Third Climber At Times Building
Yet another climber has ascended the front of the Times building, and this one brought a banner. It's not clear what it's supposed to say — the Times' City Room blog appears to have the story to itself at this early hour and is saying only that the banner "referenced bin Laden," is white "with red fliers stuck to it" and was hung above the "T" of the "The" in the Times logo etched into Renzo Piano's ceramic tubes. Also, the guy is using his cell phone a lot and appears to be a professional, though he's only reached the 11th of 52 floors before holding between the ninth and tenth. The prior two climbers, you'll recall, made it all the way to the top on June 5 before being arrested. Cops are the scene with climbing cables and hard hats. (Photo by Hioko Masuike via Times) UPDATE:
Apparently, the Times is being vague about the contents of the banner because "we can't read the words yet - we're trying," according to a newsroom staffer. If you're in midtown, and reading this, take a look for us! tips@gawker.com (What, you have something better to do at this hour?)
UPDATE 2: Nevermind, the Daily News has a picture and got a call from the climber, David Malone, who is responible for the website and book Bin Laden's Plan, which advocates new tactics against Al Qaeda. And, as reported in the comments, the Times has already put in an email to the guy for comment (the guy right outside their window — but hey, maybe he has a BlackBerry!).