<ul class="summary-list"><li>A 33-year-old man was walking down a New York sidewalk when it collapsed into a <keyword id="6562619" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="sinkhole">sinkhole</keyword> full of <keyword id="104664" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="rats">rats</keyword>.</li><li>Leonard Shoulders was injured in the fall and and was afraid to open his mouth and call for help because of the rats, his brother told local <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news">news</keyword>.</li><li>He was taken to the hospital nearby fo be treated for a scratched face and several broken bones, the New York Daily News reported.</li></ul><p>A New York man standing on a sidewalk in the Bronx succumbed to a disaster that no decent person would wish on their worst enemy. </p><p>Leonard Shoulders, 33, was swallowed up into a sinkhole full of rats.  </p><p>Shoulders was waiting for an MTA bus at 3rd Ave. near 183rd St. on Saturday with his mother when the incident occurred.</p><p> "As he was falling, he scraped his face, broke his arm and broke his leg," his brother, Greg White, 22, told <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/ny-bronx-man-sinkhole-rats-20201027-75a72h46hragbi5kte6zurc554-story.html">The New York Daily News on Monday</a>.</p><p>Shoulders' mother, Cindy White, told <a href="https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/weird/like-a-suction-man-hospitalized-after-being-swallowed-by-bronx-sidewalk-sinkhole/2688355/">NBC 4 New York</a> that despite the incredibly harrowing situation, Shoulders refused to scream; he was concerned that the mischief of rats might try to get into his mouth. "He couldn't move, and the rats were crawling all over him," she said.</p><p>Shoulders remained trapped in the objectively hellish situation for about 30 minutes until he was rescued by firefighters and taken to a nearby hospital, The News reported.</p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CbXb5zRpYYk" frameborder="0"></iframe><p>"He was like, 'Ma, the rats down there were ridiculous,'" Cindy White told the outlet. "He was like, 'They were like so big.'"</p><p>Earlier this year, Insider's Kelly McLaughlin reported that the coronavirus outbreak and related shutdowns could lead to a <a href="https://www.insider.com/rats-could-get-more-aggressive-coronavirus-pandemic-2020-4">more aggressive, cannibalistic breed of rats</a> ready to take on the second wave of the pandemic. </p><p>Insider was unable to immediately reach Shoulders or his family on Thursday.</p><p>The <keyword id="72226" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="New-York-City">New York City</keyword> Buildings Department issued a full vacate order to the building next to the sinkhole, according to The Daily News.</p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more: </li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/rats-could-get-more-aggressive-coronavirus-pandemic-2020-4">Hungry rats may turn to cannibalism during the coronavirus outbreak, and it could lead to a breed of aggressive, resilient rats in the future</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/where-youll-be-swallowed-by-a-sinkhole-2013-3">These Are The Places You Are Most Likely To Be Swallowed By A Sinkhole</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/subway-rat-drags-mcmuffin-new-york-video-coronavirus-pandemic-2020-3">A New York City subway rat was filmed stocking up on a McMuffin feast during the coronavirus pandemic</a></li></ul>

A New York man with terrible luck fell into a sinkhole teeming with rats and was trapped for a half hour

