December 5, 2013
Tesla Model S paid for with Bitcoin currency
Next thing you know we’ll be able to shoot people with video game guns. An upscale car dealership in Costa Mesa, Calif., announced that it has sold a Tesla car...
Ad agencies sell NYC, NJ metro areas for Super Bowl XLVIII
Think the Big Apple is covered with advertising now? Wait until the Super Bowl hits town. In what is likely to be the largest and priciest advertising blitz in New...
Hondo’s Week 14 picks
Hondo will dispense with the painful weekly review in favor of plunging forward this week’s predominance of losing picks. Raiders over Jets: Rex Ryan gave this year’s draft class two...
Cricket burgers a surprise hit in NYC
Normally, bugs in a restaurant kitchen generate calls to the Health Department. But at Antojeria la Popular, a regional Mexican restaurant in Soho, six-legged critters get growing crowds of customers...
Lampert investors demand Sears returns
Eddie Lampert is losing more than Sears and Kmart shoppers this year. The secretive and successful Wall Street tycoon is being forced to return billions of dollars to disgruntled clients...
Grass-Whoppers are nothing to chirp about
Antojeria la Popular’s “Grass-Whopper” is a whopper, all right — the crunchy critter served burger-style isn’t actually grasshopper at all, but cricket. At least it was Thursday. The manager admitted...
Time Warner Cable shares jump on buyout rumor
Time Warner Cable shares spiked 5 percent in the last 14 minutes of trading Thursday — to $139 a share — as a report spread across Wall Street that the...
UK Lingerie Awards 2013
Celebrities from all over Britain made a splash at the UK Lingerie Awards 2013 in London on Wednesday. The annual event held at Freemasons Hall picks the year's best made...
John Lennon, 'Nutcracker Rouge' and more must-see events
John, but not forgotten Commemorating the death of John Lennon is an ironclad New York tradition, and this year, the 33rd Annual John Lennon Tribute show at Symphony Space will...
Knicks wallop Nets in battle of the worsts
Rarely, has a game been more anticipated, more debated by area fans. Our Knicks are better than your Nets. Brooklyn will stomp Manhattan. Carmelo Anthony should own Kevin Garnett. Yes,...
Rangers struggle, still top Sabres
BUFFALO — BUFFALO — They don’t award any extra points for style in the NHL. Which is why the Rangers were pleased enough to take the two points they earned...
Bloomberg chokes up at farewell speech
An uncharacteristically emotional Mayor Bloomberg choked up during a swan-song speech Thursday that was part ode to the city and part reflection on his nearly 12 years in office. Speaking...
Key witness lying about SAC facts: Steinberg lawyer
The government’s key witness against alleged inside trader Michael Steinberg is a liar, a lawyer for the SAC Capital Advisors executive said Thursday. “We think [Jon Horvath] is a witness...
Jets' bad is worse: Blezow's Week 14 picks
Bill Parcells said you are what your record says you are, but the Hall of Fame coach might agree to amend that statement when talking about these Jets. That’s because...
O/U Rico -- Week 14
Rico rebounded with a 10-5-1 (2-1 Best Bets) on the Over/Unders last week. The season record again is one game below .500 at 92-93-7 (21-17-1). The selections for Week 14...
Tough turnaround for 11-1 Seattle Seahawks
49ERS (-2¹/₂) over Seahawks: Seattle is off a marquee Monday night win, beating New Orleans 34-7 and moving to 11-1, but playing a road game with only six days’ rest...
China bars its banks from using Bitcoins as currency
Bitcoins suffered a new setback after China's central bank said its banks and payment systems are barred from handling the virtual currency. The central bank said bitcoins did not qualify...
Animals benefit from dog custody battle: experts
The Manhattan custody battle over a miniature dachshund named Joey will finally give Fido proper weight on the scales of justice, experts predict. “We’re seeing a shift in the law,”...
Ex-Tyco CEO stole out of 'pure' greed
Disgraced former Tyco boss Dennis Kozlowski copped to being a greedy crook at his parole hearing. “I fell into what I can best describe as a CEO bubble, and I...
Bus shooter's insanity defense fails; jury convicts
A sociopathic gunman's insanity defense failed on Thursday when a Queens jury convicted him of shooting three men dead -- two on the Q111 bus. "Oh thank God!" said a...
Introducing Burt Bacharach to a new generation
Burt Bacharach may be a pop genius with a host of Grammys, Oscars and chart-toppers under his belt, but his theatrical record is spotty. His 1968 musical, “Promises, Promises,” did well...
Madoff was 'schtupping' clients on holidays: witness
Bernie Madoff was so good at screwing his clients that he had a special name for making them feel good about their bogus accounts during the holiday season: "schtupping." Frank...
