LEAVWORLD: GRAFFITI POLITTI

NYS election officials are as inept or corrupt as the rest of the state bureaucracy. That's the kindest way I can frame this story. It looks like "clerical error" is the current excuse for corrupt bureaucrats. In NYC, it was warring factions of the Democratic party practicing their "dark arts" against each other, with Clinton being more powerful on her home turf, of course. Still, this is pretty blatant stuff, and if it is just "clerical error," the statewide returns need to be examined for similar "errors." That probably won't happen, but this story exposes one of the dirtiest political operations in the free world. ( link ) Barack Obama 's primary-night results were strikingly underrecorded in several districts around the city - in some cases leaving him with zero votes when, in fact, he had pulled in hundreds, the Board of Elections said yesterday. Unofficial primary results gave Obama no votes in nearly 80 districts, including Har...

NYS Governor Eliot Spitzer has gotten embroiled in a scandal that may cripple, if not take down his administration. In a previous article , I cited the NY Post's PAGE SIX gossip column, regarding NYS Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno's accusation of "pay to play" press coverage by the Albany Times Union, which included this interesting tidbit: The liberal-oriented paper has whacked Bruno for years, and the pol claims it's because he's a Republican. On Sunday, the Times Union had a story alleging he improperly used a state- owned helicopter to fly to Manhattan for politically-connected events - a claim Bruno denies. It turned out that Sen. Bruno attended official business, as well as political functions, on all of his closely-documented trips, which makes them acceptable under state law. While investigating Sen, Bruno, it came to light that his NY State Trooper security detail was instructed to document his movements in greater detail than any other state offici...

In the era of James Frey, I wonder if anyone will believe me. "Tales From the Vendome" is the first installment of my anecdotal biography, published on NEXTLEAV . It is a collection of recollections on my years living at the Vendome, a nondescript 7-floor building in Manhattan, (NYC for those in Rio Linda). Here's what I've recalled so far: OUT THE WINDOW: TALES FROM 48 W. 73RD STREET (THE VENDOME) 1974 TALES FROM THE VENDOME: INCIDENT AT 72ND & COLUMBUS BRUCE'S PLEASURE CHEST: A VENDOME TALE HOW I AVOIDED CHILD PORNOGRAPHY AT THE VENDOME: I WAS GIVEN A CHOICE REBUFFING ANOTHER GAY ADVANCE; WHAT, WAS THERE SOMETHING IN THE WATER? GERALDO REPORTS ON A FIRE AT THE VENDOME GETTING ROBBED ON HALLOWEEN, AND CHASING THE CULPRITS TO A PROJECT ROOFTOP  GRAFFITI CHRISTMAS LOSING MY VIRGINITY IN A PET SHOP ON COLUMBUS AVE: WE WERE THE ORIGINAL "PET SHOP BOYS"! THANK YOU AL GOLDSTIEN! MY FIRST BOUT WITH ANTI-SEMITISM: WHY I BEAT UP MY J...