Church Lady Mourned on the Sidewalk: 

Stuck by Lightening Twice:  It’s a well-known fact that you’re more likely to be struck by lightning than win the lottery. As "Myth Busters" would say, this myth is "Busted!" As luck would have it, 74-year-old Adeline Angelo and her husband Eugene won $5 million dollars yesterday after winning $2.5 million in 1996. According to the Daily News, Angelo said she hoped the new fortune will "buy us good health and longevity."

College Campus with Stunning Views For Sale:  Fordham University is selling the Marymount College campus in Tarrytown. According to the 1010 Wins, an email from Fordham President Joseph McShane stated the 24-acre campus had become impossibly expensive to maintain. McShane says the classes at Marymount would be moved to another building. Because Tarrytown residents are concerned that the campus willbecome condos, the Tarrytown Village Board is taking steps to confer landmark status on three buildings that are the campus centerpiece. A historic designation would make it difficult to change the buildings.

Photo courtesy of laffy4k on Flickr

New York-Based Goldman Sachs Group is putting $2 billion into their Global Equity Opportunities Fund after it dropped 30% last week. Another $1 billion will come from New York-based C.V. Starr & Co., Perry Capital LLC and Eli Broad. Per the Wall Street Journal, the executives denied that the equity infusion was a bailout of the fund. Instead, they said the investment simply represented a good opportunity for Goldman and the other investors, given the recent market turmoil….

Sesame Street Toy Maker Committed Suicide on Saturday afternoon at his factory’s warehouse in China. His company made about 1 million toys, including characters from Sesame Street and Nickelodeon, that may’ve been tainted with lead paint…
Flashback, 1929?

Photo courtesy of Helico on Flickr.

The freshmen were hanging out behind Mount Vernon School in Newark’s Ivy Hill when a group of about five others approached them and tried to rob them, authorities said. Security cameras that may have provided clues may have been vandalized in the 24 hours before the shootings. Two cameras mounted high on the side of the elementary school where the killings took place were found hanging by their wires by technicians, according to the Daily News.

Mayor Cory Booker said, “We are determined to find all those responsible for these heinous acts. We have encouraging leads on this case."

Photo courtesy of Monkey [20after4] on Flickr.

The diner can be moved as soon as the procedure is clarified to assure it meets safety requirements, Department of Buildings spokeswoman Kate Lindquist said. "They have the permits, but their plans need clarification," she said. "Once they provide the department with the plan and it is approved they can proceed."

We hoped they were going to change their minds and leave a piece of the city’s history here, unlike London who let their bridge go.

Photo courtesy of Dontink from Flickr.

The recent burst of the “easy lending bubble” is making buying the American Dream sticky.  On Monday, New York-based American Home Mortgage Company filed for bankruptcy protection.  Once the country’s 10th largest lender, the company is the latest to feel the backlash of investors throwing away their over chewed gum.

According to the Associated Press, the company said it fell victim to “extraordinary disruptions” in the markets that support the mortgage industry. A weak housing market and a spike in payment defaults scared investors away from mortgage debt, including bonds and other securities backed by home loans.

But what does this mean for the regular Joe? It’ll mean less jobs in the New York area since American Home’s staff went from 7,400 to 1,000 in less time than it takes to answer a Jeopardy question—that’s and one less company to beg for a mortgage from.

Photo courtesy of Lin Pernille.

But not to fret, out of the nearly 800 bridges that live in the city, the only major artery to receive a poor rating is the Brooklyn Bridge.

"The poor rating for the Brooklyn Bridge means only components of the bridge are in poor condition, that would be the ramps leading to the bridge and not the bridge itself," said Lori Ardito, first deputy commissioner at the city Department of Transportation. "If the bridge was deemed to be unsafe, we would close it."

There’s a rehabilitation project scheduled to begin in 2010 that will tie up traffic two to three years.

Photo courtesy of Washington Trails Association.

Why the drama?  Unbeknownst to the average metro-ite, who has seen the erection of condos on every corner, the rest of this country has seen housing prices tank and a vast slowdown in construction. If this continues, people won’t be able to tap into their homes’ equity to purchase other items, causing industries, like retail sales, to suffer. What will people do if they can’t buy the latest QVC special?

But all is not lost, according to Neil Massa, of New York based-Goldman Sachs, “The best time to buy stocks is when you’re least comfortable buying stocks.” This afternoon might be a good time to heed his advice, as the Dow has dropped another 129-odd points. Go ahead, shoot for snake eyes.

Photo courtesy of Kriston Lewis on Flickr

This is the tale of a Jamaican woman’s rambling presentation to an adult-education class in New York, her new home. She starts out intending to present a paper on “How to Make a Budget and Stick to It,” but after seeing a young American kid abusing her mother, she changes her topic to the show’s namesake. Who doesn’t know a kid that needs a good smack in the ass?

The performance is somewhere between a reading and theater, so be prepared for some drama and music by guitarist David Pilgrim.

Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St. (betw. E. 4th St. & Astor Place), 212-539-8770; 7, $12.

According to the network’s own research, "America’s Top States for Doing Business" (posted on CNBC’s web site), New Jersey ranks numero uno in the Quality of Life category, whereas New York follows at seven . We’re not sure if we’re shocked or totally bored by the idea that the
Garden State boasts better quality of life than our concrete jungle. But Jersey’s Cost of Living is high, ranking at 45 out of 50, rompared to New York’s 37. Since both states are equally crappy for Cost of Doing Business—each earning a 50—why move across the river instead of keeping the posh Manhattan address?

Maybe it’s because the city’s infrastructure is failing: The subways don’t run on time (sometimes not at all), the Mayor’s congestion pricing plan is a mere shadow of its former self and an increase in police presence tells us that another terrorist attack could be imminent. But it’s not like ROC Center is a target, so we don’t get it.

Photo courtesy of i happy!! on Flickr