Free Republic

You can call it a bureaucratic blunder … or a Washington blooper. But any way you slice it a move by the federal government to make the city remove Times Square’s iconic billboards falls in the category of “whose bright idea is this?” It is known as the “Crossroads of the World,” the “Center of the Universe” and “the Great White Way,” but Times Square could become like the “Black Hole of Calcutta” if the federal government has its way, CBS2’s Marcia Kramer reported Tuesday. The feds say many of Times Square’s huge and neon-lit billboards must come down or...

Are the NYT's and James Risen at fault here? Investigators of the failed car bombing in Times Square are looking for a money courier they say helped funnel cash from overseas to finance a Pakistani-American's preparations to blow up the crude gasoline-and-propane bomb in the heart of New York, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. Investigators have the name of the courier they believe helped Faisal Shahzad pay for the used SUV and other materials to rig up a car bomb that would have caused a huge fireball in Times Square if it had gone off, the official...

Of all the statistics from the recent New Year’s Eve in Times Square—1 million revelers, 2,000 pounds of confetti, thousands of police officers, dozens of surveillance cameras—there is one number that stands out: zero, as in zero tickets for low-level crimes. No tickets for having an open container of alcohol, no tickets for public urination, no tickets for double parking, no tickets for furry, costumed characters hassling tourists to take their picture. Add in low-level arrests, and there was just one, for a subway-related offense. And that wasn’t just on New Year’s Eve. That was for the entire week containing...

Anti-police protesters are planning to disrupt New Year’s Eve celebrations at major metropolitan sites. The website Stop Mass Incarceration calls upon activists to not allow New Years Eve 2015 “to go down because business as usual in Amerikkka includes wanton police murder of Black people.”

“To the Lone Wolves in America: How to Make a Bomb in Your Kitchen, to Create Scenes of Horror in Tourist Spots and Other Targets.” Why would they want to “create scenes of horror”? Could it have anything to do with the Qur’an’s command to “strike terror into the hearts of the enemies of Allah (8:60)?

Supporters of the Islamic State terror group are being urged to attack Times Square and other popular American tourist attractions with easily assembled homemade bombs, according to a disturbing report Tuesday. A message posted on an ISIS Web forum lists widely available ingredients needed to build a pipe bomb, and includes photos showing how to combine them into a deadly explosive device, Vocativ reported. The Arabic-language message cites Times Square — the scene of a failed car-bomb attack in 2010 by al Qaeda sympathizer Faisal Shahzad — and the Las Vegas Strip as prime targets, but also suggests striking sites...

The protest in Times Square is not spontaneous but planned and coordinated http://news.ca.msn.com/top-stories/effort-of-love-cities-across-us-hold-vigils-for-michael-brown https://storify.com/FeministaJones/national-moment-of-silence-nmos14 planned and coordinated by “Feminista Jones” http://twitchy.com/2014/08/14/nmos14-vigils-demonstrations-protest-police-brutality-nationwide-photos/#disqus_thread http://feministajones.com/blog/ “Sex-Positive Feminism, Race, Politics, and Kinky Things” With help from ColorOfChange.org. "On August 9, 2014 a Ferguson police officer racially profiled and fatally shot unarmed, Black, 18-year-old, Michael Brown as he walked to his grandmother's residence with a friend." - ColorOfChange ColorOfChange.org was co-founded by James Rucker, former Director Of MoveOn.org. Rucker also co-founded the Secretary of State Project He is a member of the board of directors of the Southern Poverty Law Center

The fifth night of demonstrations in support of gunned down Ferguson, Missouri teen Michael Brown saw scores of protesters marching through the streets of New York in a vigil that culminated in Times Square Thursday night. Tensions flared as some protestors attempted to shove their way through a police barricade set up in their path toward the beating heart of the city. Police held their own and tempers soon calmed, but as night gripped New York, the already congested Times Square ground to a halt as thousands flowed into the streets to demand an end to police brutality and militarization...

It’s called the Crossroads of the World, but these days it’s the Worst Place on Earth. Traffic, tourists, construction, commuters and a seemingly endless array of cartoon characters, nudists and hawkers, add up to a nightmare on the Great White Way.

