New York City

Oh wow! More buses! The motley crew of New York politicos and business men running for the chance to serve as our next mayor gathered yesterday at a transportation forum, and boy, do they love buses. For a few hours, they opined on everything relating to the city’s transportation policies. They railed on the Taxi & Limousine Commission as being too secretive; they bemoaned bike lanes for no valid reasons whatsoever; and one — John Catsimatidis, who’s running on the platform that Gristedes is somehow an acceptable grocery store — called upon the city to build a monorail. But over and over again, buses were a major theme. I didn’t have the opportunity to attend the forum yesterday, but I was able to follow along via Twitter updates. Both Streetsblog and Transportation Nation have write-ups that capture the essences of the various discussions, but the broad contours are out there for all to see. Somehow, someway, despite the fact that New Yorkers don’t readily embrace buses, that they’re slow with routing that can be more challenging to interpret than the Talmud, the mayoral candidates all want more and more buses. Buses, you see, are easy. In a sense, the city has more control over its buses than anything else, and control too has been a major theme of the mayoral campaign. During the Democratic forum, everyone there called for more city control of the MTA. Without establishing how New York City would compensate for the state’s substantial funding obligations, both Anthony Weiner and John Liu called for city control of the MTA. During the Republican half of the discussion, Joe Lhota noted that such a scenario is unlikely but urged the next mayor to try to gain more control, whether through Board appointments, more subsidies or bus routing. As the MTA controls the subways, so too does it control the buses, but NYC DOT and the MTA have worked together to develop Select Bus Service. DOT controls the allocation of space on the streets, and the mayor controls DOT. Thus, mayoral candidates know they can talk about buses and, by and large, deliver on their promises. But what are we getting in return? So far, we’re getting promises that basically amount to a pledge to continue on our current path. The City is already expanding Select Bus Service, and while that expansion is painfully slow and drawn out and prone to rollbacks if any politicians raise a mere peep, it’s happening. Even if “better” doesn’t necessarily mean “good” or even “adquate,” we’ll have better bus service along certain high-volume corridors soon enough. The mayoral candidates never mention off-set dedicated bus lanes with signal prioritization. They don’t mention a sweeping pre-board fare payment system or a way to clear cars out of bus lanes. They’re not promising anything we wouldn’t otherwise be getting. Meanwhile, New Yorkers aren’t exactly clamoring for more buses. Buses are ideal for short-range trips that can’t be taken by foot or via the subway. Maybe some people would benefit from, say, a Flatbush Ave. bus lane or a connection from Coney Island to JFK, but buses aren’t going to be truly transformative. Buses are buses, and the mayoral candidates are fixating far too much on them because they can’t do as much with the subways.

In support of his Born Sinner album release this week, J. Cole made a stop at New York’s Power 105.1 radio station’s “Breakfast Club” morning show. He chatted with hosts Angela Yee, Charlamagne da God, and DJ Envy about the road to his second LP effort, musical comparisons, and education. On the success of “Power Trip”: “Power Trip” is effortless; I just made that song, you know what I mean? Without having to try, and it’s a smash…I’m just way more smarter as a songwriter, and I have more tools now, thanks to all the stuff that I had to go through. On being a college graduate: I needed college to stay afloat…I needed it to even be in New York City. I was bound for college. I was getting great grades my whole life Press play above to see the entire interview with the “Breakfast Club”. Born Sinner is in stores now.

