The New York Observer » Katharine Jose

Cuomo Presents Duffy, Mutual Praise Ensues

Attorney general and now-candidate for governor Andrew Cuomo explained his surprising choice of Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy as his lieutenant governor candidate at a press conference in his Midtown office today.“I had two basic points that I was looking to fulfill--someone who was ready to be governor of the State of New York if I Read More

Budget Blues

Mayor Michael Bloomberg presented a bad-news budget last week that would cut personnel, including teachers and firefighters, and popular services, like libraries and senior citizens’ centers. If you don’t think the shenanigans in Albany affect the city, think again: Many of Mr. Bloomberg’s painful cuts can be traced to the scandalous dysfunction of state government.

Albany Read More

A Justice Story

The world has changed since New York was the nation’s political epicenter, producing presidential nominees in every national election from 1928 to 1948. The state long ago ceded raw political power to the Sunbelt in general and California in particular, content to serve as the political system’s all-important source of campaign cash.

Pundits and political observers Read More

Progress in Brooklyn

The saga of Atlantic Yards in downtown Brooklyn may be about to reach a satisfying denouement. One of the most vocal opponents of developer Bruce Ratner’s plans for the site, Daniel Goldstein, has agreed to accept a $3 million payment for his apartment, despite having promised that he would stand his ground.

There are no more Read More

Foot Traffic

Mayor Bloomberg clearly has a thing for open-air plazas, pedestrian malls and al fresco dining. That’s fine—but the question is whether City Hall’s latest plans to reroute vehicular traffic in Manhattan will only worsen gridlock years from now. Snarled traffic makes for snarling motorists and delivery drivers—and that’s bad for business.

Last week, City Hall unveiled Read More

Inside the Goldman Trade

The news on Friday that Goldman Sachs had been sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission on allegations of fraud floored most of Wall Street. But it came as no surprise to Wall Street Journal reporter Greg Zuckerman, whose book The Greatest Trade Ever detailed the transaction at the center of the Goldman case. Mr. Read More

Punish the Guilty

Just 48 hours before the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Goldman Sachs of fraud, several economists meeting at the Federal Reserve came to the conclusion that the city would not truly recover from the recession until Wall Street begins hiring again. That seemingly obvious truism ought to serve as a warning against cheap populist demagoguery Read More

School Reform 101

In a victory for common sense, City Hall and the teachers’ union have agreed to shut down the infamous “rubber rooms,” where hundreds of suspended teachers gather every day to collect a paycheck while doing nothing. The deal should not be the last accommodation between the city and the teachers—if schools are to be reformed, Read More

Not the Governor’s Island

News that Mayor Bloomberg and the city will take over redevelopment at Governor’s Island is good news. Albany, the capital of dysfunction, has frittered away an opportunity to turn the island into a potential jewel. Now the former Coast Guard base, with its historic buildings, wonderful views and potential for recreational and commercial uses, will Read More

New York’s Tax Disgrace

Imagine this scenario: You’re struggling with bills, your income isn’t what it once was and you’re staring at a tax bill from the State of New York. As April 15 approaches, you decide that Albany will have to wait while you pay other bills.

Chances are the state’s Department of Taxation and Finance would not necessarily Read More

Oracle of Sex

In his new book, Kissing the Mask, William T. Vollmann asks, “What is a woman?” Reading this bizarre tome, my first question is: Who is William T. Vollmann? The thing is, I can better predict the ways of women than I can the mind that produced this great new book. And therein lies part of Read More

Dr. Ramadan Returns: Packer and Weisberg Man Panel

An eager audience filled Cooper Union's Great Hall last night as Jacob Weisberg, Slate Group's chair, moderated "Secularism, Islam & Democracy," a panel featuring Professor Tariq Ramadan, the Swiss-born Muslim scholar who was barred from entering the U.S. in 2004. Also on the panel was The New Yorker's George Packer, the Gallup Center's Dalia Mogahed Read More

Ric Ocasek, Artist, Drives Down a Bright New Road

Musician Ric Ocasek spent a chunk of his life looking out at audiences in giant rock 'n' roll arenas, but recently it was a crowd of art lovers and well-wishers who took him by surprise.

"I was shocked by the big turnout," said the former vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the popular 1980s rock band the Read More

Lawsuit Goes to the Heart of the Gossipy, High-Stakes Art World

Powerhouse dealer David Zwirner has fired back in the lawsuit against him by one of America’s better-known art collectors. In papers filed Monday in the Southern District Court of New York, he charged that he never made or violated a “first dibs” promise or one of confidentiality in a prominent art sale. His response further Read More

Snapshot of a Changing Field

One day last week, two prints of Edward Weston’s Nautilus, a famous image of a seashell, sat on a cluttered table inside the photography department at Sotheby’s. The department’s director, Denise Bethel, and her colleague Christopher Mahoney stood by, examining the prints closely. The first, which Mr. Weston printed himself in 1927, is nearly shadowless, Read More