According to a report from Talking Points Memo, Mayor Bloomberg was recently asked about the spying scandal at his former news company, Bloomberg, and told a reporter that he couldn’t say anything due to “an agreement with the Conflict of Interests Board.”

“You’ll have to talk to the company,” he said.

The scandal came to light after a complaint from Goldman Sachs about Bloomberg journalists accessing information about Goldman employees.

It turned out that Bloomberg reporters had been trained to use the terminals to track story subjects and were accessing data on staffers at J.P. Morgan Chase, as well as higher-ups at U.S. Treasury Department and Federal Reserve.

The company has admitted at least one reporter got Goldman Sachs-related information through this terminal-accessed data.

Mayor Bloomberg, who is no longer an executive at the company since he became mayor, but is still a majority owner, was asked about the issue at a press conference regarding water cleanup in the Gowanus Canal.

He reportedly initially declined to discuss the matter, but when a second reporter asked about tracking that occurred when he was still with the company, he replied “I don’t know what you’re talking about, you’ll have to talk to the company.”

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

The post Mayor Bloomberg declines to comment on Bloomberg spying scandal appeared first on Metro.us.

Not only is this National Poetry Month, but April 18 is New York City’s 11th annual Poem in Your Pocket Day, where New Yorkers are encouraged to write their own poem or borrow one from their favorite poet. All you need to do to participate is carry a poem and share with your friends, family, classmates and colleagues on April 18.

Since 2010, Metro has partnered with the mayor’s office to promote this special day by hosting the #NYCPoetweet Twitter poetry contest — and we publish an original poem from the mayor himself in the paper. From April 1 to April 8, New Yorkers tweeted us their best original rhymes, verses and haikus using #NYCpoetweet (winners can be found here.)

Below is Bloomberg’s introduction and his original poem. What do you think? Let us know in the comments — does Bloomberg have a second career coming up after retiring from the mayor’s office?

New York City is full of poetry. There’s a unique cadence created by our rumbling trains, bustling sidewalks, relaxing parks and, most of all, by the voices of 8.4 million people who call our city home. New York poets have been organizing that music into language that touches our hearts and fires our imaginations since at least the days of Clement Clarke Moore and Walt Whitman. Today, through Poem in Your Pocket Day, we celebrate poets in the five boroughs and around the world. I’ll be carrying a poem with me, and I hope you will too.

Literature and the arts a vital part of our city’s cultural life, and they also play an enormous role in our economy. Print publishing alone is a $5 billion industry, employing nearly 50,000 people, or 1.5 percent of our total private sector workforce. New York City is home to approximately 1,100 publishing businesses. That includes 300 book publishers, 500 magazines and 200 newspapers. Those numbers do not include Internet publishing in New York, where employment has doubled in just the past five years.

To ensure that New York’s literary future is as bright as our past, our Department of Education has made instilling a joy of reading in our 1.1 million New York City school children a top priority. Strong reading and language skills are essential not only for future writers and poets, but for everyone who wants to follow their dreams and fulfill their potential.

Poem in Your Pocket Day is not just for poets.  In fact, it’s designed to encourage all of us non-poets take a moment to read a few lines of a favorite poem or discover a new one.  Or – even better yet – read a poem with your children or grandchildren, and help inspire them to understand that poetry is all around us, especially in a place as a diverse and exciting as New York City. 

ARTISTIC FREEDOM
By Michael R. Bloomberg

April is the cruelest month, I’ve heard a poet say

But not for me because there’s Poem in Your Pocket Day
Each year, I get to publish my new verse – it’s quite a perk
Too bad reporters always ask me to describe my work

Oh who knows?

Here goes…

My stuff’s not like Dickinson – or Gertrude Stein
I’m not a new Longfellow, though he’s just fine
I don’t write like Whitman, I don’t rhyme like Pope
I don’t sound like Ezra Pound (or so I hope)

My work’s not like Chaucer or Baldwin or Hughes
My poems aren’t like Emerson’s or Angelou’s
I’m not Robert Frost – though we share a few traits
And I am not Keats (which does not rhyme with Yeats)

My style isn’t Wordsworth – that’s not what it is
Nor is it like Browning (not Robert or Liz)
It’s not Dr. Seuss. It’s not Mother Goose.
I just can’t describe it – I have no excuse

But hey!
That’s okay….

I’m Bloomberg!
Not Ginsberg or Sandburg, you see
I shouldn’t be T.S.
i can’t be e.e.
I won’t ever rhyme like Muhammad Ali

I’m me
In NYC
So I’m free
To be anything I want to be

And that is the note I’ll end upon
New York New York!
Write on, write on!