Mariners willing to offer $225M to Robinson Cano
All along, the Yankees have viewed the Mariners as their prime competition for Robinson Cano — and have expressed curiosity whether Cano would give up his Yankees legacy for a...
Twitter coming to mobile phones without Internet
Twitter is tying up with a Singapore-based startup to make its 140-character messaging service available to users in emerging markets who have entry-level mobile phones which cannot access the Internet. U2opia Mobile,...
Africa loses beloved leader
Revered by millions as a beacon of hope against oppression and as an archetype of reconciliation, Nelson Mandela is survived by his wife, Graça Machel, six children, 17 grandchildren ......
Obama joins world leaders in remembering Mandela
President Obama joined world leaders in remembering Nelson Mandela as “one of the most influential, courageous and profoundly good human beings.” “Through his fierce dignity and unbending will to sacrifice...
Japanese team might hold on to Tanaka
Masahiro Tanaka began this offseason as an apparent Yankee-to-be. By the time Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball finish the details of a new posting system, the right-hander might...
Wife's $6.2M oops: Husband wins lotto, she thinks it's a hoax
She’s no prize. The wife of a Long Island doctor nearly cost her husband $6.2 million when she hung up on a Lotto official calling with news he had won...
A tribute to Nelson Mandela
Former South African President Nelson Mandela died peacefully at his Johannesburg home on Thursday after a prolonged lung infection, at the age of 95. Mandela became a world-wide symbol of...
New E! series to help patients go from 'Botched' to beautiful
E! is taking on tales of plastic surgery gone wrong for its next reality series. The new eight-episode series “Botched” follows plastic surgeons Dr. Terry Dubrow and Dr. Paul Nassif...
NYPD takes heat for stalling on electric bike ban enforcement
The NYPD is out to lunch on a new law designed to put the brakes on speedy electric bikes commonly used by restaurants to deliver food at breakneck speeds, lawmakers...
Giggling attorneys, shirtless bros, bad questions surround Winston decision
Just before 2 p.m., at a press conference in Tallahassee, state attorney William Meggs announced that after a thorough investigation Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston had been cleared of sexual...
Amazing new footage from mid-air skydiving crash surfaces
Millions were shocked last month when video of two skydiving planes crashing in mid-air was released, mainly because everyone aboard the two aircrafts miraculously survived. Incredible new HD footage of...
Nearly 100 dead in Central African Republic after clashes
BANGUI, Central African Republic — Fighting swept through the capital of Central African Republic on Thursday, leaving nearly one hundred people dead and posing the biggest threat yet to the...
Nelson Mandela dead at 95
Nelson Mandela, a worldwide symbol of resistance to racism and injustice who spent 27 years in jail for his beliefs and then, without rancor, led South Africa out of apartheid,...
Lana Del Rey's 'Tropico' an outlandish ode to La La Land
Praise Jesus — and Marilyn and Elvis and, yep, John Wayne: Lana Del Rey’s much-buzzed-about 27-minute short film “Tropico” has finally arrived. Billed as “an epic tale based on the...
Brian McCann was 'blown away' by Yankees' interest
The Yankees dropped $85 million across five years on catcher Brian McCann and didn’t waste a second letting everyone know what they expect. At a Yankee Stadium press conference Thursday...
Former Red Sox infielder: Cano an ‘idiot’ for switching to Jay Z
The Yankees are fools and Robinson Cano is an “idiot.” That was former Red Sox infielder Lou Merloni on WEEI when discussing the Yankees’ deal with Jacoby Ellsbury and the...
Inside the derailed Metro-North train
Disturbing new photos of the Bronx train derailment were released today by a lawyer suing the Metro-North on behalf of three passengers. The pictures show inside the cars after the...
Paul Walker's dad begged him to stop 'daredevil' ways
Late actor Paul Walker’s dad urged him to give up his “daredevil" ways during the last conversation he ever had with his son. “I sat there, I looked at him...
Doctor charged with 'scamming' $370K through fake clinic
A Nigeria-born doctor who ran a sham health clinic in Queens with no visible staff or patients was charged with scamming over $370,000 in public funds and using the cash...
Tebow offered contract by Milan Seamen of Italian league
ROME — Tim Tebow has been offered a four-month contract by the Italian federation for American football, and the Milano Seamen are hoping to sign the free-agent quarterback. Excerpts of...
Coen brothers' 'Inside Llewyn Davis' hits the right notes
The title figure of “Inside Llewyn Davis” is a schmuck Ulysses on an odyssey to nowhere: You might call his life an epic fail. Joel and Ethan Coen’s latest film...
