ron Silver, who owns the comfort food restaurant Bubby’s in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Silver- who has pulled off a great coup if he is correct- claims credit for making the f-word a point of emphasis in Japanese pop culture right now, saying that it comes from his propensity for using the intensity descriptor as a way to explain to staff that the food he serves is fresher than that which most Japanese residents are accustomed. (In Japan, fresh produce is really f*cking expensive, it seems.) New Yorker Silver hilariously explains:

“I trained these guys and trained these guys, and they called me up and said, ‘By fresh do you mean frozen?’ And I was like, ‘I mean fucking fresh, man. Do not fuck around with this thing. The very next day they were like, ‘By fresh do you mean canned?’ And I was like, ‘What do you not understand about fucking fresh?’”

It seems Silver’s Japanese staff took the phrase to heart, but the story even has a kind of f*cking touching ending- the chef explains how it came to be a marketing buzzword for his Japanese ventures:

Silver’s employees may have been fucking with him the whole time. They later surprised Silver by plastering Bubby’s with the slogan “Fuckin Fresh,” adopting it as their motto.

“It was like, alright you won my heart over,” Silver said.

So that’s (ostensibly) how the “Fuckin’ Sale” pic came about. Do you find the tale hysterical or offensive?

Viral “F***in’ Sale” Sign Credit Claimed- By New York Chef, Are You Surprised? is a post from: The Inquisitr

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK- Impassive, seen-it-all New York City types were stunned this weekend when news broke that a woman had been burned to death- seemingly by a stranger- in the elevator of her apartment building in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.

The incident was the second elevator-related death within the five boroughs in the past week- just a few days prior, another Brooklyn woman was killed when an elevator malfunctioned in a Manhattan high-rise, crushing her and traumatizing two other riders in the lift. Both deaths were horrific in nature, but the murder of Deloris Gillespie shocked New Yorkers, who wondered if the killing was random and if an arson-crazed killer was on the loose in Brooklyn.

It turns out that the 73-year-old woman and the 47-year-old man believed to be attacking her in the surveillance video (widely distributed after the incident) were acquainted, and suspect Jerome Issacs soon visited a police station to confess his involvement. After the incident, neighbors came forward to say Issacs had been harassing Gillespie over what he believed to be a $2,000 debt accrued while the two lived together, and that Issacs appeared to be assisting Gillespie before the working relationship soured over theft accusations from Gillespie. Building residents noted that Gillespie often covered her door with duct tape when leaving the building, which they believed to be due to Issac’s alleged harassment.

NYPD spokesman Paul Browne says Issac admitted to setting fires, but may not have confessed to the murder:

“He indicated that he was responsible for setting a fire- he didn’t say anything about a homicide… Since then, he has made statements implicating himself in the attack.”

Issac has been charged with murder and arson.

Suspect Who Burned Woman in Elevator Blames $2K Debt For Violent Murder is a post from: The Inquisitr

Surveillance cameras caught the images of a black man walking into the building, and waiting for Gillespie to get to the floor of her apartment on the elevator.  He then walked up to the elevator, where Gillespie was standing with her groceries, doused her with a flammable liquid and threw a Molotov Cocktail at her.  The elevator filled with smoke as Gillespie burned to death.

Police refused to speak about the motive for the crime, but are confident that the suspect new Gillespie.  Neighbors had reported a fire in the building but had no idea the woman was burning to death in the elevator.

The suspect seemed, in the video, to be very methodical…making sure Gillespie was thoroughly doused before lighting the Molotov Cocktail with a Barbeque Lighter. He only hesitated for a second before throwing it  at Gillespie.

Do you think the man was mentally ill or out for revenge?

Woman Attacked In Elevator And Set On Fire! is a post from: The Inquisitr

The seat once held by Rep. Anthony Weiner has been handed over to the GOP after a special election.

The GOP is spinning the win as a “No” to Obama’s economic policy after novice Bob Turner easily defeated Democratic state Assemblyman David Weprin in an election many residents didn’t even know was occurring.

It’s the first time a Republican has won the Democratic 9th congressional district which spans from Queens through Brooklyn.

