Best Ed Koch quotes

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Former Mayor Ed Koch celebrates during the 2009 New York Yankees World Series Victory Parade on November 6, 2009.

A look at some of the famous lines over the years from former New York City Mayor Ed Koch:

—"How'm I doing?"

—"I'm not the type to get ulcers. I give them."

—"You punch me, I punch back. I do not believe it's good for one's self-respect to be a punching bag."

—"If you agree with me on 9 out of 12 issues, vote for me. If you agree with me on 12 out of 12 issues, see a psychiatrist."

FORMER MAYOR ED KOCH DEAD AT 88

PHOTOS: ED KOCH, 1924-2013

—"Have you ever lived in the suburbs? It's sterile. It's nothing. It's wasting your life." On the prospect of living in Albany, during his failed 1982 race for governor.

—"Whether I am straight or gay or bisexual is nobody's business but mine."

—"If they want a parade, let them parade in front of the oil drums in Moonachie." After the New York Giants, who play in New Jersey, asked for a permit to hold a parade in the city after winning the Super Bowl in 1987.

—"I was defeated because of longevity, not because Yusuf Hawkins was murdered six weeks before the election, although that was a factor. People get tired of you. So they decided to throw me out." After losing the 1989 mayoral primary.

—"It's not soaring, beautiful, handsome, like the George Washington or the Verrazano. It's rugged, it's hard working — and that's me." On the 59th Street Bridge being renamed for him in 2011.

—"I don't want to leave Manhattan, even when I'm gone. This is my home. The thought of having to go to New Jersey was so distressing to me." After purchasing a burial plot in Manhattan's Trinity Cemetery in 2008.

—"I know that nothing happens here on this Earth that wasn't ordained by God. I know that. You know that. And therefore, while I know that it was the people who elected me, it was God who selected me."

In 1985, during an Easter Sunday worship in Harlem explaining why he thought he was selected by God to be mayor. The next day, Koch stressed that it did not necessarily mean he was endorsed by God.

"Not that I was given approval by the Deity, but I am delighted I was given the opportunity by the Deity."

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Mompreneur jumps into the ‘Shark Tank’

It all started with a 4 a.m. email nearly a year ago: “Do you think a baby bib could change the world? I do...”

Then Susie Taylor included a link to her website, bibbitec.com, and off it went to Shark Tank, the popular ABC television show where entrepreneurs pitch their companies to investors on the show — and by extension, 7 million viewers.

Four months later, as the “mompreneur” was leaving her Biscayne Park home to pick up her kids from school, she got a call from the show asking her to pitch on the spot. Driving with her phone on her shoulder, she told the Bibbitec story.

Shark Tank bit. After a few more back and forths, her segment was filmed last summer.

Friday night, Taylor is scheduled to be on the show pitching Bibbitec’s main product, “The Ultimate Bib,” a patented generously sized, stain-resistant and fast-drying child’s bib made in the USA — Hialeah, to be exact. Bibbitec’s $30 bib can be a burp cloth, changing pad, breast feeding shield, full body bib, place mat, art smock and more, Taylor says.

We won’t be getting any details on what happens Friday night when she and her husband, Stephen Taylor, get into the tank with Daymond John, Mark Cuban and the other celebrity sharks; Taylor has been contractually sworn to secrecy. But whatever the outcome, she believes it will be worth it for the marketing pop.

Taylor was inspired to create her bib after a long and very messy plane ride with her two young sons and started Bibbitec in 2008. She and her team — her husband is CFO, her sister, Heather McCabe, handles sales and marketing, her uncle, Richard Page, is in charge of production, and her aunt, Marcia Kreitman, advises on design — have expanded the line to include The Ultimate Smock for older children and the Ultimate Mini for babies. Coming soon: a smock for adults.

Taylor already got a taste of what a national TV show appearance can do for sales. In September, Bibbitec’s sales jumped 40 percent after she was on an ABC World News "Made in America" segment. “Within 30 seconds, we started getting sales from all over the country and they didn’t even mention our name on the air,” Taylor says. She said that confirmed her belief that a Shark Tank appearance would be worth it.

Plus, Taylor has been hooked on Shark Tank since the first time she watched it in 2008 as she was developing her product. Trained in theater, she admits she didn’t know much about business and learned from the show. She would practice how she would answer the questions.

“I’m all about empowering women who are sitting on the couch watching, because that’s what I was four years ago,” says Taylor. “All I wanted to do was to be on Shark Tank because I believed if I got on Shark Tank the world will see what I am trying to do and that’s all I need. I know it’s a great product.”

