City Tree Plan Gets Three Green Thumbs

Mayor Bloomberg’s "green" initiative to plant 1,000,000 trees was recently boosted by The Police. No, not the NYPD, but the rock group headed by Sting. The band generously pledged $1,000,000 to the cause. Their donation will support 10,000 new trees in our boroughs. The legendary musical group also agreed to play their last concert in New York to aid perennially-financially strapped public TV. For their civic contributions, the three band members each received keys to New York City. Like any door here would be closed to them!

“Fly” Moviemaker Shoots In Subway

An unknown videographer is taking crotch-shots of male subway riders and posting them on the Internet. Because everything pictured is on public display and the videographer isn’t making money off the images, experts say nothing can be done. Only in New York, right? So gentlemen, remember to zipper up ... or some film fetishist may be snapping at the little birdie.

Ferry Service Makes Commuters Merry

Sunset Park residents in Brooklyn and inhabitants in the Rockaways section of Queens now have water ferry service to Wall Street. For only $6 a trip, the commute to lower Manhattan can now be a wet one instead of a wait one on city buses, trains or roads. It'll be the most enjoyable yellow taxi you ever hailed.

Rents Going Through The Roof

The cost of renting an apartment in New York City could rise 9.5% if the proposed increase is approved on June 19th. Rent Guidelines Board Chairman Marvin Markus thinks that’s the appropriate number now. Many are unhappy with a straight, across-the-board increase. So why not try a more specific approach? Future rate increases could be directly linked to the quality of life and conservation/recycling efforts for each building. Buildings with higher grades would get higher rent increases. In that way, tenants will truly be getting what they pay for. Dollhouse owners need to play nicer with their lower and middle income-class toys.

Shooting Guns And Photo Shots

The “Pistol Cam” is an audio/video device that attaches to a real gun. It activates magnetically whenever the gun is withdrawn from the holster. Encrypted software prevents illegal tampering with captured data. “Pistol Cam” representatives believe that the $600 cost per unit would be offset by the millions the city could save in lawsuits alone. That's possible when the officer is innocent; expensive when he or she is not. Justice should always prevail. To this point, the NYPD and most New York City politicians have refused to comment on the "Pistol Cam" or are withholding judgment. I’m curious about something now though. How do you get an armed suspect to smile when you point a gun at them and say, “Cheese!”?

New York City Really Woks!

In early 2007, there were roughly 2,300 Chinese restaurants in New York City compared to about 1,400 in 1997. That's a huge increase in ten years. Admittedly, few things taste better than a Chinese meal! But, can you figure out why there are 900 more Asian eateries around? Try using your noodle to read between their noodles to get the answer. If that doesn’t help, try looking inside your fortune cookie.