OCTOPUSSam Israel, The Secret Market, and Wall Street's Wildest ConBY GUY LAWSONABOUT THE BOOK:Octopus is a real-life thriller that tells the inside story of an audacious hedge fund fraud and the wild search, by a colorful cast of rogues and schemers, for a “secret market” beneath the financial market we all know. Sam Israel was a man who seemed to have it all – until the hedge fund he ran, Bayou, imploded and he became the target of a nationwide manhunt. Born into one of America’s most illustrious trading families, Israel was determined to strike out on his own. So after apprenticing with one of the greatest hedge fund traders of the 1980’s, Sam founded his own fund and promised his investors guaranteed profits. With the proprietary computer program he’d created, he claimed to be able to predict the future. But his future was already beginning to unravel.After suffering devastating losses and fabricating fake returns, Israel knew it was only a matter of time before his real performance would be discovered, so when a former black-ops intelligence operative told him about a “secret market” run by the Fed, Israel bet his last $150 million on a chance to make billions. Thus began his year-long adventure in “the Upperworld” -- a society populated by clandestine bankers, shady European nobility, and spooks issuing cryptic warnings about a mysterious cabal known as the Octopus. Whether the “secret market” was real or a con, Israel was all in – and as the pressures mounted and increasingly sinister violence crept into his life, he struggled to break free of the Octopus’ tentacles. AN EXCERPT FROM OCTOPUS:Chapter One: TrustAll Sam Israel ever wanted to be was a Wall Street trader. For generations, the men of the Israel family had been prominent and hugely successful commodities traders. For nearly a century they and their cousins the Arons had been major players trading in coffee, sugar, cocoa, rubber, soy, precious metals-the substance of modern American life. Along the way, the family became fantastically wealthy. Long before the term was coined, the Israels were real-life Masters of the Universe.But it was Wall Street that attracted Sam, not the commodities market. As a boy growing up in New Orleans he'd sat on the lap of his legendary grandfather, Samuel Israel Jr., watching the ticker tape from the New York Stock Exchange and imagining what life was like in that distant place. When the Israels moved to New York and his father took a senior position in the family business, which had grown into a multi-billion-dollar multinational conglomerate named ACLI, Sam dreamed about trading stock in the skyscrapers of Lower Manhattan.In the summer of 1978, at the age of eighteen, Sam got the chance to try his luck. At the time, he was a newly minted graduate of Hackley, an elite prep school outside New York City. Although the Israels were very rich, Sam was expected to earn his own pocket money. ABOUT THE AUTHOR:GUY LAWSON has traveled the world reporting on war, crime, politics, and sports. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Harper's, GQ, and Rolling Stone. He and his live in upstate New York.PRAISE FOR OCTOPUS:“Lawson [has] found gold…This is a fantastic story, in both senses of the word, with a freshness that recalls Liars Poker.”—Bryan Burrough, New York Times“Read this book to understand Wall Street…Someone is going to Octopus into a movie. By this time next year, Lawson will have a fat deal…The reason for that is that Octopus is an incredible dark comedy with one of the craziest true-life ironic twists you can possibly imagine."—Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone"Lively...turns a lens on the fast and loose ways of Wall Street...would make an excellent gift for a regulatory complicance officer...or a shrink."—Bloomberg Businessweek"Lawson's spellbinding account of Sam Israel's rise and fall is a phantasmagoric trip through the larcenous outer reaches (as well as the dark heart) of the world of

New artist alert, baby! Moon Hooch = saxophonists Mike Wilbur and Wenzl McGowen, and drummer James Muschler, who met while students at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City. They will release their self-titled debut on June 25. When they formed, they began busking together

Luis Rodriguez, a longtime doorman at the Greenwich Street apartment building where James Gandolfini once lived, said the actor had returned just last week to say hello to friends.

Via Hypebeast: Call it coincidence, but it’s interesting that in the same year of both a lunar and solar eclipse — symbols of planetary harmony — a fashion-forward endeavor of iconic producer Pharrell Williams would also be unveiled to the world. Said project turned out to be Billionaire Boys Club (BBC), which since its debut has yielded unprecedented success, a legion of loyal followers, and a career’s worth of influence. More so a confluence of varying interests than a streetwear label, BBC is presently celebrating its first decade. To commemorate the event, we were invited to speak with Pharrell in New York City about his experiences with the iconic label. The above interview finds Pharrell graciously detailing what has influenced him over the years, giving a shout out to Rei Kawakubo and Ralph Lauren alike, his relationship with Burton, and speaking on the future of an already progressive brand.

James Gandolfini, the burly NJ native whose portrayal of Tony Soprano made him a star, passed away today in Italy. His death was untimely—he was just 51—but we were lucky that we got to see him in a variety of roles. While his richest work is certainly over the six seasons and 86 episodes of The Sopranos, Gandolfini made even small roles memorable. [ more › ]