Vigneault: No defense for bottom blue-liners
BUFFALO — When Alain Vigneault said earlier this week the Rangers need more from their top players, the coach was not only talking about the club’s forwards. “The only one...
Next NYPD commissioner shares children's book that inspired him
New York’s next police commissioner took a break for a little story time. With cameras flashing and reporters scribbling, William Bratton opened a big picture book like he was in...
Brook Lopez: This is 'more bizarre' than Nets' 12-win season
At the grizzled old age of 25, Brook Lopez has endured a 12-70 record, an All-Star selection and a broken foot that reduced a season to five games — after...
Watch Ron Burgundy recreate the best sports calls
NBC Sports Network’s “The Dan Patrick Show” welcomed a very special guest-host on Thursday -- KVWN Channel 4 News anchor Ron Burgundy – as the “Anchorman 2” star continued his...
FSU QB Jameis Winston cleared in sex assault case
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida State quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Jameis Winston will not be charged with sexually assaulting a woman who accused him of raping her about a year...
Handwritten Springsteen lyrics sell for $197,000
They were born to run — straight to the bank. The original handwritten lyrics to Bruce Springsteen’s 1975 hit “Born to Run” sold for $197, 000 at a Sotheby’s auction...
Obama denied iPhone for 'security reasons'
The troubled mobile phone maker BlackBerry still has at least one loyal customer: President Obama. At a meeting with youth on Wednesday to promote his landmark health care law, Obama said he...
6 not-so-ugly Christmas sweaters
Once exclusive to ancient aunts, elementary school math teachers and Colin Firth’s prideful Mr. Darcy in ‘Bridget Jones’ Diary,’ the holiday sweater — in all of its tacky, appliquéd glory...
Electrifying 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' trailer arrives
http://youtu.be/nbp3Ra3Yp74 As is made immediately clear in the first trailer for “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker isn’t the happiest of superheroes. “Every day I wake up knowing,...
New USB port will be reversible, ending wrong-way plug problem
Angrily poking a cable at a USB port only to realize the plug is the wrong way round is soon to be a distant painful memory with the announcement that...
Cruz expects Big Blue air show vs. Chargers
Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz sees chances for big passing plays Sunday in San Diego. “This week we have some opportunities to make some big plays against the style of...
Good economic data spooks stocks
Stock futures fell after stronger-than-expected economic news. The weekly initial claims decreased by 23,000 to a seasonally adjusted 298,000 in the most recent week on expectations of 320,000 new claims....
China bans banks from handling bitcoins
BEIJING — Bitcoins suffered a new setback after China's central bank said Thursday its banks and payment systems are barred from handling the virtual currency. The central bank said bitcoins...
Bynes inches towards plea bargain over bong toss
Amanda Bynes blew off a hearing on her wacky bong-tossing case on Thursday, but a Manhattan judge cut her slack as lawyers inched toward a plea bargain. Criminal Court Judge...
Anthony denies decision to bolt from Knicks
Carmelo Anthony didn’t exactly say he’s ready to “retire in New York’’ Thursday, but denied he has made the decision to leave the Knicks this summer as a free agent,...
New details emerge of Winston 'rape' allegations
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A woman who accused Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston of sexual assault told police she was raped at an apartment after a night of drinking at a bar,...
Russian diplomats charged in $1.5M Medicaid fraud
Here’s payback for Edward Snowden, comrades. The feds have criminally charged nearly 50 Russian nationals for allegedly stealing from American taxpayers in a massive Medicaid scam — despite the fact...
Eagles duke it out over food
Everybody was kung fu fighting. Even the birds. Two white-tailed eagles were photographed violently battling over food in the woods near Warsaw, Poland sometime winter. The exhilarating snaps were captured...
NBA Power Rankings: Blazers built for present and future
When the season began, there were six teams that were expected to make up the clear-cut top tier in the cutthroat Western Conference: the Spurs, Thunder, Rockets, Clippers, Warriors and...
Mother unwittingly live-tweets husband's fatal crash
A Washington state woman live-tweeted a violent crash that killed her husband on a busy interstate - without knowing he was the victim until the bitter end. The crash happened...
Babysitter's dream: An iPad case for babies
Busy moms and dads who have no time to read to or talk with their infants can now belt the tykes into a baby seat just inches from an iPad...
Woodson doesn't have time to pity Kidd
After Jason Kidd was one of the Knicks’ veteran leaders last season, it could be weird for them to see him coaching against them Thursday night at Barclays Center. But...
