Challenge to New York’s MMA ban falls short

By Rich Calder

October 2, 2013 | 12:23am

Modal Trigger

Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson fight for the UFC light heavyweight championship Sept. 21.

Photo: Al Bello/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

A Manhattan federal judge Tuesday dealt Mixed Martial Arts' top promoter a big blow in its attempt to overturn New York's ban on live bouts, by dismissing a claim that the ban violates the First Amendment.

The claims were made in a 2011 lawsuit filed by Ultimate Fighting Championship against state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.

Judge Kimba Wood did leave UFC some hope to finally bring the popular sport to the state by leaving open in the complaint an argument that the MMA ban is "unconstitutionally vague."

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Tina Brown starts new round of Newsweek axings

About 20 editorial employees who were left behind when Newsweek was formerly handed over to new owner IBT Media on Oct. 1 were let go by Tina Brown on Tuesday.

Richard Just, former editor of The New Republic, and his deputy, Louise Roug, who had been producing the digital version for Newsweek since it went on the block earlier this year, are among those not joining IBT.

Jim Impoco had already been hired as the new editor-in-chief of Newsweek by the new owners.

Only a half-dozen people were offered jobs by the new owners — and only two of them accepted — Photo Editor Carolyn Rauch and Associate Editor Rob Verger, sources inside the company tell Media Ink.

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Lhota fires back at ‘extremist’ charge

Joe Lhota fought back Tuesday against Bill de Blasio's attempt to brand him as a right-wing extremist, declaring, "If I'm tied to the Tea Party, so is Andrew Cuomo."

Lhota came out swinging after de Blasio launched a Tumblr page portraying the Republican as a Tea Party sympathizer. Last week, de Blasio also ripped Lhota for taking donations from "right-wing billionaires" David and Charles Koch.

Lhota pointed out Tuesday that he received a donation only from David Koch, who also gave more than $80,000 to a Cuomo political-action committee.

Bill de Blasio

"What you need to look at is who David Koch is. He, like I, believes in a women's right to choose. He, like I, believes in marriage equality," Lhota said in a full-scale counterattack.

The governor, who nominated Lhota to run the MTA and worked closely with him during Hurricane Sandy, declined to comment about Koch's donation.

Lhota distanced himself from the Tea Party as "extremist" and a "bad force for the Republican Party."
He said he agreed with "major parts" of ObamaCare and said shutting down the government to try to undo it was "flat wrong."

"Anybody who wants to tag me with what's going on in Washington is going to be making a very, very big mistake," Lhota added.

De Blasio — who's been on the receiving end of Lhota's attacks for his trips to repressive regimes in Cuba and Nicaragua — tried to turn the tables this week by hurling back the "extremist" charge.

The Democratic candidate seized on a report that Lhota was inspired in his youth by conservative Republican Barry Goldwater and, in another move to link him to the party's right wing, took note of a speech he gave to a Tea Party group on Staten Island.

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$13M, few voters (Oh, James wins)

In a race that cost a lot of money and attracted only a few voters, Councilwoman Letitia James beat state Sen. Daniel Squadron Tuesday night to win the Democratic runoff for public advocate.

James took 60 percent of the vote as only 180,000 people went to the polls, ensuring her installation to the powerless post after an uncontested general election in November.

James' victory was costly for New Yorker tax payers, who spent $13 million on the runoff, even though roughly 92 percent of the eligible voters ignored it.

The runoff faced Daniel Squadron against Letitia James.

"I don't know how many people know what the job of public advocate is," said Sharron Whyte, 50, a worker at a polling site on Staten Island where only four voters turned out in the first 3 1/2 hours.

"It's ridiculous to have a runoff for public advocate," Luciano said. "What's their budget? Two million? Ludicrous?"

The public advocate — the city's so-called watchdog — does have a tiny annual budget of $2.3 million, and few official powers.

Bill Bommer, 68, did show up to vote at the Staten Island site, PS 8, because, he said, "This is it. There is no Republican running, so whoever wins, this is the advocate."

But was it worth it?

"It's a waste of money," Bommer said. "To pay this amount of money, it's crazy."

