Hassan Askari, the Muslim college student who intervened in a violent subway attack against a group of Jewish riders, was honored at City Hall yesterday. The fight allegedly started when some thugs boarded a Q train yelling "Merry Christmas", prompting one of the Jewish riders to respond with a "Happy Hanukkah." Fisticuffs ensued, with one of the non-Jewish attackers shouting, "Happy Hanukkah, that's when the Jews killed Jesus!" One of the goons is also said......

One of the ten suspects arrested in the Q train beating of a Jewish man during Hanukkah is saying that hate crime charges are completely uncalled for because he himself is Jewish. Joseph Jirovec Jr. was arrested two weeks ago after a group of Hanukkah revelers was beaten while on a the Q train after wishing happy holidays to other riders. Members of a crowd on the train took objection to the Jewish greetings and......

Oops! WNBC's Mistake Causes Problems for St. Louis TV Station WNBC issued an apology for putting on their website a list of baseball players who were expected to be mentioned in the Mitchell Report. The apology was also given on air by Jonathan Dienst, who did mention they received the names from two sources. The Fox owned and operated television station in St. Louis, KTVI, picked up on the erroneous list and lead their 11.......

The story around the possible hate crime attack on a Q train the other night seems to be made for the season. Not only does it come while subway violence is a big topic, it also involves a group of Jewish subway riders being called "dirty Jews" and "Jew bitches" and attacked by people who cried, "Happy Hanukkah, that's when the Jews killed Jesus." And here's the kicker: The only person who stepped in......

Police are investigating an attack on a Brooklyn-bound Q train as a possible hate crime. A group of people (WNBC says they were on their way home from Hanukkah celebrations) were called anti-Semitic phrases and then beaten up by another group of ten people at Canal Street. The Post has some more details: Apparently one of the attackers "made anti-Semitic remarks about Jews killing Jesus, saying, 'This is a Christian country.'" But the father of......

ART: Last night the works of ex-Guided By Voices frontman Robbert Pollard were unveiled at an invite-only opening, and today it's a free-for-all. Come by and check out his debut art exhibit, which "will consist of more than 50 collages that date from 1990 through 2007. Using elements from 1950's -70's era magazines, pamphlets and obscure pictoral paperbacks as his primary tools, he portrays allegorical personas and hallucinogenic-type environments to create small, almost random synapses......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: shots fired on Soundview Ave. in the Bronx, a gas leak on Snyder Ave. and East 34th St. in Brooklyn, and a bank robbery on West 4th and 6th Ave. in Manhattan. High school girls (including a pair from Long Island) swept the top prizes in both team and individual categories for the first time in the history of the Siemens Competition in Math, Science, and Technology. Houston St.......

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Gothamist. Dewars Repeal Day, because you shouldn't take the right to have a drink for granted. Go Eight, a Hanukkah party on December 8th at Webster Hall. The Whitney Museum, currently featuring an exhibition of Kara Walker's work. Rubin Museum of Art, where you can start your holidays in the Himalayas. Sony Card, because you'll get $250 off a personal communicator if......

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Gothamist. Dewars Repeal Day, because you shouldn't take the right to have a drink for granted. Go Eight, a Hanukkah party on December 8th at Webster Hall. The Whitney Museum, currently featuring an exhibition of Kara Walker's work. Rubin Museum of Art, where you can start your holidays in the Himalayas. Sony Card, because you'll get $250 off a personal communicator if......

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Gothamist. Go Eight, a Hanukkah party on December 8th at Webster Hall. The Whitney Museum, currently featuring an exhibition of Kara Walker's work. Rubin Museum of Art, where you can start your holidays in the Himalayas. Sony Card, because you'll get $250 off a personal communicator if you apply. New York Dish, where AMEX cardmembers can dish about restaurants. Busted Tees, where......

You know you’ve finally arrived when your name appears in an Onion headline. The satirical paper of record paid that respect to the decades-spanning indie-rock phenomenon Yo La Tengo some years back with an article titled “37 Record-Store Clerks Feared Dead In Yo La Tengo Concert Disaster.” Since 1984 the band, started by husband and wife duo Georgia Hubley and Ira Kaplan, has been blazing an independent trail of restlessly inventive guitar rock. Their most......

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Gothamist. Zagat Guide and Zagat.com, which has a special discount for Gothamist readers that sign up. AMEX Urban Adventures, because big cities are full of little adventures. The Whitney Museum, currently featuring an exhibition of Kara Walker's work. Go Eight, a Hanukkah party on December 8th at Webster Hall. New York Dish, where AMEX cardmembers can dish about restaurants. Young Frankenstein, the......

THEATER: Sentimental hogwash! Following in the tradition of the one-man theatrical renditions of Star Wars and The Godfather Trilogy, comic actor/impressionist Jason Grossman presents his It’s a Wonderful (One Man Show) Life! tonight. Time Out NY called it “a guaranteed laugh riot.” We’re just excited to see how he handles the Charleston contest! - John Del Signore 9pm // Manhattan Theatre Source [177 MacDougal St] // $15 COMEDY: Join SNL's Horatio Sanz at his Ho......

On Wednesday, the Committee on Jewish Law and Standard, which guides the Conservative Judaism movement, voted to allow gay rabbis and gay unions. While the move was hailed by some and denounced by others, the other mechanics of how this ruling will work. From the NY Times: But in a reflection of the divisions in the movement, the 25 rabbis on the law committee passed three conflicting legal opinions — one in favor of gay......