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Doja Cat teased her new era of music in an interview with Insider on Wednesday.</li><li>The "Planet Her" rapper has changed the album title several times — due to, in her words, "ADHD."</li></ul><p>Doja Cat has been teasing fans with juicy hints about her new album, the keenly awaited follow-up to <a href="https://www.insider.com/best-albums-this-year-ranked-2021-12">her Grammy-winning pop feast "Planet Her."</a></p><p>However, the trail of breadcrumbs she's leaving is far from linear.</p><p>Back in March, Doja suggested with a <a href="https://twitter.com/DojaCat/status/1638347684414382081?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hashtag</a> that her next release would be dubbed "Hellmouth," but she backtracked shortly after.</p><p>"It's not called hEllMoUth either it's called 'First of All,'" she <a href="https://www.complex.com/music/doja-cat-albums-were-cash-grabs-changes-title-first-of-all" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> in a now-deleted tweet. "And yes<em> </em>I'm announcing the album title right now." </p><p>Just six days later, she tweeted, "lol my album name isn't first of all I'm changing it." Then she deleted that one, too.</p><p>Even though Doja is known to make <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/doja-cat-trolling-new-music-1234732497/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sweeping, half-serious proclamations online</a>, the album title flip-flopping isn't a trolling campaign or marketing scheme.</p><p>According to her, it's simply a combination of indecisiveness and crowdsourcing.</p><p>On Wednesday, Doja opened up about the fluidity of her creative process in a roundtable interview at the <a href="https://www.patrontequila.com/products/el-cielo.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Patrón El Cielo</a> launch party in New York City, where she performed a medley of hits atop <a href="https://gothammag.com/madonna-boom-boom-room-standard-pride-pictures" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Boom Boom Room's famous bar</a>.</p><p>When Insider asked for insight on how she selects an album title, Doja immediately replied: "Good God. I don't know."</p><p>"I put my ADHD kind of on display — by accident, I guess," she continued. "I thought that 'Hellmouth' was the name of the album, but then it wasn't. But I'm good at doing things last minute. So I've been firing off random stuff and reading comments and seeing how people receive it and then, you know, saying 'no' a lot. 'Just kidding.'"</p><p>"I do think that I finally have a title," she concluded, adding swiftly, "It's not 'First of All.'"</p><div type="image" title="doja cat patron launch party" height="2571" width="3427" msid="100529809" hostid="261"></div><p>For those who have followed her career, this series of events isn't entirely surprising. Doja has built a reputation as a shape-shifter, an <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/doja-cat-planet-her-1188592/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">edgelord</a>; an enigmatic pop star who <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/doja-cat-says-new-album-is-all-rap" target="_blank" rel="noopener">doesn't want to be called a pop star</a>. </p><p>The 27-year-old rapper-singer-songwriter rose to fame when her novelty song "Mooo!" went viral in 2018. The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXnJqYwebF8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">infinitely memeable music video</a> starred Doja dressed in a cow costume, eating hamburgers and sticking fries up her nose.</p><p>She became a household name in 2020 thanks to "Say So," the standout hit from her sophomore album "Hot Pink." In the short time since, she has been nominated for 16 Grammy Awards, won <a href="https://variety.com/2023/music/news/doja-cat-bmi-pop-awards-khalid-1235608663/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">songwriter of the year</a> at the BMI Pop Awards, and received the <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/2023-titanium-awards-doja-cat-lil-nas-x-glass-animals-1235209915/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">titanium award</a> from iHeartRadio for 1 billion spins (and counting).</p><p>Now, Doja said she's entering a "darker" phase of her sound and style.</p><p>The chart-topper has recently been rocking a buzzcut, which she wore in a bright blonde on Wednesday to honor the "heavenly" theme of the event.</p><p>When she shaved her head, Doja <a href="https://www.insider.com/doja-cat-shaved-head-doesnt-like-having-hair-2022-8">told fans</a> that she has "never liked having hair" — but that doesn't mean she's making a statement about gender performance. Asked if androgyny is a major factor in her outfit choices, she replied, "Not often."</p><p>"It fluctuates. I can't really define what it is," she said of her current aesthetic. "But musically, I've been trying to go back and sort of pull from things that were huge influences to me as a kid. You know, like jazz influences and stuff like that. So that's been a big inspiration for me lately and sort of a defining characteristic of my music."</p><p>Although she doesn't have any imminent plans to go on tour ("We haven't even started that conversation"), Doja revealed she wants to move away from the "feminine" performances that defined <a href="https://www.insider.com/doja-cat-planet-her-songs-ranked-best-worst-2021-6">her "Planet Her" era</a>, which spawned radio-friendly hits like "Woman" and <a href="https://www.insider.com/best-songs-this-year-ranked-2021-12">"Kiss Me More." </a></p><p>"It's gonna be different. That's a word I would use," she said. "Different in the sense of, my last performances were a lot more... feminine energy... and, you know, safe. Not safe. Not <em>safe</em>. I mean, kinda safe."</p><p>"This next move is gonna be very fun and a lot more in-depth on who I am," she added. "Less about performing a cute song and wearing a cute outfit."</p>