A group called American Atheists has posted a high-profile billboard in New York City's Times Square depicting Christianity as a “myth,” apparently mocking Jesus Christ on the cross. The group, which first launched its Christmas “myth” campaign in 2010, ramped up its campaign with a giant sign that features an image of Santa Claus, an equally large picture portraying a suffering Jesus on the cross, along with the phrase, “Keep the Merry — Dump the Myth!”David Silverman, president of the atheist club, claimed in a press release that his group thinks “a large population of Christians are actually 'atheists'...

But once a year, Applebee’s goes high-end. The chain’s franchise-owned restaurant in the heart of New York’s Times Square offers a $375-a-person New Year’s Eve bash that’s billed as “a night to remember.” (Those under 12 can get in for $250.)

Justice Sotomayor to Drop Ball, Not Gavel, on 2014 Times Square Countdown December 29, 2013 NEW YORK — U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor will take center stage among about 1 million revelers in New York's Times Square to usher in 2014 by pressing the button to lower the iconic countdown ball, organizers said on Sunday. New York native Sotomayor will join pop star Lady Gaga, boxing great Muhammad Ali as well as Bill and Hillary Clinton among those who have had the honor of starting the ball drop, which organizers said will be watched by an estimated 1...

The countdown to the new year in Times Square is getting some high-profile help—U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. The organizers of the annual celebration announced Sunday that Sotomayor will lead the final 60-second countdown and push the ceremonial button to signal the descent of the Times Square New Year’s Eve ball. …

George Zimmerman was found not guilty Saturday of the second-degree murder of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla., — and many are not happy about it. Protests are taking place in cities across the U.S., and one of the larger protests is happening in New York City's Times Square. Thousands have taken to the streets to protest the verdict, shouting "No justice" and "Trayvon." There's a large police presence to ensure the protests remain peaceful, and so far they have been. The protests, which began in Union Square, morphed into a march headed towards Times Square. From Reuters: About 1,000 to...

Posted By EdBigCon: The Bomber’s (Terrorists) stop for gas may have foiled the trip to New York City. NYPD Commissioner: Tsarnaev brothers had 6 IED’s for use in New York City, 1 Pressure Cooker Bomb and 5 Pipe Bombs. Fox News Report: The Boston Marathon bombing suspects had Times Square in their sights before law enforcement authorities put an end to their bloody terror spree, according to a top U.S. lawmaker who cited police sources. Brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev spoke of going to New York while driving the streets of Cambridge last Thursday, according to a man who was...

The surviving suspect in the Boston bombings has told investigators that he and his brother planned to bomb Times Square, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Thursday. "Last night we were informed by the FBI that the surviving attacker revealed that New York City was next on their list of targets," Bloomberg said. The two came up with the plan spontaneously after the Boston bombing, as the talked in an SUV they hijacked, New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev initially told investigators that he and his brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, had talked about going to New...

The suspected Boston Marathon bombers wanted to attack New York — and specifically planned to blow up Times Square before they were captured, authorities said today.Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, hatched these plans on the fly, shortly after they carjacked a motorist a week ago tonight. The younger brother allegedly told investigators of their Big Apple plans this weekend from his hospital bed. FBI interrogators passed on the information to New York officials last night, according to Mayor Bloomberg and NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly.

NEW YORK (AP) -- It took a zombie to find Disaster at the Crossroads of the World. Two years after he disappeared from his Long Island home, Disaster the cat was found this week in the heart of Manhattan -- by a Times Square haunted house promoter dressed up as a zombie.

Hurricane Sandy has moved on but the damage remains. The following picture of Times Square posted on Gizmodo caught my eye. Fortunately, it does not look real. Lights should not be on and there would be debris everywhere. However, the Metra chairman did say water was "literally up to the ceiling" at one downtown station, so take this image and use your imagination, adding dead rats, debris, and whatever else suits your fancy. Bloomberg reports the

A suspicious suitcase was discovered at the Times Square subway station at around 9 p.m. on Sunday.