Arun Venugopal

New York, NY —

Over Memorial Day weekend, as the hordes descended in various states of undress upon the shores of New Jersey, about 1,600 Muslim athletes took a different tack: they headed inland to a nondescript high school sports complex in South Brunswick. They were there to participate ...

In the immediate aftermath of the Times Square bombing attempt, I kept waiting for reports of backlash incidents. There were plenty of attacks after 9/11, against both Muslims and Sikhs, but what kind of response would a failed attack bring?

So far, Faisal Shahzad's arrest hasn't inspired the same sort of backlash, although the NYPD is being asked to investigate the beating of a 57-year-old Bangladeshi man, who was jumped but not robbed.

However, it's hard to view attitudes towards Muslims as what they were, prior to Times Square. There are now about 30 buses driving around New York, with "Leaving Islam?" ads pasted on their sides. They may have been designed and booked well before the Times Square attack, but their significance is increased substantially by having appeared afterward. What makes them more potent than your standard Facebook discussions or YouTube vitriol is their sheer physicality, and the knowledge that they are being seen by many people at the same time.

The mind behind the bus ad campaign, Pam Geller, calls it a "human rights initiative."

"Islamic law mandates death for those who leave Islam," she wrote me. "The Rifqa Bary case in Ohio shows that people who leave Islam are threatened even in the U.S. We intend through these ads to offer help to Muslims in the situation of wanting to leave Islam and being threatened -- it's a matter of the defense of human rights and the freedom of conscience."

As a member of the press, I'm privileged to come into contact with celebrities, power players and assorted gatekeepers on a regular basis. But never have I received an email from musician John Legend! That too one in which I was personally addressed. He even included a little picture of himself. As it turns out, he wants me to attend a small get-together for Reshma Saujani, who's running for Congress against incumbent Carolyn Maloney.

It’s not easy being a moviegoer these days. Having emerged from my post-Oscar coma a few weeks ago, I’ve been struggling to stay on top of the city’s cinematic bounty, whether it’s the longer, uncut "Metropolis" (Film Forum), the "Cremaster" series (IFC Center) or "Iron Man 2" (everywhere).

None of ...

It's not easy being a moviegoer these days. Having emerged from my post-Oscar coma a few weeks ago, I've been struggling to stay on top of the city's cinematic bounty, whether it's the longer, uncut 'Metropolis' (Film Forum), the 'Cremaster' series (IFC Center) or 'Iron Man 2' (everywhere).

None of these need help luring audiences. But if there's one series that should be getting a lot more attention (and crowds) than it is, it would be 'Social Dramas and Shimmering Spectacles: Muslim Cultures of Bombay Cinema,' playing at the Walter Reade Theater through the May 27.

Bollywood has failed to cross over in this country, and that owes a lot to its reputation for frothy, ridiculous spectacles. What most people don't realize is that periodically, Indian cinema isn't just entertaining, but relevant as well, particularly at this point in time, when issues like Islamic radicalization and cartoon images of the Prophet Muhammad dominate the news.

WNYC's Richard Hake and Arun Venugopal discuss the new Bollywood film series.

If you've overdosed on the standard talking points -- the Us vs. Them geopolitics of Islam hashed out on cable news, ad nauseam -- consider this series a tonic of sorts. Its 13 films range from historical blockbusters like 'Mughal-e-Azam' (set during the extravagant, 16th century reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar) to modern critiques of India's Partition and the place of Muslims in society ('Garm Hawa'), to recent movies about radicalization, like 'Fiza,' starring heartthrob Hrithik Roshan as the Muslim turned terrorist.

New York, NY —

Some state lawmakers are proposing to limit the amount of personal data in the NYPD's stop and frisk database. Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries says a bill he's sponsoring with fellow Brooklyn Democrat Senator Eric Adams would prohibit the police from storing the details about those who ...

New York, NY —

In the latest clash over the NYPD's stop-and-frisk policy, a new lawsuit is seeking to stop the city from keeping a huge database of New Yorkers stopped, but never charged.

The New York Civil Liberties Union is leading the case, in which two men are ...

New York, NY —

In the latest clash over the NYPD's stop-and-frisk policy, a new lawsuit is seeking to stop the city from keeping a huge database of New Yorkers stopped, but never charged.

