One of the blogs I read every day is Gothamist, which provides the 4-1-1 on what's happening here in NYC. Here are some recent stories of interest ...
The fat cats of Wall Street saw their bonuses increase 17% in 2009 - something that enrages man people in this country. However, here in NYC those Wall Street salaries are extremely important. Wall Street accounts for only 5% of New York City jobs, but Wall Street salaries account for 24% of the salaries paid to New Yorkers. Story.
Many of you might assume there would be security cameras in subway cars - but there weren't until yesterday. Four cars on the "E" line recently had cameras installed as part of a pilot program to "aid in the investigation and prosecution of criminal activity". I'm just glad there were no cameras on the "F" line when I lived in Brooklyn and used to take the train home from the clubs. My intoxicated behavior may not necessarily have been "criminal", but I KNOW I could have been prosecuted for some of it. Story.
New York City - which is known for pizza-by-the-slice - now has pizza-in-a-cone. Fuggedaboutit! Story
In other food-related news, the City has officially banned homemade desserts from school bake sales - in an ongoing effort to combat childhood obesity. Now "Bake Sales" can only offer fruits and vegetables (which, HELLO, aren't baked) or one of 27 approved pre-packed items (low-fat Doritos and Nutrigrain bars - in blueberry only - are included). Ridic. Story.
Finally, the Mayor just announced that all parades must shorten their routes by 25%, and limit their "run times" to five hours, in an effort to cut down on police and sanitation overtime. This will especially affect the Puerto Rican Day Parade and the Gay Pride Parade - which traditionally run well over five hours because of the large number of participants. But even the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (above) will have to shorten its route - which will probably lead to increased congestion and overcrowding along the shortened route. Happy Holidays! Story.
