Something’s fishy about New York’s fish—but that won’t stop desperate locals from bringing home a free dinner. The “fresh” fish that people have been catching is laden with toxins and cancer causing PCBs; levels of mercury make it especially dangerous for children and women of child-bearing age.

The Daily News tested fish in three different locations, and the highest levels of mercury and PCBs were seen in a striped bass found off of Gantry Plaza. Although Hunts Point in the Bronx had a winter flounder that was a bit cleaner, tests of bluefish from the Gowanus Harbor off Red Hook also had dangerous levels of toxins.

Although the studies appear to demonstrate that the fish caught near NYC's coast aren't safe, many of New York’s shanty fishermen have yet to accept this fact. Gabriel Gomez—a married father with two sons aged 12 and 15—is sited in the Daily News story as the typical example of a New York fisherman. He was spotted wearing a garbage bag to protect himself from the rain, while using his makeshift fishing rod constructed of discarded water bottle and string. He said that, “This week, I only work one day. Yesterday, fish. Today, fish. Not working too much, you see.”

Recreational anglers at Gantry Plaza State Park in Queens say that even beggars are hungry for the fish. Instead of asking for spare change, they ask for spare fish from whomever is willing to share. Yet some fishermen weren’t even aware of the dangers of mercury and PCBs. To spread the warning, state officials say that they have already handed out thousands of brochures in English and Spanish, and signs have been put up at fishing spots throughout the city. [via nydailynews]

Read more

Although the dreary, leaking rain might suggest otherwise, tomorrow is the day the Parks Department picked to kick off the summer. New York City's 54 (a full list is here) outdoor pools open Saturday; general hours are 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. So go, dig out those dusty bathing suits and cross your fingers for some sun rays to match them.

This post has additional content, click on the permalink to read more.

Read more

We thought this day would never come. But the first segment of the elevated High Line park opens today. After all the officious ribbon cutting and speechmaking has died down, then you'll be able to find a way up there and get your own look at the tamed landscaping and skyline views.

Read more

The day seemed like it would never come. But the Washington Square Park is open at last. Washington Square Park blog has pics from today. Now we'll just have to go and see what all the money actually paid for.

Read more

Mayor Bloomberg continues to fight the Superfund designation of the Gowanus canal despite the fact that the city has only $15 million to devote to it's cleanup—pocket lint to the billionaire exec. The money, which cover a  cleanup of only 10 percent of the canal, would dredge three feet of sewage and debris but none of the additional layers industrial waste accumulated over the last century and beyond.

This post has additional content, click on the permalink to read more.

Read more

If you’re not familiar with Glenn Beck, consider yourself lucky. If you are a fan of his, then you know is he is an incredibly unstable news reporter. Here is a quick recap of Beck's last month or so.

He cried when talking about America, poured “gasoline” on a contributor to show that America is being lit on fire  and had a guest faint mid-show. Thank you Huffington Post for keeping track of this lunatic.

One would assume that on Earth Day this right-wing crazy would have something stupid to say, but we didn't think it would be so erotic. For his radio show, Beck found a “true American” from Ohio who was cutting down trees to clear  a field for a hunter, all in honor of the holiday. Beck said the sound of the chainsaw was “almost eroticism” and called for Barry White music. Kinky, right? Enjoy the video, courtesy of Huffington Post, and if you must vomit be sure to do so in a biodegradable bag.

Read more

While everyone in Washington is talking about torture memos, Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood has made a very strong decision on an equally important issue. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Lahood has demanded that the FAA scrap their proposal to not release classified information about airplane bird strikes. We all remember the birds that took down Sully's plane into the Hudson, right?

This post has additional content, click on the permalink to read more.

Read more

For the first time since possibly the 1600s, there are alewife (that's a fish) in the Bronx River. The National Resources Group (NRG) reported last Tuesday that a few mature alewife were just swimming in the river like this wasn’t a huge deal or anything.

Alewi(ves?) are part of the herring family. Calm down, Grandma, you don't want to serve these as hors d'oeuvres. Alewife are an "anadromous" fish that are born in freshwater, then head to the ocean to fatten up and eventually swim back thousands of miles to their original birth place. Not unlike Britney Spears.

These fish are believed to be part of the NRG's 2006 program that placed a few of the fish into the 182nd Street Dam in the Bronx River. NRG's next initiative is to build “fish ladders” to allow the alewife to freely swim up river, or clean those really hard to reach places.



Read more

The creators and fetish-y visionistas behind nightlife project Objectify NYC long for the previous fantasy-era of this city. In embracing a "Dadaist anti-aesthetic," this group is looking to revive a time when "Disparate members of assorted underworlds mingled behind unmarked doors where entire genres were inspired and spawned."

This post has additional content, click on the permalink to read more.

Read more

ArtsBeat is reporting that former vice president, and Oscar winner, Al Gore is set to release his second book on climate change this fall. This follows his critically acclaimed 2006 book and documentary An Inconvenient Truth, which came very close to stopping global warming, but fell a little bit short. The new book Our Choice, will attempt to finish the job by proposing environmental policies that reduce Carbon Dioxide while also improving our economy. All of the proceeds from the book will go to The Alliance for Climate Protection and the book will be printed on 100% recycled paper, so get down from those redwood trees, hippies. 

This post has additional content, click on the permalink to read more.

Read more