Doja Cat explains why she keeps changing the title for her new album: 'I put my ADHD on display'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Doja Cat said she was "super ill" while wearing her viral red Swarovski crystal suit at Paris Fashion Week.</li><li>She told <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/doja-cat-interview-schiaparelli-fashion-new-music" target="_blank" rel="noopener">L'Officiel</a> that she was suffering from gastroenteritis, a common condition that causes diarrhea and vomiting.</li></ul><p>Doja Cat has revealed that she was "super ill" while wearing her viral red Swarovski crystal suit at Paris Fashion Week.</p><p>The "Woman" rapper covered her body in <a href="https://www.insider.com/photos-doja-cat-red-swarvoski-crystals-paris-fashion-week-2023-1">30,000 crimson Swarovski crystals as she attended Schiaparelli's Paris Fashion Week show in January.</a></p><p>The makeup artist behind the look, Pat McGrath, said on Instagram that the <a href="https://www.insider.com/doja-cat-vows-to-continue-fuelling-illuminati-rumors-2023-2">entire process took nearly five hours to complete.</a></p><p><a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/doja-cat-interview-schiaparelli-fashion-new-music" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In an interview with L'Officiel, published Thursday,</a> Doja said that she was suffering from gastroenteritis, a common condition that causes diarrhea and vomiting, at the time.</p><p>"I'm sitting there, and I feel the twirling of a knife," she explained. "The whole crew was so sweet. The whole glam team was so understanding and so sensitive and kind. It was great and very professional."</p><p>The 27-year-old star added that she tried to "make light of the situation" but her condition "only got worse" as the day went on.</p><p>"My stomach felt like there was a blade in it, and it was just spinning 100 miles per hour," she said. "I never felt pain worse than that — and on one of the most important days of my life! So it was full of emotions and just crazy feelings."</p><p>Asked if it was worth going through the pain, Doja said: "Definitely. I'm very, very proud of it."</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnwimOmp3h9/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnwimOmp3h9/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewbox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631" /></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnwimOmp3h9/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by @patmcgrathreal</a></p></div></blockquote> <p>Doja Cat is currently gearing up for her fourth studio album, "Hellmouth."</p><p>The rapper and singer's previous album, "Planet Her," was released in 2021 and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Billboard's R&amp;B/hip-hop albums chart.</p><p><a href="https://variety.com/2023/music/features/doja-cat-new-era-rapping-fashion-1235506581/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Speaking to Variety in February</a> about "Hellmouth," Doja explained that she has been experimenting with a punk sound.</p><p>"I know that I've done a lot of pink and soft things, a lot of pop and glittery sounds," Doja said. "But for this next era, I'm going in a more masculine direction."</p><p>"I feel like we have enough pop-punk artists right now. And if there needs to be more, then let there be more, but I don't think I'm the one to do it," she added. "I want to explore more of a raw, unfiltered, hardcore punk sort of thing."</p>

Doja Cat says she was 'super ill' while wearing her viral red Swarovski crystal suit at Paris Fashion Week: 'My stomach felt like there was a blade in it'

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/58050935c52402f8058b4c4c-1024/is2zzhxraw3zn91000000000.jpg" alt="Creepy connecticut home" data-mce-source="Zillow" data-link="http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/24-Brentwood-Dr-Avon-CT-06001/59011376_zpid/" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/24-Brentwood-Dr-Avon-CT-06001/59011376_zpid/">Zillow</a></span></p><p class="caption">The splattered walls have been compared in appearance to blood.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Searching for the perfect location to have a Halloween party in central Connecticut? It won't get much better than this.</p><p>A home in an unassuming Hartford suburb has gone slightly viral in the last week after well-followed Twitter users found the listing and tweeted about it, noting its abnormal appearance. While some said it looked like <a href="https://twitter.com/iSmashFizzle/status/785516502808231936">Hellmouth</a>, others compared it to something from <a href="https://twitter.com/rgay/status/785971598784204800">"American Horror Story Season 8."</a></p><p>The home isn't a murder scene, however - it's actually a project by Fermata Arts Foundation founder Nikolay Synkov, who wrote a poem for each room of the house. </p><p>It's for sale for $339,900, but the Coldwell Banker <a href="https://www.coldwellbankerhomes.com/ct/avon/24-brentwood-drive/pid_14310890/">listing</a> asks for "serious inquiries only."</p>

Nobody wants to buy this creepy Connecticut house that looks straight out of a horror movie