Patriots' Jerod Mayo now has own line of mayo
Well, this just makes sense. Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo has started his own line of mayonnaise. The “All Pro” condiment comes in three flavors: Kickin’ Buffalo, Bruisin’ Bacon (he’s got...
What's so funny about TV this holiday season?
“Project Runway: All Stars” (Thursday, 9 p.m., Lifetime) Like “Law & Order,” the veteran series “The Simpsons” is pretty much the place where every actor — or wannabe actor —...
Daniel Kitson doesn't say a word in solo show 'Analog.Ue'
Daniel Kitson’s done pretty well for a prickly Englishman who eschews TV. Often described as a comedian, he doesn’t fire off jokes but mulls over things like identity and death....
Frances McDormand serves as mouthpiece in 'Bodycast'
The last time Frances McDormand appeared on a New York stage, she won a Tony for portraying a working-class mom in the gritty 2011 drama “Good People.” Her new project...
Rob Ford 'offered to buy' crack video
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford may have offered cash and a car to buy a video allegedly showing him using crack cocaine, according to notes from police wiretaps. Details of the...
Springsteen's 'Born to Run' lyric sheet up for auction
Tramps like us, baby we were born to bid. A handwritten, working lyric sheet for Bruce Springsteen's 1975 hit "Born to Run" could sell for as much as $100,000 on...
'There is life after tragedy'—first face transplant recipient thriving
CHICAGO -- The nation's first full face transplant patients are growing into their new appearances - literally. Medical imaging shows new blood vessel networks have formed, connecting transplanted skin with...
Top general to teens: Watch what you post online
WASHINGTON -- If they don't believe their parents, maybe America's teens will listen to the Pentagon's top general. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey worried aloud...
De Blasio names Bill Bratton next NYPD commissioner
Bill Bratton is back as New York City’s top cop — replacing Ray Kelly with a vow to remain tough on crime while repairing frayed relations between the NYPD and...
NBA game postponed after smoke fills Mexico City arena
MEXICO CITY — The game between the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves was postponed Wednesday night because of smoky conditions inside the Mexico City arena. The matchup will be...
Texas teacher gunned down in Benghazi
TRIPOLI, Libya – Unknown assailants fatally shot an American teacher while he was jogging Thursday in Benghazi, officials said, underlining persistently tenuous security in the eastern Libyan city where the...
Teen pleads not guilty to raping, killing math teacher
SALEM, Mass. — A 14-year-old boy accused of killing his high school math teacher pleaded not guilty to murder, aggravated rape and armed robbery charges on Wednesday. Philip Chism is...
Algerian helicopters kill al Qaeda leader in desert chase
ALGIERS, Algeria -- Algerian army helicopters killed a top al Qaeda leader and four associates as they sped through the southern Algerian desert, a local official said Thursday. The two...
Chinese eye expelling NY Times, Bloomberg reporters
The Chinese government is looking at tossing out reporters from The New York Times and Bloomberg News. Vice President Joe Biden lobbied top Chinese leaders on Thursday on behalf of...
Israeli commandos caught on tape in daring rescue
This is the moment commandos, dangling unseen above an apartment balcony, made their move to rescue a four-year-old girl. The situation was uncertain: All they knew was that an unsettled...
More people conquer glitches to sign up for ObamaCare
WASHINGTON — About 29,000 people managed to sign up for ObamaCare in the first 48 hours since the relaunch Sunday of the health plan’s troubled Web site, sources said Wednesday....
Marc Anthony sues business partner over $1.3M 'unpaid loan'
Grammy-winning singer Marc Anthony slapped a New Jersey business partner with a lawsuit over an unpaid $1.3 million loan. Anthony, whose real name is Marco Antonio Muniz, formerly Mr. Jennifer...
Social-media IDs hacked
Hackers broke into popular sites such as Facebook, Google and Twitter, stealing nearly 2 million user names and passwords, CNN reported Wednesday. The crooks used a virus that infected the...
NSA tracks 5 billion cellphone users
The NSA daily tracks the cellphones of 5 billion users across the globe, including Americans traveling overseas, a new report says. The agency uses the mass of information to map...
Probers compare Metro-North derailment to Spain disaster
Investigators probing the deadly Metro-North Bronx train disaster are comparing notes against a July derailment in Spain that killed 79 passengers, sources told The Post. “There are striking similarities,” a...
City's grad rate hits record high
Despite stagnating in recent years, the graduation rate at city public high schools edged up to an all-time high this past school year — hitting 66 percent, according to city...
Ex-Sanitation worker's hazing claims
Forget the NFL — city Department of Sanitation rookies really get hazed, a federal lawsuit claims. An ex-Sanitation worker says in a Brooklyn federal-court filing that older sanit men mercilessly...