The post Read Mayor Bloomberg’s Poem in your Pocket entry appeared first on Metro.us.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg believes a ban on large sugary drinks, to take effect in the city March 12, should be expanded to the whole state.

A spokesman for the mayor confirmed on Monday that the mayor thinks the ban will save lives and the state should adopt the same policy, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Under the ban, restaurants, food carts, movie theaters and other food service establishments are restricted from selling sugary drinks in containers larger than 16 ounces. Grocery stores and convenience stores are exempt. Come June, violators of the ban will be fined.

The ban has been controversial and unpopular since it was first introduced. The mayor has defended the policy, saying that people are still free to buy more than one beverage if they want more than 16 ounces.

The post Bloomberg: Sugary drink ban should be statewide appeared first on Metro.us.

The school bus strike that affected more than 150,000 city children for a month has ended.

Local 1181 of the Amalgamated Transit Union, the main union for New York City school bus drivers, ended the strike Friday evening. Bus drivers will return to work on Wednesday when students return to school from winter break.

The ending of the strike signals a win for the Bloomberg administration, which had refused to agree to the union’s demands for job protections.

Union Leader Michael Cordiello said the union was encouraged to end the strike when a group of 2013 mayoral contenders expressed in a letter that they would revisit the issue of job protections if they are elected.

The strike began after the mayor’s decision to take away employee protection provisions from contracts with bus companies. The provisions had protected drivers from losing their jobs by requiring companies to hire drivers in order of seniority. The city had argued that such requirements are actually illegal and that bus drivers should negotiate directly with the companies that hire them.

The strike, which began on Jan. 16, took a toll on both drivers and students. Drivers were out of work for nearly five weeks earning only a small stipend from the union.

Students received free MetroCards and reimbursements for alternative transportation costs, but attendance was still down and many parents had to take time off work. The strike was especially hard on special education students who rely heavily on the buses to get to school.

The post School bus strike ends appeared first on Metro.us.

In his final State of the City address on Thursday, Mayor Bloomberg will propose a ban on plastic foam, forcing eateries around the city to restock to-go containers and school cafeterias to ditch plastic-foam trays, The New York Times reports.

The Sanitation Department had introduced the idea of a plastic-foam ban to reporters earlier this month.

Plastic-foam, commonly known by the brand Styrofoam, has been targeted by environmentalists because it is too difficult to recycle and takes years to break down in the trash. Bloomberg announced last year a goal to double the city’s recycling to 30 percent by 2017.

The ban would need approval from the City Council in order to become law. In Bloomberg’s last year as mayor, the ban would be yet another on a list of controversial bans, following large sugary drinks, smoking in parks and trans fats.

The mayor’s address, scheduled for noon, is also expected to include a proposal add 10,000 parking spaces for electric cars and a pilot program aimed towards citywide recycling of food waste.

The post Bloomberg to propose plastic foam ban in State of the City appeared first on Metro.us.

A school bus crashed into a car in Brooklyn on Tuesday morning, leaving 14 people injured, including 11 children.

According to the FDNY, all injuries were minor, except for those of the driver of the car. The driver was listed as seriously injured but stable. The injured were all transported to area hospitals.

The accident occurred at 8:10 a.m. at the intersection of Myrtle and Wilson Avenues, the NYPD reported.

With most of the city’s school bus drivers still on strike due to a dispute with the Department of Education (DOE) over a request for bids for bus company contracts, local organization Parents to Improve School Transportation (PIST) checked with the Amalgamated Transportation Union Local 1181 and received confirmation that the bus in question was a non-union bus.

The new bids were due in to the city on Tuesday, the same day as the school bus crash.

Sara Catalinotto said this accident shows the danger posed to children being driven by non-union bus drivers.

“I would not put my child on a bus with crew that is not vetted or screened or certified like the people who are now mostly on strike,” Catalinotto said.

Catalinotto has heard reports, she said, that the DOE told companies who aren’t on strike to use a second bus driver in place of a matron on buses that usually have an attendant. This would primarily affect special needs students; matrons are attendants trained to work with disabled children.

“It is a life and death matter,” Catalinotto said, “as well as a matter of education, and especially the rights of kids with disabilities.”

PIST is calling for an independent investigation by the Bushwick community into the cause of the accident.

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

The post Non-union school bus crash in Bushwick appeared first on Metro.us.

City comptroller and mayoral hopeful John Liu put out a press release Thursday announcing his rejection of a contract for a homeless shelter in the Bronx.

The city reportedly only heard of the decision via the release, according to reports from the Daily News, prompting angry condemnation from Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs, who accused Liu of political opportunism.

Gibbs reportedly called Liu’s actions “an irresponsible and blatant attempt to advance his political ambitions,” the Daily News reported.

Liu’s office claimed the city was notified prior to sending the press release.