Having family and friends in New York State the sentiment seemed to be the same following the vote, confusion about the election and questions as to why the seat couldn’t be filled on the November ballot which would have reached a broader spectrum of the political landscape.

A Democratic media consultant played down the win, telling the Atlantic:

“If they’d let Anthony Weiner “—hounded from office for tweeting lewd photos of himself—”go to rehab and then reapportioned the district out of existence, they’d have saved everybody a million dollars.”

Regardless of the outcome it means very little in terms of actual policy shifts by residents of New York and instead serves as a reminder that the general population doesn’t control election results with access to voting for everyone, at least not anymore than “job creators” have created jobs over the last three years.

Anthony Weiner’s Seat Handed Over To GOP is a post from: The Inquisitr

An autopsy in the horrifying kidnapping and murder case involving 8-year-old Brooklyn boy Leiby Kletzsky has revealed the child was drugged with several potent muscle relaxers and antipsychotic medications before he was smothered to death by hardware store clerk Levi Aron.

Criminal psychology experts are baffled by Aron’s behavior in the case, and say that the episode violates all expected behavioral patterns in similar cases:

“It’s highly illogical and makes no sense,” said Lawrence Koblinsky, a professor of forensic science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

“If you realize there’s a big search out there, okay you might be upset or frightened because you’ve got the kid, but you let the kid loose on the street.”

What makes the case especially perplexing, experts say, is that Aron, 35, does not have a violent criminal history and early indications are Leiby was not sexually assaulted… Kobilinsky said he thinks the crime might “boil down to a psychotic episode.”

Koblinsky says an episode of psychosis would explain much of Aron’s behavior, but adds there’s often “no logic” to how psychotic criminals such as Aron behave. Aron is currently in protective custody and on suicide watch, while authorities attempt to determine whether there was some ulterior motive Aron has yet to disclose or the incident occurred during a massive “break in reality” during the kidnapping and murder.

However, Aron’s contention that the murder stemmed from a panic induced by seeing flyers imploring for Leiby’s return suggests a premeditation that could undermine an insanity defense, an FBI profiler suggests.

Leiby Kletzky Drugged, Autopsy Says is a post from: The Inquisitr

The disappearance of 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky from an area of Brooklyn described by its congressional representative as “no-crime” has come to a tragic end, with the location of the boy’s dismembered body in an area dumpster.

Leiby Kletzky disappeared Monday afternoon while walking home from day camp. NYPD made a break in the case when they were able to zoom in on low quality surveillance video depicting the last moments of the boy’s life. Kletzky briefly appears lost before asking suspect Levi Aron for directions. The boy then accompanies Aron to the dentist briefly, where police were able to obtain Aron’s records and home address.

Just before 3AM on Wednesday, police caught up with Aron at his home, where they discovered additional, horrifying evidence:

When police arrived at Aron’s apartment his door was ajar. After they asked where the boy was Aron nodded towards the kitchen where the refrigerator handle had blood on it, and inside they found a cutting board, knives  covered in blood, and body parts, according to Kelly… Detectives found other body parts believed to be those of Leiby wrapped in a black plastic garbage bag inside a red suitcase that had been tossed into a trash bin in another Brooklyn neighborhood, police spokesman Paul J. Browne said.

In details that echo the high-profile abduction of Etan Patz in the early 80′s, Kletzky’s parents relented and allowed the boy to walk home after he repeatedly begged for permission, reviewing the route with him Friday and writing a note to camp workers stating the child was allowed to make the brief seven-block trip unaccompanied. Borough Park, the area from which the child was abducted, is generally considered safe, close knit and community oriented.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says the crime appears to be “totally random.” Aron’s previous record consisted of a citation for urinating in public.

Leiby Kletzky’s Body Found, Arrest Made By NYPD is a post from: The Inquisitr

A 4-year-old Brooklyn boy was mauled to death by the family’s Cane Corso Mastiff while his siblings looked on in horror, and it appears the child’s mother’s boyfriend openly trained the family’s dogs to be vicious and aggressive.

