Hot Dog!

On Manhattan’s Upper West Side, the most valuable things aren't always found inside the Metropolitan Museum. The Parks Department received a $630,100 bid from Pasang Sherpa for two hot dog vending spots located outside the front doors of the museum. That bid is $54,110 higher than what last year’s, and current franchise holder, Thomas Maddos paid. It will take a few weeks for the Park’s Department to verify all bids and confirm service quality. Service quality? Woody Allen says, "take the money and run!"

Cameras For Crooks And Honest Citizens Alike

Officials from both the NYPD and the Parks Department concur that pretty soon, security cameras will be as common as squirrels in New York City’s parks. They say this technology will be used to increase successful prosecutions of those arrested for criminal acts. They also believe these high-tech electronics are effective deterrents of crime. As one who’s read George Orwell’s 1984 (a recommended read in 2008), I’m leery about their concept and conclusions.

It’s a known fact that most inmates released from prison wind up committing crimes again. Sadly, too few are rehabilitated to live respectably within our society. Has a study ever been conducted to determine if crime might drop if sentences for convicted criminals were longer? Or, might the fear of longer sentencing be a more effective deterrent than hidden cameras? Maybe it’s time we got the answers to these questions. I suggest we examine all of our personal safety options before we’re all examined (on camera) ourselves.