In the release, Liu criticized the Bloomberg administration, referring to “City Hall’s failed record on homeless policy” and alleging that emergency shelters have been overly concentrated in “certain neighborhoods.”

The release also quoted Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr.: “This administration has worked to force this contract to completion and has used fraudulent means to reach that goal, blatantly ignoring the input of the community and its representatives,” Diaz said in the release.

The Daily News noted that Liu can only stop the contract if he can prove corruption or a lack of funds.

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

The post City slams Liu for publicized rejection of homeless shelter appeared first on Metro.us.

With his time in office winding down, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has reportedly set his sights on London for future endeavors.

The New York Times reported Friday that a city block-size complex called Bloomberg Place will be constructed in London by 2016, complete with two towers connected by sky bridges, pedestrian plazas and perhaps branches of New York restaurants.

The site will be the European home of the mayor’s company and charity, according to the Times.

Bloomberg has also reportedly financed a major art gallery expansion in London, held lavish parties at his home there, regularly dined with politicians and celebrities, and donated to electoral campaigns.

The post Bloomberg finds London calling appeared first on Metro.us.

Today at 11 a.m., city officials, family, friends and fans will gather at Temple Emanu-el at 1 East 65th Street in Manhattan to pay tribute to former Mayor Ed Koch.

Bill Clinton will speak, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg will deliver the eulogy, Capital New York reported.

Former mayors Rudy Giuliani and David Dinkins will also be in attendance.

Live video of the services will be streamed at nyc.gov.

Koch, a three-term mayor of New York City, died on Friday of congestive heart failure, at the age of 88.

The Post reported that the NYPD is prepared to handled thousands of expected attendees at the funeral.

East 65th and 66th streets between Fifth and Madison avenues will be blocked off from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the duration of the funeral, and Fifth Avenue will be closed before and after.

The NYPD has planned a helicopter honor guard to fly over the Emanu-El twice today, when the casket is brought in, and again with it is carried out to be interred at Trinity Cemetery in Washington Heights.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney is pushing to have the 77th Street 6 train station named for Koch, though MTA spokesman Adam Lisberg reportedly told the Post the M.T.A. does not dedicate subway stations.

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

The post Clinton, Bloomberg to speak at Koch funeral appeared first on Metro.us.

The board of the city’s Department of Health passed the ban, the first of its kind in the nation, in September, arguing that excessive soda drinking was a significant cause of obesity and other health problems.

Under the new rules, most restaurants and food outlets will not be allowed to serve non-alcoholic, sugar-sweetened drinks in cups larger than 16 oz, the equivalent of a “small” drink at McDonald’s restaurants. Certain groceries and stores that are regulated by the state rather than the city are exempt.

Although the ban takes effect in March, violators will be notified but not fined for the first three months. From June onward, violators will be subject to a $200 fine.

Similar grace periods were used in introducing other large-scale health initiatives that have been a hallmark of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration, such as a requirement that certain restaurants include calorie counts against items on their menus, officials said.

“The Health Department will begin enforcing the portion cap rule when it goes into effect on March 12th, but it will not seek fines for non-compliance for the first three months,” Mark Muschenheim, a lawyer for the city, said in a statement.

The American Beverage Association and other business and trade associations and unions have gone to court over the ban, saying the Department of Health does not have the authority to pass such regulations under the city’s charter.

The lawsuit argues that the ban robs consumers of a right to choose, and that it will harm the city’s small businesses – sugary drinks are cheap to make but are sold at a relatively high mark-up.

The post NY City giant soda ban gives three-month grace period for fines appeared first on Metro.us.

“It’s wasteful and duplicative,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne told Metro exclusively. “No police department in America has more oversight than the NYPD.”

A bill that would establish an inspector general who would review and judge the NYPD’s practices has garnered hefty support from city officials, including Speaker Christine Quinn.

As it waits to be heard by the city’s Public Safety Committee, independent organizations, like the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law, have joined the ranks of those supporting the idea that the NYPD should enlist an inspector general, similar to the LAPD.

“We are focused on policing policies rather than individual incidents,” Faiza Patel of the Brennan Center for Justice said. “An inspector general would be uniquely positioned to study these policies from inside the police department and provide a neutral evaluation of their effectiveness and legality.”

The Bloomberg administration and the NYPD have been routinely vocal about their opposition to the bill, insisting the department already has plenty of oversight, including five district attorneys, the New York State Attorney General and the Civilian Complaint Review Board.

“Internally, the NYPD devotes about the same number of personnel to oversight as it does to counter-terrorism — approximately  1,000 — with the nation’s most robust and effective Internal Affairs Bureau, as well as inspectional units throughout the department,” Browne fired back.