The New York Civil Liberties Union is leading the case, in which two men are suing ...

New York, NY —

An elected official in Queens is rolling out an ad campaign on the sides of buses telling boys to pull up their pants.

The campaign, known as "Stop the Sag", is meant to counter what some fear is an international epidemic among the younger generation, namely ...

For a style that is not merely reviled, but a complete hindrance to such acts as walking, running or skipping, low-slung pants have been remarkably resilient. Check out this UC Berkeley advice page for parents on dealing with the problem -- it goes back to the year 2000. Just how have these things stuck around so long?

No matter. Members of New York's black community are starting to say enough. Enough of the shuffling, boys, and enough of the exposed keisters.

Earlier, it was State senator Eric Adams, who took out billboards in the Brooklyn: "Stop the Sag"

Now, it's senator Malcolm Smith, who's placing similar ads on a dozen buses. The $2200 expense is being paid for out of his campaign kitty.

WNYC reporters Bob Hennelly and Arun Venugopal discuss the latest security news, including: a scare in Union Square; the arrests around the Northeast of suspects linked to the Times Square bombing; why the White House and local officials are exchanging jabs over Department of Homeland Security funding; and what the NYPD is doing to protect against home-grown terror threats.

New York, NY —

The arrest of Faisal Shahzad in connection with the attempted bombing in Times Square has still not resulted in any charges. But, along with subsequent arrests made yesterday, it has placed the city's Pakistani community in an uncomfortable position. For young Pakistanis in particular, the ...

Meet Bobby Miga. He's a Christian musician, just moved here from Nashville. The guy's homeless right now -- apparently the family lost it all in the recent, devastating floods. I was drawn to his bright blue cutoffs, his wrist gear and a cross-shaped tattoo on his calf, made up little Chinese characters. But check out that bicep design: the bar code, he says, is morse for 'Man of God.'

New York, NY —

Faisal Shahzad, the suspect in the Times Square car bombing plot, is just one of approximately 650,000 people of Pakistani origin living in the U.S. For some details on the Pakistani diaspora, WNYC's Arun Venugopal spoke with Adil Najam, a professor of International Relations at ...

I hesitate to bring up the Facebook cause "Mayor Bloomberg, take the Hero Street Vendors to Dinner" yet again for fear of seeming like some sort of lackey. After noting it during a discussion with Soterios Johnson, and then with Brian Lehrer, one might wonder what sort of secret pact I have with the vendors -- you give us constant mentions, we provide you with a lifetime's supply of pashmina scarves and snow globes. Oh, we have lots of little yellow cabs as well, you want those?

But if the temptation is great, that's simply because the stakes are so tangible, and so modest. Will the mayor return to Blue Fin, if not a Sbarro pizzeria? Having already honored the police officer who was alerted to the Times Square bomb by the street vendors, does he have it in his heart to honor the vendors themselves?

WNYC reporters Bob Hennelly  and Arun Venugopal discuss the emerging details of Saturday evening's failed bombing attempt in Times Square, from the mysterious CT license plates; the hero street vendors and mounted police; and the newly-released surveillance video of a person of interest.

→ Were you in Times Square on Saturday evening? What did you see and hear on the ground? Tell us your story here.

• TIMES SQUARE BOMB TAKEOUT: WNYC reporter, Arun Venugopal, spoke with tourists and street vendors in Times Square to find out the impact of the attempted bombing this weekend. He catches us up on the reactions, the resilience and on the fast moving police investigation. 
• MONEY TAKEOUT: United and Continental Airlines are merging to become the biggest single airline in the world. Louise Story, finance reporter for The New York Times explains how this might affect the ticket price wars, and why it's likely to pass anti-trust tests.

Times Square had a very close call this weekend. An SUV packed with improvised explosives failed to go off, but officials say that if it had, it may have caused significant damage to the surrounding area, which was filled with tourists. The police and federal investigators are currently examining the ...

Law lu oe-ru fwa nga-l new ziva’u awngahu.

Which is to say, it is clear to me that you want to come with us.

Toruk a-husahaw lu mi lehrrap. (A sleeping Toruk is still dangerous)