TJ Walker, a communications expert who oft analyzes politics for amNewYork, and co-author Jess Todtfeld reportedly broke a Guinness world record by talking for nine solid hours (TJ knows talk) and completing 112 interviews in 24 hours in promotion of their new book, "TJ Walker's Secret to Foolproof Presentations."
Congratulations to them!
TJ Walker knows how to talk. And, on Monday, he’ll try to talk his way into a Guinness record.
The communications expert, who often helps amNewYork break down politicians’ speeches, will attempt to shatter a Guinness World Record for most radio appearances in one day. Seventy-two is the record, and TJ and co-author Jess Todtfeld (“TJ Walker’s Secret to Foolproof Presentations”) are aiming for more than 115 in 24 hours.
Listen in. List of stations to come.
— Emily Ngo
(Getty)
President Barack Obama toured a field of solar energy panels Wednesday in Nevada, but you can have a look at alternative energy options a little closer to home.
Local business leaders, members of PAC MoveOn.org and other New Yorkers are hosting a showcase of clean energy businesses in the area Thursday night. Pointing out that "investment in a clean energy economy will have quick economic benefits and create jobs here at home," the event will feature the city's first solar-powered "Green Energy, Arts, and Education Center."
Who: Progressive political action committee MoveOn.org
What: Clean Energy Jobs Day
When: Thursday, May 28 at 6 p.m.
Where: Solar1, on the East River below 23rd Street
For more on the campaign, visit MoveOn.org.
City Comptroller Bill Thompson
With the Democratic nomination for mayor all but locked up by Comptroller Bill Thompson, the race to succeed him appears to be the most competitive primary, as the four front-runners try to position themselves as the party’s future stars.
“This is really round one for the next generation of Democratic politicians,” said Doug Birdsell, dean of the Baruch College for Public Affairs.
Thompson, the party’s presumed mayoral nominee, is facing an uphill battle against billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who may spend $100 million on his campaign.
Continue reading "With Weiner out, focus shifts to comptroller primary" »
(AP)
Bronx native and federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor may well become the first Hispanic woman to serve on the Supreme Court, and it's a long, stressful road to the confirmation hearings. Will the Senate GOP filibuster? Probably not, but today Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, indicated they'll be taking their time and making the decision carefully.
mSpot.com, a mobile music site, cleverly has chosen some tunes to accompany Sotomayor in the journey. Here's their top five:
Daughter of Justice: The Undecided
"We live in a world with so few answers, where is the justice that she seeks? Who will end this poverty?"
Courthouse: Chris Isaak
"People take their places, down at the courthouse / People stand in line to see you fall."
Shepard Fairey (or someone very closely mimicking his style) has found a local target! It's Mayor Mike Bloomberg! "Oyvey"? I'm hoping someone can explain this sticker I found in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens.
— Emily Ngo
(AP)
President Barack Obama and former Vice President Dick Cheney traded blows in a crosstown showdown Thursday, defending their respective stances on national security in dueling speeches.
At the National Archives in Washington, D.C., Obama sought to reinforce plans to shutter the Guantanamo Bay prison facility and move some detainees to high-security prisons in the United States.
“We will be ill-served by the fearmongering that emerges whenever we discuss this issue,” he said, adding that U.S. prisons are tough enough to contain the detainees.
Though Obama’s Senate allies have deterred the closure by withholding funding, federal prosecutors Thursday moved to bring a detainee to New York City for the first Guantanamo trial in the United States.
Meanwhile, at the American Enterprise Institute, Cheney asserted that measures such as clandestine surveillance and harsh interrogation techniques have kept the country safe from terror attacks since 9/11 and “made the United States a far tougher target.”
The 68-year-old Republican accused Obama and supporters of “contrived indignation and phony moralizing” in classifying some methods, including waterboarding, as torture.
Continue reading "Obama, Cheney face off on national security" »
Rep. Anthony Weiner earlier this year. AP file photo
Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Brookyln/Queens), who appeared to abandon his mayoral hopes earlier this year, said Sunday he will decide at the end of the month whether he is running for the city’s top job.
Weiner, 44, sent a letter to supporters in March saying he would suspend his campaign for the Democratic nomination to challenge Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is seeking a third term.
Weiner, who has raised $5 million for the campaign, said he will make his decision when Congress goes into recess the last week of May.
Continue reading "Weiner will decide on mayoral run by month's end" »
Anders Krusberg/The Martha Stewart Show
He ran a multi-billion dollar corporation before serving two terms as New York City’s mayor, but few probably know that Michael Bloomberg can also bake cookies.
Bloomberg, who is running for a third term, showed off his domestic side Tuesday by taping an episode of the Martha Stewart Show, helping the famous home design and cooking whiz make a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies.