Advocates of an inspector general cite recent firestorms over tactics like stop-and-frisk and Muslim surveillance as reasons more monitoring of practices is vital within the NYPD and that the mechanisms in place aren’t nearly enough.

“I have never seen the NYPD go to a D.A. and ask them about a policy. The I.G. would allow that interaction to take place,” said John Eterno, a retired NYPD captain and professor at Molloy College. “Even the FBI is overseen with an I.G., so I see no reason why the NYPD thinks itself somehow higher and mightier that it would not simply adhere to democratic principals that would require some sort of oversight.”

Who would it be?

If the proposed bill is ultimately passed, a candidate for inspector general would be appointed by the mayor.

In her proposal, Faiza Patel and her co-author, Andrew Sullivan, wrote that the ideal candidate for inspector general is someone who can establish credibility by being viewed as a neutral party within the NYPD and the community.  

“I’d probably start by looking at lawyers who have a background in working with law enforcement,” Patel said. “I would look for someone of stature, so that he or she can maintain independence. Ideally, the inspector general would be someone who could command the respect of both the police and civil society.”

Robert Gangi, director of the Police Reform Organizing Project at the Urban Justice Center, recommended the proposed inspector general be someone with a law enforcement background.

“The main thing that person needs is integrity, someone who is going to be aggressive,” Gangi said. “More importantly, they have serious concerns about consequences in police practices.”

Truly independent?

While the idea of an inspector general has apparent overwhelming support, some experts have raised concerns about the bill that will go before the Public Safety Committee.

The legislation calls for the city council speaker, public safety chair and the civil rights chair to suggest candidates for an inspector general to the mayor. However, those recommendations are non-binding and the mayor would ultimately appoint the inspector general.

“We have skepticism of whether the agency and person in charge can be truly independent,” Robert Gangi, director of the Police Reform Organizing Project at the Urban Justice Center, said. “They are accountable to the same person the NYPD would be accountable to.”

Stefan Ringel, spokesman for Councilman Jumaane Williams, who sponsored the bill, said the inspector general would serve seven years, a term that would span multiple mayorships.

“We are open to other suggestions and amendments for how the process could work,” Ringel said. “We have written the bill in such a way that it will be able to accomplish oversight while legally permissible within city charter.”

Current NYPD oversight

• Five district attorneys
• Two United States Attorneys
• New York State Attorney General
• Civilian Complaint Review Board
• Mayor’s Commission on Police Corruption

Advocates of an inspector general fire back that these offices don’t adequately review policies and practices within the NYPD.

“U.S. Attorneys, District Attorneys, State attorneys general, civilian boards and internal affairs departments are typical of large police departments across the country,” Patel said. “Moreover, these mechanisms are triggered by particular cases — they do not proactively review the usefulness and legality of police policies and practices in the way that an inspector general would.”

She added, “The Mayor’s Commission does look at policy issues, but focuses only on corruption and has very little authority.”

The post Deputy commissioner calls proposed inspector general for NYPD ‘wasteful’ appeared first on Metro.us.

“We just don’t need to send our first responders into the ocean to save someone who is being foolish,” New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

Bloomberg also said city officials would try to evacuate residents from some low-lying waterfront neighborhoods on Wednesday when the nor’easter is forecast to strike the region.

He emphasized Wednesday’s evacuations, designed to coincide with high tides when the storm surge would be highest, would not be as widespread as the mandatory evacuations of large parts of the city ordered before Sandy hit the city last week.

The post Bloomberg to close NYC parks, beaches as new storm approaches appeared first on Metro.us.

With eight votes in favor and one abstained, NYC will adopt a ground-breaking sugary drink restriction that has stirred controversy since the mayor first proposed it.

Board member Sixto R. Caro, the lone abstention, worried that the proposal could hurt low income people economically. He pointed out that two bottles of 16 ounces cost more than one 32-ounce bottle.
 
“I’m still skeptical,” Caro, a private practitioner in Brooklyn and Manhattan, said at the meeting. “It’s not comprehensive as an intervention.”

Board members who voted in favor each cited the health of New Yorkers as their motivation for approving the measure.

“We might see a generation of children who have a life expectancy shorter than their parents,” board member Deepthiman K. Gowda told the room. “That is profound.”

Under the ban, restaurants, delis, food vendors, movie theaters and other food and drink establishments will be prohibited from selling regular soda, and other drinks, like fruit-flavored drinks, in cups larger than 16 ounces.  Officials from the new Barclays Center, set to open September 28, announced after the vote that the venue will adopt the beverage restrictions, even before they go into effect on March 13.

Bloomberg hailed his plan as a tool in the fight against obesity in the city, but it has been hard to swallow for many New Yorkers and, particularly, business owners.

