Graffiti-Free NYC Under The Cover Of Darkness

In 1999, the New York City Economic Development Corporation initiated the Graffiti-Free NYC Program. Hoping to eradicate graffiti where ever they could, their tools include a fleet of 23 "graffiti removal vehicles...equipped to both paint and power-wash buildings and other structures covered with graffiti." One of those trucks can be seen at work in the video at left, recently posted to NYCEDC's YouTube page. Their services are provided at no-cost for affected properties.

As you can see, they've got their work cut out for themselves on that wall, their efforts oddly being recorded under the cover of darkness with bright lights illuminating their workspace. The NYCEDC did not respond to requests for the location of the wall. They boast that since the programs inception, more than 170 million square feet of surface area has been cleaned of graffiti. 

Previously:
Lovestruck Graffiti Sprouts All Over Chinatown In Lower East Side
The Hidden Graffiti Of Chinatown
NYPD Admires Freshly Bombed Deitch Wall By Barry McGee And Co.
Summer Of Jim Joe
Clowning Around On Chelsea

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McNally Jackson Books Unveils Print On Demand Machine

Nolita's McNally Jackson Books has a new toy named William Caxton. William, seen above, is an Espresso Book Machine 2.0 made by Soho's On Demand Books that offers on-demand printing of any book available in the public domain, whether in print or not. Selling for $97,500, plus printer, version 2.0 is quite a bit smaller than the first machine that was on display at the New York Public Library in 2007.

One of 22 machines ODB has distributed across the country, they are: "...essentially an ATM for books that automatically prints, binds, and trims, on demand at point of sale, perfect-bound, library-quality paperback books." A 300-page book can be produced in four minutes and, ODB claims, are "indistinguishable" from any book on the shelf. Watch video of the machine in action, below.

UPDATED: Brawl Time At Munch Time In The Bronx

Customers at the Munch Time diner on east 170th Street in the Bronx got more than they ordered on Sunday evening when a violent, seat clearing brawl broke out amongst six women.  One whom was considerate enough to place a child on a nearby table before joining the fray herself. Watch the unappetizing video below.

Twitter Bird Taunts Soho Residents

The Twitter bird strikes again! And this time it seems to be taunting all those women laughing alone eating salad, or in this case, patrons who have just left Once Upon a Tart in Soho on Sullivan Street north of Prince Street, where this bird was spotted out front situated in a tree. See the one spotted this summer on Mott Street, below.

Emergency Snow Laborers Hit Tribeca Over The Weekend

Supplementing an impressive number of Department of Sanitation plows and front loaders in the area, a motley crew of emergency snow laborers who answered the call for work were seen on Greenwich Street in Tribeca on Saturday clearing snow from fire hydrants, curb cuts and more. There were 12 members in the crew above, including one DSNY employee supervising.

Previously:
Astonishing Video Of Brooklyn's Coney Island Avenue After Blizzard
Blizzard Turns Back Clock To 1978
Everyone Is Stuck In The Snow!

» Follow NYC The Blog on Facebook and Twitter. Photo credit: Paolo Mastrangelo/NYC The Blog

Fight On The LIRR

Riding the LIRR anytime can be a test of patience, but never more so than on a weekend night. Though dated from 2002,  this complaint rings true today: late-night commuters on the LIRR "are at full screech, shouting at the top of their lungs, sometimes in drunken abandon." To wit: here's video of a large, loud fight that broke out in one car before the Christmas weekend. As one aggressor proudly noted: "631 baby."

UPDATED: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo 'Doesn't Have Time To Twitter' But Someone On His Team Does

UPDATE: @NYGovernor was indeed an impostor (@NickFahrenkopf is claiming responsibility.) @NYGovernor apparently was linked to at http://www.governor.ny.gov before the account went live, and was never registered. @NickFahrenkopf noticed this, registered the account and "had some fun." Governor Cuomo’s webteam has edited the Governor's website and replaced link to impostor Twitter with a link to the official Twitter. Screengrabs of all the mixups here.
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After New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's personal Twitter account was deleted or suspended, a new one appeared at @NYGovernor with a surprisingly unconventional bio page. It's still not clear if Twitter or the Cuomo team deleted the @AndrewCuomo account, but Cuomo's new Twitter account told NYC The Blog that the "Governor doesn't have time to twitter on his own." Instead, the "best web and social media people around," are working on it.

In response to questions about the interesting bio page, @NYGovernor responded: "What's offensive about the bio? Seems accurate..." and then solicited suggestions for a new bio. One constituent found the current bio in "bad taste," and another thinks "the staffer who created the account needs to look for a new job." All of this is to say the Twitter account of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo seems very unorthodox and has people perplexed, including Jim Roberts, an associate managing editor of The New York Times. As to questions about the authenticity of the new Twitter account, it is linked from the Governor's .gov page.

UPDATE: Whomever is tweeting at @NYGovernor sent a Direct Message via Twitter to NYC The Blog, requesting "media questions" be sent via email. An email address at NYGovernor@gmail.com was provided. When asked if Governor Cuomo was aware of this Twitter account or if it was authorized, NYGovernor@gmail.com responded: "I'm working the @NYGovernor twitter feed, but don't have anything to do with media relations. Since you're actively updating a website/blog I can't answer right away. I do have your questions and will get back to you soon." Multiple requests inquiring if the person tweeting at @NYGovernor was an official representative for Andrew Cuomo were ignored.

UPDATE: NYC The Blog is on hold with the Governor's office, trying to get more information. In the meantime, its been suggested that @NYGovCuomo is the real Twitter account for Governor Cuomo, and a tremendous oversight was likely made at http://www.governor.ny.gov when a link was given for @NYGovernor.

Previously:
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's Twitter Takes Bizarre Turn
UPDATED: Did Twitter Suspend And Delete New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's Twitter Account?

» Follow NYC The Blog on Facebook and Twitter. Photo credit: @NYGovernor/Twitter

UPDATED: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's Twitter Takes Bizarre Turn

>>SEE MOST RECENT UPDATE HERE.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has a new Twitter account, linked directly on his official .gov page. He lists his bio as: "First elected Governor of the State of New York since the Luv Guv. @shellysilver calls me Mario's Kid. I live with @sandrashm and like classic cars." Unless this is an incredibly elaborate hoax which would have required access to the New York Governor's own official website, that bio seems in incredible poor taste, no? @shellysilver, by the way, is a parody Twitter account for Shelly Silver, and the "Luv Guv" of course refers to former Governor Eliot Spitzer.

The new @NYGovernor account comes on the heels of Cuomo's previous account being "suspended due to strange activity."

UPDATE I: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo removes reference to "Luv Guv" on his bio page and reminds people where you can still see the old one if you missed it.
UPDATE II: Incredible Hoax

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UPDATED: Did Twitter Suspend And Delete New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's Twitter Account?

Andrew Cuomo was sworn in as Governor of New York State last night. And as of at least this morning, it appears Twitter has suspended and deleted his official Twitter account "due to strange activity." In tests, Cuomo's Twitter was deleted or suspended as seen via Firefox, Safari and mobile browser.

NYC The Blog has reached out Twitter and Andrew Cuomo's team for more information and will update with any responses received. You can see Cuomo's Twitter page in Google's Cache below.