Old foe Pedro stands between Yanks and 27th title Andy Pettitte against Pedro Martinez, with the Yankees one win from ecstasy. Now that's a World Series matchup worth talking about. Still stalking that elusive 27th championship, New York turns to Pettitte once again in Game 6 on Wednesday night, hoping he can pitch his team past Chase Utley and the Philadelphia Phillies on only three days' rest."I think everybody knew it was going to be a great Series. I think everybody knew it was going to be a tough Series. And it looks like...
GOP rides wave of discontent to NJ governorship Republican Chris Christie, a former corruption-busting prosecutor, tapped into deep voter discontent over stubbornly high taxes and chronic financial problems to unseat New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine on Tuesday, despite being outspent by $12 million in a heavily Democratic state.Christie, 47, is the first Republican to win a statewide race in New Jersey in a dozen years. His convincing victory was particularly satisfying for Republicans who earlier Tuesday had captured the...
NYC mayor bruised by surprisingly close victory Billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg heads toward a third term bruised by a surprisingly close re-election battle that exposed lingering anger over his reversal on term limits and his prodigious campaign spending.In the days leading up to the election, Bloomberg was expected to secure an easy victory, perhaps by double digits. But he won by just five percentage points - an advantage of less than 51,000 votes.The mayor called it a "hard-fought victory in a very difficult...
Bloomberg wins 3rd term as NYC mayor NEW YORK -- Billionaire Michael Bloomberg won a third term as New York mayor Tuesday in a closer-than-expected race against a Democratic challenger who stoked voter resentment over the way Bloomberg changed term-limits law so he could stay in office.With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Bloomberg, the richest man in New York and founder of the financial information company Bloomberg LP, defeated William Thompson Jr. 51 percent to 46 percent.In the days leading up to the election, polls...
Bloomberg wins 3rd term as NYC mayor NEW YORK -- Billionaire Michael Bloomberg won a third term as New York mayor Tuesday in a closer-than-expected race against a Democratic challenger who stoked voter resentment over the way Bloomberg changed term-limits law so he could stay in office. With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Bloomberg, the richest man in New York and founder of the financial information company Bloomberg LP, defeated William Thompson Jr. 51 percent to 46 percent. In the days leading up to...
Dawn Zimmer Wins Race For Hoboken Mayor Hoboken, NJ -- Dawn Zimmer will hold on to the top spot at Hoboken City Hall. Zimmer has been serving as the acting mayor since former Mayor Peter Cammarano resigned in July. Zimmer beat out a field of six candidates to retain the post. Zimmer succeeded Cammarano, who was arrested three weeks into his term after getting swept up in a federal political corruptions scandal. Cammarano is accused of taking 25-thousand-dollars in cash bribes, but maintained his...
Republican Pavia Wins Stamford Mayoral Race Stamford, CT -- Republican Michael Pavia has been elected as Stamford's next mayor. A little more than an hour after the polls closed, Democrat and city Board of Representatives President David Martin conceded the race to Pavia, offering congratulations and any assistance possible. The loss ends his run of more than 25 years in public office. Democratic Mayor Dan Malloy was not seeking reelection, leaving office after 14 years to focus on a run for governor....
Democrat has early lead in northern NY House race ALBANY, N.Y. -- Democrat Bill Owens had an early lead of 51.5 percent in a special Congressional election in northern New York that grabbed national headlines in its final days as it highlighted divisions within the Republican Party. Owens led with 51.4 percent to Conservative Doug Hoffman's 43.7 percent with just 29 percent of precincts reporting in New York's 23rd House district. Republican Dierdre Scozzafava (skoh-zuh-FAH'-vuh), who withdrew from the race Saturday,...
NYC mayor race's is tight in close NEW YORK -- Billionaire Michael Bloomberg is locked in a surprisingly tight race with his Democratic challenger for a third term as New York mayor. With 64 percent of precincts reporting, Bloomberg had 48.9 percent to Democrat William Thompson Jr.'s 47.6 percent. The two men were separated by less than 14,000 votes. This after Bloomberg spent more than $100 million on the most expensive self-financed campaign in U.S. history. Thompson was widely predicted to...
Republican Christie captures NJ governor's race TRENTON, N.J. -- Republican Chris Christie has defeated Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine in New Jersey. With 71 percent of precincts reporting Tuesday night, Christie had 50 percent of the vote to Corzine's 44 percent. Christie, a 47-year-old former federal prosecutor, became the first member of his party in a dozen years to win a statewide contest in heavily Democratic New Jersey. The Republican victory deals a blow to President Barack Obama as he readies for next...
