The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has just gotten quite a bit of company: As many as 6,600 graves at the country’s hallowed Arlington National Cemetery for fallen U.S. service members may be mislabeled, one lawmaker said on Thursday.Political movements are becoming ever more like a match tossed into a room full of dynamite: No matter which stick you are aiming for, chances are a lot of others will fire off, too.A drama about a woman diagnosed with terminal cancer doesn’t exactly sound like the most entertaining new series on the fall prime-time slate. But there is more buzz surrounding Showtime’s “The Big C” than perhaps any other series premiering this season, and the incomparable Laura Linney is a major reason why the series is high on critics’ must-see lists.Although facts on the famed Clinton-Mezvinsky wedding, which is rumored to happen this weekend, are tighter than Hillary Clinton’s smile, some details have leaked out. Sources report that groom Marc Mezvinsky has “hurt” his father’s family by not inviting them to the wedding (Ed Mezvinsky pleaded guilty in 2002 to swindling investors out of $10 million.For Paul Rudd, the decision to star in Jay Roach’s new comedy, “Dinner for Schmucks,” was an easy one. “I thought the script was really funny,” he says. “That was it. It was kind of a no-brainer.” Of course Rudd, who’s built an impressive resume of smart comedies, was just as enamored of the man behind the camera. Subletting in NYC typically involves some kind of covert transaction. Try to find a budget traveler who hasn’t enjoyed the risk of Craigslist’s lease-free rentals. But thanks to a bill Gov. David Paterson signed into law last Friday, renting an apartment for less than 30 days isn’t kosher. Fortunately, there’s a saving grace for those in search of short-term living: Jersey City.New claims for unemployment benefits slipped last week, but stayed at a stubbornly high level that underscored the labor market recovery was having trouble gaining traction.Could nail mats like the Acushakti be the next Snuggies?Unless the locals covered you in meatballs and sang “Nessun Dorma” upon arrival, this vacation could hardly be more Italian. For this is a “Vespa vacation” — a two-wheeled tour of the nooks and crannies, the winding back roads and the off-the-beaten-track hidden gems of breathtaking Umbria, a beautiful region located in Central Italy.For many job-hopping careerists, smuggling a resignation letter in their bag like a guilty secret, there are few workplace rituals so hard as saying so long.
On Wednesday, after a five-year battle that’s included everything from “giant rat” exhibits to protesters dressed as Norse gods carrying mermaid tails, the City Council will finally vote on a redevelopment plan for Coney Island. Since rezoning proposals don’t generally top most people’s summer reading lists, here are answers to some questions about the Battle of Coney:
I thought Coney Island closed. It’s still around?
Yup. Astroland closed last year, but both the Cyclone and the Wonder Wheel are landmarked, and as such are required by law to survive even a nuclear holocaust. And plenty of smaller attractions remain, many waiting to see if they’re swept off the beach by the rezoning.
So what’s in the plan?
Everything! Jobs for the community! Affordable housing! Big honking ugly 30-story hotel towers! New rides, plus something called “entertainment retail,” which some suspect is code for a certain pizza chain featuring an animatronic mouse.
Is all that really going to get built?
According to the city’s artistic renderings, it will. Though those renderings also show the venerable (but not landmarked) Nathan’s building on the same corner the city has targeted for a giant hotel.
What about that Joe Sitt guy? Doesn’t he still own all the land out there?
Sitt owns the former Astroland, and the former batting cages, and the former Zipper ride — if you see a vacant lot, there’s a good chance it’s Sitt’s. The city wants his land, and Sitt wants heaping wads of cash plus a big honking hotel. The two sides are currently locked in a room fighting it out, a scene that probably makes the state Senate kerfuffle look civil.
I go to Coney Island every summer. When do I get to give my opinion on what should happen there?
Sorry, only landowners are invited to the negotiating table, not mere beachgoers. Though you could have attended the Coney community board hearing in March, where they were happy to hear public testimony — after they’d voted on the plan.
That doesn’t seem very fair.
That’s probably what you said after you paid $2 to see the giant rat.
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In the July MMMpod, Young Veins talk about breaking away from Panic! at the Disco, Keith Lockhart talks about Buckwheat Zydeco throwing the Boston Pops for a loop, Zooey Deschanel talks about how Roy Orbison inspired a She & Him song, Derek Miller of Sleigh Bells talks about how awesome Funkadelic is, and we talk about how awesome Jimmy Cliff is, who in turn talks about Sam Cooke and divine intervention. An explosive show for July! Oh yeah, and we also test your knowledge of America songs in the MMMPod medley.
