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Russia Ships Arms to Syria Just Days After Massacre

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Just two days after government shelling killed 116 people, including at least 32 children, in the central town of Houla, Russia blocked a harsh UN denunciation of the Assad government and (more alarmingly) OK'ed an arms shipment to Syria that should arrive by next weekend. Moscow says that corpses found knifed to death and shot at point-blank range—facts the British and others contest—indicate the involvement of what the Syrian government maintains are "armed terrorist groups" operating in the country. According to the Guardian, both Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Obama will push Putin to support a transition plan for Syria, but seems Russia is not yet ready to give up its closest friend and ally in the Middle East.

Meet the Man on the Other Side of JPMorgan’s $2 Billion Bad Trade

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Last November, while working on the 58th floor of the Chrysler Building, 38-year-old hedge-funder Boaz Weinstein noticed some mega-waves coming out of the London credit derivatives market and rode them all the way to a major profit. Last month, we learned the source of the waves: the so-called London Whale — JPMorgan trader Bruno Iksil — who cost the bank well over $2 billion. Ironically, Weinstein, who earned $90 million last year and plays online chess with the likes of Facebook billionaire Peter Thiel, once oversaw a $2 billion loss at Deutsche Bank. As a fellow hedge-fund manager told the New York Times: "It was one whale versus another whale."

Rudy Giuliani Had a Little Cory Booker Moment

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No, Rudy Giuliani did not save anyone from a burning building. The former mayor did, however, insult his party's presidential candidate on national television. Rudy's explanation for his past criticism of Mitt Romney, which he gave this morning on CNN's State of the Union, didn't do much to convince viewers that he really believes in his fellow Republican, despite having technically backed him in April (not that he had much of a choice).

"At that point, I was probably comparing his record to my record." »

MTA Losing $14 Million a Year to Non-Paying Bus Riders

The most recent survey by the MTA found that bus riders take about 6.2 million free trips a year, costing the cash-strapped agency some $14 million, according to the New York Post. On some bus lines, like the Bronx-Harlem Bx19, as many as a third of all riders do so for free. However, that still pales in comparison to the 18.5 million (or $31 million worth of) free trips subway riders took back in 2009, when the MTA last revealed the numbers. No wonder the State Senate passed a bill in January quintupling the maximum fine for fare evasion to $500.

Investigators Increasingly Convinced by Etan Patz Confession

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Just yesterday, police sources were stepping gingerly around murder suspect Pedro Hernandez's mental state — his lawyer claims he's a bipolar schizophrenic — but some detectives are now thinking he may be the real deal after the revelation of new "intimate details" about the 1979 disappearance of 6-year-old Etan Patz. According to a former FBI agent who worked on the case, speaking to the New York Post:

His parents shared with us confidential information that would only have been known by Etan or his sister. I’m hoping [Hernandez] did say something. If he’s got specific details, then you’ve got something to hang your hat on and feel better about.

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Joe Biden: ‘I Understood How Someone Could Consciously Decide to Commit Suicide’

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US Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a St. Patrick's Day Reception in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, March 20, 2012. AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

Most Joe Biden stories are funny, which makes this sad one all the more affecting. On Friday, the vice-president attended a Memorial Day seminar sponsored by Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, a nonprofit group that works with the families of military members killed in combat. There, he spoke about the deaths of his first wife, Neilia, and his 1-year-old daughter, Naomi, which happened as a result of a 1972 car accident. (Two of his sons were critically injured but survived.)

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NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 12: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg delivers his annual State of the City address at Morris High School Campus on January 12, 2012 in the Bronx borough of New York City. Education reform was a significant part of Bloomberg's address. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Mayor Bloomberg Doles Out Questionable Advice to Cornell Graduates

After congratulating them on their soon-to-be alma mater's slightly less soon-to-be Roosevelt Island outpost (and its temporary, rent-free home at Google headquarters), Cornell convocation speaker Mike Bloomberg encouraged the Class of 2012 to also make the move to New York, employment opportunities be damned: "So if you haven’t found a job yet: You’re better off coming to the city than sitting on your parents couch." Does that mean they can stay on one of his?

Ninety-Two People Killed by Government Shelling in Syria

The victims — 32 of whom were children — were residents of the central town of Houla, which was attacked by President Assad's troops on Friday after security forces shot a protester and later skirmished with members of the country's anti-government insurgency. According to the U.N., the incident was the worst violence that has taken place since the organization began trying to implement a peace plan in Syria.

Chelsea Resident Not Totally Thrilled to Live by the High Line

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Some of us would give an arm, leg, and short intestine to live by the High Line, with easy access to those lovely Hudson-facing wooden lounge chairs. But apparently one nearby resident mistook Chelsea for the suburbs and plastered the area with posters — spotted by the blog Jeremiah's Vanishing New York — giving High Line visitors a piece of his or her mind.

Attention High Line Tourists. West Chelsea is not Times Square. It is not a tourist attraction. Do not sit on the 'stoops' of buildings or take pictures of and film buildings or residents. Buildings are not tourist attractions: people live there, and sitting on the steps and taking pictures is as invasive, rude and inappropriate as a group of strangers sitting on the steps of your home and taking pictures of it and you from the yard.

We want to feel bad for you, really we do.

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