Jayelin Graham, 4, died in the attack, and his two and five-year-old brothers, who were injured, witnessed the fatal mauling from under the bed. According to reports, the Cane Corso Mastiff latched on to the child’s neck and would not let him go. A neighbor responded to the child’s mother’s panicked screams, but was unable to prevent the little Jayelin’s death.

Neighbors say Damien “Dread” Jones often bragged about the dogs’ vicious temperament, and said that he could “clear a block” with the attack dogs:

Jones routinely punched and kicked his feared canine collective — a pit bull, a husky mix and the cane-corso mix that ripped apart little Jayelin Graham at 9:15 p.m. Friday in his Pacific Street apartment.

“I asked him what kind of dogs are those?” Parkinson recalled.

“Monster dogs,” the master replied.

Sequina “Honey” Jubeark, the boy’s mother, had planned to marry Jones on June 10th. The Brownsville couple is not likely to face criminal charges, but the city’s Administration of Children’s Services is investigating the family- although neighbors say several previous calls to ACS to report life-threatening and squalid conditions inside the home have gone ignored in the past. The agency would not disclose whether they have actually attempted to investigate the situation in the past.

Jones left the scene at around 11pm and has not been seen since, and seven other people were arrested during the incident for “scuffles” with police.

Cane Corso Mastiff That Mauled Brooklyn Toddler Was Trained to Kill is a post from: The Inquisitr

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

A pantsless man filmed the crack plowing teams in Brookyn Heights smashing up a Ford Explorer in an attempt to navigate snow clearing devices down a snowed-in New York street. (NSFW language.)

[via TDW]

Brooklyn man films NYC plow eating Ford Explorer is a post from: The Inquisitr

Michael Brea, who had a small part on Ugly Betty and was once in a Coke ad, has been taken to a Brooklyn hospital for evaluation after killing his mother- 55-year-old Yannick Brea, a September 11th survivor- with a samurai sword inside their Prospect Heights apartment.

Neighbors in the building, who have described Brea as “real kind,” allege NYPD officers who arrived on the scene did not respond aggressively enough as Brea’s mother lay “groaning” audibly in the apartment:

“I could hear her groaning inside … She was still alive, but they wouldn’t go in,” said Clinton Clare, 52, who lived in the apartment below the Brea family.

Brea’s upstairs neighbor says that after the attack, no one would answer the door at the apartment:

“I heard a ‘Help me!’ shriek,” said Vernal Bent, 18, who lived in the apartment above. “Police kept knocking on the door. Knocking and knocking … All of us kept saying, ‘Open the door.’”

Neighbors also report that Brea was incoherent and “spouting gibberish” when taken from the apartment after the attack.

Actor Michael Brea kills mom with samurai sword 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

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

Sometimes, the internet can band together and do things nicer than making videos of people getting maimed go viral.

You might recall the time everyone was shocked when 4chan stepped up and saved a kitty-cat from torture, because 4chan can abide a whole hell of a lot, but you don’t screw with cats. MetaFilter, a decidedly less controversial community (more prone to asking for advice about interest rates and or digestive issues), engaged in a similar collective mitzvah in saving a poster’s two Russian friends from what was almost certainly sex slavery in Brooklyn.

A poster named Daniel reached out for help from MetaFilter about two friends of his in this very sketchy situation. The girls paid three large to get into the US and work in New York. As the promised legitimate job offers popped up and then fizzled, everyone involved got a bit worried. Then the girls were asked to report to a slimy place called the “Lux Lounge” way the hell out in Brooklyn at midnight for jobs as “hostesses.” (I will don my lifelong New Yorker hat at this point and second that yes, those jobs were almost certainly being a ho.)

As the girls became wary of accepting help and apologized profusely to the traffickers, Daniel became increasingly depressed and jaded. MeFi users started kicking in with their Google Fu and discovered some even more shady evidence. The address didn’t check out. The only events listed for the Lux Lounge were decidedly “strippy.” Something called an “ass-travaganza” was held there in the winter. Things were not looking up for the two girls.