“The fix was in from the beginning, and the Mayor’s handpicked board followed their orders by passing this discriminatory ban; but it has not passed with the support of New Yorkers,” Liz Berman, business owner and chairwoman of New Yorkers for Beverage Choices, said today. “It’s sad that the board wants to limit our choices.  We are smart enough to make our own decisions about what to eat and drink.”

Weight Watchers recently endorsed the the beverage restrictions, citing New York’s 60 percent obesity rate. The ban will not go into affect until March 13.

60 Seconds with … a nutritionist

In light of today’s Board of Health decision Metro talked to Lisa R.
Young, Ph.D., R.D., a nutrition professor at New York University. Young
has been featured on national television including ABC News, CBS News,
NBC News, CNN, and was in the film “Super Size Me.” She is also the
author of “The Portion Teller Plan.”

Metro: Americans take in up to 300 more calories today than they did 30 years ago. What’s up with that?

Young: 100 percent bigger portions. The problem with bigger portions is that it’s very, very subtle. If you drink a 40-, 50-, 60-oz. soda, people might notice it’s a bit bigger but they won’t notice it’s much bigger than a 16-oz. soda. And there are 800 calories in one 64-oz. Mega Jug soda from KFC. You haven’t even eaten yet.

Metro: Why have restaurants and fast-food chains started super sizing everything?

Young: The main reason is because food is cheap. Food is one of the cheapest costs of running a business. They can charge a quarter more and you, as a consumer, don’t mind paying it because you are getting a bargain. And if one company increase its size offerings, you’re not going to want to go to the other place that doesn’t have big sizes, too. It becomes a market expectation of what is reasonable.

Metro: But under this ban, won’t people just go back and buy a second soda?

Young: I don’t think so. A) They’ll have to think about it. B) They’re probably full. And C) They’ll have to pay for it.

The post Board of Health approves Bloomberg’s controversial ‘soda ban’ appeared first on Metro.us.

For the third year in a row, Jayden and Isabella are the city’s most popular baby names, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced yesterday.

Of all recorded birth certificates in 2011, New York City saw more than 600 Isabellas and more than 800 Jaydens.

The mayor was accompanied by two Brooklyn babies: Borough Park’s Isabella Pal and her mother Natalia Lattanzio, and Jayden Marthone of Crown Heights, with his parents Stanley Marthone and Kimberly Harris. The mayor presented each baby with a onesie declaring them “Made In New York” and an “Official New York Baby” bib in either red or blue.

Jayden’s parents said they had no idea their newborn son’s name was so common and they were in fact trying to be unique when they chose that name for the boy.

Other names they considered include Jonathan and Christian, but Harris said she was “looking for something different.”

“We thought it was different,” she said. “We were shocked.”

Other popular baby names for girls include Sophia (#2) and Sofia (#10). The mayor noted that Michael — “a fine name” — moved up a couple notches to the fifth most popular name, from seventh in 2010.

The life expectancy of babies born in New York City exceeds the national average by 2.5 years, the mayor noted.

“[This] hasn’t happened by accident,” Bloomberg said. “This is a result of all the steps we’ve taken in New York to ensure that our babies have the best possible start in life, and get off to a safe and healthy childhood.”

Here are the most popular names for NYC babies in 2011:

Girls

1. Isabella

2. Sophia

3. Olivia

4. Emma

5. Mia

6. Emily

7. Madison

8. Leah

9. Chloe

10. Sofia

Boys

1. Jayden

2. Jacob

3. Ethan

4. Daniel

5. Michael

6. Matthew

7. Justin

8. David

9. Aiden

10. Alexander

The post Isabella, Jayden top NYC baby name list for third time in 2011 appeared first on Metro.us.

A Qunnipiac poll released Thursday shows city dwellers generally approve of Mayor MIchael Bloomberg’s push for health initiatives, but they disagree with specific plans to restrict the size of sugary drinks and to limit access to formula in an effort to encourage new moms to breastfeed.

About 54 percent of New Yorkers are against Bloomberg’s plan to ban sodas larger than 16 ounces, while 42 percent think it’s a good idea.

Voters also overwhelming oppose Bloomberg’s push to get new moms to breastfeed, with 56 percent against it. Only 24 percent of voters approve of the initiative. Women are more opposed at 60 percent, but 53 percent of men join them in the sentiment. Only 24 percent of voters agree with limiting access to formula to encourage breastfeeding.

Ironically, New Yorkers still believe that the mayor’s handling of public health is a good thing. 50 percent said they approve — only 38 percent disapproved. Most New Yorkers — 48 percent compared to 38 percent — don’t think Bloomberg’s eating and drinking health initiatives are examples of “nanny government.”

