Free Republic

THESE are the generations of cosmetic medicine: First came the “medical spa,” or medi spa, offering dermatology services in a retail setting. The medi spa begat the dental spa, bringing tooth bleaching to storefronts nationwide. The dental spa begat the podiatry spa. And now comes the first medi spa in Manhattan wholly dedicated to strengthening and grooming a woman’s genital area. Phit — short for pelvic health integrated techniques — is to open this month on East 58th Street.

A Yale Tale by: Malcolm A. Kline, June 25, 2008 Under the guise of scholarship, the professoriat would have us “leave them alone” but is the feeling mutual? You can get an insight into the answer to this question not by what they tell the public but what they communicate to each other. Take Yale sociologist Michael Yarbrough. His university web site tells us that he “works in the areas of law and society; family; the intersection of race, gender, and sexuality; and political subjectivity.” His page goes on to note that “He is particularly interested in the role of...

You bet your babushka, baby. But now, the red menace is kind of green. NEW YORK - The decor inside the national headquarters of the Communist Party USA, or CPUSA, is more Macy's than Marx. Glass walls rise from the floor to form state-of-the-art work spaces, nontoxic linseed oil burnishes the work surfaces, and biodegradable blue carpet is underfoot. Colorful paintings by the renowned artists Boris Taslitzky and Alejandro Romero, depicting the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps and working-class struggle, dot the walls of the expansive open-plan office. Inside their transparent cubicles, the 21-strong staff tap away on Apple...

What is good for the goose evidently isn't so good for the gander when it's New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine doing the honking about New York City's congestion-pricing plan. Leading up to yesterday's deadline for New York state lawmakers to vote on the proposal, Corzine weighed in last week by saying that he was dismayed by the scheme and would bring suit against New York if it went ahead with the proposal to charge motorists $8 and truckers $21 to drive into the most heavily trafficked parts of Manhattan; the N.J. governor was angry as well that the fees...

NEW YORK -- A massive crane has collapsed onto several neighboring buildings on the east side of Manhattan, killing at least four people, firefighters said. Fatal Crane Collapse At least nine others were injured, three critically. A full rescue operation is under way in the rubble-strewn area near 51st Street and Second Avenue. Chopper 4 images show that at least three buildings seem to be directly affected by the collapse, while at least another three buildings sustained collateral damage. One small, brick apartment building appeared to have been completely crushed by the falling wreckage. The crane, about 19 stories tall,...

Law enforcement officials have alerted Wall Street firms of a new, non-specific terror threat centering on lower Manhattan. Officials point out that the threat is based on unverified intelligence from overseas but was time-specific. The non-specific threat information suggests an al Qaeda terror would like to strike the city sometime this month, a security official said on condition of anonymity. An NYPD spokesman said the department is aware of the threat and is taking added precautions. The spokesman stressed there is no credible information any plot is imminent, but extra measures will be in place until officials learn more...

Petraeus: Al Qaida Trying to 'Come Back In' U.S. military officials said there will be no significant reduction in coalition troops in the Baghdad area as part of an effort to stop the Al Qaida offensive in northern Iraq. They said Al Qaida was trying to reenter Baghdad and reverse its losses in 2007. "Al Qaida is trying to come back in," U.S. military commander Gen. David Petraeus said. "We can feel it and see it, and what we're trying to do is rip out any roots before they can get deeply into the ground." Read More Militants Assert...

August 7, 2004THE OVERVIEWBin Laden Sent Suspect to U.S., Officials Say By DOUGLAS JEHL and WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM ASHINGTON, Aug. 6 - American intelligence officials now believe that Issa al-Hindi, the alleged Qaeda operative now in British custody, was dispatched to the United States in early 2001 by the mastermind of the Sept. 11 plot at the direction of Osama bin Laden to case potential targets in New York City, senior government officials said Friday. The officials said that Mr. Hindi was the same person as the figure identified in the Sept. 11 commission report as Issa al-Britani. The...

By nature, code names and cover stories are meant to give no indication of the secrets concealed. “Magic” was the name for intelligence gleaned from Japanese ciphers in World War II, and “Overlord” stood for the Allied plan to invade Europe. Many people assume that the same holds true for the Manhattan Project, in which thousands of experts gathered in the mountains of New Mexico to make the world’s first atom bomb. Robert S. Norris, a historian of the atomic age, wants to shatter that myth. In “The Manhattan Project” (Black Dog & Leventhal), published last month, Dr. Norris writes...

NEW YORK (AP) - Two improvised explosives were thrown into the rear of the Mexican Consulate early Friday, causing small explosions that blew out some windows, authorities said. No injuries were reported. Police believe someone on a bicycle threw the devices—made from replica grenades packed with explosive powder—at 3 a.m., New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. The commissioner said witnesses reported seeing someone on a bike at that time near the consulate in Midtown Manhattan. Edgar Trujillo, the press attache with the Mexican Consulate, said three windows were shattered. Police and FBI agents were at the scene. The block...