Gawker sums up the ensuing melee of helpfulness that ultimately saved the girls from giving $5 bjs in Coney Island:

Several people offered to escort the girls. Others provided the number of the Human Trafficking Hotline, a service run by the anti-slavery charity the Polaris Project. Another group picked Lux Lounge apart, and discovered that the listed address had been occupied by many shady-sounding businesses over the last few years, that it did not check out in Google street view and that the website was empty. One surprised person discovered that his or her grandmother had lived at the address in the 1920s. But everyone ignored that.

Posters provided numbers for the NYPD vice squad. Some offered to try and find the girls other jobs, to stop them going to New York. And then someone who said they were from the US Department of State came online to say they were on the case. Daniel confirmed that five or six people from State and two human trafficking groups were now helping him. But the girls, who seemed determined to follow through on the contact, still got on a bus to New York.

What finally happened was that a female poster got in direct contact with the girls and convinced them to meet her instead of the shady contact. The girls are now safe, no one participated in any “ass-travaganzas,” and MetaFilter saved the day. (You can read the entire thread if you click here.)

Army of MetaFilter white knights come to the rescue of two probably sex-trafficked Russian chicks is a post from: The Inquisitr

It was over three years ago that Amanda Pogony’s 1996 Honda Accord disappeared without a trace.

Pogony says she reported the theft to police, and when she asked about finding it, they laughed at her. She and her husband assumed the car had been stripped for parts, and the Brooklyn couple used Zipcar to get from place to place from then on. So they were quite surprised to receive a call from the NYPD that the car had been located in a Queens chop shop and was being returned to Pogony.

But the unexpected discovery so long after the fact wasn’t the most interesting thing. Pogony says the car was returned with serious pimptastic updates, including “a brand-new V-8 engine, tinted windows, oversized tires with special hubcaps – and custom valve stem caps shaped like bullet casings.” The man who purchased the car after its theft also added a leather interior and manual transmission.

Until Pogony gets a new VIN number for the car and an updated registration (and learns to drive stick), it’s parked at her parents’ home in New Jersey. But she said it’s been a bit of a curiousity for neighbors:

“The mailman rang the bell the other day and asked about it,” she said. “Everyone wants to buy the car now.”

[NYDN]

Woman’s stolen ’96 Honda found years later, pimped out is a post from: The Inquisitr

Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-NY), one of the most vocal proponents of the new healthcare reform legislation, received a threatening letter containing an unidentified white powder today.

Law enforcement officials responded to the scene on Kew Gardens road at 1:50pm today, and nine people were reportedly decontaminated. Weiner, who represents areas of Brooklyn and Queens, says his office is closed pending identification of the substance. In a statement, Weiner did not address the letter, which reportedly told the Congressman to “drop dead” and cited his work on the healthcare reform bill:

Earlier today an envelope containing white powder and a threatening letter was delivered to my community office in Kew Gardens. The NYPD was immediately alerted and have responded appropriately by sending a Haz-Mat team. Any questions related to their response should be directed to the NYPD. My first priority is the safety of my staff and neighbors, and the authorities are currently taking steps to investigate and resolve the situation.

Rep. Weiner is not the only target in days following the passage of the bill. Talking Points Memo has compiled a map showing locations in which Democrats have experienced vandalism and “serious threats,” including broken windows and cut gas lines.

NY Rep. Anthony Weiner receives threat and suspicious white powder 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

34-year-old actor Antwon Tanner of the CW’s One Tree Hill was sentenced to three months in jail in a federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday.

Tanner pleaded guilty in August to identity theft charges for his role in the sale of more than a dozen fake Social Security Numbers for $10,000. A federal judge in Brooklyn gave Tanner until April 30th to report to prison. Had the case gone to trial, Tanner could have been jailed for up to ten years. Upon his release, Tanner must serve an additional five months of home confinement.

Tanner was caught in a sting trying to sell sixteen fake numbers and three cards, and admitted to knowledge that the numbers would be used to fraudulently purchase items. Had Tanner rejected the plea, in addition to ten years in prison, the actor could have been slapped with a $250,000 fine. The CW has not commented on the actor’s arrest, nor have they addressed his future on One Tree Hill.

“One Tree Hill” star Antwon Tanner headed to jail 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