Tycoon to treat homeless to lunch

Seems to me that this money could be put to better use, almost a "slap in the face" to the homeless ... reality comes in to play for them every day, not "filet of beef." I am not there, nor in their situation, I would like to think I would prefer to tell him where to "stick" his tuna ..... but, "never look a gift horse in the mouth." I really have no idea what that really means, but I have often heard the expression.

NEW YORK (AP) -- A Chinese tycoon is feeding hundreds of homeless New Yorkers some fancy food — in Central Park.

The lunch for 250 residents of a Manhattan shelter will be served Wednesday at the Boathouse restaurant.

Recycling magnate Chen Guangbiao (gwong-BYOW') is offering them sesame-seed-encrusted tuna, beef filet and berries with creme fraiche. He'll also provide entertainment by singing "We are the World." And he's promised each guest $300.

Chen says he wants to disprove the cliche image of rich Chinese spending money mostly on luxuries.

But his American ambitions surpass philanthropy.

Earlier this year, the 46-year-old businessman wanted to buy The New York Times. Times chairman Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., said the newspaper was not for sale.

To announce the lunch, Chen placed ads in the Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Just wondering ...........

HOW do you create jobs? I thought that demand created jobs. Every politician involved today made a statement in reference to creating jobs. Jobs produce something that is sold, either a product or a service. Creating jobs just for the sake of creating jobs makes no sense to me. It is a nice statement, sounds politically  correct, but I really wonder what, when, where and why those jobs are created.

Prediction. I think if Romney loses in Michigan we are going to see a Gingrich resurgence. Let's face it, Obama got elected for one reason, charisma. It cannot be bottled or put in a can. It is just there, and you either have it or you don't. Now, he hot only has that charisma, but he and his staff have had four years to formulate their "war" plan, To me, that makes him unbeatable. The only candidate left with any measure of charisma is Newt, and he is a great debater. Santorum is getting some bad advice on what to say and has to do too much damage control each day.

Gas Prices. Heading to $5.00. Why? If Obama woke up tomorrow morning, let the world know that all government vehicles were going to convert to NATURAL GAS .... we would soon, be paying $2.00 a  gallon in no time at all. WHY are they making moves to make gas prices go up?

One school in Columbus, Ohio has gotten the message, they are teaching Chinese, wonder what they know that we don't

Record Sale at $88 Million

The most expensive apartment in New York has passed from the hands of a retired American banker to the family of a Russian billionaire, setting some new milestones in the Manhattan real-estate market.

The sale for a penthouse with a wraparound terrace at 15 Central Park West owned by Sanford I. Weill, the former head of Citigroup Inc., closed on Wednesday, brokers said.

The price paid, as expected, was $88 million, 66% above that the previous record sale.

The purchase was made in the name of a trust for Ekatarina Rybolovleva, a 22-year-old college student and daughter of Dmitry Rybolovlev, a Russian now based in Monaco who made a fortune in potash fertilizer.

Hall F. Willkie, the president of Brown Harris Stevens, confirmed that the sale had closed at the full asking price. He said that he understood that the buyers would keep the custom-designed space as is, including an oval bedroom, and a study paneled in Brazilian rosewood.

The sale generated close to $2.5 million in city and state taxes, and produced what brokers said was a record commission on a residential sale of about $3.5 million for two brokers at Mr. Willkie's firm. Kyle W. Blackmon represented Mr. Weill, while Maria Torresy represented the Rybolovlevs, brokers said.

The marquee sale shows the growing footprint of international buyers in New York in the past few years. Many of the units at One57, a new 1,004-foot tower under construction on West 57th Street, have gone to Russian and Chinese buyers, brokers said.