Will that theater training come in handy Friday night? Stay tuned. Shark Tank airs at 9 p.m. on ABC and Taylor hopes viewers will join in on Twitter using the hashtag #sharkbib.

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Gov. Rick Scott to outline his budget wish list, priorities to state lawmakers

Florida Gov. Rick Scott will be presenting his budget to the Florida Legislature on Thursday afternoon in Tallahassee.

He’s already made it clear that education is a top priority. On Wednesday, he announced he will ask the Legislature to increase funding for public schools by $1.2 billion next year. Among the big education items: a request to raise public school teacher salaries by $2,500. The state budget is roughly $70 billion.

Speaking to the annual AP news forum in Tallahassee, Scott presented a case that Florida's economy has steadily improved under his direction and that now is the time to "strategically invest" in public education.

Scott also listed as a top priority the elimination of the sales tax on manufacturers' equipment purchases, which he said would save businesses $144 million in taxes.

Scott will make his full budget recommendations to the Legislature at the state Capitol on Thursday afternoon, beginning at 2 p.m.

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Scandal Sneak Peek Clip

While we all hated Becky for shooting President Grant, framing Huck and breaking his heart, perhaps we should also be thanking her for showing Fitz the light.

RELATED - Scandal is One of The Year's Best Shows

Had the hit-woman not attempted to carry out Hollis Doyle's nefarious plan, Fitz might not have asked Mellie for a divorce as you can see in this sneak peek of an all-new Scandal.

RELATED - Guillermo Diaz Previews Huck's Next Move

But Mellie is not one to go quietly into the night and in tonight's episode, titled Truth or Consequences, The First Lady goes to extreme lengths in order to win Fitz back. But that may not be Olivia's biggest problem as her associates discover the truth behind the rigged White House election, causing her usually steely exterior to quickly crumble!

Scandal airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. on ABC.

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Foster home suing NYPD over teen allegedly shot dead by off-duty detective

The foster home of a teenager who was blown away by an off-duty detective during an alleged robbery wants to haul NYPD brass to court to learn more details about that deadly shooting.

The nonprofit agency Graham Windham, legal guardian of 17-year-old Antawin White, filed a lawsuit yesterday in Manhattan Supreme Court, demanding more answers about the teen’s death.

White and a 15-year-old friend approached the detective on Jan. 30 last year in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn and tried to rob him, police said.

White allegedly struck the cop in the face with a cane, while his accomplice simulated that he had a gun, officials said. That’s when the detective pulled his weapon and fatally shot White once in the chest, according to police.

Nonprofit Graham Windham said the NYPD has repeatedly ignored Freedom of Information Law requests for information, citing an "ongoing criminal investigation."

The agency is skeptical of the official NYPD account.

"This portrait of a violent menace did not comport with the Antawin White that Graham Windham knew,” according to the complaint. “And it stood in stark contrast to the Antawin White whom those who grew up with, taught and lived with him knew."

Cops can produce reports by blacking out names of witnesses, the agency said.

"Graham Windham respectfully requests that this court order the NYPD to produce appropriately redacted documents concerning Antawin White's death,” according to the complaint.

"In its capacity as legal guardian, and de facto parent, Graham Windham sought information about the shooting by way of FOIL request to the NYPD. It received no information in response to its FOIL request."

The agency said its staff was devastated by White's untimely death: "In the early morning hours of January 31, 2012 two Graham Windham employees identified his body at the coroner's office — a third employee was too overcome with grief to do so."

A lawyer for the NYPD or city could not be immediately reached for comment this morning.

Additional reporting by David K. Li

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Mompreneur jumps into the ‘Shark Tank’

It all started with a 4 a.m. email nearly a year ago: “Do you think a baby bib could change the world? I do...”

Then Susie Taylor included a link to her website, bibbitec.com, and off it went to Shark Tank, the popular ABC television show where entrepreneurs pitch their companies to investors on the show — and by extension, 7 million viewers.

Four months later, as the “mompreneur” was leaving her Biscayne Park home to pick up her kids from school, she got a call from the show asking her to pitch on the spot. Driving with her phone on her shoulder, she told the Bibbitec story.

Shark Tank bit. After a few more back and forths, her segment was filmed last summer.

Friday night, Taylor is scheduled to be on the show pitching Bibbitec’s main product, “The Ultimate Bib,” a patented generously sized, stain-resistant and fast-drying child’s bib made in the USA — Hialeah, to be exact. Bibbitec’s $30 bib can be a burp cloth, changing pad, breast feeding shield, full body bib, place mat, art smock and more, Taylor says.