Reason to drink: Proposal to hike city’s alcohol tax
This will drive you to drink. New Yorkers, already drowning their sorrows over a host of economic issues, would have to shell out more for booze under a tax plan...
E-cig users out in force at City Council hearing
Vape ’em if you got ’em. Smokers opposed to a proposal to snuff electronic cigarettes from public places filled a City Council hearing room Wednesday and puffed away. With no...
Incoming councilwoman's 'knockout game' furor
An incoming city councilwoman set off a firestorm Wednesday with a Facebook post that blamed some “knockout game” attacks on tensions between blacks and Jews. Councilwoman-elect Laurie Cumbo, who will...
De Blasio introduces Anthony Shorris as first deputy mayor
Bill de Blasio played it safe with his first mayoral appointment, picking as his top deputy a left-leaning senior manager with a long government résumé. The mayor-elect made clear that...
Embezzler’s relationship 'ended due to Nicky Hilton e-mails'
Stunning Ukrainian embezzler Renata Shamrakova claims her romantic relationship with former employer Todd Meister fell apart after she discovered tender e-mail exchanges with his ex-wife, Nicky Hilton. In one of...
Denver Post hires pot editor, seeks marijuana critic
The Denver Post, newspaper of record in the Mile High City, has hired a pot editor and is looking for a marijuana critic. A week after the paper ran an...
The new pin-up: Why gentlemen prefer buff
On an October evening, a 146-pound woman dressed in neon-orange biker shorts and a black tank top squatted and heaved behind a dark grey Nissan Altima. Using her strength as...
Mariners may not give Cano big bucks
A city known for rain is producing smoke around Robinson Cano. According to a person with knowledge of the Mariners’ involvement with the free-agent second baseman, the club’s ownership doesn’t...
Damon: Ellsbury-Yankees a good pairing
Having swapped hats in sports’ fiercest rivalry, Johnny Damon’s advice to Jacoby Ellsbury is very simple. “The biggest thing I can tell him is to keep playing hard,’’ Damon said...
Top 10 moments in Knicks-Nets rivalry
For most of the past five months, so much time, energy and space went to promoting what NBA team ran New York, Manhattan’s Knicks or Brooklyn’s Nets. Then the teams...
Derailed train's alarms located away from engineer
The Metro North train that derailed Sunday killing four people had an alarm system — but it was only installed in the locomotive at the back of the train, not...
Manhattan man killed paragliding
A Manhattan man was killed during a paragliding accident Wednesday afternoon when he landed on a frozen upstate river and fell into the frigid water below, police said. Manhattan daredevil...
Lawsuit: Construction company forced ex-cons to pay kickbacks
A major Long Island construction company that recruited black workers recently released from prison is being accused of demanding kickbacks from the ex-cons if they wanted to keep their jobs,...
Memory fails top witness in SAC case
Confessed inside trader Jon Horvath couldn’t remember which of his recommendations at hedge fund SAC Capital Advisors were based on illegal information — and which were not. In fact, some...
Fox sells 30-second Super Bowl ad spot for $4.5M
Fox has sold out of Super Bowl TV ad spots after receiving a peak offer of $4.5 million for at least some of its most sought-after 30-second spots, the network...
Daily Blotter
Brooklyn This suspect sucker-punched a man for his wallet in East New York, cops said. The 37-year-old victim was outside the Liberty Avenue subway station near Pennsylvania Avenue at about...
The Iran nukes deal: Better than war
Critics of the agreement with Iran concerning its nuclear program are right about most things but wrong about the most important things. They understand the agreement’s manifest and manifold defects...
The ACLU sues to silence religions
Maybe the American “Civil Liberties” Union should sue the pope. It certainly is the logic of the astounding case it just filed in federal court in Michigan against the US...
IMG Worldwide sets deadline on bids
Just two bidders remain in the auction of sports and talent agency titan IMG Worldwide, with each being asked to make third and final offers by late next week, The...
Boom times for rent-a-mobs
These are busy — and profitable — times for rent-a-mobs. Just days after Black Friday protests against Walmart stores, many of the same agitators will be out again on Thursday...
Global-warming 'proof' is evaporating
The 2013 hurricane season just ended as one of the five quietest years since 1960. But don’t expect anyone who pointed to last year’s hurricanes as “proof” of the need...
More of WTC for global mall operator
Westfield Group, the global mall operator, will buy the 50 percent stake in the retail space at the World Trade Center it does not already own from the Port Authority...
Housing hipsters
In the old days, they called it “keeping up with the Joneses.” In Bushwick, it’s become a matter of keeping up with the hipsters. The ones with trust funds, that...