When we talk about the dangers of the degradation of newspapers, and the rise of "journalism products," such as the execrable Metro free subway rags, this is what we mean. (Here is the text of the State of the Union, in case you were too busy playing videogames and having a life last night.) It's not like the State of the Union is much more than political theater, sure, but next-level cynicism does some serious eroding of a citizen's ability to think and respond constructively. Lazy advertising-vehicle "news" products engineered by demonic Swedes and thrown together by a warren of garbage-crunchers and distributed to harried subway commuters are actively [...]

Yesterday's post office stabbing-yes, we had one of those! In which a boy from Avenue D who loved pigs got stabbed either randomly or less so on the steps of the giant post office that will never become Penn Station-was documented by an apparently philatelically-inclined German tourist. This tourist begged for anonymity from the papers (as he now realizes when you stick your neck out in New York, we stab that neck). But New York Post photog G. N. Miller was there to snap Herr Dolph Himmlerstein, or whatever his real German name is, for posterity. (Psst: He's the white one!) Thanks, Posties! Now, Internet: please identify this [...]

Evil Swedish free subway rag Metro went big this morning in an attempt to make sense of the current NYC population undercount. Their online headline is "Hipsters to Blame for Census Losses?" but they amped it up younger for the bleary subway crowd. Also maybe it was those pesky "illegal immigrants"! Or something else! Mm, hipster outrage bait. (via, via)

Okay, here's something: This story about a Westchester senior citizen whose decision to participate in his local "Big Brother" program resulted in a relationship which has lasted more than thirty years is genuinely touching, and I don't care if that makes me emo or whatever. [Via, not surprisingly, Gothamist]

You should probably bookmark "Off the Rails," the weird-funny and very old-world yet very new compendium of subway news from City Room, for occasional delights.