We won’t be getting any details on what happens Friday night when she and her husband, Stephen Taylor, get into the tank with Daymond John, Mark Cuban and the other celebrity sharks; Taylor has been contractually sworn to secrecy. But whatever the outcome, she believes it will be worth it for the marketing pop.

Taylor was inspired to create her bib after a long and very messy plane ride with her two young sons and started Bibbitec in 2008. She and her team — her husband is CFO, her sister, Heather McCabe, handles sales and marketing, her uncle, Richard Page, is in charge of production, and her aunt, Marcia Kreitman, advises on design — have expanded the line to include The Ultimate Smock for older children and the Ultimate Mini for babies. Coming soon: a smock for adults.

Taylor already got a taste of what a national TV show appearance can do for sales. In September, Bibbitec’s sales jumped 40 percent after she was on an ABC World News "Made in America" segment. “Within 30 seconds, we started getting sales from all over the country and they didn’t even mention our name on the air,” Taylor says. She said that confirmed her belief that a Shark Tank appearance would be worth it.

Plus, Taylor has been hooked on Shark Tank since the first time she watched it in 2008 as she was developing her product. Trained in theater, she admits she didn’t know much about business and learned from the show. She would practice how she would answer the questions.

“I’m all about empowering women who are sitting on the couch watching, because that’s what I was four years ago,” says Taylor. “All I wanted to do was to be on Shark Tank because I believed if I got on Shark Tank the world will see what I am trying to do and that’s all I need. I know it’s a great product.”

Will that theater training come in handy Friday night? Stay tuned. Shark Tank airs at 9 p.m. on ABC and Taylor hopes viewers will join in on Twitter using the hashtag #sharkbib.

Read More..

Man in wheelchair robbed of his ‘man-purse’ and dumped to the ground

A man in a wheelchair was robbed of his “man-purse” outside of a Southwest Florida store late Tuesday.

The 53-year-old victim, whose name was not released, was leaving a Dollar General Store in Bradenton when a man approached him from behind and attempted to snatch his man-purse, which was wrapped around his right arm, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

During a struggle, the suspect pulled the victim out of the wheelchair and onto the ground. The suspect grabbed the purse and got into the backseat of a waiting car, according to the sheriff's office. The vehicle then took off from the shopping center.

The victim went home and called police about 40 minutes after the robbery.

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Exclusive Toddlers and Tiaras Clip Bella

Though we've seen more than our fair share of diva-like beauty queens on TLC hit Toddlers & Tiaras, two-year-old Bella from Wednesday's all-new episode is seriously giving them all a run for their money.

In this exclusive clip, Bella's mom Lana shares how Bella once ordered her off the stage in the middle of her routine, and it becomes pretty clear that "no" is one of her favorite words.

Video: Stage Moms Duke it Out on 'Toddlers & Tiaras'

"Don't look at me ... I'm not your friend!," she cries at one point, bringing Lana to tears.

...Nothing like some quality mother-daughter bonding!

Video: Honey Boo Boo Scares Mama With Mayo

Toddlers & Tiaras airs Wednesday at 9 p.m. on TLC.

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US economy shrinks for first time in three-and-a-half years

WASHINGTON — The US economy unexpectedly shrank from October through December for the first time since 2009, hurt by the biggest cut in defense spending in 40 years, fewer exports and sluggish growth in company stockpiles. The drop occurred despite stronger consumer spending and business investment.

The Commerce Department said Wednesday that the economy contracted at an annual rate of 0.1 percent in the fourth quarter. That was a sharp slowdown from the 3.1 percent growth rate in the July-September quarter.

Economists said the drop in gross domestic product wasn't as bleak as it looked. The weakness was mainly the result of one-time factors. Government spending cuts and slower inventory growth, which can be volatile, subtracted a total of 2.6 percentage points from GDP.

But the fact that the economy shrank at all, combined with much lower consumer confidence reported Tuesday, may raise fears about the economy's durability in 2013. That's because deep automatic government spending cuts will cut into domestic and defense programs starting in March unless Congress reaches a deal to avert them.

And Americans are coming to grips with an increase in Social Security taxes that has begun to leave them with less take-home pay.

Still, the government spending cuts and slack inventory growth in the fourth quarter offset a 2.2 percent increase in consumer spending. And business spending on equipment and software rose after shrinking over the summer.

Consumer spending added 1.5 percentage points to GDP, and business investment added 1.1 points — both stronger contributions than in the third quarter.

"Frankly, this is the best-looking contraction in US GDP you'll ever see," Paul Ashworth, an economist at Capital Economics, said in a note to clients. "The drag from defense spending and inventories is a one-off. The rest of the report is all encouraging."