National News
Trial date delayed for NYC terror suspect's dad DENVER -- Lawyers preparing for the trial of a Colorado man whose son is charged with conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction are getting more time to get ready.A federal judge in Denver on Tuesday granted a request from federal prosecutors and attorneys for Mohammed Wali Zazi to declare the case "unusual and complex" and postpone a Dec. 7 trial date. No new trial date has been set.Zazi is accused of lying to the FBI when asked if he had spoken to anyone on the phone about...
GOP wins Va. gov race a year after Obama won state RICHMOND, Va. -- Republican Bob McDonnell easily won the governor's race Tuesday, just a year after the state went overwhelmingly for President Barack Obama and the Democrats. Unofficial results showed McDonnell, a conservative and former state attorney general, defeating Creigh Deeds with more than 60 percent of the vote. He will be the state's first Republican governor in eight years. The race, along with the contest for governor of New Jersey, was viewed as the first...
Light turnout in Va. for closely watched gov. race RICHMOND, Va. -- Voters cast their ballots Tuesday for a new Virginia governor in a closely watched race that has focused on promises of jobs and critiques of President Barack Obama's policies a year after he won the state. Turnout in the race between Democrat R. Creigh Deeds and Republican Bob McDonnell was light to moderate across the state. The elections of governors in Virginia and New Jersey are viewed by many as the first voter referendums on Obama and on a...
Pair stole up to 1k bags at Ariz. airport PHOENIX -- Two people suspected of stealing up to 1,000 pieces of luggage from baggage claim carousels at Phoenix's airport have been arrested by police who found heaps of the stolen bags strewn throughout their home.There were so many suitcases that Phoenix police could only give a rough estimate of their number Tuesday as they pulled them out one by one and gathered them in the yard of Keith Wilson King and Stacy Lynne Legg-King's suburban residence."A piece of luggage here, a piece of...
Philly transit strike a tough sell in down economy PHILADELPHIA -- Even in the best of times, waking up to a surprise transit strike is like a bad dream come true. When the sudden walkout comes during an economic downturn, it becomes more like a public relations nightmare. The Philadelphia transit system's largest union went on strike early Tuesday over wage, pension and health care issues, stalling the city's bus, subway and trolley operations and forcing thousands of commuters to find other ways to get to work - and to Election Day...
Neighbors griped about odor at Ohio home for years CLEVELAND -- For the past few years, neighbors assumed the foul smell enveloping their street corner had been coming from a brick building where workers churned out sausage and head cheese. It got so bad that the owners of Ray's Sausage replaced their sewer line and grease traps. Now they know the odor was coming from a three-story house next door where the decomposing bodies of six women were found. A city councilman on Tuesday said he and other community leaders want an...
Holder, Gates oppose restrictions on Gitmo trials WASHINGTON -- The defense secretary and attorney general are opposing an attempt to prohibit Guantanamo detainees from having civilian trials in the United States.Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Attorney General Eric Holder said in an Oct. 30 letter that they want the option of having trials by military commission or civilian courts.A measure sponsored by Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham and John McCain and Independent Joe Lieberman would block the Justice Department from spending any funds...
Buses, subways halted by Philly transit strike PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia transit system's largest union went on strike early Tuesday, stalling the city's bus, subway and trolley operations a day after the World Series shifted to New York and forcing thousands of commuters to find other ways to get to work. The sudden strike by Transport Workers Union Local 234 took many riders by surprise and all but crippled a transit system that averages more than 928,000 trips each weekday. The union represents more than 5,000 drivers,...
Madoff auditor pleads guilty to securities fraud NEW YORK -- Disgraced financier Bernard Madoff's longtime auditor has pleaded guilty to securities fraud and other charges. David Friehling entered the plea Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan. Prosecutors said previously that the charges could be punishable by up to 108 years in prison. However, substantial cooperation can result in leniency. The government says Friehling would have known that Madoff was carrying out history's biggest Ponzi scheme - because...
Study links some antibiotics with birth defects CHICAGO -- Researchers say they've found a surprising link between some common antibiotics used to treat urinary infections and birth defects. The new study in November's Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine is the first large analysis of antibiotic use in pregnancy. It finds that mothers of babies with birth defects were more likely than mothers with healthy babies to report taking two types of antibiotics during pregnancy. Those were sulfa drugs and...
Global News
Vietnam storm death toll rises to 57 HANOI, Vietnam -- Officials say the death toll from Tropical Storm Mirinae has risen to 57 in central Vietnam as authorities step up rescue and relief operations. Dang Thi Lanh, disaster official in the hardest-hit province of Phu Yen, says 24 more deaths were reported in the province as information trickled in from isolated areas. An additional 18 people were reported missing. Elsewhere in the region, the storm and its subsequent flooding left another 18 people dead and...
