Along 34th Street between Fifth Avenue and Avenue of the Americas, 15 stores flooded the sidewalk with their air-conditioning. On a three-block stretch of Broadway in SoHo, from Houston Street to Broome Street, the number was 29. Among the energy wasters were major retailers like Steve Madden, H & M, Foot Locker, Aerosoles, Lane Bryant, Ann Taylor Loft, Arden B., Aldo, Uniqlo, Esprit and Zara.

Not Lane Bryant! There's a proposed law to fine retailers that do this, but it doesn't look too popular politically. More effective is the "asshole customer" route. Think of it as a free chance to berate Steve Madden.

[NYT]

Former Gawker-er Alex Balk needs every bit of his energy and concentration to be focused on the delicate task of editing Radar's website. But how can he, when he's on the verge of heat stroke because of a shamefully malfunctioning AC unit? Earlier today he reported he was "entirely covered in sweat." He even wanted to take off his shoes! Later he said the AC in Radar's office might be working "within the hour." Well, we certainly hope so, for god's sake!

Furthermore, the Midtown offices of legal publisher ALM are sweltering! Hardly the conditions in which solid reporting about lawyers can be done. A tipster says there's been no AC for the past two days—throughout the worst of the heat wave—and they might not be fixed tomorrow, either. The company's solution for the restless staff? Ice cream sandwiches. But "the cheap kind!"

And Choire Sicha is reporting that the peons at the Observer are suffering from a broken AC as well! Can't Jared Kushner buy a truck full of ice?

How long must the media suffer? Send us your tales of woe. Together we will overcome!

[Also, don't Google image search "sweaty worker" unless you want to see a lot of porn. Pic of sweating Chinese worker via Great Commission was found with the more fruitful search, "sweating at work."]