12
5
Mike Bloomberg Wins (Back) the Gays with June (Or You Know, JULY) 24th Marriages
“This is a historic moment for New York, a moment many couples have waited years and even decades to see, and we are not going to make them wait one day longer than they have to.” —You just can't ever stay mad at Michael Bloomberg, because then he pulls one of these—opening up the city clerks' offices on Sunday, July 24, the first day gay marriage is legal in New York State. (Servicey note: smart gays know you can apply online in advance.)
4
Bloomberg "AIDS Day" Bagel Breakfast to Be Protested by Bagels
"Dozens of outraged bagels plan to boycott Mayor Bloomberg’s annual World AIDS Day Bagel Breakfast. They will picket outside the breakfast, which takes place at 8 AM, December 1, at the Brooklyn Public Library on Grand Army Plaza. The baked goods are angry that for the last three years the mayor has hosted a bagel breakfast where he professes his commitment to combating New York City’s AIDS epidemic—and a month later proposes a budget that would devastate services for low-income New Yorkers with AIDS, especially AIDS housing services." (via)
3
Howard Wolfson Finally Doesn't Have To Fly (Much)
It's really the only dream of the phobic: to have a job where you don't have to fly. This is where Howard Wolfson made his biggest mistakes-signing on to national campaigns, where he was regularly forced to either drive huge distances overnight or, God forbid, get on an airplane. Now Wolfson and his ugly sweaters have made the best possible extremely weird choice: the long-time campaign operator is going to work for Mike Bloomberg at City Hall? His job is to "sell" proposals issuing from the Bloomberg Everybody Live Right Think Tank? (You know, the one where they don't let us smoke or eat fat or sell [...]
5
It's the Lowest Moment Yet for Michael Bloomberg
Oh, the constant see-sawing of Michael Bloomberg from hero to villain! Remember how we were loving him again just last month when he made that big old matching donation to Planned Parenthood? Well, a lot has changed in a month.
• The hand-holding visit to Goldman Sachs, followed by the trip to Shake Shack with Goldman co-CEO Lloyd Blankfein, in the wake of the resignation-by-op-ed of Greg Smith? That went over quite poorly. Dude: you already held their hand, in the form of tens of millions of dollars in concessions. Also, the City even gave them the address of 200 West Street, which should have been 201 [...]
0
NYC Won't Release Bloomberg's Emails with Cathie Black
The mayor's office has twice rejected totally every-day requests to see emails between the mayor's office and Cathie Black, the short-time Schools Chancellor, while she was employed at Hearst Publications (as well as with any other people at Hearst). The reasoning? The documents are exempt from disclosure because they're inter- or intra-agency communications. That's weird, I guess we all own part of Cosmo now? Anyway, now the City is being sued for the emails, quite rightly.
2
The Education of Cathie Black
In short, almost literally no one knew that the chairwoman of Hearst Publications was going to be taking on the post of New York City Schools Chancellor. Not even Gayle King! But good news, I guess. "On Monday, Ms. Black was seen at the Hearst Tower with a thick stack of materials concerning public education." That's excellent, she's learning about public schools before she RUNS ALL OF THEM.
2
Mayor Old
How does a 70-year-old man with a stressful job manage to maintain an air of, if not youthfulness, not-so-oldedness? Massive wealth! Anyway, your mayor is 70 today, which leads the New York Times to pose this query: "Would you want Michael R. Bloomberg’s billions (19.5 of them, according to Forbes) if you had to suddenly become 70 years old to get them?" Do bear in mind that rich people live longer.
12
Haven on Earth: How Far Rich Folk (Like Mike Bloomberg) Will Go To Avoid Taxes
Mike Bloomberg is an extremely generous rich man. Arianna Huffington dubbed him one of her "Game Changers" in giving, so you know it must be serious. With his $1 salary and relentless check-writing, the NYC Mayor is practically the Platonic ideal of a charitable tycoon: our Philanthropist-King.
All that benevolence looked pretty petty, however, when news broke that his charity invested so as to keep tax payments out of the U.S. The New York Observer unearthed the documents that show how the Bloomberg Family Foundation's money management team shuffled nearly $300 million into far-flung tax havens. The reporters smartly cull up a sarcastic quip from then-candidate Obama, pledging [...]
