'Big Gay Ice Cream Truck' Roams Streets of NYC

Or should we say he 'refudiates' them?

(NEWSER) - Michael Bloomberg was drawn into a war of words with Sarah Palin today, after one of his aides responded harshly to Sarah Palin’s bumbling tweets about the mosque being built near Ground Zero. In response to Palin’s last tweet—“Peace-seeking Muslims, pls understand, Ground Zero mosque is UNNECESSARY provocation; it stabs hearts.”—left-leaning aide Andrea Schlesinger replied, “@SarahPalinUSA whose hearts? Racist hearts?” Reporters, naturally, rushed to ask Bloomberg about it. More»

Municipalities in Texas, Ohio make the list

(NEWSER) - It might not shock you to discover that San Francisco has the largest concentration of gays and lesbians in America, but you might be a bit more surprised to learn that Columbus, Ohio, comes in at No. 16, ahead of Los Angeles (No. 18) and Miami (No. 20). The Daily Beast runs down the 20 cities with the highest proportion of same-sex couples:

• San Francisco: Ranks No. 1 with 12.4 same-sex couples per thousand households, 60% of which are men.

Fancy restaurants still charging a bundle for New Year's Eve

(NEWSER) - Despite the still-grim economy and a recent British survey finding 80% of people plan to spend New Year’s Eve at home…one New York restaurant is still charging $650 for tonight’s prix fixe menu. Salon takes a look at what going extravagant might get you tonight:

• Aureole, New York: For $650, a five-course meal including big-eye tuna sashimi, chestnut ravioli, Canadian lobster, and New York strip loin.
• Daniel, New York: For $595, a five-course tasting menu (no details on the food), live music, dancing, and a champagne toast.

New York's most terrifying critic recalls his weight struggle

(NEWSER) - Frank Bruni endured a lifelong struggle with his weight, veering close to 300 pounds before getting a handle on it—and going on to a 5-year reign as New York City’s most feared food critic. Though his New York Times job required him to sample the city’s most decadent dishes, he found that “being a restaurant critic helped me maintain weight and not gain weight,” he tells Salon in an interview about his new book, Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater. More»

(NEWSER) - Many New Yorkers met their first Canadian doughnuts today as the Tim Hortons chain took over 12 locations previously occupied by Dunkin’ Donuts, BlackBook reports. “My frantic runs to Canada to buy tins of Tim Hortons ground coffee are over,” a delighted expatriate said. “Everything in New York is fantastic except the coffee. It’s dreadful. It’s watery.” Some aren’t so happy about the change. More»