The magazine Time Out New York reported in September on the “artistic palettes” of the Sprinkle Brigade of artists who dress up dog droppings on New York City streets with glittering candy bits and colorful toothpicks, for “urban beautification.” What I want to know is why they didn’t just scoop it up. I don’t think someone stepping in beautified poop will be any more pleased than when they step in plain Jane poop.

British performance artist Ian Thorley, working on grants from several local councils, did a week’s stint on an Ashington street in October, stepping onto and off a doormat while wearing a badge identifying him as a government doormat tester. Council members approved this? Didn’t they see the irony in their decision?

Wouldn’t it have been nice to have gotten in on the New York City Housing program back in the 70’s?

The program was started to encourage new construction and it has enabled huge reductions in property taxes on certain buildings in Manhattan.

The savings continue and will likely continue into next year. Several people have benefited from these tax reductions including designer Calvin Klein who saved 134,000 on his penthouse; Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter who saves 130,000 per year on his $4 million Trump World Tower Apartment; and finally actress natalie Portman who has saved 26,300 each year on her 5.8 million condo.

Real estate brokers in New York say that New York renters need their space just so, even if it mean making some pretty strange requests. Heres a few good ones that brokers have had to deal with:

• “One buyer asked for a large terrace for a pot bellied pig. The buyer, a prominent attorney, had married a cute young woman from the Midwest who came to the marriage with cats, dogs, a ferret, tortoise, and pot belly pig. They obviously needed a huge outdoor space for the menagerie. The building they found on the Upper East Side wouldn’t let the pot belly pig in. So they had a veterinarian sedate it, rolled it up in a rug, and smuggled it in.”
• “One of our clients had a phobia with the number four. None of the apartments could be on the fourth floor or be on 84th Street or any other street with the number four.”
• “A few months ago a client was looking for apartment that had to be close enough to a Starbucks. I kid you not.”
• “Years ago I had a gay couple that wanted a loft space that had to have concrete floors with, hopefully, a floor drain. When I asked why they would want a floor drain, they informed me that they hosted invitation-only sex parties that would be attended by 40-50 men, three to four times a week. They intended to cover the floors and walls with latex and wanted the drain so they could hose down the space after the party! I was not successful in finding them their dream house.”
• “A recent college graduate who just moved to the city was looking for a $1,000-per-month studio in midtown. I just had to laugh because no such place exists.”
• “A single woman in her mid-50’s was looking to rent an apartment only on an odd-numbered floor because every time she had lived on an even floor, one of her pets died.”
• “One guy was looking for a ground floor apartment with a basement that he could turn into a dungeon.”

Are any of my readers Real Estate Brokers? What kinds of strange requests have you heard?

Do you think this is a good plan or a bad plan? New York’s assault on obesity includes a plan to require some restaurants to list the calorie content of their foods right on the menu. I think I’d like that myself.

New York City’s health department just wants to make diners aware of a meals potential effect on their waste lines. As currently written, the rule would apply only to eateries with standardized portion sizes that already disclose calorie information voluntarily. Mostly, that would mean national fast-food chains, which frequently post nutritional charts on their Web sites or print it on fliers. New York’s Board of Health is scheduled to vote on the labeling of calories for menu items proposal in December.The regulation would take effect in July if it’s approved.

What do you think? If this only affects restaurants that already disclose calories information voluntarily is this going to make any difference? If it required all restaurants to list calories on their menus then I think it would be a big change, but as it stands- not so much of a change is it?