"Ladies' Night" was a hit single for the band Kool and the Gang in the '80s, but now it's become the subject of a lawsuit. New York attorney Roy Den Hollander has filed a class action lawsuit against several Manhattan bars and clubs, alleging that their ladies' night practices are unconstitutional. Hollander charges that when they host ladies' night they are violating the 14th Amendment's guarantee of equal protection under the law. Hollander is seeking to be named class representative for all men charged more money or burdened by stricter time restraints than woman. He seeks nominal damages and an...

(CBS) NEW YORK -- Several people were injured Saturday night in an apartment explosion in upper Manhattan. Police officers are standing guard in front of 557 West 148th St. in Hamilton Heights after neighbors reported hearing an explosion inside a 2nd floor apartment at about 4:45 this afternoon. “The smoke was so thick that the soot was running throughout the apartment and as the fire billowed from the apartment it just consumed all the hallways and the whole entire building was black,” said Imo Fox. Edgar Valez and his stepson Alex say they were painting in their own apartment one...

Firefighters die in blaze by ground zero By VERENA DOBNIK, Associated Press Writer 22 minutes ago NEW YORK - A seven-alarm fire ripped through an abandoned skyscraper next to ground zero in Lower Manhattan Saturday, killing two firefighters who were responding to the blaze. ADVERTISEMENT Officers at the scene were preventing nearby residents from returning to their homes, telling them that authorities were concerned the former Deutsche Bank office building, vacant since the 2001 terrorist attacks turned it into a toxic nightmare, could fall. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that fear turned out to be unfounded. The plume of gray smoke...

NEW YORK -- An underground steam explosion tore through a Manhattan street near Grand Central Terminal on Wednesday, sending edgy residents running for cover amid a plume of steam and flying rubble, and causing brief panic about another terror attack. The explosion was not terrorism. "There is no reason to believe whatsoever that this is anything other than a failure of our infrastructure,'' Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a news conference at the scene of the blast. Sixteen people were taken to Bellevue Hospital, including the person who died, said spokesman Stephen Bohlen. He said two seriously injured patients were...

(New York - WABC, June 18, 2007) - A large steam explosion struck Midtown Manhattan on the east side Wednesday evening. Subway service through Grand Central is affected. There have been 12 confirmed injuries. It happened near 41st Street between 3rd and Lexington Avenue. The entire area from 41st Street to 47 Street in and around Third Avenue and Park Avenue has been evacuated and closed. The NYPD says a steam pipe exploded at 6:10 p.m. People were seen running from the scene, screaming and shouting amid an enormous roaring sound and a plume of steam and flying rubble. It...

It's happening at 41st Street between Third and Lexington Avenues. We are told the fire department is requesting that 41st through 47th streets to be closed off between Lexington and Third. Officials say that buildings in the area are being evacuated, though subway service is not affected.

NEW YORK (AP) - If you're looking for a Manhattan apartment, be prepared to shell out about $2,000 a month—unless, of course, you'd like a bedroom to go with it. Studio apartments in New York's most expensive borough went for an average of $1,995 a month last year, according to an analysis released Friday by Citi Habitats, a Manhattan rental brokerage firm. That's up from $1,659 in 2002. The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment shot up to $2,737, compared to $2,227 in 2002, and two-bedroom apartments climbed to $3,893, from $3,198 in 2002. Three-bedroom apartments saw the largest percentage...

A man was busted for pelting someone with flaming material in Times Square, burning his victim's hand and causing more than $5,000 in damage to a tour bus parked nearby, authorities said yesterday. Ahmed Said, 42, attacked the 38-year-old man in front of the bus on West 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues at around 7:40 p.m. last Wednesday. Said was charged with criminal mischief and reckless endangerment, authorities said.

Manhattan, which once epitomized the glamorous and largely childless locale for “Sex and the City,” has begun to look more like the set for a decidedly upscale and even more vanilla version of 1960s suburbia in “The Wonder Years.” Since 2000, according to census figures released last year, the number of children under age 5 living in Manhattan mushroomed by more than 32 percent. And though their ranks have been growing for several years, a new analysis for The New York Times makes clear for the first time who has been driving that growth: wealthy white families. At least half...

Mayor Proposes a Fee for Driving Into Manhattan Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg laid out a series of Earth Day proposals on Sunday at the American Museum of Natural History. By MARIA NEWMAN Published: April 22, 2007 Saying that he would not spend his final term in office “pretending that all is fine,” Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg made a series of Earth Day proposals this afternoon to improve the environment of New York City, including charging a new congestion fee to drivers who come into parts of Manhattan during peak hours during weekdays. The $8 congestion fee was one of 127...