Whether fans around the country like to say it or not, there is a sentiment in Major League Baseball that a player hasn't really proven what he can do until succeeding—or failing—under the bright lights of New York City. Los Angeles Dodgers phenom Yasiel Puig made his first trip to the Big Apple this week for a marquee two-game series that got delayed until Wednesday by Mother Nature, though it did give us an extended look at the Cuban star, which is always welcome. As far as Puig's performance on the field in this brief series, well, it was about what we have come to expect. He entered the series hitting .479/.500/.771 with four home runs, 10 RBI and seven runs scored. He started the day going 2-for-5 with a double and run scored in the first game. Puig did join Mariano Rivera's hit list, striking out to end the game and giving the Yankees a 6-4 win. But it was the nightcap, which of course had a national broadcast on ESPN 2, that really cemented Puig's time in New York. The Dodgers bounced back with a great all-around performance, led by Puig. The future superstar reached base three times with two hits, one hit by pitch and, most importantly, a home run off a slider by Adam Warren. It was an opposite-field shot, the third he has hit.That might be the most impressive thing about Puig thus far. Most young players come up trying to pull everything with authority, but he has shown a knack for waiting back on the ball to drive it the other way while still managing to hit it out of the park.All you need to know about how quickly "Puigmania" has caught on is to look at what happened in between the sixth and seventh innings. It was shown on the ESPN 2 broadcast, where Puig was standing in the on-deck circle and a fan came down to ask him for an autograph as the game was going on. Only in New York. Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times had to break the hearts of Yankees fans everywhere who were already envisioning seeing Puig in pinstripes when he hits free agency a long time from now. Speaking of the Yankees, Puig's 27 hits tie him with Joe DiMaggio and Terry Pendleton for the second-most through 15 career games. (via ESPN Stats and Info)With the Dodgers getting ready to take their act back to the west coast, Puig ended his east-coast swing with a line of 4-for-9 with a double, home run and two strikeouts. Yet because he has been hitting so well, a four-hit day actually lowered his batting average to a miniscule .474. Obviously, the way Puig is hitting right now through a ridiculously small sample size, which is leading to the hyperbole getting out of control, is not sustainable. He's not Bo Jackson.But this was a big series for Puig, as well as the Dodgers, to try and make his presence felt on a bigger stage. Say what you want about the Los Angeles media market, but it pales in comparison to what the group in New York will do when they lay their eyes on you. Again, trying to judge these things by a small sample size, especially one that is only two games, leads to a lot of misinformation. Puig is being talked about like a Hall of Famer already, which is may be a tad premature. However, since we are talking about discussions involving the 22-year-old, there is a sentiment building, at least in some circles, that Puig should be part of the 2013 All-Star game next month in New York even though he isn't on the ballot. Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports really got the discussion going with his piece earlier this week. In it he talks about why Puig is needed at the All-Star game this year. While some might disagree because he doesn't have enough games or plate appearances under his belt, I think Passan is dead right and there is one huge reason why: It's an All-Star game, not a random collection of players who have had a good three months. Major League Baseball wants to use the game to market itself and the stars to the country. Right now, there are very few players generating more buzz than Puig, to say nothing of what his raw tal

Six former investigators want the U.S. government to reopen its probe of the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800. The plane went down shortly after takeoff from New York City, killing all 230 people on board. The investigators are petitioning the National Transportation Safety Board. They say radar and forensic evidence point to an external explosion destroying the jet -- not a short circuit in the fuel tank as the official investigation concluded. The NTSB is considering the request to reopen the case, but says its investigation lasted four years and was one of the most thorough probes ever. TWA Flight 800 blew up over Long Island, New York on July 17, 1996 just after taking off from John F. Kennedy airport for Paris. A number of witnesses say they saw a streak of light seconds before the explosion, leading some experts to speculate that a missile or a rocket hit the plane.

David Byrne & St Vincent will be making an appearance next Sunday, 6.30 at the Palace Theater in Greensburg. The duo are both well known for their solo albums and musical acumen. The artist released a collaboration this past year entitled Love This Giant which was met with solid reviews. It's a dramatic collection of uptempo pop songs glued together by brass elements and bit avant garde. We are happy to be giving away a pair of tickets to the show. As usual just email us your name to pghmusicreport@gmail.com to be entered.From their press:Though Byrne and Clark each have an unmistakable sound and persona that have made them such compelling performers on their own, their voices manage to blend naturally, effortlessly, here. Sometimes they trade verses; at others they sing in unison. Like friends who can finish each other’s sentences, when one takes the spotlight alone, it’s often with words that the other provided. The brass lends the songs an appealing theatrical sheen while programmed percussion provides a contemporary feel. The inventive arrangements have clearly sparked some remarkable vocal performances—check out Byrne on the syncopated I Should Watch TV or Clark on the grand Optimist. Though there’s no overarching theme to Love This Giant, surreal images of nature dominate the lyrics, most of which were worked on in tandem by Byrne and Clark. The threat of natural disaster promises an emotional epiphany; urban apocalypse gives way to a garden party.Happenstance brought these artists together, but the work they’ve made together feels more like fate. David Byrne’s own boundary-erasing approach to pop music had arguably laid a broad foundation for a new generation of independent-minded artists in Brooklyn and beyond, including Clark, who’d been constructing bedroom recordings for several years before publicly assuming the moniker of St. Vincent. Byrne, a peripatetic concert-goer who can often be glimpsed arriving at New York City venues on his bicycle, reckons he first caught St. Vincent in 2008 at Bowery Ballroom, not long after she’d released her debut Marry Me, and he continued to follow her career since then. Clark thought of him as “a ghost figure,” who would discreetly come to her shows: “I wouldn’t really see him, but I’d hear he was there. And I’d get really excited.”Show begins at 8p with doors at 7p. Tickets can be found here.