And for all of 2012, the economy expanded 2.2 percent, better than 2011's growth of 1.8 percent.

Exports fell by the most in nearly four years, a result of Europe's recession and slower growth in China and some other large developing countries.

Incomes, though, jumped last quarter as companies paid out special dividends and bonuses ahead of expected tax increases in 2013. Commerce estimated that businesses paid nearly $40 billion in early dividends. After-tax income, adjusted for inflation, rose 6.8 percent, the most in nearly four years.

Superstorm Sandy likely also dragged on growth by closing factories, disrupting shipping and shutting down retail stores. While the department did not specify its effects on GDP, it estimated that Sandy destroyed about $36 billion in buildings and other private property and $8.6 billion in government property.

Subpar growth has held back hiring. The economy has created about 150,000 jobs a month, on average, for the past two years. That's barely enough to reduce the unemployment rate, which has been 7.8 percent for the past two months.

Economists forecast that unemployment stayed at the still-high rate again this month. The government releases the January jobs report Friday.

The slower growth in stockpiles comes after a big jump in the third quarter. Companies frequently cut back on inventories if they anticipate a slowdown in sales. Slower inventory growth means factories likely produced less.

Heavy equipment maker Caterpillar, Inc. said this week that it reduced its inventories by $2 billion in the fourth quarter as global sales declined from a year earlier.

The biggest question going forward is how consumers react to the expiration of a Social Security tax cut. Congress and the White House allowed the temporary tax cut to expire in January, but reached a deal to keep income taxes from rising on most Americans.

The tax increase will lower take home pay this year by about 2 percent. That means a household earning $50,000 a year will have about $1,000 less to spend. A household with two high-paid workers will have up to $4,500 less.

Already, a key measure of consumer confidence plummeted this month after Americans noticed the reduction in their paychecks, the Conference Board reported Tuesday.

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Tablets take their screen tests

Screen quality is critical to a great tablet, and in 2012 we saw the quality of tablet screens advance in leaps and bounds, especially in terms of clarity. Here are our favorites.

Barnes & Noble Nook HD

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (Very good)

The good: A light, comfortable design with a sharp screen and a well-implemented user profiles feature. Books, videos and magazines look great and the microSD slot takes some of the sting out of the lack of internal storage.

The bad: App, movie, TV show and game options are thin and there’s no native music service. It’s missing some typical tablet features and 8GB is low for the price. Fingerprints easily sully the screen.

The cost: $199

The bottom line: The Barnes & Noble Nook HD can’t match competing tablets in media library breadth, but as long as you’re not looking for bells and whistles, its sharp screen and comfortable body make it an ideal tablet choice for books and magazines.

Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700

Rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)

The good: High-resolution screen rivals the new iPad’s display in sharpness and clarity. Also, apps launch quickly, GPS works well and its rear camera is the best we’ve seen on any Android tablet. The tablet’s body has the same great thin and light design as the Prime.

The bad: So far, not enough Android apps take advantage of the TF700’s higher pixel count. Also, its battery life isn’t as good as the Prime’s.

The cost: $479.88 to $590.37

The bottom line: The Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 is one of the fastest Android tablets out there, combining an already proven design with a better camera, a faster processor, and a beautiful screen.

Google Nexus 10

Rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)

The good: A beautifully sharp screen is light, durable and has the fastest processor of any Android tablet. Photo Sphere is an incredibly cool concept. Google’s content ecosystem is only getting better.

The bad: The included charger isn’t fast enough to power the battery while playing a game; even while idle, it charges painfully slowly. There’s no storage expansion option, and apps that take full advantage of the screen are currently few and far between. Navigation isn’t quite as smooth as on the Nexus 7.

The cost: $399

The bottom line: The Nexus 10’s superior design and swift performance make it one of the best Android tablets to date. We expect post-launch updates from Google to make it even better.

Apple iPad (fourth generation)

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 (Outstanding)

The good: A6X processor adds extra system speed and graphics power. Improved worldwide cellular compatibility makes the LTE model a more appealing proposition. And the iOS App Store remains best in class, with the widest selection.

The bad: The fourth-gen iPad is otherwise identical to its recent predecessor — same size, weight and Retina Display screen. It’s heavy to hold in one hand, and most older accessories won’t work without investing in a pricey Lightning adapter.

The cost: $499 to $539.99

The bottom line: The latest iPad adds several tweaks and improvements to secure its position at the top of the tablet heap. It’s better all around, but third-gen owners don’t need to upgrade.

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