Meanwhile, New Yorkers said they would approve of the mayor’s rumored crackdown on alcohol abuse — 56 percent of voters think it would be a good idea and only 17 percent would oppose it. Each borough had strong support for an alcohol crack down, except Staten Island, where support is only 40 to 35 percent.

Stop and frisk opinion divided by race

Overall, New Yorkers continue to oppose the NYPD’s stop and frisk tactics, most recently with a 3 to 1 disapproval rate. Black voters most strongly oppose at 69 percent, while white voters tend to be in favor of stop and frisk at 57 percent. The majority of Hispanic voters — 53 percent — also approve of stop and frisk.

The support for the tactic was unexpected, as the Center for Constitutional Rights found that 84 percent of people who were stopped and frisked in 2011 were Black or Latino residents.

The post New Yorkers back Bloomberg; oppose soda ban, breastfeeding push appeared first on Metro.us.

New York’s notoriously unapologetic mayor didn’t hesitate to air his grievances with the ridiculous remarks prepared for him to be read before the Nathan’s hot dog-eating contest at Coney Island.

Not one for slapstick humor, Mayor Bloomberg struggled to hide his annoyance as he read through the comments that included quips like “swallow the competition,” “dogged pursuers” and “pronounced wiener.”

After a brief pause, the mayor asked, “Who wrote this sh-t?”

We don’t know, but we’re guessing he or she is in the (hot) dog house.

(Video via Daily News)

The post Mayor Bloomberg asks, ‘Who wrote this sh-t?’ during hot dog pun-filled press conference appeared first on Metro.us.

After successful campaigns against trans-fat and smoking, the mayor has set his sites on a bevvy of beverages that he blames for contributing to New York’s obesity rate. If Bloomberg gets his way, New Yorkers will no longer be able to purchase a select group of these “sugary drinks” in bottles or containers larger than 16 fluid ounces, according to the New York Times. The ban would affect what restaurants, bodegas, street carts and even movie theaters could sell.

Bloomberg’s announcement was foreshadowed by a series of ad campaigns launched by the city’s Department of Health over the past year, including one called “Pouring on the Pounds,” aimed at alerting New Yorkers to the consequences of consuming sweetened beverages.

On one poster, a route from Union Square to Brooklyn is highlighted on a map of the city, along with the message that you’d have to walk that far (3 miles) to burn the calories from one 20-ounce soda.

But not all soda and “sweet” drinks would fall under the ban. Here’s a list of drinks that would and would not be included in Bloomberg’s plan.

Drinks that fall under the proposed ban:

• Soft drinks with sugar, more than 16-ounces
• Bottled soda, more than 16-ounces
• Sweetened coffee or tea, more than 16-ounces
• Energy drinks, more than 16-ounces
• Fruit drinks with sugar, more than 16-ounces

Drinks that do not fall under the proposed ban:

• Diet soda
• Milkshakes, dairy-based drinks
• Alcoholic beverages
• Lattes
• Cappuccinos
• Fruit juice with at least 70 percent real juice

The post Which drinks would be included under Bloomberg’s proposed sugary beverage ban? appeared first on Metro.us.

“Parenthood is a trusted provider of life-saving breast exams and women can now rest more easily knowing this funding will continue,” said Samantha Levine, a spokeswoman for the mayor. “He applauds those who rallied and organized on line and made the real difference.”

Yesterday, Bloomberg announced he would match each dollar raised by Planned Parenthood up to $250,000 in an effort to help make up the difference. Levine said the mayor still plans to donate that money.

The Susan G. Komen foundation released a statement today about its decision to restore funding to Planned Parenthood.

“The events of this week have been deeply unsettling for our supporters, partners and friends and all of us at Susan G. Komen,” the statement said. “We have been distressed at the presumption that the changes made to our funding criteria were done for political reasons or to specifically penalize Planned Parenthood. They were not.”

The post Bloomberg applauds Komen decision to reinstate funding to Planned Parenthood appeared first on Metro.us.

First, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Tuesday that the couple was entitled  to the superstar treatment they got at Lenox Hill that has been criticized by other new parents, because the famous pair shelled out the cash for it.

Bloomberg defended the rumored $1.3 million spent at the hospital by the couple to ensure absolute secrecy, saying it helped subsidize health care for others, according to DNAinfo. The celebrity parents were at the center of controversy after a new dad whose twins were in the NICU at Lenox Hill said he was barred from seeing his babies while the famous family was on the move inside the hospital.

“If [the hospital] got paid a lot of money and it let them provide services to other people who don’t have insurance or can’t afford it, I’m not so sure it’s a bad thing,” Bloomberg told reporters at an unrelated press conference.

“I don’t think you should keep people from seeing their babies, or whatever, but have different services for people who are full-paying patients. It’s easy to go and criticize, but somebody’s got to pay,” he added.

