East Village Selfie Woman Apologizes

"It was inconsiderate to those hurt in the crash and to the city of New York. What happened last week in the East Village is not to be taken lightly and I regret my course of action." - Former Iowa Democratic Party Communications Director Christine Freundlich, apologizing for taking a cheerful  selfie in front of the gas explosion which destroyed the homes of over 100 New Yorkers, injured dozens, and killed two, whose bodies were recovered yesterday. (Tipped by JMG reader Ragnar)

CORRECTION: I posted the wrong photo in the first draft of this post. It's not clear that Freudlich was also part of the group whose selfie made the front page of the New York Post.

Today's New York Post

Via Gothamist:

The photo of 7 women cheerfully taking a selfie on 2nd Avenue—as buildings crumble and burn behind them, and victims of the explosion remain missing—was almost unbelievable. The selfie stick, the beaming smiles... surely this was Photoshopped. It wasn't. The very real photo quickly spread online yesterday, and this morning the NY Post has put the young women on their cover, with the words: VILLAGE IDIOTS. Things are not going so good if the NY Post is, quite rightfully, calling you "tasteless" and "heartless." The explosion, which took place at 2nd Avenue near 7th Street, took down three buildings (119, 121 and 123 Second Avenue), injured dozens, and displaced residents and commercial businesses; Nicholas Figueroa, 23, and Moises Ismael Locón Yac, 27, remain missing.

The three destroyed buildings contained about 70 apartments and a dozen street-level businesses. As you can see, many other apartments were destroyed in the adjacent buildings still standing.

Malaysian Prime Minister Tells Families That All Lives Were Lost In Airline Disaster

Possible Breakthrough On Missing Airliner

USA Today reports:

Authorities in Australia are investigating two objects in the Indian Ocean spotted by satellite imagery that may be related to the missing Malaysian airliner, in what is being described as the most credible lead in the hunt for the plane that vanished nearly two weeks ago with 239 passengers and crew aboard. A Norwegian ship was the first vessel to reach the search area, the BBC reports. Ships from Australia, New Zealand and the Untied States were also en route to the area, about 1,5t0 southwest of Perth, Australia.

NEW YORK CITY: Search Continues In Harlem, Residents Blame Landlord

The search for bodies and possible survivors continues at the site of yesterday's explosion in Harlem. Residents of one of the destroyed buildings say they had complained to the landlord about a gas leak for weeks.

One of the victims was identified as 44-year-old Griselde Camacho, a public safety sergeant at Hunter College. The second victim was identified as 67-year-old Carmen Tanco, who lived on the second floor of one of the buildings. Rosaura Hernandez-Barrios, 21, was killed. Four bodies found overnight have not yet been identified. At least 69 other people are injured, at least two of them critically, including a 15-year-old boy. Harlem Hospital reports it has 13 patients, and Mount Sinai received 26 patients, including three children. A resident of one of the collapsed buildings, Ruben Borrero, said residents had complained to the landlord for weeks about the smell of gas, as recently as Tuesday. Con Ed says it received no gas complaints from the building before Wednesday. The Fire Department said it was checking its records for any gas complaints at the building. A team of NTSB experts arrived on the scene Wednesday evening to begin their investigation. "We will be looking at Con Ed's integrity management system, to see how they handled complaints reporting odors of gas," said NTSB board member Robert Sumwalt. "We will look for any evidence of third party damage by digging."

Yesterday local housing activists suggested that gentrification may be partly to blame, as landlords are sometimes slow to make repairs in an attempt to clear out tenants in buildings that they want to sell.

NEW YORK CITY: Buildings Collapse In Harlem After Massive Explosion

A massive explosion has resulted in the collapse of at least two apartment buildings on the east side of Harlem this morning. Dozens of NYFD units are on the scene. All Metro-North service is suspended due to possible damage to the elevated tracks and a nearby station. MTA service on the 4-5-6 subway lines is moving very slowly due to fears of further building collapses from train vibrations. Local television reports that there have been multiple serious injuries. The NYPD bomb squad is on the scene. Story developing...

UPDATE: CNN reports that prior to the explosion ConEdison had been called to the scene to investigate a report of a gas leak.

UPDATE II: A least one death has now been reported. Local TV says that over 20 people have been transported by ambulance. One of the destroyed buildings was five stories tall and likely had about 30 units. A housing activist just interviewed by CNN says gentrification may be to blame as landlords are slow to do critical repairs because they want longtime tenants out of their buildings.

CNN: Missing Plane Was Far Off Course

CNN has a breaking report:

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was hundreds of miles off course, traveling in the opposite direction from its original destination and had stopped sending identifying transponder codes before it disappeared, a senior Malaysian Air Force official told CNN Tuesday. If correct, these are ominous signs that could call into question whether someone in the cockpit might have deliberately steered the plane away from its intended destination, a former U.S. aviation investigator said. "This kind of deviation in course is simply inexplicable," said Paul Goelz, former managing director of the National Transportation Safety Board. However, veteran pilot Kit Darby, president of Aviation Information Resources, told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that mechanical problems could still explain everything: A power failure would have turned off the main transponder and its backup, and the plane could have flown for more than an hour, he said.

If the new report is accurate, it could be that all those ships and aircraft have been searching the wrong area.

