Copyright 2011 The New York Sun Sun, 09 Jan 2011 08:01:02 -0500 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Jay Akasie :: Stories from The New York Sun http://www.nysun.com/authors/Jay+Akasie admin@nysun.net (Seth Lipsky) webmaster@nysun.com en-us JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/new-york/clergy-demand-answers-as-latest-figures-show-41/87189/ Thu, 6 Jan 2011 20:11:37 EST Some of New York City’s most prominent religious leaders are making a public demand for answers as to why decades of social welfare programs aimed at making abortions a rarity have not only failed, but failed so dramatically. The leaders — spanning Catholic, Jewish, and Protestant clergy — issued their demand at a press conference today at Manhattan. They said they are galvanized by new data showing that some 87,000 abortions were performed in New York City in 2009, a figure that accounts for... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/motoring/revenge-of-the-family-car/70988/ Fri, 8 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST The station wagon was supposed to be relegated to the dustbin of history. The heyday of the faux wood-paneled family truckster coincided with a time in American life when the Brady Bunch wasn't yet in reruns and the gas crisis — the first one, that is — hadn't affected society's penchant for large, body-on-frame automobiles. With the introduction of the 2008 Outback, however, we're told that this is now a "wagon-only" vehicle line. Subaru's announcement seems a bit peculiar at first, but it's... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/antiques/all-hail-americana/86459/ Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Several pieces of exceptional American antiques will hit the auction block here at the end of this week. Sotheby's holds a Friday morning sale of a collection of Americana belonging to the late Rear Admiral Edward Peerman Moore. The admiral and his wife were avid collectors whose friendship with the furniture dealer Israel Sack helped form one of the 20th century's highest-quality collections. Among the Moore items up for sale is a Chippendale cherrywood block-front chest of drawers probably... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/motoring/lady-liberty/70612/ Fri, 1 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST Khaki pants and TV dinners aren't the only staples of military life that the intrepid veterans of World War II introduced into mainstream society. America can also thank the U.S. Army for giving us the Jeep. In 1941, the military received an order of 1,500 light reconnaissance vehicles known as the Willys Model MA. An improved version, the MB, soon appeared on the front lines, but for reasons nobody knows for sure, soldiers began calling it a Jeep. It stands to reason that as the world became... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/motoring/when-concept-becomes-reality/70181/ Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST Chrysler has conquered the final frontier in the quest to produce the ideal environmentally friendly car. On paper, at least. The sleek ecoVoyager ranks among the best vehicles unveiled at this week's North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It boasts great lines and a luxurious, spacious cabin designed to evoke a private jet. Its power source is based on a compact lithium-ion battery pack and is supplemented by the latest hydrogen fuel cells. The ecoVoyager ends the complaint that... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/style/reimagining-fashion-as-decorative-art/86370/ Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST It's not every day a clothing auction draws the attention of a 20th-century decorative art and design specialist. But that's just what happened when Simon Andrews learned that his employer, Christie's, planned to sell the private collection of the co-founders of the renowned boutique Resurrection. Mark Haddawy and Katy Rodriguez opened the Mott Street shop dedicated to vintage and historic clothing in 1996. "These garments are as important as furniture, automobiles, and architecture in the... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/motoring/with-sporty-hummer-the-good-times-roll/70180/ Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST Another notable concept vehicle coming out of Detroit is the Hummer HX. General Motors is extending this brand with impressive results. With gas prices as high as they are, the idea behind this concept Hummer is to make it smaller and more fuel-efficient without losing either its mean looks or its magnificent off-road presence. The HX concept treads brazenly into the open-air SUV territory that Jeep has closely guarded over the years. This Hummer has removable door and roof panels, and even... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/arts/modern-art-on-an-ancestral-estate/86806/ Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST British aristocrats opening their estates to the public is nothing new. But credit the Duke of Devonshire with using the grounds of his stately home to host what's become a staple of the autumn art scene in Europe. The Duke, an art patron and aficionado who sits on Sotheby's board of directors, is using the landscaped grounds around Chatsworth, his 105-acre ancestral estate, for an extraordinary exhibition of Modern and Contemporary sculpture. It's not difficult to see why "Beyond Limits" has... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/opinion/closed-doors-at-episcopal-church/86576/ Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Just last month, the director of the Episcopal Church's Office of Government Relations, Maureen Shea, called on President Bush to open an "interests section" — essentially, a pared down embassy — in Tehran, Iran. "For too long, the U.S. policy of non-engagement with Iran has brought us inflammatory words and provocative actions and has failed to reduce tensions or move toward a just and peaceful relationship," Ms. Shea wrote in the letter, which she also addressed to the presidential candidates... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/arts/victorian-never-looked-so-good/86403/ Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST If Sir David Scott was anything like his peers in the 1920s, then he would have spent his lunchtime dining at one of the Pall Mall clubs. But Scott preferred to bike around London's West End and visit art galleries, a habit that helped him amass one of the greatest collections of Victorian art in the 20th century. Sotheby's American preview of the Scott Collection is on view until tomorrow evening at the York Avenue showroom. It is a chance to see works by artists that have only recently met... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/arts/pompeii-transported-to-washington-dc/86284/ Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST This fall, the National Gallery of Art will host the first major exhibition of ancient Roman art in the nation's capital. "Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture Around the Bay of Naples," which runs between October 19 and March 22, re-creates the world of the ancient citizens. "It's often been said that Washington is a city based on the French Enlightenment, but it's actually a Roman-style city," the National Gallery of Art's chief of exhibitions, Dodge Thompson, said. "Our... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/new-york/bloomberg-shoots-up-list-of-richest-greenberg-off/86134/ Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Mayor Bloomberg is far and away the richest man in town, according to the latest issue of Forbes magazine, beating out the likes of Carl Icahn, Ronald Perelman, and David Koch. In fact, the publication of the Forbes 400 special issue shows Mr. Bloomberg to be the eighth richest man in America, with a net worth of $20 billion. The ranking also gives the mayor the distinction of posting the most sizable jump in wealth in the past year, rising from no. 25 on the 2007 list, with a net worth of $11... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/arts/sothebys-stands-tall-with-hirst/85881/ Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Although the world's capital markets were in a tailspin, a potent combination of formaldehyde, butterflies, and skulls in London kept the market for art by Damien Hirst as strong as ever. Sotheby's auction of the celebrity artist's new works smashed sales records yesterday. The evening sale portion of Mr. Hirst's "Beautiful Inside My Head Forever" collection at Sotheby's headquarters established a new auction record for a single work: "The Golden Calf," an enormous bull calf encased in a... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/antiques/jerusalems-hip-historic-hood/85522/ Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST JERUSALEM — In an age when people spend more time in front of their computer screens than they do interacting face-to-face, a noted architect has skillfully drawn on his knowledge of history and antiques to design one of the most striking and beautiful urban spaces in the world. Most of the Mamila-Alrov Quarter opened this season in Jerusalem, capping off a 35-year quest of the Canadian-Israeli architect Moshe Safdie to create a thoroughly modern shopping and dining destination just outside the... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/arts/christies-will-have-dedicated-contemporary-design/85143/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST When artist Marc Newson's "Pod of Drawers" sold for $1.048 million at Christie's Post-War and Contemporary Art sale in May 2007, it was enough of a premium — some $300,000 more than the estimate — to get Christie's specialists thinking that it was high time to devote an auction solely to Contemporary design. "That was a crystallizing moment for us," a vice president at Christie's, Carina Villinger, said. "We realized that Contemporary design had tremendous crossover appeal and that the market... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/antiques/teaching-children-the-benefits-of-restoration/84677/ Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST One of the most desirable features of antique furniture is the patina that comes with age — so much so that an aggressive refinishing job will often diminish the market value of a piece. Dirt and grime aren't as glamorous, however, when the antique in question is a prominent work of public, outdoor art. That's why the area around Grant's Tomb in Morningside Heights is once again home to hundreds of busy volunteers as they restore "The Rolling Bench," a 35-year-old, multicolor mosaic sculpture... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/antiques/sothebys-to-sell-british-guns/84200/ Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Every serious sportsman knows that by late August, the Scottish Highlands offer an array of riches. Grouse season is a couple weeks under way. Deer stalking is at its peak, and the fly-fishing doesn't get any better. Sotheby's annual sale of antique sporting guns at the Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland is popular this time of year because winning bidders can walk out the door and take to the field with their elegantly engraved rifles and shotguns. City bankers and sundry members of the English... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/arts/highlights-from-the-scottish-school/84157/ Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST The auction world might be busy preparing for the major fall sales, but there's one sign that the dog days of summer aren't over quite yet. Sotheby's holds its Scottish & Sporting Pictures sale at the Gleneagles Hotel on August 26. A laid-back, late-summer event, it has been attracting a diverse crowd of art aficionados to the Highlands for four decades. "Buyers nowadays are more receptive to all eras of British painting. It's a very fun crowd at the Gleneagles," the head of Scottish Pictures... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/antiques/masks-jade-more/83790/ Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST While all eyes are on the athletes at the Olympic Games in Beijing, collectors of Chinese art and antiques will have a chance to flex their competitive muscles, too. On August 24, the I.M. Chait Gallery's International Fine Arts Auction in Beverly Hills, Calif., will feature sculpture, porcelains, and a substantial cache of jade carvings. The Chait Gallery customarily holds the majority of its sales in New York City, but this month's sale is located on the West Coast to accommodate the growing... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/style/keeping-the-pace/83166/ Tue, 5 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST During a gathering of the Wall Street Watch Club, which is a series of cocktail parties hosted by Dealmaker magazine, one of the timepieces on view was Blancpain's new Carrousel Volant Une Minute. Self-winding and water resistant up to 100 meters, it retails for $180,300. While the average Casio — or mobile telephone, for that matter — can tell time as accurately as its high-end counterpart, wristwatches such as the Blancpain model remain the only discernible fashion statement for men. Fashion... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/opinion/losses-at-lambeth/83118/ Mon, 4 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST If there's one thing on which the fractured pool of Anglican bishops can agree, it's that the Lambeth Conference is an enormous waste of time and money. Lambeth — named for the Archbishop of Canterbury's opulent London palace — is the once-a-decade gathering of the bishops of the Anglican Communion, of which the Episcopal Church here in America is a small part. Sadly, it's the New York City-area Episcopalian delegation to Lambeth that is to blame — once again — for ruining the conference. This... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/new-york/in-reversal-police-approve-parade-permit/82950/ Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST The Evacuation Day parade is on. The Sons of the Revolution, New York's group of descendants of Revolutionary War veterans, will be able to hold its historic parade this fall in Lower Manhattan celebrating the 225th anniversary of the last British forces to leave the city, a police spokesman said. The New York City Police Department's commissioner, Raymond Kelly, ordered another review of the group's application for a parade permit yesterday after learning that it had been rejected in May. The... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/new-york/sons-of-revolution-appeal-citys-denial-of-parade/82886/ Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Note: Correction appended. The Sons of the Revolution, a New York-based group of descendants of Revolutionary War veterans, are appealing the city's denial of a permit to hold a parade this fall marking the 225th anniversary of the departure of British troops from the city. Evacuation Day in New York celebrates the last shot of the Revolutionary War, a cannonball blasted at Manhattan from the deck of a British naval vessel as the last Redcoats left America. On November 25, 1783, after the... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/antiques/antiques-the-hells-kitchen-way/82833/ Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST While the new flea market in Fort Greene has shoppers and churchgoers at odds, things are relatively peaceful at the Hell's Kitchen flea market. Dealers from all around the Northeast come to this stretch of pavement on 39th Street between Ninth and Tenth avenues. When the "Garage," the market's two-floor annex in an indoor parking garage on West 25th Street, closes this fall, the former garage-based dealers will join the gang on 39th Street. But even that is likely to be a smooth transition... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/arts/prints-at-studio-prices/82688/ Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST What does $2,000 get you in the art market today? More than you might think. At Christie's mid-season print sale on Thursday, many pieces have estimates that resemble the price of the monthly rent on a one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan. "What's appealing to many people about a mid-season print sale is that the price range is for the most part below $5,000 a print," a specialist in the print department at Christie's, Tudor Davies, said. And the names of the artists are good ones. A number of... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/antiques/cathedral-restoration-courtesy-of-magna-carta/81980/ Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST To embark on the mother of all restoration projects, it's good to have the mother of all historical documents to help with the fund-raising efforts. An original 1215 version of the Magna Carta, which sat lost and forgotten in the archives of England's medieval Lincoln Cathedral for six centuries, is coming to Manhattan this fall. The visit is part of an aggressive fund-raising campaign aimed at restoring the cathedral, which conservators and architectural consultants estimate will have to come... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/arts/masters-and-surprises/81409/ Tue, 8 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST The eccentric German philanthropist Gustav Rau spent part of the last century running an automotive parts empire he inherited from his father. Then, at the age of 40, he enrolled in medical school, became a physician, and moved to Africa, where he built a hospital in the Belgian Congo. The one constant in Rau's extraordinary life was a love of Old Master paintings. Part of his collection, with works ranging from the late Gothic to the mid-18th century, will be sold tomorrow evening at Sotheby's... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/arts/contemporary-auctions-poised-to-take-off/80856/ Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST When Jeff Koons's "Balloon Flower (Magenta)" sculpture went on display in London's St. James's Square last week, the members of the many gentlemen's clubs nearby were among the first to realize that the Contemporary sales of the major auction houses were approaching in a major way. "In the center of the square is an equestrian statue of William III and now, on one end, is a Jeff Koons sculpture. This sort of thing was sure to stir things up in St. James's Square," a Christie's spokesman... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/arts/a-rare-titantic-original-for-sale/80598/ Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST While James Cameron's film "Titanic" revived interest in the historic tragedy, the 1997 movie supported an extensive market for forgeries of material connected to the doomed ship. "The reality is that 99% of the things associated with the Titanic are replicas and reproductions," the specialist and head of sale for today's Ocean Liner auction at Christie's, Gregg Dietrich, said. "Someone recently approached us with a bunch of Titanic items that turned out to be from a museum gift shop." The... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/arts/in-london-will-moderns-move/80473/ Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST Nothing heralds the arrival of the summer auctions quite like a vibrant seaside scene — be it in the hand of Claude Monet, Lyonel Feininger, or even Ren้ Magritte. Both Sotheby's and Christie's are holding significant Impressionist and Modern evening sales in London this week, a far cry from the days when the auction market would traditionally cool down for the season. "We're seeing a very strong market for top quality Impressionist paintings this summer," the vice chairman of Impressionist &... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/health-fitness/bipolar-illness-and-crime-a-difficult-connection/80491/ Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST When a respected local historian and author admitted in court this spring that he had stolen letters written by George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, his attorney disclosed that his client suffers from bipolar disorder, a condition he claimed clouded his judgment. Edward Renehan Jr. was the director of the Theodore Roosevelt Association in Oyster Bay, Long Island, at the time of the thefts that occurred between January 2006 and October 2007. As more Americans are diagnosed with bipolar... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/new-york/christies-to-auction-buckley-belongings/80504/ Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:55:26 EST America's conservatives, take note: Christie's plans to hold an auction of select contents of both the Park Avenue maisonette and the Stamford, Conn., country house of the late William F. Buckley Jr. Christie's is working with the estate of the National Review founder, who died earlier this year at 82. His wife, the socialite Patricia Buckley, died last year. "We are honored to be offering this property for sale," a spokesman at Christie's Rockefeller Center offices, Rik Pike, said. In what... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/opinion/sailing-around-the-world/80391/ Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST ABOARD THE SV NEW YORK IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC — Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man to sail non-stop around the world alone, is quick to point out that far fewer people have circumnavigated the globe than have climbed Mount Everest. The reason for sailing's preeminence among the great human achievements goes something like this: For climbers, a storm on a mountain face is a time to hunker down and wait for it to pass. For sailors racing on the high seas, a storm is when a sailboat's crew must... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/business/honda-rolls-out-hydrogen-powered-car/80154/ Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST The first-ever commercially available hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered sedan will be leased to consumers in America and Japan by Honda beginning next month. The FCX Clarity is a completely new automobile designed from the drawing board to utilize a hydrogen fuel cell engine as its sole power source, according to the company. The appearance of the new Honda in showrooms in the world's largest auto market is a clear sign that the automaker anticipates growing consumer interest in fuel cell technology... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/arts/need-a-garage-buy-the-artek-pavilion/79924/ Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST Not one chair from Mies van der Rohe's breakthrough Barcelona Pavilion from 1929 survives today. After the World's Fair came to a close, organizers disassembled the entire structure and threw away all of its Modernist furnishings, chairs and all. That's a far cry from the fate of the Artek Pavilion, the most notable lot in tomorrow's 20th Century Design auction at Sotheby's. The prefabricated structure, built for the 2007 Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan, will hit the block with a sale... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/travel/learning-history-in-virginia/79727/ Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST In the spring of 1775, Patrick Henry spoke the words that would make him one of the most important Americans in history: "Give me liberty or give me death!" Now, some 230 years after that rousing speech to Virginia's congressional delegation, a new group of Virginians is making sure this patriot receives proper attention. A handful of the commonwealth's most prominent historical sites and institutions have come together to present a look at a man who has been called the orator of the American... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/health-fitness/search-is-on-for-new-diseases-and-their-cures/79563/ Mon, 9 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST Patients who have had scores of tests for unexplained conditions that doctors have so far been unable to diagnose may yet have treatment options under a new National Institutes of Health initiative. A director of the Undiagnosed Diseases Program, William Gahl, said he expects the NIH effort will be a way for physicians to discover new diseases — and then attempt to begin finding cures for them. Recent advances in genetics — including biochemical genetics, or the study of "inborn errors of... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/arts/garden-for-sale-gnomes-and-all/79463/ Fri, 6 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST The auctioneer Colin Stair recalls the first time he visited Salander-O'Reilly Galleries's grand East 71st Street townhouse. "I was struck by Mr. Salander's incredibly good taste. It was easy to see why he had so many high-profile clients," he said. These days, nobody knows more about the furnishings of that limestone townhouse than Mr. Stair: He's been chosen to administer the June 7 sale of the gallery's Renaissance furniture collection, picture frames, and impressive English garden statuary... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/arts/pretty-picture/79349/ Wed, 4 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST It might be only skin deep, but beauty does not fail to influence the value of a portrait. Consider two mid-17th-century paintings of English ladies up for auction at the Sotheby's Old Master sale today. The first, "Portrait of Elizabeth Capell, Countess of Carnarvon" by Sir Peter Lely, is the noted artist's best attempt to make a homely young woman look attractive. Sotheby's estimates it will sell between $100,000 and $150,000. "If she were beautiful, the painting would be worth a million... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/arts/authentic-and-up-for-sale/78971/ Fri, 30 May 2008 00:00:00 EST When it comes to art, authenticity doesn't always come easily. The Sotheby's London sale of Old Masters includes a recently rediscovered portrait by 17th-century Dutch master Frans Hals. The portrait — of a wealthy textile merchant, Willem van Heythuysen — had been in the Rothschild collection for centuries and is estimated to sell for between $6 million and $10 million. At some point since its creation in 1635, the painting's surface and heritage were obscured; it was thought to be a later... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/arts/american-art-delivers-at-christies/76838/ Thu, 22 May 2008 00:00:00 EST Buyers set two records at Christie's sale of American paintings Wednesday, a clear sign that global interest in American works of art continues to grow. The $72.6 million in combined sales of 111 lots makes yesterday's auction a record for an American art sale at Christie's. The Midtown auction saw a new record set for any American Modernist painting sold at public auction. Marsden Hartley's "Lighthouse" fetched $6.13 million after a highly anticipated sale. The painting was recently... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/arts/marsden-hartley-goes-on-the-block-in-american-sale/76768/ Wed, 21 May 2008 00:00:00 EST Restitution of lost wartime paintings is a common theme in the art world. But a slight twist on a common theme — confiscation by the Red Army, not the Nazis — is what's making a rediscovered Marsden Hartley masterpiece the most important lot of today's American sale at Christie's. Until recently, Hartley's 1915 oil-on-canvas "Lighthouse" never left eastern Germany. It spent most of its life in the basement of a sleepy museum outside Leipzig, confiscated after World War II by Soviet soldiers... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/health-fitness/brave-new-world-of-medicine-robotic-surgery-nears/76630/ Mon, 19 May 2008 00:00:00 EST Talk about a major step in human-cyborg relations: Biomedical engineers at Duke University are building a robot surgeon that will have the potential to operate in remote locations with little or no human guidance. To science-fiction fans, this development carries tremendous appeal, as robots equipped with artificial intelligence may soon be able to travel virtually anywhere and perform sophisticated surgeries on patients — even treating astronauts in orbit. There are also more immediate — and... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/health-fitness/tinnitus-cases-expected-to-increase/76257/ Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 EST A biologist at Northwestern University, Ernest Moore, has stumbled upon a drug that could treat a condition that plagues more than 50 million Americans, or about one-sixth of the population. Tinnitus, characterized by a constant ringing noise in the ears, is currently helped by a mechanical device that look similar to a hearing aide that emit sounds in an attempt to mask the inner-ear noise. Now, Mr. Moore says he may have found a drug that can prevent tinnitus from developing. He applied... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/new-york/sinatra-stamp-marks-one-cent-postal-increase/76125/ Fri, 9 May 2008 00:00:00 EST It seems it's still Frank Sinatra's world — and we just live in it. Ten years after Ol' Blue Eyes's death, the United States Postal Service will issue a full-color, 42-cent stamp emblazoned with his image. Sinatra's three children — Nancy, Frank Jr., and Tina — will preside over unveiling ceremonies here and in Las Vegas next Tuesday. As part of its one-cent postal rate increase for first-class stamps, the post office is issuing 120 million 42-cent Sinatra stamps, which picture Sinatra in the... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/opinion/obama-is-not-alone/75771/ Fri, 2 May 2008 00:00:00 EST Most of us who aren't running for president lack the ability to publicly condemn the extremist agendas espoused by clergymen like the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. So it was with satisfaction that many members of America's mainline Protestant churches watched Senator Obama denounce his pastor's recent sermons and speeches this week. Rev. Wright, a Congregationalist pastor, holds the kind of views that should, one would hope, place him on the fringes of society. But make no mistake about it: Rev... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/opinion/more-than-a-humvee/75329/ Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST The Humvee looked like a steel monster when it first arrived on Army bases in 1985. The Jeep, the venerable all-purpose vehicle that carried soldiers, supplies, and armaments in World War II and through the next four decades, looked downright cute alongside its replacement. Back in the 1980s, the Department of Defense's top brass reasoned that America would be facing new foes in never-before-imagined military engagements in the new century. The Humvee was designed during the height of the Cold... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/business/hedge-fund-executives-beat-bankers-to-top-forbes/74868/ Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST Main Street might be mired in a formidable economic slump, but the top players on Wall Street earned record sums last year, according to a new Forbes magazine list. All 20 of the financiers on Forbes's second annual ranking of Wall Street's top earners released yesterday made fortunes by correctly betting on the housing debacle, the rise in commodities prices, and the increasing risk of stagflation. At least $350 million was required to crack the Top 20, some $90 million more than the year... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/new-york/herms-and-bugatti-together-again-for-24-million/74025/ Wed, 2 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST Here's one set of wheels that is worth a trip downtown: the $2.4 million, 1001-horsepower Bugatti Veyron "Fbg par Herm่s" spec edition roadster. Volkswagen AG revived the formidable Bugatti brand name three years ago with the original edition Veyron. With a carbon fiber-composite body and a top speed of 250 miles per hour, it's the fastest production car ever built. The Herm่s edition, unveiled this morning at Battery Park Gardens and on display later today at the new Herm่s boutique on Broad... JAY AKASIE http://www.nysun.com/new-york/pope-to-lead-service-at-german-speaking-parish/73556/ Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in Yorkville, one of the last German-speaking parishes in the city, will host Pope Benedict XVI next month. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York has confirmed that the pontiff has accepted Edward Cardinal Egan's invitation to come to the Italianate limestone church on East 87th Street at First Avenue and lead an ecumenical prayer service there April 18. "The pope will pray with Christian leaders at the church and take time afterwards to meet with a few...