The next generation of Stepford wives. So sad.

Anna: Answer(sort of).
In NYU's W.4th St. institutional barracks for the sheltered today a young woman, actually the daughter of two NYU professors, had her face homicide-aly bashed off in her own apartment by her 'boyfriend' who later tried to commit suicide.

The souls of the afluent have so many susceptibilities.

Stepford fates.

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August 13 New Yorker magazine... in 'Talk of the Town,' an article about the Carnegie Hall apartments, several dozen apartments over the theatre. Featured is Josef Astor, the photographer, who has lived there for 22 years... amongst other artists living there 30-40-50 years.... everyone is getting thrown out.

Mo, we hardly knew ya!

One of the few burlesque/cabaret venues to open in the last few years is up for sale.

Mo Pitkin's for Sale

Even Barnes & Noble can't afford the East Village anymore! The Astor Place location, where I confess to have bought a book and magazine or two over the years, is closing as of December, because the rent is too damn high -- even for grotesquely huge, bloated billion-dollar mega-corporation. I knew the Union Square branch was hugely successful, but I assumed Barnes and Noble was like McDonald's or Starbucks: one on every block, regardless of the balance sheet of each individual branch. You know, "branding" and all that shit. My bad.

High Rents Chase Another Book Store Away, This Time a Chain

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I just also noticed yesterday that Dicks bar on 12/2nd is also closed.

I read that article too Lex. I think it said their rent was $1.5 million a year. Why would any self-respectng bloated corporate book company pay that, anyhow?

Someone has got to pass legislation to cap the rental situation in New York. What is someone going to pay for an East Village boite ten years from now? If they even have rentals.

S`tan we need you for mayor.
Otherwise it will be a million a month rent for a studio walk up. Your proposal has been overdue for so long, and it will probably never happen until the two landlords left that split the place between themselves decide not to compete against each other and just rake it in.

Barnes is facing the iron clad ROI factor as the publishing industry has only recovered from a 4 year shrinkage to a position that is profit and expansion flat. So booksellers, on the front line of the industry, can`expect any expansion in even their gross line on the budget. But something like Barnes moving out is the first canary in the mine signal the situation for even commercial real estate has hit an extreme limit. Take a long whif, that`s a hint of decay you smell in the air.

I guess it's no use to feel bad about one conglomerate replacing another, but though I was sad to see Tower Records at Bway and 4th close, I was sadder still to see the new - temporary - tenant:

Hey what do you have against toys?

again, it's another globalized brand.....
urg....

When is that waggon trail moving us to Chiapas anyhow... am ready

Not to mention, a brand that has previously hired bigoted store personnel who attempted beat T/G customers with bats...

"NYPost-May 17, 2001 -- Three transsexuals have sued Toys "R" Us, claiming they were threatened by bat-wielding workers while shopping for life-size Barbie Dolls last Christmas at the Bensonhurst store.

The three men-turned-women say they went to the Bay Parkway store Dec. 20 when a mob of workers called them "fags," "faggots," "homos," and "disgusting transvestites," and threatened to attack them with bats..."

I believe TrU lost the case, and was held liable by the court.

I am not a supporter of corperate anything and having said that, do any of us not buy from large corperate companies? Or patronize them? I think it is hard to do business in Amerika without rubbing up against some large corperations greedy ass.

And as for homophobes and their bad behavior it is everywhere even in this gay town that I live in.

Bobby I agree and I agree.

Thing is I loathe that my life is caught up in all of this ugly consumerism and globalism. It's really tough to drop out an not be part of it. Really. I totally work (a muggle day job) for 'the man' and so often support these large corporations with my dollar. But that said, when I can I will do my best to pick up a coffee from Rapture than Starbucks. Buy a gift of a Kiva.org gift certificate than more 'stuff' that you don't need. etc.
It's tough. It's also sad.

One thing I noticed in a large department/food store in europe recently was a whole section of the store marked, "Lokal." This section was stocked only with product produced in the local area by local food growers/producers. I thought that was a great feature. If you took that to the extreme there wouldn't be any more transglobal congolomerates dominating any market scene with mass produced schlock.

On Curbed.com they have something called "SchnabelWatch"... the artist Julian Schnabel has built a freaky pink fake Italian palazzo on West 11th and the river... claimed it would be an artists' community, "the rebirth of the salon." Then sold it off to standard boring money-men...

http://curbed.com/archives/2007/10/03/schnabelwatch_chu....php#reader_comments

Who then just try to flip it for more millions.

http://www.curbed.com/archives/2006/12/05/schnabelwatch...his_convenience_.php


It's not like the rich need to get any bloodie richer.
If he really wants to make it an "artist's salon," he might still move a dozen artists into the place and charge them zero rent. And not even see his bank account go blip.

Here's a nice pic of it... I kind of like how demented it looks.

http://nymag.com/movies/filmfestivals/newyork/2007/38028/index2.html

Come on Julian, give back to the starving artists.

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Here's my short list of deserving artists who need free rent in New York,
in order to stay put and maintain the Zeitgeist -- Julian, prepare for the moving vans.

Foxy and Romy - 2 living spaces and a state-of-the-art Goodie office.
They will dedicate the next Goodie to Julian.

Verbal Abuse Magazine office (share with Goodie.)
We will not dedicate the next VA to Julian.

Chambers for Seven and assorted paramours.
Seven will serve as sardonic Court Jester to curb selfish interests, and will thereby surreptiously channel fundage for all projects
relating to LES culture.

Space for Helin Rhiannon and her enormous dressing-table.
Big enough to house itinerant trannies on the rise in New York.

Rehearsal Chambers and living space for Beaut, Marti and Twinkle.

Artist space for Bernd Naber who is losing his Brooklyn loft.
Need enormous space for gigantic acrylic sculptures.

Space for my server, Panix.com
Extant since 1995 and always moving.

Flloyd's Penthouse and Dungeon.
Free sessions for life to you-know-who.

Chambers, with adjoining locked cell,
for Rene Ricard -- even if he did smash up JS's Bentley

Ground Floor space for Rapture Cafe, with enhanced performance area

Visiting Artist's quarters (for me, Bobby Miller, Jackie Bigelow, etc.)

Okay that should take care of the empty spaces, and fill the swimming pool too.

xoxoxoxo

This is one of the best ideas I've heard of yet!

I've been viewing that 'palazzo' for the last few weeks when I take a breather from biking on the west side bike path. It does look quite incongruous and kind of stuck in between a group of sheer glass towers right next door. Actually, you can't really get much of a view of the whole thing because the streets there are rather narrow. Part of the city's charm is its dysfunctions and this is just another one albeit one that is far less consequential than most. If Egomeister hand picks his tennants and they are all Bonos that means the neighbors will soon have to cope with gaggles of paparazzi on a daily basis.

The totally fawning puff piece in New York Magazine had a cotton candy taste to it.

I think I would make a great court jester/tauntmaster for the whole block, thanks S'tan.

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Genius, S'tan.

Well my fave places are the couches of my friends!!! Once I stayed with Chrysis and we woke up to a giant rat pushing all the kitchen ware off the shelves! At Rick*s apt. I woke up to a mouse crawling up my leg! At Tony*s apt. a rat ran up my arm when I opened the garbage can! Those damn rodents follow me everywhere!!!