Bond No. 9 Fragrances We Won't Be Seeing on Shelves

Last year, perfume company Bond No. 9 created a line of perfumes in homage to New York City. At Basenotes recently, a website all things frangrance, a discussion in the forums was started: Bond Fragrances We Won't Be Seeing on Shelves. The following ten start things off. 

1. Fulton Fish Market
2. Nathan's
3. NY Cab Driver
4. Little Chechnya
5. Port Authority Bus Terminal
6. Central Booking
7. Meat Packing District
8. Chelsea Meth Lab
9. 92nd Street Y
10. "B" Train

Bond No. 9 has already captured the scent of Chinatown and "Nouveau Bowery" however, so some of these seem plausible. 

Bond Fragrances We Won't Be Seeing on Shelves [Basenotes]
Capturing The Scents Of The City, One Bottle Of Perfume At A Time [NYC The Blog]

Blockbuster Rolls Out 200 DVD Rental Kiosks In Duane Read

Blockbuster is making big moves into the DVD rental kiosk business in New York City.  paidContent.org reports that Blockbuster expects to have 200 kiosks rolled out by the end of this month, and 2,500 kiosks nationwide. This pales in comparison to Redbox who are ballin' with 22,210 kiosks, but inexplicably, Redbox only has three kiosks in Manhattan, according to the Wall St Journal.

The photo at right, taken at a Duane Read on 3rd Ave btw 92nd and 93rd St, is one of the 200 Blockbuster kiosks that were installed in New York City Duane Reade stores last month.

And lest you be confused with this newfangled technology, having never before seen an ATM, vending machine, or Redbox at the grocery store, Alex Camara, vice president and general manager of NCR Entertainment, the company that owns the kiosks, told the WSJ: "Having the Blockbuster brand means [consumers] immediately know what the kiosk is and what the kiosk does."

The price for a rental, for those who are not familiar, is a cool one dollar bill.

Related:  What Netflix Members In The Five Boroughs Are Watching

BNE Backlash Grows

Bucky Turco saw the writing on the wall on Dec 9, in advance of a gallery opening for the artwork of enthusiastic sticker collector BNE, when Turco tweeted: "Let the hate begin, laf. BNE gets up in the New York Times."

Though it would have been hard to find a fan of BNE's work prior to his gallery opening, the critics have become more vocal since. In addition to the sticker photographed above on West 17th St., Bowery Boogie has seen evidence of other BNE stickers getting the cross out treatment, and others have taken to their Twitter to tell us how they really feel.

UPDATE: Sidewalk Shed Stays Free Of Graffiti For 43 Days And Counting

When NYC The Blog last checked in with the sidewalk shed on the corner of Elizabeth and Kenmare, it had been free of graffiti for 23 days. This is made all the more notable in light of the clean white surface beckoning fellow art majors, seen at right. Well...a spot check done last night confirms the spot has not yet been embellished, and is now free of graffiti or street art for an astonishing 43 days. Not even one sticker!

If a large print of my face shows up there this week, I just want to take this opportunity to deny any responsibility.

290 Mulberry St: Art Project, Residential Apartments Nobody Wants, Or Both?

According to their website, Arts Corporation is a multimedia laboratory interested in the intersections of art, architectural design, and technology. It seems they might also be responsible for the colorful light display previously seen at 290 Mulberry, if the placard at right seen affixed to it's sidewalk shed is accurate. (click through for larger version).

It identifies the multi-color light show as an art project—indeed it identifies the whole building— (a la Paul Richard) as an art project titled: Your Lights Are On But You're Not Home, 2009. An installation of "indefinte duration," consisting of Halogen and Neon Lamps, Times, Electrical Cord, Concrete, Brick, Glass, Steel, and Plastic: 40' x 60' x 140'. It was made possible "courtesy of Cardinal Investments," the developer behind 290 Mulberry. It seems a little cheeky in light of the big problems the building is facing. As well, the placard was haphazardly affixed with double sided tape, and I never noticed it there prior. Arts Corporation did not respond to an email inquiry looking for confirmation.

For more information on 290 Mulberry, check Curbed.com for complete coverage where their most recent post on the building reports the project's lender "is attempting to foreclose on the building and force a sale," "the building's construction manager filed its own lis pendens seeking over $1.7 million in unpaid fees," and "no apartments are listed as being in contract."

[Arts Corporation]
[290 Mulberry St]

New York Times' International Herald Tribune Runs First World Wide Front Page Advertisement

On Dec 14, blogger Drunken Expat Writer posted a photo (seen at right) of a the International Herald Tribune with a full page advertisement for Rolex adorning it's front page. He titled the post: "F*ck You International Herald Tribune," continuing, "...you become the first "newspaper of record" to sell your entire front page to advertisers. You should be ashamed. Even William Randolf Hearst wouldn't have done this."

According to Jean-Christophe Demarta, Director of International Advertising for the New York Times Media Group, which published IHT, this is not the first time they covered the front page in an ad, but it was the first time they did so world wide. He told NYC The Blog in an email:

The principle of doing a coverwrap is not new. The IHT does it frequently on several distribution zones such as hotels, airport lounges or trade fairs. However, it was the first time that the IHT ran such an ad on a WW basis.

Asked about the cost for such a campaign, as there was no rate card available for such an option, Demarta emailed:

The rate cannot be found on our standard card and can only be communicated if the name of the client and the nature of the operation is known. I am sure you understand that this a very exceptional execution which cannot be repeated frequently.

This is clearly a sensitive issue for the IHT, and it seems that someone at the company has taken to the comments at Drunken Expat Writer to defend this first ever world wide front page ad:

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene - Full Pamphlet On Intravenous Drug Use: Take Charge Take Care - 10 Tips for Safer Use

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has published a guidebook for intravenous drug users titled: "Take Charge Take Care - 10 Tips for Safer Use." It offers smart and important information on preventing disease, bodily harm, or death, while using heroin or other intravenous opiates. Tips include what to do if someone overdoses: lay the individual on their side to prevent choking, administer Narcan if you have it on hand; How to find your veins: jump up and down prior to shooting up, (a warm body increases the visibility of your veins); or what to do with used needles: dispose of them in a thick container such as an empty laundry detergent bottle, label it as toxic waste, and dispose of them at a hospital, where it is noted, they have to take them.

View the full pamphlet on Flickr or in a slideshow below:

Opiate use has been reported to be responsible for 70% of all drug misuse deaths. The information contained in this pamphlet can help an addict maintain their health and extend their chances for recovery, in effect buying someone time until they enter a treatment facility. In turn, likely saving a life.

Unfortunately, the men at the United Stated Drug Enforcement Agency take a different view, with 1010WINS quoting DEA Special Agent-In-Charge John Gilbride as calling the pamphlet, which clearly falls under disease prevention and health care services, "very disturbing."

Cue righteous indignation by the New York Post in 3...2...

Related:

• Slideshow of heroin addict getting his kit and shooting up. [Vimeo]
  
• A (good) shot in the arm that’s saving junkies’ lives. [The Villager]