New Developments In Airliner Case

Via New York Daily News:

Two men who used stolen travel documents to board the Malaysia Airlines jet that vanished Saturday were caught by surveillance cameras and were not Asian in appearance, a Malaysian official said Monday, conflicting earlier reports about what the pair looked like. "We confirmed now they are not Asian-looking males," Malaysia's Department of Civil Aviation chief, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, said at a news conference Monday. Azharuddin said investigators reviewed surveillance footage taken at the Kuala Lumpur airport "from check-in right to departure" and confirmed that security protocols were followed — despite the fact that two men managed to board with stolen Italian and Austrian passports.

More from CNN:

According to Thai police officials, an Iranian man by the name of Kazem Ali purchased the tickets for two friends who he said wanted to return home to Europe. While Ali made the initial booking by telephone, either Ali or someone acting on his behalf paid for the tickets in cash, according to police. Rahman said Monday that authorities have reviewed security footage from the airport and said the men who traveled on the stolen passports "are not Asian-looking men." Interpol tweeted Sunday it was examining additional "suspect #passports."

There have been no "credible claims of responsibility" by terrorist groups, but some experts are speculating that the aircraft's disappearance may have been a trial run for a larger scale attempt to come later.

Search Continues For Malaysian Airliner

Debris from the aircraft may have been found.

Vietnamese aircraft spotted what they suspected was one of the doors belonging to the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 on Sunday, as troubling questions emerged about how two passengers managed to board the Boeing 777 using stolen passports. The discovery comes as officials consider the possibility that the plane disintegrated mid-flight, a senior source told Reuters. The state-run Thanh Nien newspaper cited Lt. Gen. Vo Van Tuan, deputy chief of staff of Vietnam's army, as saying searchers in a low-flying plane had spotted an object suspected of being a door from the missing jet. It was found in waters about 56 miles south of Tho Chu island, in the same area where oil slicks were spotted Saturday.

50 Years Ago Today

I was four years old when JFK was assassinated and lately I've wondered how real my memories of my mom, my aunt, and my grandmother crying in front of the TV are. We were at my grandparents' house in Newark for Thanksgiving that week and my mother later often told the story about everybody rushing home from work that day because of fears that the city would erupt into "race riots." Do I really remember all that drama or have my mom's stories sort of insinuated themselves into a false memory? If you're old enough, share your own memories.

Man Killed By Truck While Walking To Honor Bullied Son Who Committed Suicide

Tragedy upon tragedy. KATU-TV reports:

Joe Bell had a message for gay teens suffering from bullying who might be contemplating suicide: “It’ll get better.” He was spreading that message during a walk across the country – from Oregon to New York City. Joe was walking in honor of his son Jadin. The 15-year-old boy was gay and suffered from bullying. He hanged himself on a La Grande school playground in January. A passerby saw Jadin and tried to help, but the boy later died at a Portland hospital. Joe Bell was walking along a rural highway in Colorado on Wednesday evening when he was struck by a semi-truck and killed.

Investigators believe the driver fell asleep at the wheel. A fund for the Bell family will be announced on the website that supported Joe Bell's walk. (Tipped by JMG reader Birdie)

BREAKING: Jetliner Crashes At SFO

Casualties unknown at this writing. Story developing...

UPDATE: From a man claiming to have been a passenger.

BRAZIL: Hundreds Dead In Nightclub Fire

The Rio Times reports:

At least 245 people have died in a nightclub fire in central Rio Grande do Sul, police have said. A band’s pyrotechnics reportedly started the blaze at the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria at 2:30 AM Saturday night. Police finished removing bodies from the scene late Sunday morning, Folha de São Paulo reported. In addition to the 245 confirmed dead by military police, 48 people are injured and receiving treatment. Many people died after inhaling toxic fumes; and scores of people suffocated or were trampled as they fled the scene. Local media have reported that the club had only a single exit and panic spread as people tried to get out. Firefighters had to cut a hole in the wall of the nightclub to access victims and extinguish the fire. Footage on Globo TV showed people crying outside, while firefighters knocked down walls to gain access using sledgehammers.

Most of the victims were college students.

LA Gay Chorus: Tribute To Sandy Hook

Put it on full screen. Gorgeous beyond words.

Gun Sales Soar After Sandy Hook

Funerals Begin For Sandy Hook

Has Westboro Baptist Agreed To Not Picket Sandy Hook Elementary?

Radio host David Pakman sends us this: "I just finished convincing Westboro Church to consider NOT picketing the funerals of the victims in Newtown in exchange for some air time. As much as I hate to offer them airtime, if I can keep them away from those funerals, I think it is worth it. Here is the video, we are standing by for their confirmation."

NRA Remains Silent

The National Rifle Association has yet to comment on the Sandy Hook tragedy. In fact, the day after the shooting they took down their main Facebook page.

On Saturday, one day after the unthinkable shootings at a Newtown, Conn. elementary school, the NRA took a more drastic measure by deactivating its Facebook page after celebrating getting to 1.7 million fans on the social site earlier in the week. While the group has not commented since Friday's tragedy, it appears to have staked out a strategy to take its brand out of the social media picture in the wake of a mass-shooting news event. Given its guns-rights cause, the social media buzz after such events seems to be an unenviable conversation for the org to partake in. The NRA's chief Twitter account, which has doubled in followers to 63,000 since the Aurora shootings, has been silent since tweeting out a holidays giveaway contest early Friday.

And there's this.

$989.99 + Free Shipping

The rifle used to kill all those kids can easily be purchased online. And shipping is free.

President Obama Speaks In Newtown CT

The program will commence shortly.

UPDATE: I've replaced the official White House live-stream with a recording of the president's remarks.