<p>The ground in Siberia has been behaving strangely for a while now.</p><p>Remember those <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/russian-exploding-permafrost-methane-craters-global-warming-2016-6">insanely giant craters</a> that opened up out of nowhere? And how recently one of them exploded so violently you could <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/russian-exploding-permafrost-methane-craters-global-warming-2016-6">hear it from 60 miles away</a>?</p><p>You can add this to the list of strange things the ground really shouldn't do.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/579103f6dd0895115c8b4b15-/giphy%20(21).gif" alt="bouncy siberian ground" data-mce-source="Siberian Times/YouTube" data-link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06Xc3LtZRWo" /></div></div></div><p>Why is the ground bouncing like some sort of unholy trampoline?</p><p>According to a story at <a href="http://siberiantimes.com/ecology/others/news/n0679-trembling-tundra-the-latest-weird-phenomenon-in-siberias-land-of-craters/">the Siberian Times</a> (which <a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/read/something-is-causing-siberias-tundra-to-literally-bubble-underground">Motherboard</a> was among the first to take note of), scientists aren't totally sure yet.</p><p>However, it's probably for similar reasons to those terrifying, hell-mouth craters keep opening up: The unseasonably warm weather in the Arctic regions (and let's be honest, <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/07/19/486655867/scientists-report-the-planet-was-hotter-than-ever-in-the-first-half-of-2016">everywhere</a>) is causing permafrost - that is, the ground that should <em>literally be permanently frozen</em> - to thaw.</p><p>When permafrost thaws into soft soil, the liquid methane trapped underneath is released as a gas. This seems to be the case here; the research team who discovered the 15 or so patches of wobbly ground told the Siberian Times that methane and carbon dioxide emanated from the patch when they pierced it.</p><p>Methane and carbon dioxide are both potent <a href="http://www.epa.gov/climatestudents/basics/today/greenhouse-gases.html">greenhouse gases</a>, which trap heat in the atmosphere. One study found that if permafrost all over the world releases the gases currently bottled up underground, we could <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/04/01/the-arctic-climate-threat-that-nobodys-even-talking-about-yet/">double the amount of carbon emissions in the atmosphere</a>.</p><p>So not only is the weird behavior of the Siberian tundra probably a result of climate change, but it could also potentially bring about a whole bunch more of it. And that's a scary thought.</p><p>Watch the full&#xa0;video of the&#xa0;bouncy methane bubbles below.</p><p><div><iframe width="800" height="450" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/06Xc3LtZRWo?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/solved-mystery-siberian-craters-climate-change-2016-3">Scientists may have discovered what caused these mysterious giant holes in Siberia</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="QzbWlmMjE6VV1N4hTeUK-RFoC5LmfCon" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'QzbWlmMjE6VV1N4hTeUK-RFoC5LmfCon',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