While they mark the holiday shopping season, does anyone even notice department store window displays anymore? In front of both Lord & Taylor and Saks, there were velvet ropes positioned for lines, and security present for 'crowd control'...but it seemed as if very few had even a passing interest in the windows. Take a look at Lord & Taylor (pictured above), for instance. Please keep those rosy cheeked youths and sweat suited tourists back!......

The department stores have decorated their windows with holiday cheer, a tradtion that has been going on since the 1860's (Macy's first was in 1862)! Here's what you'll see this year: • Lord & Taylor has designed holiday themed windows inspired by vintage postcards. Photos here. • Macy's has created an interactive window with lots of multimedia features including music, video and animatronic parts! • Tiffany's windows feature a romantic scene of wintry woods (of......

Whether you're ready or not, the holidays are fast approaching. Thanksgiving is just around the corner with Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa just a hop, skip and a jump behind. For many of us that brings happy thoughts of turkey, bourbon and pie but for others, it brings anxiety about all those gifts we have to buy. Now, save the “It’s not about the gift, but rather being with the people you love” speech. Whether we like it or......

There's nothing people like more than hearing about men (Orthodox Jewish rabbis) drawing the blood from a baby's circumcision (okay, "a bris") wound - and maybe giving the baby herpes. Reports of babies afflicted with herpes, apparently from the common denominator and mohel in the cases, surfaced last year in the NYC area. The city's Health Department has been trying to step in, even considering banning the practice, to uproar from both those in the......

Holy moly, Fox 5 gave Penny Crone quite a Christmas/Hanukkah gift when it fired her from the morning show! Crone, who has been around, well, forever in Gothamist's mind, had returned to Fox 5 earlier this year, after getting fired from CBS 2's local newscast. Crone could always be counted on doing or saying something totally crazy - even though her voice kinda killed us, we're going to miss her. Maybe the WPIX 11 morning......

Finally! It's as if our Christmas wish was answered early, for we must hail pandafix, the only website (that we know of) that aggregate all the insanely cute pictures of pandas DC, SF, China, and more in one place. Pictures of sixteen panda cubs from the breeding center in Wolong? Check! Somewhat embarassing photos of Bass's 25th birthday? Check! Side by side comparisons of Tai Shan and Su Lin climbing outside? Check! Thank you,......

If there's one week that folks might be at a loss for things to do in the city, this is the week. You might think not a creature was stirring, but how many times do we have to tell you? This is New York. The kids are definitely not nestled all snug in their beds. What to your wondering eyes should appear this week? Take a look.... You may be done with Christmas, but Yo......

Now that the transit strike is over, the city is asking various businesses if they have contingency plans for the next potential catastrophe - the avian flu. The Post reports that the Office of Emergency Management and Department of Health and Mental Hygiene are surveying various companies to see if they have a "pandemic-flu plan" or if they will allow telecommuting. Man, is this another thing Gothaimst has to ask our bosses about? The city......

Right about now, both Christians and Jews are each celebrating their respective holidays. Apparently, this is only the fourth time the two holiday have converged in 100 years. Gothamist's only question is what is this doing to the Chinese restaurant industry tonight? At any rate, we wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Kwanzaa Eve. Merry Mazeltov card from Chrismukkah.com......

Adam Gardner and Dave Schneider, The LeeVees ...

It might be hard to get to a theatre in time to see any of these picks, but here goes. Even with our fairly averse attitude toward holiday-specific performances, it’s hard not to notice that the current crop of shows is pretty heavy on the fractured fairytale side of things. Except for kids, there’s almost no straightforward telling of a Christmas- (or other holiday) related story. We’re not complaining, but it does make it harder......

Pickings this week are slimmer than last month's turkey. If your Christmukkah party schedule allows, give yourself an early present and forage for some rock and roll scraps. Monday kicks things off with Spin magazine's Year in Music Party at Rothko, with We Are Scientists, the Spinto Band (at left), and the Five O'Clock Heroes. Of course, it's a private party, so you'll have to call in a favor or two or be creative at......

With Hanukkah over and Christmas right around the corner, things have become a wee bit hectic and stressful for Gothamist. There's all those presents we still haven't bought, and upcoming travel to see family in the next few days. This past weekend, the thought of yet another afternoon of fighting the weekend shopping hordes to fight over trinkets just wasn't even fathomable. We knew something had to be done. We had to bake. But our......

As many good ideas gets a second act, The Hipster Handbook author (and Free Williamsburg creator/editor) Robert Lanham decided to go beyond our fray and tackle a wider spectrum of Americans to examine and dissect. In Food Court Druids, Cherohonkees and Other Creatures Unique to the Republic, readers will finally realize that there are names (or "Idio Types") for: Heterosexuals who flirt with homosexuals; folks who love wearing holiday sweaters; and people who use their......

No, it wasn't Hanukkah, Christmas, or even Festivus, but it sure felt like a hundred of them, when Gothamist visited the set of Law & Order. A more in-depth post will come later, but enjoy some photos at Bluejake for now. The Law & Order t-shirt we want, an Evening of Law & Order, the Law & Order coloring book, and our thoughts about a spin-off with just Lennie Briscoe.......

– Toxic urinal deodorizers at the FDNY – Basketball in Brooklyn, part 82 – The city is noisy – What you didn't realize your life was missing: A blog about Antarctica – Seinfeld DVD extras stalemate – What the Mayor buys his daughters for Christmas – Mob style shooting, but not really that mob related, at Rao's – A match made in TV crossover heaven: Bev Niner and Buffy stars in When Harry Met Sally......