The runoff was required under state law because neither James nor Squadron got 40 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary on Sept. 10.

For $13 million, the city could hire more than 100 schoolteachers or cops for a year.

The city enacted the runoff system after Mario Procaccino won a five-candidate Democratic mayoral primary in 1969 with just 32.8 percent of the vote.

An instant runoff system, in which voters rank their preferences in a single primary so there's no reason for a runoff, is used in other cities, such as San Francisco and Minneapolis.

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Reuters reporter skewers bosses in epic farewell email

A departing Reuters correspondent has triggered the latest uproar inside that news operation, after penning a scathing farewell email and sending it to about 1,400 of the news agency's 2,000 editorial employees worldwide.

In a burn-the-bridges email, Europe-based senior correspondent Martin de Sa'Pinto revealed secret nicknames he used to skewer 10 editors and executives — and offered to buy his former colleagues beers and dinner if they could identify the people behind the names.

"To the many fine journalists among you with whom I've had the good fortune to work with, I say thanks it's been great working together and best of luck," wrote de Sa'Pinto, who had worked at Reuters for 7 ¹/₂ years. "To the politicians among you, congratulations on turning a vibrant and cooperative culture into something significantly more miserable and depressing. To you I say sod off, it's been really mediocre working with you."

He complained that he often had to dumb down complicated financial stories. "I didn't like being told to treat readers as though they were my grandmother," he said.

The nicknames on the infamous list: Yankers (aka Smurf, aka the very bad four-letter word in chief); The Magic Herring; Turtle Neck; Armytage; Chubba the Hut; The Lying Dutchman; The Eagle has Pharted; the DWeeb/DWarf Rabbit; The Impetuous Trout; Carman (hallucinating in the sky).

Reached yesterday by Media Ink, de Sa'Pinto said he had received about 60 guesses so far, nobody had more than five correct guesses.

Higher up on the masthead, Erle Norton, who was editorial director of Reuters Digital Video, is jumping ship to ABC News to become executive producer of ABC News Digital in an appointment announced by ABC News President Ben Sherwood.

20.49 | 0 komentar | Read More

Challenge to New York’s MMA ban falls short

By Rich Calder

October 2, 2013 | 12:23am

Modal Trigger

Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson fight for the UFC light heavyweight championship Sept. 21.

Photo: Al Bello/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

A Manhattan federal judge Tuesday dealt Mixed Martial Arts' top promoter a big blow in its attempt to overturn New York's ban on live bouts, by dismissing a claim that the ban violates the First Amendment.

The claims were made in a 2011 lawsuit filed by Ultimate Fighting Championship against state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.

Judge Kimba Wood did leave UFC some hope to finally bring the popular sport to the state by leaving open in the complaint an argument that the MMA ban is "unconstitutionally vague."

18.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tina Brown starts new round of Newsweek axings

About 20 editorial employees who were left behind when Newsweek was formerly handed over to new owner IBT Media on Oct. 1 were let go by Tina Brown on Tuesday.

Richard Just, former editor of The New Republic, and his deputy, Louise Roug, who had been producing the digital version for Newsweek since it went on the block earlier this year, are among those not joining IBT.

Jim Impoco had already been hired as the new editor-in-chief of Newsweek by the new owners.

Only a half-dozen people were offered jobs by the new owners — and only two of them accepted — Photo Editor Carolyn Rauch and Associate Editor Rob Verger, sources inside the company tell Media Ink.

18.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Lhota fires back at ‘extremist’ charge

Joe Lhota fought back Tuesday against Bill de Blasio's attempt to brand him as a right-wing extremist, declaring, "If I'm tied to the Tea Party, so is Andrew Cuomo."

Lhota came out swinging after de Blasio launched a Tumblr page portraying the Republican as a Tea Party sympathizer. Last week, de Blasio also ripped Lhota for taking donations from "right-wing billionaires" David and Charles Koch.

Lhota pointed out Tuesday that he received a donation only from David Koch, who also gave more than $80,000 to a Cuomo political-action committee.

Bill de Blasio

"What you need to look at is who David Koch is. He, like I, believes in a women's right to choose. He, like I, believes in marriage equality," Lhota said in a full-scale counterattack.