The couple left Lenox Hill with their new baby late last night. What is being rumored as the first photo of Beyonce with her daughter popped up online today. Go Ham or Go Home asks: real or fake? What do you think?

The post Bloomberg defends Beyonce, Jay-Z’s star treatment; baby photo leaked online appeared first on Metro.us.

“First to fight for the right,
And to build the nation’s might,
And the NYPD goes rolling along?”  

Oh wait, that’s actually the theme song from the Army. Last time we checked, the NYPD wasn’t classified as one of the United State’s five branches of the military. But hey, if it looks like an army and it acts like an army, it might as well be an army, according to Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Bloomberg is the spotlight for some comments he made during an appearance at MIT last night where he talked about the possibility of running for president.

As the New York Observer reports, Hizzoner compared running New York City to running an entire country:

I have my own army in the NYPD, which is the seventh biggest army in the world. I have my own State Department, much to Foggy Bottom’s annoyance. We have the United Nations in New York, and so we have an entree into the diplomatic world that Washington does not have.

So: The mayor of New York City thinks of the police as his own private army. We’re sure this news is not at all distressing to the Occupy Wall Street protesters.

The post Bloomberg: ‘I have my own army in the NYPD’ appeared first on Metro.us.

Andrew Smith, an OWS overnight community watch member, said in written statement, “Bloomberg lied yesterday when he claimed that a sexual assault suspect was merely kicked out of the park, when in fact OWS security personnel forcibly removed the individual and handed him directly to the NYPD,”

The statement was in response to comments Bloomberg made yesterday when addressing reporters about Occupy Wall Street.

“Instead of calling the police, they form a circle around the perpetrator, chastise him or her and chase (them) out into the rest of the city — to do who knows what to who knows whom,” the mayor said.

Protesters say participants understand that there is no substitute for the police when it comes to criminal activity that threatens the community or local residents. Protesters admit there are sometimes issues inside Zuccotti Park, but OWS volunteer Bill Dobbs says they are often resolved internally.

“We have systems and our own common sense to deal with those problems,” Dobbs said.
 
Dobbs said the real issue is that  Bloomberg is “demonizing participants” instead of supporting their civic participation.

“Mayor Bloomberg is pandering to fear,” Dobbs said. “What we’re seeing is a lot of effort to undermine and suppress the movement and divert from the damage the mayor and his billionaire friends are doing to the country.”

 

The post Occupy Wall Street to Mayor Bloomberg: Get your facts straight appeared first on Metro.us.

“My restaurant is getting busier and we hope everyone comes down here because I want to get those 21 people back,” Epstein said.

Just one day after a Wall Street business owner complained of having to lay off 21 employees because of police barricades, those barricades have been removed. For the first time since the start of the Occupy Wall Street movement, people moved freely across Wall Street this morning. A group of mounted police is keeping watch in the center of the street.

The metal barricades were often a source of annoyance for people who were forced to push their way through crowds confined to the narrow sidewalks of Wall Street on their way to work or their homes.

Police did not immediately respond to questions about why the barricades were removed today or whether they are permanently gone, but Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters this morning that Occupy Wall Street was beginning to negatively affect the residents and businesses of Lower Manhattan.

“You know, I think increasingly you’re seeing that communities, businesses and residents in Lower Manhattan feel that they are the ones that are being occupied,” Bloomberg said. “This isn’t an occupation of Wall Street. It’s an occupation of a growing, vibrant residential neighborhood in Lower Manhattan and it’s really hurting small businesses and families.”

Yesterday, Mark Epstein, owner of the Milk Street Cafe on Wall Street, blamed the barricades for his dwindling sales, which he said forced him to lay off an entire shift of employees and change his 9 p.m. closing time to 3:30 p.m..

“Every week, it started to impact business more and more,” Epstein said about the barricades.

The post (UPDATE) Barricades removed from Wall Street, Cafe owner thanks Donald Trump appeared first on Metro.us.

Congressman Jerrold Nadler, Senator Daniel Squadron, Assemblyman Sheldon Silver and Council Member Margaret Chin made it clear in the letter that they support the First Amendment rights of Occupy Wall Street protesters, but they say that some behavior, specifically excessive drumming and public urination on streets and buildings, has got to stop.

From the letter:

At the same time, some of the protesters, and others who have opportunistically joined the crowd for unrelated reasons, have created serious quality-of-life concerns for residents of the immediate area. Members of the OWS group have worked with Community Board One to establish a “Good Neighbor Policy” that addresses these issues. Despite everyone’s best efforts, this policy has proven difficult to enforce.

