Cole Porter's old place in Waldorf Towers renting for $140,000 monthly (last item). [WSJ] More on mortgage "cramdown" legislation for homeowners clearing legislative hurdles. [WSJ] Complete text of Goldman Sachs' analysis of New York condo prices and their possible drops. [WSJ] Speculators accounting for most housing sales nationwide. [Bloomberg] September 11 memorial at ground zero could open in ...

Judged by their facades alone, the block of 19th-century houses on West 28th Street just off Broadway in Manhattan would have little to detain the passerby. They are painted a sickly shade of green, and front an array of bucket shops selling hastily printed Obama T-shirts, cheap jewellery and imitation perfumes. But to initiates in the history of early 20th-century ...

The stripy blazer doesn't match the pants belonging to his suit, the Hush Puppies worn for comfort, the rain mac -- once his aunt's -- tied by a length of string. Chelsea yuppies mistake him for a shuffling derelict on the Embankment, where he hums and sings Cole Porter and recites some lines he's picked from 'Ode to Joy ...

The assassination of JFK has given us some great songs ... but what other historical events have provided inspiration for musicians. Photograph: Corbis What a slippery fish last week's hero worship theme proved to be. My head is still spinning with unanswered questions. Does looking up to someone count as hero worship, or is it just run-of-the-mill admiration? Is heroism ...