The hour-long episode, which will air May 13, had a New York theme and was filmed in front of an audience that included street vendors, taxi drivers, cops, and firefighters. Other guests included documentary filmmaker Ric Burns, urban garden designed Lynden Miller and the subway bandEbony Hillbillies, who performed.
YouTube was an important tool in last year’s presidential campaign. Nationally televised debates fielded questions from voters asked via YouTube videos. Tech savvy candidates posted videos and messages. (OK, maybe they had their tech savvy people do it for them, but you get the point.)
This year’s mayoral election is arguably the first of the YouTube era. While technically YouTube was around when Michael Bloomberg won his second term in 2005, the video Web site was in its infancy then.
Today, YouTube is a full-fledged cultural phenomenon, and some candidates are taking full advantage of the low-cost way of reaching potential voters.
Here are some videos from this year’s hopefuls. (In case you’re wondering, there are no videos from U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner because he is still deciding whether he’ll run.)
Newark Mayor Cory Booker endorses Michael Bloomberg, the independent running on the Republican ticket. Then our mayor promptly thanks Booker by declaring, “We have the most wonderful city in the world!”
Continue reading "Mayoral race: It doesn't cost millions to advertise on YouTube" »
(Photos: Getty, compiled by amNY)
First lady Michelle Obama loves the argyle cardigan as demonstrated most recently, top left, at a Hispanic heritage event Monday at a Washington, D.C., school. I imagine that Obama, an argyle-phile, has a extra closet just for the prep-school staple.
The top two sweaters are by J.Crew. The bottom two, a patchwork creation embellished with sequins, are by Junya Watanabe. Hey, if it works, rock it.
(Getty)
First lady Michelle Obama spoke at the Capital Area Food Bank on Wednesday in D.C. Great cause, but her shoes? Not so great. Looks like she borrowed them from 10-year-old Malia or someone else in the Sketchers crowd.
Jill Biden, Vice President Joe Biden's wife, was also in attendance. Her more-mature Tory Burch flats are peeking into the left side of the photo.
President Barack Obama has wrapped up his first 100 days in office by launching an ambitious and broad agenda. (AP)
He campaigned for office on a platform of swift and sweeping change. Now, 100 days into his historic presidency, Barack Obama is pressing to fulfill that promise.
Supporters hail the nation’s first black president for acting decisively on a slew of issues. Critics contend that Obama, taking on too much too soon, is steering the country down the wrong path.
Here’s an overview of key actions Obama, 47, has taken since his Jan. 20 swearing-in:
Economy
Tackling the most daunting issue plaguing the nation, Obama signed a $787 billion stimulus into law with little Republican support. He and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner then introduced bailout plans for the financial and auto sectors, vowing increased oversight and putting a regulation overhaul into motion.
The road to recovery, however, was made bumpier by several Cabinet candidates’ tax problems and AIG’s controversial $165 million bonus payout. How soon joblessness eases, and whether consumer confidence is restored, remains to be seen.
“The stimulus package is going to be the key to his administration, the big enchilada,” said political consultant Jerry Skurnik of Prime New York. “If he can turn it around, he’ll be considered a success. If he doesn’t turn it around, then he’s got a big problem.”
Continue reading "100 days: Obama's bold start defined by promise, pitfalls" »
Slipping seamlessly — and sleevelessly — into the spotlight, first lady Michelle Obama has enjoyed high approval ratings for her gracious manner and fashionable presence.
“One has a little bit of concern that she’s being seen as a decoration, because there’s so much attention paid to what she’s wearing,” said Liza Mundy, author of “Michelle: A Biography.”
Moving forward, however, the 45-year-old Obama is expected to lend her celebrity to a handful of domestic, family-oriented causes, Mundy said.
Among those issues the Harvard-educated mother of two has favored are:
* Benefits for working parents, such as extended maternity leave
* Support for military families
* Volunteerism and national service
* Behavior modification and better eating habits
* Bridging the gap between the White House and the D.C. community
Continue reading "First lady to make national service fashionable" »
Incumbent Mayor Michael Bloomberg appears in new campaign ads without his usual suit.
In a time of economic uncertainty, mayoral candidates this year face a new hurdle: earning votes without burning cash.
“It might make sense to appear a little less slick,” said political consultant Jerry Skurnik, of Prime New York. “There might be backlash if a campaign seems to be spending too much.”
New Yorkers are more cautious than ever with their money, and those politicians hoping to lead them out the recession must appear similarly savvy, experts said. Competitive campaigning, however, is no thrifty feat.
“You spend money on ads because the more money you spend, usually, the more effective the ads are,” Skurnik said about striking a balance. “You don’t want to spend so little that it looks amateurish and no one will pay attention to it.”