Honduran Congress to seek opinions before vote TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras -- A Honduran lawmaker says congressional leaders will seek the opinions of several government entities before convoking the full legislature to vote on reinstating ousted President Manuel Zelaya. Ramon Velasquez says the leaders decided Tuesday to consult the Supreme Court, which ordered Zelaya's June 28 ouster, the Attorney General's Office and Honduras' commissioner on human rights. They were given no deadline. Also Tuesday, U.S. Labor...
Afghan corruption tough to combat KABUL -- President Hamid Karzai promised to stamp out corruption. The image suggested otherwise. Standing at Karzai's side on Tuesday were his two vice presidents - both former warlords widely believed to have looted Afghanistan for years. Reform is a tall order in a country awash in drug money. Afghans pay bribes for everything from driver's licenses to police protection, and the elite all too often treat state property as their own. "Right now 85 percent of the...
Tennessean among those killed in USVI plane crash ST. CROIX, U.S. Virgin Islands -- U.S. Virgin Islands police have identified the people killed in a small plane crash last week as a man from Tennessee and two residents of the Caribbean territory. Authorities said Tuesday that 50-year-old Mark Atchley of Tennessee was identified from steel pins used during surgery on a knee. Police spokeswoman Melody Rames said she did not have his hometown. Rames said jewelry helped identify the other victims as Elium King of St. Vincent...
China Approves Disneyland Like Theme Park For Shanghai Los Angeles, CA -- The Walt Disney Company now has permission from the Chinese government to build a Disneyland-style theme park within its borders. "The New York Times" reports the announcement was made late Tuesday. The Shanghai Disneyland is expected to cost three-point-five-billion dollars which would make it one of the largest foreign investments ever made in China. Plans call for a mixture of a Magic Kingdom-style theme park plus shopping areas and...
Lennon's family donates peace recording to UN UNITED NATIONS -- John Lennon's widow and two sons are donating the proceeds from the 40th anniversary release of the hit "Give Peace a Chance" to a U.N. peacebuilding fund used to help countries emerging from conflict, the fund announced Tuesday. Chile's U.N. Ambassador Heraldo Munoz, who chairs the U.N. Peacebuilding Commission which oversees the fund, praised Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon and Julian Lennon for their decision to celebrate "the uniting spirit" of the...
Vatican seeks to clarify review of US sisters VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican defended its review of U.S. women's religious orders on Tuesday amid criticism from the sisters that the process is secretive and amounts to a crackdown. The Vatican ordered up the review in December, saying it wanted to study the quality of life of the 59,000 members in more than 400 Catholic women's religious institutes amid a steep decline in their numbers. But the sisters have both publicly and privately raised questions about the true aims...
Stars switch on London's Christmas lights LONDON - - Jim Carrey, Colin Firth and Bob Hoskins have appeared in central London to switch on the city's Christmas lights and attend the world premiere of a 3-D film, "A Christmas Carol." The actors came to the British capital to promote Robert Zemeckis' animated movie, which features their voices. The three stars switched on the lights at Oxford Circus and Regent Street - London's main shopping areas - and at St. Paul's cathedral on Tuesday. The...
French anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss dies PARIS -- Claude Levi-Strauss, widely considered the father of modern anthropology for work that included theories about commonalities between tribal and industrial societies, has died. He was 100. The French intellectual was regarded as having reshaped the field of anthropology, introducing structuralism - concepts about common patterns of behavior and thought, especially myths, in a wide range of human societies. Defined as the search for the underlying patterns of thought in all...
Merkel calls for strong deal on climate change WASHINGTON -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel marked the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall by exhorting the world in a speech to Congress on Tuesday to "tear down the walls of today" and reach a deal to combat global warming. Frequently interrupted by robust applause, Merkel reiterated her country's commitment to fostering security in Afghanistan and also said that a nuclear bomb in the hands of Iran "is not acceptable." In the...
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The Travel Show - November 1, 2009 - Hour 1
The Frommers talk to Audrey Scott, Travel Journalist who writes about her travels to unspoiled areas of the world on the site uncorneredmarket.com.
Travel Minute Podcasts
The founder of Frommer's Travel Guides give you quick travel tips.
"A Night in Purgatory" Now you might be a little surprised, but along with attending nightly theatre and movie screenings, I also, on occasion, attend restaurant and even club openings. What's new to New York doesn't get by me!
Election Day As we head to the polls to vote this election day, I am reminded of the suggestion I made recently, that you vote against any incumbent.
Magic at Feinstein's On Sunday evening I went to Feinstein’s at The Loews Regency at 540 Park Avenue (at 61st Street), one of the top cabarets in New York City. Amanda Greene, daughter of the late Adolph Green and Phyllis Green, performed with a stellar cast, her own original music and an array of show tunes. They have good line-up through the end of the year including Barbara Cook and Michael Feinstien in a gala New Year’s Eve performance.What I didn’t know, is that on Sunday night at...