Therefore, we are asking that the city enforce laws prohibiting the excessive noise from drumming, which has disturbed neighbors day and night, as well as those prohibiting public urination on our streets, buildings and sidewalks. We also ask that the city work with residents and businesses to remove the excessive number of barricades, which are making movement within this area extremely difficult and inconvenient. It is important that these quality-of-life concerns are addressed in an effective and thoughtful manner by the city so that they do not keep recurring.

This letter comes after the same concerns have been routinely voiced by residents and officials. Last week, residents near Zuccotti Park complained to Chin’s office about hours of drumming over the weekend, despite a meeting with protesters just days before where community board members asked Occupy Wall Street to limit the noise to two hours per day.

The post Elected officials to Occupy Wall Street: Stop peeing in our streets appeared first on Metro.us.

The video shows the mayor walking into the camp after dark, surrounded by his own security and protesters flashing cameras and asking questions.

Angry chants of “Billionaire Bloomberg Go to Hell!” and “You Are 1%!” can be heard, however, some protesters welcomed him and treated him with diplomacy.

One protester greets him by saying, “We love Michael Bloomberg!”

Another can be heard saying, “We’re going to provide extra security for you, sir.”

Bloomberg responds, “We’ve got plenty of security, thanks.”

The mayor went on to lay out his case for evacuating the park: “You have a right to protest and other people have a right to come through here as well. We’re going to try to balance… people that own the property, Brookfield, they have some rights, too, and we’re going to find a balance. People have a right in New York City to say what they want to say, and they have a right to not say what they don’t want to say.”

When asked what he thinks of what they’re saying, Bloomberg replied, “Everybody’s got different opinions.”

As Bloomberg made his way back into his car, one protester can be heard yelling, “Have a nice ride home, my brother! Sleep well! Sleep tight! Don’t let the bedbugs bite!”

As his car pulls away, the protesters begin another chant of “All day, all week, Occupy Wall Street!”

Apparently, the mayor also visited the park to let the protesters know city officials would be clearing the area in shifts for cleaning beginning 7 a.m. Friday morning, but they will be permitted to return. Some protesters are skeptical, though, about whether they will be allowed back once they leave.

The post VIDEO: Mayor Bloomberg visits Occupy Wall Street, addresses cleaning evacuation appeared first on Metro.us.

Hizzoner was hit with his worst approval ratings in eight years — only 39 percent of New Yorkers approve of the billionaire mayor in his third term.

The Quinnipiac poll released yesterday showed voters frustrated with Bloomberg’s botched snowstorm response and his choice of Cathie Black as education chancellor. The majority of those polled don’t believe Bloomie when he insists he’s not running for president.

“It’s the third-term blahs,” Quinnipiac pollster Mickey Carroll told Metro. “Bad things come together to haunt somebody in the third term.”

Voters complained that the economy, education and budget were still major problems in the city, and 53 percent said they were dissatisfied with New York City life.

“The mayor is making tough choices, which is what people elected him to do,” said the mayor’s spokesman, Stu Loeser.

But Bloomberg can hold one speck of bright light — Manhattan voters approve.

That borough alone gave him high praise, with 55 percent saying he was doing a good job.

Follow Alison Bowen on Twitter at @AlisonatMetro.

The post Mayor Bloomberg’s approval sinking in third term appeared first on Metro.us.

In fact, Bloomberg preferred Oreos for his post-sanguine snack.

The post Watch Bloomberg bleed appeared first on Metro.us.

The post Bloomberg wants his lunch money appeared first on Metro.us.

Just last week he criticized parents, angry at their children’s schools closing, for booing Schools Chancellor Cathie Black during an open forum — calling their behavior “embarrassing.” He then snapped at a reporter last Wednesday who asked a question about city employees who heeded his warning to stay home during a snowstorm instead of coming in to work. “I don’t know how YOU were brought up,” he said.

Perhaps hizzoner has been practicing his petulance; today, heads to Albany to complain to the state about New York City’s funding.

The post The return of the moody mayor appeared first on Metro.us.

Speaking to a city still grumbling about a botched blizzard response, the mayor promised not to raise taxes while conceding the city’s poor financial health.

“There is no rabbit to pull out of the hat,” he said. “There is only us.”

He catered to outer-borough residents with promises of a ferry service to Long Island City and a new carousel at Brooklyn Bridge Park.  

But the upbeat tone didn’t appease everyone.  

“Clearly he doesn’t understand the tremendous challenges that ordinary New Yorkers are facing,” said John Petro at the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy, lamenting the lack of city jobs.

True test coming?

Fordham political science professor Christina Greer said Bloomberg’s true tests will come later, like working with the new governor, Andrew Cuomo.

She thinks Wednesday’s words weren’t enough. “It fell flat,” she said, adding, “This whole speech just had the shadow of snow.”

The post Bloomberg positive in city speech appeared first on Metro.us.