The governor, who nominated Lhota to run the MTA and worked closely with him during Hurricane Sandy, declined to comment about Koch's donation.

Lhota distanced himself from the Tea Party as "extremist" and a "bad force for the Republican Party."
He said he agreed with "major parts" of ObamaCare and said shutting down the government to try to undo it was "flat wrong."

"Anybody who wants to tag me with what's going on in Washington is going to be making a very, very big mistake," Lhota added.

De Blasio — who's been on the receiving end of Lhota's attacks for his trips to repressive regimes in Cuba and Nicaragua — tried to turn the tables this week by hurling back the "extremist" charge.

The Democratic candidate seized on a report that Lhota was inspired in his youth by conservative Republican Barry Goldwater and, in another move to link him to the party's right wing, took note of a speech he gave to a Tea Party group on Staten Island.

18.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

$13M, few voters (Oh, James wins)

In a race that cost a lot of money and attracted only a few voters, Councilwoman Letitia James beat state Sen. Daniel Squadron Tuesday night to win the Democratic runoff for public advocate.

James took 60 percent of the vote as only 180,000 people went to the polls, ensuring her installation to the powerless post after an uncontested general election in November.

James' victory was costly for New Yorker tax payers, who spent $13 million on the runoff, even though roughly 92 percent of the eligible voters ignored it.

The runoff faced Daniel Squadron against Letitia James.

"I don't know how many people know what the job of public advocate is," said Sharron Whyte, 50, a worker at a polling site on Staten Island where only four voters turned out in the first 3 1/2 hours.

"It's ridiculous to have a runoff for public advocate," Luciano said. "What's their budget? Two million? Ludicrous?"

The public advocate — the city's so-called watchdog — does have a tiny annual budget of $2.3 million, and few official powers.

Bill Bommer, 68, did show up to vote at the Staten Island site, PS 8, because, he said, "This is it. There is no Republican running, so whoever wins, this is the advocate."

But was it worth it?

"It's a waste of money," Bommer said. "To pay this amount of money, it's crazy."

The runoff was required under state law because neither James nor Squadron got 40 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary on Sept. 10.

For $13 million, the city could hire more than 100 schoolteachers or cops for a year.

The city enacted the runoff system after Mario Procaccino won a five-candidate Democratic mayoral primary in 1969 with just 32.8 percent of the vote.

An instant runoff system, in which voters rank their preferences in a single primary so there's no reason for a runoff, is used in other cities, such as San Francisco and Minneapolis.

18.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Reuters reporter skewers bosses in epic farewell email

A departing Reuters correspondent has triggered the latest uproar inside that news operation, after penning a scathing farewell email and sending it to about 1,400 of the news agency's 2,000 editorial employees worldwide.

In a burn-the-bridges email, Europe-based senior correspondent Martin de Sa'Pinto revealed secret nicknames he used to skewer 10 editors and executives — and offered to buy his former colleagues beers and dinner if they could identify the people behind the names.

"To the many fine journalists among you with whom I've had the good fortune to work with, I say thanks it's been great working together and best of luck," wrote de Sa'Pinto, who had worked at Reuters for 7 ¹/₂ years. "To the politicians among you, congratulations on turning a vibrant and cooperative culture into something significantly more miserable and depressing. To you I say sod off, it's been really mediocre working with you."

He complained that he often had to dumb down complicated financial stories. "I didn't like being told to treat readers as though they were my grandmother," he said.

The nicknames on the infamous list: Yankers (aka Smurf, aka the very bad four-letter word in chief); The Magic Herring; Turtle Neck; Armytage; Chubba the Hut; The Lying Dutchman; The Eagle has Pharted; the DWeeb/DWarf Rabbit; The Impetuous Trout; Carman (hallucinating in the sky).

Reached yesterday by Media Ink, de Sa'Pinto said he had received about 60 guesses so far, nobody had more than five correct guesses.

Higher up on the masthead, Erle Norton, who was editorial director of Reuters Digital Video, is jumping ship to ABC News to become executive producer of ABC News Digital in an appointment announced by ABC News President Ben Sherwood.

18.18 | 0 komentar | Read More