The ground in Siberia is turning into a trampoline and we should all be worried

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/52370f37eab8ea2d2c8ca723-1200-924/bill-de-blasio-5.jpg" border="0" alt="Bill de Blasio" /><p class="source">AP</p></div><p></p></div></div>Mayor-elect <keyword id="1710611" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Bill-de-Blasio">Bill de Blasio</keyword> will be New York's most pro-development mayor in decades.</p>
<p>He'll have no choice but to be.</p>
<p>De Blasio has an expansive, progressive vision for remaking the city: Greatly expanding affordable housing, providing universal pre-kindergarten, and combating income inequality. That's all going to cost money.</p>
<p>He also faces <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/13/us-newyorkcity-mayor-finances-analysis-idUSBRE98C0H320130913">big fiscal challenges</a>: The city's annual budget is around $70 billion, and he faces a $2 billion deficit in the coming fiscal year. His plan to expand pre-kindergarten and after school programs will cost another $530 million a year. The city's looming, unfunded liabilities for retiree benefits constrain spending options.</p>
<p>Most city worker unions have been out of contract for four years and they want raises. In fact, because their base pay has been flat for the four years they've been out of contract, they want <em>retroactive</em> raises totaling $7 billion. They won't get that because the money simply isn't there. But they haven't held out all these years refusing to sign contracts with Mike Bloomberg only to get <em>nothing</em> from the city's new, progressive mayor.</p>
<p>The city and agencies that serve the city (principally, the Port Authority and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority) have huge capital needs. In order to gain jobs and residents, the city will need to invest in infrastructure, but what few funds are available are likely to get sucked into the hellmouth that is employee compensation.</p>
<p>De Blasio has proposed a tax increase on people making over $500,000 a year, but that won't be a solution to his fiscal challenges. First, the tax increase he's proposed is small: just $530 million a year, or less than 1% of the city's budget. Second, it requires approval from New York's state legislature and Governor Andrew Cuomo, who are likely to be resistant.</p>
<p>If he hopes to buy labor peace and fulfill his progressive missions, de Blasio will have to find another way to get more money coming into the city's coffers. That's where development comes in.</p>
<p>To the untrained ear, de Blasio has run as a critic of developers, complaining that too many "luxury condos" are going up in New York. But he has also been clear that more development is a key to growing the city's economy and addressing the affordability crisis. And while many of the city's business elites are freaking out about de Blasio's "class warfare," he's maintained good links with (and raised a lot of money from) the real estate industry.</p>
<p>Last summer, de Blasio gave a speech to NYU's Wagner School of Public Service on fostering economic development in <keyword id="72226" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="New-York-City">New York City</keyword>. The speech is <a href="http://advocate.nyc.gov/econ-speech">worth reading in full</a>, but it's especially interesting for de Blasio's strong pro-development bias:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span>First and foremost, when given the choice to grow or to sit idle, we need to grow and we have to be aggressive about it. There are factors beyond our control - economic conditions, bureaucratic interference from afar - that can kill good projects. The things I value as a progressive - good jobs and affordable housing - cannot happen if projects stall or never materialize. If we aren't doing everything possible as a City government to spur on development, even if valid compromises are included, we risk nothing getting built at all, and that is the worst possible outcome.</span></p>
<p>De Blasio has been critical of the Bloomberg-era approach to fostering development, which has relied heavily on subsidies and tax credits to induce developers to build affordable housing. He wants a new approach, which would make "inclusionary zoning" (a set aside of housing-units at restricted rents or prices for low and moderate-income families) mandatory. But he's smart enough to know he can't get something or nothing, which is why he's <a href="http://therealdeal.com/issues_articles/mayoral-candidates-get-candid/">repeatedly said</a> he wants to give developers increased development rights - the ability to build more square feet of building on a given plot of land - in exchange for affordable housing.</p>
<p>The problem with these sorts of upzonings is that they are often politically unpopular: Incumbent residents resist greater density because of the construction, noise, crowds and cars it brings to their neighborhoods. That's why Bloomberg focused his upzoning efforts on neighborhoods like Williamsburg and Long Island City where the prior use was light industrial and few residents were around to complain.</p>
<p>But the city is running out of well-located neighborhoods like this, and the loss of warehouse and similar space due to these neighborhoods' transformation has been driving up the cost of doing business here. The next round of upzonings will have to come in neighborhoods full of existing residents and all the political resistance they bring.</p>
<p>De Blasio will have a key advantage in getting those upzonings done: by tying upzonings to inclusionary housing and the affordable housing issue, he will be able to paint NIMBY opponents of density as opponents of affordable housing. The debate won't be over whether every part of New York should be given over to luxury condo towers; it will be about whether we can grow our way into housing affordability.</p>
<p>If he upzones aggressively with an inclusionary housing mandate, de Blasio will be able to meet much of his goal of 220,000 new or preserved units of affordable housing at no taxpayer expense. The development will generate fees, transfer taxes and property taxes that will pay for his other policy goals. In some neighborhoods, the city could even sell off the added development rights, as Bloomberg is proposing to do with his last zoning legacy: An upzoning of the office district near Grand Central Terminal in Midtown.</p>
<p>Inclusionary zoning is not my preferred approach to affordable housing. Directing developers to build luxury apartments and rent them at a discount to people with low incomes is an inefficient way of housing the poor and the middle class. But the land under New York City is so valuable that upzoning it will create tremendous economic and fiscal benefits, even if some of those benefits are allocated inefficiently. The approach isn't perfect, but I'll take it.</p>
<p>This is why the "Sandinista" critique of de Blasio was so silly. He is definitely a tax-and-transfer liberal who wants to redistribute the economic gains that have, in the last decade, accrued mostly at the top. But he understands how essential robust private economic activity is to making those transfers possible.</p>
<p>If de Blasio hopes to achieve his broader progressive agenda, he'll have to get the real estate issue more or less right - and that bodes very well for development, affordability and growth in New York City.</p>

You Searched For "hellmouth" and got 6 results

A New York man with terrible luck fell into a sinkhole teeming with rats and was trapped for a half hour

Haven Orecchio-Egresitz

Doja Cat explains why she keeps changing the title for her new album: 'I put my ADHD on display'

Callie Ahlgrim

Doja Cat says she was 'super ill' while wearing her viral red Swarovski crystal suit at Paris Fashion Week: 'My stomach felt like there was a blade in it'

Barnaby Lane

Nobody wants to buy this creepy Connecticut house that looks straight out of a horror movie

Dennis Green

The ground in Siberia is turning into a trampoline and we should all be worried

Sarah Kramer

Get Ready For The De Blasio Construction Boom In New York City

Josh Barro